Page 27 of Spurred On

“I hate you." The words lack sincerity and we both know it. I don’t hate him, not even close. In fact, if the warm fuzzy feeling in my chest is any indication, it’s quite the opposite. “Now show me what to do.”

He turns to face me. “First things first. Are you scared of livestock?”

“Uh, no?” Should I be?” I mean, I was just petting the horse, so I feel like he should have been able to deduce that on his own.

“These are all well-trained, so no. But some people are terrified.”

Maybe if it was one of the big, angry bulls I hear about him riding. But the ones in here are strangely comforting. “Then no.”

“Okay. Well, you only need to deep clean out one stall a day. Jack likes to keep a super-clean stall. He loves these horses more than he loves his own children. Aspen and Weston will attest to it.”

“I believe you.” Looking around at their decked-out space, I can see that. I’ve lived in apartments less nice and way colder.

“You’ll need to clean the messes out every day but only replace the bedding once a week. You’ll use this pitchfork,” he points to the one leaning against the far wall with other assorted things, “to grab the soiled straw and throw it into that bin over there. We will come around and dump the bin at the end of the day, so don’t worry about that.”

Cleaning up horseshit isn’t what I had in mind, but money is money and I’m not in the position to turn down anything. “Okay, I can do that.”

“For the calf, you’ll use warm water and a milk substitute. I’d recommend doing this first. She’ll need to feed first thing in the morning,we usually do it around five or six, and then again, around five in the afternoon. As she gets bigger, you will need more milk. For now, she gets half a bottle twice a day.”

He walks to the cupboard, pulls out two clean bottles, and shows them to me. “We’ll take these home with us tonight. She’s already been fed this morning, but you’ll come back tonight. It’s best to fill it with hot water at home, so by the time you get here and get the powder substitute put in, it should be perfectly warm for her. The instructions are on the bag. I am assuming you can read?”

My eyes can’t help but roll. “Yes, asshole, I can read.”

“Great, I just didn’t want to assume. Do you have any questions?” He props up against one of the stalls and crosses his arms.

“Where do I put the horses when cleaning out their stalls?”

“You can put two together while you clean out the stalls.” He looks over to where the baby calf naps in the corner. “You’ll probably have to clean the calves stall out more often, she shits a lot.”

I close my eyes and let out a sigh. “Lovely. Anything else?”

“Nope.” He pops the P and takes a step away from the stall.

“Well, alright. Thanks again. I really appreciate it.” There is no sarcasm here because without this little bit of cash flow, I will be in a real situation I don’t know how to handle.

“No problem. You’re actually helping us out. The winter is hard on the pastures and fences, so this will give us more hands to fix those. Mabel serves breakfast at the house around six thirty, so if you finish feeding the calf in time, you can meet us all for breakfast.”

That actually sounds great. Boredom has become my new personality trait, and having something to look forward to will be nice.

“Alright, I am going to head out. I should be back in about three hours to pick you up.”

I nod my head and look around, making sure I am ready. Mav studies me for a minute and then heads out the door.

“Alrighty, guys, I am new so please be nice.” The horses let out a huff, and I take that as acceptance.

Chapter 17

Ava

There has never been anyone more bored than me. For the second time, my start date has been pushed back. Some hospitals are notoriously slow at the hiring process, and this one is no exception because what was supposed to be four weeks is almost eight weeks now. Erin has been busy for the last month, and Mav has been a rodeoing machine. So, it’s just been me and breakfast with Mabel, which I thoroughly enjoy. The boys are usually gone when I make it to the house. And the horses. I didn't ever think cleaning horse shit would be my idea of fun, but it’s better than sitting alone in the house.

I’m used to being busy. I’ve worked multiple jobs and gone to school most of my life. Sitting at home, alone, with nowhere to be is killing me. Cleaning stalls and feeding doesn’t take up enough of my day. This cabin feels smaller and smaller every day. I seriously need to get out of here and off this ranch, even if only for a day.

An idea pops into my head, one I am sure will get turned down, but it’s worth a try. And though I hold myself in very high regard, I am even willing to knock myself down a few pegs by begging.

I throw on a hoodie and a pair of shoes to sit with Mav on the front porch. He drinks his coffee there most mornings, and when it’s not too cold, he spends some downtime out there, too. I think he likes the quiet and time to himself more than he realizes.

Swinging the front door open, I feel the chill seep in through my hoodie. Maybe I should have thrown on a coat instead. Mav sits on the rocking chair, and I go sit on the one next to him. He smiles at me as he waits for me to say something, but now that I’m here, I am not sure how to ask. I hate asking for things. This isn’t a big thing, but it’s still something.

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