Page 28 of Soldier Cowboy
“She’s older now, but still hanging in there. No major issues. She’s twenty-five and ready for pasture. Living the easy life. She’s been waiting for you to come home.”
All three of them ambled to the stables, a large gray-and-white building with the classic X on the door. Four separate corrals opened to the adjacent stables.
“There she is.” Colton pointed. “Freya.”
Colton’s horse was a beautiful mare, black with only a streak of white on her forelock. She was on the farthest end of the corral from them when they walked up to the fence.
“Hey, Freya. I’m back.”
The mare turned, clearly responding to the sound of Colton’s voice. She trotted to the fence and bent her head low toward Colton. He was tall enough to reach for her, and she lowered her head to his shoulder. And smiled contentedly.
“She’s smiling,” Jennifer said, dumbfounded. “I didn’t know a horse could smile.”
She snapped away, shot after shot of Colton’s back and the horse’s muzzle on his shoulder.
“I haven’t seen her this happy inyears.” Sean petted her alongside Colton. “Good girl.”
Jennifer stopped taking photos to pet her forelock. “Freya? That’s an unusual name for a horse. Is it—”
“The Nordic goddess,” Colton said. “Freya was the goddess of war.”
“Perfect name for the horse of a soldier,” Sean said.
“But she’s also the goddess of love, fertility, and death,” Jennifer said and both men turned to her.
“That’s right,” Colton said, sounding surprised. “You know your Nordic mythology.”
“It’s been a long time but there’s some stuff I remember. Her death was never mentioned and even after the religion died, she was still worshipped.”
“Her chariot is pulled by two cats.” Colton chuckled. “Ironic because this Freya hated our barn cats.”
Sean, who had walked inside the barn, came back out and held out his hand. “Here, give her a treat and make friends with your fiancé’s first love.”
Jennifer held out her hand and Freya noticed her for the first time. Turning her large head as if to say, “Who in the world areyou?” she sniffed her hand for the treat before licking it off Jennifer’s hands.
After that, she went right back to Colton, who didn’t need a treat for her undying devotion.
“I guess there’s nothing quite like your first true love.” She grinned at Colton. “Don’t worry, I’m not the jealous type.”
Not only was she not the jealous type, but Jennifer was gratified that this soldier already had some equine therapy right here at home.
CHAPTER8
Jennifer spent the next hour watching Colton lead Freya to the open pasture, not bothering to saddle her. He uncinched her and let her go free in the larger fenced-in area by the tree line, watching as she trotted along, stopping to chew on some grass. It made a pretty picture through Jennifer’s lens. Colton stayed with her, hanging back, but never far behind. Freya never lost sight of him.
Jennifer had heard a lot about equine therapy and that it wasn’t always accessible to everyone, especially not in LA. Joe would have enjoyed something like this, as he’d always loved animals. She would check in with him tonight. He was doing so much better now but still didn’t enjoy phone calls, and she remained the only one in the family he’d talk to at the moment. The estrangement between him and their father was still going strong and nothing Jennifer said would get him to talk to their father.
Then again, their dad had taken too long to recognize or acknowledge Joe’s issues and his need to step away from the military service. Even when Jennifer had tried to intervene, expressing her concern over Joe’s obvious depression, her father didn’t take it seriously enough. Until the day he’d been forced to acknowledge it. But the fact it got that far was something Joe was still struggling to forgive of their father.
“Have you heard of equine therapy?” Jennifer asked Sean while they watched Colton and Freya getting reacquainted.
Since Sean was a horse rescuer, maybe he’d be interested in rescuing soldiers, too.
“I’m interested in the theory behind it.” Sean turned to her, his booted foot on the fence rail. “You and I haven’t had a chance to talk. What were you doing when you met my brother and he swept you off your feet?”
“How do you know I didn’t sweephimoff his feet?”
“I have no doubt you did.”
