Page 39 of Grounded
“She’s better, thanks,” Annie said, holding her breath and sensing Lindy doing the same thing while the teller counted out the bills and slashed them each with a yellow marker.
The teller put the money in the drawer and printed out a deposit receipt before handing it to Annie.
“So it’s real?” Lindy asked.
She laughed. “Where you afraid it wasn’t?”
“Actually, we were a little concerned,” Annie said.
“You’ve seen the marker test before, I’m sure,” the teller said. “We’re also trained to check for microprint on both sides and some tiny lines around Independence Hall. They’re nearly impossible for counterfeiters to reproduce. This is good money.”
After Annie parted with Lindy, she made a stop at the grocery store, then picked out a tray of petunias from Duncan’s Hardware. Might as well do what she could to spruce up the place. This knee operation may be the very thing to persuade her grandmother to sell. If so, she would at least have the place looking good.
“Woody called. He wants to bring a horse over for you to ride,” Beulah said, holding the back door open for her.
“A horse? Today?”
“That’s what he said.” Her grandmother closed the back door behind them.
“Did I say I wanted a horse?”
“I think he’s hoping to court you on trail rides.”
Her grandmother gave her a knowing grin and turned to go back in the house.
It was midafternoon when she heard a horse whinny outside. Annie was finishing the petunia bed, which now lent a smattering of purple and pinks against the gray stone foundation below the front porch. With a porch swing and a paint job, the house might make a spread inCountry Living.
She stretched as she stood and gathered up the hand trowel and the plastic trays. Around back, Annie saw Woody in the barn lot, bent over a metal tank with a hose. She set down the trowel and trays on the back porch and walked out to meet him. A brown horse watched Woody’s every movement with large brown eyes.
“Woody?” she called.
“Howdy. I knew you were anxious to ride, so I brought over Nutmeg here. I thought I’d go ahead and clean this out for you so you’ll be all fixed up.”
“I’m sorry you went to all this trouble. I’m really not good on a horse.”
“No trouble. We’ll turn you into a horsewoman before you can say scat.”
Annie felt annoyed at his presumption, but didn’t feel like arguing. If he wanted to leave the horse here, she would look after it. She certainly had time on her hands.
“Be done in a jiffy,” he said. “Beulah invited me in for pie soon as I finished up here.”
Great,Annie thought. Did everybody that came to her grandmother’s house have to eat something? Was it possible for people to come and go without food being involved?
She had absently been petting Nutmeg and now the horse wanted more. She nudged her and Annie gave in and rubbed the animal’s forehead, feeling her own body relax with the movement. “You have a spot on your lip,” she said to the horse.
“That’s called a snip. She’s a chestnut horse with a snip and two socks,” Woody said.
Annie looked down at the horse’s feet and sure enough, her two back legs looked like she was wearing socks.
“Gotcha a pair of boots?”
“What for?”
“Better to have ’em in case the horse steps on your toes. It don’t feel too good even with boots on, but it’s worse’in sneakers.”
“But Woody, I don’t—”
“I’ll learn you this first time,” he said, his green eyes serious.
