Page 61 of Spencer and the Younger Girl
“Hey, Harbi.” She smiled. “Are these boys being mean to you?”
Harbinger snorted as if he understood her.
“Yeah, I know what you’re saying. Spencer isn’t very nice to me either.” She lifted a hand, inching toward the giant steed. “You’re such a pretty boy.”
He bumped his nose against her hand, and she froze as he sniffed her.
Shaking off the fear, she ran her hand up his nose and over the dusty white triangle between his eyes. “You like that, boy?” Her fingers dug into his black mane and down over his soft neck.
He stepped closer, nudging her shoulder.
“Good boy,” she cooed.
“What is happening right now?” Damien whispered.
Gabe answered him. “That blasted horse barely even lets me touch him.”
“Only Dad has been allowed to brush him since Spence left.”
Still, Spencer didn’t say a word.
“You’re not so scary, Harbinger.” She pressed a kiss to his neck. She’d never been around horses before, or really animals in general, but now she couldn’t imagine anything else.
This, right here with Harbinger, was better than Paris.
There, she’d said it—or at least thought it.
She’d just never tell her grandfather that.
Harbinger nibbled on her hair, and she pushed him away with a laugh. “If you go back to your stall, I’m sure one of these servants of yours will make sure you have fresh food.” She stepped back, breaking her connection with the horse.
Harbinger looked at her for a long moment before turning and ambling down the hall to his stall.
Spencer met her gaze for just a moment before following the horse.
Hadley blew out a breath. “He’s amazing.”
“The horse or my brother?” Damien laughed.
Hadley turned toward him, crossing her arms over her chest. “Harbinger.”
“I’ve only ever seen him like that with Spence, and not since he returned.” Damien scratched his face in disbelief. “I don’t know what it is about you, Hadley. You make farm animals behave like pets. First Stammer and now Harbi.”
“First, thanks for calling him Stammer. I knew the name would catch on. Second, you just have to be kind to them.” She hopped back out to where the last hay bales sat and lifted one with a grunt, doing a foot shuffle thing to get it inside.
They secured the last of the hay as rain broke through the cloud cover, hammering into the tin roof of the barn.
Damien cursed as he looked out into the deluge. “When it rains, Ma and Dad usually call off the other hands who drive here from Tampa. There’s not enough work for all of us.” He sighed. “That means we’re on barn duty.”
“Barn duty?”
As if on cue, Mr. Lee ran into the barn, soaked from head to toe. He shook water out of his face. “Morning, kids.”
Spencer slid the door to Harbi’s stall shut and joined them.
Mr. Lee went on. “I just called Thomas and Henry. They’re not coming in today. Which means…”
Damien nudged Hadley. “See? Barn duty.”
