Page 74 of Spencer and the Younger Girl
Spencer watched her turn his obstinate horse into an affectionate lap dog without an ounce of surprise. He’d come to realize nothing about Hadley should surprise him any longer.
People and animals alike were drawn to her in a way he’d never seen before. She could say harsh things to his mom and get away with it. Damien, Gabe, even Spencer’s dad… they all loved her.
After a few moments, she pulled away from Harbinger. “I’ve gotta go say hi to a friend.” She loped back to the fence.
“What about me?” he called. “I’m a friend.”
She turned and tapped her chin. “Maybe. But Stammer is cuter than you.”
“He’s a goat.”
“And he had a harrowing day yesterday.”
“Him? I’m the one who found a muddy goat in my bed.”
She nodded seriously, but he saw her lips twitch. “See ya.” She hopped the fence again, this time with slightly more grace, and ran toward the goat pen.
Damien reappeared, his eyes following Hadley. “Spencer, if you’re leaving, be careful.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Sure.” He shook his head. “Act like I’m stupid. Just… I like her. She’s a good person. I don’t want her falling in love with you and then getting crushed when you leave.” He patted Spencer’s shoulder and walked away.
Spencer sighed and met Harbinger’s dark gaze. “That girl is going to be the end of me, isn’t she?”
He would have sworn Harbinger nodded.
“Come on, Harbi. Let’s get you some food. This afternoon, we’ll see if we can try riding again.”
He spared one more glance for the goat pen where Hadley sat in the grass with goats vying for her attention. They had the right idea.
* * *
Spencer barely sawHadley all morning. His dad had her helping Damien and Gabe muck out stalls and lay fresh straw.
Spencer, on the other hand, spent the morning working with Harbinger. There were other things that needed done, but he was determined to help the horse who’d once been his best friend. If he left when Harbinger still had an attitude problem, life wouldn’t be fun for the horse.
“Come on, Harbi.” He followed the horse in a wide circle around the pen, forcing him to keep pace.
“You should take his halter off,” Spencer’s dad said from where he watched the horse’s progress.
It wasn’t an awful idea. Harbinger didn’t obey any pulls on his lead rope, anyway. “You think he wants more control?”
His dad shrugged. “You know Harbi as well as anyone. You tell me.”
It was the first time his dad tried to offer him advice since he’d come home. Really, the first time he’d gotten more than grunts or chastisements from the man.
And Spencer wasn’t about to throw the opportunity away.
He approached Harbinger, stepping closer. Wrapping one arm over his neck, he applied pressure to the right side of the horse’s head, forcing him to drop it down. After removing the halter, Spencer stepped back.
“No one at this place was ever as good with the horses as you.” His dad’s tone held a wistful quality. “Did you get a chance to work with them while you were away?”
“Some.” No one—not even his brother—had asked about the three years he’d been gone, what he’d seen, what he’d done.
It was almost as if they didn’t want to remember it happened.
“Spencer Lee without horses is no Spencer at all.”
