momma!
Look how pretty he is Garrett. We're going to look great
tomorrow."
"He does look neat."
Garrett giggled. "But I wouldn't want to ride a horse that
has pink bows in its hair."
Lauren gave him a
childish shove, almost knocking him to the ground. "Hey!
That's because you're a boy. Boy's aren't supposed to like pretty
things."
Garrett stuck his tongue
out at her and ran screaming and laughing from the barn when
Lauren took off after him. Brenda and the gelding exchanged a
glance before she pulled his blanket on and brought him to his
stall.
"Lauren! Come give
Tonka some hay before we go."
"Aw, do we have to
go?" Lauren and Garrett reappeared, both short of breath and
still giggling.
"Yes we do. You have
to get up early tomorrow for the parade and you still have to
clean your room. Remember what I said, if you don't clean it you
don't go."
"Ugh!" Lauren
stamped her foot.
"Don't get mad at
me. Feed Tonka so we can go, check his water also."
When Brenda saw to it
that Lauren had fed and watered Tonka to her satisfaction she
watched her daughter say a teary good bye to Garrett before she
could get her into their car and started for home.
"I didn't get a
chance to say good bye to Uncle Marcus." Lauren complained
as they pulled away from the dirt drive and headed for home.
"He had other things
to do. You'll see him first thing tomorrow anyways."
"What time will we see granny and gramps tomorrow? I can't
wait till they see me on Tonka. I'm a lot better at riding this
year then I was last year. They'll be super impressed."
"I'm sure they will.
They said they'd be there as soon as the parade started. They're
going to be by the big pavilion near the lake. We'll have lunch
there and then you're going to spend the weekend at their house."
"Will Jenny be
there? She was so mean to me last time…"
Brenda patted her
daughter on the arm. "No, Jenny won't be there. She was only
mean to you because you took her doll. That wasn't very nice of
you."
"Well she's stupid
anyways. I hate her the most of all my cousins."
"Lauren!"
"Well I do."
She crossed her arms and peered out the window the rest of the
drive home, refusing to answer any more of Brenda's questions.
When they pulled up to
the front of their small house she hurried out of the car and
disappeared up to her room as soon as Brenda unlocked the front
door.
"Clean that room!"
Brenda called up after her. When her daughter refused to answer
her Brenda sighed and went to start dinner.
Her mind wandered to
Marcus as she rinsed and chopped carrots for stew. Since
Lindsey's arrival she'd been extremely worried for him. Although
he was a client no longer, she remembered what he'd gone through
after her disappearance.
Even though her office was at the far end of town, she heard the
first gunshots along with everyone else. The two other people in
her clinic exchanged a look between each other before the gun
went off again.
"Stay away from the
windows!" Brenda called to them as she hurried to the door
of the building and peeked out at the street. As the owner of the
clinic she sure as hell wasn't going to let anything happen to
the two people who worked for her.
She saw him far down the
street. The horse lay on the ground at his feet, kicking and
screaming in pain. When the animal tried desperately to rise he
kicked it hard in the head, bringing it back down to its side.
Blood and dirt covered its once white coat. Slowly he reloaded
the double barrel shot gun as the horse continued to struggle
before him.
When the first police
officer approached him he shouted something she couldn't make
out. The officer said something back as he kept his gun pointed
at his chest.
In a sudden motion the
horse gained its feet. Brenda turned her head away just as he
pulled the trigger at the horse's head. It didn't move again. Her
heart went out for the animal that lay in a spreading pool of
blood.
"Put the gun down
Marcus! Put it down now!" The police officer demanded.
Brenda watched
Look how pretty he is Garrett. We're going to look great
tomorrow."
"He does look neat."
Garrett giggled. "But I wouldn't want to ride a horse that
has pink bows in its hair."
Lauren gave him a
childish shove, almost knocking him to the ground. "Hey!
That's because you're a boy. Boy's aren't supposed to like pretty
things."
Garrett stuck his tongue
out at her and ran screaming and laughing from the barn when
Lauren took off after him. Brenda and the gelding exchanged a
glance before she pulled his blanket on and brought him to his
stall.
"Lauren! Come give
Tonka some hay before we go."
"Aw, do we have to
go?" Lauren and Garrett reappeared, both short of breath and
still giggling.
"Yes we do. You have
to get up early tomorrow for the parade and you still have to
clean your room. Remember what I said, if you don't clean it you
don't go."
"Ugh!" Lauren
stamped her foot.
"Don't get mad at
me. Feed Tonka so we can go, check his water also."
When Brenda saw to it
that Lauren had fed and watered Tonka to her satisfaction she
watched her daughter say a teary good bye to Garrett before she
could get her into their car and started for home.
"I didn't get a
chance to say good bye to Uncle Marcus." Lauren complained
as they pulled away from the dirt drive and headed for home.
"He had other things
to do. You'll see him first thing tomorrow anyways."
"What time will we see granny and gramps tomorrow? I can't
wait till they see me on Tonka. I'm a lot better at riding this
year then I was last year. They'll be super impressed."
"I'm sure they will.
They said they'd be there as soon as the parade started. They're
going to be by the big pavilion near the lake. We'll have lunch
there and then you're going to spend the weekend at their house."
"Will Jenny be
there? She was so mean to me last time…"
Brenda patted her
daughter on the arm. "No, Jenny won't be there. She was only
mean to you because you took her doll. That wasn't very nice of
you."
"Well she's stupid
anyways. I hate her the most of all my cousins."
"Lauren!"
"Well I do."
She crossed her arms and peered out the window the rest of the
drive home, refusing to answer any more of Brenda's questions.
When they pulled up to
the front of their small house she hurried out of the car and
disappeared up to her room as soon as Brenda unlocked the front
door.
"Clean that room!"
Brenda called up after her. When her daughter refused to answer
her Brenda sighed and went to start dinner.
Her mind wandered to
Marcus as she rinsed and chopped carrots for stew. Since
Lindsey's arrival she'd been extremely worried for him. Although
he was a client no longer, she remembered what he'd gone through
after her disappearance.
Even though her office was at the far end of town, she heard the
first gunshots along with everyone else. The two other people in
her clinic exchanged a look between each other before the gun
went off again.
"Stay away from the
windows!" Brenda called to them as she hurried to the door
of the building and peeked out at the street. As the owner of the
clinic she sure as hell wasn't going to let anything happen to
the two people who worked for her.
She saw him far down the
street. The horse lay on the ground at his feet, kicking and
screaming in pain. When the animal tried desperately to rise he
kicked it hard in the head, bringing it back down to its side.
Blood and dirt covered its once white coat. Slowly he reloaded
the double barrel shot gun as the horse continued to struggle
before him.
When the first police
officer approached him he shouted something she couldn't make
out. The officer said something back as he kept his gun pointed
at his chest.
In a sudden motion the
horse gained its feet. Brenda turned her head away just as he
pulled the trigger at the horse's head. It didn't move again. Her
heart went out for the animal that lay in a spreading pool of
blood.
"Put the gun down
Marcus! Put it down now!" The police officer demanded.
Brenda watched
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