Whatdidshe do during the day?
Did she have any hobbies?What was her favorite food?
Oh god!What the hell was wrong with me?Why was I thinking these things about a woman I barely knew?About a woman who … was clearly significantly younger than me, and most definitely not my wife.
Guilt flickered on the fringes of my thoughts, competing with the continuing thoughts I had about Danica.Thoughts I just couldn’t seem to let go of no matter how hard I tried.Of course, the harder I triednotto think about her, the more I thought about her.
I had no idea when I fell asleep, but it was later than I intended, and of course, when the animals started to make noise far too early in the morning, the first thing I thought about as soon as consciousness claimed me—was Danica.
This was not good.
The weather was terrible.Thank god Angel came yesterday and not today, because I wouldn’t have been able to get Morty or Angus over to the island in the horrific wind that rattled the barn and threatened to peel the shingles off the roof.While the donkeys seemed to love the wind and stood with their faces toward the gusts, the horses all hunkered down in the barn, refusing to let the chilly breeze ruffle their manes.
I couldn’t blame them really, especially when the rain chose to accompany the wind mid-day.It was a day fit for ducks, but not much else.
Angel was still really stressed out and continued to show signs of fear.She allowed me into her stall, but I could tell by the exposed whites of her eyes and the flare of her nostrils that she did so reluctantly.She also wouldn’t eat.I tried all different kinds of food, and she barely took any interest.
She wasn’t the first too-scared-to-eat horse I’d nursed back to health, but she was the first pregnant one, and her lack of an appetite when she had a foal to grow big and strong, worried me.
How far along she was, was anybody’s guess.She could be a few months, or ready to deliver any day; it was impossible to tell based on how sickly she was.Either way, Morty didn’t expect the foal to survive based on the serious malnutrition of its mother.
My heart ached for her, and besides going inside to the toilet and to eat, I stayed with her all day, letting her know that she was safe and I wasn’t going anywhere.
I’d lost track of time and didn’t realize how late in the day it was until a gentle knock at the side door of the barn pulled my attention.
“Si?”I replied, exiting Angel’s stall and making my way to the door just as it opened and Danica and Sam entered, pulling the hoods of their rain jackets off their heads.Danica struggled a bit with the wind to close the door, then spun to face me, a glimmer of triumph in her eyes until she caught me watching her.They both had flushed cheeks from the weather, but Danica’s color seemed to deepen as soon as she averted her gaze.
A weird, bubbly sensation filled my abdomen upon seeing her again.She wore her blonde hair in a ponytail today as well, showing off her long, slender neck.
“Sorry,” she said, her voice a little shaky.“I know today isn’t Sam’s day to come, but she begged me to stop by so we could check on Angel and see how she’s doing.”
I smiled at the genuine concern on both of their faces and nodded, extending my arm toward Angel’s stall.“Si.Come see for yourself.She …” I sighed.“She is not eating.”
“But why not?”Sam asked.“She ate the carrots yesterday.”
I shrugged.“She is stressed.Fearful.She does not know me.She does not trust me.She doesn’t know these horses.She may not know what is happening with her body.”
Sam’s mouth dropped into a deep frown as she came to stand at Angel’s stall, reaching her hand through the cutout.“Come on, baby,” she encouraged.“You need to eat to get strong for your foal.”
Danica’s gaze wandered the barn before settling on my cot in the corner.“Did you sleep out here last night?”she asked, which came out almost more like an exclamation.
“Si.”
“C-can I go into her stall?”Sam asked.
“No!”Danica replied quickly.
I tilted my head to the side for a moment, watching the mother and daughter, and the way Sam grew sad at her mother’s response.
Danica cleared her throat.“What I mean, sweetie, is that Angel is still very stressed.She doesn’t know you.She’s unpredictable.”
“While I agree that she is stressed,” I started, “she has not been aggressive at all.If you are all right with it, I will go into the stall with Sam.”
Sam’s eyes lit up.
Danica remained hesitant, but I could see she was warming to the idea.
“Can I, Mom?”Sam asked.“Please?”
