So Happy Together [onzy]

[Lottii]

Callum grinned as he headed out of the house to find Jemma. Yesterday they'd arrived in Virginia, and he'd met all of her rather large and friendly family. He got on well with Peter, Jemma's brother-in-law, although he sensed that the male was still very much in mourning of the loss of his wife. Callum had imagined how he would react if anything happened to Jemma, and felt a lot of sympathy for Peter, as well as some respect for how he was holding it together. Jemma's grandfather scared him slightly, although he hadn't said much, he seemed quite disapproving of the engagement. Lisa, on the other hand, had already morphed into a maternal figure in Callum's eyes, and she almost seemed like the center of the family, the glue holding it together. Jemma's father was the only one who appeared to be openly against the marriage. Callum had mixed feelings about the man, he could grasp the protectiveness that he must feel about his daughter, but at the same time he felt that Jemma's father underestimated her.

Reaching the barn, he grinned as the familiar horsey scent hit him and glanced around. Seeing no one in the main aisle, he headed down to the tack room, making a fuss of any horse who asked. By the time they had arrived back at the house yesterday, it was too late to do much other than have a quick tour around the farm, and today he was hoping for an introduction to the horses he had heard so much about.

Short and sweet? It will get better, I'm just struggling to get back into it!

[Onzy]

Jemma didn't really have jet lag. It helped one slept on the plane, and here she was up at the break of dawn. The household was quiet, and everyone was probably still sleeping. Maybe not her grandfather, but he was a cattle rancher, and animals had to be looked after. There was the smell of freshly brewed coffee radiating from around the kitchen area, which meant that someone was awake. Padding into the kitchen, the house did have a lot of squeaky floorboards, Jemma came across a bleary eyed Peter at the small table. Conference call with Dubai, he mumbled, and sipped more coffee. She just nodded and poured herself a cup. There had been more snowfall during the night, and even now, there were a few flakes coming down. Nothing beat the snow from home. She had dressed warmly, planning on working a horse or two. The news had spread that she was back or had been planning on coming, and now they had a barn full of horses, and she had two weeks to take them as far as possible.

Pulling on her boots and chaps over her jeans, Jemma took one of her jackets from the mud closet as well as a scarf and beanie. The barn was already alive with commotion, stalls being mucked out, horses being groomed and others still being fed. Thomas, her ex boyfriend, was a full time employee, running the barns and rehabilitating horses. She found him in the office, paging through one of her mother's journals, totally engrossed in the work. You know, usually you come and greet friends, she teased him, grinning. Tom's head snapped up, and that easy smile graced his features. I heard that you might be coming back, if only for a visit. Wasn't it you who told me though not to trust barn gossip? he replied, getting up and hugging her. He led her back towards the stalls, and started from the end, introducing each boarder she was going to work with. So we have a few horses that need your help. Sunny has a pathological fear of everything. He's been here for about six months, and is desensitized to most objects by now. My project, so hands off, Tom said, pointing to a pretty buckskin gelding who seemed calm enough.

The next stall held a snowflake Appaloosa mare. Flake. She's just got a thing about show jumping. Came in about two days ago after nearly killing her rider. She's on rescue remedy at the moment, Tom said, pausing at the stall. Jemma inspected the mare, and held out her hand. Flake seemed friendly enough, but didn't seem to have confidence to approach Jemma. Take her off the Rescue for now. Try Larch and Aspen, but also do the trick of making the horse pick their own remedies, she replied, looking at the mare with interest.

Moving on, the pair skipped the stalls that held the regulars, that is the horses that they had saved and had become permanent features in the barn. Pegasus, her mother's aged jumper was still there. The grey gelding nickered happily at their approach, and Jemma quickened her pace. The gelding had almost become a pure grey, with only a hint of his previous colouring. His thirty years showed on him with a sway back and adorable face, but he was in great condition. She had missed this gelding, and they shared a moment without anyone bothering them. Next to Pegasus was Welsh mare, bay in coloring and shy personality. That is Fancy. She's a six year old and came to us about three weeks ago. She's blind in her right eye and losing sight in her left. Pegasus took a liking to her and they share a paddock when the weather's nice. Her owners want you to help her adjust to the blindness, but she has a mean temper when being saddled and ridden. Think Promise but worse. She is on Cherry Plum and Beech at the moment, Thomas said.

For the next hour or so they walked together, discussing horses and meeting the one's Jemma would be working with. Flake was the one she was going to be working with first, and so she led the mare to the round pen. The usual early morning buzz had subsided and all was calm. The first step was join up, and for some horses it took a lot longer to accept a leader than others. Flake just knew who was boss, and so Jemma went to the tack room to find the mare's tack. Now it was time to take it slow and see what the mare's problem was with jumping. Thomas had gone to town, so she couldn't ask how the mare was trained at home.