Read Online Summer at Mustang Ridge by Jesse Hayworth - Free Book Online

loop part around his nose, pull it up, and buckle the strap behind his ears.” She waited it out, but after a minute Peppermint snorted, dropped his head, and started picking at the wispy remnants of his afternoon hay, losing interest in the little person who stood frozen at his door.
    Which was one of the challenges of using animals in therapy. They had minds of their own and attention spans that were often far shorter than those of the people involved in the process. More, they were less predictable when they were bored and looking for entertainment.
    “How about if I put him on the cross ties for you, and we can use your new brushes?” Stace asked, shifting gears. She eased Lizzie off to the side and haltered the pony. “He’s not too muddy, so we’re going to start with the curry. That’s the oval-shaped rubber one that fits in your hand. You’re going to make big circles with it, rubbing him all over his body to bring the dirt and loose hair to the surface of his coat. Please go grab that for me while I get him out of his stall.”
    Lizzie did as she was told, moving so fast it was almost jerky, as if she was trying to prove that she could follow directions if they didn’t involve going into the stall with the pony.
    Shelby’s stomach was doing nervous flip-flops, but when Lizzie looked over at her, she found a smile. “You’re doing great, Dizzy Lizzie. One step at a time, kiddo. Just listen to Stace and she’ll talk you through everything.”
    Peppermint’s unshod hooves thudded on the cement, rasping as he turned his pudgy little body into the center of the aisle, where Stace clipped him onto a pair of long ropes that came down from high on the wall. “See how this keeps him in the middle so it’s safe to work around him? There’s other stuff we can do to stay safe, too. Whenever you’re working around a horse, you want to let him know you’re there by touching him, first where he can see you”—she demonstrated by stroking the pony’s shoulder—“then working your way around the back. You want to keep talking and touching him the whole time so he knows where you are. You don’t ever want to startle a horse or come up right behind him without letting him know you’re there, or else you might get kicked.” She moved back to the pony’s head. “Can you come over here and give him a pat on his shoulder so he knows you’re here?”
    Lizzie stood pressed against the wall, clutching the pink currycomb in one white-knuckled fist. She didn’t nod, didn’t shake her head, didn’t do anything.
    She couldn’t. And that was the hell of her condition.
    Unable to bear it any longer—and not sure she was helping by staying out of the way—Shelby headed for the pony. “Hey, Peppermint! I’m Lizzie’s mom. Aren’t you a good boy?” She squatted near Peppermint’s shoulder, giving him a couple of pats the way Stace had demonstrated. “See, kiddo? He’s a good guy. Want to come give him some scritches?”
    Nothing happened.
    After a minute, Stace said, “Can you come over here and hand me the curry? I’ll give it to your mom so she can brush him for us.”
    The currycomb dropped to the floor, bounced twice, and lay still. Lizzie’s eyes filmed with tears, and she was suddenly breathing hard and fast, huge gulping gasps that rattled in her chest.
    Heart sinking, Shelby stood. “Hey, kiddo. No pressure, remember? We’re here to have fun. If this isn’t fun—”
    Lizzie burst into tears, not silently, but with a wail of rage and pain, followed by raw sobs that were shocking after all the silence. Like a stutterer who could sing, she could cry at top volume.
    Only when pushed to the edge, though. Only when it got to be too much.
    “Oh, baby.” Shelby went to her knees and gathered her shaking daughter against her in a full-body hug that, no matter how hard she tried, still wasn’t enough to fix things. “It’s okay. You’re okay. There’s nothing scary here, and nobody’s mad at