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bigearringsgir

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            Lilly couldn’t seem to find Nick anywhere, and soon gave up. She decided to look for her mother instead. After looking upstairs, in the front and back yards, and in the kitchen, she decided to look in the barn.

Sticking her slender hands into her blue jean pockets, Lilly walked to the barn.

            “Mom! Mom, are you in her?” she called, opening up the big barn doors and then walking down the stalls. The Sutra’s owned four horses and took care of four more. Lilly found her mother in the second to last stall, grooming River, whom she’d seen eating apples in the yard.

            “You won’t believe what just happened.” Lilly’s voice sounded angry and she continued, “Nick just –”

            “River bolted down the hill on her own will, Lil. You know how much she loves to run, she’s been running ever since she could stand! It wasn’t Nick’s fault.” Michelle Sutra grinned suddenly. “How did you like your first kiss?”

            Trying to frown, Lilly said, “It’s not my first; we’ve kissed before.”

            Michelle, still smiling arched her eyebrow and said, “Yes, but you were only seven and then ten. Now you’re twenty-one.”

            Lilly’s face softened. “Yeah, you’re right. Mom, it was so…well, I’ve dreamed of something like this happening to me ever since I can remember. I mean; riding with Nick, getting mad at him, kissing him… and then trying to smack him!” Michelle laughed at her Lilly’s words.

            But her daughter’s face got a bit more serious a minute later. “Mom, it’s just, how can you feel happy, mad, beautiful, sad, and confused all at the same time?”

            Michelle looked thoughtfully at her youngest child but didn’t answer. After a few moments she went back to grooming River; Lilly shrugged and looked into the mare’s large dark eyes, starting to stroke River’s nose.

            “Maybe… maybe I should rider her, by myself.”

            Her mother looked up with surprise. “But you don’t like horses.”

            Lilly frowned at her and said, “I never said I don’t like horses; it’s just I don’t usually like riding them. But, to make it up to her for smacking her –”

            “Lillian Madelyn Sutra!”

            “– only on the rump, Mom. Anyway, to make it up I’ll rider her through the meadows; away from any hills.”

            Still concerned, Michelle asked, “But are you sure you want to go by yourself? Maybe you should ask Nick, or I’m sure Will would –”

            “No, Mom! I’m not a little kid anymore; I don’t need anyone to stay right beside me. Really, Mom, I just want to ride a bit and reflect on God’s creation. I thought we’d go through Serocks’ meadow and head out to Tina’s. The countryside is so beautiful out there and…”

            “You said ‘ride a bit’ not ‘ride the three miles to Tina’s and talk for hours on end,’ ” stated Michelle, who had stopped grooming. They were both quiet a few minutes until Lilly broke the silence.

            Shrugging, she put her hands in her back pockets again and said, “Fine, I won’t rider her,” and starting walking away.

            Michelle sighed with relief and put River’s grooming tools away. The truth was, River was the biggest horse they had, and not the tamest. She knew that that was why Nick had chose to rider he; he always loved a challenge. But she also trusted him; she didn’t want Lilly getting hurt.

            But if Michelle had been paying better attention to the horses, she would’ve notices Lilly hiding in an empty stall, with a determined smile on her face.