"Noel, hold still" I said. "Need help?" My mom's voice laughed as I struggled with the filly over worming. "Yeah," I sighed. "Jason, you shoul've stuck with basket ball" mom teased. I handed her the wormer. Noel stared at Mom, not thoroughly trusting her. "Shh baby" mom whispered and slipped her hand onto her nostrils just rubbing them, slowly she took the wormer and simultanously twitched the filly's nose Noel tossed her head but didn't back up, suddenly she was very still, and Mom squirted the paste into her mouth."Sammy taught me that, when she broke her arm and needed someone to worm Jojo" Mom winked. "Why didn't she keep backing up?" I asked, "Jason, the horse is a tripod, she knew she'd fall over. By the way, that big load of stallions and geldings plus the two mares are coming today. Do you have stalls ready?" I nodded. "Good" she smiled and went back into the house. "Dang, you're a rascal" I said patting Noel. She nosed me angrily. "It's for your own good" I said rubbing her nose. I led her to a paddock with Mary, an old retired race mare that couldn't be a mother if her life depended on it. Noel and her seemed to get along just fine though, Noel would be a good mother, I was sure, which was why I was allowing these stallions to come.
They were all thoroughbreds, every single one of them. Except one he was a clydesdale which was lucky seeing as Clydesdales were becoming the Holden Family weakness these days. "Mr. Larson is a good man, ee'll come by" the trailor driver smiled I nodded and led the last horse, a mare to her stall. "Well Frita, welcome to Holden Ranch, you're neighbor is my own personal favorite of the barn, and she's very nice" I threw some sweetfeed into a bucket and watched the mare eat.
Noel was waiting for me at the gate when i came to get her. She missed Jojo, but Jojo was currently at a different barn, and there wasn't too much i could do about it right now. The girl's trainer wouldn't come out here and my mom insisted that I needed to separate myself from Sammy and this was the last step. Noel, however was miserable without him. I groomed her and played with her and then locked the ranch gate and gave her roam of the land.
**change of narration**
I trotted up and down the aisle of the barn, and sniffed at the mares, "Noel, do you ever just mind your own business?" One of the mares teased. I stared for a moment thinking of how to answer "No" i snorted and walked out of the mare barn. I followed a familiar path to the gelding barn, in search of Jojo, he still wasn't there. "Pops?" I nickered. "Yes, young child?" he answered. "When will Jojo return?" "I don't know child" he whickered. Pops was an old and graying pony, he was really wise and i loved him like a father. I always visited him first before JOjo. I trotted out of the gelding barn and stopped. There were new smells coming from the other barn, I hadn't ever been in. My curiousity was beginning to peak and i felt myself inexplicabley being drawn towards the barn. I walked quietly into the barn. There were four different scents, all very intriguing. I walked to the first one. "Hello?" I whinnied. A big black horse turned and sniffed "Hey, I'm Rocky" he nickered and we sniffed. "Who are you?" he laughed. "Noel," "what's wrong with your body?" he nickered. "nothing," i said slightly hurt. "Well, most mares have four legs and two eyes, what about you?" he said. I pinned my ears back and bellowed "You're mean!" and moved to the next stall. I sniffed this one, "Hello, I'm Phantom" The big dapple gray nickered kindly and then spooked backwards, I moved on to the next stall and was relieved to see a big chestnut horse who was about the size of Jojo. "Jojo?" I nickered. "WHo?" the horse laughed. I jumped slightly "You're not jojo,"i whimpered. "sorry, I'm Edgar" he nickered. I sniffed the strange horse. "I'm Noel, it's nice to meet you" I said. "YOu too young lady. But how come you're not in a stall?" I snorted, "Because...well....I don't know, i just never go in my stall" I said. The horse laughed. "Well it was nice meeting you" he nickered. I nickered back, "will you tell those others to quit laughing at me," I asked. "Certainly, if you promise to visit me every so often" He nosed me kindly. I promised and trotted off.
****
"Jason, I think i found her!" Mandy laughed and danced over to where Noel was dozing in the shade of the stallion barn. "Why was she all the way over here?" Mandy asked me inquisitively. "ah, we got new horses, the smells probably intrigued her. Noel shook her head and trotted into the stallion barn and stopped in front of a big chestnuts stall. "Aww, she found a little boyfriend!" Mandy wrapped her arms around my waist and giggled. I smiled, "come on girl," i grabbed the rope that i kept around her neck and led her to her stall. She whinnied goodbye to her new friend. "Aww Jason, that's adorable" "He looks like Jojo, that's why..."I said. "I don't think so, you dope, she loves that horse, quit being an overprotective father" Mandy winked. "I can't help it"I smiled and shrugged my shoulders double locking the stall door. Noel stared at me, her big black eye sparkling and her beautiful ears pricked. "Jason, do you think she'll be able to carry a baby on only three legs?" mandy whispered "I don't know, but she needs something to care about" "sheesh jason when will you see, that she cares for you" she sighed. I stared at Mandy and her eyes. "Mandy I love you"I said. Her mouth opened slightly and and bent down to kiss her. "Jason, I love you too, " she whispered. "Mandy, will you marry me?" i asked. she blinked, and then two big fat tears rolled down her cheeks. "yes" she whispered in my ear. I smiled and then grabbed her hand and we ran up to the house to tell my folks
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