Chapter 2

            Mackenzie watched the countryside go by as she curled up against the door of the Santa Fe.  Her life was changing once again.  Maybe for the better this time.  She wasn’t getting her hopes up though.  A small smile touched her lips as they left the orphanage behind and rolling hills started to cover the landscape.  The sun was shining brightly in a crystal clear blue sky.

            The teen’s gray eyes suddenly widened as Jeremy drove under a homemade wooden sign saying Rolling Hills Retreat.  There were four horses grazing contentedly in the pasture along with two ponies, which looked like Welsh ponies to her.  She glanced around at the rest of the place.  The barn looked new and she was guessing it held ten stalls.  It also looked like it might have an indoor arena, but she couldn’t be sure.  Although she could see an outdoor arena peeking out from behind the barn.  She glanced over at the house next.  The house was gorgeous.  It was an old farmhouse, but it had been renovated as well and looked like it had been freshly painted.  She couldn’t help but wonder how much money the Timmons’s had into this place.

            Jeremy pulled the Santa Fe up in front of the house.  Mackenzie’s eyes were still wide.  Just where had she gotten to this time?  This wasn’t like any of the other foster homes she had been in before.

            “Welcome home, Mackenzie,” Cassidy smiled.

            “After you get settled in we could introduce you to the horses,” Jeremy offered.

            Mackenzie’s eyes lit up.  “Really?  I can see the horses?” she asked, showing a bit of what she used to be like before experiencing the hard knocks of life.

            Jeremy and Cassidy exchanged amused looks.  “Of course you can,” Jeremy smiled.  “They love attention.  We’ll take some carrots out with us.”

            The teen was nearly bouncing in her seat.  She hadn’t had an opportunity to be around horses since she had gone into foster care.  Just being able to see them from a distance was making her happier then she had felt in ages.  Mackenzie swung her messenger bag over her shoulder and then grabbed her duffel.  The girl didn’t have much to her name.  All her clothes flit into one duffel.

            She slipped out of the SUV and waited for her new foster parents.  Jeremy jogged up to the house to unlock the door while Cassidy stayed with Mackenzie.  The teen gave the older woman a grateful smile.  At least it seemed like they weren’t just going to leave her to figure things out on her own.  That had happened once and she had gotten her hide tanned a few times before Abigail had found out and pulled her out of that foster home.

            Cassidy led Mackenzie up on the porch.  The girl stopped with one foot hovering above the step.  Cassidy turned when she didn’t hear Mackenzie’s footsteps any longer.  The teen had one battered sneaker on the first step and the other on the ground still.  A spark of fear showed in her eyes.

            “Mackenzie?”

            She shook her head, snapping back to reality.  “Sorry,” she whispered, jogging up the stairs to join Cassidy.

            “No reason to be sorry.  Jeremy and I want you to feel at home.  If there is anything you need, please, don’t be afraid to ask.  We want to help.”

            She nodded with a shy smile.  Cassidy guided the teen into the house.  Mackenzie glanced around the house.  A shoe and coat rack stood by the door and what she assumed were family portraits lined the beige wall.  Her eyes widened a bit when she saw a picture of a much younger Cassidy running barrels.  In another picture Jeremy stood in a corral where beautiful buckskin stood on his hind legs.

            “Your room is back here,” Cassidy said.  “I hope you don’t mind a downstairs bedroom.”

            “Not at all.”

            Cassidy led the way through the house.  The house was clean, yet you could tell it was lived in.  It had a homey feel to it.  For the first time in a while she felt warm and safe.  She smiled to herself as she followed Cassidy.  Cassidy stopped in front of a door located behind the staircase.  A bathroom was situated across the hall from the room.

            “Make yourself at home,” Cassidy said, pushing the door open.  “Once you’re settled Jeremy and I will meet you in the kitchen and we can go see the horses.”

            Cassidy turned and walked away before Mackenzie could say anything.  She shrugged and stepped into the room.  She dropped her duffel on the blue and white-carpeted floor and looked around her new room.  The twin bed was situated in the middle of the room with a beautiful brocaded quilt covering the mattress.  It looked like someone had put a lot of time into the quilt.  She gently ran her fingertips along the quilt.  She set her satchel down on the bed before looking around the room.

            An oak desk set in one corner while a dresser was in the other.  There was a full-length mirror on the closet and a small bookcase sitting under the window.  That made her smile.  Maybe she could get a couple new books.  Mackenzie walked over and looked out the window.  She smiled at the view she had.  She could now see the outdoor arena that she could barely see when she had first gotten there.  Mackenzie touched the window before turning away.

            She returned to the bed and unzipped her duffel.  Her few clothes didn’t even fill one drawer completely.  Mackenzie tried not to let that get to her as she put her duffel on top of the dresser.  She definitely didn’t have much to show for her short life.  She pulled a hand carved box out of her satchel and hid it in her dresser.  She had never shown anyone the box.  The box held all she had left of her parents.

            Mackenzie took one last look around her new room before slipping out.  She didn’t want to keep Jeremy and Cassidy waiting.  And if she was honest, she was anxious to meet the horses.

            “Jeremy?  Cassidy?” she asked, looking around the unfamiliar house.

            “In here!” Cassidy answered.

            Mackenzie followed the voice to the kitchen.  Jeremy and Cassidy were sitting at the kitchen table, talking.  Mackenzie stood quietly in the doorway, not wanting to interrupt.

            “All settled in?” Cassidy asked.

            Mackenzie nodded.  “Can I see the horses now?” she asked uncertainly.

            “Of course,” Jeremy smiled, getting up.  “Just let me grab some carrots for them.”

*~*~*

            The barn was bigger up close.  There were five stalls along each wall of the barn with a very clean aisle way running down the middle.  There was another aisle that led into an indoor arena.  There was a wheelbarrow and pitchfork leaning against an open end stall.  Mackenzie wondered if they had to stop in the middle of their chores to come meet her.

            Jeremy led the way through the barn, pointing out each horses’ stall as they walked.  Each stall that had an occupant had a brass nameplate on their door.  There were a couple empty stalls and Mackenzie wondered if they planned on getting more horses.  She hoped so.  Maybe they would even let her help pick one out.

            “Mr. Timmons, are you going to get more horses?” Mackenzie asked softly, still not sure of her boundaries or their expectations of her.

            Jeremy smiled, his deep green eyes shining.  “We’re all friends here, please, call me Jeremy.”  Mackenzie nodded.  Now that she had gotten both their permissions she would.  “And the other stalls are open for any horse that needs a home or has been abused.  We’ve kept a couple riding horses for the students that will be coming next week.”

            Mackenzie looked back and forth in confusion.  Cassidy chuckled softly, her laugh musical.  “I think we should fill her in on what we do here at Rolling Rock Retreat.”

            Jeremy nodded and put his arm around his dainty wife.  “I apologize, Mackenzie,” he said.  “Right now Cass here gives riding lessons and we do out best to help young ones who have disabilities.  So many times they really seem to connect wit the horses.  Although some are afraid of how big the horses are, so that’s why we keep a couple ponies around.  We would also like to be able to help horses as well.  Children as well as horses deserve a second chance.”

            Mackenzie smiled slightly.  “Is that why you took me in?” she asked softly.

            Jeremy and Cassidy glanced at each other.  “We’ve always wanted a daughter,” Cassidy whispered, tears shining in her hazel eyes.  She rubbed at her eyes.  “I’m sorry,” she apologized, turning and hurrying away.

            The teen’s face paled and she looked up at Jeremy with wide, scared eyes.  “I-I’m sorry,” she stammered.  “I didn’t mean to upset Cassidy.”

            Jeremy shook his head.  “It’s okay.  It happened two years ago,” he said.  “Come on, let’s go see the horses.  Cass will be alright.  She just needs a few minutes alone.”

            Mackenzie nodded mutely.  It was obvious that Jeremy was worried about his wife.  Mackenzie kept quiet though.  She didn’t want to upset him too, so she just quietly followed him out to the pasture.

            Jeremy opened the gate and waited for Mackenzie to step inside before closing the gate behind them.  He whistled three sharp notes and six heads shot up.  The first horse that started toward them was a beautiful palomino mare.  Her ears flicked as she trotted toward them.  She snorted and dropped her head into Jeremy’s arms.

            “This is Duchess.  She’s nineteen, but she’s great with children,” Jeremy explained.

            “She’s gorgeous,” Mackenzie whispered, holding her hand toward the horse.

            Duchess nuzzled Mackenzie’s hand.  The girl giggled as the Quarter Horse’s whiskers tickled her hand.  She smiled and rubbed her hand down the sleek, muscled neck.  It was hard to believe that the gorgeous horse was nineteen.  Mackenzie felt at home.

            She looked up as the other horses started to make their way up.  She giggled as one of the pain ponies nuzzled her leg.  She ran her hand through the pony’s shaggy mane.  Jeremy introduced her to all the horses and Mackenzie stored their names away.  Her fingers were itching to draw the scene in front of them.  Being with horses again was so great.  If this was a dream then she didn’t want to ever wake up.  She looked over when Jeremy cleared his throat.

            “I was going to run into town tomorrow to pick up some more feed for the horses.  Would you like to ride with me?  We could stop for some lunch too if you’d like.”

            Tears shined in Mackenzie’s eyes.  “I-I would really like that,” she whispered, moving over to hug him.

            He held her close for a few seconds.  “Now, what do you say we go check on Cassidy?”

            Mackenzie nodded.  She hoped that Cassidy was feeling better.  She’d apologize to the older woman once they got inside.