Paige, Brook & Jenna Walker

After about a month of doing absolutely nothing besides the usual-- getting up, going to school, doing homework, and other things that were necessary for survival, the small group of sisters was returning to the ranch for another visit. Although Brook and Jenna had wanted to go back for a while, Paige just couldn't find the time. Life was certainly busy at the moment, and now just happened to be an exception where she could catch a break. Paige herself wasn't much of a horse person, but she had enjoyed talking with Matt, and thought that Kayla and Bethany were quite nice. Brook and Jenna both wanted to see the horses, and were equally eager to find out if any of the foals had been born yet. So here they were again, pulling into the driveway of the ranch with Paige driving, Jenna in the front, and Brook sitting in the back. Their small car bounded slowly over each bit of gravel. Soon though, they were coming to a halt near the house, where Brook and Jenna each opened their doors and hopped out, heading straight for the house. Paige was slower to follow.

After the first visit, the twins were able to meet each of the many horses that the ranch housed, and now, they were interested in finding out whether or not any of those many foals had arrived yet. They were both dressed simply-- nothing much besides their plainly-designed tank tops, jeans, and flip flops. Their hair was pulled back in pony tails to help combat the warmer days. By now they had reached the porch and were finally at the door. Jenna pressed the doorbell, and then they waited for someone to answer. "I can't wait to see if the foals are here!" she said, looking towards the barn and pasture, straining her eyes. Brook could only nod her head in agreement.

Paige was just now reaching the porch, slightly panting from the heat. However, like her sisters, she was sporting a tank top and flip flips, but with white capris. She hoped she wouldn't get any dirt on them, but things happen. She was now waiting on the porch as well, thoroughly enjoying the nice weather and feeling as though she had all the time in the world.

Kayla and Bethany Anderson

Kayla was in the house with the dogs, she had just brought them in since they had been outside all morning. While they had water buckets set up by the barns and on the porch for the dogs, she knew that they would be hot from being out in the heat running around. Kayla knew that she was welcoming the air conditioning that had met her in the house. She was currently making a pitcher of lemonade when the dogs began to bark. They had heard the girls on the porch and wanted to alert Kayla that they had visitors. She wondered who would be visiting, but went to the door any way. She commanded the dogs to back up and all of them did, all of them except the little Bassett Hound pup who continued to bounce around at Kayla’s feet. The brunette then opened the door and saw Jenna, Brook, and Paige all standing on the porch. A big smile took over her beautiful features as she spoke.

Hey guys! It’s been a while.

The dogs were all in the entry way, though they had been trained not to rush at the door. So, they waited until they might be allowed to go and greet the new people. All except the Bassett Hound who bounced right up to the new people, tripping over her long ears as she did so. Kayla had not thought about Brook’s fear of the canines, having just been glad to have company.

Bethany was in the barn, looking in on all of their new foals once again. They all ranged in ages from a little less than a month old down to a week old. In all, there had been twelve foals born on their ranch this year. They had a good batch, and Bethany really could not have been happier. As the car pulled up, she saw it and paused what she was doing to see who it was. A smile crossed her kissers as she saw the two younger girls and their older sister. So, she hurried to finish checking on all of the foals before she exited the barn and approached the three of them who had just been greeted by Kayla at the door.

Hey girls! Come to see the new babies?

Sure, the girls would have no way of knowing that the foals had been born, but this was a way to let them know that they had indeed been born. She knew that the girls would be excited to see the new foals, but she would wait to show them. She was not sure how long she would have to wait to show them the new babies, but she would wait until she did say she was ready. Matt was currently in the stallion barn, taking care of the horses in there. He would probably be out shortly.

Paige, Brook & Jenna Walker

Brook and Jenna were making themselves comfortable on the porch, although the only thing they could really do was lean against the side of the house and whatnot, since they chose not to sit. They were just too excited to sit. After all, they were really looking forward to what today had in store for them. Just then, they heard the loud barking of dogs. Jenna realized they were alerting their presence to their owners, and this made her jump in front of the door with an enthusiastic bounce. Brook on the other hand, grabbed her sister's arms from behind to use her as something like a shield when the door finally did open. Jenna was almost sent off balance, but collected herself with a silent scowl. The dogs, all but one Basset Hound pup, came out to greet them, although Brook wasn't so thrilled about the idea. She stood stock still, eying them warily, aware that they could do some serious damage but obviously weren't going to. Jenna bent down to pet each of them, happily brushing against their fur with her hands. Brook simply stood there and watched, preferring to just let them sniff her if they wanted.

"Yes, it has been a while!" Paige spoke up, also briefly petting the dogs. "Brook and Jenna have been dying to find out about the foals," she then stated. Just then, they turned their heads to see Bethany approaching from the barn. So, the foals had been born. Paige, smiling, leaned against the siding of the porch as she watched her younger sisters. Jenna was now grabbing Brook's arm and literally dragging her to the edge of the porch to see Bethany, as the girl still wouldn't budge on her own. "How many are there?" Jenna asked curiously, eager to see them all if she could. Brook was now standing on her own, regaining some of her composure, although still entirely aware of the canines.

Kayla and Bethany Anderson

When Kayla gave the dogs the ok, they moved out of the house. Most of them were larger dogs, but they all minded their manners. There were thirteen canines. All of them just sniffed the three of the new people calmly, aside from Angel, the Basset Hound puppy, who attempted to jump up on Jenna as the girl petted her. Matt’s dogs were in the barn with him, so they were not among the ones who were now sniffing the girls. Kayla walked out onto the porch. She wore a pair of jean shorts and a black spaghetti strap tank top. By now, Bethany had also approached the porch. The blond girl was dressed much the same as her sister, wearing a pair of jean shorts as well with a grey spaghetti strap shirt. Both of the girls could tell that the younger two were excited. Paige was the one who answered Kayla’s statement. She said that it had been a while and that the girls had been excited to see the foals.

Kayla saw the girls move to the banister of the porch and they asked Bethany how many of the foals there were. Bethany smiled as she spoke to them in response. Twelve of them, five colts and seven fillies. You girls ready to see them? Bethany was excited to show the new foals to the girls. She waited for them to say that they were ready.

Matt now came out of the stallion barn since they were all now cared for. Maddox, Kelsa, and Bruce all followed behind him, Cara was kept on a leash so that she would not run off. He saw the unfamiliar car and looked up to the porch to see Paige and her younger sister there. A smile formed as he reached them. Well, look who it is. He had enjoyed the last time that they had all visited and was glad to see them again.

Paige, Brook & Jenna Walker "You bet!" Jenna said, drawing in a deep breath of the warm wilderness air. It was so much better out here than downtown, where their apartment was located. She hated that apartment. It was small and cramped. Soon enough, though, Paige would have enough money accumulated from their parents to hopefully find themselves a nice small place out in the country. Oh, how Jenna hated the noisy engines of the vehicles, the people talking and some yelling, the pollution, and whatnot. She was just happy to be out at the ranch and away from all of that. Brook, on the other hand, seemed more accustomed to that sort of thing somehow. None of that mattered here, though. Now they were both just happy to be able to finally meet these foals.

Paige looked in the direction of Matt as he came walking out of the barn. She smiled widely at him, instantly recognizing him. "It's us again," she said, nodding and giving a small chuckle. "We came out to check how things are going." she then added as she enjoyed a cool breeze blowing in.

Kayla and Bethany Anderson We named this little guy Clover Fields’ On the Rocks. We have been calling him Rocky.

Kayla excused herself to go back inside to finish making the lemonade. The front door was left open so the dogs could come back in if they wanted to.

Matt saw Paige’s wide smile as he reached the porch. He leaned against the railing of the stairs as she replied to him. She said that they stopped by to see how things were going. Things have been pretty good. How have things been going for you?

Brook perked up immediately as she followed Jenna's own quick strides after Bethany. She saw that they were headed straight for the barn and couldn't help but smile, having almost forgotten about the dogs behind them-- unless some had followed. The girls kept up a steady pace until they reached the barn, and then the same stall that they saw on their first visit to the ranch. A collective 'aww' rose from the girls as they looked inside at the small buckskin colt. "He's sure a cutie," Jenna said, looking at the foal's small face. She reached out to let him sniff her hand.
Brook was nodding the entire time, having nearly gotten over her earlier fear of the dogs. "And he has such an interesting name, too." she added, as she offered him her own hand. She liked the name and thought that it suited him well.

Paige nodded as Kayla excused herself and disappeared back into the house. She continued to lean against the porch siding, now looking at Matt. When he said that things had been pretty good, she smiled again. "Things have been going great," she began, "The girls seem to love it here and things are looking up for myself." she said, giving a brief overview as she didn't want to start giving him a novel. "I also wanted to say that we really enjoyed our last visit. Everything was superb," she then added, speaking particularly of the dinner.

Bethany smiled as the girls held their hands out to the little colt that sniffed them. She also thought that the foal was very cute. Though, this foal was not the one that she was most excited about. The ones that she was most excited about were the three Anglo-Arabian foals that had been born. Those were the foals that she had been most excited about; since they were the foals that she had decided to start breeding. Though, she did love all of the foals. Brook said that he had an interesting name and she nodded. We try to give them all unique names. Ready to see another one? If they agreed then she would move to the next stall that held a blue roan Quarter Horse mare. She had two foals in the stall with her, both fillies. She introduced them as well. The palomino roan is Clover Fields’ All My Heart and the black roan is Clover Fields’ Allouette.

Matt continued to smile as she said that things had been great for her. He was glad to hear that. She said that the girls really seemed to like it here and that things were looking up for her. Before he could reply, she said that she had enjoyed her last visit here and that everything had been superb. Well, I’m glad you enjoyed it. We’ll have to do things like that more often. I know Kayla and Bethany enjoyed having company as much as I did. It was good to have someone around other than just his sisters every once and a while.

The girls continued to hold their hands out to the small foal before they began to rub their palms against his small warm neck. His coat felt so soft against their skin. They were also especially excited about the Anglo-Arabians, as they both loved Arabians and were wondering how they turned out. They then nodded when Bethany asked if they were ready to see another foal, and bid goodbye to the buckskin colt before heading off to another stall with Bethany. What they first saw was the beautiful blue roan Quarter Horse and then the two smaller fillies. They were each interesting colors. "Wow, I don't think I've seen horses in such colors before," Jenna stated. "But they're still absolutely gorgeous." Brook then added, effectively finishing her sister's thought. They each reached out as they had earlier to both fillies, Jenna to the small palomino roan and Brook to the black roan.

Paige nodded immediately when Matt said that they should do things like that more often. She thought it was an excellent idea and certainly wouldn't mind doing it again. She loved the place, and so did her sisters. She knew they would never be in opposition to returning. In fact, that's almost all the had wanted to do for the last few weeks. "Yes, we should do that more often. It was very fun," she stated. Unfortunately, school would keep her away for a little while longer till next time, but she was sure that Brook and Jenna would be able to come out themselves sometime as well. "So, how are the foals that I heard arrived?" she asked, figuring she could find out a bit about them. Since Brook an Jenna got their own horse, Paige had slowly been growing more interested in them. However, she didn't have any time for them.

Bethany knew that the two little foals both had very unique colorations. Though, she also knew that Enchantment here was very good at dropping uniquely colored and/or marked foals. And, she told the girls as much as she stroked the mare’s forehead while the younger girls paid attention to the fillies. Remember the two that you first lead out last time, Ptera and Flora? They were this girl’s foals from last year, she has a knack for having very differently colored foals. She was interested to see what the next year might bring from this mare if she was bred again. The mare so far had given birth to unique twin fillies both times she had been bred and Bethany wondered if this would be a pattern. Now, she was ready to move on to the next stall, though. So, she waited for the girls to be ready as well before she moved away. In this stall was a light gray mare and a small bay filly. This little girl is Clover Fields’ Hidden Assets or Heidi. They are doing very well. I think that all of the breedings turned out well. He did enjoy the foals, though he had not bred his own two horses this year. Maybe later he would, but for now he was content helping the girls with all of their young ones.

Brook and Jenna were both nowhere near tired of meeting the foals. As a matter of fact, with each one they met, they grew more excited and eager to see the next. As the two stroked the fillies, Bethany spoke about how the other twin fillies they had met were both from this same mare. They weren't really surprised to learn that they were all related, considering these foals were continuing the trend of unique colors. It didn't make it any less interesting, though.

Once they were ready, they followed Bethany to yet another stall which contained another mare and foal. This one was a light gray with a bay filly. As usual, they both cooed over the young foal's adorableness. Just then, a question arose from Brook. "How do you choose a name, but then decide on what to actually call them?" she asked, noticing how the two names didn't seem to have much in common. You could say Brook was simply a nicknamer-- take a name and just shorten it somehow.

Paige's attention was now partially turned to each of the dogs that had once been gathered around Matt, although two were off playing. She watched for a bit as one of the Great Danes and a Pit bull played not too far away before looking back at Matt. "That's good." she said with a smile, "I'm sure they're all having fun in there." she said, brown eyes now focusing on the barn nearby.

Bethany was glad that the girls were enjoying looking at the foals. She sure enjoyed showing them off, after all. As they looked at the small bay filly, she heard the girl’s question. The girl asked how they came up with the names for the foals and then their call names. Well, they generally just shortened the names or used a shorter word that had to do with their registered names. But, with this girl it was a little more difficult. Hidden Assets was not exactly an easy name to shorten to a nice call name. So, she had to be creative with this one. We choose names sometimes based on the call name that we come up with, actually. But for this girl we already had a name in mind. But, Hidden Assets isn’t very easy to just shorten, so we decided to call her Heidi. It is kind of the same, Hidden and Heidi? They both are a form of the word hide or sound something like it. This was a very lengthy explination, maybe a little longer than she had wanted it to be, but it worked. Once the girls finished looking at this foal, she moved to the next stall. It held a palomino paint mare. Hiding behind her was a bay overo colt. This guy is a little shy, but he is very feisty once he warms up to you. His name is Clover Fields’ High Voltage or just Volt.

Matt also watched the two dogs rough housing a ways away. Those that belonged to his sisters had already begun to scatter through the grounds. Reba, the old hound they owned, had taken up her normal spot on the porch where the sun shone in. Matt heard the woman’s words, she said that it was good that the breedings had turned out well and he nodded. The woman was then looking towards the barn and she said that she bet they were all having fun in there and he nodded again before speaking We can go join them, if you would like. Or I can give you a tour of the place. It was up to her what she chose to do, after all. He would not tell her she had to do either. If she just wanted to stay here on the porch that would be fine too, he just didn’t like to stand idly for too long at a time.

Brook was listening intently as Bethany began answering her question. She was aware that oftentimes, horses bred for show had such names. These youngsters were no exceptions. She nodded in response as her light brown eyes, bright and lively out of sheer curiously, turned in the direction of Bethany. It was interesting to hear the inputs of other people. Their own horse, Ladybird, didn't have such a name. She was simply, Ladybird. "Yeah, they do sound quite similar," Brook replied. Now they were all moving to the next stall. This time, their eyes met those of a palomino paint. At first, neither could see the foal, until their angled themselves a certain way and were finally able to catch sight of him. Once again, they cooed. Brook stepped up and held out a hand, trying to coax the colt out from behind his mother. If he approached, she was going to slowly pet his tiny nose.

Paige heard Matt say that they could go and join the girls if she'd like, or they could go and he would show her around. She shrugged at first, "I'm sure they're fine," she remarked, still looking toward the barn. Then she looked back to Matt. "A tour sounds nice." she stated, smiling. She wouldn't mind seeing more of the place herself. So far, she merely knew the location of the house and barn, and that was about it.

Bethany smiled as the little bay and white foal finally made his way out from behind his mother, inch by inch. The foal’s curiosity won him over and eventually he was sniffing the girls and then nudging their hands. Brook confirmed that the names sounded familiar and she nodded. Their Quarter horses and Paints were used in many different events including roping, pole bending, barrels, and just about any other western events. Though, the other breeds were used mainly for show jumping, cross country, and endurance with the occasional dressage or pleasure horse. After she had petted the little foal’s head she moved on to the next stall, waiting for the girls to follow. In this stall was a buckskin overo mare. The foal with her was trying to peer over the door; she was a beautiful palomino and white filly. This is one of her oldest foals, her name is Clover Fields’ Golden Shamrock or just Shamrock.

Matt heard the girl respond that she thought that the girls would be fine and he nodded once more. So, she then said she wouldn’t mind a tour. A smile remained on his lips as he spoke to her once more. Would you like to walk or ride? We have 150 acres. But, we have a 4-wheeler or the horses. Your choice. Sure, most of the main ranch was right where you could see. Though, there were many trails through the woods behind the house and his own house out back. He wasn’t sure she would be too interested in the nature around the property, but he did enjoy getting out and riding either the 4-wheeler or horses on the trails, he did very much enjoy the woods.

Both of the girls seemed to squirm right where they stood as the foal stepped out to meet them. It took him a bit, but he finally made it. They both began to stroke his face with their fingers, admiring his cuteness and trying their hardest to hold in their occasional squeal of excitement. After all, they didn't want to startle the youngster. Next, they were moving on to yet another stall in the barn. This one contained another pinto, a buckskin overo, with a rather inquisitive little foal trying to peer over the door. Brook's eyes immediately lit up at this one's name. "Oh, I love that name!" she said. Now both girls were again ready to bombard this filly with their petting.

Paige began thinking about the choices. Walk or ride, and if they rode, 4-wheeler or horseback? 150 acres sounded like a lot of ground to cover, so she definitely wanted to ride. She had ridden 4-wheelers a few times in her life, but had also ridden horses a few times as well. The twins were always on her to try out riding the new horse, and she was always forced to sooner or later by their near-constant nagging. Well, maybe it wasn't entirely constant, but to Paige, it sure felt like it. Soon, she came to a decision. "Let's ride horses," she answered, knowing that it would most likely shock Brook and Jenna once they found out. She then waited for him to lead the way to where they would prepare.

Bethany was thoroughly enjoying showing the girls around, though maybe she was going a little fast… She was excited to get to show them the three Anglo-Arabian foals and the little Arabian colt. These foals were the ones that she had decided to add to the ranch. If it hadn’t been for her, Kayla would have stuck to the normal western breeds, but Bethany just loved the elegance of the Arabians and half Arabians. So, she only waited for a few minutes at the stall with the palomino and white foal before moving on once more. Maybe they would think she didn’t care about the Paints and Quarter horses? Though, that would not be the case. She is just very happy with her newest lines. They had only two more Paints to go. So, she showed them both rather quickly. First was a bay tovero filly. This is Clover Fields’ Dusty Memories or just Dusty. Then the next was a dun tovero colt. This boy is Clover Fields’ Foreign Affair, we haven’t decided on a call name for him yet, he is only a couple of days old.

Matt heard her say that she would like to ride the horses, once more he nodded and responded. Sounds good, I’ll show you to the pasture and you can pick which horse you would like to ride? He then led her to the pasture. There were a few mares there that had not been bred or who had older foals. There was Dancer (a sorrel Quarter Horse), Sterling (a grey Arabian), Spark (a palomino Quarter Horse), Doll (a sorrel Quarter Horse), Lullaby (a strawberry roan paint), and Illegal (a black American Mustang). He found that the mares tended to be much calmer when out with others than the stallions, and they had no geldings on the ranch which were known to be even calmer. So, now he waited for the woman to make her choice as he whistled so that the mares moved towards them.

Brook and Jenna were still following Bethany around with large curious eyes. They hadn't noticed whether or not she was going too fast as she presented each new foal to them. The two sisters were each quite interested in seeing the Arabians and Anglo-Arabians as well. As they stopped at each stall, they would respond similarly to each foal. Now, though, they were beginning to wonder how many more there were to see. Not that it was a bad thing-- they loved foals, as was quite evident by their reactions to each and every spindly little body. They were then reaching among the last of the stalls. The next two held more Paints, which never failed to strike them as sharp due to their unique markings. They listened to the names, petted the foals, and cooed some more. "Oh, he's cute," Brook stated, petting the last of the Paints.

Paige nodded, "Okay." As they headed to the pasture, Matt leading the way, she gazed around at the scenery. The countryside was always quite lovely, but Paige also enjoyed the bustle of the town. It seems so different here... Paige thought silently to herself as they came upon the pasture. She looked out across the field and watched as a group of horses came toward them at Matt's whistle. She looked each over, noting their colors as that was the only thing she really could know. "How about the red and white?" she asked, with the mare's coloration being immediately pleasing to the eye. Unfortunately, she wasn't so up to date on her equine terms, so 'red and white' was the best she could do, although she meant the strawberry roan.

Now that Bethany had showed the girls all of the Paints and Quarter horses, she was glad to make it on to the Anglo-Arabs and the Arabians. The first that they came to was a solid black Thoroughbred mare. The mare was a beauty, and with her was a small bay colt, he was the first of their Anglo-Arab line. This little guy is Clover Fields’ Jack Daniels, or Jack. She allowed ample time for the two girls to fawn over this foal before she moved on. The next was a bay Arabian mare and a small Arabian colt, also bay in color. This is Clover Fields’ Dark Intentions or just Dark. After a few minutes, she once again moved on. This stall held a grey Arabian mare with two small fillies, one bay and one black. The black filly is Clover Fields’ Nevaeh of simply Nevaeh and the bay is Clover Fields’ Juse Because or Becca. And that’s the last of them. So, now she paused to see what the girls thought of all of the foals.

As they made it to the pasture fence, he had called the mares over before asking her which one she wanted to choose to ride today. He thought for a moment as she spoke of the red and white one, it took him only a second to realize which one she meant. The mare she had chosen was Lullaby, who was predominately white with only a few small patches of red roan on her. The mare was one of the calmest they had; she lived up to her name. Though, she made a great working mount because she had tons of endurance. That would be Lullaby. She is a pretty calm girl. I’ll go ahead and go get you her saddle and bridle. He then moved into the barn, tipping his hat to Bethany and the girls before going into the tack room. Bruce followed along behind him while Maddox and Kelsa had hung back with Paige while Cara was stuck tied up by his house, since she still liked to run off. Soon, he returned with the saddle and helped her to tack the mare up. Then he excused himself once more to grab his own saddle and the bridle for Illegal. He easily tacked up the black Mustang mare before turning to Paige Ready? I’ll give you a boost if you want. He wouldn’t mind giving her a boost into the saddle if she would need one. He knew that it could be difficult clambering up into the saddle if you weren’t used to it.

Brook and Jenna continued to follow Bethany through the barn. They both found each of the foals quite unique and of course, too cute, as evidenced by the nonstop cooing and occasional giggle. They were like giddy little schoolgirls. In a way, they sorta were. So now they had finished up looking at the Quarter horses and Paints, and were moving on to the Arabians and their foals. The first was a small bay colt, and the moment they saw on him in that stall, their eyes seemed to equally light up. Then they moved down the last few foals-- another bay colt and then two mismatched fillies. Each time they met a foal, they would offer numerous compliments along the way, usually including words such as 'cute,' or even 'stunning.' By now they had reached the end of the tour where they stopped and recollected on what they had seen. "You have some very nice foals," Jenna stated, nodding. "Yeah, they all look to be stunners for sure!" Brook then said, agreeing with her sister, before asking, "Will you be keeping them all?"

Paige looked over her choice of mount. It was a gorgeous mare, even for a not-so-horsey person, mostly white but with splashes of red. She didn't recall ever seeing a horse in such a color. It was also a good thing that she had managed to choose a calmer one. "Calm? That's good," Paige spoke, giving a chuckle. She obviously wasn't very experienced, and certainly wasn't looking to impress anyone with her riding skills. However, she waited patiently and confidently for Matt to return, which he soon did. They tacked the mare up, and then he left to bring back his own tack. Paige faced the horse in front of her with slight uncertainty, and then attempted to grab on and lift herself up. "No thanks, I'm fine-- I think," she said as she turned out to be a bit wobbly, yet still somehow managed to pull herself up and into the saddle. She quickly grabbed onto the reins as if fearing she may still slide over the other side. Once she gathered herself, she smiled. "So where will we be headed?" she asked him.

Bethany was glad that the girls appreciated the foals like she did. She enjoyed having each and every one of them around. She smiled as the two spoke of how stunning and nice they were. Bethany nodded. Yes, they are. Then after a moment, Brook asked if they were going to keep them all. She shook her head sadly before responding. No, we will be selling Allouette, Heidi, Volt, and Foreign Affair. She hated to see any of them go, but she knew that they needed to sell some of the foals to make room for new ones. And they were always getting in new horses, though these would never be sold to homes that were not 100% approved.

Matt nodded as she said that she thought she had it and didn’t need a boost. That was fine with him; he moved to the black mare’s side and easily climbed into the saddle. He had been doing this every day since he was big enough to be able to do so on his own. He had been riding since he was able to sit up with his mother or father’s help. He was comfortable in the saddle, and it showed. She asked where they were headed and he paused for a moment before speaking I think we will head to the creek first and follow it through most of the wooded part of the property. With that he nudged the black mare into a walk, looking to see if Paige followed suit.

Brook and Jenna were both glad that Bethany enjoyed showing them the foals. Neither of them wanted to be a bother. It had been quite the treat. After all, it wasn't often that they were able to see baby foals up close. Sure, there would be some here and there at the corral, but none that they could really look at, and of course, coo over. "Aw, that's a shame." Jenna said, a frown forming and creasing her features. Eyebrows furrowed, she nodded, completely understanding. "It sounds like a difficult job," she said, only being able to imagine at this point what it would be like to have to sell the foals that you watched grow. "We both hope to someday have our own little ranch." Jenna then added, throwing their own aspirations out there.

Paige watched as Matt climbed up into his saddle with no trouble at all. Normally she wouldn't give a second glance if it was Brook or Jenna, but he did it so easily. It almost made her envious. However, she realized that he had probably done this too many times to count in his lifetime. She nodded after he told her where they would be going, and then nudged her own heels into the mare's sides and tried to steer her into the direction Matt was headed. She then attempted to bring Lullaby up nearer to the side of Matt's horse, though letting each of them enough space. By now, she was quite eager to see the creek and the rest of the property. The light beating of the horses' hooves on the ground was much easier to relax to than the sound of numerous car engines.

Bethany frowned slightly as she nodded in agreement. It was a shame that they had to sell some of the foals and also it was difficult choosing which ones to sell and which ones to keep. Yet, she knew that it had to be done or you could end up with hundreds of horses and no space or funds to care for them after a few years. Selling the foals was also a good way to make money for the ranch. After a moment, Jenna added that they wanted to have their own little ranch someday and Bethany smiled at this as she spoke. ,It is a difficult job, and it takes a lot of funds to start up but we do enjoy it. She spoke of how she did love running this ranch, though theirs was probably larger than the ranch that these girls wanted to run. Yet, their whole family was in the ranch business, so they had no problems really starting this place.

Matt easily steered the ebony mare along, looking beside him as Paige steered the Paint horse up beside him and the black Mustang. The mares did well together, since Lullaby had such a calm nature so Illegal did not mind her much like she might some of the other mares. This black horse tended to be a little temperamental, though some mares tended to be like that. It did not take them long at their leisurely walking pace before they had made it to the creek that began just inside the woods. It was not a large creek, but it was large enough. The clear water ran over the smooth rounded stones as he allowed Illegal to dip her head to drink. So, what do you think so far?

Jenna nodded in agreement. She knew that it would take a lot of funding to get a place of their own started, not to mention the time that they had to wait until they were finally able. They still had a few years, it was decided, till they could buy their own place to get started, and then a couple horses and whatnot. Whether they would become breeders or simply own horses for show or riding, it was unknown at this point. "I can't wait till we can get our own land here." Jenna stated. Paige was already looking into homes with a bit of land. So far she hadn't come up with anything too promising.

Brook had spent this time patiently listening to Jenna and Bethany speak. Just then, she turned her head outside the barn, wondering where Matt was headed with two sets of tack. Curiosity getting the better of her, she brought it up. "Where are they going?" she asked incredulously. Paige, actually wanting to ride the horses? Almost absurd!

Paige, although she didn't give much thought to it, would be very glad that the mares were good with each other. She had little to no experience with settling down a rowdy horse, but she continued quietly yet confidently as they made their way toward the creek. Soon they were there and Paige's dark eyes were sweeping over the bed of round stones and crystal water. "I think it's beautiful," she replied as she too allowed Lullaby to take a drink if she wanted. "You're all fortunate to have found such land." she stated, hoping that she would be quite so fortunate to find a place for her and her sisters. After gazing at the water for a while, she was ready to follow Matt again to their next destination.

Bethany smiled to the younger girl as she stated that she couldn't wait until they got their own land here. She knew the feeling. She had been so excited to get out on her own and buy the ranch. Yet, this had been a given for her family, it was what they did. They either bought ranches or worked at other peoples' ranches. Their family were just horse people and they had been for generations. They had money set aside by their parents since they were born to get them started and to put them through college. A lot of those funds had gone to starting this place and getting their starter horses, that is the ones that weren't given to them by their relatives. I don't blame you, it is great here... After a short pause, the other girl asked where her brother and their sister was going. She shrugged as she watched the two of them mount the horses and walk off into the woods. He is probably giving her a tour of the land. She spoke almost thoughtfully. Matt seemed very comfortable around Paige, and he was normally a little more of a show off around women, maybe he was growing up some.

Matt looked around for a moment as the black mare lowered her head to take in the cool clear liquid. He was much to the contrary to this woman, he had plenty of experience with calming down a rowdy horse, having broken this mare himself when she had been caught from the wild. Soon, she replied to his question, stating that the land was beautiful and then going on to say that they were fortunate to have found the place. He nodded his agreement. I agree. There is not much land like this left. It was true, with all of the cities being built up, there was less and less land that held natural beauty remaining. As the mare finished drinking, he nudged her back into a walk, moving through the woods on the trails at a leisurely pace.

Jenna once again nodded, smiling all the while. She could only imagine the excitement and joy of finally achieving such a goal. Soon she seemed to be slipping into her daydreaming, thinking about what horses they would get, how they fix up the place... It only lasted for a few seconds until Bethany spoke again. She stated that it was great here, and Jenna, although having been here for only a few months, had to thoroughly agree. "We've only been in the valley for months and we absolutely love it. There's so much wildlife," she said, instantly recalling how she had seen some deer and numerous other creatures on their way to their new apartment, as well as many other places.

Brook was still listening of course, up until Bethany answered her. Then it would be a lie if you said she wasn't the least bit jealous. She turned to Bethany with eyebrows raised enthusiastically, "Do you think we could maybe meet up with them?" she asked hopefully, she herself not wanting to miss out on seeing more of the property.

Paige breathed in deeply, relishing in the fresh cool air of the countryside. She nodded as he stated that there wasn't much land left that was like this. It was saddening. She would personally choose a place like this over the city any day, but she herself preferred at least a small town. When Matt nudged his mare into a walk, she did too, following suit as they moved along the trails. "So what is our next destination?" she asked as she looked over the green foliage.