The schedule board was done. Ivy eyed the neat lines and color-coded blocks with a critical eye and deemed the whole thing “good enough.” Sure, there’d be adjustments once the horses got here, but at least she had a plan.

She’d always been an early riser. As a child, it had been nothing but an inconvenience to her parents for their daughter to rise at such an unfashionable hour. But she’d been unable to change, not even to gain her the approval of the family. There had just been too much world to see, too many sunrises to marvel over, too many plants and animals that started their days just as early as she did.

So she was planning to be up, showered, dressed, fed, and caffeinated by seven. Once in the barn, feeding was the first order of business. She had a feed cart rigged up, with each horse’s supplements along for the ride. There was also a feeding station just outside a wash stall for Frosty, but he kept to his own schedule once he crawled out of the warmth of her bed. That dog was nothing if not independent.

Once grained, she’d check the horses, rug or unrug as the weather demanded, and turn out. The exterior stall doors would be handy to lead them out to their pastures, which were just across the way.

And Micah would be there to help muck stalls and fill hay feeders. She’d poached the young man from a West Virginian “Hunt Club.” Foxhunting wasn’t the big deal that it was in Virginia – everything seemed to be more of a drink beer and shoot at stuff with a gun sort of affair, but even during her first visit she could see that Micah loved the horses more than he loved the firearms. And he was an excellent rider, with good balance, kind hands, and the sort of common sense that was impossible to teach. So she whisked him away from his job at said club and brought him to Clearview Equestrian. He was a combination of barn hand, exerciser, and show rider, just as she was. And he wasn’t overly chatty. That was a distinct bonus.

After morning chores, she would do three training sessions while Micah exercised those horses who weren’t scheduled to work. Nothing much, just stretching their legs in the state park that adjoined the farm. That reminded her, she needed to visit said park to get their trail permits. Ivy made a notation on her phone to get that done ASAP. After their exercise, the horses would be grained again and turned out, weather permitting. Most of the horses she knew preferred to be outside anyway.

After that, she’d set Micah free, and finish the barn business herself. Paperwork, phone calls, and laundry. Maybe a movie or a book with Frosty a warm weight against her thigh. Then night check to make sure all was well. Only then would she hit her bed to do it all over the next day. It was the best life she could imagine.