After a quick rap on the doorframe Noodle strode in and flopped on the bed Next to Ivy. She had bits of straw in her hair and her work clothes on. Ivy groaned lightly and Evie wondered if they’d drank a little too much last night when they sat in the kitchen giggling like little kids. Gossip had flown around the kitchen like dust in an arena. Still, Evie needed her Aunt, and fate had her Aunt here at the house.

“Aunt Ivy?,” She spoke softly but loud enough to be heard. “I need you, wake up” If Ivy couldn’t help her with her Mom, then no one could. Evie wanted this horse with all her heart. When the heart speaks, you follow it.
“Yeah, Noodle, what’s up?” Ivy looked a little bleary and felt worse, but there had been way too much wine the night before. She was usually up, dressed, and making coffee by this time in the morning.
Noodle flopped next to Ivy on the bed. As wakefulness came she realized that the kid had said “Aunt Ivy.” Rather than her normal snooty “Madam Genevieve.” Shit must be serious.
“Mom is being unreasonable and I need your help.” she offered plaintively. “I want to adopt a mustang and she is just not having any part of it. “ She sighed, a mimic of Kivi’s sigh. “I want to enter into the local training contest, the prize is 15k and a new custom saddle. I could put the money away for school.” She started to get excited again “And it would build character, responsibility and hone my young horse skills. Plus, trick training!”

Ivy chuckled. “Okay, so how long has it been since you’ve backed a horse? Do you know how? Not a lot of people do, yanno.” Ivy shrugged, pushing her nighty strap back up as it slithered off her shoulder. “Has she said what her objections are?” Noodle was sure her aunt was on her side, because the older woman sat up straighter in bed, seemingly ready to crush any problem that stood in Evie’s way. The teen’s enthusiasm was contagious, after all. “Young horse skills” indeed! ~
“I helped Mom back Zeus and Mags. I’ve also done halter breaking, and ground manners on every horse we’ve brought through since I was like 8.” Evie grinned “All Locke Ranch horses ground tie “ She mimicked her mom and then laughed. “Mags is coming nicely in Reining and I did that myself. She’s in rookie classes now!” In a mercurial topic switch, Evie moved back to her Mom’s objections.
“Mom doesn’t like Mustangs. You know that are lovely to look at but can really disrupt grazing land and blah blah blah.”

“Well, you know how she gets about protecting grassland. Moo cows and all that. And she has a point…” Her face scrunched in thought. “But mustang round-ups TAKE horses off the range.”
“Oh that’s true” Evie blurted
“What are you planning to use this horse for? I would think if you’re not planning to breed – well your mom can’t have that many objections.”

“Okay, hear me out. One of the girls at school, Sandy, rides an Arabian in endurance races. I know Mustangs can do that really well. So, my plan was to train for the competition and then do Endurance with him. I was planning a gelding. I’m so over mare stare. Hippy is beautiful but she’s such a mare” She chewed her lip with another Kivi mannerism.
“So are you sure you don’t want an Arabian to train?” Ivy asked.”Or are you out for that Mustang prize money?”
“I’ve read every book about Mustangs at the school library and the inter-library loan program. I have half a dozen books in my room. I do not want an Arabian. I want a Mustang.” she tilted her head a moment, “Though the money is good too. So, will you talk to Mom for me?”
“Sure thing. But you do realize what a huge undertaking this is, right?

“I do, and I’m ready!” Evie threw her Aunt a hug
“I have your back, Mademoiselle Evelyn.” Ivy heaved herself out of the bed. “Let’s go talk to your mom.”
“You go without me. I’m afraid I’d blurt something out and ruin your hard work. I’ll come down after I shower” Evie hated that sometimes her mom intimidated her.

After her shower, she went to sit in the living room. Country music rang out from the speaker of Alexa. She daydreamed while sitting there. She dreamed of a nearly white horse, a little on the stalky side. She dreamed of riding in the competition with her bombproof, ground tying trick horse and could not think of a better horse to ride.