Read Riverbreeze: Part 1 for Free Online Page B

grateful
for the continuing association and grateful to Robert for his
singular love of husbandry.
    The horses were doing fine this morning. They
seemed to be in good spirits, nudging Jamie repeatedly as he
checked them over, running his practiced hands over head, neck,
shoulders, withers, back, legs, and backside. He had known
beforehand the toll the long ocean voyage could take on a horse’s
health and strength. He had heard of some horses even dying from
the ordeal, but he had had to take the risk. He had been lucky that
their agent, the same William Clayton who had brought them to
Virginia, had consented to procure the horses and accompany them
back to the colony. When they had arrived they had been extremely
weak from being confined in slings to protect their legs but proper
feed and much-needed exercise soon restored their strength. Jamie
had walked them every morning and evening since they arrived, and
he was thrilled to see how much they had improved, so much so that
he believed they were strong enough for a lengthy ride.
    There was a fenced area about thirty feet in
diameter to one side of the barn with a trough to one side of the
gate. Jamie noticed the rain had filled it to overflowing and there
was a large mud puddle around it. He had wanted to place the horses
in the paddock while he cleaned out their stalls, but he wasn’t
sure if he wanted them standing in that puddle. He needed to
examine the horses’ hooves in the light of the day. He had done it
the night before, but since the horses were unshod, it was very
important to maintain their hooves on a regular basis.
    Finally he just led the horses out of the
barn one at a time by their rope harnesses, tied the lead rope to
the outside of the fence and brought them each a bucket of water
filled from the trough. Then he went back in to rake out the soiled
hay and replace it with fresh. He also checked their feed bins and
hay racks and noted that the horses had been eating regularly.
    Still inside the barn he heard footsteps on
the path and he actually stiffened, the old reflex returning
unbidden. It had taken him quite a few years to get over that fear
of his older brother tracking him down even though he knew he was
far, far away from that place. But even now, every once in a while
when he least expected it, that moment of terror could return. He
knew it could only be Robert, after all, who else would be coming
around? He cursed himself for being such a fool. “Stupid idiot.” he
muttered under his breath.
    * * *
    On his way to the stables, Robert kicked a
branch out of his path and nearly lost his balance. “Damn leg.” he
cursed. Last night he had twisted his ankle stepping into a rabbit
hole; however at the time it hadn’t pained him all that much. This
morning though, much to his dismay, his ankle was swollen to nearly
twice its normal size.
    He didn’t normally limp now that it had been
nearly two and a half years since his accident, but the slightest
of mishaps or just mere tiredness could cause his leg to ache as if
the accident had only happened yesterday. Of course stepping into a
rabbit hole didn’t help his condition at all.
    Jamie came running out of the stables. “Rob,
are you all right? Your leg didn’t hurt like this last night or
this morning, did it?” He asked, moving quickly to Robert’s side.
“Here, lean on me.”
    Robert took advantage, put his arm over
Jamie’s shoulder and leaned heavily on him. Even though he was a
couple of inches taller than Jamie and a little over two stone
heavier, he knew Jamie could easily support him. “It must have
stiffened up over night, the rain and all. It hurt more than usual
when I got up, but I didn’t feel it was bad enough for me to
mention it. I’ll be all right. More importantly, how are the horses
this morning?” He asked, seeing the horses at the fence. With a
teasing grin, he continued, “All ready for their big introduction
to the great wilderness of Virginia?”
    “They’re