Chapter 2

Lily lifted the heavy saddle onto the small pony before turning back to the little girl behind her.

"Ok Megan I'm having you ride Taco today. He's very friendly so you don't have to be scared," Lily said, as she undid the rope connecting Taco to the side fence.

"I'm not scared I love ponies!" Megan said bravely, with a girlish grin on her face. Megan was legally blind but she was incredibly positive for a seven year old who had gone through the pain that Megan had.

"Good, then you will get along very well with Taco," Lily said with a grin. She loved the positive kids. This job wasn't always easy, but at times like this, it was definitely worth it.

Working at 'Riding with the Disabled' had become Lily's life in the past year. The death of her older brother had affected her more then she liked to admit, it was sudden and had effected her the most our of her family because of how close she was to him, but instead of hiding herself away, she had thrown herself into her school work, and into her volunteering work. Her friends hadn't exactly understood why she 'wasted' so much of her free time volunteering, but it was really the only thing that Lily found joy in anymore.

"Lily... Lily... can I trot today?? Please!!!" Megan asked forming her mouth into a girlish pout, crossing her arms over her chest.

"We'll see. Why don't we just start off with a walk, ok sweetie." Lily said leading Taco out into the riding ring, and then handed Megan the reigns.

Though Megan had been progressing quite quickly, Lily was a bit nervous about the thought of letting her trot just yet. She focused on calling out directions on how Megan should direct Taco.

"Ok, Megan, pull right, and lead her back to my voice, we are going to take a break."

Lily suddenly got the strange feeling that someone was watching her. She slowly turned her head, taking her eyes off Megan for a second to see a boy about her age leaning against the fence, a small smile graced his lip. He looked up at her his dark eyes piercing hers.

"Lily, do I stop now?'

Lily's head spun back around to see Megan blindly leading Taco right at her.

"Halt Taco!" Lily said clearly, though she wasn't in any danger because of how slow Taco was going; it was just an immediate reaction. Megan immediately pulled on the reigns making the obedient pony come to an abrupt stop.

"Are you alright Megan?" Lily asked, walking up to Taco, and then helped Megan off the pony.

"Of course I'm fine!" Megan replied crossing her arms over her puffy jacket that her parents had rugged her up in.

"Just checking sweetie," Lily said with a smile in her voice before ruffling the young girl's hair.

Lily was actually annoyed, but she didn't want to show that to Megan through her body language, because even though Megan had lost her sight, she had gained an ability to sense body language and her sense of smell was impeccable.

Lily glanced over to where the boy had been leaning and noticed that he wasn't there anymore. Where was he? He was the reason that she had been so startled by Taco. He shouldn't have been there: it was distracting to the riders. Yet Lily couldn't also shake the look he had given her when they had made eye contact.

"Come on Megan let's go inside and I'll make you a hot chocolate," Lily said quietly to Megan before handing her the harness to Elsie, her chocolate brown Labrador dog that was her new guide dog. Elsie had been sitting obediently on the other side of the fence, the whole time during Megan's lesson, but she perked up when she felt her owner lift up her harness.

"Forward Elsie" Megan said sternly to her new seeing eye dog. She had been taught to be stern when Elsie was in the harness. She found it hard at first but she was beginning to get used to it.

Lily watched as Megan independently began to find her way back to the dining room, where her parents would be waiting. Lily walked slowly behind her, still watching Megan though her mind was elsewhere.

Who was that boy... and why had he been watching her?

"So you would be Adam Heether I presume?" Sandra Martin said tipping her cowboy hat up and out of her eyes.

"Uhh, yeah... I was told to see you, I guess, umm, you need to make sure I'm ok or something," Adam stuttered. He was uncomfortable with the way she was looking at him, as if she was sussing him out at that very moment. "Hmm.Well hold out your hands" Sandra said curtly

"Uhh, what?"

"Hold your hands out. Are you deaf boy?" Sandra said, looking at him in frustration. She was just too busy to be doing something like this. This had been a favour to John Rogers, and she'd only done it because they went way back, though Sandra had always tried to help out whenever she could, especially when it came to troubled youths.

Adam looked at Sandra suspiciously before holding out his hands for her to inspect. She quickly picked them up and turned them over.

"Yep, definitely a rider... you'll do. I'm going to get Marcus to check out your skills and then I will put you with a buddy to show you what goes on around here" Sandra said leading Adam over to the stables.

"Uhh, Sandra... I haven't ridden in two years, so I might be a bit rusty and I don't..." Adam began, he didn't want to be back up on a horse again. His father had taught him how to ride when he was young and he had been riding horses up until he was 16 but now that chapter of his life was closed, and he didn't want to re open it for some half assed punishment his principal had handed out to him.

"You will be fine once your back in the saddle. Adam meet Marcus, I'm sure you two will hit it off. Now I have to go see to some errands." Then she was gone, her cowboy boot heels clicking down the path.

Adam turned around to see a broad shouldered man looking down at him."So... Adam was it? Let's get you on a horse so you can show me your stuff" Adam noticed Marcus looking Adam up and down- blue hair was definitely something he was not used to seeing around these stables. Marcus walked down to the third stall and introduced him to Aztec, a chestnut gelding who was one of the larger horses at the farm. "Adam meet Aztec. He's quite friendly once you get to know him, though he needs a firm hand though." Marcus unlatched the stall door.