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She nodded as he carried Annie right to the other side of the barn and set her on a hay bale.
The six-year-old put her hands on her hips and glared at him. Standing on the hay bale, she was almost eye level with him, and the little firecracker was taking advantage of her elevated position "I wasn't finished!"
"Yes, you were."
She stomped her foot. "No, I wasn't!"
"You think that the way you're yelling right now is going to make Rosa feel safe and trust you?"
Annie opened her mouth to shout, and then looked over at the stall. She folded her arms over her chest and glared at him with the full fury of a six-year-old unleashed.
Jacob shrugged. "You can be as mad as you want out here, but you can't ever be around my horses when you're mad. They can feel it, and they will get scared and never trust you. When you're mad or frustrated, you quietly walk away from whatever animal you're with. You can go back when you're feeling ready to love them."
Annie narrowed her eyes and glared at the wall behind him.
He almost laughed at the full amount of rage she was directing at him, but he managed to keep a straight face.
"Annie. I will never take my anger out on my horses, and you won't either. That's the way it is. Got it?"
She refused to answer.
"You can stand on that hay bale until you're ready to say yes. Taking care of living creatures is a gift from the angels, and we always have to honor it." He paused. "I'm not mad at you, Annie. I still love you. You can be as mad as you want. Being mad is completely fine. I just need to know that you will always put the horses first. That's all. When you're ready, let me know. I'll be working with Freedom while I'm waiting."
He glanced at Phoebe as he turned away. She was watching with a frown on her face. He swore under his breath. He'd totally parented Annie just then, without consulting Phoebe first on how to handle her kid. Shit. He hoped she wasn't mad, or he hadn't undone work she'd done with the girl.
Phoebe glanced at him as he walked past, and she smiled and gave him a little nod.
Relief rushed through him. He'd done all right. He'd never handled a kid in a situation like that before, especially not one he cared about. He'd reacted on instincts, not even thinking, but he'd had two little ones to protect in that moment: Annie and Rosa. He'd had to come up with a solution that protected and empowered them both. Maybe he'd done all right.
Whistling softly under his breath, he walked into Freedom's stall, taking a moment to bond with the horse before snapping the halter on and leading him out. He used the remote on his phone to close the bottom half of the exterior door, so that the air could still come in, but Freedom couldn't bolt, since he didn't ever tie the horses.
Annie was still standing on the hay bale, her arms folded over her chest.
Phoebe hadn't gone over to her daughter. Instead, she walked over to Jacob. "Can I have that carrot? I'd like to sit with Rosa for a while."
He grinned and dug the carrot out of his pocket. "You bet. Remember, if you get frustrated that she won't come, then leave the stall. Take a break. It can be a long process working with these horses. Leave the door open. I like her to feel like she's not trapped."
"Got it." She smiled at Jacob, patted Freedom's neck, and then walked over to Rosa's stall. She slipped inside and sat down in the clean shavings and held out her hand. She began singing to Rosa, and the moment she did, Annie whirled around to look.
"That's my song," she said.
Phoebe ignored her and continued to sing.
Jacob looked at Annie. "Does the song make you feel safe?"
She nodded, watching her mom. "Mama sings it to me when I have nightmares. She pulls me onto her lap and sings until I fall asleep. It's not for Rosa. It's mine."
He smiled. "What if you sang it to Rosa? Maybe if you know how much it helps you, Rosa will feel that and it will help her." He paused. "Rosa has nightmares."
Annie looked at him. "She does?"
He nodded. "Yep. That's why she's scared during the day. They're always with her."
Annie pressed her lips together. She watched her mom singing to Rosa for a few minutes, while Jacob started brushing Freedom. He kept one eye on her, and he could see the longing on her face.
He waited a few more minutes, and then walked over to Annie. He held up another carrot. "I have an extra if you want to go help your mom."
"Yes!" She snatched it from his hand, but before she could jump down, he stopped her.
