A Big Life in a Small Town (Bellingwood #2) Read online

  She went from stall to stall and spoke to each of the horses, rubbing their withers and encouraging them. There wasn't a lot of response from them yet. Demi stood quietly and waited until she was finished, then went back to munching hay. Nat shied away when she opened the stall door, but Mark entered with her. She walked over, held out her hands so he could sniff her and said, "You're safe here. You'll always be safe here. I promise you that."

  Polly visited Nan last and smiled from ear to ear. Dean Black had known these animals well when he named them. Nan stood tall and held her head up, then nickered at Polly. She stood her ground when Polly entered and seemed to be claiming her territory. Polly laughed and then stood face to face with the horse and said, "I know you. Your heart is golden, you just don't want the world to know it. You and I are going to be the very best of friends, I can tell right now."

  She walked back out into the alley and smiled at the men who were watching her. Mark asked, "How in the world did you understand what to say to each horse?"

  Polly laughed. "Because Dean and Madeline Black named their children and then these horses after characters written by one of my favorite authors. I'll bet there was a dog or two named Jo and Meg and maybe a cat named Beth. If you read the book "Little Men," you will meet Demi and Daisy, Nat and Nan. He nailed their personalities. Nan is the alpha of the group, isn't she?

  "Absolutely," he said.

  "And Daisy is next in the pecking order. She is sweet and wonderful, but neither of the boys mess with her. Nat is strong and will do anything you ask, but something scared him in the past and Demi is playful and ready to get in trouble at the drop of a hat. I'll bet that Daisy adores Nan and they work well together, don't they."

  "Well, if you hadn't told me that you recognized the characters from the book, I'd have worried that you were psychic, but you are so close to what Mr. Benson told me about the horses, it's uncanny."

  "I'm going to have to ask Amy if her mother read these books to them while they were growing up. That's the only explanation I have for all of these names." Polly said.

  Henry walked over to stand beside her as she leaned over the door into Nan's stall. "See. I have every confidence in you," he said.

  That made her laugh. "Uh huh. Sure you do."

  Mark interrupted. "I'm going to take the trailers back and then I'll be here about six thirty to help you get them ready for the night. We'll feed them and let them get used to their new surroundings. Then, I'm coming back tomorrow morning at six thirty again. Will you be ready for me?"

  Polly sighed. "I'll be ready. Obiwan and I will get up and going before that. I think I'll wait a week or so before I introduce him to these guys, but I will probably walk through here a couple of times with him. He can hang out in one of the spare stalls while we work."

  "I don't think you need to worry too much about the horses," Mark said. "Mr. Benson had a few dogs on the farm and they seemed to be around them with no problem. They're used to having short horses around. Obiwan isn't too terribly excitable. He'll be fine."

  "That sounds good then. I'll see you later."

  When the trucks and trailers were gone, Henry said, "You're doing well with them, Polly. I'm proud of you."

  "Thanks, Henry. My life has gotten pretty big in the last year, hasn't it?"

  "I guess it has."

  Late that night, Polly stood in the living room looking out over the little town she now called home. Obiwan was watching her from the sofa and the cats had found their perches in the bedroom. She watched as cars drove by on the highway and saw lights flicker out as businesses closed and people went to bed. She put her knee on the arm of the sofa and leaned forward. A deer was standing in her yard ready to bolt for the trees at any movement. She watched as it held perfectly still except for the twitching of its ears. Another car passed and it ran for the tree line, its white tail the last thing she saw.

  This really was a big life and she'd had to move to a small town in order to find it.

  THANK YOU!

  I hope you have had fun visiting Bellingwood again. The success of “All Roads Lead Home,” the first book in the Bellingwood series, is encouraging and exciting. I believe it is because we all enjoy our friends, whether we live in small towns, large cities or anything in between.

  Check out the Bellingwood Facebook page:

  https://www.facebook.com/pollygiller

  for news about upcoming books, conversations while I’m writing and you’re reading, and a continued look at life in a small town.

  Diane Greenwood Muir’s Amazon Author Page is a great place to watch for new releases. Book #5 – will be released at the end of January 2014 and there will be a Christmas short story to watch for in December 2013.

  Recipes and decorating ideas found in the books can often be found on Pinterest at:

  http://pinterest.com/nammynools/

  And, if you are looking for Sycamore House swag, check out Polly’s CafePress store:

  http://www.cafepress.com/sycamorehouse