Free Small Town Filly (Sandbar Stables Cozy Mystery Book 1) by Bethanie Cushman

had more people waiting to get on their horses.
    Sue Wood had seemed very quiet and shy, but took an immediate liking to her horse, Pearl. "Ooh! He's so pretty!" she exclaimed. Pearl was a tall, elegant, cream-colored gelding who was always calm and never got excited over anything.
    "Right here, Jeannie," called Alex. "You've got Moonrise." He was a big, slow, black-and-white gelding. "And Mary's got Sunrise."
    Mary hurried over to the little chestnut-and-white mare. "Sunrise and Moonrise!" she said, laughing. Then she frowned at Alex. "I'm not going to fall off again, am I?"
    "No, no. We won't let that happen. Sunrise will take good care of you."
    The last three to get their horses were the Lowe family. The raspy-voiced Jonni, who'd brought Starfish home from her back yard, got Seaweed. He was a short, stocky bay gelding who would follow along quietly. Her husband, Ted, was a big guy who'd never ridden before, so he got the reliable Tank. And his cousin, Miss Bobbi Lowe, said she'd grown up riding horses, so she got the tall, slim, racy-looking Sky.
    It was time. Alex untied Ginger from the fence. She was a short stocky mare with a bright red-brown coat, very dependable according to Lance, and wore the other English saddle. Alex swung up and looked out at her group of riders, while Lance stayed on foot in the center of the ring holding Jet.
    "Okay, everyone," Alex called, "let's walk a couple of laps in here first to make sure everybody's comfortable, and then we'll be on our way."
    All of them slowly got their horses moving, with Alex walking Ginger among them and helping first one rider and then another. "We're only going to be walking the horses on the beach, so if you're comfortable now, you'll be comfortable out there."
    Alex watched the group as they walked along inside the ring. All was calm and the riders seemed happy. "Everybody good?" said Alex. "All right, then! Let's go for a beach ride!"
                  Lance opened the gate of the riding ring and stepped back with Jet, watching closely as the riders filed out one at a time behind Alex.
                  She guided Ginger across the yard to the back gate, and they all waited again while Lance caught up, still leading Jet, and opened the gate for them.
                  "Go ahead," Lance said to her. "You take the lead. This is your ride."
                  He smiled at her and she grinned back. "Follow me!" she called and walked Ginger through the gate and down the wide lane to the beach.
                  Glancing back, Alex saw Lance lead Jet right next to the fence so he could stand on it and then slide onto the saddle blanket that rested on her back. She already knew that he didn't like to use a saddle, preferring to just throw on a blanket, and so that's how he was riding today.
                  They turned to the left, riding away from the stables and away from the marina, and started down the seemingly limitless white sand beach. The water was beautiful, as it always was, with its shades of clear green-blue near the shore and a deeper blue farther out. The sunlight glittered on the smooth surface and the seagulls wheeled and called overhead.
                  "Oh, this is wonderful!" cried Lisa Bell, riding alongside her on Lady. "This is the perfect way to see the beach!"
                  "It sure is," said Alex, grinning from ear to ear. "You'll get to see it for a mile down, all the way to Lighthouse Point, and then a mile back, and still have enough energy for your own beach fun when you get back!"
                  All of the horses were behaving very well, even though Alex knew it had been some time since all of them had been out together. Even though she was supposed to be leading, she could not help but keep glancing back over her shoulder.
    Lisa Bell and Stuart Gray rode nearest to her, with Lee Ellis and the Lowe family right behind them. Next in line