Free Tethered (The Stables Trilogy #2) by Penny Lam Page A

racing, or trying to descend into darkness, or so infatuated with J.B. that the rules he set threatened to suffocate her…
     
    Bonnie brought her back to herself.
     
    Now, though, a sharp lick of the riding crop on her arm yanked her to the present.
     
    “Maple, what are you doing? I said take her to a trot!” J.B. was watching her carefully, his eyebrows pressed together.
     
    Shifting to a jog, Maple clucked again and repeated the trip to and from the cone with Eden at a trot. To her credit, Eden managed without showing the exertion on her face. It couldn’t be easy, trotting with that silver plug settled deep inside her.
     
    As they tried the turn, Maple tugged too hard on the reins, jerking Eden forward. The pony girl tripped and fell to her knees, crying out.
     
    “Oh no! I’m so sorry!” Maple dropped to a crouch beside the girl, ready to help her up.
     
    “Hands off, Maple. Get up, Eden.”
     
    It was a struggle not to help. Because Eden’s arms were locked behind her, she had to carefully stand, her legs shaking. As the pony girl managed, Maple saw the bright red slashes on the woman’s knees.
     
    J.B. must have seen it, too, because his look grew decidedly stormy. “You’ve marred the stock, Maple.”
     
    Eden glared and stamped. It wasn’t hard to see that she was pissed off.
     
    Maple couldn’t blame her. The amount of money Eden had paid to be trained by J.B. was more than Maple had ever seen in her lifetime. All of this training, living as a horse, learning to serve and obey-- it was all for one goal. Being purchased. Hopefully married off, but at the very least, set for life.
     
    And now Maple had skinned her knees.
     
    “Take Eden to her stall. Undress her, clean her, and then we need to have a fucking chat.”
     
    Wordlessly, Maple led Eden away. A heavy sigh escaped her lips. Yet again she’d made him mad. This was becoming par for the course. Since she’d been working in the human stable, she’d been making small adjustments to how J.B. had it set up. So far he hadn’t complained about her changes. One of those was keeping a first aid kit in each pony girl’s stall. It was overkill, probably, but she felt better knowing the women had basic first aid available to them all the time.
     
    It took her longer to undress Eden than J.B. had taken to dress her. Her fingers fumbled as she worried about the chat with J.B. Maple doubted it would be like the “talk” in his office. Damn it, she needed to focus! He’d told her to pay attention, and instead she’d let her worry and her thoughts take her away!
     
    Stupid, stupid, stupid .
     
    When Eden was free from everything, including her tail, Maple brought out the first aid kit. Alcohol pads cleaned the knees, though Eden stamped once or twice in frustration and pain. Then Maple gently applied an antibiotic ointment. The tub said it helped to speed healing and minimize scarring as well. Hopefully that was the case.
     
    She didn’t feel connected to the pony girls the way she did to the real horses, but she didn’t want to ruin their futures either.
     
    After sticking band aids on Eden’s knees, she decided to take one extra moment and try to earn the pony girl’s forgiveness. She grabbed the brush that was kept with Eden’s grooming tools and began to gently brush out the long, black hair. Maple’s own mother had brushed her hair growing up, and it had been one of her nicest memories.
     
    Her parents weren’t big on affection. But Maple’s honey blond hair had always been one of her loveliest features, and her mother had always taken the time to help her care for it.
     
    Now her hand passed in long, soothing strokes down Eden’s hair. If it caught on a snag, Maple would grip the hair just above it and gently work out the knot, being careful not to tug on the woman’s scalp. When the brush could pass effortlessly through, the black hair was shining and soft, falling gently over Eden’s shoulders and back.
     
    Maple