He tickled her nose and slipped a slice of carrot between her searching lips. She munched happily on the carrot, pushing against him with her whiskered nose to search for more. She nickered softly to him, and he chuckled. “You greedy old thing,” he whispered into her long ears. “That’s enough carrot for today. Oh all right then, just one more.” Michael popped another long, crisp carrot between her teeth, and stepped back to watch her eat it with amusement as her nostrils flared, searching for more. He’d owned the horse, Sadie, for almost as long as he’d lived in Austin and her hair was becoming flecked with grey. He’d travelled there with a crew of construction workers from New York when he was fifteen years old after his parents told him it was time he earned his own way in life. They valued hard work, and never abided by coddling, so if he was to be a man they could be proud of, he’d have to go out and make his way in the world. He’d been the team’s runner – fetching them water, food, coffee and anything else the men needed while they showed him the ropes and taught him their trade.
