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Josephine smiled and nodded, giving a small wave before leaving him be. She had went down to the barn to go visit with Tobias. Even though she didn't ride near as much as she used to, she still sat with him and went out in the pasture with him almost every day. He was quite likely her best friend.
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Caleb walked into the barn with his mare, her blood bay patches shining in the sunlight. He waved to Josephine as he walked past. He placed the mare in the stall he'd been told before coming here and placed a blanket on her. He filled the hay net and fed Splash her grain before walking over to Josephine. "This your horse?" He asked, gazing at the gorgeous horse
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Josephine waved back, admiring his mare as they passed by. She was a beautiful horse, that much was sure. She was in the stall with Tobias, feeding him a treat as she stroked his neck. "Yep. This is Tobias. My partner in crime for six years now," she nodded, smiling fondly when Tobias threw his head up and down as though he agreed. He was a big boy, standing at a healthy 17 hands. He always made her look really small in comparison.
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Caleb nodded to the horse, smiling. "Nice to meet you, Tobias." He said, chuckling. "He's pretty tall." Caleb commented, watching the bond between the horse and owner.
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Josephine nodded, pressing a kiss to his velvety nose before stepping away, leaving him to eat the grain she'd given him a few moments earlier. "His mom is a pure Thoroughbred and his dad isn't short either. Tobias is a gentle giant though," she explained, smiling faintly as she looked at Caleb.
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Caleb smiled softly at her, watching her. "If you'd like, we can go riding together sometime?" He offered, searching her eyes for some sort of acception of him
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Josephine was a little nervous at the offer and had began to nibble at her bottom lip as she hesitated a moment before answering. "Sure.. I-I'm sure that would be fun.." she nodded, trying to remind herself that not every man would do her like Lucas had. Besides, it was just a ride. If he got too close without permission she could just haul ass back home.
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"Is something wrong? You don't need to join me if you don't feel comfortable or anything....." He said softly, concern showing on his face
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Josephine shook her head, taking a step closer as if to reassure him- or herself that she was comfortable. "No, no. I'm fine, I want to join you, really. Like I said earlier.. I have a lot of bad memories here, and I just have to remind myself from time to time that I can make new ones that are good."
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"I understand." He said, the soft smile returning to his face. "I grew up in what you call an 'abusive and cruel home'" He explained quietly, not usually disclosing this to others
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