Trevor was a completely shocked. No sooner had he spotted Rita than he also saw the dapple gray stallion standing on the other side of the fence, touching muzzles with her. A second later he could hear them laughing playfully. Did she have a boyfriend?
He never would have guessed horses got the same sinking feeling people got in these sort of situations, but he certainly felt it now. What was he supposed to do? Granted, it could just be another friend of hers she’d met after she got here, but something about the scene made Trevor suspect the two knew each other a bit better than that.
Snorting, he continued to stare at the couple straddling the fence as he debated if he should sulk away or play innocent and figure out just what the situation was.
“Something bothering you, son?”
Trevor’s right ear flipped back at the noise before he craned his head around to look. The palomino stallion from the water trough was standing behind him, his ears focused on Trevor inquisitively, while beads of water dripped from the end of his muzzle.
“Oh, nothing,” Trevor sighed, trying to downplay what he was feeling. He was unaware that his sideways cocked ears, limp tail, and hunched posture said more than enough in equine body language. “Just a bit sleepy is all. So, um, do you know much about the dun mare over there?”
The palomino stallion looked over at her for a second and flared his nostrils to try and capture her scent. “Oh, you mean Rita. Yeah, I’ve seen her around for the last few weeks. You, um, have feelings for her?” he added in a lower voice. “If you do, you wouldn’t be the first.”
“It’s not like that,” Trevor said a bit defensively, even stamping his front left hoof in agitation. Calming down when he noticed the stallion backing away a bit, “At least, not that I’m ready to admit. She and I just bumped into each other earlier is all, and, well, I was just wondering who the other guy is that’s talking to her.”
The palomino snickered a bit and stepped up next to Trevor. “Well, for those wanting to know, that other guy is Jasper. He’s a permanent resident here since he was born to a couple of vacationers that, well, got a bit too riled up in the animal spirit, shall we say. I don’t know what their situation is, but I’ve seen them together quite a bit.”
“Carson, honey? You ready to head back to our stall? It’s nearly dark.”
Trevor and the palomino he was standing next to both turned their heads to look back at the sorrel mare that had been at the water trough earlier.
“Just a bit, Sam,” Carson called back to her. Before he left, he leaned in closer to Trevor and whispered, “Good luck with Rita. Just don’t make the same mistake Jasper’s parents did. Others might disagree around here, but I get the feeling that this body is a fun place to visit, but I really don’t think I’d want to live here. Flies would be top of my complaint list there. I’m just glad we’re set to be back on two legs, wearing clothes, eating something that isn’t grass, and using freakin’ toilet paper by the end of the week.”
“How long have you been here?” Trevor asked as Carson turned and sauntered after his wife.
“Almost three months now,” Carson called back. “Hell of a way to start our retirement, but it’s my mistake for making promises I never expected to keep. Take it easy, son.”