As soon as Angel got home, she rushed inside to change into jeans, her boots and hoodie. She ran like a bat out of hell to the barn where Cody and the hands were steadily trying to get the foal to eat. Cody said, “He won’t, nurse and I don’t think she is putting out enough for both foals.” The vet arrived five minutes after she did and took, a look at the foal; he was even looking weak from lack of nutrition. He said “We are going to have to put him on a supplement she isn’t producing enough for both hell at this rate I do not think she is producing enough for one. The birth was hard and traumatic for her. We should separate them from her and put them in their own stall together, and then you will have to feed them both the supplement every 4 hours.”
Angel looked up as her father and shockingly Damon came marching into the stable. Damon took one look at the foals and said “Wow, their little beauties.” Cody turned to the hands and said “You heard the man let’s get them moved and situated. The barn is insulated well, and each stall has its own central air and heating unit. We’ll kick the heat up for these babies.” Angel said, “I will help feed them; you certainly can’t stay up all night every night by yourself Cody.”
The hands all volunteered, Angel nodded and said, “We will setup a schedule and stick to it.” She paused then said, “We are not going to lose these little ones.” Cody looked worn out, she said “You go get some rest, we will get them fed and warm, and they won’t ever be alone I promise.” Cody nodded wearily and reluctantly headed to his house.
Marco said “He wouldn’t leave miss, no matter how many times we told him. He just wouldn’t leave the foals.” She smiled at Marco and said evenly “He just worries Marco; these foals are worth a lot and I’m sure he’s thinking about his job more than his health.” Once she and the vet had the babies fed, they seemed to relax in their new home, though they appeared a bit fretful. The vet said they were adjusting to being separated from their mother.
Angel stood up and began to pull the pins out her hair, she let it fall down then took off her necklace, earrings, bracelet and ring, she handed them to her dad and asked, “Can you run them up to the house. You can give them to Maria she knows where they go.” She didn’t even wait for an answer; the stall was warm enough, so she pulled the hoodie over her head and she was in her tank top only. She reached in her front pocket and pulled out her hair tie and tied her hair back.
Damon noted he wasn’t the only one taking in the picture she presented; he figured her hands were half in love with her. Even the vet who was older than her dad was checking her out. After she had her hair pulled up, she got down in the hay with the foals who were now laying there, she was comforting them, and they seemed to take to her as a surrogate.
By the time, Hunter got back, and he looked in the stall he said, “I’ll be damned.” There she was her back against a grain sack and one foal on each side, their heads drape over her lap. It was an awe inspiring and amazing sight. Hunter took out his cell phone and snapped a picture of her with the two foals, instead of it appearing as she was their guardian it almost looked as if they were hers. He showed the picture to Damon who said, “Send me that, it’s an awesome picture.”
Everyone eased away from the stalls and filtered back into the central part of the barn, Hunter’s parents, his sisters and the Denae’s arrived an hour later. When they saw Angel and the foals all anyone could say was how precious they looked. Hunter informed, them they could go home he was going to stay at the ranch tonight to help out. When they left, he turned to Carlos and asked, “Do you have any blankets out here?” Carlos headed into the tack room and grabbed one of the new blankets. Hunter eased into the stall and the foals lifted their heads as he placed the blanket, it was as if they knew she needed it for warmth.
When Angel came to four hours later, she realized she’d fallen asleep she looked down and saw that the foals were sleeping as well. She heard her dad in the doorway and looked up, he was holding two supplements for the foals, and it was time to feed them. She took Tempest while her dad took Storm; being as they were identical.
They had two halters designed for them with their names on a silver plate on the halters. So, it made telling them apart much easier. When they had eaten again, she eased out of the stall letting the foals move around a bit, she stretched out her muscles and asked her father “What time is it?” Hunter glanced at his watch and said “Its 4:30 a.m.” she nodded then noticed Damon was still here too. She saw Carlos coming and said, “We just fed them they should be good for another four-hour stretch just don’t leave them alone.” Carlos nodded and she said, “I will send Maria down with you some coffee and something to eat in a bit.” Carlos smiled and nodded.
She turned to her father and Damon and said, “Let’s head to the house I need caffeine.” When they made it to the house, she noticed Maria was just waking up at her usual time, Maria said “Miss. McDaniel’s, you do your thing, I’ll make the coffee and breakfast for everyone this morning, you must be sore as all get out. She pointed at the back of the house and said, “The boys are already waking up and getting out there.”
Angel smiled and thanked her, at her father curious look she said “Gym, never miss a workout. Look you two make yourself at home I’m going to go grab a shower to wake up then go work out, I should be back in an hour or so.” That said she ran up the stairs and welcomed her shower, when she got out, she dried her hair and pulled it up in a ponytail then pulled on a pair of yoga shorts, a tank top and her juicy couture velour puffed sleeved hoodie, she pulled on her sneakers and ran down the stairs.
When she got to the kitchen, she grabbed the coffee that Maria had made for her telling her “You are a life saver.” She noted her father and Damon were staring at her. Hunter said, “That’s what you wear to workout with the men?” She looked down at herself and said, “Everything is covered, don’t be such a prude Dad, I bet if it were any other woman but, me dressed this way you’d be all for it.” Damon burst out laughing and Hunter elbowed him, Damon said “I’m sorry but she’s right.”
He paused then said to Angel “Why don’t you show us your gym.” It meant showing them or being rude, so she waved for them to follow her. When she entered the home gym; Damon had to admit he’d seen professional gyms not this well-equipped. There were men everywhere too, Maria hadn’t been kidding when she’d said the boys were out there.
Grant said, “Hey Hunter, you stayed the night?” Hunter nodded as he was still in his tux, he figured it was self-explanatory. He and Damon grabbed a seat on the empty benches near the door and watched as she put her ear buds in her ear and attached her iPod to her arm, made an adjustment to the digital settings then began to run hell for leather.
Seeing Hunter’s expression Grant said, “She runs at least ten miles a day.” Hunter blanched and said, “ten miles isn’t that a bit excessive?” Grant shrugged and replied, “Isn’t anything we didn’t do when we were in the military, she does about a five-minute mile, so in about fifty minutes or so she’ll quit running, then she’ll do her pull-ups and depending on the day she might do crunches or push-ups.” Hunter asked, “Why does she do it?” Grant replied simply “Stress reliever, whereas most men would go straight for sex, your girl works out.”
Hunter nodded and said “Yea, I’m good with her working out; I’m not having the sex conversation with my nineteen-year-old daughter.” Grant laughed and said, “You do realize with the life she led realistically that boat has sailed.”
They were all cut short as Angel said simply “Whether that boat has sailed or not is not for my security manager or my father’s perusal are we clear?” At both their nods she said, “I volunteered to give dad details anyways, but he said he didn’t want them.” Grant scoffed and said “Good God I imagine he wouldn’t, don’t torture the poor man. I’m sure it is hard enough realizing that he had a kid at fifteen, so your four years older than that.” Hunter groaned loudly and Damon laughed and said, “Do they always give you hell like this?” Hunter said, “Angel is rubbing off on Grant.” Grant said seriously “No offense but she’s the boss, we take our cues from her.” Hunter nodded and said simply “Good.”
Hunter asked Angel “What’s on your schedule for today?” Angel sighed and said “I have a meeting with the family about the center, and I’m going with Kyle to check out some quarter horses that he’s heard about. We’re also going to check into rescuing abused horses. We’ll rehab the horses too.” Hunter asked, “Don’t you think you have a few to many pans in the fire Angel?” She seemed to think about it a minute and said, “I have got a lot of great help, but there are a lot of people out there who still need help Dad, I’ll slow down if I need too.” Grant said, “I’ll make sure she takes care of herself.”
Angel threw a look at Grant for that comment then said, “Oh and Deanna will be here today to decorate for Christmas. I figure since I have a home, I might as well follow tradition.” Hunter watched as his daughter finished her run wiped her face then went to the machine with a weight bench. She adjusted the seat to where it was raised in the air slightly hooked her knees under the bars and began to do crunches. She must have done at least fifty of them before she stopped and began to do her pull-ups on the bar. Hunter began to feel out of shape the minute his nineteen-year-old began to do one armed pull ups. He noted Damon’s eyes had started to glaze over he didn’t know if it, was from boredom or interest and he wasn’t even going to dignify that second part with a thought, he would kill him first.
When she was done, she said “Boys Maria has breakfast ready in the kitchen.” Then she walked out and went straight to her room and the shower. After a quick shower, she changed into jeans a t-shirt and grabbed her leather coat, then remembered she didn’t have her shoes on. She pulled on her boots and headed downstairs. After she fixed her plate, she sat down to eat with everyone thanking Maria for fixing the meal. When she was done, and made to get up and clean up, Maria said “How am I to earn my keep if you keep cleaning everything yourself Miss. Angel.” Angel nodded then said, “I need to go check on the horses then meet up with Kyle.” That said she pretty much disappeared from the house. Damon asked, “Is she always stretched this thin.”
Hunter replied honestly “She has to be, she has an IQ of 187, her brain eats up knowledge and things to do like most people do food. She has to stay busy, to keep her brain occupied.” Damon shook his head and said “You don’t do anything by halves do you Hunter, you have a kid at fifteen, and she has to be the smartest one any of us have ever met. Top that off with conscientious about her surroundings and the people in them, oh yea and did I forget your kid is beautiful. Man, you’ve got your hands full.” Hunter said seriously “Tell me something I don’t know.” Damon laughed and said, “Come on old man let’s get you home so you can change clothes and all that.”