“They’ve got a few I’d like to check out. We’re almost there.”
They drove by a pasture of miniature horses. “Nick, look at all the minis!”
He turned down the next driveway, passing a sign for the MILLER RANCH AND TRAINING CENTER—THERAPY-TRAINED MINIATURE HORSES.
Trixie’s heart stumbled. “Nick…? What are we really doing here?”
The edges of his lips tipped up. “You can’t make an informed decision about buying trained therapy horses without knowing your options.”
“You came all this way for me?” She felt giddy.
He winked, which was so him. Most guys would want accolades. Then again, most guys would probably just say how they felt. Nick showed her, and even though she knew her big-hearted friend would have done it whether or not they were sleeping together, the fact that they were made it seem even more special.
“I’ve known Ed and Mary Miller for years. They’re good, trustworthy people. They’ve been breeding minis for twenty years and training them for therapy for a decade.” He cocked a grin, stealing a glance at her. “I called them yesterday after you admitted that I was right.”
“I never said you were definitely right,” she teased, unable to stop grinning. She knew how hard it was for him to show his true warm and squishy emotions, and his actions spoke louder than words ever could. She unhooked her seat belt and slid across the bench seat as he parked. When he cut the engine, she threw her arms around him and planted a hard kiss on his cheek. “Thank you so much.”
“No prob, darlin’.”
“Why didn’t you tell me about this place sooner?”
“You were dead set on training your own horses, and I know you too well to try to change your mind. But I’ll warn you, their horses are expensive. They range from fifty-five hundred to eight or nine grand, depending on the level of training and the horse.”
“I knew trained minis would be expensive, but since I hadn’t wanted to go that route, I hadn’t spent much time researching them. I was going to look into my options this afternoon. You beat me to it.”
“I poked around last night on the Internet to see what else was out there and made a few calls this morning to people I know. You can probably get an older therapy horse for a good bit less, but you know how that goes. You might not get many years out of them.”
“That’s true, but if I buy a couple of horses at the prices you mentioned, it will eat away at my savings. I’d have to wait to buy my own place. There’s a lot to think about.”
“But you’d be turning a profit much quicker and would be able to do this full time much sooner. I’ll look at the numbers with you when we get home if you’d like. Why don’t we check out the horses and see how you feel about them? You don’t have to make any decisions today. We can come out here anytime. I just didn’t want you to spend all of your money on untrained horses before you checked out all your options.”
Her giddiness turned to deeper appreciation as he climbed out of the truck. He reached for her hand to help her out, and she pulled him closer, so he was standing between her legs. She took his face between her hands and pressed her lips to his. She’d planned on giving him just a quick thank-you kiss, but he clutched her waist and leaned in, taking it deeper.
When their lips parted, he kept her close, searching her eyes, as if he were trying to puzzle her out, and said, “What was that for?”
“For being you. For watching out for me and not rushing me through the process. For taking me seriously even though I’m sort of putting the pieces together as I go, and for telling me to do my hair and makeup because you knew that I wanted to be taken seriously.” She pushed playfully at his chest. “Now, step out of the way, cowboy, before it goes to that big head of yours. We have horses to see.”
As Nick stepped back, an older, portly man wearing a bright red button-down shirt, faded jeans, and a warm smile came into view. He had a trim gray beard, and his friendly eyes shifted between Nick and Trixie.
Nick extended his hand. “Mornin’, Ed. It’s good to see you.”
“You as well, Nick.” Ed took Nick’s hand and pulled him into a manly embrace. “It was good to hear from you.”
Nick put his hand on Trixie’s back, as he had that morning, as if to say, She’s mine, and that made her all kinds of happy. “Trixie Jericho, this is Ed Miller, the finest therapy horse trainer around.”
Ed tipped his hat. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Trixie. I hear you’re trying to decide if you want to purchase trained horses or train them yourself.”
“Yes, that’s right. Thank you for letting us visit.”
“The way Nick sang your praises, I’d have to be a fool not to make time for you. It sounds like our horses would be lucky to be in your hands.”
She stole a glance at Nick, and he winked, stirring butterflies in her chest. Could this day get any better?
“We’ve just turned out some of the horses. Why don’t I show you around and give you the rundown on our training process.”
As they made their way down the driveway, a ranch-style house, two large barns, and an enormous warehouse came into view. Trixie took note of the manicured lawns and sturdy fencing around the pastures and corrals. Everything was well cared for, and she liked that. Several horses trotted over to a fence as they walked by, bobbing their heads for attention. They were beautiful bays, black, white, and pinto horses, all bright eyed and curious.
Ed stopped so she could admire them. “These are our mares and geldings.”
“They’re gorgeous. Look how friendly they are, Nick.” She petted them.
“It takes a special horse to be a service animal. We pride ourselves on breeding for temperament and size. All of our minis are between twenty-four and thirty-two inches at their withers. Our foals stay with their moms for the first six months, which allows for gradual, stress-free weaning. We believe that helps with their gentle nature. And they’re all up to date with vaccinations.” Ed pointed to a corral where a woman was working with a horse and said, “In addition to therapy training, we offer horses with advanced gold-star training, which includes trick training. We’re the only facility on the East Coast that offers videos of our horses on the job in hospitals and other facilities, so you know you’re getting a horse that is actually trained.”
“That’s incredible. Are there different levels of training?” Trixie asked as they followed a paved path toward a massive, two-story arena.
“Yes. We classify our levels as basic, intermediate, and advanced. We begin halter training shortly after birth, and once the horse is ready, the timing of which varies, we begin the real training. Gently, of course, with the mothers by their sides. Usually by four to six months, we start bringing the mares and their babies to nursing homes together, to get the foals acclimated to what they’ll be doing in the future.”
“That’s the best way, starting when they’re young,” she agreed.
“We believe so. There are no hard-and-fast guidelines for the levels of training, because, like people, horses’ abilities vary. We consider a horse to be trained on a basic level when they’ve worked through housebreaking, mock visits, and obstacles and have been exposed to loud noises, floorings, furnishings, and have other unique therapy horse experiences. We do that training here. Basic trained horses are ready to make their first solo soft visits in controlled environments such as Walmart or a home-improvement store. We use those visits to evaluate where the horses need more attention and training.”