status: closed ( @greysonadler ) location: saddle lake rescue
Chloe collapsed against the side of the stable, letting her back drag down the wall until she was seated on the floor. Even for a cool day, she found herself still sweating from hauling a single hay bail from one barn to the next. She could lift heavy weight, but she could swear there was something about hay bails that made them heavier. She took a moment to breathe, letting the teasing fall breeze cool her off as she watched the horses graze. There were few places in King’s Head she loved more than Saddle Lake Rescue. She had learned of it within the first weeks of moving to town, and had been volunteering ever since. It was a place built on the idea of giving a second chance, and, though she would struggle to admit it, Chloe was someone who needed a second chance. Maybe even a third. It was an easy choice to join Greyson and his residents in helping keeping things running. Each and everyone of the people at the Ranch was a support system she never knew she needed. And, even better, not a single person asked for her story, or pushed to know why she gave up so much free time to the Ranch while asking for nothing in return. It was usually just two or three days a week that Chloe would show up. Enough to feel like she was contributing to the group. But, lately, it had been almost every day that Chloe was at the Ranch, trying to sweat out her troubles through any unfinished task on the work list. Her fight with Aless was uncharted territory. He was her family, and they had never fought in such a way before. Chloe felt like she drowning anytime she let herself think on it for too long, and that was when she ended up at the Ranch. Shoveling hay, cleaning stalls, making feed buckets. Anything and everything to spare herself from having to face the emotions for a few more minutes. A shadow fell over Chloe, and her eyes trailed up to meet Greyson’s. “Hey, sorry. Those bails are as big as I am,” She joked with a halfhearted laugh.