HAPPY HEARTS THERAPEUTIC Riding Center was eerily quiet. Leah walked down the barn aisle saying her good-byes to the horses. No children, parents, or other volunteers were there; it was just the two of us. All the saddles and bridles had been moved to Pete’s ranch where he had a large barn. Leah was whispering to Billy, the old Percheron cross, when Pete’s truck and trailer pulled into the drive. He drove up to the barn, swung it around, and backed it up to the door. Melanie jumped out of the passenger side and hurried around to open the back gate of the long stock trailer.
Leah came over to me, with her eyes shining with unshed tears. She wrapped me in a hug, and I hugged her back.
“You have no idea how much this means to me,” she said when she stepped out of our embrace. “Not to see th
