"Easy there, Bessie," Annabelle says gently as her horse, Bessie, snorts. For the last month, they'd been working on trying to rid Bessie the Dutch Warmblood mare of her water trauma.

Annabelle reaches up, resting a hand on Bessie's muzzle as she continues to lightly wash her coat with just water. Bessie isn't ready for soap yet. She learned that the hard way a couple of days ago. Annabelle lives on a horse ranch with her father, Aspen, and her two twin sisters, Amelia and Aureliana. The twins are strikingly beautiful (but her father still calls Annabelle his favorite). The classic wavy blonde hair, blue eyes, identical features, and curvy frames. Speaking of the twins, they were sitting on the dirt ground in front of the paddock, practicing their guitars. Amusement crawls up Annabelle's throat. They know they can't be as good as her - but they're willing to try. Cute.

The bad thing about the twins, even though she loved 'em both, was that they went after any boy handsome enough to be considered a future husband. Which is why Annabelle's nerves were on edge. A wealthy businessman new to Texas would be arriving today to stay at their ranch during his time there. The twins most likely would be all over him. As for her father, he'd probably allow it because he wants the girls to find a husband as quickly as possible.

Annabelle turns off the hose and gently grabs Bessie's bridle, leading her back to the stables. As she closes Bessie's stall and slides the lock in, her father's voice rings out from the front of the ranch: "He's here!" Near her father, she hears her twin sisters squeal.

Little she-demons. Ugh.

Annabelle pats Bessie's muzzle before bounding off to meet her father and sisters at the front of the ranch.