Pack of Three

It took only two days for Stephan to get a response to his “Help Wanted” ad on a social media site. The resume came through swiftly to Stephan’s email, along with a couple of references for an Aevin Bailey. It was enough to schedule a time to meet. 

The man that stepped out of the Uber car was younger than Stephan had thought, but stood with an upright, proper posture. 

“Aevin Bailey, I presume,” Stephan said as he approached, extending a hand. “Stephan.”

The young man shook his hand firmly, saying, “Pleasure. This is a remarkable facility.”

“Thank you!” Stephan gestured and the two of them started walking across the parking lot towards the barn. “We’ve put a lot of work into this place over the last two years.” 

“I read you’ve built a tourist guided ride business from the ground up?” Aevin held his hands neatly behind him, glancing about the facility. 

“Yes, we usually run around two groups a day now, in the busier season. We hope to expand even more this year.” Stephan pointed at the small, wooden buildings not too far into the distance. “We built some cabins last year to hopefully start offering for guests to stay in. Plus a couple of cabins for faculty, if needed.”

They made their way into the stables, which were mostly empty except for a dark chocolate palomino mare and a tall seal bay. They stopped at the palomino and Stephan asked, “Have you ever taught lessons before or done guided trails? My hope is this role would be able to do both of those. But I’m flexible! And I don’t mind on-the-job training either.”

“I’ve not actually done either but I feel my work experience and formal education help me to understand people.” Aevin replied. “Of course I’ll do all that is needed, but I really have an interest in teaching.”

“Wonderful!” Stephan clapped his hands together in front of him. “You have a degree in Social Work, right?”

“Yes,” Aevin turned to the mare in the stall. The horse was eating hay contentedly but lifted her head to greet the young man. He stroked her head, his movements so calming and the mare stood for a long moment with a softness in her eyes, before returning to her hay. “I worked for the National guidance for child protection. But I’ve done volunteering as well. And I’ve ridden for most of my life, and interned at an Eventing stable in England for a bit as well.”

“My!” Stephan couldn’t help but exclaim. “You seem way over qualified! What made you respond to my ad?”

“Well,” Aevin paused. Stephan did not rush him and finally, he said, “I have a friend who is looking for a place to live and work. She’s an equine veterinarian and currently in the US on a work visa but wants to return home. I saw you offered housing.”

“Well!” Stephan started, unfazed by the curveball. “I don’t know I could afford to pay your friend full time for her services but I would certainly be happy to work out a housing-for-work scenario. We don’t have any emergency vet on hand right now, so it would be great to have one on property.”

“Thank you, sir!” Aevin responded, the first time he sounded enthusiastic. 

As it would come to be, Aevin actually came as a pack of three. Not only did Dr. Tessa join the staff, but his twin sister as well. Bristol had less experience but was energetic and wanted to board her horse at Loch Lomond and compete in endurance. It was only a week later that Stephan offered her a job checking in overnight guests, cleaning cabins, and preparing horses for trail rides. 

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Oh my gosh, these three have been in my head for over a year! I just take soo stinkin long to produce art  But I am so excited to have them make their official debut! I can't wait to explore these characters and their stories and I hope everyone comes to like them as much as I already do! <3 

Also, please ignore that this story takes place recently and in the winter and this image is clearly taken in the summer haha. 

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Referenes:
www.deviantart.com/paula2206-p…
www.deviantart.com/kennelwood-…
www.deviantart.com/luda-stock/…

Horses and people from left to right:
Bristol Bailey, age 26, on Malikat
Theresa "Tessa" Collins, age 31, on Finn
Aevin Bailey, age 26, on Vani

Art (c) Chihuahua4446