CHAPTER 3

Hand in hand, the two angels strode in the vast green field slowly admiring its grandiosity. Before they started their little outing, Monica took Grace to her stall and bid her goodbye with some affectionate words, and she was sure that the animal could understand each of them. The Snyder's farm was not one of the biggest in the area but there were other neighbour properties around so those lands reached the horizon and truly made it look like a portray of Heaven. Monica and Andrew walked for a while, up to the spot where they found a willow and, surprisingly under the tall tree, there was an old wooden bench, probably built there some couple of centuries before so that one could admire the beautiful view of the plateau.

"Isn't it very considerate, Andrew? Probably the Snyder's great-grandfather built it so he and Mrs Snyder could watch many sunsets or maybe some sunrises from here." The Irish angel spoke, her dreamy eyes already picturing the couple snuggling together in a romantic end of the day, after working hard on their property and dreaming of a better future.

Chuckling, as he knew that there was a short film going on her mind, Andrew motioned for her to take a sit. Then, he too sat down next to her and wrapped his arm around her small shoulders, scanning their surroundings with admiration. "They couldn't have made a better choice. It's really an amazing view."

The couple of angels watched as the last golden rays covered the earth in a silent but astonishing departure.

"Do you know what makes sunsets so special, Andrew?" Monica spoke, after a minute in absolute silence.

Andrew's green eyes moved from the beautiful landscape to meet her soft brown ones, already gazing up at him in expectation.

"What is it, baby?"

"The fact that we don't have a view like that when we're Home, as the sun never goes down there."

He smiled and nodded his head, always enjoying her witty remarks. "You're perfectly right. And we're so blessed that we have the opportunity to watch this whenever we are here on Earth."

"We certainly are!" She inched closer to him to add another comment, "And together!"

Andrew's smile never faded as he gave her shoulder a light squeeze.

As they fell silent again, the Irish angel let out a soft sigh and rested her head over his shoulder, enjoying the atmosphere of peace and harmony brought not only by that place but also by Andrew's presence. From his gentle heart emanated reassurance and that fact alone made her feel more confident to deal with all the drawbacks she would certainly have to overcome during their stay on that farm. Monica knew that God was watching over them, but she also knew that there was a friend nearby who she could always run to whenever she felt in doubt or weak.

Resting his cheek on the top of her head, Andrew lifted a silent prayer of thanks for having the honour to share that moment with such a dear friend. To him, Monica was the best reminder of God's love as her pure and innocent heart could touch even the hardest of the souls. Carried by the soft breeze, wisps of her auburn hair, now even more reddish due to the sunlight, caressed his handsome face, and the sunrays created a glowing aura around her human form that made her look divine all over again.

When shades of purple started to fill the sky and mix with the orange hues that insisted on remaining there, the breeze brew a bit stronger, causing Monica to flinch and rub her arms.

"It's time for us to go, angel. It was a beautiful day but in the countryside it always gets chilly after the sun goes down." He said, giving her shoulders another gentle squeeze and then pulling away.

"I suppose you are right... It's a wee bit cold already..."

"Here..." The blond angel removed his leather jacket and carefully wrapped it around her small form, glad to see her grateful look back at him. Brady, who had been quietly sitting by his mistress' feet, was quick to stand up when he realised they were leaving.

X

Monica and Andrew accepted the farm's owners invitation for dinner and were now sitting at the table the rest of the family. Apart from Ian, who did not spend the nights in the farm, all the employees were hosted in a guest house just next to the biggest one. Despite Mr Snyder's insistence, Ted, the gardener, had politely declined their invitation and preferred to have the evening meal in the employees' building and Rafael offered to make him some company.

"Your farm is a lovely place, Caroline. Have you ever thought about developing another activity here besides raising horses?"

"Actually, it has occurred me sometimes, Monica. But I wouldn't know how to start a new business and at the moment I don't think I would be able to anyway..." the family owner replied, sitting across from the angel.

"Our family raised horses for many generations, you see. But a long time ago, when my great-grandparents bought this farm, they first raised crops of sunflowers and roses." Mr Snyder told them, causing the reveal to be a little surprising.

"Oh, dad, I didn't know it, you never said anything about it!"

"Well, it was for a short time. Later on they started to raise horses and train pure bloods to run horse races."

"I saw the trophies in the study room, Mr Snyder. The family has been breeding champions for years." Andrew spoke, as in the way to the office he had stopped to admire all the beautiful prizes proudly displayed in many shelves in the study room.

"We have. Midnight Dancer and Amazing Grace are our best horses, but all the others have won many competitions." Caroline explained, "Our farm wasn't going well due to the crisis, though. Then, two of our horses got injured and could not run the last two championships. And when Grace got her leg wounded, well, this is when things started to go worse."

"Rafael showed me Midnight Dancer's training. He's a beautiful stallion, Caroline. It wouldn't be a bad idea if you could spare him as much as possible if you intend him to run next month."

With that suggestion, the Irish angel was not only thinking about the horse's rest, but also about protecting it from Ian. She had a feeling that sooner or later she would have to confront him about the way he treated the animals, though.

"Do you really think so? I mean, Ian has come here every two days to prepare him for the competition..."

"That can be reduced." She immediately said, causing Andrew to notice some urgency in the tone of her voice that he didn't quite understand.

"Do you really think so, Monica?"

"I do. The animals can be put in a lot of stress before an event like that, so I think it would be better if we did as little as possible to alter his routine."

The young woman smiled, glad to hear it as she too felt sorry for the animals whenever they were on intense training. "You're right. Dancer always stays a little uneasy before competitions, you see. I even avoid riding him on these days even if it's kind of a sacrifice for me."

"Midnight Dancer was a birthday present!" Mrs Snyder told them. "Since Caroline was a little girl, she asked for horses and ponies instead of dolls!"

"And she was lucky to have a father who could not say 'no' when he stood before those pleading eyes!" Mr Snyder confessed, making them smile. Andrew slightly nodded his head, chuckling more to himself than to the others as he knew the feeling quite well.

"I'll tell Ian to train him twice a week." Caroline spoke again, "We're putting our hopes on Dancer. If he wins, the money we'll receive will bring some relief to all of us, right, Andrew?"

Sitting next to Monica, the blond angel nodded. "I'll be honest with you, Caroline. From what I've seen so far, the farm situation is quite delicate. Any financial help will be welcome."