Citry

6.

Kat's Pov

The morning sun beamed through my window. A knock at my door sprung me up. The door creaked open, "Coffee's out here. I'll show you how to care for the horses when you've had a cup. Don't take too long, though." James stood in my doorway with a towel around his waist. His v-line poked through while his body hair clung to his skin, with his hair dripping wet into his steaming cup of coffee.

I wipe the drool from my mouth, turning my phone to see the time. 6:42am. He was right, they were up early. I swing my feet to hit the floor. Rubbing my eyes, I take in the room. My phone sat on a wicker-styled nightstand with white paint chipping from the edges. My bedframe was metal with springs supporting the mattress that squeaked when I moved. The walls were paneled wood slabs, giving the true country-style home that I'd hoped it was when I'd read the "room for rent" sign. I took out my book to begin writing about what was around me. Footsteps approached outside of my door. "Come on Kat, you got 20 minutes. The horses will be squealing and stomping if we don't fill their feed soon." James was back in the doorway, wearing a dark brown hat, blue denim jeans, and a neon yellow long-sleeve. "You got any down clothes? I'm sure grandma has something you can fit into." 
I nod. "I've got some sweats." 
He stood, avoiding eye contact with me. "Meet you outside in 10."

The horses stood taller than I'd remembered from yesterday. 
"Heyy, you're up." James smiled, his cheeks creased into his smile lines.
"I'm up" I groaned. 
He chuckled. "You'll get used to this. It smells horrible in here if you haven't noticed. The horses tend to shit all night, so we always clean first thing in the morning, before getting them fed up and out into the field to socialize."
I nod.
"The feed is in here." He walks me to a shed right outside of the stable. "These babies eat a lot, so you have to take each carrier and scoop the feed, then hang it back on their stables. Do you think you can manage?"
"I think my fingers are capable of more than editing," I smirk. 
"Alright. I'll start cleaning the stables, you just get them fed before they start losing their minds."

I run back and forth feeding each horse before they all have food in their stables. By then, James has raked the majority of the stables out of old hay and excrement.

He looks up from his raking, "Here, grab this rake. I've got one stable left, I'll show you how to get it all cleaned up." He rolls his sleeves up, walking me into the last stable. "This is Riley. She gets, well, nervous a lot. She's kicked me, thrown me off of her, and ignores simple orders. You gotta be careful when you're coming up on her." He maneuvers around her, petting her to make sure she knows he's there, and begins raking around her. I follow his gestures, raking and rubbing her along the way.

By the time we finish with the horses, it's nearing 9 am. I head inside straight for the shower. Stepping in, I tip my head back, letting the water run down my face and back. It's warm and soothing, my mind races, thinking about my poppy and mama, breakfasts with them, and my manager Suzanne rushing paperwork to my desk. It feels odd to be moving along my day with no real sense of urgency, and soon I remember where I am. I'm miles away in Tennessee, renting a room to clean shit from stables with a house full of strangers, just to get a sense of understanding of their lifestyles. Just then, I hear a stream running outside of the shower. I peel the curtain back to see James, peeing in the toilet right next to the shower.

"Oh my god." I pull back, covering my eyes trying to undo what I'd just seen.
"Only one bathroom in the house, you've gotta get comfortable with sharing around here. Welcome to Tennessee." He slams the lid, flushes the toilet, and slams the door on the way out.