The Time Giver

June 14th: Fun

When he came down the next morning, every limb aching through the pain killer he'd swallowed as soon as he was conscious, Zach was surprised to see Kelly already eating. "What did you say about resting?"

Kelly looked up, her fork of scrambled eggs halfway to her mouth. "Good morning to you, too," she greeted before letting her utensil finish its path. She gestured for him to sit across from her, where a large breakfast was laid out. Scrambled eggs, sausage links, biscuits with jam, and a small bowl of strawberries made his mouth water. He hurriedly sat down, forking up food like there was no tomorrow.

"Resting for me means I don't work the horses," Kelly commented before biting into a strawberry. As she talked around it, her cheek bulged like a chipmunk's. "We still need to take care of everyone, but we can go for a ride first." She paused, then, "Good night, Zach, slow down! You'll get a tummy ache from eating so fast!"

Zach halted, his fork just above his plate as he dove back for more. He looked up at Kelly guiltily, his cheeks swollen with food, and a lump of egg fell from his pursed lips. Her eyes widened for a moment, her mouth forming a small o, then she burst out laughing, throwing her head back and slapping her hands on the table. Zach stifled a chuckle as he made sure to swallow everything, then started to chortle at her hysteric laughter. It wasn't long before he was howling along with Kelly, the food in front of him forgotten as they both practically shrieked.

Finally, Kelly began to settle, wiping her tears with one hand while she held her side with the other. Zach followed suit, then timidly picked up his fork. He had to put it back down, though, when he heard a snort from Kelly, and hid his face.

She placed her hand over her mouth. "Okay," Kelly snickered. "I'm going to the barn, and I'll saddle Nate, and get Popcorn out. When you join us, I'll help you tack him up, then we'll go." She stood up and walked outside, still chuckling and giggling as she went.

Zach snorted, and shook his head as he began eating again. This time he was slower, not just because Kelly had told him to, but because he was looking back on what had just happened. Egg falling from his mouth wasn't really funny, but for whatever reason, Kelly had found humor in it. Then he'd began to laugh at her amusement, and from there, he wasn't really sure why they'd kept laughing. He glanced at the stairs as a flash of tawny fur blurred past, and Mooney vaulted onto his side table. "She's silly, huh?" he mused to the Siamese. The large cat blinked his green eyes lazily, then checked his bowl for food. When he'd cleaned up the crumbs, he hopped down and trotted off into the house. Zach realized that he, too, had cleaned up, and placed his plate in the sink before stepping out the door.

When his eyes adjusted to the barn light, he could see Kelly picking up a small saddle and trying to place it on Nate's tall back. The large white horse arched his neck to glance at her, his ear flicking back as she faltered and brought her arms back down. As Zach approached, she tried again, and he could see her grimace as she hoisted the weight above her. She got it up there, though, and began to walk around Nate.

"Can I help with anything?" Zach asked.

Kelly turned and gave a weak grin. "Just start saddling popcorn. You'll use the same saddle you always use." She reached the other side, and began to tighten the girth.

Zach walked into the tack room and retrieved the light saddle and blanket he'd ridden before, then took it out to Popcorn. The pony had already been groomed, and his palomino coat shone like gold. Zach quickly placed everything lightly on his back, then adjusted everything before reaching for the girth. It wasn't long before he had the cinch snugly tied. He then grabbed Popcorn's bridle, and allowed the pony to take it gently.

"Nice work," Kelly commented as she walked Nate out the back door, and Zach quickly followed. On trail rides, Kelly never wore a helmet, and she'd told Zach it was his decision whether or not he used one. He hadn't used a helmet for a few weeks, and since he hadn't grabbed it when he grabbed the bridle, he decided to forgo it again. He offered Kelly a leg up, which she gratefully accepted. Then he swung up in the saddle, and they were off.