Chapter Nine
"Here," I turned my attention to Jasper just as he threw a can of Coke in my direction, "fresh from the ice bucket."
"Thanks," I smiled. It was unbelievably hot - the hottest weather we had experienced in a while. We were set to reach 78 degrees, and when you are used to 60, thats a major difference in heat. I used the neck of my vest to wipe my face clean of sweat, then rolled the freezing can across my cheeks. Not only was it hot, it was also very humid. Every piece of clothing stuck to me like glue.
"So," Jasper took a bite from his sandwich and chewed it quickly before he spoke again. "Once we're done with lunch we'll get set on the north fields - the Quarters and Rocky Mountains, Alice and Alistair will do the rest. We'll re-check their water supply, make sure they have enough shade; basically do what we can to help them with the heat. Later on in the day, if the temperature does not drop, we'll give each one a sponge bath."
"How often do we fill up their water?" I asked before I drained the last of my soda from its can.
"We'll see how much is left from this morning, that usually gives us a good idea when to check it again. Normally about two-three times a day we'd re-fill them."
After our short break, I went to the kitchen to dispose of our rubbish and grabbed two bottles of water. Bella had stoked her fridge full of water, and left out an ice bucket with sodas slotted in them. She made sure we all knew to take one when we needed it.
Back in the paddocks, Jasper and I got to work. I filled up my wheelbarrow several times over with plenty hay for the horses to enjoy, whilst Jasper filled up their water buckets.
"One of these days we've gotta teach you to ride." He smirked and patted a horse's shoulder. "The things you'll miss out on, especially evening rides along the trail."
"Yeah..." I mused, slightly uninterested, "I guess so."
"Not only that, but if you want to teach the kids you've got to at least know what you're doing. Just because we might tell you something, doesn't mean you are an expert."
"That's true; I'll learn someday."
"Excellent," Jasper beamed, "but first we need to finish this."
Once again I was in charge of the hay for the Quarters, and he focused on water then we both checked out their shelter and whether it needed any touch ups. In total, it took no longer than an hour to complete everything. Jasper offered to give Alice and Alistair a hand and I was made to see if Bella needed help with the Andalusians - the new horses which had only arrived a few days previous.
As a short cut to the far-off paddock I decided to cut through the back yard instead of walking right around the house. On entering the yard, I heard the noise before I saw anything. The noise of happy giggles and water splashing.
Noah was sat in a paddling pool with water just about lapping over his crossed knees. In a box beside the pool sat Alfie the bunny, and swimming around with Noah were the ducklings - Kevin, Piglet, Snack-a-Jack and Cwist.
"Having fun, lil' Man?"
"Hi Inky!" He never took his eyes off the ducks, "you wanna come an' join us?" Through the water I could make out the blurry image of his Toy Story swimming shorts, they were dark blue with a large image of Buzz and Woody on each leg.
"I would buddy, but I need to see if your mom needs any help." Seeing Noah sat in that pool made me think of something else. "In fact, does your mom know you are here?" Bella was far too over protective of Noah, surely she wouldn't leave him alone in a pool of water. It wasn't deep, but could still do some serious damage.
"Yes - my Momma said I'm no allowed to move and I can't do nothing silly. I have to play with the ducks and that is it, or else I'll no get my candies after dinner." He shrugged. It was as simple as that.
"And can your Momma see you from where she is?"
Whatever I had said made Noah throw his head back and burst with laughter. "She's right there, Inky!" I followed where he was pointing and saw Bella on the other side of the fence, no further than a stones throw away, smiling at my interaction with her son.
"Don't worry, Edward," she spoke up, "he's in no danger there. But thank you for being concerned."
I patted Noah gently on his head as I walked past, "have fun in there, Buddy. I'll join you later, 'kay?"
"Yay!"
Bella had been in the middle of brushing down the fillies, I grabbed a brush to help her out. Each horse was a beautiful off-grey in color with deep brown manes and tails. It was my first time dealing with a young horse like them, and it wasn't just the size that gave it away - from the position of their ears and how wide their eyes were, I instantly knew they were scared. I brought the brush away and took a small step back.
"It's okay," Bella spoke softly, "try not to look directly at her and continue what you were doing, but do it a little slower." I did as I was told and, after a while, her ridged tail began to sway. "That's it! See, you are a natural." I caught Bella's gaze and relayed the smile she'd been sending me.
"Um," I looked away, breaking our silent moment, "how long would it usually take to get them comfortable in a new surrounding?"
"Every horse is different, Edward; you never can tell. We have an advantage though - these girls have grown up together, they see each other like siblings. As long as we are gentle with them, it shouldn't take too long. We've raised every horse here from foals, it's nothing new to us."
"Only to me." I laughed.
"Well, yes, but you'll get the hang of it soon enough."
We moved onto number 2 - I brushed her down as Bella worked on picking her hooves. I studied Bella calming the horse before she started, one hand held the rope that attached the horse to the fence, the other began to stroke her neck.
"Hey girl," there was no tone in her voice, it was all very subtle and calm. "I'm not going to hurt you..." When Bella was convinced that she had done a decent job, she started work on the front right hoof, I stopped what I was doing to watch her. "The trick is to control your emotions, Edward. If you appear scared and panicky, the horse will sense that and they'll never settle down. Make sure you talk to them in a soothing manor, don't make any sudden movements, and, please, stay away from the back legs." She looked up at me with a smirk, "their natural reaction is to kick out, and if you are standing too close... well, Corin would end up being your only child."
I instantly reacted by crossing my feet and covering my prized possession. Duly noted.
"Does that hurt them?" If someone picked away at my foot like that, I wouldn't think it would be too fun.
"You are unlikely to hurt them," Bella finished with that leg, and crossed to the other side, "however you do need to keep an eye out for them flinching at any point - that might mean looking for an infection."
"Momma!" We both turned in Noah's direction with a start. He stood beside his paddling pool with his hands placed firmly on his hips. "You gonna keep Inky there all day?! C'mon!"
"Go on," she said after a small outbreak of laughter, "go have fun."
"But... we haven't finished yet."
"Edward..." like her son, Bella cocked her head slightly and held her hips, "we all know who is the boss around here, and they are currently wearing tiny Toy Story shorts. If he says 'jump' we ask how high."
"Okay... but if you need a hand, just holler."
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Despite the extra work, we somehow managed to finish our work earlier than usual. By four o'clock, Alistair had left, and then by four-thirty, Alice and Bella had finished their lessons for the day, so she and Jasper said their goodbyes and went home. I, however, was still on strict commands by Noah to play with him. Fortunately I had convinced him to feed his animals in Noah's Arc with a little help from me.
It was as we chucked scraps to the piglets that a large rain drop splattered against my arm, followed by another... and another... and another. Within seconds the sky had opened and rain was pouring down.
"Looks like our fun is over now, Buddy." I held his hand to hurry him to the house. "We need to get inside before we get too wet."
"But I got'sa feed Tiny!"
I looked straight into his urgent eyes. "Okay, you quickly feed him, then come straight into the house, deal? You can feed him properly when the rain breaks." The sky had suddenly turned very dark, the rain was picking up and a low rumble could be heard in the distance. The humidity had caused a thunderstorm.
"I'll be quick, Inky!"
"Noah," I said as I scanned the sky, "I really think we should -." It wasn't until I looked down that I noticed he had already ran off. His tiny form could be seen unlatching the bolt on Tiny's paddock. Fortunately his was the closest to the house.
I headed through the back door and over to the window in the kitchen where I could see Tiny's field. It was suddenly too dark to make much sense of anything.
A bolt of lightening lit up the darkened sky, followed briefly by a loud booming of thunder.
"Noah?" Bella ran into the kitchen, she, too, was dripping wet. "Is Noah with you?" She asked in a panic, "I've just been outside but I can't see him!" I saw the pain and worry in her eyes.
"He said he had to feed Tiny, he'll be here any second."
Another crash echoed from outside.
"Oh, my God..." Bella ran to the back door, yanked it open and screamed her son's name... She tried once more, but all we heard was the storm battling outside. "He's scared of storms. He won't be able to move from where he is."
I felt terrible. This was all my fault, I should have been more forceful and made him come inside.
"Wh-what if he gets hurt?" She began to quiver. "He needs me. He...I..."
"Bella stop." I held onto her shaking hands in an attempt to control her fear. Bella's words from earlier on came into my head, when we were working with the fillies. '...If you appear scared and panicky, the horse will sense that... talk to them in a soothing manor...' I wondered whether that would work in the same way, if to calm her down I needed to pretend like she was one of the Andalusians.
In my few seconds of thought, she had began to cry. "Ssh, ssh. He's going to be just fine, Sweetheart." I always knew of her protectiveness with Noah, but that was the first time I had ever witnessed it at such a level. Her hair hung in damp locks by her face, I pushed some back with my hands and made sure she was looking straight at me. Her eyes, bloodshot and sore-looking, met mine.
"I'm going to go out there and get him. You stay right here, understand?" After some more persuading, she agreed. "You dry yourself off and get some towels ready for us for when we return."
I grabbed the flashlight that hung by the door as I ran from the house, just incase. The rain was definitely heavier and lightening flashed left, right and center accompanied by a wave of thunder.
"Noah?" I shouted once inside Tiny's paddock, I headed straight for the stable, knowing that Noah was a smart boy who would have found the closest shelter. "Noah?"
Just as I thought, he was huddled on the floor of the stable, backed up against wall. "Inky..." His voice was full of misery, I had barely knelt down before he tackled me in a hug. "I don't like storms, Inky."
I took his place on the floor so that he sat across my lap. Whenever the thunder rumbled Noah squeezed up his face tight and covered his ears with both hands. "You are okay now, Lil' Man; I won't let anything hurt you." I cuddled him close to my chest with an arm covering his head.
"You are such a good daddy, Inky... I wish you were my daddy." I had no idea what to say to that, thankfully Noah continued to talk. "My Daddy makes lots of loud bangs when he's angry... he's like thunder... that's why I'm scared. I'm not a baby, right?"
Did that fucking lousy excuse of a man call Noah a baby for being scared of something? Anger seethed through me, I couldn't remember the last time I felt that frustrated. What I wouldn't fucking do...
"Why would you be a baby?"
"'Cause... my Daddy said that only babies cry and I cried a lot. But I'm no a baby, Inky, 'cause I start school soon!"
"You are the bravest little boy that I know, of course you're not a baby."
He peered up to me. The angle of light from my torch helped me to see the slither of hope present in his smile. "Am I braver than you, Inky?"
"Much braver than me!" And I'm not kidding. Anyone of his age that can get through the shit he went through, will always be braver than me.
I decided to add something in, to help him understand where I came from. "Y'know, it's okay to be scared of things - everybody is scared of something and there is nothing wrong with that."
"What are you scared of?" He mumbled.
"Well... I'm scared of not being with Corin anymore, and sometimes I cry over that, does that make me a baby?"
"No! 'Cause you are Inky!"
"And you are Noah - no matter the age, anyone can be scared of something, and anyone can cry."
The storm carried on, whenever the stable lit up with lightening, he grabbed my shirt with a tight fist and his whole body shook. I looked down at the swimming shorts he still wore (now with a matching t-shirt) and decided on a distraction. "So who is your favorite in Toy Story?"
"Um... Woody, 'cause me and him are both cowboys."
"And if I was a character, which one would I be?"
"You'd be Buzz." He answered so surely. "'Cause we're really good friends, and you are there to save the day a lot. We'll be Woody and Buzz "
Holy shit, what has he done to me. Turned me into a damn girl, it seems.
"We'll always be friends, Lil' Man. Now, I'm guessing Bella is Jessie?"
Noah loosened his grasp on me, a sign that he wasn't as scared anymore. "Yep, Momma is Jessie, and my Daddy is... Sid 'cause -no! No, my Daddy is Zurg. He tried to destroy everything, and if you are Buzz then you get to destroy my Daddy."
Give me a time and place.
"I'll always be your friend, and I'll always protect you from your Daddy." That was a promise I was certain to keep.
Looking out of the stable I noticed the rain was dying off and the thunder and lightening were now few and far between. "Hey," I said, picking us both up from the ground, "if I carry you, do you think you would be okay going back to the house? I know your momma really wants to see you."
"Okay." His arms wrapped themselves around my neck, and his legs around my waist. "Thank you for looking after me, Inky."
I kissed his temple, "anytime," I dared not say any more, what with the emotion thick in my throat.
Yep, such a girl.
Inside the house, Bella pulled Noah from my arms and practically squeezed the life out of him. "Are you okay, baby?"
"I'm good, Momma. Inky saved me."
Once she had let him go and had handed Noah a towel to dry off with, she stood straight and came over to me. "Thank you," she whispered, throwing her arms around me.
"You're welcome, Bella. I'm glad I could help." I expected her to pull away after a second but she stayed there, with her head resting on my chest. I rubbed her back, hoping it would help.
After a minute, she pulled away and looked up at me yet she couldn't keep the gaze. "I'm sorry, I, er, I... just wanted to thank you."
"You don't need to - nor do you need to apologize." She caught my gaze that time, and I smirked at the nerves present. "Never apologize for that."
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Has Bella finally decided not to fight her feelings?! And how cute was Noah and Inky together?!
Tell me what you thought!
