Michelle arrived in record time, even for her, and was soon busy in a flurry of grooming brushes and leather tack, getting the pony ready. Though Buddy had given Kim what she imagined was a particularly malevolent look when she had come to collect him so early in the day, he also harbored a particular fondness for the little girl who knew just where to scratch him, so his resentment abated slightly even as the saddle girth tightened around his belly. "Guess what? I got a new puppy!" Michelle said enthusiastically as Kim smoothed a saddle pad over Darka's back.
"Really? What kind?"
"A Jack Russel," she beamed. "Just like Wiley. Only she's a girl and her name's Gemma, and she's brown and white instead of black and white. And she's soooo cuddly," Michelle added.
"Gemma's a pretty name," Kim said thoughtfully. "I can barely remember when Wiley was a puppy. He actually got into less trouble back then…enjoy it while it lasts."
"Yeah, except for she already chewed up a pair of my socks," the girl complained as they led horse and pony out of the barn and found Betsy waiting by the door, wagging her tail hopefully.
"She looks like she's asking if she can come with," Michelle noted.
"And what's ever stopped you before?" Kim questioned the dog, mounting up and squeezing her knees into the black mare's sides to move her forward. Betsy jumped up to lead the way into the tall prairie grass beside the well-trampled path, nothing left in sight but her flag of a tail-tip, and Michelle guided Buddy to walk side by side. They made an amusing pair, the squat little pony plodding beside the elegant and long-limbed Morgan, but neither was paying much attention to their image today.
The meadows were beautiful, with soft sunlight beaming down upon them. It wasn't really very hot, and there was a pleasant breeze to keep the insects off. Bare hooves pressed into the soft earth below, leaving faint impressions, as they followed the winding path, and even Michelle's chatter was intermittent. Something about being on horseback out in nature simply discouraged excessive conversation. The steady swaying of the horse's body produced an almost hypnotic effect, Kim thought.
Their leisurely pace made the short trail seem to stretch out much longer than it actually was, suspending and drawing out time. Nevertheless, Kim kept a surreptitious eye on her silver-chain wristwatch, making sure they were back in time for Michelle to get to camp for the day. The latter stayed just long enough to cool Buddy down afterwards, put away the saddle and turn him loose again. Both horses were glad to regain their freedom, but Buddy made a particularly irreverent show of it, picking a spot in the grass to paw at before laying down, rolling over, and scratching his itchy back against the ground several times with legs waving in the air.
"Bye!" Michelle yelled, flitting away nearly as abruptly as she had come, and Kim could only wave. Leaning her arms on the wooden fence railing, she watched as the brown pony heaved a great sigh, rolled back to his feet and stood up to resume the serious business of grazing. Only then did she shake her head and go inside to get cleaned up. There was still the manner of her actual bill-paying job, after all.
To be fair, her job was nothing to dread. On the contrary, the atmosphere was quite pleasant. She owned a boutique in the small downtown, in which she was able to display her personal clothing and jewelry designs. Though it meant tackling more management and business decisions than her artistic temperament might have liked, it also afforded her quite flexible hours – always a benefit, she thought, as she added just a touch of lipstick and gave her hair a proper brushing, sweeping it back in on one side with a little sunflower clip of her own making. This final decoration completed the light, summery flair of her outfit, and grabbing a slim pink purse with a long shoulder strap, she counted her blessings and hoped that the gentle weather was a good omen for the day's sales.
As it happened, the balmy temperatures had encouraged droves of window-shoppers along the street, and more than a few of them came in to look around; sales registers rang with reassuring frequency, and both Kim and the two employees working that day had their fair share of customers to help.
It was early evening before Kim quit and closed up, and after the drive back, she busied herself with an easy, pre-packaged stir-fry dish for dinner before giving over to relaxation again.
Later, she briefly turned on the television, but found nothing among the summer reruns and latest batch of reality shows to capture her interest, and turned it off again. Jessa clicked her way across the linoleum and into the living room, leaning back on her haunches before nimbly leaping onto the soft sofa cushions and neatly tucking herself into the corner. Kim was leafing through a tack catalogue with one hand and absent-mindedly stroking Ned with the other, when the phone rang. The black tomcat, firmly settled in his owner's lap, eyed the source of the noise with some contempt. Trying not to disturb him, she reached over to the end table and lifted the receiver.
"Hello?"
"Hey, Beautiful, you doing anything tonight?"
"As a matter of fact," she replied, a hint of a smile on her face as she pondered the most flippant response she could think of to answer her boyfriend, "The girls and I were going to hit a few nightclubs, maybe try out some pole-dancing…" She could hear him stifling laughter at this uncharacteristic image of her, but he continued on as if he had heard nothing unusual.
"And here I was hoping you might be induced to come trail-riding with me. I know the trails at my barn make you weep with envy."
"They most certainly do not," she answered automatically, and then did a double take, or at least its aural equivalent. "Wait, now? It might be summer, but it does still get dark," she pointed out.
"Yes, now! Come on, from your little house on the prairie, if you leave now you just might make it," he teased. "Besides, remember the view from the ridge at sunset?" Kim felt herself beginning to relent. The view there was beautiful.
"All right. But you make one more crack about Deepdale, and…
"I promise. Former ranger's honor. Bye."
There was a click, and then Kim hung up. "Sorry, Ned," she apologized, gingerly shifting him onto the sofa. He opened his golden eyes a crack and squinted at her, then rolled over on his back to continue sleeping in the sort of contorted position only a cat could find comfortable.
Grabbing her keys and riding boots, a sweatshirt tied around her waist in anticipation of the post-sunset temperature drop, she was heading for the door when Wiley let out a yip and ran in front of her, barking sharply.
"No, Wiley, you stay here," she chuckled, bemused. "Despite your perpetual attempts to prove otherwise, you clearly are not built for horseback riding." Suddenly, he stopped barking and sat perfectly still, staring at her in a rather eerie way. For a few seconds, Kim was inexplicably transfixed by his gaze, but then she shook her head and gently but firmly pushed him away.
"I am built for horseback riding, and I will be fine," she replied. "Now goodbye." She closed the door on his quizzical little face and tried to shake the odd feeling that the dog knew something she didn't.
Notes: Hm, I thought this one would be longer. That's what I get for writing chapters out of order. Anyway…things happen in the next part, finally.