Chapter 6: Flying
"Do you think we should use a hackamore before we try a bridle?" Zella asked Nashua who was getting out a saddle from the tack trunk.
"Hmm....," He mumbled his head still in the trunk.
Zella rolled her eyes; she knew he was trying to make her aggravated by drawling.
"Yeah, sure," Nashua drawled with the most annoying drawl he ever used.
She picked up the bit less bridle as Nashua closed the trunk holding a saddle, and walked out of the tack room and held the door open for her.
In the tack room it was dark but the walkway was bright. She could see his expression clearly. It mirrored what she felt. His expression was filled with so much love. Her heart leaped to her throat.
As they were about to walk out the barn Nashua turned around grinning.
"What?" she stammered.
"You're flying'," Nashua said, and then walked out to the corral.
"Whatever," Zella said to herself smiling.
Nashua was still grinning as he slung the saddle and blanket over the fence rail.
The stallion snorted coming to check it out.
Zella handed Nashua the hackamore gingerly, trying to make sure their fingers didn't touch.
As he took it his fingers brushed hers. Their eyes met as she winced. She could hardly breathe as his eyes held hers.
Nashua's eyes had something like curiosity in them. She forced a smile; she felt her lips tremble as she did from the cold.
Nashua looked away as they heard the stallion suddenly knocking the saddle off the rail. Nashua groaned as the horse snorted, looking at it like it was a living breathing enemy.
Zella laughed as Nashua put the hackamore on a fence post then picked up the saddle and blanket.
"What's so funny?" Nashua asked, grunting as he retrieved the hackamore.
"Nothing," she laughed. The truth was she didn't know why she was laughing.
"Ha-ha!" Nashua said sarcastically, opening the gate. He pushed his long black hair out of his eyes.
Zella was still giggling when he approached the stallion with the hackamore.
"C'mon boy," Nashua cooed as the stallion tossed his head and backed away, "C'mon now," Nashua said, trying to get close enough to slip it on the frightened stallion, "I'm not going to hurt ya horse," Nashua told the stallion who was snorting loudly.
"Zella! Don't just stand there lookin' pr-," Nashua broke off the sentence. His tan skin turned red in embarrassment. He had almost said pretty.
Zella walked into the corral grinning, even though she knew they both could see each other now. It was daylight almost. So he was in love with her! Even though she knew it was stupid, she felt nervous around him.
Nashua tossed the hackamore toward her. She caught it as Nashua nodded at her to try to bridle the horse.
15 minutes later they had it on the protesting stallion.
"Man, that horse is stubborn as a mule," Nashua mussed mostly to himself as they watched the stallion trot around the corral shaking his head, insulted.
The horse was acting like a snake was wrapped around his head.
"I wonder how he would have acted if we had used a bridle," Zella said as the mustang reared.
"Probably would act like a bronco," Nashua said sounding strange. "What's up?" Zella asked him. Cupid "I-uh-oh, never mind! It don't matter ri-," Nashua stammered as the front door of the house opened and Matlock poked his head out, "What are you two still doing here? You both are 2 minutes late for school. Zella you missed the bus 12 minutes ago," Matlock said in a long string of words that was very out of character.
"Oh no!" Zella and Nashua said in unison.
"My dad's gonna kill me if I go to detention," Nashua groaned as they raced toward the gate, "You'll have to ride with me," He told her as Zella raced into the house for her back pack. Grabbing it she heard Nashua start the truck. She raced outside toward the truck as she saw snow flakes start to fall.
As she got in the old battered, dark green Dodge Ram she smelled some kind of mint. She sighed as Nashua jerked the truck's gear out of park.
"When we get back we can try the saddle," Nashua told her as they pulled out on the road.
"Hmm....," He mumbled his head still in the trunk.
Zella rolled her eyes; she knew he was trying to make her aggravated by drawling.
"Yeah, sure," Nashua drawled with the most annoying drawl he ever used.
She picked up the bit less bridle as Nashua closed the trunk holding a saddle, and walked out of the tack room and held the door open for her.
In the tack room it was dark but the walkway was bright. She could see his expression clearly. It mirrored what she felt. His expression was filled with so much love. Her heart leaped to her throat.
As they were about to walk out the barn Nashua turned around grinning.
"What?" she stammered.
"You're flying'," Nashua said, and then walked out to the corral.
"Whatever," Zella said to herself smiling.
Nashua was still grinning as he slung the saddle and blanket over the fence rail.
The stallion snorted coming to check it out.
Zella handed Nashua the hackamore gingerly, trying to make sure their fingers didn't touch.
As he took it his fingers brushed hers. Their eyes met as she winced. She could hardly breathe as his eyes held hers.
Nashua's eyes had something like curiosity in them. She forced a smile; she felt her lips tremble as she did from the cold.
Nashua looked away as they heard the stallion suddenly knocking the saddle off the rail. Nashua groaned as the horse snorted, looking at it like it was a living breathing enemy.
Zella laughed as Nashua put the hackamore on a fence post then picked up the saddle and blanket.
"What's so funny?" Nashua asked, grunting as he retrieved the hackamore.
"Nothing," she laughed. The truth was she didn't know why she was laughing.
"Ha-ha!" Nashua said sarcastically, opening the gate. He pushed his long black hair out of his eyes.
Zella was still giggling when he approached the stallion with the hackamore.
"C'mon boy," Nashua cooed as the stallion tossed his head and backed away, "C'mon now," Nashua said, trying to get close enough to slip it on the frightened stallion, "I'm not going to hurt ya horse," Nashua told the stallion who was snorting loudly.
"Zella! Don't just stand there lookin' pr-," Nashua broke off the sentence. His tan skin turned red in embarrassment. He had almost said pretty.
Zella walked into the corral grinning, even though she knew they both could see each other now. It was daylight almost. So he was in love with her! Even though she knew it was stupid, she felt nervous around him.
Nashua tossed the hackamore toward her. She caught it as Nashua nodded at her to try to bridle the horse.
15 minutes later they had it on the protesting stallion.
"Man, that horse is stubborn as a mule," Nashua mussed mostly to himself as they watched the stallion trot around the corral shaking his head, insulted.
The horse was acting like a snake was wrapped around his head.
"I wonder how he would have acted if we had used a bridle," Zella said as the mustang reared.
"Probably would act like a bronco," Nashua said sounding strange. "What's up?" Zella asked him. Cupid "I-uh-oh, never mind! It don't matter ri-," Nashua stammered as the front door of the house opened and Matlock poked his head out, "What are you two still doing here? You both are 2 minutes late for school. Zella you missed the bus 12 minutes ago," Matlock said in a long string of words that was very out of character.
"Oh no!" Zella and Nashua said in unison.
"My dad's gonna kill me if I go to detention," Nashua groaned as they raced toward the gate, "You'll have to ride with me," He told her as Zella raced into the house for her back pack. Grabbing it she heard Nashua start the truck. She raced outside toward the truck as she saw snow flakes start to fall.
As she got in the old battered, dark green Dodge Ram she smelled some kind of mint. She sighed as Nashua jerked the truck's gear out of park.
"When we get back we can try the saddle," Nashua told her as they pulled out on the road.