As promised Kelly's hand never once left Yorkie's as soon as the bandana had been loosely yet securely tied around her closed eyes as soon as she'd climbed into the car's backseat.
The drive wasn't all bad mostly because Yorkie kept her head nuzzled against the dip of Kelly's shoulder in security as her wife's free hand rubbed in reassurance against Yorkie's back as Kelly hummed a lullaby-like tune under her breath as they drove. Ashley and Kaylen checking in periodically along the way also warmed Yorkie's heart before the car came to a final stop.
It wasn't until the combined scent of hay and old wood hit her nose that Yorkie realized where they were. That was also the same time she heard the unmistakable sound of horses snickering at one another in the stable.
"Surprise." Kelly announces tugging off the blindfold with a slight flourish as the car sits idling in the drive up to the barn.
Yorkie could only gasp in surprise at the sight in front of her eyes.
Or it might have been who it was leading a striking-looking horse out to meet them as the four women climb out of the car.
"Ladies." Wes smiles even tipping his black cowboy hat towards them in greeting thought Yorkie didn't miss the way his eyes lingered longest on Kelly as he lowered his hand.
"Hey, yeah stranger." Her wife snickers with a broad smile in a greeting that has Yorkie's jaw twitching a little in a twinge of jealousy she already knew to be foolish given Kelly's hand was still loyally held in her own as Kelly's eye catches her with a subtle wink in her direction passed the glaze of her sunglasses. But she couldn't help it when she catches the too-familiar way Wes's eyes drift over every inch of her wife as the two old friends chatted. Going over a few more details about why they were here that Yorkie knew she should be paying closer attention to, but she couldn't get over the longing look the other man had when he looked at Kelly.
One she knew she'd warn once when she'd needed to literal time jump in order to simply find the very woman at her side after that first shared night with her.
"Passen' over really does suit you Kels." Wes goes on falling into step with them much to Yorkie's mild discomfort as they wander more towards a paddock of already saddled horses. Ash and Kay were already waiting at the fence line seeming to be having a not interlay quiet debate about who got to ride which horse.
"Yeah, it's alright." Kelly waves off with a characteristic scoff of a laugh. "Always an adventure with this one." She adds nudging her hip against Yorkie's as they walk jarring the taller woman out of her thoughts with a start.
"Huh?" Yorkie questions earning a teasing chuckle from the other two walking with her.
"Nothing puppy." Kelly snickers bringing their joined hands up to brush a kiss against the back of Yorkie's hand. Yorkie can't help but notice the flickers of pained jealousy the small jester caused the man walking on Kelly's other side as her wife dropped they're yet to separate hands letting them swing lazily between them as they came to a stop beside their friends.
"Kels will you please…."
"No." Kelly answers cutting off whatever it was Ashley was about to ask as Wes breaks away long enough to join the horse, he'd been leading with its fellows lined along the fencing.
"But you didn't even…"
"Doesn't matter answers still no." Kelly cuts in again seeming to have deliberately pulled on Yorkie's hand until her wife relented enough to press herself flush against Kelly's back as she faces down their friends. Yorkie's other hand now resting reflexively around her wife's hips as Kelly relaxed into her hold.
"How the heck do you put up with this one York?" Kaylen huffed in exaggerated annoyance whilst her own wife pouted like a sulking child beside her mumbling incoherently under her breath.
Yorkie only gives a sly smile by way of an answer as she dipped her head to press a tender kiss against Kelly's head before dropping her chin to rest against the shorter woman's shoulder.
"Smart move, babe." Kelly praises with a pleased sigh as she leaned even more against Yorkie's solid embrace.
Wes clears his throat by way of getting their attention. "If you would." He instructs gesturing towards the paddock gate a few steps away from where they stood.
"Oh, sure thing." Ashly smiles already swinging herself up onto the fence rails to drop down into the grassy field on the other side. Kaylen a few beats behind her also dropped over the fencing. Kelly and Yorkie take the longer way of actually using the gate entry.
"Are you okay?"
It wasn't until she asks that Yorkie notices the tremors of nerves making her hands shake as Kelly tugs her to a stop whilst Wes gets Ashley and Kaylen settled in picking out a mounting their horses for the evening.
"I told you I've never…" Yorkie pauses with a low shaking exhaled breath hating how unsteady her voice sounds. Almost as unsure as when she'd practically begged Kelly to 'make it easy' after their mini confrontation in the bathroom at Tucker's.
And just like then Kelly's hand slides so soft and grounding against her cheek striking Yorkie mute as the touch nudges her chin up to meet her wife's eyes. "I've got you." Kelly promises needing to stretch a little to nudge her forehead with Yorkie's as she whispered it to her. "I've got you." She repeats when Yorkie's glazed eyes open to stare into hers.
Wes chooses the safer option of staying back when the wives finally decide to approach the trio of yet-to-be-chosen horses. Ash and Kay warming theirs up with a few slow circles around the other side of the paddock.
"They seemed so much smaller on tv." Yorkie muses aloud
The closest was smokey dappled rose gray, a truly handsome stallion Kelly notes as she leads a slower-paced Yorkie down the short line of her options.
Next, a sandy-colored filly snickers at them curiously when they draw closer. "Hey, there cutie." Kelly greets with a laugh. "You're ready to ride huh?" she goes on earning an impatient stamping from the young mare who kept eyeing the two already mounted and circling with envious eyes as she gives another tug at the lead lines tied loosely to the post.
"Reminds me of you sometimes." Wes comments looking between them with a teasing smile.
Yorkie give a shy grin of her own at the comparison now running a no longer shaking hand down the snout of a dappled stud that Kelly hadn't noticed before considering it wasn't the already saddled one standing on Yorkie's other side.
"You must be a horse whisperer or something." Wes gaped following Kelly's sightline.
"What?" Yorkie scoffs still smoothing her hand down the stared nose of the horse leaning over the fence for her attention. "He just came up to…."
"That's Mist." Wes names in awe earning a snickered head dip from the horse at Yorkie's shoulder. The mount seems to nudge just a little closer to its already chosen human.
"He reminds me of a horse I used to know growing up. We had a few wild ones roaming behind our house when I was younger" Yorkie says her hand returning to its soft rubbing of the animal's nose as she spoke. I'd used to race with it alone on the fence line of the backyard before we moved away."
"Full of surprises aren't you puppy?" Kelly smiles
Yorkie ducked her head to hide the way her cheeks colored up at the teasing praise. "I called it Cookie." She giggled in remembrance. "Cause it was dark like chocolate but also white like a fresh glass of warm milk." She says thoughtfully.
"Still say you're a horse whisper." Wes says eyeing the pair in apprising amazement. "Normally no one lays a finger on him and no way would we be able to saddle….."
Even Yorkie does a double take when after a hoof stamp of impatience the stallion at her shoulder was not only saddled but also no longer bared by the barrier of the fence line as he was before.
"Okay then." Kelly says with an awed laugh as the stallion yet to leave her wife's side dipped down in an offering for Yorkie to climb into the saddle on its back.
Wes already had his phone out calling the more direct line of the Tucker 'help line' in a check of his own that this wasn't some kind of glitch in the system as a still laughing Yorkie steadies herself against the stallion's back as he stands back to his full height.
"Alright, Alexandra the Great. Let's get riding before Wes's timer strike zero." Ashley calls in reminded teasing as a more confident-looking Yorkie guided her mount over to where Ash and Kaylen wait for the others.
"I've still got plenty of time thanks," Wes promises with a cough as he checked the watch at his wrist before swinging himself into the saddle of the other waiting stallion whilst Kelly pulled herself up into the saddle seat of the sand-colored mare.