Company

"Don't worry... I'll be back in a jiffy." Hunter smiled and gave Buttons' neck one last pat before turning to leave the corral. He'd never leave a rider as green as Ryan for any length of time, but he trusted the mare, and he could tell Ryan was relaxed enough today to handle this. 

Once he was in the barn, he made quick work of tacking up Bonzai and coming back out to the corral. After mounting up, he rode a little while with Ryan until she was comfortable again, just walking in different directions, coaching her a little but mainly just letting her enjoy herself with Buttons and do as much or little as she wanted. 

Soon though, they were both back by the barn with Buttons put away, and Bonzai remained tacked up. Standing next to the taller horse, Hunter mounted up again and looked down at Ryan, grinning. "Okay. Since we're gonna go at a faster pace and I'm heavier, I gotta stay up front. Which means you get the soft seat." He patted behind the saddle on Bonzai's rump. "So..." He took his foot out of the stirrup so Ryan could use it to mount up. "Swing on up here and make yourself comfy." 


"...so, I've taken a tumble or two, but nothing major." Travis rubbed some more oil into the saddle he and Ashlee were working on together in the tack room. He'd been telling her about his dad teaching him how to ride, even though he didn't have a whole lot of experience yet. Squinting at some dirt in a hard to reach spot, he grabbed an old toothbrush and brushed out the niche until he was satisfied. 

Glancing to the side, he purposely bumped Ashlee's arm as she was trying to work. "Oops... so sorry..." His eyes twinkled as he threw her a sly grin. Leaning over, he was just ready to steal a kiss when the door opened. Straightening quickly, his attention went back to the saddle.  

Stepping into the tack room, Dylan stopped short and rolled his eyes. Yeah, he'd seen that. So this is where they'd been hiding out. Nice. "That saddle just got oiled last week," he mentioned as he went to the racks to hunt for one he'd picked up at an auction to clean up and resell. 

Travis' eyes narrowed at his comment. "Then somebody missed a few spots," he retorted.

Dylan quirked an eyebrow as he continued to look, then found the saddle in the corner of the room, Pulling it out, he had intended on taking it outside to clean off first, but... all of a sudden, he felt like sticking around. So, setting up at the other bench, he set the saddle on a rack and retrieved some soap and rags to start working on it. 

Travis looked up in disgust. Seriously? He glanced to Ashlee again. "Wanna help me wash a couple of the yearlings and finish this later?" 

"Oh, don't leave on account of me," Dylan interrupted innocently. "I don't mind the company."


"I like kittens." Jason laughed before giving Katie one last, long kiss. Rolling off her, he sat up and grabbed their bag of food, setting it between his legs so Katie could sit right next to him. "I guess for now..." He handed her a burger. "...we can stay here as long as we want." 

The sun sank lower and lower until finally dipping below the horizon, leaving the sky ablaze with oranges and purples. Even though it was getting dark though, the scene was just too peaceful to leave. 


Levi swung his gaze back around to Karla, his expression one of almost being perplexed, mixed with humor. "I'm glad you tripped over my dad's cleaning supplies that day..." 

He turned to face his computer again and worked a few moments before he swiveled around again. In reality, it had only been four or five weeks since hiring Karla, but she was as much a part of this place as anyone now. At least he felt that way. "If we can pick up some bigger clients, maybe you can actually get paid what you're worth." 

Looking back to his work once more, he sighed. He was still so tired, but the coffee had helped. 

An hour later, he was resting his head on folded arms at his desk. He was so close to being done, but was having severe doubts he'd be able to get this accomplished in time. "One more piece," he mumbled. The business card was all that was left. "Just... one more..."