Christmas at Kelly's (The Time Giver Short Story)

Chapter 9- Christmas Horse

Zach woke up slowly, his eyes drifting open in the still of the morning. It took him only a moment before he was grinning to himself. Then he smiled at the tawny ball of fur curled up against him. "Merry Christmas, Mooney," he murmured.

The Siamese raised his dark head and yawned, his white fangs glinting in the faint light. Zach scrunched up his nose at the cat's morning breath, then rolled out on the other side to get dressed. Mooney watched with an almost amused glint in his eye.

As Zach padded downstairs, He heard Kelly on the phone. Ronnie and Crystal were at the table, which was back to its original size. When he entered, both turned to look at him, and while Crystal gave him a wan smile, Ronnie scowled and hunched further over his coffee.

Kelly walked in and smiled at her son, hugging him. "Morning, Zach. Merry Christmas." She pulled away to look at him. "I need to ask you a favor."

"Oh boy." He didn't dismiss her, though, and gave her a small smile to let her know he was in on whatever she needed.

She gestured toward the phone, which she'd put in the cradle on the wall. "Clarence is on his way now with Marguerite. Do you think you can show them what Mistletoe can do?"

Even though Ronnie's frown deepened, Zach nodded. "Of course," he said. "When is he coming?"

*

Everyone was huddled on the wooden bleachers outside of the arena. Ronnie and Crystal were furthest down from the door, with Kelly sitting between them and her two clients. Clarence was sitting on the end seat, and pulled up beside him was Marguerite in her wheelchair.

Kelly smiled widely, despite her parents' obvious disgust at having to be out there. She understood now why Clarence had only asked for ground work and manners. Her smile widened as Marguerite eyed the entryway, her Auburn curls bouncing.

The sound of hoofbeats against the floor of the aisle had everyone watching as Zach led Mistletoe into the arena. Marguerite gasped, clutching her grandfather's hand tightly, a huge smile on her face. "Is that her?" She squealed, trying to keep her voice down.

Clarence smiled. "Yep, that's Mistletoe." Zach could hear them, and smiled in their direction. He already had the lunge rope snapped to the halter, so there didn't have to be an exchange.

As he reached the middle of the arena, he let her step away from him, and asked her to trot. She picked it up, bobbing her little head as she went. Marguerite had her sole attention on the pony, leaning forward in her chair.

Round and around Mistletoe went, Zac talking to her quietly. Ronnie leaned over to whisper in Kelly's ear. "I see that you trained him yourself," He commented. "He works like you used to."

Kelly beamed, feeling more than proud. "He's my son, Dad," she replied quietly, her eyes on Zach. "Maybe not by blood, but he's my son." She broke her eyes away from the boy to gaze at her father. "I want you to see that."

For a long moment, he was quiet. "I understand ," he whispered. While he didn't make eye contact with her, Kelly could feel the air around them shifting. Smiling, she glanced at her mother. She wasn't taking her eyes off Zach, and a smile was on her face. Satisfied, Kelly faced Zach just as he finished with his lesson.

Rubbing his fingers together, Zach called Misty forward. She walked to him, tossing her head in that spunky way of hers. He gave her face a quick rub with his palm, then he gathered the lunge line in his hand before leading her toward his audience.

Clarence stood, a wide smile on his face. "That was fantastic," he congratulated Zach, then his gaze switched to Marguerite. "What do you think?"

The little girl matched his gaze, the gap between her front teeth showing as she smiled. "Can I see her?"

"Of course," Zach and Clarence said in unison, and everyone laughed. Zach led Misty back to the barn, while Clarence wheeled Marguerite after them. Kelly smiled at her parents, and they all followed.

While Misty and Marguerite met for the first time, Crystal talked to Kelly. "I'm sorry about what I said," she confessed. "I know you weren't trying to replace Sam. It's just, like you said, we haven't been here since the funeral. And being here brought back so many memories."

Kelly nodded, her eyes pricked with tears. "She was your granddaughter, but she was also my daughter," she said. "I miss her every day." She took a moment to watch Zach, who was showing Marguerite how to feed Misty a carrot. "But while I wish that she could walk out of her room one morning, I never regret when Zach does."

Crystal chuckled as he laughed when Misty lipped her new owner's fingers. "He's something special."

Kelly nodded again, catching Zach's eye and smiling. "He sure is." 

^^^

Merry Christmas Eve, everyone!! I'm so excited for tomorrow! It's gonna be great! The final chapter will be up tomorrow, as well. Hope Santa visits everyone!