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

Chapter 3- More Arrivals

 "Easy, boy," Zach cooed as Cadillac's large body floated on tiptoes around him. He'd been lunging the warmblood for a half hour, and there was only now a few flecks of lather on his sleek, bay coat. However, the horse was very different from the monster that had arrived there in the summer. Shuddering at the memory of Kelly lying in the arena dirt, Zach called for Cadillac to halt.

When he did so, he motioned his forward with his fingers, and the bay sighed as he approached. "Good job, you crazy thing," he said as he rubbed his knuckles against the swirl of hair in the center of the large forehead. Then he eased the halter off of the magnificent head, steering clear of the rippling haunches as Cadillac bolted away. "Unwind for a moment, and I'll get you in a bit."

As he walked toward the gate, Zach heard the crunch of wheels on gravel, and headed to the doors as a truck and trailer rolled to a stop. "How's it going?" He called to the older man who was sliding from the driver seat.

The older man beamed as he met Zach's eyes. "It's going well, now that you guys can take care of this for me. Name's Clarence." He shook hands before making his way to the trailer door, Zach following. "She's a sweetheart," he said, and Zach could only imagine the old man was talking about the pony. When he opened the door, he leaned in. "Alright, now, you can come out."

A pretty little chestnut head poke out of the door, gazing around, before she tried to step out. Clarence grabbed the lead rope dragging near her tiny hooves, and stopped her from plunging into the barn. Zach was stunned; the animal could only be about 12 hands tall, and her raised head barely made his shoulder. Yet she was as spunky as Cadillac!

"My granddaughter won't be riding," the old man said as he reeled in the chestnut pony, who was thrashing and vainly trying to explore the barn. "But I want Mistletoe to have the best manners."

Zach took the lead with a nod. "You don't have to worry about that, sir," he assured. "I can do that easily by tomorrow."

Clarence eyed the boy for a moment, but before he could say anything, an older truck rolled into the driveway, parking near Kelly's parents. With a final nod, the older man hopped into his own vehicle, and pulled away.

Zach smiled at the little pony, who was gazing intently at the barn, her ears perked. "Come on," he said while patting her neck. "I'll lead you inside."

As he walked Mistletoe into the barn, he glanced over his shoulder to see a tall man step out of the truck, followed by a striking brunette woman. The sound of the screen door made him shift his gaze, and he smiled as Kelly launched herself off of the porch, squealing to wrap them both in her arms. While he couldn't hear every word being said, the excited chatter between the girls told him that the newcomers were their guests for the evening.

Zach quickly lead Mistletoe to her new stall. "You settle in for a few minutes, Misty," he said, shortening her name. "I have to go get Cadillac from the arena, but then I will be back to grab you." As he spoke, he dumped some feed into her bucket for her to nibble on. She happily plunged her tiny muzzle into the bucket.

As he headed back up the aisle to get Cadillac, Ronnie's voice drifted into the barn. Curious, Zach shuffled along the wall until he reached the door. "Kelly, I just don't see how you can take care of all of these people."

Kelly's voice came back, confident but slightly strained. "Dad, I've told you, everyone in this house is family to me. You and Mom; Rylie grew up with me, and I never see her; Dune married Rylie, and is a great guy-"

Ronnie cut her off. "So you just let them barge in on our family time? Without thinking about how much they could have changed?" Zach could hear the scowl on his face. "I swear, Kelly, you're letting them and that boy tread on your family. You just don't see it yet."

The screen door slammed shut, and Zach hurried back to Misty in case someone headed his way, his mind buzzing.

^^^

*Squeal of excitement* So! Besides the obvious implications the pony and her people will bring in... RYLIE HAS ARRIVED!!!! She's not going to play a super huge role here; she'll have plenty of time to do that in C&N. That goes for Dune, too. However, I wanted a little more conflict, and instead of dragging in more characters, I brought in my two favorites.

Anyway, here is your chapter. So far, so good! Or do you think otherwise? Let me know! Oh, and could you pretty please vote? Thanks!