"Go grab some firewood from the shed, and bring it over to the fire pit." I order Bucky. He simply nods, and runs off to perform his task. I walk inside to grab the steaks, soak them in the sink. Hopefully they are thawed enough in time. Once the sink is full of steaming, blistering water, I stick the steaks in, and walk off to help Bucky start the fire. I cal Kit to come, since Grizz is lying on the floor, passed out from herding the cows earlier in the week. He is the ultimate lazy dog.
Kit runs ahead of me towards Bucky as he comes into view. Kit has really warmed up to him, but Grizz...Well, Grizz needs a bit more time. He is still kind of pissed with Bucky.
"Did you ..." I trail off. He aleady has the fire blazing, flames reaching up and licking the air, smoke lazily spiraling upward.
"Thanks for starting it." I say. He just nods his head again. I have gotten used to the one person talking thing going on with him. He really only talks when necessary. In fact, when ever he did speak, it startled me more than when I first got thrown off a horse.
"The steaks are thawing, should be ready soon. I hope you like your steak spicy, and rare." I say. He looks up at me, and smiles softly.
"Do you want to try the spice before I use it?" i ask. He shakes his head.
"Okie-dokie." I say, clapping my hands.
"I am heading in to figure out what gate I need. Shouldn't take to long. I will be back in a bit, hopefully with a pair of steaks." I say. He nods, and waves me off. I dart off, leaving Kit with him. She seemed content sitting there, letting Bucky stroke her, and he seemed content doing that. What bothered me was if I had mentioned it, he might of pulled away, slamming down that guard of his, letting the pain and torment drive people away.
I run inside, startling Grizz. He has been so tense lately because of Bucky. Grizz huffs, and plops back down with a soft 'thump'. I grab my computer, and curl up on the couch, waking my computer up. I look up gates on tractor supply's website. The closet store was about an hour away, so if I needed anything else, I might as well grab it. I find a gate, and check a make sure that it is at that store. I double and triple check before I am satisfied. I shut the laptop down, and carefully set it on the counter once more.
I walk over to the sink, poking at the steaks. Their getting there, but not quite their yet. I decide to go and sit with Bucky and Kit. I walk out into the warm evening air, and inhale the freshness. I walk over to the firepit, where the fire is casting shadows over Bucky's face, making him seem even more regal. I sit down on one of the rocks, and look at him.
"I found the gate. Problem is the store is about an hour away. You can come if you want, or not. You would have to stay int eh car, and wear a long sleeve tee. Or you could wear work gloves to cover your arm. In a small town, word would spread rapidly, and you would be found rather quickly." I explain, trying to use as few words as possible.
"I can wear long sleeve, and a pair of workgloves."
"Sorry about that. You don't have to come if you don't want to." I say. He shakes his head.
"I am used to it by now." He almost whispers. I leave him be with his thoughts after that, and head inside to check on the steaks. Bingo. Cooking time. I pull them out, and cut the wrapping off, and place them onto a sturdy cookie sheet. I douse them in a cajun spice, literally drowning them, before grabbing a pair of tongs, and carrying the sheet outside. I place it on a rock, and give Kit a warning look. If she touches my steak, there will be no end in sight for her punishment. She stays there, although she does perk her ears and lick her lips a bit.
"Do you mind?" I ask Bucky, gesturing towards the fire he is towering over. He moves silently out of the way. I hover my hand over the grill, going back and forth, finding the spots that would be perfect for cooking the steaks. I pick them up with the tongs and lay them out, and then flip them over in 20 seconds. I smile at the light shade of greyish brown they became in some spots, showing that they are in the best places. I let them stay on that side for about five mintues before flipping them again. Bucky stands over my crouched figure, watching intently.
"Yes, take notes. You are learning from the master." I say confidently. He looks at me, turning one side of his lips up, forming a lopsided smile. I grin, and turn back to my steaks, flipping them over again.
After awhile, the steaks are ready, and we head inside, Bucky carrying the steaks. He freaking insisted in his silent way. He grab the clean cookie sheet as soon as I was reaching for it, and stared at me. I glared at him, and clapped my tongs in his direction. He just gave me another small, lopsided smile and carried them off. I sigh, clicking my tongs as I went, and called Kit to follow. She was still sprawled out in front of the fire. She jumps up at the sound, and runs after us, easily catching up to us. Bucky holds the door open for her and I, and then shuts it, still holding the steaks. He sets them down on the countertop.
I go over to a cabinet and pull out the rice cooker I have. I plug it into the wall, and grab the rice from the pantry and pour 4 cups of water and 4 cups of rice, shutting the lid and pressing a button. I turn to Bucky.
"Cover those in foil and stick them into the oven." I say, pointing towards the steaks. He nods his head and goes to get the foil. I grab a bag of frozen chicken broth cubes, and plop them all into a saucepan. I let those melt, and also start a bag of peas. I add some cornstarch to the chicken broth until it thickens and becomes gravy. I turn off the stove just as the rice cooker ding rings through the house. The peas still have a few minutes, but they will be ready by the time we have filled our plates with everything else.
Bucky hands me a plate from the cabinet, and grabs two forks. I grab the steak knives, and hand one to him. We start spooning out things onto our plate, and I take the steaks out, giving him one and myself the other. I go to sit down at the counter, and he follows shortly after. He sits down slowly, and then stares at his food for a bit. He ever so slowly starts to cut into his steak, into the pink, and takes a bite. I watch him intently.
His eyes light up, and he looks at me.
"Very good." He mumbles around his food. I hold back my laughter and smile at him.
"Told you I was the master." I say. He just shakes his head, and digs into his food. After watching his first reaction, I figured everything else would be a tad bit the same, so I dug in as well, glancing at him every now and then. Once our plates our clean, we put everything into the sink. I pad off towards my room to change out of my clothes that reek of sweat and dirt. I toss them into the corner, and change into a pair of shorts, and a large t-shirt. I run a hand through my hair, and go to say good night to Bucky.
I knock on his door, and say a quick good night before calling Grizz and Kit to come with me. We pile onto my bed, and I watch the forecast quickly before shutting of the t.v. and lights, and falling asleep.