3 - Gregarious

The next day, I managed to sleep in until their rooster crowed. With a humoured smile, I thought how cliché the alarm was. When I became restless, I kicked off the covers and shifted Sally's arms off my waist. Yawning, I tucked her back in and made sure Jimmy was comfortable.

After retrieving a change of clothes and my necessary toiletries, I shuffled to the bathroom. I suppose my brain took a temporary holiday since a floor to ceiling shelving system, stocked with linens and blankets, met my eyes. A blush splayed across my cheeks and I shook my head, giggling at my silliness. Wrong door. Slipping into the bathroom, I prayed that Elicia nor Owen were light sleepers. Hot jet streams would be hell to everything but my tense muscles.

Cautious not to waste too much water, I only stayed in for as long as necessary. The first thing I noticed was the coarseness of Elicia's towels, reminding me that she lived with the bare necessities and few luxuries. Even though the rough texture irritated the sensitive bulls eyes around my welts, it did its job. Working on my undergarments, jeans, and a shirt, I avoided the tender skin. Three minutes later, I packed away my dental essentials and applied a gentle layer of concealer around my neck and anywhere else the makeup had rubbed off. As I always did, I cleared the drain, wiped down the fogged mirrors, and straightened up.

Knock, knock.

Flinching, I opened the door. "Sorry, did I wake you?"

"No, Pancakes woke me up." Elicia rubbed her eyes and a lion yawn followed suit.

"I'm sorry, who?" Maybe my friend was sleep talking?

She chuckled. "Pancakes is the head rooster of the hen house."

"Why Pancakes?" It was an adorable name but sounded quite feminine, suited a hen better, at least I thought so.

"Gee, you and Owen hatin' my name choice!" Sticking her tongue out, El said, "I don't know, I just thought it was cute, and he likes pancakes."

With a grunt, a smile tugged at my lips. "Here, you look you like want your bathroom back." Sheepishly, I ducked out and sauntered downstairs.

"Hey, Andy."

Springing back, I gasped. My heart rapped against my chest, threatening to splinter my ribcage. "Oh my gosh, Owen you gave me a fright!" With my hand placed over my heart, pledging allegiance to calming my heart rate, I faced him.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you. Are you okay?"

Waving my hands, my face coloured beet red."Yes. I'm alright, all better now," I reiterated. "I just startle easily. I wasn't expecting anyone else down here." Once the words left my mouth, I wanted to smack my head into the wall. It was his house. If anyone was not expected, it was me.

With a nod, Owen sauntered to the cooktop. "Would you like some coffee?"

Coffee. I had not had confection in so long, ages in fact! The taste was but a distant memory now, but I was not about to pass up the offer. "That'd be lovely," I said.

"Decaf or caffeinated?" he asked. "Or black?" The crinkle in his nose made me snort with a suppressed chuckle. It was as clear as Evian that the cowboy did not dig the mention of the words "black" and "coffee" so close together.

With a skeptical glance flashed in my direction, I zipped my lips and toyed with the options. Disappointment stemmed from the fact that I had no idea if I fancied any of them.

"Um, decaf, I guess."

Twisting the knobs, Owen went about brewing the beans.

"How did you sleep?"

"Uh, good, thanks."

"So, El told me that you two grew up together in London."

"Yeah, well, she moved over when we were in second grade."

"Right."

I scrubbed the back of my neck.

"So uh, what do you like doing?"

Caught off guard, I blinked. I like taking care of my kids. "Well, I worked at the city library every other day, except for weekends and holidays. I happen to love books."

"Ah, so was it you who got El all into books?"

I felt my cheeks heat. "I suppose it was me." Chuckling, I smiled. "But, the Harry Potter thing was always her interest, ever since High School."

"I'm not much of a reader, but I was always a fan."

An awkward silence followed us, but soon enough, the strong perfume of coffee wafted into the air. The scent roused memories of lonely nights at Cambridge, studying for next-morning exams and preparing for ones far in advance.

Owen slid the coffee mug in front of me and said, "Andy, I'm gonna head out, okay?"

Looking up, I nodded, closing my eyes.

With an absent-minded smile, I returned to the frequent email exchanges between Elicia and I when we knew we ought to focus on academics. Being close to the top of our class, El earned a partial scholarship to study abroad at the Oxford equivalent in America. Despite time differences, our friendship thrived.

Elicia toddled downstairs while my cup of joe entertained the placid air. "Hey," she said, interrupting my university flashbacks.

"Owen went out a bit ago," I reported with my thumb stuck over my shoulder.

Settling in the empty seat, El folded her arms over the table. "That doesn't look like it's the only thing on your mind," she said.

"I miss England," I said.

"You'll go back someday," Elicia tried.

"No, I meant when we wouldn't do anything without each other." The two or none deal, the peas in a pod bond, attached at the hip metaphor associated with our thick as thieves companionship.

"Me too." El bit her cheek. "At a time, there were years I was furious that you hadn't answered my emails and calls, so I quit sending them. I lost hope and thought you'd made new friends and had no room for me. Shit," she whispered. "That fuckin' hurt."

"I'm so sorry, El." My mate's frustrations snapped my heart in half, the soreness as vibrant as snaring a finger in a mousetrap. "I wanted to call, I really did. But Jim blocked your number without my knowing. Eventually, I convinced him to unblock it, but it had already been years. I wasn't sure you even wanted to hear from me." It was daft but one hundred percent true.

"I'm glad you're here now, though. We can't change the past, but we can control the future. You will be in it, I hope."

Nodding, a rather dubious feeling swirled in my gut. I did not want to have this conversation now, but it was clear that there was no time like the present. "El, we can't stay here for long."

"Jim won't find you here, there's a reason why it was difficult to find us."

Shaking my head, my eyebrows knitted together. "Of course I'm worried about Jim, but I don't want to be a sitting duck. We can't." I sighed. "Plus, there're no jobs here, and I can't very well drive your car around to find one. There are more opportunities open in the city, even the suburbs."

The submission in El's face resolved to my reasonings. "How long do you plan to stay?" she asked.

"No more than a week." I shrugged.

She stayed silent, the stoic stillness stifling the tension. "I was thinking about bringing the kids to see the horses before Owen puts them out to pasture."

An uneasy smile lifted my lips. She was averting. That was El's modus operandi when in the hot seat, when uncomfortable. Regardless, I let the conversation go.

"Can you try to have them down by 7:30?" That was twenty minutes from now. "I'll have Owen help me get the stalls ready."

"Sure, no problem."

"Did you drink any of that?"

Blinking, I peered down. "No."

"What is it?"

"Um...coffee?"

Elicia clucked, the previous tension lifted. "Yes, I am quite familiar with how it looks. I meant is it caffeinated or not?"

I blushed. "Oh, decaf. Do you want it?"

"Sure!" The ceramic scraped against the wood as El dragged it toward her.

"I'm gonna go, okay." Patting her shoulder, she nodded at me.

Hopping upstairs, I woke Sally first, that way Jimmy would not make her cranky from his excitement. Once Sal dressed, I sent her to the bathroom with her Tigger toothbrush and kid's sparkly toothpaste whilst I woke Jimmy, usually the harder one of the two.

He sported jeans, a Mickey Mouse shirt, and Nike trainers before I could tell him we still had plenty of time. I had to laugh at his fervid desire to get going, seeing as he was as slow as a grazing tortoise every morning.

As agreed, Elicia greeted us at the barn, paused at the painted door. "Now, you two have to promise to always walk and use your indoor voices. You don't want to scare the horses, that wouldn't be good."

Jimmy bobbed his head so much I wondered if his neck would cramp.

Opening the door, El glanced around. "Okay, come on in. Owen is going to feed them so you guys can pet them."

Horses lined both sides of the stable. Hermione and Ron were the youngest of the group with Harry not too far behind. The Quarter Horses were kept for breeding and had already birthed some foals the previous summer and autumn.

The tallest horse was a dark bay, 16.3 hands high Thoroughbred. Sirius was Owen's gelding that he had brought into the marriage. Though their Kentucky Derby days were long retired, Siri, as they nicknamed him, was quite swift for his age.

Rounding up the herd was Luna, Elicia's palomino Appaloosa. Lu was pushing sixteen-years-old but had been El's steadfast companion for fifteen.

"We were rodeo barrel racers years ago, and even won second in nationals during our fourth year." Beside Luna's stall hung a plethora of rainbowed ribbons. Several photos of a much younger Elicia on her galloping mare were pinned with classy accolades.

"What's barrel racing?" Jimmy asked whilst stroking Lu's shoulder.

Owen said, "You have to set up at least two or three barrels, and depending on how hard then the course is, there may be more obstacles. After you are given the okay to go, the horse runs out of the gate, and you have to steer them around the barrels. If you knock one over, time is added to your score."

"It's basically a race to see who'll get done the quickest with the fewest mistakes," I said. Planting his feet on the floor, I rested my hands on my hips.

"Who's the fastest?" Jimmy glanced between Luna and Sirius, and Elicia and Owen counseled each other.

"They were specially bred for specific events. As El said, mine lapped around a track and her's had to be fast and sharp around the barrels. Siri's good for long distances, but Lu's better at agility," Owen explained. Slipping a handful of oats into Sal's palms, he lifted her so that she could feed Luna.

Sending Owen a relieved looking, he tipped his head.

Closing our stables visit, El showed us to a pen of gregarious geese. A couple of goslings waddled behind their mother. When she stopped, they did, too.

"They're so cute, Mommy!" Sally squealed.

With haste and agile manoeuvres, El blitzed one of the unsuspecting fledglings. It squirmed and honked in Elicia's grasp, weeping for help from its fleeing family. Pressing its wings flushed to its body, El adjudged her grip. "He won't bite, but be very gentle." Squatting, she balanced on the balls of feet, coming short of Jimmy's height.

Eyes twinkling, Sal's grin stretched ear to ear whilst she stroked the down. Joining in, my fingers smoothed the feathers. The feathered creature was silkier than I imagined, even Sal's boa could not hold a candle to this. If I owned a cardigan this fine and soft, I would never take it off.

Its tail feathers twitched, and Elicia placed it down without hesitation. Not a moment later, the baby took a dump and bolted in the direction of the grazing ganders. Concluding the exclusive tour, Elicia presented some fun facts about the birds.

As the children cantered inside, beating us to the house, I leaned into my best friend. "Thanks so much. I could tell they really loved meeting the animals, and it means a lot to me that you'd do that for them."

"No problem, Owen and I were more than happy to! Your kids were lovely."

The morning progressed at a millimetre per hour pace. By noon, I itched to do something, anything, even muck the stalls again! Sensing my restlessness, Elicia suggested some quality girl time in the garden whilst Owen entertained the kids with trivia and board games.

"I'm glad I convinced Owen to keep the games, now. Our nieces always bring over their own stuff, so the toys were just collecting dust. But, you know pack rat me." El snorted.

"I didn't know you had nieces!" I said as we sauntered off the wrap around porch.

"Yeah. Three from Owen's sister. They're all a bit older than Jimmy, actually."

"How often do you see them?"

"Not as often as we'd like, honestly." With a small smile, she explained, "They live in Southern California. Usually, they come up here for Independence Day week and we alternate Christmases between his family and mine. Bi-continental gatherings get a bit difficult to coordinate, let alone afford."

Setting down our baskets, Elicia demonstrated which berries were good and which ones went to the squirrels. Going about our business, she relayed her past twelve years to me, cliff notes version. Her romantic relationship was as cliché as a happily ever after, but because it concerned her, I didn't care how storybook it sounded. It was special to her.

And yet, I felt a gripe in the pit my stomach. Despite its small size, the disturbing sensation corrupted the angel levitating over my shoulder. No matter how much I reprimanded the little green monster, I couldn't help but feel jealous of their bond. Was it a sin to covet what they had? The Bible said so. Then again, how was it wrong to yearn for a spouse that treasured their partner every second of every day, who never chose to regret loving them? How could a holy book with paramount influence deny a person that type of desire? So, I embraced my envy and with it a load of frustrations. Why was Jim hell-bent on confusing the shit out of me? If only I knew. Our bond was as solid as cement but when tested with several blows, chipped.

"Andy? Earth to Andy. Are you in there?"

Shaking my head as if my questions would fly off like water droplets, I faced her. "Sorry, El. What were you saying?"

"I don't think your brain's handling multitasking too well." Pointing at my basket, she directed my attention to the plate of berries coating the bottom of my bucket. With a sigh, she dragged her index finger to hers.

'Ooh.' Warmth spread over my cheeks like marmalade over toast. "Sorry."

"What's on your mind?"

I shook my head, evading her question.

"Tell me!" Dragging out the single syllable, El nudged me.

With my lip tucked under my teeth, I tucked my hair behind my ear. "Jim. I wish our marriage had been as good as yours."

Her smile dropped, but her hand did not.

Feeling the need to amend the silence, I smiled. "Sorry, I didn't mean to-."

Elicia interjected, "I wish that bastard hadn't taken you for granted. You deserve better, Andy."

Awkwardness lingered in the air, neither of us knowing quite the right words to say.

"Let me show you something." She abandoned her basket and took my hand.

Leading me to the shed, she ferreted about for a minute. Finding what she had been hunting for, El drew out a box.

Not wanting to hover or intrude, my curious eyes strained from afar.

"Andy, I want to give this to you for protection."

Furrowing my eyebrows, I walked to where she sat. Flinching, my eyes widened, regarding the glinting metal.

"It's a straight shot, won't jam up, and requires a trigger pull of eight pounds to fire. It's the safest one I had that you could carry with the kids around." Without pause, El added, "I had the licence division expedite a carry permit for you."

How she managed that made me wonder, but I had time to ask questions later. Backing away, I stared at her. "El, I don't know the first thing about guns, let alone how to shoot one!"

"Andy, you are a goddamn sitting duck! So are the kids, more so them! If you want to protect them and yourself, you need to learn how."

She was right, as usual. I had no training in any form of self-defence unless begging counted.

"I know those damn nuns hammered into our brains 'thou shalt not kill,' but this is serious, Andy. You sure as hell know that Jim won't be unarmed if he's coming after you."

Weighing the options in my head, I finally resolved that if he had the upper hand, it was my duty to at least level the playing field. Assuaging my mind came a bit easier. This was for the kids. And if I wanted to protect them, I knew I needed to add new weapons in my arsenal.

A/N: This is dedicated to JessieHazel, my avid horse lover buddy! I hope you like that certain dark bay speed racer. 😆 Check out Jessie's works in the external links!

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