Hunted

FancyPants

My alarm was going off. I groaned and turned over, pulling the covers over my head. I was not ready to do this again. After a minute or listening to the intense and annoying beeping I groaned and slapped it off. I stared at the clock blearily. It read 4:45. I yawned and stretched, getting up tiredly. This was my third day of getting up at this time. I was starting to get tired. I sat on the couch for a second, trying to collect my thoughts. My ears picked up a faint sound coming from Jessie's room and I recognized it as her crying. She was crying nearly every morning when I woke up, but the first day when I tried going in there she threw a pillow at me and broke the no cussing rule. I didn't bring it up again.
I threw my covers off and changed into the work jeans and old t shirt Kent had found for me that his previous farm hands had left behind. I found some bread and cheese Lucy had left in the fridge for Kent and I to eat and hold us over until the real breakfast at seven. I heard Kent stomping around in the back room, probably trying to get the heavy dried mud off his boots. He came in a few minutes later and grunted good morning to me, wolfing down his own bread and cheese and sipping the iced tea Lucy had made. "We've got a big day ahead of us Hunter." He told me. "Today we start planting the potatoes."
I looked up eagerly. "So, I get to plow?" I asked, visioning myself urging some cattle on as they tear up the ground.
Kent laughed. "I'll show you how to use the tractor."
"Oh." I smiled sheepishly. "Right."
***
Three hours later I was sitting at the table hungrily eating fresh fried eggs and bacon. Jessie was telling Kent about how the rooster chased her around for a full five minutes until Lucy came and chased him away. "I nearly died." She argued with him.
Kent chuckled. "He might have scratched you a bit, but but FancyPants pretty harmless."
Jessie huffed. "All I was doing was collecting eggs." She informed us. "I don't know why he got so cranky."
"FancyPants was just being protective of his hens." Kent told her gently.
I coughed in surprise. "You names your rooster FancyPants?" I asked him disbelievingly.
Kent grinned. "Yes I did." He confirmed.
I shook my head. "Okay then."
"By the way, the tractor is missing a part." Kent told Lucy. "I'm going to need to go into town to get it."
"I've been needed some new cloth." Lucy told him. "Will you pick some up for me?"
Kent raised an eyebrow. "And risk picking the wrong shade of blue or something? No way. No woman, you are coming with me if you want cloth."
Lucy glanced over at us. "But then we would be leaving them alone." She said a little quieter, but not really.
Kent shrugged. "They'll be fine." He assured her.
Lucy's fade lit up. "Great!" She said excitedly. "It's been forever since I've been to town. Let me go do my hair and fix myself up. We'll have to stop at the Miller's because I haven't seen Elizabeth in ages and now is as good as time as ever."
Kent looked at us in despair as Lucy went on and on and then excused herself to go get ready. "That was a mistake." He told us grimly. "At this rate we won't be home until next week."
Jessie and I both hid our smiles. "I'll keep the animals well kept for you." I assured him.
Kent laughed. "We should be back by dinner." He told me hurriedly. "But don't be alarmed if we don't show up until tomorrow morning. Sometimes Lucy gets carried away. There's food in the fridge. Just make sure the animals are okay. Ride the horses if you want to. Try not to make trouble. I'm trusting you two a lot right now." His face turned serious. "Don't mess it up."
Jessie and I both nodded hurriedly. "Yes Sir." I told him. "I mean Kent."
An hour later Kent and Lucy had packed up and left for town. As soon as they were out of sight, I turned to Jessie, feeling relaxed happy and content. "Guess what?" I asked her.
Jessie smiled up at me. "Hmm?" She asked.
"We're going riding." I told her.
Jessie's eyes widened. "Really?"
I nodded and grabbed her wrist, pulling her along with me. "Yep. Cmon, let's go!"
"I don't know how to ride!" Jessie told me as she was dragged along.
"I'll teach you." I glanced back at her and smiled. "And it's relaxing."
***
I landed with a hard thump. I groaned and rolled over. "Okay that one hurt." I grunted.
Jessie laughed, easily keeping her bay mare under control. "I thought you said it was supposed to be relaxing."
I sighed and pushed myself up. "Yeah. When you have a good horse. I gave you the good one."
Jessie shrugged. "Then grab the other one." She told me unsympathetically.
I stretched and cracked my back when I stood up. My white stallion stared at me innocently. "The other one is lame." I informed her. "When I say that, I mean he has a bad foot." I rolled my shoulders. "I'm trying one more time." I told her.
Jessie looked uncertain. "Well, maybe the third time is the charm?" She asked hopefully.
"Hopefully." I grabbed my stallion's reins, put my left foot in the stirrup and swung my right foot over his back. We were still for a split second before the stallion turned into a bucking bronco.
I gritted my teeth and tried humming to him. He was deaf to me. I yanked hard on the right rein, pulling his nose to my foot and making him stop bucking. "Thank you." I breathed as I spun him around in tight circles.
Jessie didn't look impressed yet. "So are you planning on riding all day like that?"
I looked down at my horse dejectedly and slowly loosened the reins. The stallion shook his head and chewed on the bit. I relaxed on top of the saddle. "We're good." I told her.
Jessie shrugged. "Well, don't get bucked off again and break your back. That would be inconvenient."
I snorted. "I wouldn't dream of being inconvenient to you."
Jessie just smirked. "Cmon, let's get going."
We rode our horses around for a few hours, exploring every inch of the woods. My stallion loved ramming me into trees, but that was the worst he ever did to me. At as our lunch time we took a break and are the picnic lunch we had packed before getting back on our horses and turning back towards the farm. Of course, with an hour left, it started pouring rain. Needless to say, Jessie and I were pretty miserable when we got back.
Jessie was visibly shaking and shivering. Her lips were pale and her teeth were chattering. Her fingers were so unsteady they couldn't unbuckle anything on the tack. I tied my stallion up pretty fast and impulsively grabbed her hands, warming them as best I could. Jessie's green eyes widened as I rubbed them gently. "You're cold." I told her.
"I'mm f-f-fine." Jessie chattered. Her wet hair hung in strands around her, making her look even more pathetic.
I rolled my eyes and grabbed one of the clean horse blankets and wrapped it around her shoulders tightly. "Go on inside." I told her. "I'll finish up around here."
Jessie gave me a reluctant look, but after a moment she gave me a grateful nod and turned, walking quickly out of the barn. I stared after her for a moment, her small and vulnerable body going back into the pouring rain. The blanket would offer her little protection after a minute or two.
I shook my head and hurried to finish the animals. I untacked the horses and fed them and then I made sure all the other animals had made it into the barn and fed them and out clean bedding down for them. It only took me about an hour, maybe less, but by then my wet t-shirt clung to me. If made me uncomfortable and I was longing for a shower by the time I showed up at the house.
Jessie opened the door for me, wearing sweatpants and an oversized sweatshirt she must have found someplace. She was holding two mugs and held one out to me. "Coffee?" She asked me.
I took the coffee eagerly, sipping the warmth and relishing it. "Yeah thanks." I sighed as the warmth entered my body. "That hits the spot." I handed the mug back to her. "I'm gonna take a shower before we lose power or something. The storm is pretty bad." I told her. "Keep an eye out for Lucy and Kent in case they're coming home tonight, okay?"
Jessie nodded to me obediently. I disappeared to go take a nice hot shower I was pretty sure I deserved.
***
We lost power when I was toweling my hair off after I got dressed. The house went dark and I immediately heard Jessie call me uncertainly. "Hunter?"
"I'm here." I called back to her, feeling my way around the bathroom until I came to the door. A tiny bright light was coming towards me slowly. It was Jessie holding a candle. It disappeared around the corner and out of sight. "Shortcake." I called her again. "I'm over here."
I heard Jessie snort. "Then come here. I'm on the couch and I'm not moving until the power comes back."
I smiled and slowly made my way towards the living room. "What about dinner?" I asked her.
Jessie grunted. "And risk cutting my finger off, no thank you."
"Shorty," I told her. "I'm hungry."
"Then go make your own dang dinner."
I sighed. "Fine, but I'm taking the candle."
I made us delicious sandwiches and we ate them in the candle light. It wasn't a bad day.