Gray

Trent's grin grows just a little. "Your mom liked both. Half coffee and half cocoa."

Moving back to the mare who was still standing patiently, he gives her coat several more swift strokes with the brush. It would be okay if Ryder was present when he and Thirteen talked. He knew most of the story already anyway. And Trent did see that Ryder was more than a best friend. From what he could see, they not only were friends, but were also dating, and at this point, Ryder was her lifeline.

"Okay," he finally concludes quietly, almost in surrender. "We'll talk more soon."

Turning to Thirteen again, he hands her back the brush. Starting to leave, he stops one more time and looks back at her. "Merry Christmas." Then putting his hands in his pockets, he heads out of the barn.

Ryder wanders around the corner, having caught just part of the conversation going on, and he had to admit he was surprised Trent had been talking to Thirteen at all, let alone as nicely as he had.

Ambling closer to Thirteen, he cocks his head with question. "You alright?"


Receiving back the phone, JT quickly ends the call. "Thanks, Gunner. Talk to you again soon."

Shutting off the cordless phone, JT looks to Bree and puts his arm around her shoulders, bringing her close to kiss the top of her head. "I'm sorry this Christmas has turned out so lousy," he apologizes quietly. "When it's all over... we're gonna have a vacation. And that's a promise."


Dylan doesn't look up as Rosetta brings the breakfast and remains still for several minutes before finally picking up a fork. Scooting the food around on his plate, he eventually tries the eggs and some of the bacon, but his small appetite proves why he's become so thin.

Mick smiles as Rosetta sets his plate down. "Mmmm.... I've missed the cooking around here."

Slipping his arm around her, he eats with one hand, keeping her close to him. He had missed her a whole lot more than anything else... though he'd been surrounded by people, it just hadn't been the same. It was his goal to remember that feeling of missing her presence in order to never let this happen again.

Once half his breakfast was gone, he slows down a little, talking in between his bites. He asked her how things had been going, who all was here and asked about updates on the barn and everything going on there. They had talked on the phone every so often, but there had been a whole lot that had gone unsaid that now he wanted to know about.

He was glad Annie was still around and that Eric had made it back. He was surprised to hear they were harboring the three from Nevada, but agreed it was the right thing to do. Hearing about Thirteen's arrival and the night before had him a little concerned, just for the sake of relationships in the family. He'd caused enough damage around here himself - having something else going on just made things worse. Mick knew that Jade had gone to Colorado for Christmas, so he wasn't surprised he hadn't seen her yet. There was more he wanted to say to Rosetta about how he wanted to mend his relationship with his daughter, but he held his tongue in front of Dylan and BJ. They didn't need to hear everything. He also held back from talking about Sparky and what needed to be mended on that end.

Scraping the last bit of eggs from his plate, Mick wipes his mouth with his napkin and just thinks in silence for several moments. Glancing to Rosetta again, it was obvious there was a question he didn't want to ask. But he needed to know. "I, um... never asked you over the phone. Is... Dan still around?"


By now, Dylan had shoved his plate and leftover food aside, still having not spoken a word. His eyes roamed the dining hall, bounced off of Mick and Rosetta, BJ, his uncle and the strange woman over in the corner, then back to the table. He wasn't really bored, but he didn't want to be here either.

Eventually without saying anything, he gets up from his chair and walks to the nearby window to look out on the chilly day. It was gray out. He preferred it that way.