K. Paddy Cunningham (kpcunningham) wrote in watersedge, @ 2009-04-15 17:17:00 |
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Current mood: | bouncy |
Entry tags: | margaret blackwood, paddy cunningham |
Who: Maggie & Paddy
When: backdated to Monday 4/13/09
Where: The farm
What: Riding lessons and hanging out!
***
Maggie Blackwood was nervous but not nearly as nervous as she thought she'd be. Reaching up, she tried to tuck a few strands of hair back behind her ears, but to no avail. The majority of her dark brown hair was pulled back into a ponytail, but the shorter strands continued to fall forward and frame her pale face. Normally she would have left her hair down, mostly to ensure that implants couldn't be seen, but today, she figured it would probably be best if she could see as much of Paddy as possible. He was going to be teaching her to ride and horse, and she was really willing to bet money that the creatures here at the ranch were going to be nothing like the old horse that'd been brought to the birthday party she could barely remember.
Consulting with her sisters on what in the world she was supposed to wear had been a poor choice, as they'd just squealed and tried to get her into something other than her casual uniform of jeans, a t-shirt and a hoodie, saying that this was a special occasion. Maggie, however, convinced that this was nothing of the sort, had won, leaving her standing in a pair of blue jeans, a white t-shirt, a striped black and grey hoodie with a down vest over for warmth. This was just a casual outing, a meeting of sort. Nothing more, nothing less. Because really, no one had wanted to date her back in New York, why in the world would that change now?
Leaning her small, 5'2 frame against a wood fence, Maggie closed her dark eyes for a moment and just enjoyed the sounds and smell of the outdoors. If nothing else, should Paddy's company not be what she expected (what she expected she wasn't quite sure) she could at least enjoy being out of the house and on her own for a little while. Granted, the whole on her own part made her nervous, especially since Paddy didn't know ASL, and writing and riding sounded like way too much multi tasking for her tastes. Talking, of course, was out of the question. Either way, she was determined to try and make the best of this situation.
Spying a girl near the fence, Paddy hoped that was Margaret. She looked a little lost, like she was looking for someone so he suspected it was. Leading two horses out of the stables towards he waved as she turned to look at him, but he didn't yell. First of all, this was a farm and he didn't want to spook the animals, secondly, it wasn't his style unless it was an emergency and thirdly, she was deaf. Sure, she'd said she had some sort of device to help her hear, which he assumed meant hearing aids, but he didn't know how much they helped her or not. His cane was already stowed on the back of his horse, and he walked with a limp towards her.
He was clad in jeans like always, cowboy boots and a long sleeved denim shirt tucked into his jeans with a belt. It wasn't for her that he dressed this way, it was just how he dressed. A black cowboy hat sat on his head. He'd actually raised a fuss in the hospital over his cowboy boots. Most prosthetic feet couldn't fit in a cowboy boot and he had insisted on getting one that would work. It had been a little bit more money, but he thought it was worth it. He lived in his boots.
The horses were both already saddled, his for him and had two saddle bags with water and a first aid kit and various other things tied on behind. Her horse had an adjustable saddle because while she had mentioned being short, he didn't know just how short she was. Her horse also had a saddle bag in case she needed to store anything like a purse or something, but it wasn't packed with much like his was. Once he got closer he looped the reins of both horses on the fence so they wouldn't wander away, "Hey," he nodded at her, touching his fingertips to the brim of his hat, "Miss Blackwood?"
Blinking against the sun, Maggie held up a hand and made out the shape of a man wearing a cowboy hat walking toward her. It was black, but she couldn't help memories of curious George and the Man In the Big Yellow Hat coming back to her. It almost was enough to make her laugh, so when he reached her, Maggie's face was split in a bright grin. Mimicking his gesture, which was pretty close to 'hello' in sign language, the smaller girl offered a greeting herself. Dark brown eyes peered behind him, eyeing the horses with curiosity. Limp or no, there was something about the way Paddy walked that made her feel like she was in good hands. It was the combination of his style of dress mixed with a sense of something that she couldn't quite put her finger on. Maybe confidence? Either way it was reassuring.
She glanced down at his shoes and hoped that her choice of Doc Martens would be alright. She'd spent hours googling just what in the world she was supposed to wear, something she'd never admit. After a moment her face lit up like a light bulb had gone off and she pulled a set of note cards from the side pocket of her sweater. Instead of bringng a note pad, she'd brought some note cards knowing that they were a little easier to write on with out a surface. However, the cards that she pulled from her pockets already had lines of writing on them. And they were numbered. Shuffling through the first couple cards, she removed the ones she'd written that had asked how to find Paddy. Holding out the ones that were left with a little smile, Maggie waited for Paddy to take them before she tucked her hands back in her pocket.
Card 1
Hi! I'm Margaret Blackwood, but call me Maggie.
Nice to meet you.
Card 2
Yes. I can hear you. Just try to speak toward me and clearly. Smart ass comments included. It's only fair.
Also, please try to ask yes or no questions. A glare is the universal sign for 'none of your business'.
Card 3
I do have a cellphone and ID with me.
In case of emergency, dial any of the numbers under I.C.E. You'll get my sibs.
I've got some blank cards and a pen with me just in case.
Card 4
Thanks for doing this. I'm really excited. :)
Any questions?
That last card she added after a painstaking amount of thought. She also thought of adding that she did have some cash with her incase this turned out to not be a free lesson, but she wasn't going to bring that up until it was necessary...and then chew him out for not tellling her before hand. Maggie blew a bit of hair from her face and waited to see if Paddy had any questions or if they were ready to get started.
"Okay then," he said, reading the cards slowly and handing them back. "Maggie. I'm Paddy. And this is Maple and B.T.," he indicated the two horses. She was going to ride Maple. She was one of the older horses and complete docile. B.T., which stood for Bullet Train as he had once led quite a few horses on a breakneck run a few years back, was the horse he was going to ride. He was much more ornery and it took an experienced rider, he wasn't used for lessons unlike Maple. He liked B.T. though and could handle him easily. He knew that if B.T. got some foolish idea in his head though, Maple wouldn't follow.
Once Maggie had been introduced to the horses, he instructed her on how to mount and guide Maple. "You're in control o' the horse," he said to her, "The horse don't control you. Remember that. You gotta be firm sometimes," and really, Maple could do a ride like they were going to have without a rider or anything at all and not so much as wander towards some nummy weeds. She was a good horse. Taking the reins, he handed them to Maggie and had her walk the horse in a small circle and then over to a little step stool that was sitting nearby. They'd use it to help her mount so he could adjust the stirrups more.
Maggie nodded firmly toward him and then she looked toward the horses. Maple and B.T. She wondered what B.T. stood for but figured it wasn't important enough to ask about, especially when she was told that her horse would be Maple. Maple was a sweet horse. Reaching out, Maggie let her smell at her hand before she gently ran her finger tips down the long nose of the horse. Maggies face warmed into a brighter smile and she looked back to Paddy almost in astonishment. Horses were never her thing but for the first time in her life she almost wished they were. At his comment about her controlling the horse Maggie nodded, but she was still in a different world, running her hand along Maple's coat.
Taking the reigns that were handed to her, Maggie gave them a little tug and sure enough Maple was moving in the direction that she told her to. Okay. This couldn't be too hard. As long as she paid close attention and followed directions this should be fine. Right? Since losing her hearing Maggie had devolped a sort of sixth sense when it came to reading body language. Now, she wondered if it would apply to horses as well. Reaching the stool, where Paddy had indicated, Maggie gave the reigns a tug and sure enough, Maple came to a stop.
Smiling, Maggie looked over to Paddy waiting for more instructions.
Patting her left leg he indicated that she should put it in the stirrup and with a one two three he helped lift her up and into the saddle. Sure enough, the stirrups had to be adjusted. Easing her foot out of it he made the corrections before going to the other side to make sure they matched properly. "You okay?" he asked her. She was sitting well in the saddle. Maple simply stood there uninterested in the human on her back at all.
Taking the reins, Paddy led her in a slow circle around the ring again, letting her get used to the movements of the horse under her before giving Maggie the reigns back to try to go around again by herself. Granted, Maple could do this asleep, but that wasn't the point. Maggie would feel confident and then once she did they would go out on a trail. There wouldn't be anything more difficult than this. If he was by himself or another experienced rider things might get more interesting, but not with a girl who was terrified as a child of a birthday pony ride.
Looking down at her left leg, it took only a second to realize that he wanted her to put that foot in the stirrup. Settling it in, sure enough, a second later, Paddy had hoisted her easily into the saddle. Once up she grinned and blew her bangs back from her eyes. Maggie was starting to get comfortable. At his quesstion as to whether she was okay or not, she gave a firm nod to show that she was just fine. Shifting her weight back and forth a bit she finally settled into a better position. Reaching forward she slid her hand along Maple's mane and looked down at Paddy.
And then they were walking. Delighted Maggie held onto the saddle horn and tried to find the rhythm of the horse beneath her. After a few go rounds she felt more comofortable, but Maggie definitely wasn't going to get cocky that was for sure. That's all she needed was to be thrown from a horse. Her sisters would be thrilled, as would her eldest brother Anthony who still didn't even know that she was out here. She'd thought about telling him but figured it wasn't worth the stress. Sometimes he could be a tiny bit overprotective. Especially if he knew these riding lessons was with a man. Yeah, keeping it to herself was definitely best.
Letting go of Maple he had her follow him to where BT was still tied to the fence waiting. Unlooping the reigns, he placed his own left foot in the stirrup and pulled himself up without a stool or antyhing. It was always a little awkward for him to mount a horse since his left one was the one missing, he did it alright, it wasn't the most graceful was all. "Ready?" he asked, once he was settled. BT was impatient, but Maple just stood there waiting quietly. On a horse, Paddy looked like he was born there, made to ride with his cowboy boots and hat, there was even a battered old buckle on his belt. He turned to go then turned around to look at Maggie one more time, "Can you speak at all?" he asked, a thought ocurring to him.
Nodding to show that she was ready, Maggie smiled and settled further into the saddle. She could come to love this. This ride was certainly showing to have a lot more potential than the one with that sad looking grey horse at a party she could barely remember. Reaching up, she brushed some of her dark hair back again, wishing she would have taken the time to pin the shorter pieces, back, but it was too late now. He looked so natural in the saddle, even when hoisting himself up he still looked so at ease. She wondered how long he'd been riding. Probably since he was two, she mused.
Can you speak at all?
She should have known the question was coming. Hell she did, and when she was writing her note cards she'd thought about including a card that explained that she could indeed talk, but chose not to. It was a conscious choice, one that was made. Talking both frustrated and embarassed Maggie. She'd lost her hearing at an age when she was still developing her vocabulary so some words were a lot harder to pronounce than they should have been, and if she wasn't concentrating, her speech would round out and sound...well it'd sound just different enough to get her made fun of when she was younger. Children could be so mean. Maggie nodded in respose to his question. Yes, she could speak, but she wouldn't be trusting her voice to him. Not yet anyway.
The nod was all he wanted to know, "If'n you have a problem, you say something then, yell, whatever. I ain't some mother with eyes in the back of my head," he said, glad that she could if there was a problem. He wasn't going to demand conversation, he wasn't much interested in it, but he didn't want her to be overwhelmed and him oblivious simply because he didn't hear her. A lot of the trail was single file for the first few miles. Maple would follow BT, but that didn't mean that there weren't other things that could happen that couldn't be forseen. With a subtle motion, he led BT through the gates, looking behind him to make sure that Maple was following with Maggie then led her off to a path in the trees.
Maggie tilted her head slightly, amused. If she was falling off the horse she might yell. Might. Silence was really just more of a habit these days. Letting out a snort, she smirked at his comment. Rolling her eyes, Maggie shook her head, looking back down to the saddle she was riding on. When he started moving, Maggie gave a gentle press into Maple's sides like he'd shown her and sure enough, Maple moved forward, following BT. It was kind of like riding a bike without, well, wheels. With one eye on the horse, she took the other time to look around at the trees they were just starting to enter. If there was one thing that Maggie loved about the lesser populated New England, was the scenery. It was a stark change from her home in New York City, but it was something she felt she could get used to.
The green was what Paddy loved. Sure, Montana had green, forests and such, but not like here. There were different trees and smells. Different birds. He couldn't quite believe that people thought the Appalachian Mountains were real mountains. Sure, they were nice big hills, but they were nothing like the Rockies. They were pretty, in their way, just not at all like the jagged and giant Rocky peaks. He didn't understand cities at all. When he had been stationed at Ft. Hood in Texas, they had been close enough to San Antonio that he could sometimes get rides into the city with friends and that was enough for him. San Antonio was not a large city at all, but he had enough of it. Too much concrete and not enough space. Everything, they said, was bigger in Texas, but he felt small and cramped there. He'd felt that way in Billings, too. Glancing over his shoulder to check on Maggie, he adjusted BT's direction just slightly. Just because they were going at a slower pace than the horse preferred did not mean that he could just start chomping at the bushes.
Sadly enough, Maggie wasn't kidding when she said that she hadn't been out of the New England area. She found herself wondering how Montana compared to scenery here. Where there more trees? Were the valley's deeper? What about the colors, were those different too? Sighing softly, Maggie wished that would have packed up her camera and brought it along. Photography was something that she was a fan of. Even though she was only using a little digital camera she got for her 20th birthday, she still had an eye. When Paddy turned around, Maggie gave a little wave and smiled before holding up the sign for 'Ok'. And she was. He was right, horse rides really didn't need much talking. It was so much easier to just let the horses lead you around and focus on the scenery around. Idly, she wondered if there was a clearing somewhere. Her dad had told her that sunsets up here were something that you had to see at least once in a lifetime. Now that she was starting to take in the scenery for herself, she was beginning to understand why.
Paddy had no intention of keeping Maggie out for sunset. First of all, she wasn't used to riding and even a couple hours on a horse would probably wear her out and she would hurt the next day, he had seen it in tourists and guests often enough to know that the next day would probably be painful. Secondly, as they lost light, it would be harder for him and for her to make sure everything was okay. He couldn't see her as well and she wouldn't be able to see him. The sunsets though were pretty awesome. Sunsets were always something spectacular, no matter where he was. Some were better than others to be sure, but he liked them in general. If she wanted to see a sunset later, then that would be something they did another time. Preferably after she had more experience and they got a start later in the afternoon. And maybe a picnic or something. But that was something for later.
Twisting her lips, Maggie wondered if he was starting to squirm with the silence. She found her self slightly uneasy, but she couldn't quite put her finger on why. Usually she settled into the silence and focused on the task at hand, but she found her curiosity creeping up. Maggie wanted to know more about the cowboy in the Texas tuxedo. Her dark brown eyes settled on his shoulder blades. She wondered what he was like before his accident. Had he lost his leg in Iraq or after? How had he dealt with the change. Frowning, she pulled her eyes away from his back and looked out toward the trees that were thickening around them. For the first time she wished that maybe they would have chosen something where communicating wasn't so impossible. Then she wished for a pinecone to throw at him. Did he always wear cowboy hats? Was this his real deal or was he putting up some kind of front. The accent sounded real enough, and she wondered if he'd make fun of the New York accent she still had. In fact, Maggie wondered if he'd make fun of her at all, should she decided to say something. Not that she was thinking about it. It was then that she noticed Maple had started to vere away froom the path BT was taking, giving the reigns a tug she frowned when Maple didn't immediately turn. Opening her mouth, she closed it and then opened it again. Finally she let out a whistle and gave a slightly frantic wave before mouthing, 'help'.
Unlike Maggie, Paddy was perfectly fine with the silence. She'd made it clear she didn't wish to speak which was fine, and that she had no desire to hear him prattle on, which was also fine. He wasn't really the prattling sort, but sometimes people wanted cowboy stories or information on the trees and other vegetation or the history of the area. He was still learning all that, though he had a rudimentary grasp of the local history. Hearing her whistle, Paddy was turned in his saddle looking at Maggie and had BT turned around almost in the same smooth motion. The horse followed only a second later. Seeing the problem, Paddy relacxed, Maggie was just interested in some nearby bushes. "You're in charge, Maggie," he coached her, "You can make her move." He wasn't going to do it for her, she needed to learn if she was going to ride, it was a fairly common occurance with horses. They wanted to munch on the trailpath.
Pursing her lips, Maggie shot Paddy a glare but she tightened her hold on the reigns. She had no reason to be annoyed with him, but she was. He was right, she could do it and didn't need his help but...Realizing she had no answer for the but, she blew her hair back from her face and pressed her leg against Maples side, trying to turn her in the opposite direction away from whatever goodies she'd noticed. And sure enough, Maple followed. Dark brown eyes lit up with delight at the fact that she was able to make Maple move. Okay, so this wasn't so hard, but it was a small lesson that she did have to pay more attention to what she was doing. This wasn't like walking, where you could zone out of your surroundings. No this was more like driving, where you had to pay attention the road, lest you vere into a ditch, or well, some tasty undergrowth. Nodding her head, rather proudly, Maggie held up her fingers to signal she was okay again.
Paddy had watched her, making sure she was able to do it, but Maple was a good horse and mostly well behaved. She wasn't perfect of course, horses weren't psychic to their riders wishes, but they could do a hell of a lot with just a little instruction once they were trained. Once he was satisfied that she was okay and she agreed, he turned again, leading her down the trail for a few more minutes before it opened up to a smallish open field. If she wanted to experiment or play around on Maple, this was the place to do it. Stopping for Maggie to pull up along side him, he grinned at her, "Have fun," he said, gesturing to the field. "Experiment. Play around."
Space. There was space everywhere. It was...kind of strange. Granted Maggie'd been in Lake Flannery before, but she couldn't remember a field like this. It made her want to do cartwheels, and she probably would have if she wasn't up on a horse or with Paddy. Maggie was a bit of an odd duck, and she knew and embraced it. Amused, she wondered what he would have said had she hopped down and done said cartwheels. When she'd pulled up along side B.T. and Paddy, Maggie'd arched a brow glancing over at him. Have fun. Experiment. Play around. What the hell did that mean? Shrugging her shoulders slightly she gave the reigns a small tug and sure enough, she and Maple were off on a walk through the tall grass. She hadn't imagined it would be, but it was fun, leading the horse in a slow zig-zagging pattern. She felt, well, capeable. Glancing back over her shoulder to Paddy she grinned before taking a deep breath and giving Maple a quick, firm squeeze with her legs. Sure enough, they were off. It wasn't breakneck speed, but it was definitely faster then a walk.
The wind in her was in her face, making it feel like she'd stuck her head out the car window. Refusing to close her eyes, Maggie held on and, surprisingly enough, let out a heartfelt laugh.
Watching her, Paddy laughed, urging BT into a brisk trot and then into a canter, pacing Maggie easily. Maple wasn't running in a full gallop, but even a good canter was fast enough for a beginner like her. A real gallop would possibly scare her and definitely increased the risks of something happening. Her laugh startled him though and he instinctively pulled BT to slow down. She had laughed. Stupid, Paddy! He chastised himself, urging BT to catch up to her again. Of course she laughed! It was fun! It was just unexpected. "Like it then?" he called, grinning from ear to ear. It was tempting to show off, but he didn't. There was no need, he wasn't trying to impress her. She was just a local girl he'd chatted with on the computer.
By the time he caught up with her she was still giggling. It was almost as though he wasn't there at all. There was just her, the horse and all this open space! Coming from New York and living in a house with at one time three other siblings, open space was a luxury. I mean, even leaving the house to walk to the corner store involved moving around people. And at work, the shelves were so close together that sometimes she felt like they were closing in on her even though she knew they weren't but it felt like it and nothing, nothing nothing, compared to having all this room to breathe! For the first time since landing, Maggie Blackwood took a deep breath in through her nose and let it out. With it went half of the stress she'd been carrying around.
Like it then? Maggie gave him a look as if to say 'What do you think?' And then she laughed again.
Okay, so it was a stupid question, he didn't need words to know that she loved it or that she thought his question was silly. That was okay though. There was a random fence bit in the middle of the field, just two fence posts with a couple log bars across it. It could be used to tie horses to while the humans walked or jumped over or whatever else people wanted to do with it. Turning BT around, Paddy touched his fingertips to his hat and took off, headed at a gallop towards the fence. He was showing off, just a bit. Urging BT forward to jump the fence, easily low enough for him to do, Paddy let the reins slide loosely in his hands as the jump began, hands gripping the horse by the mane instead, though the reins were still under his palms. Letting his weigh shift to his heels, BT easily cleared the fence and landed easily, though Paddy looked like he had been through hell. He hadn't fallen off the horse, but the jump had been a Bad Idea.
"Fuck!" he swore, bringing his horse back to where Maggie was. "Pardon my french, ma'am," Paddy said automatically, realizing that she could hear him. His leg hurt like hell. His left leg. That was a bad sign. Reaching down, he slid his foot out of the stirrup slightly and pulled his pant leg up, revealing the metal shaft of his prosthetic, but his jeans wouldn't go high enough for him to pull the prosthetic off without taking his pants off. Figures. "Don't do that," he instructed her, letting his pants fall and making sure his foot was back in its correct place. He didn't want to cut her trail ride short, but he was thinking he might have to right now.
Maple started to slow back to a walk, and Maggie let her. She'd had her excitement for the day. Her pale cheeks were flushed a bright pink and most of her hair had fallen down from her ponytail but she didn't mind too much. Blowing it back from her face she glanced over at Paddy, still grinning, to see him tip his hat to her. She hadn't even more than a second to wonder what it was he was up to when he took off running with BT straight toward the fence. Eyes wide, Maggie watched with undisguised awe as he jumped over those logs with the greatest of ease. At first she rolled her eyes, but then gave him a slow round of applause which was about as sarcastic as anything she could have said outloud. But something was wrong. His face was all wrong. He should have been celebrating a successful jump. Instead he was...grimacing.
Was he okay?! Shit, shit! Her thoughts were frantic, and honestly, she would have went over if she could figure out how to get off of her horse. Please let him be okay. It was only a jump, what could have gone wrong? Then she noticed he was holding his leg. Completely ignoring his swearing she tried to turne Maple so she could better see what was going on. However, by the time she reached him he'd already dropped his pants and was fiddling with his leg. Mouth open in shock, Maggie turned tomato red from the tip of her toes all the way up to her forehead. The only thing keeping her from turning around was the need to know that he was indeed alright. Clearing her throat loudly, she waited for him to look at her and then she looked pointedly at his leg, before looking back up and waving her hand to prompt him. Hopefully he'd get that she was trying to ask him if he was alright.
"I'm fine," he reassured her, but the tightness at the corners of his eyes said he wasn't. The truth was, what was left of his leg hurt like hell. He didn't think he'd broken it, the jump had been textbook perfect, BT had done it like a champion and since he hadn't been thrown or fallen from him, he knew it wasn't a break. Great. Just great. Him and his stupid ideas. In all fairness though, this wasn't his first jump since losing his leg. It wasn't even his 10th or 20th. Ot 50th. Sometimes this happened though and until he could take his prosthetic off, he didn't know what he was dealing with yet or if he should call the doctor. He hated that damn doctor and calling him too. "Just should be headin' back in now, I think," he said, trying to downplay things. His leg was beginning to throb.
There was a good three and a half years when Maggie had been completely unable to hear. When she'd had to rely on other senses. One that she'd managed perfect was her ability to read others. Even the slightest change in people, and Maggie was able to pick up on it. So she saw the tighteness around his eyes, and honestly she really didn't think he would have dropped his pants in front of her had he not have thought something serious happened. With her lips still pulled into a deep frown and her brown eyes filled with an obvious worry that said she didnt believe him, Maggie nodded at his words. They should head back now. If something serious was wrong, the sooner they got back to town the sooner he could get himself checked out. Or at least get some ice. Maggie wished she could help, but knowing that she couldn't, she merely held on to her reigns and continued to watch him move with a critical eye. Hopefully, if she needed to get down in a hurry, she could manage without killing herself.
Oh, he had little problem about dropping his pants in front of a lady if the legitimate need arose, though he was glad this was not one of those times. The problem was, if he got off the horse, he was positive he wouldn't be getting back on nor walking. Therefore, staying on the horse was very important, at least until he got back to the ranch. He'd ridden injured before, injured worse than this even, so he wasn't too worried about his ability to ride, especially at a pace that Maggie could keep up with on Maple.
It didn't take too long before they were back at the farm, but instead of leading her back to the paddock where the stables were, he took her to the back of the parking lot, where his truck was. Sliding off the back of BT and onto the truck bed, he handed his horses reins to Maggie, "Just hold 'em," he instructed, he would only be a minute, hopefully. He was able to roll the material up showing her the prosthetic clearly and with practiced motions, he unrolled the top of his flesh coloured sock and the prosthetic came off. Underneath the sock was another one that was white. Pulling that off revealed a third one that was a thin silk. Once that was removed, red marks could be seen encircling what was left of his leg. The scars and reconstruction were also visible, but not at all what he was looking at. Reaching for the silk and white socks he pulled them back on then rolled his jeans down. Leaving his leg there, he reached for a pair of crutches, "Hand me BT?" he asked, standing on one leg in the bed of his truck.
Maggie followed obediently on their ride back to the farm. Although she was careful not to pull any harder on the reigns her small fingers were white knuckled around them. She didn't like the unknown. Was he bleeding? Was something broken? Without meaning to, Maggie found that her mind went right to the worst case scenario. It was a bad habit, really. When they'd reached the farm, Maggie had curiously watched as they'd moved past the place where she'd met him prior to their ride out and instead went toward the back of the parking lot. Confused, she took BT's reigns as she was asked and held on as tightly to them as she had to her own. When he'd rolled his pant leg up she blinked before turning away and watching BT. Maggie knew for a fact she hated people watching her put her implants in. Sure it wasn't much, but she still hated being stared at. Now that they were settled, Maggie pulled a note card out of her pocket and quickly scribbled a note to him. When he asked for the reigns, she handed him the note first then held out the leather straps.
Are you okay?
He hadn't even noticed that she had turned away. Paddy wasn't one for modesty no matter how many legs he had or didn't have, "I'm fine, darlin'," he reassured her, handing her card back and taking the reins, then sliding back on BT, crutches across his lap. From his truck bed it wasy easy to mount the horse with one leg. From the ground? Not so much. Without the prosthetic on though, he felt instantly better. It looked like he'd managed to move it somehow so it bit into sensitive skin, but with the socket off, he was fine. "The prosthetic ain't designed for jumping is all," he explained, taking her back to the stables now. At the stable door, he dismounted, though it was more of a slide than a proper dismount and fixed the crutches under his arms.
"Okay, you remember how you got on Maple?" he asked, heading over to the step where she had mounted, and leading Maple, "You're gonna dismount the same way, just backwards."
Maggie couldn't help but but watch in slight awe. Even with his leg off he was still able to manuver with ease from his truck bed back onto his horse. Maggie's gaze settled on his leg. It was pretty cool looking to be honest. The titanium alloy caught the afternoon sun in a stark contrast to the skin on his leg. Of course it made her a little curious again as to the circumstances surrounding his acciddent, but again, she held her tongue, well fingers. It also made her curious as to if the leg wasn't made for jumping, why he decided to do it anyway...? Making sure her pen and cards were back in her pocket, she looked up as Maple started to move. He was treating this like it was really no big deal, and well, if he thought so, then Maggie would act accordingly. Well until he asked her to just get down the same way she got on. Peering over the side of the horse, Maggie looked down, distinctly remembering there being a stool beneath her. Man, it was a long way down. How had she done this again? It only irritated her more to see him dismount. Sighing, she clutched the reigns put her weight on one leg and tried to swing the other over. Tried. She tried to twist but her leg was stuck and the next thing she knew, Maggie was flat on her ass, leg still in the stirrup.
Real classy.
It was sort of hard not to at least snicker. "If I had a camera," he commented, kneeling down so that she was resting her back against his chest and reaching down her leg to get it untangled. If he just got her foot out then she'd fall backwards once her foot was loose and it was a little muddy. "Okay," he said once she was fully on the ground, moving away a little and grabbing his crutches so he could hop up and stand once again. Once he was up, he offered her his hand. "Not the best dismount, but I've seen worse. I've had worse," Maple just stood there calmly.
Taking Maple's reins he led her back to where BT was nosing around for some grass to munch. There wasn't a lot of grass over here. Disappering into the stable for a minute he emerged with a couple carrots, "Want to give her a snack?" he asked. Offering Maggie one of the carrots. The grooms would take care of the horses now that they were done. Normally Paddy would do it, leg or not, but he was off today and this was a fun ride. Let them do it since it was their job. Tomorrow he would.
Frustrated with herself, Maggie rolled her eyes. Of course she would fall. She couldn't just slide right out of the saddle gracefully, land, and make sure that he was alright. Nope. Not a chance. Pushing her hands back into the muddy ground, she tried to stabilize her self long enough to get her foot free, but found it was harder than it look. At least until she felt some support behind her back. Looking up over her shoulder, she got a clear view of what had to be an at least amused Paddy. Taking a deep breath, she started to glare but turned away when she felt her leg finally freed. Yeah, she bet he wished he had a camera. Flexing her ankle a bit Maggie straightened herself up and wiped her hands on her already dirty jeans. Oh well, Maggie thought, a little dirt never killed anyone.
When she looked up again, she saw Paddy's offered hand and she gave a crooked smile at what he'd said. Funny how the thought of him landing like she just did helped her perk up. Taking his hand, she kept most of her weight on her legs, but used his hand to steady herself. Finally on her feet, Maggie dusted herself off, and tried to clean her hands again. At his question, she nodded her head and after one last wipe of her hands, took the carrot. Offering it to Maple, Maggie once again gave a grin, petting Maple as she happily accpted the carrot.
BT chomped at his as if he hadn't eaten all day. Silly horse. Once it was gone, Paddy waited for Maggie to be done with Maple. "Maple's a good horse," he told her, embarrassed over having to cut their ride short, "Sorry about cutting it short. Jumping that fence was stupid," sometimes he could do it no problem, sometimes it hurt like it had today. There was no rhyme or reason to it that he knew of. At least, none he had figured out. "You like it though?"
Maggie nodded at his comment. Maple was a good horse and had made the ride really enjoyable. Holding both of her hands up to show Maple she had no more treats, Maggie laughed and rubbed the gentle horse's face. At his comment about cutting their ride short, the younger girl gave a shake of her head, resisting the urge to dedicate a note card to the single word of 'showoff'. He just looked and sounded so embarassed that she couldn't do it. This was his free-bee. Next time he may not be so lucky. At his question, she smiled grinned and gave a thumbs up. Reaching into her pocket, she pulled out a pen and the note card she'd given him earlier, fixing it to read, 'Are you sure you are okay? Can I help with anything?'
"I'm fine," he reassured her, "Let me buy you a cup of coffee or something. Make up for a shorter ride," he indicated the farm house down the path. There was always fresh coffee there for the employees or they could go to some little coffee place. Those were trendy. He wasn't much into the Starbucks and such, but he knew a lot of people were. He just didn't see the point in spending that much on a cup of coffee he could make for a fraction of the cost at home. "There's nothing to help with. One of the grooms will take care of the horses."
I'm fine, He said and Maggie figured that was going to be the end of it, that they would shake hands and chances were, she'd go on about her life. They'd share the occasional friendly or sarcastic comment online, but that would be the end of it. So to say that his offer to buy her a cup of coffee, caught her off guard was definitely an understatement. Tilting her head, she glanced down at her mud covered jeans, dirty palms and thought about what her hair must look like. But he'd only glanced down to the farm house. It wasn't like they were going to Starbucks or something...right? Then she'd have to at least try and clean up a bit. She was the furthest thing from prissy, but walking around town covered in mud wasn't exactly her ideal way to spend an afternoon, but if he was up for it...
Reaching up she let her hair down and pushed her fingers through it with a shake before giving a nod. This would be entertaining at least, and now that they were off of the horses, she might even have a chance to talk...well write to him.
He thought she looked just fine. He was perhaps the worlds most unpicky person though when it came to physical appearance. He had preferences certainly, but being clean and model-perfect immediately getting off a horse was not one of them. Not even close. The house wasn't very far from the stable, though with Paddy was on crutches it may as well been miles. Half way there he was tired, his wrists and hands hurting, but he didn't want to admit it. At least Maggie was keeping pace with him instead of requiring him to keep pace with her. Pausing on the road he stood there, leaning heavily on the crutches as he tried to catch his breath for a moment, "Sorry," he apologized again, "Didn't look that far to walk," and if he'd walked it it wouldn't have been such a problem like this.
The pace they were moving at was slower than she'd typically move, but Maggie didn't mind too much. After riding Maple she was starting to feel a tiny bit sore, not that she'd admit it. When they stopped again, Maggie turned and frowned a little, toying with the "are you okay" card still in her pocket. She knew after a while he'd probably find her asking again annoying but she was concerned. And he kept apologizing like he'd done something wrong. Getting an idea, she pulled out the card her fingers were still on and flipped it over, writing a short message that she hoped would lighten the mood again. Well, so much for not admitting that soreness.
Dont be. My ass is sore, anyway :)
(turn me over)
And sure enough, as soon as he did, there were the words she offered him earlier: Are you sure you are okay? Can I help with anything?
Laughing at the card, Paddy shook his head. If a girl had said that to him and he'd had a few drinks with the boys, there would be a very different response from the one he gave now. Handing the card back he smiled, "Ain't nothing doing," he said, "Just forget how all the distances seem to double on crutches, is all," he straightened and began working his way up to the house again. "You think you're sore now, wait until tomorrow. Take a couple advil before bed if'n y'can. You'll feel it in your inner thighs," the words were said without any sexual innuendo at all, "John Wayne walked bowlegged for a reason!" he joked as they made their way up the farm house stairs to the front door. It was unlocked as always and he led her through to the back where the staff kitchen was. The couple that owned the place lived upstairs, but the downstairs was public areas.
Maggie gave a shrug of her shoulders but the sight of him laughing was exactly what she was going for. When they reached the front door she slipped in front of him and pulled it open casually. No big deal. This wasn't a date or anything. At his explanation, she gave a nod. Made sense. Things you used to be able to do with ease turned into trials when you didn't assess them right. She could understand that. When he mentioned her being sore, Maggie made a face that showed him she wasn't thrilled with the thought. Her inner thighs? That would be awkward. Especially if Anthony caught her walking funny. Oh, she knew just where his thoughts would probably go. Shaking her head at his comment about John Wayne, Maggie gave him a crooked incredulous smile at how bad the joke was. Shaking her head she followed him, to the kitchen, wondering just how sore she was going to get.
It was possible that she wouldn't be very sore at all, but it was possible too that she'd hurt like there was no tomorrow. It was entirely dependent on her use of those particular muscles, which Paddy had found that people don't use nearly as much as they think. There was a big difference between going to the gym to exercise and using those muscles. Moving about the kitchen easily, Paddy found two clean cups and checked the coffee pot. Well, he'd drink it, but then he'd drink motor oil if it was coffee flavoured. Chances were though, Maggie wouldn't drink it. Dumping it, he set about making a fresh pot, pulling out the Starbucks coffee that was reserved for guests. As it percolated he looked for the niceties like cream and sugar. Ah ha! In the fridge. Perfect. He didn't use them most of the time, but he pulled them out for her. He assumed she liked those sorts of fancy things being that she was from New York City. "Alright, city gal," he said with a smile, "Coffee'll be ready in a few minutes."
To be honest, Maggie didn't drink a lot of coffee, but she'd developed a taste for a cup every now and again. Mostly when she worked the overnight shift stocking the grocery store back in New York. It wasn't that she'd go out of her way to make a cup, but if there was some around, she'd definitely drink it. Well...if there was...And then he pulled the creamer out. Perfect. Maggie did not take her coffee black. In fact, she'd been teased by her father saying that she wasn't drink coffee, but cream and sugar with a dash of coffee favor. At his comment about her being a 'city gal', Maggie arched a brow and pulled out a new notecard.
City gal, huh? We're not exactly in the middle of nowhere...sorta. Okay, maybe a little. How long have you been here?
Taking a chair from a nearby table, she pulled it closer to the coffee maker and held the written on card out to him.
"Moved here just after New Years," he said after reading her card and handing it back, watching the coffee percolate. It smelled good. Leaning against the counter he looked at Maggie for a moment. She was cute, "And this is the biggest town I lived in outside of the army," and the based wasn't a town per se, but it was close enough. There were certainly larger towns and cities in Montana, but not that he'd ever stayed in for any significant amount of time. "Isn't as bad as I thought. I like the lake," he'd thought it would be horrible, everyone up in everyone elses business, all hustle and bustle and traffic. It wasn't. That was good.
This was the biggest town he'd ever lived in? Both of Maggie's eyebrows slowly rose higher. Coming from New York City, she knew high schools that had a larger population. But he'd obviously been around here longer than she had. Well sorta. The Blackwoods spent a good amount of their summers here in the house she and her sister Violet were occupying now. Either way, it was good to know that she had another resource or two. Maggie gave a silent laugh but nodded. Lake Flannery was like that. It felt like a bunch of different transplants from different areas all just existing in the same space. It was a small town with out that creepy small town feeling of way too many people knowing your business.
Pulling the card back, Maggie jotted down another line.
Do you mind if I ask why here instead of Montana?
"Job," he replied with a shrug. True, he could have stayed on his parents ranch and worked, but he hadn't wanted to. "Ain't too many for a one-legged cowboy with no high school diploma. Looked in Wyoming and the area, but they offered me full time and benefits here," he'd hated leaving, but there weren't too many options really, "Could've stayed and worked my parents ranch, but ain't much interested in that right now," he'd inherit it most likely, but that wouldn't be for a while yet. He wasn't ready to settle down there and have kids anyways. "Probably will go back one day. What about you? Why here and not the city?" the question worked both ways.
Made sense that he'd move out here for a job. At his comment about a one legged cowboy, Maggie gave a crooked grin. If nothing else she liked his sense of humor. It was as dry and honest as her own. His parents had a ranch though? That made sense then, the riding and all, and gave her a good idea about how long he'd been riding without asking. At his question to her Maggie tilted her head in thought, trying to condense her answer into the short version. There were a multitude of reasons why she'd moved out, one of them being that if she didn't move out now, she was worried that she never would. Flipping the card over, she scribbled her answer, with a smile.
There is nothing cool about living with your parents forever. I could get out now, or I could get out later. Now just worked best for me.
Maggie slide the card across the table and gave her shoulders a shrug before propping her head up on her hand.
Paddy nodded, that made sense. Good sense, even. And a very valid point as well. "Nothing wrong with that. Guess it ain't like home where if I lived with my parents no one would think on it too much," because he would be working the ranch, learning to run it, "You thought any more about schoolin'? I looked into it a little. About what I might want to do. Don't know how to do it, go about with applyin' I mean, but I think animal husbandry. Or maybe some sort of large animal vet tech? I don't know if those are majors. But definitely something with animals," he wasn't like those girls who went cooing over kittens or puppies or anything, but he'd been working with animals his entire life, sheep and cattle and horses. It made sense to him to do it on a more professional basis if possible.
Pursing her lips, she rolled her eyes at his first statement. Pressing one hand to her forehead, she held her fingers in the shape of an L, trying to indicate that she'd be a loser. And then on a whim, she quickly wrote, I've got enough reasons to be a member of the loser club. Don't need one more.
At his question her brow furrowed. She hadn't expected him to look into it so soon. Maggie did have plans to look into schooling, if for no other reason than she was curious and well, she'd agreed to. If there was one thing her parents instilled in her, and probably all the other Blackwood children, it was that your word was your bond. If you agreed to something you did it and if you didn't want to do it then you shouldn't have agreed to it. A vet tech, huh? Maggie tilted her head and then gave a nod in agreement, quickly scribbling, I could see that. They have farm vet techs. She almost wrote that she'd seen it on a TV commercial, but changed her mind.
Tapping the pen on the table, Maggie twisted her lips in thought. She hadn't really given it much thought and so she really didn't have any idea what in the world she'd do. Granted she was good at photography, but other than that there wasn't much on her resume, well besides stocking groceries and there wasn't a major for that.
I'm still not sure. Unless being a loser is a major. Then I'm game.
"Loser is not a major," Paddy replied, "I looked," and he had actually. Not for that one specifically, but he had browsed through the majors offered by a couple schools. That was sort of how he had figured out what he wanted to do. He'd started by listing them all, crossing out those he absolutely had no interest in and then seeing what was left. It had been a very short list that got even shorter when he had figured what he had experience with. Turning he poured the coffee into the two mugs and slid one down the counter a little towards Maggie. He wasn't the best at carrying anything on crutches, including his own cup. Sliding it too, he doctored his with some cream and sugar before sipping it as he leaned against the counter. If he drank it standing, then he wouldn't have to carry it and look like he needed help. It was a little thing, but it was important to him. "You could major in photojournalism, didn't know that was a major, but it is. Or art history or art restoration, didn't know they were majors either. There's a lot of stuff I didn't know you could major in."
He really wasn't letting this go. Maggie nodded her head and tried to let her mind wander to just what she could see herself doing. The thing was, when she thought of it, all that came to mind was stocking groceries. School wasn't exactly a memory Maggie was treasuring and frankly, it did a better job of making her feel like she wasn't good at anything then helping her find her niche. Blowing her bangs back from her face she tried to disguise her sigh. Maybe she wasn't good at anything. And, since she was in a mood to be honest with herself, maybe this whole thing was just a little terrifying. Catching the mug that slid down to her, Maggie glanced down into the surface before looking up for the sugar and creamer. Giving a shrug she moved to take the cream and sugar, pouring an insane amount of both into her coffee before looking for a spoon. Art restoration did sound kind of cool though...
Moving to stand next to him against the counter, Maggie wrapped both hands around the mug and gave a smile at the smell. Glancing over at Paddy she touched her chin and moved her hand down, mouthing the words 'Thank you', before taking a sip. The cup was near perfect. Overly sweet and milky, but it was just the way she liked it. It really was the little things in life.
"You're welcome," he replied, sipping his own mug. Having narrowed what he wanted to study down he still had no idea how to do it. A lot of the stuff looked like things he already knew so why did he have to take a class on it? And applying? That seemed really complicated. It had been so long since he had been in school, more than ten years, though he had gone to A-school after finishing basic in the army, but that wasn't really degree-giving. That was just classes to teach him a trade in the army, which he hadn't touched at all since leaving. No, those classes really didn't count for anything. And he had to take math classes and things like that. He was no good at math or at writing. Hell, he knew some people would think he could barely speak English. Finding a major was easy. It was applying that was hard. And paying for it. How could he work and go to school? That just seemed...unreal. He didn't think of himself as a loser most of the time, not like Maggie seemed to, but he was certainly full of self doubt.
Twisting her lips, Maggie swallowed her coffee and glanced at her reflection in the liquid's tan surface. The silence was back, not that she minded. It gave her a little more time to think, not that she wanted to. Tilting her head, Maggie took another sip of coffee. Just where in the world did you do art restoration anyway? The thought seemed to force it's way back into her mind. Ever curious, Maggie wanted to know more. Maybe this was something she could do with the rest of her life. Assuming she was any good at it. Giving her shoulders a slight shrug she set her attention back on her coffee. This would require a little more research once she got home. Glancing over at Paddy it was obvious that he was deep in thought and Maggie couldn't help but wonder what it was he was thinking about.
Paddy wasn't the kind of person to blabber on and on about something or fill silence with noise. He was quite content to sit quietly or stand as the case may be, and just...be. Letting the moment happen. A lot of people didn't like the quiet, which he thought was odd. It had to come from the cities, he thought, where there was always hustle and bustle and light and noise. It wasn't like the country where things were just...quieter over all. The sounds of nature were so different from the city, even the small ones like Lake Flannery. When he was interested in a topic he could get into it, be passionate and animated...but this wasn't one of those times. Nor was there any alcohol around, Finishing his coffee, he turned towards the sink to clean his cup and place it on the drying rack. It was everyone's responsibility to keep things clean.
Finishing her own cup of coffee, Maggie moved around Paddy and turned the sink on to wash her own cup out. When she finished she dried her hands and pushed her hair back from her forehead. It was probably time for her to get going. She definitely didn't want to wear out her welcome, especially since this had been a free lesson. Not only that, but she was sure Paddy probably wanted to get home, or somewhere to take care of his leg. Pulling a note card out of her pocket she tapped her pen against her lip before writing out a quick message.
I should get going. I'm sure want to take a load off. Thanks you for this. I had fun.
Holding the card out, she smiled sweetly until he took it and then she started fishing in her pockets looking for her cellphone.
Reading the card, Paddy nodded in agreement. It had been fun, but he did need to take care of some things. Like his leg. Stupid leg. He'd make a joke about cutting it off, except that was what got him in this mess in the first place. "I'll walk you to your car," he said, placing his hat on his head. He'd taken it off and set it on the back of a chair automatically without thinking. As usual, his hair was smushed against his head, but he kept it short enough for it not to matter much, "You parked near me?" there were two lots for people to park in. The smaller one was used by staff and the larger one generally by guests, but people from both groups wandered over as needed for the spaces.
Maggie blinked about to scribble a note about how she hadn't driven to the ranch when she remembered that Stella had let her use her car that morning. Normally Maggie didn't drive around town. She had a bike that she used in the summer and in the winter...well, she'd work on that. To be honest, she prefered to walk. The town was small enough that Maggie could get around without even having to think about needing to buy her own car or begging her siblings to borrow one of theirs. When he'd asked her where she parked, Maggie looked up with a face that clearly said, 'I don't have a clue'. Maybe she had? She'd been so worried about finding him that morning, and then the horses and his leg that she hadn't really had a chance to landmark herself in the parking lot. Flipping over the last car she used, Maggie wrote, I think I parked by the stables. Is that where you're parked?
Apparently she was one of those people that couldn't find her way out of a paper bag. Thankfully, that wasn't much of a problem right now. "Yup," he nodded, fixing his crutches under his arms and headed out the front door, navigating the steps carefully.
As they were coming out he ran into one of the other farm hands he worked with, who looked at them with concern, "You okay, man?" he asked, looking at Paddy confused. His jeans sort of just ended with his boot in the bed of his truck still attached to this prosthetic leg.
"I'm fine," he reassured the other guy, not making a big deal of it. He didn't mind being caught without his leg, it happened and wasn't a big deal, but he disliked looking incompetant regardless of how many feet he had. And he didn't like being thought unable to do his job because of a disablity. He was damn good at his job with or without two legs, "This is my friend, Maggie," he said, deflecting interest from him to her. "Maggie, this is Pete. We was just leavin.'" Touching his finger tips to the brim of his hat like he did, he continued on, unconcerned with whatever Pete might think of him, his missing leg or Maggie.
It was odd. Maggie was usually very aware of her surroundings. In New York she'd been almost hyper aware, but now, all of a sudden she couldn't even remember where she parked her car. Frowning she slipped her hands in her pockets and started to follow Paddy out of the room. She'd definitely have to work on that. Hearing another voice, Maggie looked up and tipped her head curiously. Another stable hand was what Paddy had introduced him as. Giving a half smile, Maggie looked down and quickly followed after Paddy. It wasn't until they were out in the parking lot that she realized he'd introduced her as his friend. It was a nice title, she concluded, but wondered if he'd given it to her out of convenience or honesty. Shrugging the thought off, she shot a glance over her shoulder to see Pete looking at their retreating backs. His expression said he was slightly perplexed. Turning back around, Maggie silently followed Paddy up toward the parking lot, keeping her questions to herself.
It was easy to lose that awareness or to forget about it when you didn't expect someone to mug you or pick your pocket. Paddy however, rarely thought of these things, he avoided cities for the most part and was almost hyper vigilant when he had to there. Energized by the coffee, he managed a fairly reasonable pace towards the parking lot, glad that Maggie wasn't arguing him calling her a friend. They may have just met, but he thought she was nice. Nice enough to call her a friend anyways. "You see your car?" he asked as they approached the lot. His truck was there, old and battered though it was, but there were enough other cars that he wasn't immediately certain which one might be hers. It could be any number of them.
Nodding, Maggie pointed to a sky blue Prius then turned back to him and made a face that clearly said she wasn't a fan of her sister's car. Sure enough, there it was, right where she left it. Well, he hadn't corrected himself after his co-worker had walked away and, oddly enough, Maggie found herself smiling because of it. She'd made a friend. Her mother's words echoed in her head from the day she'd flown out of New York: This is a fresh start, Mags. You can be anyone you'd like. Maybe she'd be nicer. Or maybe she'd actually acknowledge people when they spoke to her instead of play (sorta) deaf. Maybe. A few of the people in town were on to her, like Mrs Bateman at the convenience store who wouldn't ring her up until she said hello. It was a little exciting, the sudden realization that she could start this all over.
Margaret the art restorer. Restorator? She wasn't sure but the idea was staring to sound better and better. Pausing beside Stella's ugly car, she gave a sigh and fished her keys out of her pocket. Holding them with her left hand, she once again signed 'thank you' mouthing the words clearly. Then she held out her hand for a handshake. Always begin and end a meeting with a firm handshake, her father had said. Funny how all of her parents' words were coming rushing back to her now.
Taking Maggie's hand gently in his own, Paddy gave it a brief shake. "You're welcome," he said with an easy smile, "You get home okay, now. I'll see you around," touching the brim of his hat he tipped it formally at her, his smile never leaving his face before going back to his own truck. Taking his leg out of the back he tossed it in the cab along with his crutches then used the oh shit handle to pull himself up and in. Getting in the damn truck with one leg was harder than it looked. He had always had good musculature, but with losing his leg he had definitely learned to use it more and had bulked up a little.
Today had been good. Really good, stupid jump aside. And he liked Maggie, she was a nice girl. And he definitely appreciated her lack of chatter, though it didn't feel like she wasn't holding up her end of the conversation either. Overall, definitely a good day. Hopefully, she liked riding enough that she'd want to do it again. He hoped so.