Busy, Busy, Busy (Lucy)

[Markus Martins]

Mark sat in his dad's office, going over some paperwork had had to mail in tomorrow. He was tired. Tired, bored, and he had a headache. He didn't know how Jared did it. Not even the music playing on the radio he had sitting in his office window was helping Mark to focus, and music usually helped Mark to focus on his work. Not today though. He had so many things on his mind today. His dad, who was supposedly at home resting.

Mark wasn't even sure if Jared was at home resting like he was supposed to. He knew his father too well. Jared thought he'd be coming back into work the day after his heart attack. That of course didn't happen. Jared hadn't been happy about it, but he did as Mark asked. Never in his life had Jared been so scared, except for maybe when his mother died. The whole heart attack ordeal had really shaken Mark. He wasn't ready to lose his dad. He already lost his mother when he was little and he just wasn't ready to lose Jared.

Markus gave an exasperated sigh and sat up, chunking his pen across the room in frustration. The frown that his father had developed over the years was now plastered across his face as he swiveled the chair around to stare out the office window, watching as several students released their horses out into the pastures. He missed it. Ace was probably starting to think that Mark had abandoned him. The Fresian was still healing from his pulled muscle. Mark sighed tiredly and let his head fall back against the headrest and he closed his eyes. Now he truly understood why Jared had been so stressed.

It wasn't easy running a farm. It was incredibly hard as a matter of fact. The paper work. Paying the workers. Putting in orders for equipment and feed. Selling the manure for fertilizer. Helping with the repairs. That wasn't even the half of it either. There were still the court hearings he would have to attend. He had to ask the courts to push the hearings back a month or two in the hopes that Jared would at least be able to attend them with Mark so he didn't feel like a complete fool. This was all just too sudden for Mark really. He wasn't ready to take on all the responsibilities on his own. He needed Jared, but he was going to have to get along for the next couple of months until the doctors okayed Jared's return to work.

[Lucy Maggie Stevens]

Lucy was quite, although she had gotten a job at the stables, she still mostly kept to herself. Her job forced her to come out of her shell, it made her talk and interact with students. She didn’t have that much trouble doing so, since she enjoyed talking with students and discussing their past and working with the horses. She wasn’t the school counselor but some students had found her easy to talk to, she was a good listener. Some students had even been able to open her up to talk to them. She enjoyed her job, to be honest, she would just do it for free. She lived at the ranch in the staff cabin, so she didn’t have to pay rent. She could just eat food in the cafeteria with the students, and she could live off it. She really didn’t need to get paid, she rather just do it for free.

The real reason she was here was her horse. Well, not only her horse, although Justice and her had a close tie and she knew if she went back home she probably couldn’t keep him, this was the only way. She also stayed for Mark. She had been working here for a few years now, improving her skills while also relating to students and letting go of her past. But the thing that kept her tied here most was Mark. He had his hands on her heart, even though he probably didn’t realize. She had been too scared to ask him out, because she didn’t know what love was. She would flirt with him, but she mostly just kept to herself. Men hurt women, that’s all that her father had done to her. She didn’t want her and Mark going out to ruin anything. She didn’t want him to hurt her like her father had done so many times before.

Whether her and mark ended up dating or not was something only the future could keep in store, but for now, she needed to be his friend. She had heard that his father had been in the hospital with a heart attack and now, Mark was in charge of the place. She knew Mark, and she knew this would stress him out. It would be too much for him, she just wanted to be there for him. So, after she had finished putting her tack away and letting Justice out to the pasture she started heading toward Jared’s office. She figured she would find Mark there, and maybe the two could talk and he could rant to her and even if she could just help him a little it would help him a lot.

She finally arrived at Jared’s office, and to be polite, she knocked on the door twice. She didn’t wait for a reply though before entering, and she hoped Mark wouldn’t mind her coming into the room without permission. She figured they had gotten to know each other enough that she wouldn’t make him mad by such thing. He had trained her to be the riding instructor she was now, and she had taken up some of his lessons after he was expected to run the place alone. ”Hey there, you doing ok?” She asked, even though she knew it was a stupid question. Who would be ok after their father just suffered a major heart attack then they had more stress on them and couldn’t take care of their father even. Maybe she could offer to help him in some way, she would do anything for Mark.

[Markus Martins]

He looked up to the door and swivled back around as someone knocked on the door. He was about to tell them to come in she poked his head in. Just the very image of her brightened up his day to be honest. A weak smile twitched across his lips as she came in. He sat up in the desk chair, shifting slight. He a Lucy went a good ways back. They attended Willow Brooke together for a few years. Like Mark she stuck around when she graduated, which wasn't such an awful thing to be honest. Willow Brooke needed more instructors. Now three instructors had to add a extra class added to their schedule that Mark was supposed to be teaching, which meant that they didn't get their free block like they were supposed to.

One of those to volunteer for one of his classes had been Lucy though, and he felt like he hadn't thanked her enough times for it. He knew that his students were in good friends with her because he was the one who trained her for the job. He was sure she would do a good job of it. "Yeah... I'm alright." He said as he ran a hand through his blond locks.

Lately every one either seemed to be giving their sympathy to Mark and Jared or just snooping around. He had been avoiding town for the very reason that he didn't want to be bombarded by the town gossips about what was going on with Jared and all that mess. Mark just didn't want it. He didn't want to deal with any of that. Everyone knew that Jared had been hospitalized from the heart attack, and that he was back home. That's all they needed to know too. It wasn't really their business.

"Did you need something, Lucy?" He asked with a weak smile. He had a couple of things that he needed to give her for her lessons, but that could have waited till the morning.

He liked her... and not just in a friendly way, but he knew about her past. It kind of turned him away from her because he figured she would turn him down for a date. He couldn't say that he could blame her though. Her dad treated in a way that was indescribably awful. And yet, she came out to be a nice, friendly girl. She was a little quiet, but once you broke through some of the walls, she was a really nice girl. He gave her a friendly smile. She knew that she didn't have to ask to make herself comfortable. Mark was a pretty laid back guy. He didn't mind if she made herself comfortable.

[Lucy Maggie Stevens]

Lucy walked into the office and shut the door behind her. Smiling as she saw that cute smile she adored appear on Mark’s face. She bit her lip casually as she walked further into the room. She made her way to the desk and rested on it as she looked at him in the chair. She looked into his eyes which were way to easy for her to get lost in. She couldn’t help but look into his eyes and wonder what the future held. She hoped that someday they would go out, but she didn’t want to rush things. She didn’t want to get hurt. The teachers all said love did not mean sex, and that what her father did was wrong, that no man should ever do that to her again. Should ever do that to her again, but stuff had happened that shouldn’t have happened. Should wasn’t the same as would. It still could happen, and that’s what frightened her. She wanted to have at least a little of control over her life, and that’s what she had gotten at Willow Brooke. With her horse, she had gotten control, with her life, she now had at least some control. Nobody here had made her do anything she didn’t want to do. They had pushed her to try being with her horse, and now she knows it had just been for the better. But her past still haunted her and still made her scared to do anything with any guy. Mark had been the only guy she had ever opened up too.

Lucy shook her head gently as he said he was alright. “I don’t think your alright, you look stressed hun.” She commented after looking at him for a while. Her and Mark where really good friends, and she knew him to well to let him tell her a lie and her to not comment on it. She wasn’t really sure what it was about him that had made her so willing to open up to him. One night, she just needed somebody to talk to, and he was there. Ever since then, she felt like the two had a connection. Something nobody could penetrate, and she just kept getting close to him. She didn’t know what love was though, so she didn’t know if she loved him. Her father had said he loved her, but he beat her and raped her, was that what love meant? If so, then she didn’t love him, she hadn’t had sex with him, and she hadn’t ever hit him. He didn’t love her either. She wasn’t sure what the meaning was, all she knew is when she was around him, her stomach did back flips and she felt happier.

As he asked the question she shook her head. She hadn’t come here because she had been needing something, she had come here to help him. She had wanted to be a good friend, so she came here to help. ”I don’t need anything Mark, I was just coming in to see if there was anything I could help you with? I just want to help, you have to be really stressed right now.” She moved a little closer to him, she wasn’t sure how close she could get without it being awkward, but they had hugged and stuff before, so she figured sliding a little closer on the desk wouldn’t be much a problem for awkwardness. She smiled at him casually, she wasn’t sure how to ask somebody out. She couldn’t even tell if he liked her more than a friend. So it held her back from making a move. She was too shy, even around him, to embarrass herself making a move. She knew she liked him, she just wasn’t sure how strong her feelings were for him.

[Markus Martins]

He stared at her when she called him out on his lie. She was always doing that. Depending on the situation it didn't bother him usually. Sometimes it was slightly annoying, but he never voiced that opinion. At the moment he wasn't sure how he felt about that particular lie detecting trait she had around him. He sighed and leaned back into the chair, causing it to tilt backwards a little. "I don't know how I am, Lucy... Tired, bored, frustrated.... scared...." It wasn't easy for him to admit that out loud, but yeah. He was scared. He had no clue what he was doing or if his dad would ever get better. It was all so scary and confusing. He hated that. It made him feel so helpless. He sighed and rubbed his hands over his face for a moment before he opened a drawer and pulled out a half full bottle of coke and some headache medicine.

He took a couple of the pills for a moment before looking up to Lucy once more, a weak smile spread across his lips. He was becoming increasingly more aware of just how close she was, and it was very tempting for him to just haul her into his lap and hug her close. His fingers twitched at the notion before fisting up against the denim that was wrapped around his thighs. He didn't do it because he knew it would probably scare the wits out of her. He shifted and looked up to her thoughtfully for a moment.

"There's not really much you could help with, but I do appreciate the thought." He said gently as he set the coke back in the drawer and closed it before he picked up a file and held it out to her. "I do have the class roster of my class you'll be taking over for you though." He said with a friendly smile. He glanced down to several other things on the desk. There was a classifieds page full of dog breeders. Mark was in the process of looking into getting another Dalmation. It was mainly to give Jared something to keep him distracted while he recovered, but in the long run, Dipstick, more commonly known as Dippy around the camp, could use a little bit of companionship when he was put out in the back yard while Jared and Mark were at work.

Jared probably wouldn't be that happy when Mark came home with a new, dog, but he was sure it wouldn't take long for the puppy to change the elder Martin's mind.

[Lucy Maggie Stevens]

Lucy smiled at him, he poured his feelings out to her. She didn’t know how to react to them. On one hand, she was scared; Markus hadn’t ever been scared before, or at least he hadn’t admitted it. So the fact that he was scared was a little scary for her. He had been somebody she could cling onto and hold onto for stability, now he wasn’t stable anymore. Lucy needed some stability in her life; she had lived so long without it. Now she needed a sturdy structure to be there for her when she needed it. Mark was still a good friend, she just need to watch out with what she told him. She couldn’t be adding any more stress into his life. He needed help now. He couldn’t lose another parent that was too much for him. He needed at least one parent, she knew what it was like to not have parents, it was too difficult. She always wanted a parent, but couldn’t have it. Why could the world take his parents away?

”Hun, if I can help with anything. I mean absolutely anything I will. If you need me to just run and get you a coffee I will. Just anything I can help with; I just want to help you not be so stressed.” She looked at him with a half smile, which was obviously fake. She looked at him, knowing getting any closer wouldn’t be good. She could hug him, but she had a definite problem being close to men, physically close to men. Of course, he had a somewhat exception, but any distance that would be considered sexual, she had real issues with. She knew that she probably should try to get used to being around men more often, but it was hard. The one man that had been in her life and that she was supposed to look for in advice beat her, abused her, and raped her. On most cases daily, if she caught a day off it was only because he was passed out drunk in the streets somewhere.

She grabbed the folder from him and flipped through it. It didn’t have too many students in his class just average. She expected more, but it had just about as many as any of her other classes. She knew she was giving up a free period, but as soon as she heard her was going to be having to manage this place she was more than willing to jump on her feet and offer her services as a riding instructor to take up one of his classes. Somebody needed to do it, and she had a feeling most wouldn’t be willing to give up a free period. Anything she could do to help him, she really liked him and wanted to show him so. Plus, she had learned her teaching methods from him, so the transition from him to her would probably be the easiest transition on the students. Not all students here were stable, so they needed to be kept with low stress levels.

She glanced at the desk to see the classified section open up, dogs. Was Mark looking for a new dog? Lucy had always had a thing for dogs, one time her dad’s friend had brought over a dog, and while her dad was beating her, the dog bit his leg causing the beating to end prematurely. Ever since then she has loved dogs and always wanted one of her own. For now, she could settle with helping Mark care for his though, she just loved being around dogs. Almost as much as she loved being around horses. Animals were so much peacefully than humans, no animal had ever hurt her. They needed love and attention, and needed peace, just like her. She found herself more at peace with animals. ”What kind of dog you looking for?” She asked hoping her nosiness wouldn’t get her in trouble with Markus.

[Markus Martins]

He sighed and rubbed his face before running his hand through his hair. She was helping more than she realized. A more sincere smile twitched across his face in a quick flash. He liked the way she called him hun. He wasn't sure what it was about the word, or perhaps it was the woman it came from, but it always made Mark smile. His deep blue eyes studied her assessingly before he stood and moved a little closer to her. He sat down on the desk, not minding the brush of his hip to hers. "What your doing is plenty of help, Lucy... I can handle ... this as long as I know my classes are well taken care of. And I am very thankful for that." He said as he turned to look at her with a friendly smile. Yes... this.. it felt right some how. Mark kept telling himself that what he felt was a simple little crush, but if that were the case why would he be so flighty about the idea of asking her out. He usually had a charm about him when it came to girls, but not around Lucy. She made him feel... he didn't know.

He looked down at the classifieds when she asked what dog he was looking into getting. "A Dalmatian. I was thinking it would be nice for Dippy to have someone to play with while me and dad aren't at the cabin. Maybe give Dad something to distract him while he's stuck in the house." He said gently as he looked over a couple of squares he circled. He was looking for a female in particular. Mark thought maybe if they bred some puppies a little bit of an extra income from whatever litters they sold would be helpful.

He looked back up to Lucy with a weak smile. He knew how much she loved dogs. She loved to spoil Dippy whenever Mark brought him along to the stables. It was fun watching her and the playful dog interact. He looked back up to Lucy. "I was wondering ...would... you be interested in joining me for dinner at Hamburger Heaven tonight? I usually go down there or Ezell's and grab me and Dad something to eat for supper." He had to clear his throat, and he looked down at their feet after a moment, afraid of what her answer would be.

[Lucy Maggie Stevens]

She gave him a kind smile, barely showing her teeth as he told her she was helping enough. She felt a little bit of a blush come over her. She wasn’t quite sure what it was about him, but just being in his presence made her feel better. Whenever she had a rough day in the stables, she could always go and talk to him, cry in front of him, something she never did, and he would be there. His presence was enough to wipe a frown off her face. She was happy she seemed to have the same effect on him. He seemed to look a little less stressed now. More relaxed and happy then he had when she had entered his office. She had wanted to give him something to smile about, and seeing his adorable smile made her smile come all more naturally. She really was getting into trouble, she was falling so hard over a guy, and she knew guys hurt her. The only guy she was ever even slightly close to, her father, told her what he did was how he showed her love. Now she knew it wasn’t true. But before, she was all too upset with it to let anything happen.

“I’ll do anything to make your life a little bit easier. Taking over one of your classes is nothing; I’m actually excited to get to meet new students.” This of course was a lie; Lucy wasn’t ever excited to meet new people. She rather keep to herself then be out in the open in front of people, so of course, she didn’t want to go and jump into a group of people. None of which were much younger than her, but many had gone through lives similar to hers. That’s why she connected to well to very few of the students. She could relate to them, or at least some of them. Her reaction to him moving wasn’t bad. As his hip brushed along hers a chill was sent up her spine. She felt the butterflies in her stomach being released and tried to keep her calm, but she couldn’t help but give him a smile. She bit her lip and looked up at him with the sweet calm eyes so many would look at. She didn’t mind it when he looked at her eyes, she enjoyed looking back into his.

She smiled at him as he looked at the circled ads. A new dog would be exciting, for her. She enjoyed it when he brought Dippy to work and if he brought a puppy to work, she would instantly bond with it. She was grateful for dogs and treated them like angels. She smiled at him as the thought of a little puppy running around the stables crossed her mind. She would get in trouble if he brought a puppy to work. For she may neglect some of her duties for a while and play with the puppy. She only hoped he wouldn’t bring the new dog to work until his father was healed and he was back being a riding instructor, so she could run the puppy around the premises in her free time. In conditions like now, she didn’t have any free time. ”A puppy, oh! How exciting, you have to make me a promise! If you get a puppy, you have to promise to bring it to work after Jared is feeling better, or bring me a picture!”

As he asked her the question she instantly felt her face get hot. Was he asking her out on a date? She had only thought up how this would happen in her head, being too scared to show her real feelings for him. She knew he didn’t want to push anything with her; he had been so caring and tried too hard to respect her past and understand why she didn’t usually like men. But he was an exception, a big exception, she really really liked him. She knew her face was turning a shade of bright red that couldn’t be very attractive. She saw him look toward the floor and wondered if maybe he was regretting asking her. She was too used to rejection, maybe he just wanted to go as friends. His signals were unclear to her, as she didn’t know what to expect. She hadn’t ever been asked out before; she had never gotten close enough to a guy to allow that. She didn’t know how somebody asked one out, and couldn’t tell if he had asked her out on a date, or as two friends getting together for dinner. ”I would love to go with you to grab something to eat…” she said. She hoped he would specify if he were asking her out or not, she didn’t want to look like an idiot and ask, only to have him say no.

[Markus Martins]

Mark couldn't help but laugh at her enthusiasm about the puppy. He couldn't blame her though. Puppies were quite cute. He remembered how cute Dippy had been when Mark found him. Of course at the time he'd been so scared that he was trembling, but then again, if a horse ten time his size had cornered him in a stall Mark imagined he would pee himself and be shaking like Dippy had been. The poor pup didn't stop shaking until Mark gave him a nice warm bath and bundled the puppy up in a make-shift bed. Jared hadn't been able to say no when Mark came in, practically pleading for them to keep the puppy. He doubted Jared would be able to say no to the new puppy. "By the time I can bring her to the stables, she probably won't be much of a puppy." Mark commented with a light smile. "I'll definitely bring you a picture of her though." He said gently as he studied her. Pictures would be easy enough to get her. Maybe she could come over to the house after her classes one day and play with the puppy if she felt compelled enough to play with the newest addition to the Martin's family.

He glanced up to her and noticed she was practically beet red. He had to bite back a laugh because she looked so damn cute all blushed up like she was. His lips drew into a big goofy grin when she said she would like to go out and eat with him. He gave a gentle nod of his head and picked up some sealed envelopes that he would put in the mail tray for tomorrow. He would leave the classifieds in the office and make a few inquiries about getting a puppy tomorrow. He looked back to Lucy and hopped down from the desk. He picked up his light jacket and drapped it over his arm. "Do you need anything before we go?" He asked as he studied her thoughtfully.

He just hoped they wouldn't run into any of the gossips around town at the diner though. He had enough issues to worry about. He didn't need people asking him about Jared. Or about the fact that he was out and about with a nice young girl. Oh... he hadn't thought about all the mess that would stir up. He just hoped there was other juicy gossip going around town that was a lot juicier than his love life.

[Lucy Maggie Stevens]

She smiled at his comment of the puppy. She hoped it wouldn’t be too long before he could return to the stables. She felt selfish, but she loved having Mark there. He was one of those people that she could fool around with and have fun with. He was the only person she could fool around with. She liked joking with him in between sessions and having bits of fun with him. So she wanted him back soon. She didn’t like seeing him all stressed out, she loved the fun-loving Mark he was, the one that wanted to take bare-back rides out in the wilderness together. That Mark was amazing. She wanted him back soon, and as selfish as it was, she knew it was true. ”Well I want a picture, at least. I doubt you couldn’t bring her into the office one day though. You know how much I love dogs.” She smiled at him; she had explained her love for dogs to him before. How a dog had been the one to end the beatings early and give her peace for the night. A dog had more humanity that her father had.

She looked at him as he stood up; he was quite a bit taller than her. Although he was kind of short for most men she had seen, he was definitely taller than her. She stood up alongside him, half tempted to grab his jacket and drape it over her shoulders, but she didn’t know what he would think of that. So she stood her ground as she listened to his smooth voice. His voice was relaxing; most kids would fall asleep to their mother singing. She never had that, but she wished she could fall asleep to him talking without looking like a complete idiot and completely rude. ”Um.. no.. I don’t need anything…” She said, still wondering whether this was a date or them just going as friends. She figured she would need to have the courage to ask. What if she sounded like she was looking forward to a date too much and he said no? She would just make a fool of herself.

She looked up at him and her eyes seemed to grow. The color in her face slowly started going away, but it was only brought up again as she began to ask what she was scared to ask. ”Um.. uh… Mar… Mark.. Is this like a date? Or just friends?” She asked him. She instantly regretted asking, knowing she would just end up making a fool of herself. She looked away from him out the window to see the horses grazing in the pasture. She couldn’t believe she had actually just asked him that, what was she thinking. Of course somebody like him wouldn’t ever be interested in somebody like her. She was too messed up.

[Markus Martins]

He grinned at her and nodded his head. "Pictures. I promise." He confirmed in that deep, soothing tone of his. A tone of a horse whisperer some liked to say. He missed her company. They used to hang out and goof off between their lessons and during their free periods. He missed that. He spent the last two days cooped up in this damn office. He didn't see how Jared did it. It drove Markus insane. He loved the farm though. He grew up around this place practically. He had been a student here himself. This place was his home. He would do anything he had to to keep it running. Even if that meant cooping himself up in the office for hours upon hours. He loved this place.

He was reached for his keys off the desk and looked up to her with a slight frown at her question. Oh god... what was he supposed to say? He intended for this to be a date. What if she didn't want it that way. He licked his lips and watched as she turned away. He frowned and gently reached out to her, careful not to make a sudden or threatening move towards her. He gently grasped her upper arm turned her back to him, reaching under her chin to turn her gaze to him. "I intended for it to be a date... but if you don't want it to be a date... it doesn't have to be..." He felt a slight blush rise over his on cheeks as he dropped his hands away from her, afraid she might get the wrong idea from his touch. He was starting to think himself an idiot for automatically assuming she would think it was a date.

[Lucy Maggie Stevens]

She smiled at him calmly. At least she would get pictures, although she would love for it to come into work with him. She always wondered if she could bond a horse and a dog together so that she could ride her horse and have the dog follow at the side, like some people did with bicycles. She had always wanted to try something like that. She wasn’t quite sure why, but she figured since she loved horses and dogs so much, they could possibly make good companions. Of course, Lucy wanted a big dog. Like a Burmese Mountain dog, or a Great Dane, or some kind of dog that would be large and she could curl up on a couch with. She wanted a big dog, because she thought they made better companions than the little dogs women often shoved into their purses, although, she was a big fan of pugs as well.

She felt like an idiot after he said. Now he seemed hurt by her, she didn’t want to hurt her. She had made a mistake by coming in here. She was such an idiot. She didn’t want to upset him, she wanted to get rid of his stress, now she was just adding more. She felt like banging her head against a wall as she saw him turn a bright red. Of course she was a retard, most people would just know. She hadn’t ever been asked out before, she was 22 and hadn’t ever been asked out before. She was a retard and now she was just proving it. ”No, I’m sorry. I’m retarded, that’s totally not what I meant. I mean.. I would love to go on a date with you.. I’m sorry.” She gave him a puppy dog face, hoping he wouldn’t be mad at her.

As much as a retard as she felt, she couldn’t help but notice the way he was touching her. Him grabbing her arm, she wasn’t sure what to think of it. He wasn’t being controlling about it, but the feeling did spook her a little. She did trust Markus, but she could only trust somebody so much. She hadn’t escaped her past yet, she was still being haunted by it, and she knew she needed to let it go though. She liked the way he had touched her face though. It was so gentle and sweet. It was just the way he had grabbed her arm that had stirred up memories of her dad grabbing her and throwing her into walls. She needed to forget it though, Mark wouldn’t hurt her. Would he?

She hoped to change the subject and relax the mood a little by asking him simple questions. ”I bet you’ve been dying to ride a horse lately, why don’t we ride into town?” She knew that his horse was hurt, but he could ride another one. She thought riding beat driving in a car any day. But she wasn’t quite sure what he would think about it. She just knew her opinions about riding in cars, she hated it, being all cooped up. She rather ride her horse into town, and people in Brooke Haven were used to students riding their horses into town once in a while.

[Markus Martins]

Mark felt a sense of relief when she said she hadn't meant that she didn't want it to just be friendly. He frowned when she called herself a retard. That was far from the truth though. He reached his hand up, hesitantly mind you, and gently pressed it to her cheek. "You are not, retarded, Lucy. Far from it as a matter of fact." He said gently as his thumb stroked along her cheek bone softly. She wasn't stupid. He understood why she was hesitant to think of it as a date. The two of them had a very friendly relationship as of late, and he could see how that would lead her to question if it was just a friendly outing or a date. He lowered his hand and took one of hers in his, giving it a soft, reassuring squeeze as a gentle smile crossed his lips.

He smiled at the prospect of riding down to town. Most of the stores and eateries down there actually had hitching posts installed for the folks who rode down to town. The kids who liked to ride did it on a regular basis if they didn't feel like walking. "We could. I'll have to find someone else to ride other than Ace though." Not that he would have ever ridden the Fresian stud into town anyways.Ace was far too temperamental, and he spooked and got riled up way too easily so when Mark decided to ride into town on horseback, he usually got one of the beginner horses. He had a preference for Dotty, an old appaloosa mare. "Are you sure you want to take Justice into town. She spooks too easily." He said as an after thought. He knew how Justice was a very sensitive mare, and he didn't want the horses getting spooked by cars or other loud noises and causing trouble. That would just create more trouble for Mark and Jared.

[Lucy Maggie Stevens]

She smiled as he touched her face. The bright pink color, once again returning to her face as if it hadn’t ever left. He was so sweet to her. She closed her eyes gently as he brushed his thumb along her cheek bone. Slowly opening them again to look at him and brush some of her long brown locks out of her face. Why was he so nice to her, she didn’t understand it. There was nothing about her to like, and although he denied it, she still believed she was retarded. One man saying it once couldn’t change what had been yelled at her for fourteen years. She was retarded, and stupid, and worthless. She knew it by now.

His touch on her hand surprised her a bit. She looked down at his hand and her eyes got a little big. Sure, in highschool people were always holding hands, but she hadn’t ever held somebody’s hand. She mostly kept to herself, but his hand was warm and strong. It was so gentle and reassuring. She looked up into his deep eyes and for a second she lost herself. She forgot what it was she had come from and she forgot what exactly it was that she had become. All she knew, is it was only him and her in this room. She felt the butterflies in her stomach start up again, and they slowly pulled her back into reality. She didn’t want to pull away from his hand, in fact, she liked his hand around hers. She squeezed his hand back a little.

His deep enchanting voice followed her thoughts as he spoke. ”Yeah, find somebody else for you to ride…” She replied, although she was only halfway here. The other part of her still lost in thoughts of what they could be. Even as hurt as she was and scared as she was, the girl still watched movies, the girl still had dreams. He spoke of Justice and she looked at him, she had been so used to Justice around the stables and how her and Justice interacted now, she had forgotten how timid and easily frightened her mare was. She really shouldn’t bring her into a city with cars and people, it would be too much and something Mark didn’t need to deal with. ”Yeah, we will find somebody for you to ride, somebody for me to ride.” She replied to him calmly. Damn, he had gorgeous eyes.

[Markus Martins]

He studiedher in concern for a moment. She seemed to be lost in her thoughts. Really lost. He met her gaze, which was locked onto his eyes and he suddenly felt himself get sucked into a staring contest. Her eyes were so beautiful. It was like looking into a big bar of chocolate almost. They were beautiful, and he loved the way they lit up when she was happy or excited. Without even thinking, he pulled her closer to him with a gentle tug, and his other hand came up to rest on her cheek once more. He was so caught up in the moment that he leaned in to kiss her, and then his mind snapped and his head pulled away, his eyes blinking. He released her from the grasp he had on her. He cleared his throat and chewed on his bottom lip, unsure if he should apologize or something.

He wasn't sure how she would have reacted to what just nearly happened. He didn't want to scare her off, and he didn't want her to think that he was just using her. That's what her father did to her. He used her and treated her like she meant nothing to him, but that's not how he would treat her. She needed someone to show her that she wasn't a tool to be used. That she wasn't stupid. She was a smart, beautiful girl and she never had anyone to show that to her. As much good as the camp did for her when they were teens, she still had some healing that she needed to do for herself. "Come on. Let's go find us some beginner horses to ride." He said gently as he wrapped his arm around her shoulders and he guided her out of the office, locking it up before they started towards the stables to find a couple of rides into town.