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Post by Markus Martins on Jul 23, 2010 14:12:29 GMT -5
He didn't say anything the rest of the ride to the diner. He wished that she saw what he did. She was smart and beautiful. She had a big heart to. She proved that by her actions. He didn't understand how she didn't at least pick up on that particular thing. He supposed after years of living with parents like hers that all the negative things they told her had sort of stuck in her head. He hated that because she wasn't any of those things.
He carefully dismounted, bringing the reins over Storm's head. He tied the Stud to the hitching post with enough slack so that he could graze on the grass in the area. He turned to Lucy, finding her awfully close. He studied her for a moment at her words. "I don't think, Lucy." He said softly as his hand gently laced his fingers with hers when she slipped it into his grasped. "I know." He moved a little closer to her, looking down at her with a weak grin. He lifted her hand and pressed a gentlemanly kiss to her knuckles before he led the way, ducking under Dotty's neck to pass the mare. Once they had a little more space and wrapped his arm around her shoulders and led the way into the building.
They were greeted by a few familiar faces at the bar. Mark just gave a gentle nod of his head before he looked to Lucy with a smile. "Booth or Bar?" He asked her, deciding she should decide on their seating arrangements.
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Post by Lucy Maggie Stevens on Jul 23, 2010 14:26:34 GMT -5
Lucy looked up at him while he said even more sweet things. Wow, why was he doing this to her. Why was he being so nice to her, sure they were friends. But now, he was asking her out on a date, and now he was being so kind to her. Maybe he was just telling her lies so he could use to her like her father had done. She wasn’t really sure, she didn’t want to think of it that way, but the idea did pop up in her mind. He was so extremely nice to her. He wrapped his fingers through hers, and it felt natural to her. She looked up at him and gave him a smile. Biting her lip again, he made her so nervous, but not in a bad way. Never in a bad way.
She followed him under the mare and toward the door. Two hosts were their waiting to show them seats. When he asked her the question she hardly knew an answer. She didn’t get what the difference would be. She hadn’t ever really sat at a diner before, with an option of seating so she just picked an option. ”Um.. booth.” she said directed toward Mark. The hostess grabbed two menus and led the two to a booth in the far corner of the room. Their window had a perfect view of the horses.
”You know, if I would have had Justice and my English saddle, I would have won.” she gloated at him. She enjoyed talking to him about horses, it was much less awkward. Lucy sat down in the booth and looked at Mark. Still trying to figure out whom it was he saw and how she could ever see that same person. She wasn’t what he thought, but it was still nice to be told such sweet things.
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Post by Markus Martins on Jul 23, 2010 14:56:02 GMT -5
The hostess didn't really need to lead the way. It was pretty much the standard diner with a bar and booths. There were a couple of just normal tables, but booths overpowered most of the diner. He led her to a spot where they could keep a close eye on the horses. He waited for her to sit before he sat, deciding it best that he sit across from her instead of closing her in.
He laughed at her and shook his head in disagreement. "Not if I were on Ace." He commented playfully. As for riding style, Mark was very skilled at riding both western and English, but if he had to chose he probably would go with English. Especially if it were a race. English gear wasn't as heavy at western. He would have liked to talk about something other than horses, but he knew why she did it, and he couldn't rightly blame her.
He looked up to one of the waitresses as Annie came up. "Hey, Annie." He said with a friendly grin. Annie had been one of Mark's girlfriends in the past, but now they were just sort of friends. They're relationship ended because of mutual feelings, so they had no hard feelings about each other. "I'll have the usual." He said gently, not even having to glance at the menu to order. "I'll need a steak for Dad to go, but instead of fries or a potato, give him the mixed vegetables and some sauteed mushrooms." He said gently. The blond just nodded and quickly jotted down the order on her pad before she looked up to Lucy with a big friendly smile. "And for you, honey?" She asked sweetly.
Mark glanced to Lucy with a friendly grin as he handed the menu to Annie, who tucked it under her arm casually, ready to jot down Lucy's order. The usual for mark was their mushroom melt burger, loaded with everything with curly fries, an extra order of onion rings, and a beer. He usually asked for a glass of water halfway through his meal to help water down the beer, and he would probably do that anyways just for the sake to let Lucy know he wasn't some sort of drunk like her dad had been.
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Post by Lucy Maggie Stevens on Jul 23, 2010 15:31:21 GMT -5
Lucy smiled at Mark as he joked about winning. Lucy was pretty sure she could take him if she wanted to. ”Have you ever watched me race Justice?” she teased. She didn’t doubt Ace was fast, she had seen him run. When he ran, it was like he was running away from something. He ran wild, and he was definitely fast. He stood a chance of beating Justice, but Justice was pretty face as well. She had the body built for speed and racing being one of the only things Luc was interested in doing with a horse along with leisure rides, she raced. Justice was a fast mare when she wanted to be, but she had her days where she didn’t want to obey Lucy as well.
The usual. Lucy looked at Mark a little surprised. When the waitress’s attention was turned to Lucy she was caught off guard. She hadn’t really looked at the menu and she hadn’t ever been here before. She quickly scoured the menu looking for something cheap that looked good. ”I’ll just have the cheff salad with honey mustard and a sprite.” She said with a friendly look toward the waitress. She handed her the menu, still in shock after glancing at the drink section to find half the page was alcohol. Lucy hadn’t ever had alcohol in her life, and she didn’t rightly plan on it. Alcohol hadn’t done anything good for her.
”I’m surprised you haven’t gone crazy yet. I know I would go crazy if I couldn’t be with Justice everyday like I am. I absolutely love that horse.” She smiled at Mark. Trying to keep up small talk instead of anything that actually needed a conversation. She wasn’t really sure what to do with this whole date idea, she hadn’t ever been in one. So she didn’t know how they went. She was happy Mark hadn’t closed her into the booth, she didn’t like feeling trapped like she couldn’t get away. She needed some freedom because of her trust issues, she always needed a way out.
The waitress arrived with their drinks and Lucy instantly noticed the aroma of his to be beer. She wasn’t going to say anything though. She didn’t want to make anything awkward. She tried to hide it, but she looked at Mark, gave him a weak smile grabbed her sprite and took a drink. Trying to keep her mouth shut.
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Post by Markus Martins on Jul 23, 2010 15:54:19 GMT -5
Mark watched her scan over the menu and then pick salad and a sprite. He frowned at that and looked to Annie with a conspirators grin."Get her the house special too, Annie." He said with a playfull grin passed between the two ladies. Annie smirked and nodded, jotting down the order before she sauntered off, allowing Lucy no time to object. Mark looked back to her with a playful grin, imagining she would object strongly to him ordering for her. "Their house special are the mini burgers combo. They take their four best burgers and down size them all onto one plate." He explained gently before he shifted in his seat. He would be paying and he wasn't going to let her get just a salad while he was paying.
He looked over her thoughtfully for a moment, grinning at her comment. He just gave a soft shrug of his shoulders. "It wasn't so bad when I wasn't cooped up in an office all day. Now I'm starting to know how the big guy feels. " He said as Annie came back with their drinks and Lucy's salad. He picked up his beer and took a sip of it before setting it aside for the moment. He didn't miss the look she gave the drink.He could understand that though. He was starting to think she never drank alcohol. That was understandable of course, but he had a bad feeling that it might alter her opinion of him. And not in a good way.
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Post by Lucy Maggie Stevens on Jul 23, 2010 16:09:58 GMT -5
Lucy’s mouth dropped a little when he ordered for her. ”But…” she started but the waitress was already off. She gave a mean look that was way to playful to be taken seriously. Sticking her tongue at him, she let him explain to her the special. ”I don’t eat meat that often. I’m not a vegetarian or anything. I just don’t think I’ll be able to handle four burgers.” The thought of all that meat made her head get a little spiny for a second. It wasn’t that Lucy was worried that she would get fat, or was trying to save the world by eating no meat. She just didn’t particularly like the taste of meat all that often. When offered a salad or a burger, she would usually pick the salad. There was sometimes when she craved meat, but not all too often did she want it compromised to a salad.
She looked at him while he told her about the office. Lucy didn’t like being in a place like an office. Sure, she would pick a closet compared to a room with her dad, but when she wasn’t feeling threatened, she would gladly chose outdoors with Justice compared to a day sitting in an office doing the paperwork. ”Does your dad usually take Storm out for a ride after a long day at work?” She asked him kindly, hoping the subject of his dad wouldn’t be to sore for him. She didn’t want the guy upset, she just wanted to talk with him. She asked questions, and he spoke. It was safer like that.
Lucy looked as Mark took a drink of the beer. He hadn’t done it on purpose, she knew that. He probably wouldn’t realize the beer would have such a strong hold on her emotions. At least it didn’t smell exactly the same as her dad’s had, or it would surely bring tears up on this nice evening. ”How often do you usually come here?” She asked him kindly. She was more interested in how often he drank the beer, but didn’t want to ask that, so she went a round-a-bout way of it. Seeing how often he came to the diner, she figured he would usually order the regular, a beer.
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Post by Markus Martins on Jul 23, 2010 17:54:41 GMT -5
He smiled at her playfully mad look she shot him. It made him laugh as a matter of fact. "They're not big. I promise." He said gently. "They're about the size of finger sandwiches." He used his fingers to show her how big they would be. It came with the house specials curly fries and some home made mozzarella sticks to. So if she didn't eat the burgers he at least knew she wouldn't starve. She would be getting four mini burgers that were especially made here at Hamburger Heaven.
"When he gets a chance. There's so much paper work and court hearing stuff that he has to go over and sign that he doesn't get out of the office until late in the night." He said, looking at the beer thoughtfully. He took a swig of it, setting it down before he looked up to Lucy with a weak smile. Mark was starting to realize that he might have taken his dad for granted slightly. Not anymore. Once his dad got back to the office, Mark was going to start helping his dad more with the paper work so that he could enjoy working with the horses and kids.
He looked to her thoughtfully for a moment then the beer when she asked how often he came to the diner. He thought that maybe she was trying to guage how much he drank based off of how often he came to the diner, but she was forgetting one thing. The diner wasn't the only place around to eat and drink. He studied her for a moment and leaned on the table, meeting those deep blue eyes to her chocolate pools. "I'm not going to lie, Lucy... I drink on a regular basis, but the last time I went overboard with drinking was back in college. I know when to stop." His voice was calm. He wasn't going to lie. He knew what she thought of alcohol, but when a guy came home he needed a beer. Especially when he came home from a job where he had to deal with smart ass kids who were rude and disrespectful. "I usually have one every couple of days, and there are some days where I have two, but I don't go overboard."
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Post by Lucy Maggie Stevens on Jul 23, 2010 18:49:52 GMT -5
Lucy looked at him as he showed her about how big they were. Depending how good the burgers were, she might be able to handle eating two. Maybe three if they were really good, but she didn’t think she would be able to eat all four. ”I just don’t have a large appetite for meat, but I can try to eat a few.” She smiled at him as she looked at her salad. Pulling a fork off the table and stabbing some lettuce and cheese she dipped it in some honey mustard and brought the tasty salad to her mouth. She ate it and was surprised, they must have used fresh lettuce because it was a really good salad. ”This is good, do you want to try some?” She asked after her mouth was cleared of food.
She nodded as he talked about his father. Lots of court hearing she could imagine, the school basically had custody of all these kids. When a kid messed up, it was Jared’s responsibility; she imagined it couldn’t be easy to run a civilization of trouble makers. He had a lot on his shoulders, it was too bad he wasn’t able to get out more often and take a break on his horse. Lucy thought it was one of the best things to get away from everything, just taking a ride on a horse throughout town or just up and down hills. She loved riding Justice when Justice was having a good day and wasn’t be picking out being out in the pasture instead.
His answer to her question startled her. For some reason, he had been able to tell she was trying to decide about the alcohol. He just gave her a straight answer, she was glad he wasn’t a drunk, but as much as he drank scared her. Sure he hadn’t gone over in a while, but he still drank quite a bit. A beer a day for sure didn’t keep the doctor away. She understood how sometimes people used it to relax, but Lucy much rather relax on a long three or six hour ride on her horse to get away from things than alcohol. Alcohol made people angry, mad, and hurtful. ”I’ve never drank in my life…” she admitted. She wasn’t sure if she wanted to tell him why. Because it scared her, she didn’t want to lose a friend.
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Post by Markus Martins on Jul 23, 2010 22:24:08 GMT -5
A smirk slipped over his lips. "You'll have some curly fries and mozzarella sticks to." He said gently. He watched as she fixed up her salad. He wasn't really much of a salad eater. Every once in a while, but not on a regular basis. He smiled when she asked if he wanted any and he just shook his head softly. "No thanks. I'm more of a meat and potatoes kind of guy." He said with a playful grin. She may end up not liking her fries and mozzarella sticks as well as the burgers, so he didn't want her going home starving.
"Is there a reason for it? The lack of an appetite for meat?" He asked curiously as he tilted his head to the side. He generally wanted to know. He would have to learn how to make some vegetarian meals in the event that he invited her over to the cabin for supper. He wasn't a master chef, but he knew enough to keep him and Jared alive. Of course... meat was always an important staple to their meals, but it wouldn't kill them to have a vegetarian meal every once in a while. Of course, if he and Lucy started to spend more time together and going out to eat, that would mean more vegetarian meals, but Mark supposed he would survive.
He studied her when she said that she never drank before. He nodded his head weakly. He could understand that, and he would never force alcohol on her. If she decided to drink, then that was her decision. Not his. He didn't believe that it was the alcohol that caused trouble. It was the person. A lot of true feelings came out of someone when they drank too much. Their true nature and character came out when. He nodded his head gently and reached out to her hand, taking it in his. "And there is nothing wrong with that." He said informatively as he met her gaze with a comforting smile. "That's your decision." He said gently as his thumb stroked along her knuckle softly.
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Post by Lucy Maggie Stevens on Jul 23, 2010 23:24:08 GMT -5
She smiled at him as he suggested the alternates for her to eat. She was a big mozzarella stick fan. She hadn’t had any till she came here to Willow Brooke, but as soon as she did, she instantly fell in love with it. The gooey cheese all shoved inside a breaded shell could make her mouth water. She would definitely have her hands all over those. As for the curly fries, it really depended. A lot of places made their fries differently and Lucy would pick and chose what fries she likes and what ones she didn’t like. She loved Arby’s curly fries for instant, but wasn’t a huge fan of Jack In the Box’s fries. She smiled at his comment. ”Really, then that would make us pretty much opposites in that sense wouldn’t it. Although every once in a while I can go for a good twice baked potato.” Lucy had nothing against potatoes, just meat. She rather divulge herself in a fancy salad with a new dressing she hadn’t ever tried.
His question got her thinking. She really didn’t have a clue if there was a reason behind her appitite. ”You know, I really don’t think so. Just ever since I was young, I always rather have a salad over meat, it was probably because I didn’t get meat much, so it was new to me. So I never really tried it as a child, my father would eat it and give it to his friends and I always got the scrap pieces that didn’t taste too well. So I guess it kind of just turned me away from meat. There was always plenty of salad for me though, so it became my staple.” She gave him a smile, really that had been what it had been. She never got meat, and when she did it didn’t taste very good. ”That’s not to say I won’t eat meat though. I’m just one of those people who stick to what I’m comfortable with, and I’m comfortable with a salad. Probably if I had some good meat I’d eat it, just been so used to salads all my life.” She gave him a smile as she tossed her salad around in the bowl with her fork before finding a perfect forkful and shoving it into her mouth.
He seemed to understand the decision she had made for her life. He grabbed her hand she felt like an idiot, but she just stared at his hand. His hand was much larger than hers. She looked him in the eyes as he spoke to her. She smiled at him. ”Thank you.” She told him, it meant a lot to her what he had just said. He told her it was her choice, she liked that. He was giving her a choice, that’s what Lucy needed, to feel like she had some control over her life because for so long she hadn’t.
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Post by Markus Martins on Jul 24, 2010 0:04:24 GMT -5
He chuckled at her and sipped at his beer thoughtlessly as he studied her. "I'm not much of a cook, but three things I know how to make are, good steaks on the grill, twice baked potatoes, and grilled onions." He said with a teasing grin. If anyone would like to take notice, all were cookable on the grill, bake potato included. "Well.. four if you included burgers." He said as an after thought. He watched her toss the salad around. He liked to cook. He just never had the time to really learn anything other than the basics. He definitely wasn't going to have the time now either. He hated that, but his dad needed him to take care of the camp till the doctors gave the go ahead.
He listened curiously as she explained the why of it probably. He didn't really say anything in reaction to the fact that her father pretty much starved her and left her to fend for herself. He thought that was wrong, but he didn't say anything because she knew how he felt about her father and any other father's like Daniel Stevens. They didn't deserve what they had. They didn't even deserve the title of "father." He gave a weak smile and nodded when she concluded the explanation. "Well, they usually have some very good, meat when it comes to their steak and burgers here." He said before he stole a cucumber from it and munched on it.
He looked down at her hand, studying it compared to his large, work roughened hand. Yeah, she worked pretty hard to, but she just did the riding instructor thing. Mark usually worked all aspects of the camp. He was more than a riding instructor. He did the same work the stable hands and grounds keepers did on top of his riding instructor job. His hand was large, strong, rough and callused, and hers was small and soft. It was dainty really. He lifted it and turned it over gently,skimming the callused pad of his thumb along her palm, studying the lines of her palm thoughtfully.
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Post by Lucy Maggie Stevens on Jul 24, 2010 0:27:30 GMT -5
Lucy smiled as he told her about his culinary skills. She could tell he was a meat eater, that’s probably all he ate ever. She wouldn’t be surprised if he ate meat for breakfast lunch and dinner. Lucy usually had eggs on toast for breakfast, a nice green salad for lunch, and her dinner really depended on her mood. Sometimes she would settle for a simple soup or another green salad, or she would just munch on snacks and skip dinner. Her job didn’t allow her much time to much on snacks throughout the day, so she had to make sure she got her three meals in, even if they were just simple meals. ”Well, my culinary skills consist of cereal and salads so you have me beat. Although I am a fast learner and do have some recipes I can easily whip up, I just don’t cook very often.” Lucy had never been the type to make a lot to eat. She just fed herself, so she didn’t look to cook for a lot of people, so had no need to learn how to cook.
She nodded her head thinking while he said they had good meat. If she could have some good meat, she might enjoy meat more often. She had just been so used to salads all her life that she had developed a need for them. She was pretty much dependant on salad, and no wonder how good these burgers were, she doubted they would be able to replace her love for salads. They may just make her more willing to eat meat. ”Well I will at least try a bite of each of the burgers.” She told him with a smile, she was going to try them for him. He seemed to be hinting he wanted her to eat.
His fingers traced over the lines in her hands. His hands were rough, while hers were soft. She kept a lot of lotion at work and her cabin. She didn’t want the leather to ware out her hands. She had few calluses, only along the knuckles of her thumbs from her holding the reigns of the horses. She knew Mark did a lot more than her around the stables, which was probably why his hands looked so much rougher than hers. She looked up at his face for a brief moment before looking back down at his hands. He seemed so focused on her hands, the way he traced every line in her hands. She looked back up at him, her face curious. She looked innocent, and like a small girl who somebody just took her favorite color crayon. Looking up at him, she smiled a soft sweet smile. He really made her happy. He relaxed her and she was comfortable around her, a feeling she hadn’t felt at all in her life.
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Post by Markus Martins on Jul 24, 2010 1:50:49 GMT -5
He smiled at her and laughed weakly, shaking his head softly. "Never really had to the time to sit down and learn new recipes. Most of my cooking skills involve a grill." He said with a sheepish grin. He supposed he would have to start experimenting with more than the grill though. He shifted in his seat, watching her eat her salad thoughtfully . "We could always take a cooking class together." He suggested in a teasing manner. He was only joking, but it was a nice little possibility as well. It would make for a nice couple of dates. Even though Brooke Haven had nothing like that around here, he and Lucy could drive into Bozeman. He was fairly certain he could find cooking lessons in the big city.
He glanced over her shoulder when he saw several people walk into the. He tensed as he watched two of the biggest gossips in town walk through the diner. He relaxed though when they went to sit at the other end of diner. He looked back to Lucy, smiling faintly. He knew that if they spotted him before he and Lucy were ready to leave that they would never leave the two alone for their peace. They would drive he and Lucy absolutely insane and ask all sorts of question about Jared. Mark just didn't want that right now. He just wanted to relax and enjoy some time with Lucy. Plus he didn't want to be at the end of more gossip where people would be discussing what he and Lucy were doing out and about together. Lucy didn't need that added stress. He didn't need it. None of them needed it right now. As long as they didn't spot the young couple, they would be safe.
He looked up when Annie came over with his order of onion rings. Mark gave a friendly smile and thanks and picked up the ketchup bottle, pouring some onto the plate to enjoy the fried onion treat with. "You want some?" He asked, looking up to Lucy with a friendly smile.
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Post by Lucy Maggie Stevens on Jul 24, 2010 2:13:06 GMT -5
Lucy smiled at Mark’s comment. He seemed like the kind of man that liked outdoors, and cooking outdoors meant grills. So it wasn’t at all a surprise to her that he cooked on a grill. ”I like grilled chicken, it’s probably my favorite meat.” She commented to him. One day she would have to go and try some of his food, she thought he would probably be a good cook. She wanted to try his food, it would be good for her to try different type of food anyway. A variety to a diet was a good thing. She needed to add some protein to her diet; she lived of two eggs in the morning of each day. That defiantly wasn’t the healthiest option.
His suggestion brought a smile to her face. She could tell he was joking, but she actually didn’t think it’d be a bad idea. She actually thought she might enjoy taking a cooking class or two with him. ”Actually, I’d probably go for that.” She said with a smile, her face friendly but not jokingly. She wanted him to know that she was serious without sounding to desperate. Desperation showed weakness, weakness got you hurt. People that were desperate got hurt and taken advantage of all the time.
He was rubbing her when he got a little tense. She looked up at him to find him looking past her. She cocked her head to the side seeing if she could see what had gotten on his nerves for those few seconds. Possibly an ex girlfriend, somebody he definitely didn’t want to see though. She looked at him trying to figure out what it was about the people, but as soon as they walked away she felt him relax. She didn’t know if asking would be an ok thing to do or if it would be a sore subject for him. She figured either way, he could tell her. ”What is it hun? Why you get so tense all of a sudden?” She asked him sweetly as she looked at him. She would have turned his face toward her, but she wasn’t much for touching his face. It felt like it would be weird for her, she didn’t know if she could do it as gently and sweetly as he could.
The curly fries came and she withdrew her hand and placed it under the table. Setting it on her lap, she watched as he squeezed a bottle of ketchup over his plate of food. Lucy wasn’t quite sure what it was, she hadn’t ever seen anything like it before since she didn’t get out much and hadn’t had a variety of foods at her father’s place. ”Um.. sure?” she replied to his offer. Although, she wasn’t quite sure of her decision. She took a deep fried circle off his plate and dipped it in some ketchup. She was hesitant but went ahead and took a bite of it. ”This is good! What is it?” She asked as she reached for another. She was surprised how good the food was that had looked just plainly unhealthy and unappetizing.
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Post by Markus Martins on Jul 24, 2010 3:13:46 GMT -5
Mark studied her face thoughtfully, thinking. Maybe they could do a little barbecue at his place for a date? Invite Adrianna over so that she wouldn't feel so outnumbered by men. He smiled at the idea, but he didn't voice them just yet. He would have to be able to have a little free time first, which he didn't have at the moment.
He chuckled at her , chewing on her bottom lip when she said she would like that. He smiled warmly and gave her hand a little squeeze. "Well, you won't find anything like that here in Brooke Haven, but I can look and see if I can find anything in Bozeman if you really would be interested." He said gently as his fingers softly stroked over her palm, exploring all the contours and textures of her hand while he studied her face, smiling faintly.
He looked back to her when she asked about why he was tense. He smiled gently and shook his head. "Nothing you need to worry about." He said as he stroked his thumb along the callus of her own thumb. From riding. The reins rubbed up against that particular spot. "I like it when you call me hun." He said softly as he looked up to her, smiling faintly. He really did. He loved the way it just so easily rolled off her tongue.
He watched her as he offered her the nice little snack. He grinned at her as she dipped it in some ketchup and brought it to his lips. He laughed at her reaction, grinning he reached for his own and bit off a piece of it, looking at her. "Onion rings. One of God's many magnificent creations." He said teasingly before he folded it in half and age at the breaded, fried onion. Onion rings were his favorite. So much so that he made it a point to learn how to make them on his own. He studied them, grinning as she reached for another he pushed them towards her, offering as many as she wanted to him. He could always order some more if worse came to worse. "Like 'em huh?" He gave her a teasing grin as he picked out a second one and nibbled on it.
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