The Equine Exploration

A/N *ONESHOT* Follows on from 'The Birthday Deliberation'. Apologies for any errors in the horse stuff - I don't ride.

I do not own anything in respect of 'The Big Bang Theory'

The shoes (which Penny knew about) had been greeted with squeals of delight. The earrings (which she didn't) had been greeted with a hushed intake of breath and then a blizzard of kisses.

"These are fantastic," said Penny when they came up for air, "I love the color."

"I was trying to match them with your eyes." mumbled Leonard.

"Aww sweetie, you really are the best."

"Would the birthday girl care for breakfast in bed? French toast and coffee suit you?"

"Yeah, but let's work up an appetite first." said Penny, pulling Leonard back down with a wicked giggle.

Sometime later, "Did you say somethin' bout coffee and toast ... " prompted Leonard to disentangle himself and head for the kitchen. He'd just put the last slice on a plate when the clack-clack of heels came from behind him. Penny had put her hair up anyhow and was wearing her new earrings and shoes along with her 'Husker State' tee.

"How d'ya like my new look?"

"Even more beautiful than the sunrise on Vulcan."

She smiled ."For a guy who's lactose intolerant you're just so cheesy."

"I was thinking more Romance Ninja - "

"We already did that! Now eat hearty 'cos we gotta date with the big guys."

Leonard thought Penny would've been off fangirling all over their rides but she waited for him to lock the car before taking his hand.

"I thought you were in a hurry to meet these two?"

"Hey, it's like meeting some director in the mall - you don't just rush up (Penny squeed). You gotta introduce yourself properly."

"Really? What, 'I'm Leonard and this is my girlfriend Penny' or are they like dogs? If it is I'm a little worried about something with teeth that size sticking their head in my - "

"Sweetie, it'll be fine - no way am I lettin' anything happen to you or Little Leonard."

"Leonard and Penny right?" asked the girl holding the bridles. "I'm Shelley. Catherine said you've ridden before?"

Yeah, back home in Nebraska - my boyfriend's never ridden though."

"Okay, well Penny this is Bobby, and Leonard this is Lightning." Shelley made the introductions.

Penny knew that Leonard's personal Robbie would be whizzing round inside his head yelling 'Danger Doctor Hofstadter! Danger! so she thought she'd get him settled before she met Bobby.

"Leonard, let him get a look at you, okay? Now, look at his ears - they're pointing at you so he's cool with you being there ... just reach out your hand, nice 'n slow, palm up and let him have a smell of you."

Leonard stood, palm out, wondering how long it would take to get used to being left handed.

"You're doing fine sweetie, he's good with you. Now reach up and scratch his neck a little, right there."

Lightning whiffled down his nose. Leonard stayed where he was, feeling a little calmer.

"You wanna give him a treat?" asked Shelley, producing a bucket of what looked like triple-size Scooby Snacks.

"Horse cookies," supplied Penny, "Molasses, grain and stuff. Don't hold it in your fingers, lay it flat on your palm and put it under his nose."

"I can't believe I'm doing this ... oh wow, his nose is so soft! That's amazing ..." Penny smiled and squeezed his free hand as Lightning ate the cookie.

"That's one happy horse you got there." said Shelley, thinking how her boyfriend Donny wouldn't even pet a horse, never mind get on it. The guy was more interested in armchair sports. The words 'circle' and 'drain' popped into her head.

"Okay sweetie, time to mount up." Leonard's new-found confidence departed quicker than the Falcon leaving Mos Eisley.

"Shouldn't we bond a little more? Share a few more cookies? I mean we only just met - "

"Oh no. We're riding. Now make sure your helmet's on tight - I want your smarts staying right where they are." said Penny, carefully fastening the chinstrap while Shelley and another girl brought over a mounting block. Leonard eyed it with relief - from where he was standing getting aboard Lightning had looked like trying to jump onto 4B's balcony from the parking lot. While the other girl held the bridle Shelley talked him through.

"- and swing your right leg up over and across. There you go, you gottit."

Penny gave him a big smile and thumbs-up before fishing out her phone for a picture.

I've done it! I'm on a horse! HOLY CRAP IT'S A LONG WAY DOWN! 'I wanna get off' wrassled with 'I don't wanna look a wuss'. Not looking a wuss won (appropriately) by a nose.

"You okay?" she asked, resting her hand on his knee. "Yes," he said, wishing he sounded less like a tryout for Alvin and The Chipmunks, "Fine."

"Look, I'm just gonna go get on Bobby and I'll be right back, okay?"

Penny's grin was about a foot wide as she turned Bobby and walked him over to an admiring Leonard - and an oblivious Lightning who was staring at the cookie bucket. Shelley caught his gaze and nudged it out of reach - he gave her the stink eye.

"How does Penny do that? She makes it look so natural."

"Lotta practice, I got to say your girlfriend's pretty good."

"Penny went in for Junior Rodeo back in Nebraska," said Leonard proudly. "She can rope and she used to do barrel racing."

This isn't too bad thought Leonard once he'd started breathing normally again. His feet had communicated to his brain that they weren't really that far off the ground and his brain had told his eyes to listen to the feet and can the panicking. And unless Lightning was really lulling him into a sense of false security so far he hadn't been bitten, kicked or bucked into the underbrush. Lightning was peacefully ambling along on the lead rein, following Bobby (and the cookies in Penny's pocket). Every so often Penny would turn round to ask how he was, her dazzling smile showing how much she was enjoying herself. Leonard allowed himself to daydream a little, riding the range with the funny, smart and beautiful Sheriff Penny.

"Hey! Starbuck to Galactica!" Penny had been trying to get his attention.

"Huh? What?"

"I said we're gonna stop a while, let these two have a drink 'n stretch our legs."

"Oh, okay.- umm ... can you help me get off?"

After Leonard dismounted (not too clumsily, although Penny grabbed him anyway) he asked how she was enjoying her birthday treat.

"Leonard, it's amazing being on horseback again," she bit the corner of her mouth, tucking a blonde strand behind her ear, "and it's really great you came, I'm so loving we're doing this."

"Yeah, me too ... look, would you like to make this a thing? I mean I could take some lessons and we could come out here weekends. It - "

Anything more he had to say was lost in a kiss that lasted almost the length of the five-Mississippi hug.

They led Bobby and Midnight the last bit back to the stables - the rest of Leonard was willing but parts below the waist had finally hollered uncle.

"My calves are on fire - and inside of my shorts it feels like a Soyuz heat shield on re-entry."

"I got something you can put on that - and I'll take you shopping for better underwear."

"Are you saying my Star Wars boxers don't cut it?"

"Nope - Han 'n Chewie are fallin' down on the job - you need something like cyclists wear." Penny giggled. "Or I can let you have some old pantyhose."

"I don't know, suppose I fall off and wind up in the ER? Kind of embarassing - "

"Embarrassing?" Penny quirked an eyebrow. "From the guy who's wearing Captain Kirk socks and owns boxers with 'Caution: Photon torpedo locked 'n cocked' on 'em?"

Further discussion of Leonard's underwear was halted by the arrival of Shelley. "You guys have fun?"

"Lots. Can we arrange some lessons for Leonard?" Penny looked at him warmly, "We're gonna make this our thing - well one of 'em anyway."

"We do paintballing and shooting too - " Leonard put in. Shelley's eyebrows rose. I gotta find out where they met - or maybe I should hang out at the library more?

After fixing up a lesson for next Saturday they walked back to the car - well Penny walked, Leonard's was more straddling an invisible miniature horse.

"You want me to drive?"

"Nah, I'm good - well I could be better but I guess I'll get used to it."

"You will - and I still think it's amazing you're doing this." Penny pulled him into a tight hug. "I think Shelley was a little envious - "

"Really? Well, you are a fantastic rider - "

"Not that silly," her green eyes sparkled, "because we've got us."