On a crisp fall day the sun is warm and bright and the sky, blue and clear in the country air. At the grand and beautiful Wildwind estate, Caleb, dressed in black jeans, a handsome royal-blue, western-cut shirt and cowboy boots is making last minute preparations, with the mansion's staff members, for an elegantly arranged, yet casual wear lunch, that he has planned with Liza, Colby and Asher.

Hearing the front door's bell he quickly puts down the spoon that he used to taste the sauce and makes his way to the mansion's foyer. The butler opening the door just ahead of him says, "Good afternoon, Miss Colby. How nice to see you again."

"Good afternoon, Lloyd. Nice to see you again too." Liza responds.

Caleb just rounding the corner of the enormous staircase says, "Wow, Liza. You look fantastic."

Liza making a quick spin, laughs and says, "Not what you're used to seeing me wearing, is it? I've not worn these boot in so long, I had to tread lightly for fear that a spider might have taken up residence inside them, since they were in the back of my closet for so long."

"I especially like those blue jeans too." Caleb says in a serious tone.

Liza running her hand across the decorations on her pant's legs says, "Well, I figured if I was going to dress up like a sidewalk cowgirl, that I should have a few rhinestones added to the mix as well."

"Well, you do indeed look like a rhinestone cowgirl, in that outfit. I just hope you still know how to rein a horse?"

"No worries, Caleb. As long as you don't saddle me up with Old Thunderbolt, I'll be able to ride just fine."

Caleb moves closer to her for a friendly hug and as she hugs him in return he steals a quick kiss off her mouth.

Liza surprised, takes a single step back and handing off her purse to Lloyd she grabs hold of Caleb's arm before he can turn away and says, "What kind of greeting is that?" She then pulls him to herself, wraps both her arms around his neck, as he forfeits to her desires, and they share a slow and passion filled kiss.

She then releases him from her grip and he says with a small laugh, "Now, that is a greeting that a guy could get real use to."

Liza gives a great seductive smile and as she takes the single step down into Wildwind's sunken living room, she responds, "I quite enjoyed that myself too."

Caleb following close behind her takes her arm and turning her to face him says, "I think, I'd like a second helping." And he begins pulls her to himself for another enjoyable kiss, however, their moment is interrupted when the door's bell rings again and Lloyd enters the foyer to answer it.

Caleb releasing Liza's arm says, "Maybe we'll save some for desert then."

"Maybe?" Liza chuckles as the both look to the front door.

Lloyd opening the front door speaks and says, "Good afternoon, Miss Chandler. Mr. Pike."

"Good afternoon, Lloyd." Colby says as she hands him her purse. "Thank you."

"Afternoon, Lloyd." Asher says as he takes the door from Lloyd's hand and says, "I'll get that, thank you." As he closes the door and enters into the foyer.

Liza speaks up, "Hello you two. I didn't know you were coming together?"

"No, we didn't." Colby explains, "We both just happened to drive up at the same time."

Asher quickly interrupts her, "Yeah, and the way you gun that Ferrari, racing up the driveway, I'm surprised that you made it here in one piece."

Colby gives an embarrassing chuckle as Liza gives her a stern look and says, "Colby? Honey, you promised me that you'd slow that car down some."

"Oh, mom. It's okay. I have slowed down, a lot. I only raced Asher down the driveway this once. Honest, I haven't gotten a single ticket all month. Not one."

"Well, your father will be thrilled to hear that." Liza says, "But, you could crash in the driveway just as easily as on the freeway."

Colby walking past Liza and greeting Caleb with a gentle hand shake says, "Okay, mom. Time to cut the apron strings already." As she rolls her eyes and says, "Good afternoon, Mr. Cortland. Thank you for inviting me to lunch and a ride."

To which Caleb responds, "Please, call me Caleb?"

"Okay, Caleb. I haven't been riding in so long. I bought this new outfit just for the occasion." Colby says as she takes a small spin around the room. "Do you like it?"

Caleb responds, "Might be a bit flashy for the barnyard, but I think you'll manage to mud it up fast enough."

Colby laughing says, "Oh, no, Caleb. I'm not riding Old Thunderbolt. Asher promised that I could ride your most gentle mare."

Caleb nodding his head says, "Yes, I'm only joking with you. I made sure that the stableman picked out and saddled only the gentlest horses just for today's ride."

Looking at the group, Asher claps his hands together and says, "So, let's go then. I'm ready."

Caleb startled by the single hand clapping sound looks to him and says, "Don't you all want to eat first?"

Liza asks, "Are you hungry, Caleb? We could eat first, if you are, but I'd rather not ride on a full stomach."

Caleb sizing up Liza's and Colby's outfits, gives a sarcastic chuckle, grabs his quirt and cowboy hat and placing it on his head, he says, "Yes, I think you're right. Especially if it is going to be a rough ride."

Colby protests, "What is that supposed to mean?"

Asher passing by her and heading for the side door says, "He means; because you girls might spook the horses with all that bling."

Liza quickly grabbing her hat and pushing it on her head she dashes to the side door that leads to the mansion's stables, ahead of the rest of them, and says, "Oh, really? Well we'll just see who's the better rider then, won't we?"

As they all laugh, push and shove each other playfully as they race their way to the stables, to the waiting and fully prepared horses.

Caleb managing to get ahead of the other three takes one step into his saddle's stirrup and with a single lunge he is off. With the light tap of his quirt he pressures his horse to run ever faster across the barnyard, out of the tree-line, into the wide green meadow and to the top of the hill. When he arrives to the hill's peak he pulls back his horse's reins, calls a soft, 'whoa' and turns his horse around to see if the group is quickly trailing behind him.

What he sees is Liza sitting on the ground next to her gentle mare, who has not moved from her position where the stable hand placed her. Colby and Asher are quickly racing up the hill to meet him, but Liza is being assisted by the stable hand up off the ground. She makes it to her feet, repositions her hat on her head, puts her foot in the saddle's stirrup and throws her leg over the horse and into a sitting position.

She looks to the top of the hill, and seeing the others there, laughing hard, she yells out to them, "I've split my new jeans, but I don't care. I came to ride and that is what I'm going to do." As she turns her horse on it's heel and races her mare in the opposite direction of the group.

Caleb seizing the challenge, turns to Colby and Asher who are still laughing and says, "I'll see you two later." And his taps his gelding with the quirt and races quickly down the hill and through the trees to locate Liza and her mare.

The trees are perfectly spaced from each other to give a rider amble room to ride without causing a horse to stumble, yet they are close enough to give dense shade on a hot summer's day. Their deciduous type strips them of their leaves in the fall, causing a thick carpet of rustling leaves beneath their hooves and a clear canopy for the winter sunshine to stream through.

As Caleb's gelding races through the deep leaves, it is familiar with the path that his master takes him on nearly daily. Caleb's eyes locate Liza and her mare, near the creek and he slows his horse to a gentle and cooling walk.

His gelding's breathing comes fast and strong as his breath can be seen, coming from his nose, in the cool fall air. Arriving at the creek, Caleb stops his horse and dismounts. He laces the reins over the saddle's horn as the two horses exchange snorts and nuzzles to each other and both wander over to drink from the noisy creek.

Liza is found near the creek and is laying flat on her back in a large patch of ground, deeply carpeted with green grass and white Shasta Daisies. She is breathing heavily from the ride and her hair is tossed in a wild pony way all around her head. Caleb calmly walks over to her.

Standing above and looking down on her he simply looks at her for a moment and taking it all in he says, "My gosh. I've never seen anything so beautiful in my life."

Liza looking up at him gives a wide grin and says, "Are you talking about the creek, the daisies or my fancy jeans – with the tear half way down the leg?"

Caleb remembering what she'd said, earlier at the stable, gives a great belly laugh and sitting down next to her says with a chuckle, "How did you do that?"

"I was trying to beat you to the horses when I caught the rail fence with my pant leg." Turning her leg so that he can view the tear in her jeans starting at the side of her hip down to her knee, she continues, "I guess, one of my rhinestones caught it?"

Caleb laughing out loud, squints his eyes to see if her skin has been torn and says, "Well, at least you didn't injure yourself. Would sure hate for a smart-ass lawyer like you to go and file a suit on me?" Liza simply smiles at him as he continues, with, "I'm sure I can loan you a pair of mine for supper."

Liza being playful says, "What about the ones you've got on?"

Caleb gives her a grin of knowing her intentions and lies down on the deep carpet next to her. Looking up at the sky together they watch as a flock of geese fly by on their annual migration route. Caleb turning his head to look at her says, "How about some of that desert now?"

To which Liza quickly responds with a turn of her body, leaning into his strong chest and, holding his face with one hand she kisses him long and passionately.

Their horses wander down the creek as they drink from the cold water and munch on the rich grass and wildflowers.

Lloyd comes into room and speaking before looking up, he says, to the empty living room, "Your meal is now ready, Sir." As he lifts his head and sees that they are gone, he quietly says to himself, "I'll tell cook to keep it warm then." And he turns and goes back to the kitchen.