"Saddlebags, huh?" Jack asked as they crossed out of the barn.
Lisa opened her mouth to speak, but Marion cut in first.
"I wanted Lisa to get him used to them."
Jack nodded, as if Marion had a fair point.
"Have fun, you two!" Marion said, going into the barn as they headed out on their ride.
Lisa caught the wink in Marion's eye as she headed out into the barn.
Jack and Lisa mounted their horses and headed out on the trail.
"It's odd Marion didn't want to join us," Jack said, as they rode through a field away from the ranch. "She must have something better to do, I guess."
Lisa looked at Jack, wondering exactly how honest to be. She breathed out, smiling sheepishly, "It was my idea actually."
Jack looked up, surprised.
Lisa continued, sheepishly, "I wanted to take you out for a ride to thank you for all the help you've given to me, and Aztec and Gizmo."
Jack could feel his ears heating up, and knew that he'd soon be blushing, if he wasn't already. "It's been my pleasure," he said quietly.
"One of my favorite things about having Marion work with Aztec, and then finding Gizmo here, has been getting to know you a bit better, and unraveling the mystery that is Jack Bartlett," Lisa said, casting a sly glance at him.
He blushed deeply, the heat suffusing his ears, "No mystery really. I'm a pretty straightforward guy. You're the interesting one." He paused, looking at her, "You're a glamorous world traveler."
Lisa's eyes locked with Jack's, "I'm a simple woman really. With simple desires."
Jack was pretty sure that his heart had stopped. He cleared his throat. She was definitely flirting with him. He couldn't possibly have misconstrued that.
"You ready to see what these two can do?" Lisa asked with a wicked grin, and took off at a canter with Gizmo.
Jack grinned and took off after her.
They cantered along for a while, racing each other through the fields, then broke to a trot and trotted along the trails that ran through the woods.
Eventually, they came to a field ringed with woods. From the field there was a beautiful view of the mountains.
"Ready for a break?" Lisa asked, stepping down out of the saddle.
Jack looked around surprised, as if to say, 'here?'
"I planned a little surprise." Lisa said, detaching the saddle bags from the saddle. She continued, "Now seems like as good a time as any." She turned to look at him, "You hungry?" she asked, then added, "Come on!" And threw the saddle bags over her shoulder and headed off to find a flat spot in the field.
Jack followed Lisa and smiled to himself as he found her kneeling down, spreading out the quilt that she'd thrown down. She looked up and said simply, "I made us a picnic."
Jack smiled, chuckling to himself, and shaking his head. 'Well,' he thought, 'it looks like she is making her move.'
She opened up the saddle bags, saying, "Turkey and swiss or turkey and swiss?"
Jack chucked, then took a breath. "Turkey and swiss," he said, taking a seat across from her.
"Good choice," she said brightly, handing him a sandwich.
He chuckled.
She pulled a thermos out of the saddle bags. "I made you coffee."
"Aren't you something," he said.
She smiled in a self-satisfied manner, "Aren't I?"
And Jack laughed even harder. 'Yes, she was definitely something,' he thought to himself.
They chatted amicably as they drank their coffee and ate their sandwiches. And the laughter flowed as fluidly as the nearby river.
Sitting here with her in that beautiful setting, and enjoying a lunch that she'd prepared for him, Jack realized that he'd gotten his wish. She'd tipped her hand and declared her interest. Now he had to up his own game.
As they chatted, Lisa leaned toward him on the blanket, and Jack leaned in closer to her, thoroughly enjoying their conversation.
When the wind blew a bit of her hair into her face, Jack leaned forward and tucked it back into place, behind her ear. He smiled at her, his eyes locking with hers, and his breath tight in his chest. He leaned in slowly toward her.
And at just that moment some deer came bounding out of the woods and spooked the horses.
Lisa smiled up at Jack, "Looks like duty calls," she said, wrinkling her nose.
"Unfortunately," he agreed, and they gathered up the remnants of their picnic, and then ran off after the horses, laughing to each other about their rotten timing.
