They hopped the border into Virginia, Maura curious but trusting Jane for the day's activities. She'd dressed as Jane asked, loose, comfortable pants and sensible boots. She was expecting a hike, but they pulled up at a stable, three girls on horseback in the ring playing tag on their horses.
"Looking for Max?" The blonde girl asked, riding over to the rail. "He's bringing in some horses."
"Thanks," Jane said. The brunette girl eyed them.
"You're not FBI," she said finally, walking her horse over.
"Not military either," the African-American girl added, joining her friends at the rail. Her horse had a lopsided star on his head, and Jane reached out to scratch it, the horse wuffing happily.
"You're right. Want to keep guessing?"
"I can see your conceal carry," the brunette said. "Which makes me think private security or law enforcement."
"Detective Rizzoli," Jane caved, holding out her hand.
"Stevie," the girl said. "Uh, Stephanie, I guess. And that's Belle." Jane rubbed the forehead of the horse, moving back when the entire face of the horse shoved into her torso. "She likes you."
"Lisa Atwood," the blonde said, with a firm and formal handshake that reminded Jane of Maura. "And Prancer." Jane nodded, and went back to the first horse she'd greeted.
"Carole. My dad's in the military, that's how I can tell."
"Thank him for his service for me, huh?" Jane said, shaking Carole's hand. "Oh! Uh. This is Doctor Isles."
"Arabian?" Maura asked, reaching for Belle's face.
"Mostly," Stevie said, patting Belle's neck. Maura nodded.
"I've always had a soft spot for the Arabians. The curve of the neck, very majestic. Oh, sorry. They're all lovely. Retired thoroughbred?" Maura asked Lisa, who nodded.
Maura eyed Starlight a long moment, and Carole laughed. "He's not registered," Carole said. Maura nodded and scratched under his chin strap, his eyes closing in pleasure.
"Ah ladies! Sorry to keep you waiting," a man walked out from the stables, wiping his hands on his jeans before offering his right to be shaken. "Max, I've just saddled up your mounts." He handed them a map. "Just stick the trail and you'll be fine. You said you'd both ridden before?"
"She almost went pro," Jane said, shoving Maura with her shoulder. "Decided being a doctor was more her speed."
"I have some experience, yes. I placed at the National Horse show in the 90's." All three girls eyed Maura with newfound respect. "But that was a long time ago."
They followed Max into the stable and retrieved their mounts, getting the health and safety talk on the way.
"I'll take you to the ring, just to check your form," he said, and they mounted at the mounting block. The three girls watched anxiously.
"You have to touch the horseshoe," Stevie called out finally, and Jane chuckled and touched her hand to the horseshoe above the stable door, Maura following suit obediently. Max watched for a long moment, then nodded, opening the gate.
"The saddlebags are filled as you requested," Max said to Jane, glancing at Maura mischievously. "But if you're not back by 3 I'll send the kids out after you."
The three girls whooped as they rode around the ring, Jane and Maura quickly leaving the stable in their wake.
The trail led through the woods and Jane relaxed into the horse beneath her, patting him on the neck, loosening the reins. He obviously knew where they were going. Maura looked like she belonged on a horse, her movement natural and almost an afterthought, her knees responsive to the point where she could have dropped the reins entirely.
"Surprised?" Jane asked.
"Delighted," Maura said. "I thought we were going to do more museums today, and it seemed a shame to waste such good weather indoors."
"We could have gone to the zoo," Jane said. "But I've been dying to get back on a horse."
"It's a perfect day for it," Maura agreed, "and the woods are so pretty."
"Not as pretty as you. This way, there's a meadow up ahead," Jane pulled away at a trot and quickly into a canter as she hit the open ground, Maura quickly catching up and outpacing her.
"You don't know where we're going," Jane called.
"The horse does," Maura yelled back, and Jane relaxed a little.
The trail led to a stream, and they hitched the horses to a tree that might as well have been made for the purpose, multiple hoofprints beneath the branch confirming that riders came out here often. Their boots came off, and they dangled their feet in the cold water.
Jane opened the saddlebags and brought out a picnic lunch, which she spread on the rock between them.
"This is one of the most thoughtful dates I've ever been on," Maura said, looking around at the dappled hues of the forest, the horses nosing around at the ground behind them in companionable silence. They were on a hill and the view was magnificent, but not nearly as magnificent as Jane's face in profile as she looked out over it. She'd seemed comfortable on a horse, and Maura could almost see her as a pioneer, staking a claim in the wilderness, shooting any man that opposed her. Robbing freight trains and banks to set up a farm, maybe even kidnapping a sophisticated woman like Maura to tend house... Maura shook her head. Clearly she'd watched Calamity Jane too many times. Jane packed up the meal, cutting an apple in half and extending each half to one of the horses, both of them messily pleased. Jane came back over to Maura, rubbed her hands on her pants, partly out of nerves and partly to wipe off the horse slobber. She dug in her pocket and pulled out a small box, watching Maura's face carefully, smiling as her eyes grew wide, her hands flying to her face.
"I know it's early," Jane said, getting down on one knee. "So it's not a 'proposal' proposal. But... can I make it official? Can you... Would you..." Jane swallowed and looked down, and Maura stared at her, tears in her eyes.
"Are you trying to ask me to marry you?" Maura asked, and Jane nodded quickly. "Do you want me to let you finish asking?" Jane nodded again, and Maura leaned up to kiss her, to rest her forehead against Jane's cheek, to take her spare hand to lend her strength.
"I never thought I'd be the one to ask," Jane said. "I always kind of assumed someone would ask me - some man would ask me - and I'd be... indifferent. I'd never thought that I'd actively want to be with someone so much that I'd be the one to ask..." Maura listened as patiently as she could, until she couldn't.
"Marry me," Maura said quietly, pressing her lips against Jane's in the quiet forest, the smell of pine and clean water, the warm afternoon sun on her face, Jane's hand in hers, an impossible and unknown future ahead of them with infinite possibilities, all of them more manageable if they were together. Jane returned the kiss, and Maura felt Jane relax against her, go from one knee to both so she could hold Maura.
"Only if you marry me first," Jane said finally, and Maura chuckled against Jane's open mouth, kissed her again, let Jane climb behind her and hold her, pressing kisses against her face. Jane dropped the box into Maura's hand.
"Oh, Jane!" Maura said.
"I called Constance," Jane said, sounding embarassed. "A while ago. I asked what kind of rings you like, and she sent this. She said it was your grandmother's and it was your favourite and I didn't have the heart to tell her I wanted to buy you my own ring. I didn't say... I didn't say it was for us, but she might have guessed."
"I love this, but I'd love to have something that meant something to you." Maura said, sliding the ring onto Jane's finger. "You can buy me a ring if you want to."
"Good, because I did," Jane said, rummaging around in her other pocket, pulling out something a bit smaller, a bit plainer, with stones the colour of Maura's eyes around the diamond.
"Oh, Jane," Maura said again, letting Jane slide it onto her finger, knowing Jane had checked her ring size years ago.
"You better not have bought any rings or we'll run out of fingers," Jane joked, trying to being some levity to the moment, pulling Maura tight against her chest.
"That certainly wasn't a problem last night," Maura said, tilting her head back so Jane could kiss her.
"I wish we could stay until sunset, but we have to get the horses back, and we don't know the woods well enough to go back in the dark." Maura looked at her watch; a lot of time had passed, sitting there in Jane's arms, watching the rushing creek and the distant city. Maura took a photo with her phone, then used the front camera to capture the moment. The look of contentment on her face was only matched by the one of Jane's.
The sound of hooves broke through the woods, along with teenage yells, and Jane checked Maura's watch.
"Thought he was waiting till 3 to send out the search party," Jane said, not bothering to move. The kids pulled up sharply, obviously not expecting the couple in what had to be their spot. The horses whickered to each other, and the kids looked at each other awkwardly.
"We um... Sorry. Max didn't say you'd be at the creek," Stevie said finally, blushing. "We'll head out," Stevie said, turning Belle to the left.
"No, we have to take the horses back now anyway," Jane said, reluctantly getting to her feet.
"Remember to tighten their girths," Carole said as they walked towards the horses, and Jane and Maura shared an amused look between themselves. "Oh. You'd know that. Sorry. We didn't mean to... And we're not embarassed because you're... We didn't know you were a couple..." Carole looked panicked now.
"We don't know they're a couple," Lisa hissed, looking mortified.
"We just got engaged, actually. But don't tell my Ma we told you first, or we'll have to elope." The girls and horses milled around with excitement. "You've got good observation skills, the three of you. Ever considered law enforcement?"
"No, just horses," Carole said, and Jane chuckled.
"We have mounted divisions," Jane said. "Think about it." Jane held Maura's horse as she mounted, then she swung up on her own horse. They looked out over the expanse. "Enjoy, kids. Before your summers get shorter." With that they rode off into the woods, back to the stables.
Stevie dipped her feet into Pine Creek, sighing with relief. Lisa and Carole joined her, staring off into the distance, an unusual silence over them.
"So, have you asked Veronica to prom yet?" Lisa asked Stevie, and Stevie pushed her into the creek.
Notes:
I wasn't exposed to a lot of American media as a kid, but I did have access to The Saddle Club and this chapter is a thinly-veiled homage to that series.
I didn't intend for this to be a proposal but... Pretty romantic place to do it.