Here you go. the next part. Just a warning.. I have little to no
experience with horses unless you count riding one at camp when I was ten
years old. So don't expect this to be perfect, okay? My thanks to
everyone who read over the first part of this and gave me their thoughts.
You guys know who you are.
Gabriel grinned over at Sara, who was grimacing from the smell of hay and other less desirable odors permeated the stables. He handed her a sugar cube before holding one out to give the one he still held to a dark bay gelding.
Sara followed his example, holding out a flat hand with the small cube resting on her palm. She jumped a bit when the painted chestnut mare lifted it off her skin with its lips, revealing teeth in the process. Rather large, strong teeth.
"She likes sugar, ma'am," one of the workers who'd witnessed her jump told her. "You have nothing to worry about; Beauty's a real lady. One of the most gentle horses I've ever worked with," he expounded as he ran a hand down her side.
Beauty's tail twitched and her lips returned to Sara's palm, looking for another sugar cube.
"Has a real sweet tooth, she does," he continued.
"Obviously," Sara agreed, reaching up and running a tentative hand over the reddish brown of Beauty's nose. "She's well named."
The man nodded. "My daughter Janie named her. Favorite book is Black Beauty. Gabe has Blackie."
She looked over to where Gabe was petting a dark brown horse with none of the hesitation she was showing. Not that she'd expected it; he had, after all, been the one to suggest riding.
"Ready for a new experience?"
Sara looked again at the horse and nodded as Gabe's friend, the talkative Charlie, began to put a saddle on Beauty. Another guy put one on Blackie. Both she and Gabe watched the procedure interestedly before they were waved over to climb atop the animals.
Gabe, the semi-experienced rider, scrambled up first and settled himself easily.
Sara watched him before pulling herself up and straddling the horse with ease. Without the help offered by Charlie. When Charlie looked over at her with slight annoyance, she shrugged. "Muscles," she said by way of explanation.
He nodded and moved out of the way as Gabe led the horse out of the building. Sara's followed quickly, and Sara jumped again when Charlie slapped the mare on her mottled rump.
Gabe slowed Blackie down, letting Sara and Beauty catch up and ride next to them as they left the old-fashioned cottage-style building behind them and started on their way through Central Park.
They were silent as they began: Sara getting used to being that high off the ground and the shifting cadence, Gabe watching her obvious enjoyment.
"This is wonderful," she exclaimed. "Do you do this often?"
He shook his head. "Not nearly as much as I'd like to. It's a nice break from everything, though. You look pretty comfortable."
Sara looked around her and shrugged. "I am. I don't know why. I've never even thought of horseback riding. It was never something that seemed important to me."
"Maybe that has something to do with it?" He suggested, waving towards the far from silent Witchblade she wore. It's stone was swirling with brighter colors instead of being the plain red it normally was when in the guise of a bracelet.
Sara pursed her lips and considered it before nodding. "Makes sense, I guess. It's basically been proven that the Witchblade's been worn throughout time. We didn't always have cars."
"Or bikes," he agreed. "I can just picture Joan of Arc riding into battle against the English in a monster truck."
Sara laughed and shook her head. "Or Cathain tooling around Ireland on a Harley Davidson."
"Maybe that's part of the reason you like your bike so much? Gives you the same type of freedom as riding a horse. You aren't trapped in a car."
"Trapped? It's not like most cars are underwater or I get locked in against my will," she argued.
"Sara, if you think about it, all a car is, is a metal box. One that crushes pretty easily, which everyone who watches the news has seen."
Sara shuddered at the memories of car crashes she had seen floated up from the recesses of her mind. Not just the crashes that were shown on the news or that she passed while driving, but some of the more horrific end results of chases as well. "Thanks a lot."
"Enough to make someone claustrophobic," he agreed. "But this." he hesitated and looked around them. "It's freeing in a way I can't really describe."
"Not to mention that you really enjoy the sense of past times it provokes."
Gabe shrugged. "I am a historian, Sara." With that, he urged Blackie into a faster trot. Looking back, he saw Sara hold into the reins and pommel as Beauty sped up as well. She gave a soft nicker, which Blackie responded to.
"We should do this more often," she said almost more to herself than to him.
Gabe's good humor heightened at the automatic 'we' that Sara had let slip out and he reached out to gently touch her shoulder.
They made their way around Central Park on their horses slowly. Sara's competitive nature came out as she initiated the fast trots between monuments and sights to be seen that Gabriel explained much as he had when at the Empire State Building.
Sara carefully made her way into her apartment and plopped gingerly down on the sofa with a glare in Gabe's general direction. "Remember how I said that we should do that more often?"
"Yeah," he tossed over his shoulder as he made his way to the kitchen and put on coffee with the ease of familiarity.
"I was wrong."
"You're a first time rider, Sara. It's normal to be sore."
"I don't care," she said flatly.
Gabe shook his head and chuckled over Sara's predicament. "Why don't you take a nice warm bath? It'll help. Then you can change and get rid of the horse smell."
"What would you do while I'm taking the bath? You're smelling a lot like horses too, you know."
"I can always join you?" He made the statement a question to tease her.
"Uh, no," was her only verbal response.
"Can't fault a guy for trying, can you?"
"No, guess not," she responded with a sigh.
Handing the cup of freshly made coffee to her; he sat down on the opposite end of the couch. "What's wrong?"
"I do want to take a bath," she said perhaps a bit wistfully, "but it's kinda rude since you're here."
"Not a problem. I'll start the bath for you, then go home to catch a shower myself. I can always come back, bring some of my work with me to do until you're done," he added hopefully.
Sara considered it for a moment, her yearning for the bath winning out. "Sounds good." She struggled up, gratefully accepting Gabriel's help up. He went into the bathroom and drew the bath, rummaging under her sink for bubble bath. Against all odds, she had some, and he poured a generous amount into the tub.
Sara stood in the doorway and watched the froth multiply. The bubble bath had been part of a Christmas gift basket last year; one that she had only disassembled to put the contents away.
When he turned and gave a sheepish shrug, telling her that it was more fuel for his fantasies, she held out a key ring.
"So you can get back in," she told him by way of explanation.
"Thanks. See you in a bit," he made his way out of the bathroom and finished what was left of the coffee before putting the cup in the sink. Grabbing his jacket, he took a detour by the bathroom to kiss Sara goodbye before he left.
TBC
As always. thanks for all past and future reviews!
Gabriel grinned over at Sara, who was grimacing from the smell of hay and other less desirable odors permeated the stables. He handed her a sugar cube before holding one out to give the one he still held to a dark bay gelding.
Sara followed his example, holding out a flat hand with the small cube resting on her palm. She jumped a bit when the painted chestnut mare lifted it off her skin with its lips, revealing teeth in the process. Rather large, strong teeth.
"She likes sugar, ma'am," one of the workers who'd witnessed her jump told her. "You have nothing to worry about; Beauty's a real lady. One of the most gentle horses I've ever worked with," he expounded as he ran a hand down her side.
Beauty's tail twitched and her lips returned to Sara's palm, looking for another sugar cube.
"Has a real sweet tooth, she does," he continued.
"Obviously," Sara agreed, reaching up and running a tentative hand over the reddish brown of Beauty's nose. "She's well named."
The man nodded. "My daughter Janie named her. Favorite book is Black Beauty. Gabe has Blackie."
She looked over to where Gabe was petting a dark brown horse with none of the hesitation she was showing. Not that she'd expected it; he had, after all, been the one to suggest riding.
"Ready for a new experience?"
Sara looked again at the horse and nodded as Gabe's friend, the talkative Charlie, began to put a saddle on Beauty. Another guy put one on Blackie. Both she and Gabe watched the procedure interestedly before they were waved over to climb atop the animals.
Gabe, the semi-experienced rider, scrambled up first and settled himself easily.
Sara watched him before pulling herself up and straddling the horse with ease. Without the help offered by Charlie. When Charlie looked over at her with slight annoyance, she shrugged. "Muscles," she said by way of explanation.
He nodded and moved out of the way as Gabe led the horse out of the building. Sara's followed quickly, and Sara jumped again when Charlie slapped the mare on her mottled rump.
Gabe slowed Blackie down, letting Sara and Beauty catch up and ride next to them as they left the old-fashioned cottage-style building behind them and started on their way through Central Park.
They were silent as they began: Sara getting used to being that high off the ground and the shifting cadence, Gabe watching her obvious enjoyment.
"This is wonderful," she exclaimed. "Do you do this often?"
He shook his head. "Not nearly as much as I'd like to. It's a nice break from everything, though. You look pretty comfortable."
Sara looked around her and shrugged. "I am. I don't know why. I've never even thought of horseback riding. It was never something that seemed important to me."
"Maybe that has something to do with it?" He suggested, waving towards the far from silent Witchblade she wore. It's stone was swirling with brighter colors instead of being the plain red it normally was when in the guise of a bracelet.
Sara pursed her lips and considered it before nodding. "Makes sense, I guess. It's basically been proven that the Witchblade's been worn throughout time. We didn't always have cars."
"Or bikes," he agreed. "I can just picture Joan of Arc riding into battle against the English in a monster truck."
Sara laughed and shook her head. "Or Cathain tooling around Ireland on a Harley Davidson."
"Maybe that's part of the reason you like your bike so much? Gives you the same type of freedom as riding a horse. You aren't trapped in a car."
"Trapped? It's not like most cars are underwater or I get locked in against my will," she argued.
"Sara, if you think about it, all a car is, is a metal box. One that crushes pretty easily, which everyone who watches the news has seen."
Sara shuddered at the memories of car crashes she had seen floated up from the recesses of her mind. Not just the crashes that were shown on the news or that she passed while driving, but some of the more horrific end results of chases as well. "Thanks a lot."
"Enough to make someone claustrophobic," he agreed. "But this." he hesitated and looked around them. "It's freeing in a way I can't really describe."
"Not to mention that you really enjoy the sense of past times it provokes."
Gabe shrugged. "I am a historian, Sara." With that, he urged Blackie into a faster trot. Looking back, he saw Sara hold into the reins and pommel as Beauty sped up as well. She gave a soft nicker, which Blackie responded to.
"We should do this more often," she said almost more to herself than to him.
Gabe's good humor heightened at the automatic 'we' that Sara had let slip out and he reached out to gently touch her shoulder.
They made their way around Central Park on their horses slowly. Sara's competitive nature came out as she initiated the fast trots between monuments and sights to be seen that Gabriel explained much as he had when at the Empire State Building.
Sara carefully made her way into her apartment and plopped gingerly down on the sofa with a glare in Gabe's general direction. "Remember how I said that we should do that more often?"
"Yeah," he tossed over his shoulder as he made his way to the kitchen and put on coffee with the ease of familiarity.
"I was wrong."
"You're a first time rider, Sara. It's normal to be sore."
"I don't care," she said flatly.
Gabe shook his head and chuckled over Sara's predicament. "Why don't you take a nice warm bath? It'll help. Then you can change and get rid of the horse smell."
"What would you do while I'm taking the bath? You're smelling a lot like horses too, you know."
"I can always join you?" He made the statement a question to tease her.
"Uh, no," was her only verbal response.
"Can't fault a guy for trying, can you?"
"No, guess not," she responded with a sigh.
Handing the cup of freshly made coffee to her; he sat down on the opposite end of the couch. "What's wrong?"
"I do want to take a bath," she said perhaps a bit wistfully, "but it's kinda rude since you're here."
"Not a problem. I'll start the bath for you, then go home to catch a shower myself. I can always come back, bring some of my work with me to do until you're done," he added hopefully.
Sara considered it for a moment, her yearning for the bath winning out. "Sounds good." She struggled up, gratefully accepting Gabriel's help up. He went into the bathroom and drew the bath, rummaging under her sink for bubble bath. Against all odds, she had some, and he poured a generous amount into the tub.
Sara stood in the doorway and watched the froth multiply. The bubble bath had been part of a Christmas gift basket last year; one that she had only disassembled to put the contents away.
When he turned and gave a sheepish shrug, telling her that it was more fuel for his fantasies, she held out a key ring.
"So you can get back in," she told him by way of explanation.
"Thanks. See you in a bit," he made his way out of the bathroom and finished what was left of the coffee before putting the cup in the sink. Grabbing his jacket, he took a detour by the bathroom to kiss Sara goodbye before he left.
TBC
As always. thanks for all past and future reviews!