"Jaci, I need to take a break," Severus panted out. Jaci looked up at him and smiled. They had been at Fiesta Texas for about three hours and she had taken him on ride after ride after ride.
"Ok, come on you sit here and I'll go get something to drink okay?" he nodded. He sat down, resting his legs, they were sore and he felt a bruise forming on his shoulder. He sighed, he was hurting but he had had so much fun! Those rides as Jaci called them were awesome! They were so fun and exciting he had even joined Jaci in whooping in joy on the last ride. He smiled at her as she sat down in front of him, slurping on some strange looking drink.
"What is that?" he asked. Jaci grinned.
"An Icee, here try some," she gave him some and he drank it cautiously. His eyes opened wide.
"This is delicious." Jaci grinned.
"I know. Come on, let's go and get good seats for the firework show, then we can go back to my house okay?" Severus nodded. They walked slowly and lazily down to where Jaci lead them. They stretched out on the grass and Severus was amazed as the show started.
Jaci snuggled closer to him that night on the bed while he stayed up, thinking. What was he going to do? He was sleeping with one of Voldemort's trusted Death Eater's daughter! He sighed deeply and Jaci stirred a bit. He smiled and ran his hand down her hair. He was going to have to leave her as soon as her father came back. Which was in about two more days.
Jaci knew he wasn't asleep, neither was she, but she didn't want him to know that. She could figure out what he was thinking about and it troubled her mind as well. She didn't know where this was going, but she was going to stay on for the ride. She smiled and snuggled closer to him.
Voldemort smiled, this was going perfectly, just as planned.
Jaci awoke and reached for Severus but was surprised to find that he wasn't there. She sat up and looked around the room, then the bathroom. She got up and walked down the stairs and found him in the kitchen, reading a letter, he crumbled it up and set it on fire. Jaci shook her head, how many times had she seen her father do that? The letter could be from only one person. She sighed loudly and it caused Severus to look up. He smiled at her and she smiled back, or tried to at least, but Severus didn't notice.
"What do you want to eat?" Severus asked. Jaci smiled.
"No, let's get dressed first, I have somewhere I want to take you."
"Another amusement park?" Jaci laughed.
"No, but you'll have to pack over night clothes 'cause I don't want to apperate there, the scenery is beautiful." Severus nodded and did as she instructed. "Oh and wear jeans and boots." Again he nodded and went up to pack and dress.
Jaci was waiting for him downstairs, she smiled as she saw he was wearing a muscle shirt again, but this one was blue, blue jeans, and cowboy boots that she had provided.
Severus looked at Jaci curiously; she was wearing the almost exact thing as he was. Blue jeans, boots, but she had a tank, a red one, and a black cowboy hat. She was carrying her duffle bag and he was carrying his.
"Where are we going?" he asked again. Jaci smiled.
"Rancho de Corazon."
"What?" Jaci laughed.
"You'll see, come on let's get going, it's a hour and a half drive and we'll pick up some mariachis."
"Some what?" Jaci sighed and rolled her eyes.
"Some tacos."
"Oh." They walked out and locked up the house, then headed for the car. Severus stayed quiet for a while trying to figure out where it was they were going. But about twenty minutes later he didn't care. He was watching the scenery, Jaci was right it was so beautiful. The sun hadn't risen above them so it was sending shadows everywhere, there were so many fields with people working them, horses, cows, other animals Severus hadn't seen so up close, only in pictures in his books.
An hour later, Jaci turned to a dirt road and they took it for a few minutes, then Jaci came up to a set of iron gates with the words "Rancho de Corazon" written in iron at the top. A man came running and opened the gate, greeting Jaci in Spanish. Jaci greeted him back.
"Y quien es este senor?" the man asked. Jaci smiled.
"Es amigo de mi papa." The man nodded and they drove in.
"What was that about?" Severus asked. Jaci grinned.
"Don't worry about it, welcome to Rancho de Corazon, 'ranch of the heart.'" Severus looked up and gasped. There was a mansion, about three stories high, it was made of red brick, to the far left of the house Severus saw stables, he turned in his seat and saw behind them there was a racing filed. To the right of the mansion was a garage that could hold up to twenty cars. Jaci parked there.
"Where are we?" Severus asked as they walked out, Jaci's hand in his.
"At the family ranch."
"Ranch?" Jaci grinned.
"Yes, come on, let's go and ride some horses and then we'll come back and they would have taken our luggage up to our room by then and we can have some lunch, okay?" Severus could only nod as he continued to take in the view.
Jaci led him to the stables and Severus was greeting with a not too welcoming smell. He wrinkled his nose a bit and Jaci noticed that, she smiled. She hadn't expected him to have ever been near horses in his life. She grinned, this was going to be fun.
"Buenos dias senora Cortez," one of the workers said, greeting her. Jaci grinned.
"Buenos dias Pablo, como esta El Diablo?" she asked hugging him tightly. He smiled.
"Muy bien, alle esta," he pointed to a stable and Jaci ran over, Severus following her, trying to figure out what was going on and being said. Jaci stepped into a little room, Severus stepped in then stepped back out.
Jaci was cooing to a massive animal, it was horse, he knew that, but he didn't think that they were this big up close and personal. Especially this one, it was evil looking, pure black except for these gray rings around its hoofs and a tip of gray on one ear, the eyes were a piercing black as well. Severus was shocked to see that Jaci was petting the thing and it was nuzzling back.
"What are you doing?" Severus asked her. Jaci turned to look at him.
"Petting the devil."
"What?!" Jaci laughed.
"The Devil, El Diablo, it's the name of my horse."
"This is your horse?"
"Yes of course, what did you expect?"
"A small horse, pure white, small, pretty, small." Jaci laughed.
"No way, El Diablo is the only horse for me, he's the best." Severus gaped at her. "Come on, we're going riding, I'll pick out a horse for you." Jaci walked over to one of the workers and told them to saddle up her horse for her. Then she walked down the stables.
"You can ride Mist." Severus walked over to where Jaci was standing and gasped. She was a beautiful horse, and he understood why she was named Mist. She was a misty gray color with intense silver like eyes, but she had white rings around her hoofs and Severus understood.
"She's…"
"Diablo's daughter, yup," Jaci grinned. "But unlike her father she's tame and calm, and gentle." She located another worker and had them saddle up Mist as well. Ten minutes later, Severus was standing outside of the stable with Jaci learning the basics of horse riding.
"Ok, so I just swing my leg over?" Severus asked. Jaci nodded. He took a deep breath. "Ok, I think I can do this." Jaci grinned. Surprisingly Severus got it in his first try, Jaci grinned.
"Okay, now just hold the reins like this and when you want her to go to the right you pull the reins left and vice-versa understand?"
"What if I want her to stop?" Jaci laughed.
"Well then you pull on both sides of the reins, but not hard okay? Be gentle she wont hurt you as long as you don't hurt her." With that Jaci turned and grinned as the workmen brought out El Diablo. Severus gaped as she saddled perfectly and began to lead her horse out, Mist followed. Severus quickly learned two things about horseback riding.
Number one, it was quite pleasant and it was nice to see the scenery from point of view. Number two; horseback riding made you sore as heck. At first he didn't even feel anything, not after the first half hour, but once Jaci had them hiking through a river he felt it as the horse was walking through the cool water and how it bounced up and down through the path.