Disclaimer: I dont own anything affiliated with CSI:NY. I do however own the OC in this story.
Summary: Lindsay takes Flack out to Montana and shows her whats she used to call home. Loosely based on my experiences and the fun I had with friends/boyfriends over the years growing up.
"Don't need no copy of Vogue magazine,
don't need to dress like no Beauty Queen,
High heels or sneakers he don't give a damn,
my baby loves me just the way that I am..."
- Martina McBride
"Lindsay, come'on, I'm not too keen on this idea" Flack said, his fingers laced with hers as they walked up the gravel road towards her house. Once at the door, Flack took in the scenery surrounding them. Rolling hills, the wind was moving the grass in what looked like ocean waves, the sun was beginning to lower itself, preparing for the sunset to come. The house was an old country style home, hardwood floors, a cabin-like appearance, and for some reason he liked it. Flack grew up in New York, he was used to run-down apartment, posh upper west side mansions, something like the house he was standing in front of now could only be seen in travel magazines, showcasing places with that "old west feelin". Nevertheless, he could understand why she loved this place so much.
"Ready?" She asked, giving his hand a squeeze. He nodded, as she knocked on the door. An older woman answered the door, baby in her arms.
"Lindsay!... Frank, Gina, Kevin, Lindsays here" The woman called behind her, and the sound of footsteps could be heard along the hard wood floor. "Come on in sweetheart, who's your friend?" she asked, ushering them inside.
"Mom, this is my boyfriend, Don Flack, Don, this is my mother Diane" She said, turning to face Don.
"Nice to meet you Mrs. Monroe" Flack said politely, offering his hand out to hers.
"Oh come here" The woman said and grabbed him into a tight embrace. "Out here in the boondocks, we hug" she laughed, and he did too, he smiled at Lindsay who put her hand over her face smiling.
"Daddy" Lindsay said as she rushed to him, his open arms scooping her up. Flack could just imagine her as a little girl, dirty from being out at the barn all day, her dad giving her piggyback rides up to her bedroom, then laying her down and reading her a story. He smiled to himself as he watched the two hug.
"Daddy, this is my boyfriend Don Flack, Don, my dad Frank" Her dad kept his arm around her as he shook hands with Flack.
"Nice to meet you sir" Flack said, smiling. Frank smiled back.
"You take good care of my little girl" He said, kissing Lindsay on the side of the head.
"I will sir, " He started, as Lindsay butt in.
"He does Dad" She smiled, walking across the room to the other two people who'd entered the room.
" 'bout time my little sister came home! We've missed you out here" The tall, sandy-haired man said, it was obvious he lived and breathed the outdoors. Years of sunburns had begun to take its toll on his skin, giving it an almost leather-like look to it, his hands seemed rough and calloused. But he had that warm "country" smile, same as Lindsay's, could light up an entire apartment complex during a power outage. The two embraced.
"Don, this is my brother Kevin. Kevin, this is Don" She introduced the two as they shook hands. She continued, hugging the woman standing beside him, "and this is Kevins wife, Gina… and her son Derrick" She smiled letting the infant that had been passed from her mother to Gina only minutes before, grab her finger in his smiling. Don smiled, and nodded to Gina.
"So, mom, you need any help with dinner or…." She started. Turning to Flack. He handed her a bag. "We brought some wine" She walked into the kitchen placing it on the counter.
"No hunny, I'm fine in here. Gina and I pretty much have everything under control in here. Why don't you take Don out and show him around the property." She suggested, placing the wine in the fridge.
"Positive you don't need help Mrs. Monroe?" Flack asked inching closer to the counter where Lindsay stood.
"Oh please, don't call me 'Mrs. Monroe' it makes me sound like such an old hag, call me Diane." She smiled a nice warm smile, "and yes, I'm okay in here, go on outside, its such a beautiful evening, we may even have dinner out on the patio. Just be back here in about an hour or so" She said, shooing them out the door.
"… He thinks I'm pretty, he thinks I'm smart,
Likes my nerve, but he loves my heart,
He's always sayin' he's my biggest fan,
My baby loves me just the way that I am,
My baby loves me just the way that I am…"
They walked hand in hand down another little road leading to what Flack could only imagine was the barn. As they turned a corner, crossed over a little hand-made gully, he looked up and saw the barn. The outside matched the house, the same old-west, cabin like feel to it, a newly attached tin roof shined as the last few rays of the sun hit it. To the left of the barn was another building, and to the right there was a smaller barn. They kept walking as Lindsay slid open the large wood doors. The fresh aroma of hay, grains, manure (to anyone who's grown up in a ranch-setting, you know the smells), cedar, and leather filled the air. Flack heard Lindsay take in a deep breath, hold it for a second and let it out. She saw Flacks look, and smiled as she turned to him.
"You wouldn't understand, it's a thing us country folk do" she started with her best southern accent. He laughed at her. "You get used to the smells, and then their something you don't ever want to forget." She closed her eyes letting the warm wind blow through her hair. Flack could see the look on her face as she stood in the barn, the same one he'd seen when they arrived at the house. It was a look he'd never seen before. And again, he knew it was because of this place. He followed her inside and she stopped at the first box stall. A black nose pushed its way through two of the metal bars, Lindsay's hand pet the velvet nose softly, smiling.
"Hey there big guy" she smiled, unlatching the stall door. She took Flacks hand. "Don't tell me you're afraid of horses" She looked at him.
"I'm not… afraid, I'd just rather be out here, in the comfort of my own area" He started, but was eventually dragged inside.
"This is Jammer, he wouldn't hurt a fly… he's the biggest baby. He's a retired racehorse. He strained a tendon in his leg when he was three years old, my dad was at the track that day picking up a trailer, and he saw this horse standing in the very last stall at the back of the barns, he was sweaty, dehydrated, and he had been beaten. The guy said that the horse was going to be put to sleep, he was no use to him anymore. So, my dad slapped down $300 and loaded him up in the trailer and brought him home. We've had him for almost twenty years now." She finished, looking up at the horse, running her hand softly over his neck. Flack couldn't help but feel for the animal, as he reached his hand up and pet the horses soft nose. Lindsay smiled, placing a kiss on the corner of Flack mouth, patting the horse one last time and walked out of the stall.
"That wasn't too bad I have to admit" Flack said, smiling at himself. Lindsay locked the stall door, and turned to face him.
"Wanna go for a ride?" She asked him. He had to double take her, and then let what she just asked analyze in his head.
"You mean, on one of these guys?" He asked, stepping a few feet back.
"No, I mean, sit on a bale of hay and I'll pull you… yes on one of these guys. Come'on, we've got ten horses here, don't be a baby" She reached for his hand. But he backed away.
"Uh-uh, no way. I'll stand here and pet these guys, but theres no way you're getting me up on one of them. No." He said, crossing his arms over his chest.
"He never tells me I'm not good enough,
Just gives me unconditional love,
He loves me tender, he loves me mad,
He loves me silly and he loves me sad,
He thinks I'm pretty, he thinks I'm smart,
Likes my nerve, but he loves my heart,
He's always sayin' he's my biggest fan,
My baby loves me just the way that I am…"
Flack could not believe he was doing this. Somehow, Lindsay had gotten him on a horse and at this very moment they traced their way through the pasture leading out to Flack didn't know where. He was sitting awkwardly atop a chestnut horse names Tex, Lindsay had promised he was the best of all the horses, she'd gone on about how he took her to youth world championships, they had won countless High School rodeo roping competitions together, but, this was still foreign to Flack, so, naturally he sat atop the quiet animal, very stiff and rigid.
"Flack?" He heard Lindsay say. "Did you hear me?" She asked, holding up her horse and waiting for him to catch up.
"Huh? What?" He said as his horse stopped automatically beside the Palomino that Lindsay was on.
"I said, do you maybe want to speed it up a bit?" She asked him.
"I actually really like walking, walking is good, slow, fun." He smiled, patting Tex.
"Uh, come on Flack. At this rate we'll get to the end of the pasture by tomorrow morning" She whined.
"Lindsay, I really… " He was cut off when she turned her horse and kicked him into a gallop. Texs' ears pricked up as he began to take off after Lindsay's horse. Flack could feel himself losing control of Tex quickly, the horse seemed to be gaining speed quicker then anything he'd ever felt before. 'damn these things are fast' he said to himself, trying to gather his reins, which at the moment one was longer then the other, and they were knotted together. He thought back to the western he'd seen, 'okay, how'd they stop?' he asked himself. 'yeah, right Flack, your going to stop a thousand pound freight train from moving' he said as he felt the horses hooves under him, beating the ground as it gained on Lindsay. She was a natural, obviously. She leaned forward slightly, her reins long, but even, allowing Ace, her palomino, all the room he wanted to move freely under her. She hadn't done this in years, and it's the kind of thing that once you've learned, you never forget. She smiled as she felt Ace quicken his pace, she knew Flack was on her heels.
"MONROE!" Flack yelled from behind her, she turned her head slightly, yelling back to him.
"Flack, don't be such a slowpoke!" She smiled, turning back around, leaning forward more, almost like a jockey would.
"Fine, you wanna race Monroe? Lets race… come on Tex" Flack seemed to suddenly slip out of his body. He left his worries of work, paying rent, New York and its busy streets and thousands of people, he left it somewhere between the mess of trees that whisked past him and the hill that they rounded leading them into acres of tall grass. He felt free - and comfortable. He thought to himself 'so this is what its like to ride a horse that isn't following another horses ass' Flack smiled, recalling the pony rides he'd been on with his sister at the fairs when they were kids. This was much different, this horse, had a mind of his own, a mind that at this very moment was focused on the animal fleeing in front of him. Flack kicked Tex again, leaning forward as he'd seen Lindsay do, sure enough, Tex switched into fifth gear, and Flack felt a jolt as he zipped around the corner, gaining on Lindsay.
Lindsay began to sit back and pull her reins slightly, slowing Ace to a slower gallop, then a canter, then down to a trot, she waited as Flack appeared over the small hill, slowing his horse, he trotted up beside Lindsay.
"What the hell was up with that? Don't you know to never leave your partner behind? They didn't teach you the buddy system out here in Montana?" Flack joked, as she stood up in her saddle, swinging her leg over Ace's back, and lowered herself to the ground. Flack did the same thing, though not as gracefully, and somehow, his foot became stuck in the stirrup, he fought it, hopping on one leg, reaching up with his left hand trying to free his trapped foot. He pulled hard, his foot flying out of the stirrup, sending him onto his butt with a loud thud and a rising cloud of dust. He heard Lindsay laughing as the dust cleared.
"Thought that was funny huh?" He asked, smiling at her. She nodded, reaching her hand out to help him. He grabbed a fistful of dirt and pitched it at her, hitting her square on the neck and chest. Her mouth hung open as she began to pull away, he instead, pulled her down into his lap, wrapping his arms around her. She turned to face him, bringing her lips to his.
"Come'on" She stood up, offering him her hand, he followed her as they walked to the end of the large ridge they had ridden up. The sun was just setting, the sky brilliant shades of black, purple, orange, red, clouds littered the sky, and the warm breeze blew. He wrapped his arms around her waist and she leaned into him.
"This place is amazing." He said into her ear.
"It is, isn't it?" She smiled, gazing out at the sunset and the many acres of nothing that it began to darken.
"How could you have ever left here?" He asked her.
"Things had happened, and I needed to get away. Believe me, it was hard leaving this place…" She started, but just as quickly stopped. She felt Flacks lips graze over the skin of her neck, then kiss along her collarbone and shoulder.
"What happened?" He began, hoping he wasn't touching on a bad subject. Her eyes stayed glued on the sun setting, closing slightly and re-opening a few moments later.
"I really don't want to talk about it Don. Its in the past" She turned and made her way back to the horses. She heard foot steps behind her.
"You sure? I'm all ears" He said, grabbing her arm. She smiled back at him.
"I'm sure. Just forget about it okay?" She asked him, sticking her foot in the stirrup and lifting herself onto Ace. He nodded in agreement, hoisting himself onto Tex as he turned him and followed Lindsay down the hill. The walked in silence for a while, he noticed her looking around in all directions, her hands fidgeting with the leather reins. Flack rode up next to her, reaching his hand out to touch hers. She laced her fingers with his and he leaned over and kissed her cheek. She turned her head so her lips met his. He laughed, and so did she.
"Come'on Monroe, you had to laugh didn't ya?" He said, his New York accent heavy.
"I'm not the only one. I just ever thought I'd see Don Flack Jr. riding a horse, let alone kissing me while riding a horse.
"No? well, hate to break it to you babe, but, I actually rodeo for a living" His smile didn't fool anyone, she burst out laughing, resting her head on Ace's neck.
"Nice try Flack" She said, riding up next to him again, she slipped her left foot out of the stirrup, stood up awkwardly, and stretched her leg over Tex's back and butt, and slid from Ace to Tex, now, she leaned forward, slipping the reins over Ace's head and holding them in her hand as she wrapped her arms around Flacks waist. Flack felt her rest her head against his back as she squeezed him tighter, swaying with the horse as they made their way back to the barn. He smiled to himself as the sun finally set and he realized how clear and beautiful the sky was, no city lights to interfere, no smog, just him, the woman he loved, and fresh air. He couldn't be any happier then he was right now.
He thinks I'm pretty, he thinks I'm smart
He likes my nerve and he loves my heart
Don't see no reason to change my plan
My baby loves me just the way I am
My baby loves me just the way I am
FIN…
So, what do you think? I wrote this on a whim, so.. flame it or rave it.. whatever.