Everyone was sitting around the fireplace with a glass of wine in their hands, except Chris's mother who was making dinner.
Chris snuck inside and went into the kitchen.
'What are you doing in here?' Her mother asked. 'You have guests.'
'They're yours and daddy's guests.' Chris protested. 'Besides, I want to help you.'
'Darling, we both know you can't cook.' Her mother retorted. 'Now go into the living room and meet with your guests.'
There were five Callaways all together. Ethan and Katherine, the parents, Wendell Terrence, and Edward and Kerry, Terrence Wendell's siblings.
Chris stood in the doorway and waited to be noticed...which did take a while.
It was Katherine Callaway who noticed her standing there. She patted the seat beside her. 'Come over here darling.' She swooned.
Chris walked over and sat. Katherine handed her a glass of wine. She took a sip and cringed.
'Isn't the wine delicious Christine?' Joe said. 'Ethan tells me it came all the way from Florida.'
'It's great.' Chris said and plastered a smile on her face.
'And Kerry was just telling us a great recipe to use it in.' Katherine said proudly. 'She learned it in cooking class. What was it again darling?'
'Duck pate.' Kerry answered.
Katherine nodded. 'Do you remember making that Christine?'
Chris remembered it all right. She'd vomited it for a week. 'Oh, you know, it's been so long since I did cooking class.'
'But I was a year before you.' Kerry said.
Chris glared at her.
Wendell Terrace tried to hide a laugh. 'Well it doesn't matter.' He said. 'Just as long as she knows how to boil water.'
Chris gave a sigh of relief. That was about the only thing she could do in the kitchen.
Mrs Kelly came into the living room and invited everyone to the dinner table.
+++++
After dinner the Kellys continued to brown-nose.
Chris excused herself and went down to the stables to be with Nutcracker. The whole dinner party thing was not her scene.
She opened to the door to the stall where Nutcracker and her baby were. The foal was lying down having a rest. Nutcracker was grazing on the straw.
Chris picked up a brush and started grooming the mare...and nearly jumped out of her skin when someone tapped her on the shoulder.
'My god, Wendell Terrence! You scared me to death!' She said annoyed.
He pouted. 'Sorry. I wanted to come and find you.'
'Why? Thought I was lost?' Chris said sarcastically went back to grooming the horse.
'No.' He put his hands in the pockets on his pants. 'I was hoping we could do some talking before the wedding.'
'Oh okay.' Chris said with a shrug. 'Talk away.'
'How did your dress fitting go?'
Chris shrugged again. 'It was okay.'
'What does the dress look like?'
'White.' She said half-heartedly.
'You don't like white?' Wendell Terrence asked. He got another shrug as his answer. 'You're really not happy about all this are you?'
She turned to him with a huff. 'I really don't care either way. I didn't have a say in the decision. I haven't been able to pick out my dress, or my bridesmaids, or my hairstyle, and really I don't even know if I want to.'
He gave her a puzzled look. 'I'm confused.'
Chris put down the brush and went and sat with the colt, running her fingers through his soft mane. 'I just think you're the one that will lose out. My father is making me to seem like something I'm not. I can't cook, I can't sew and I don't like dresses.'
Wendell Terrence smiled and went and sat down next to her. 'Yes, but you can boil water.'
Chris couldn't help herself and smiled at him. 'Well, I suppose I can do that.'
'Okay, so what do you want? I mean, with this whole wedding thing. You have to have some preferences.' He said picking at a piece of straw.
Chris looked thoughtfully at the barn's rafters for a minute. 'I want to bring my horse.'
'To the wedding?' He looked at her like she'd just grown hooves herself.
She shook her head. 'No, afterwards.'
Wendell Terrence smiled shyly and looked away.
'What?' She asked.
He sighed. 'Well, cooking and cleaning isn't all that a wife does. And well, I think you're…you know…beautiful.'
'Oh, thanks.' She said like she's be complimented every day of her life. She was trying not to laugh. He looked so innocent and unsure.
'I guess what I want to know is, what you think of me?' He looked at her with big brown eyes pleading.
Chris laughed and clapped him on the shoulder. 'You ain't so bad either.'
He smiled and put his arm around her and gave her a squeeze. 'I'm glad.'
Chris sobered. 'I do have one thing that I would like though.'
'What's that? Nutcracker drawing the carriage?'
She gave him a look of mock annoyance. 'No. I was wondering, if you haven't already got your groomsmen…well, there's this guy I know and he's a really good friend...'
+++++
Chris dropped into the hardware store again on her way home from the markets a couple of days later.
Victor was standing behind the counter, polishing the smooth wooden surface.
'Hey you.' He greeted her.
'Hey yourself. What's been happening?' She leaned against the counter and munched on a carrot she'd just bought.
'I got a visit from your fiancé. Apparently he's desperate to have me in the groom's party for the wedding.' Victor said.
She raised an eyebrow. 'Really? I wonder what gave him that idea?' Chris said sarcastically.
'Yeah, I wonder.' Victor stopped polishing and leaned his elbows on the countertop. 'Does he have any idea what went on in the barn?'
Chris rolled her eyes. 'Victor, I told you. It was only so I didn't have to be a walking virgin all my life. I don't like you that way.'
Victor smirked. 'I didn't mean that Chris. I meant that your new hubby might be put off that you're not a virgin. Most girls are you know.'
Chris shrugged. 'Well, that's his problem. I doubt he'll notice after the lack of cooking and cleaning.' She put a hand on Victor's shoulder and spoke softly. 'I know you're madly in love with me Victor, but it can't work. It's not you, it's me.'Victor stood up and playfully punched her. Chris laughed and punched him back, harder. He rounded the counter and grabbed her in a headlock and messed her hair.She squealed and tried to fight him off.Wendell Terrence walked into the store and frowned at the scene. 'What's going on?' His voice echoing through the room.Victor let Chris go at once and virtually stood at attention. 'I was, um, we were, ah…'Chris laughed at him and shook her head. 'We were just mucking around Wendell Terrence. No need to get your back up about it.''He wasn't hurting you?' Tc asked, still frowning.
'No. Besides, I can beat him any day.' Chris said smartly.'Yeah right!' Victor said. 'You're the weakling around here, I could beat YOU any day you…' He looked sidewards at Wendell Terrence and decided that calling Chris a name wasn't in his best interest.'Christine, may I have a word with you?' Wendell Terrence asked.Chris nodded and started to follow Wendell Terrence out the front door of the hardware store. She looked back at Victor.'Busted.' He mouthed.Chris stuck her tongue out at him.+++++When Chris caught up to Wendell Terrence he absently put his arm through hers.
'What was going on in there?' He asked. The look on his face displayed more concern than anything else.
'Oh it was nothing. Victor and I have been friends for a while now and we often muck around.' Chris said nonchalantly.'Yes but he might have been hurting you and you felt that you couldn't say anything in front of him.'
Chris stopped him. 'I'm not a child! I can stand up for myself.' She stood up straight with her shoulders back and stood close to him. 'I could even take you on…''Whoa. Calm down. I was just concerned, that's all.' He almost looked relieved when Chris backed down. 'I was just looking out for you.' He said tucking a stray piece of hair behind her ear.'Okay then.' Chris said with a sharp nod and kept walking down the street.He came to walk with her. 'Look Christine…''I hate that name.' She interrupted. 'Can't you just call me Chris?''Okay, Chris…I was hoping that we could spend some time together before the wedding. I don't want to come home afterwards to a complete stranger.'Chris again stopped in her tracks. The wedding night…she hadn't thought about that. 'Sounds good to me.''Good, I know this great spot down by the lake. It's really beautiful. We could go on a picnic.'Chris nodded.'Okay then.' He left her as they reached the driveway to her house.'Wendell Terrence!' She called after him.'Please, call me Tc.''Tc. When do you want to go on the picnic?''Are you free this weekend?' He asked.She nodded.'I'll see you then.'
She watched him as he walked up the street. For some reason unknown to her, she couldn't wait.
+++++
Tc had a fairly long walk back to the Sawmill.
He turned around and saw Chris walking up her driveway. She may not like dresses, he thought, but she sure does look good in them.
He thought about the upcoming wedding. It was two and a half weeks away and there was still so much to do.
Chris's dress still wasn't finished. They couldn't pin her down long enough to get the finishing touches.
His mother had no luck in getting Chris's input on the hors d'oeuvers to be served at the reception.
And despite him asking multiple times, Tc couldn't get Chris to tell him where she wanted to go for their honeymoon.
In fact, everything that still needed to be done for the wedding had something to do with Chris.
Tc smiled to himself. She wasn't like any of the other women that had wanted to be married to him. She wasn't even like any other women he'd ever met.
Maybe that's what he liked about her. There was some sort of rebellious streak in her that snubbed its nose at the conventional stereotypical outlook of the female species…but then she didn't fully act like a man either. She was too sweet and too nice to be a man, and from the way that she'd looked at him that night in the barn, he knew that she had a romantic streak in her too, however deep it was buried.
He was definitely looking forward to marrying her. But his insecurities remained. Why was she marrying him? She didn't seem to be interested in his family's businesses, or the money, or the lifestyle. She wasn't interested in playing housewife and she didn't seem the type to marry just to humor her father.
So why was she marrying him?
+++++
After putting away the groceries, Chris grabbed her favorite book and lay down underneath a tree to read.
She couldn't concentrate however. Her mind kept flicking to the current events in her life.
She'd bumped into Katherine Callaway at the market today and had been bombarded with questions about the wedding. What flowers should they use? What colour schemes? What food to serve?
If it was left up to her, she'd get married in a paddock full of wild flowers and soft grass, with cows and horses all around. She'd have the sky as her backdrop and the rushing wind as the music. For the food, she'd have carrot sticks.
Chris got to her feet and went to the kitchen for some carrots.
She lent against the countertop eating her carrot when she found the wedding invitation to her parents.
'Mr and Mrs Ethan Callaway proudly invite you to the wedding of their son Wendell Terrence Callaway to Miss Christine Marie Kelly of Mr and Mrs Joe Kelly.'
Great, she though. From one lot of people owning her to another. Why couldn't they just treat her like the independent person she was instead of just someone's prized cow?
She frowned. What if Tc treated her like this after they were married? What if he wanted to tell her what she could and could not do? What if he told her what to think?
Chris took her concerns out on the carrot and bit down hard on it. He was going to be sadly mistaken if he thought he could boss her around.
+++++
Chris admired her dress in the mirror. For once, she was able to wear it. It was the only dress she owned that she actually liked.
Out of excitement and anticipation, she was taking extra special care to look good for the picnic with Tc this afternoon.
She's untied her hair from its usual scarf and brushed it till it shone. She's put on a necklace her father gave her for her last birthday and had even put on perfume.
The door of her bedroom opened and her mother walked in.
'You aren't wearing that dress are you?' Her mother asked.
Chris did a twirl. 'I was planning to. It looks good on me. I think he'll like it.'
'Wendell Terrence was bringing a horse around so you could ride to the lake together. It'll be a bit hard in that dress.'
The dress was made from a cream coloured velvet that would attract horse hair and dirt like a magnet. It was also fitted and fell to just below her knees. Perfect for a date, but no so much a horse ride.
'Well I'm going to wear it anyway.' Chris said stubbornly. 'He didn't tell me we were going horse riding and I'm not changing my plans to suit him.'
'But honey, that's what good wives do.' Her mother tried to reason with her.
'No, good wives cook, clean and sleep with their legs open. I am not that kind of wife. I've already told him that.'
'Darling, Wendell Terrence is a good man from a good family. You really don't want to be rocking the boat this close to the wedding.'
'I'm not rocking the boat mother. I'm steering it.' Chris put her book in her bag with her purse and went downstairs to wait for Tc.
+++++
Sure enough, Tc rode up with another horse in tow.
He dismounted and tied the horses to the fence before coming over to Chris. He had to resist the urge to give her a cuddle for his greeting. Instead he just gave her one of his sexy smiles.
'Are you ready to go?' He asked.
Chris pointed. 'What's with the horse? I'm not dressed to go riding.'
Tc looked taken aback. He had expected her to fawn over him a little then they'd saddle up and ride off into the sunset. 'Um, I thought if we rode there we'd have more time to picnic.'
'So why not tell me this? And why not let me take one of my horses?' Chris stood with her arms folded across her chest.
'Well, with Nutcracker needing to be here to nurse I thought that I'd bring one of my mares.' He looked over at the horse. 'She's really good-natured and very gentle.'
Chris looked at him and raised an eyebrow.
'And when we get married we'll be sharing everything, including horses.' He sighed. 'I was going to leave this for the lake but I guess I should tell you now. This mare is a present…to you.'
'You're giving me a horse?' Chris said with a smile. She went over to Tc and hugged him. 'That's really sweet.'
Tc smiled back at her. 'I'm glad you like her.'
Chris went over to the horse to introduce herself. He was right, the horse was very sweet. She nuzzled Chris and didn't budge when Chris looked her over.
Chris put a foot in one of the stirrups and Tc rushed to aid her. 'Do you need help?' He asked but Chris was already sitting up high on the horse.
'Nope.' She said cheerily. 'But if you want to untie her, that would be a blessing.'
Tc nodded and untied the lead rope from the fence. He also untied his horse and mounted it. 'Ready to go?' He asked.
'Race ya.' Chris said, kicking the horse in the gut and taking off.
+++++
Chris snuck inside and went into the kitchen.
'What are you doing in here?' Her mother asked. 'You have guests.'
'They're yours and daddy's guests.' Chris protested. 'Besides, I want to help you.'
'Darling, we both know you can't cook.' Her mother retorted. 'Now go into the living room and meet with your guests.'
There were five Callaways all together. Ethan and Katherine, the parents, Wendell Terrence, and Edward and Kerry, Terrence Wendell's siblings.
Chris stood in the doorway and waited to be noticed...which did take a while.
It was Katherine Callaway who noticed her standing there. She patted the seat beside her. 'Come over here darling.' She swooned.
Chris walked over and sat. Katherine handed her a glass of wine. She took a sip and cringed.
'Isn't the wine delicious Christine?' Joe said. 'Ethan tells me it came all the way from Florida.'
'It's great.' Chris said and plastered a smile on her face.
'And Kerry was just telling us a great recipe to use it in.' Katherine said proudly. 'She learned it in cooking class. What was it again darling?'
'Duck pate.' Kerry answered.
Katherine nodded. 'Do you remember making that Christine?'
Chris remembered it all right. She'd vomited it for a week. 'Oh, you know, it's been so long since I did cooking class.'
'But I was a year before you.' Kerry said.
Chris glared at her.
Wendell Terrace tried to hide a laugh. 'Well it doesn't matter.' He said. 'Just as long as she knows how to boil water.'
Chris gave a sigh of relief. That was about the only thing she could do in the kitchen.
Mrs Kelly came into the living room and invited everyone to the dinner table.
+++++
After dinner the Kellys continued to brown-nose.
Chris excused herself and went down to the stables to be with Nutcracker. The whole dinner party thing was not her scene.
She opened to the door to the stall where Nutcracker and her baby were. The foal was lying down having a rest. Nutcracker was grazing on the straw.
Chris picked up a brush and started grooming the mare...and nearly jumped out of her skin when someone tapped her on the shoulder.
'My god, Wendell Terrence! You scared me to death!' She said annoyed.
He pouted. 'Sorry. I wanted to come and find you.'
'Why? Thought I was lost?' Chris said sarcastically went back to grooming the horse.
'No.' He put his hands in the pockets on his pants. 'I was hoping we could do some talking before the wedding.'
'Oh okay.' Chris said with a shrug. 'Talk away.'
'How did your dress fitting go?'
Chris shrugged again. 'It was okay.'
'What does the dress look like?'
'White.' She said half-heartedly.
'You don't like white?' Wendell Terrence asked. He got another shrug as his answer. 'You're really not happy about all this are you?'
She turned to him with a huff. 'I really don't care either way. I didn't have a say in the decision. I haven't been able to pick out my dress, or my bridesmaids, or my hairstyle, and really I don't even know if I want to.'
He gave her a puzzled look. 'I'm confused.'
Chris put down the brush and went and sat with the colt, running her fingers through his soft mane. 'I just think you're the one that will lose out. My father is making me to seem like something I'm not. I can't cook, I can't sew and I don't like dresses.'
Wendell Terrence smiled and went and sat down next to her. 'Yes, but you can boil water.'
Chris couldn't help herself and smiled at him. 'Well, I suppose I can do that.'
'Okay, so what do you want? I mean, with this whole wedding thing. You have to have some preferences.' He said picking at a piece of straw.
Chris looked thoughtfully at the barn's rafters for a minute. 'I want to bring my horse.'
'To the wedding?' He looked at her like she'd just grown hooves herself.
She shook her head. 'No, afterwards.'
Wendell Terrence smiled shyly and looked away.
'What?' She asked.
He sighed. 'Well, cooking and cleaning isn't all that a wife does. And well, I think you're…you know…beautiful.'
'Oh, thanks.' She said like she's be complimented every day of her life. She was trying not to laugh. He looked so innocent and unsure.
'I guess what I want to know is, what you think of me?' He looked at her with big brown eyes pleading.
Chris laughed and clapped him on the shoulder. 'You ain't so bad either.'
He smiled and put his arm around her and gave her a squeeze. 'I'm glad.'
Chris sobered. 'I do have one thing that I would like though.'
'What's that? Nutcracker drawing the carriage?'
She gave him a look of mock annoyance. 'No. I was wondering, if you haven't already got your groomsmen…well, there's this guy I know and he's a really good friend...'
+++++
Chris dropped into the hardware store again on her way home from the markets a couple of days later.
Victor was standing behind the counter, polishing the smooth wooden surface.
'Hey you.' He greeted her.
'Hey yourself. What's been happening?' She leaned against the counter and munched on a carrot she'd just bought.
'I got a visit from your fiancé. Apparently he's desperate to have me in the groom's party for the wedding.' Victor said.
She raised an eyebrow. 'Really? I wonder what gave him that idea?' Chris said sarcastically.
'Yeah, I wonder.' Victor stopped polishing and leaned his elbows on the countertop. 'Does he have any idea what went on in the barn?'
Chris rolled her eyes. 'Victor, I told you. It was only so I didn't have to be a walking virgin all my life. I don't like you that way.'
Victor smirked. 'I didn't mean that Chris. I meant that your new hubby might be put off that you're not a virgin. Most girls are you know.'
Chris shrugged. 'Well, that's his problem. I doubt he'll notice after the lack of cooking and cleaning.' She put a hand on Victor's shoulder and spoke softly. 'I know you're madly in love with me Victor, but it can't work. It's not you, it's me.'Victor stood up and playfully punched her. Chris laughed and punched him back, harder. He rounded the counter and grabbed her in a headlock and messed her hair.She squealed and tried to fight him off.Wendell Terrence walked into the store and frowned at the scene. 'What's going on?' His voice echoing through the room.Victor let Chris go at once and virtually stood at attention. 'I was, um, we were, ah…'Chris laughed at him and shook her head. 'We were just mucking around Wendell Terrence. No need to get your back up about it.''He wasn't hurting you?' Tc asked, still frowning.
'No. Besides, I can beat him any day.' Chris said smartly.'Yeah right!' Victor said. 'You're the weakling around here, I could beat YOU any day you…' He looked sidewards at Wendell Terrence and decided that calling Chris a name wasn't in his best interest.'Christine, may I have a word with you?' Wendell Terrence asked.Chris nodded and started to follow Wendell Terrence out the front door of the hardware store. She looked back at Victor.'Busted.' He mouthed.Chris stuck her tongue out at him.+++++When Chris caught up to Wendell Terrence he absently put his arm through hers.
'What was going on in there?' He asked. The look on his face displayed more concern than anything else.
'Oh it was nothing. Victor and I have been friends for a while now and we often muck around.' Chris said nonchalantly.'Yes but he might have been hurting you and you felt that you couldn't say anything in front of him.'
Chris stopped him. 'I'm not a child! I can stand up for myself.' She stood up straight with her shoulders back and stood close to him. 'I could even take you on…''Whoa. Calm down. I was just concerned, that's all.' He almost looked relieved when Chris backed down. 'I was just looking out for you.' He said tucking a stray piece of hair behind her ear.'Okay then.' Chris said with a sharp nod and kept walking down the street.He came to walk with her. 'Look Christine…''I hate that name.' She interrupted. 'Can't you just call me Chris?''Okay, Chris…I was hoping that we could spend some time together before the wedding. I don't want to come home afterwards to a complete stranger.'Chris again stopped in her tracks. The wedding night…she hadn't thought about that. 'Sounds good to me.''Good, I know this great spot down by the lake. It's really beautiful. We could go on a picnic.'Chris nodded.'Okay then.' He left her as they reached the driveway to her house.'Wendell Terrence!' She called after him.'Please, call me Tc.''Tc. When do you want to go on the picnic?''Are you free this weekend?' He asked.She nodded.'I'll see you then.'
She watched him as he walked up the street. For some reason unknown to her, she couldn't wait.
+++++
Tc had a fairly long walk back to the Sawmill.
He turned around and saw Chris walking up her driveway. She may not like dresses, he thought, but she sure does look good in them.
He thought about the upcoming wedding. It was two and a half weeks away and there was still so much to do.
Chris's dress still wasn't finished. They couldn't pin her down long enough to get the finishing touches.
His mother had no luck in getting Chris's input on the hors d'oeuvers to be served at the reception.
And despite him asking multiple times, Tc couldn't get Chris to tell him where she wanted to go for their honeymoon.
In fact, everything that still needed to be done for the wedding had something to do with Chris.
Tc smiled to himself. She wasn't like any of the other women that had wanted to be married to him. She wasn't even like any other women he'd ever met.
Maybe that's what he liked about her. There was some sort of rebellious streak in her that snubbed its nose at the conventional stereotypical outlook of the female species…but then she didn't fully act like a man either. She was too sweet and too nice to be a man, and from the way that she'd looked at him that night in the barn, he knew that she had a romantic streak in her too, however deep it was buried.
He was definitely looking forward to marrying her. But his insecurities remained. Why was she marrying him? She didn't seem to be interested in his family's businesses, or the money, or the lifestyle. She wasn't interested in playing housewife and she didn't seem the type to marry just to humor her father.
So why was she marrying him?
+++++
After putting away the groceries, Chris grabbed her favorite book and lay down underneath a tree to read.
She couldn't concentrate however. Her mind kept flicking to the current events in her life.
She'd bumped into Katherine Callaway at the market today and had been bombarded with questions about the wedding. What flowers should they use? What colour schemes? What food to serve?
If it was left up to her, she'd get married in a paddock full of wild flowers and soft grass, with cows and horses all around. She'd have the sky as her backdrop and the rushing wind as the music. For the food, she'd have carrot sticks.
Chris got to her feet and went to the kitchen for some carrots.
She lent against the countertop eating her carrot when she found the wedding invitation to her parents.
'Mr and Mrs Ethan Callaway proudly invite you to the wedding of their son Wendell Terrence Callaway to Miss Christine Marie Kelly of Mr and Mrs Joe Kelly.'
Great, she though. From one lot of people owning her to another. Why couldn't they just treat her like the independent person she was instead of just someone's prized cow?
She frowned. What if Tc treated her like this after they were married? What if he wanted to tell her what she could and could not do? What if he told her what to think?
Chris took her concerns out on the carrot and bit down hard on it. He was going to be sadly mistaken if he thought he could boss her around.
+++++
Chris admired her dress in the mirror. For once, she was able to wear it. It was the only dress she owned that she actually liked.
Out of excitement and anticipation, she was taking extra special care to look good for the picnic with Tc this afternoon.
She's untied her hair from its usual scarf and brushed it till it shone. She's put on a necklace her father gave her for her last birthday and had even put on perfume.
The door of her bedroom opened and her mother walked in.
'You aren't wearing that dress are you?' Her mother asked.
Chris did a twirl. 'I was planning to. It looks good on me. I think he'll like it.'
'Wendell Terrence was bringing a horse around so you could ride to the lake together. It'll be a bit hard in that dress.'
The dress was made from a cream coloured velvet that would attract horse hair and dirt like a magnet. It was also fitted and fell to just below her knees. Perfect for a date, but no so much a horse ride.
'Well I'm going to wear it anyway.' Chris said stubbornly. 'He didn't tell me we were going horse riding and I'm not changing my plans to suit him.'
'But honey, that's what good wives do.' Her mother tried to reason with her.
'No, good wives cook, clean and sleep with their legs open. I am not that kind of wife. I've already told him that.'
'Darling, Wendell Terrence is a good man from a good family. You really don't want to be rocking the boat this close to the wedding.'
'I'm not rocking the boat mother. I'm steering it.' Chris put her book in her bag with her purse and went downstairs to wait for Tc.
+++++
Sure enough, Tc rode up with another horse in tow.
He dismounted and tied the horses to the fence before coming over to Chris. He had to resist the urge to give her a cuddle for his greeting. Instead he just gave her one of his sexy smiles.
'Are you ready to go?' He asked.
Chris pointed. 'What's with the horse? I'm not dressed to go riding.'
Tc looked taken aback. He had expected her to fawn over him a little then they'd saddle up and ride off into the sunset. 'Um, I thought if we rode there we'd have more time to picnic.'
'So why not tell me this? And why not let me take one of my horses?' Chris stood with her arms folded across her chest.
'Well, with Nutcracker needing to be here to nurse I thought that I'd bring one of my mares.' He looked over at the horse. 'She's really good-natured and very gentle.'
Chris looked at him and raised an eyebrow.
'And when we get married we'll be sharing everything, including horses.' He sighed. 'I was going to leave this for the lake but I guess I should tell you now. This mare is a present…to you.'
'You're giving me a horse?' Chris said with a smile. She went over to Tc and hugged him. 'That's really sweet.'
Tc smiled back at her. 'I'm glad you like her.'
Chris went over to the horse to introduce herself. He was right, the horse was very sweet. She nuzzled Chris and didn't budge when Chris looked her over.
Chris put a foot in one of the stirrups and Tc rushed to aid her. 'Do you need help?' He asked but Chris was already sitting up high on the horse.
'Nope.' She said cheerily. 'But if you want to untie her, that would be a blessing.'
Tc nodded and untied the lead rope from the fence. He also untied his horse and mounted it. 'Ready to go?' He asked.
'Race ya.' Chris said, kicking the horse in the gut and taking off.
+++++