"Buttercup!" Jessie shrieked.

It was two weeks until the contest at the state fair, and in the weeks since Woody's idea, Buttercup had been unstoppable.

All the rules about the rider having to be light enough to jump the hurdle went out of the window. Buttercup simply loved the extra weight, so Jessie and Buzz had to devise a system for her to accommodate more weight, without the judges knowing.

They had finally settled on lead pads, hidden inside the saddle, which Buzz had spent a few nights unpicking and stuffing before Bo helped him sew it back up. Thereby, whenever Jessie rode Buttercup, she was 'handicapped', to use the correct technical term for it.

She now coasted over hurdles, with no problem. Unfortunately she would jump just about anything. Buzz, much to Jessie's chagrin, was no help. At this moment in time she had just been taken for another unplanned hurdle over a nearby hedge. On managing to bring the horse back under control, she had wheeled round to find Buzz snorting with laughter, doubled over with his hands braced against his knees.

"Very funny, I'm sure." Jessie remarked, dismounting and leading Buttercup back through the gate.

"You….should….have…..hahaha….seen….hahaha…seen your face!" Buzz wheezed, straightening up and trying to catch his breath.

"Hmmm…" Jessie busied herself with fussing with the saddle on Buttercup, so she didn't have to look at Buzz. He had changed over the past few weeks. He no longer simpered and gazed at her. He would voice an opinion or make a comment directly, he wasn't shy anymore, and moreso, he seemed to laugh at her when something went wrong. She missed the Buzz that was all agog for her, the one that was kind, like the afternoon on the ridge.

"Why do I keep thinking about that day?" She wondered to herself.

"Aw Jess. C'mon, I'm only teasing." Buzz broke into her thoughts, having finally got his breath back and being able to start speaking coherently again.

"It doesn't happen to you. What if she bolts during the contest?"

"She wont. You just have to be a bit firmer. She understands words and commands, just like Bullseye."

Jessie blinked. "You heard me talking to him?"

Buzz grinned. "Cant help it. You two have pretty in-depth one sided conversations."

Jessie went red and stared at the ground. "We should be getting Buttercup back to the stables for the night." She said quietly. "It's getting dark."

Buzz shrugged, his previous good mood deflating. "Lead the way."

In the stables, Buzz watched as Jessie led Buttercup over to her stable and inside. It had already been mucked out that morning, so she was able to come straight back out afterwards to lock the door behind her.

At the sound of the bolt scraping across, Bullseye stuck his head over the neighbouring stable door with a soft whinny. Jessie wandered along to pay his head softly. "There boy," Buzz heard her say. "Ya'll feeling pretty neglected, all the attention I'm paying to Buttercup….well guess what?"

Buzz saw her reach into her back pocket, and pull out a apple. Bullseye gave a snort of joy and started to chomp away. Jessie petted him when he was done, and turned. Buzz realised he had been staring and tried to diffuse the tension hanging in the air.

"You know," he started, "Y…you've been doing r…really well…er…not that you're b…bad with horses…but uh…I guess we're learning n….new things every day, and so, er…." he stuttered, rubbing the back of his neck with one hand.

Why was he feeling so nervous? Was it because this was the first time in a long time he'd been alone in the stables with her? He remembered the first time about a year ago when he'd confessed his feelings for the first time, and they'd kissed. He thought it was the beginning of something really good, and then he'd taken it too fast too soon. Stupid, stupid Buzz. He looked up and met her gaze from across the room.

Jessie glanced at him, Bullseye having retreated as he had finished his apply treat.

She gave a little smile as he stammered and stared at her, this was more like the Buzz she knew from before this whole drama with the contest had started. He was so unbelievably shy, and he loved the horses the way she did. A strange feeling washed over her suddenly, and at the same time she was aware Buzz had stopped speaking. The only sound was that of the horses settling in for the night. They were otherwise alone in the quiet of the stables.

"Well, we should get going." Buzz began, but neither of them moved.

"Yeah.." she said softly, drawing closer to him, holding his gaze.

For a short time there was a silence in the stables once more. Buzz swallowed, remembering when Jessie had told him to back off. He was broken out of his thought by a unusual, yet familiar sensation. She was pressing him back against the wall and he closed his eyes, waiting and preparing himself for whatever horror she was going to fling his way. But a different sensation overwhelmed him instead. Buzz's eyes flew open again as her lips very softly traced his in a kiss he hadn't been expecting.

Jessie drew back and their gaze locked again. "Just go with it, Buzz," he heard her whisper soothingly, pressing close again and enveloping him in a gentle embrace. They met again in another kiss, and Buzz, unable to believe what was happening, allowed his hands to rest ever so gently on her hips.

Pulling her closer, the kiss deepened, as all his pent up emotion released itself into the searing intimacy they shared that evening.