A/N: Thanks for the sweet reviews (you know who you are!) and the support for this new and rather unconventional story!

"It's Saturday, aren't you going to take the day off?" Leia asked, one eye brow rose as she watched Han from her perch on the wooden trestle fence around the horse enclosure. She dangled her bare feet and swung them back and forth, just wearing denim shorts and a white shirt, her hair in a loose braid and curving around her shoulder.

She had made it a habit of watching him, pestering him, and teasing him when she could but the past two days she had left him alone after his comment about him being worried about the job because of her. She didn't understand it, and she thought he was mad at her. But today she faced him again. She had to after all - she loved Chewy to pieces and the dog was now not leaving Han's side and was sleeping with him in the guest house. That used to be her baby.

"No," he said after a moment. He was moving hay bales. He was wearing lighter colored jeans today and his boots. But no shirt. His tanned, muscular back facing her as he did the tedious and tiring work. She was not complaining at the sight in the least. That was half the reason why she had made her way down to the stables instead of going into town with her mom.

"Why not? Who even works Saturdays?" Leia rolled her eyes, he was so stubborn. Did he really like to move hay around for the hell of it? Even her Dad said he could take the weekends off after the morning feedings.

"People like me Leia," Han replied, still not turning to look at her. This shut her down and she felt stupid once again, "I need the money. I'm trying to save for parts for my car." He finished the pile and turned around, slapping his hands together to get off the dirt and then he strung his thumbs through the belt loops on his jeans. They hung just right on him and Leia nearly fell off her seat. He had caught her looking, and now he was going to give her hell about it.

"Like what you see Leia?" his voice was just a touch deeper and he cocked his head to the side as a smile played on his lips, waiting for what she would say.

She knew her face was flushing and there was no way to stop it once it started. Unfortunately, she was liking what she saw and she was having problems forming a coherent sentence for once in her life. She had been on the debate team at her old high school…and she couldn't even answer this man's simple question.

"It's alright," she tried to play it coy but he didn't buy it one bit. He walked over to her and leaned up against the fence next to her, looking up at her, eyes squinting in the sun.

"Alright? Just alright…hmmm. I've never been called just alright by anyone. Not even a little princess like you," he smirked. She jumped down from her seat, and was now the one looking up at him, being nearly a foot shorter.

"Don't be so cocky, I've seen better…" she mumbled. It was a bold-faced lie. She had never seen a man like that. And even if she had at some point, she had never felt like this about a man in her life ever.

Sure she was 18, her hormones were raging, and it was the middle of a heat wave in Texas and a gorgeous half-naked man was standing in front of her. But still, Leia knew there was something else about him…

"Cocky? Little old me…cocky. That's a new one," he grinned. He loved teasing the girl. He loved seeing the sweet blush on her pretty skin when he made her nervous. And she was right after all – he had always been a cocky son of a bitch. She just called him out on it.

"Mhmm, I'm sure," she shrugged noncommittally and rested her forearms on the fence, looking at their horses in the corral. Princess, Falcon, the black one, the palomino, and the tawny brown one. Those didn't have names yet. Or at least not ones that Leia was aware of.

"I want to learn how to ride. Teach me." Leia almost demanded suddenly, trying to change the subject. It had just blurted out of her, it having been something she had wanted to ask Han since he arrived and had seemed so natural around the horses. She wanted to be able to ride her horse around. She didn't have a car, since she was flying across country for college in a few months anyway, but she wanted to be able to get away every once in a while. She could do that on a horse. Just be alone. Or maybe…be alone with him.

Han's riled up brain from their banter immediately went to a dirty thought and then he coughed, clearing his throat and choking himself back into reality.

"Horses?" he clarified.

"Of course, what else would I mean?" she shot him a dirty look. Was he flirting?

"No, it's not my job to be your damn riding teacher," he suddenly got irritated from her look. Sometimes the girl just pissed him off.

"I told you, you work for my family and I can make you do whatever I want you to do, when I want you to do it, and I want to learn how to ride," she said boldly, facing him and looking up at him with a stubbornness in her eyes that he could not easily match. He was taken aback by it.

"Fine, missy, settle down," he laughed. There was no use arguing with her, so he started towards the pen, "You wanna ride my horse, or yours?" he asked, but the way he said it made Leia tingle. Somehow, she was starting to get the feeling they weren't only talking about horses.

"Yours…" she said, surprising herself. His face lit up in a boyish smile as he went to get Falcon. In a moment he was back with the beautiful grey horse. He had roped her and handed the reign to Leia, his rough calloused hand touching her soft one and lingering for just a second.

"Don't be afraid of her, she's a sweetheart…aren't you baby?" he spoke to the horse, giving her a pat on the nose before walking into the stables to get her saddle. Leia stood with Falcon, nervous. She was bigger than Princess, and from what Leia had seen of her – much less docile. Leia gave her a nervous pat on the nose, mimicking Han and the horse gave a snort. Han was back in a moment with the saddle.

"She's protective over me, as you can tell. Up until now, she's been the only woman in my life for a while," Han said softly. Leia was startled, wondering if he was insinuating she was important enough to be in his life. She didn't want to overthink it – nearly everything about Han seemed complicated and confusing. He saddled Falcon and tightened it up.

"Ready?" Han finally looked at her, amused. Leia nodded, walking over to the side of the horse.

"Just step up with your left foot into the stirrup and I'll help you the rest of the way," Han told her and he placed his hand on the small of her back, ready to push her the rest of the way. She lifted one bare foot into the stirrup and Han made a remark about her going to kill herself if she went around barefoot any longer, and then he placed a hand under her butt and helped her onto the saddle. It all happened in one quick motion, and she knew Han had to do it to get her tiny body up on the horse, but she still couldn't help but blush. She stuck her other little foot into the other stirrup and held the reigns. Falcon didn't move and she looked down at Han for approval.

"Well, don't you look like a sight up there?" he smirked, "How do you feel?"

"Scared."

"Well, that's natural your first time," Han told her, reaching out to hold onto her left leg. He touched her ever so slightly tanned, soft skin and didn't want to let go. But he told himself it was only to steady her. He couldn't believe how many thoughts – half mushy and half dangerously inappropriate he was having about this girl right now. And she was making him give her riding lessons instead of working. He cursed to himself, knowing he shouldn't be doing this.

"Grip her hair at the base of her neck, firmly, and keep the reigns there. Show her she can't get away with shit, okay?" Han told Leia, patting Falcon on the belly who took off on a slow walk back towards the opening of the corral.

Leia was a little freaked out by the sudden movement, but when they walked into the pen, with Han at their side, she felt okay. It was her first time on a horse…something she had always been afraid of, but she desperately wanted to impress him.

"You look good up there," he told her.

"Flattery won't get you anywhere Solo," Leia still had her wit about her to quip back.

"I don't know about that…I think it's getting me somewhere," he smiled up at her and she tried to concentrate and not do something stupid and fall off the damn thing. He was so frustrating. She turned to look down at him and in the motion, loosened the reigns.

Falcon seized the opportunity to be a brat and took off on a little bit of a faster canter, causing Leia to slip right down off the saddle and fall with a hard thump on her ass on the dirt before Han could get to her. Falcon went off towards the other horses and Han got down on his knees on her side.

"Ow," she groaned, standing up.

"We need to get you a pair of boots. If you want to keep doing this…" his eyes gleamed now that he knew she was okay. He held her hand to help her up.

"I do, I want to." She smiled.

A/N: Thanks for taking the time to read! Review if you feel so inclined!