A/N: Leverage characters are not mine. Please leave a comment. Thanks for reading.

Chapter 6

Let's Ride

Sophie and Alice showed up around 10 AM. Alice was dressed in a T-shirt, jeans and boots. Sophie was wearing a dress. Michele grinned. She had no doubt that she was begging off from riding a horse. Alice ran to the porch where Michele was sitting. "I am ready!" She was grinning from ear to ear.

"Well come on then." Walking with her to the barn, they found Eliot saddling up Charlie.

"Have you ever ridden before." Michele looked at the young energetic woman.

"Yes."

Eliot produced a low growl.

"Well, I was young, it was a pony."

He growled again.

"It was a mechanical pony." She gave Eliot a look daring him to argue that point.

Watching the verbal exchange between the two, Michele tapped her chin. "Do you two know each other?"

"No." Both said it at the same time.

"Huh". Michele tapped her chin again.

"He's ready." Eliot handed the reins to Michele .

"Thanks Eliot. Could you hand me a lunge line?"

He reached for one that was on the hook, handing it to her. She smiled at him.

"Okay, Alice let's go out into the arena." Leading Charlie, she had Alice open the gate. Once through, she secured it.

"Do you need help getting up?" Before she had a chance to end the sentence the young woman was in the saddle.

Michele adjusted the stirrups, double checked the girth strap. "Okay, do you know how to make him go?"

"I kick him."

Michele shook her head. "You squeeze with your knees. Do you know how to stop?"

"Pull on the reins."

"You pull on the reins applying steady and even pressure and sit back in the saddle." Michele demonstrated from the ground.

"Let's get going!" Her enthusiasm had Michele concerned.

"First, let's try the lunge line and see how you do." Michele attached the lunge line.

Within twenty minutes, she felt that Alice was okay to turn loose. Taking off the lunge line, Alice began at a walk, moved to a very bouncy trot to a canter. She pulled to a stop next to Michele .

"Very good. On the trot, you can lift yourself a little bit in the saddle so you're not bouncing so hard. Remember to keep your heels down. On the canter, which is faster than a trot, move with the horse, like you would with a rock chair."

Alice nodding, moving Charlie off towards the outer part of the ring. She was a quick study and when she returned to Michele she smiled. "I saw and felt a difference."

"That's great. Do you want to try the pasture?"

"Alone?" She looked out towards the pasture.

"No, I'll saddle up and go with you."

In minutes, Michele had Freckles Fancy in the ring. Stepping up into the saddle, they moved to the gate that led from the arena to the pasture. Having their horses at a walk, they talked. Eliot leaned on the arena's post watching them ride off.

Alice looked at Michele . "I never realized that riding was so much work!"

Michele laughed. "It is. It takes a lot of work, patience and finding the right horse."

Returning an hour later, they led their horses to the barn. Michele showed Alice how to cross tie Charlie. Removing her saddle she turned nearly hitting Eliot with it. "You don't need to be lifting that. Go to house, I'll finish up."

She was about to argue when she realized how tired she was. "Thanks. Come on Alice, let's go to the house."

Taking her cane from Jose's stall wall, she ran her hand on the name plate. They walked side by side as Eliot watched them leave the barn.

Sandy had lunch just about ready when they walked in the kitchen. "Have a good time?"

Alice nodded. "I think I got saddle sores."

Sophie covered her mouth with her hand, smiling.

Sandy began setting the table. In a short time, she had the soup pan on the table. "It's ready." She went out and clanged the triangle, so the therapists and Eliot would hear. In moments the table was filled with people, discussion and laughter. Michele closed her eyes for a moment and visualized her parents and her sitting at the table in a simple time.

"Michele , Michele pass the crackers." It was Eliot breaking through her memory.

Opening her eyes , she looked at him questioning. "Crackers." He repeated.

Handing the plate to him, she smiled. "Sorry, lost in my thoughts."

She stood using her cane moved towards the dishwasher, putting her bowl and spoon into the dishwasher. "Thanks Sandy." She began walking down the hallway.

Sophie spoke up. "I thought we were going to discuss the Gala."

"I'll be back in an hour."

Sophie looked at Alice and then Sandy. "What just happened?"

Sandy began clearing the table. She stopped and shrugged. "She'll be back."

Eliot quietly walked down the hall, turning the knob, he peered into her room. She was curled up under a blanket on her bed. Pulling the door closed, he returned to the table where Alice and Sophie were waiting. He getting a cup of coffee, he sat down with them. "She's taking a nap."

Glancing at the clock, they heard the closing of a door. Michele made her way back to the living room, taking her notebook, calendar and pen she moved towards the table. "Sorry about that. When I get wore out, I am better off with a nap than trying to push through the work."

Holding true to her word, the meeting was very productive. Ideas flew as notes were taken, list of people for donations. Sophie did a rough design for the entrance for the Gala. "How about this?"

She turned it for Michele and Sandy to view. Sandy nodded in approval. Michele looked at it and then took the paper, walked out house and stared at the area the banner would be hung. The others followed. Eliot peered over her shoulder. "How difficult would it be to build stationary white picket gates?" Turning slightly, she took a pencil out of his pocket, she began drawing what she meant.

"That would give a more 'welcoming to the ranch'." Sophie looked at it and smiled.

"Stationary would keep the kids and some adults from swinging on the gates." Sandy added.

Eliot looked at it. "How about a set of gates on both sides of the sign...so as they are reminded of the day.

Michele nodded. "You build it and I will paint it." She slipped the pencil back into his shirt pocket and patted it.

"Paint what?" Jeff had been approaching the group unnoticed. He glanced from Michele to Eliot.

"The picket fence under the banner." Michele showed Jeff the sketch of the welcome sign.

Jeff studied the sketch and handed it back to Michele , again glancing at Eliot. "Yeah, that looks good. Has a band been chosen?" His voice flat.

Michele furrowed her brow, studying him from the side. She noticed his jaw was clenched. "Why don't we go back to the house and listen to the CDs and see who we like best." She kept her voice light.

Jeff walked ahead of the group. Sandy looked at him, then at Michele . "What's going on?" Michele shook her head.

A/N: Leverage characters are not mine. Please leave a comment. Thanks for reading.