If I woulda known

Hearing that he really was welcome, Tal relaxes a little. He really didn't want to impose or make Ryan uncomfortable, even if Eli had already asked him to stay.

About to say thank you, he stops as Ryan nears, unsure what the "but" statement was about. Suddenly feeling her fingertips on his skin, his first reaction was to back away, but his feet were apparently glued to the floor. He blinks though and looks down into Ryan's eyes, hoping that she couldn't feel how quickly his heart was beating all of a sudden. His mouth opens to say something, but no sound comes out. As she retreats, all he can do is stare after her and stand dumbly where he was.

Eli is nosing around in the grocery sacks when he looks back over his shoulder just in time to see Ryan's hand go up Tal's shirt. He almost drops the jar of spaghetti sauce but manages to juggle and keep it in his grasp. Watching Ryan come back to the counter, his eyebrows were about as high as they could go, and he sets the jar down. "Um... I..." He thumbs towards the living room. "Think I'm gonna go finish that beer of mine." He starts to walk away, his sentence trailing off under his breath. "...and maybe start in on another one...before I cook the steaks."

Left alone in the kitchen with Ryan, Tal can feel just a little bit of heat in his cheeks. Though her back was to him, he looks at her anyway, still trying to think of something sensible to say. "I think I'll... stay now... yes... thank you."

Glancing over his shoulder, he sees Eli still isn't coming back yet and he doesn't know if he should stay in here or go sit down somewhere. But looking back at Ryan again, a crooked little grin comes to his lips.

Wandering up beside her, he leans to rest his elbows on the counter and look at the groceries she's taking out of the sacks. His shoulder gives her arm a little nudge before he cocks his head to look up at her face. "If I woulda known you preferred me shirtless, I coulda just come that way and then the beer would have been an easy cleanup."


Mick grins and shakes his head. "No time is a bad time around here, usually. We're always hopping, whether we have guests or not. Actually, this is a good day for you guys to arrive. Our last guest for a couple weeks just left so you'll be able to settle in and get to know everyone here before newcomers start to come and go."

He glances around a minute, trying to decide what would be best first. "Well..." He thinks. "I got a few minutes now, so how about I give you two just a quick tour so at least you know your way around, then I can grab a couple guys to help get your stuff into your new home."

Leading Stacy and Ashlee, he gives them a brief overview of that ranch layout so they would know where everything was - more details about boundaries and exact buildings would come later. He pointed out things he thought they'd like to know to start, and introduced them to a couple people, though most were busy and he didn't want to bother them - more introductions would come later around the dinner table when everyone was together.

Circling around back to the main barn, Mick shows them inside to just give them an idea of where a few things were so if they came out here they could find their way around. "And most of our horses are in here... you'll get to know them all too." He grins at Ashlee. "Something tells me you're going to spend a lot of your time in here."

Leading them down one of the aisles, he spots the one person he wanted Stacy to meet - the reason this whole thing started in the first place.


Dylan was busy scooping out one of the stalls when he heard unfamiliar voices. Female voices. Great. They were here, and Mick was apparently giving them a grand tour while everybody was trying to work.

He sighs as he fills up the wheelbarrow with soiled bedding. Maybe they'd go the other way. At the very least, his wheelbarrow was full, so he could slip out the side of the barn to go empty it and... take his time coming back.

Hefting up the wheelbarrow handles, he pushes it out of the stall and turns sharply. His efforts were in vain though.

"Hey, Dylan..."

He thinks about ignoring his father's call, but that would probably just get him into trouble. Sighing again, he stops, his back to the others. Setting down the wheelbarrow, he musters up the best sort of polite expression he can - though it's a pretty weak one - and turns around.

Mick approaches with Stacy and Ashlee and he gives his son a nod. "Stacy, Ashlee... this is my son, Dylan."

Dylan doesn't bother to take off his gloves as he wipes some sweat from his brow. He gives Stacy a once-over before his eyes glance down at Ashlee. His lips don't smile, though his eyes aren't angry. Perhaps his stiff demeanor only proved how uncomfortable he felt being the center of attention. "Hi."


As soon as Katie is gone, Jason puts his head back down on his desk again. Katie's question and suggestion only prove to raise a big of irritation.

I'm fine.

It was a bold-faced lie and he knew it. He was not fine. And no matter how much he tried to justify how he felt with thinking it might just be a bug or lack of sleep, he knew good and well that this was exactly what Rick had been afraid of and had warned him about.

Keeping his head down, it was hard not to let exhaustion take over again, even though he was having a conversation with Katie.

Just... get your lunch. I guess I'm not hungry.

Not even straightening, his hand crawls to his desk drawer where his fingers find his bottle of pain killers. His head hurt. His knee hurt. He just wanted relief, that's all. Finally lifting his head a little, he manages to get two pills out of the bottle, but his hand slips and the rest of the bottle goes tumbling to the floor, spilling its contents all over.

He sighs. But he doesn't bother to clean it up yet. Downing the two pills he managed to save, he puts his head back down again.

Ignore me. I want you to enjoy your lunch break, not be miserable with me.