Downswing

So Stacy must be tougher on speeders than her own daughter. That was probably good - at least Ashlee didn't seem like the rod had been spared too much. Eric digests her words, still trying to figure out the whole family dynamics and what Stacy was made out of. Her question makes him pause his work again though.

Thinking a moment, he finds a dirty spot in some deeper tooling that he picks at with his thumbnail. "Mick's usually the one that gives lessons," he finally answers. It was true - Mick was the head honcho when it came to riding lessons or breaking in horses, whether it was visitors, family or paying customers. Eric only got involved if he was asked directly by Mick or Rosetta. His job had always just been to help around the barn and bring in money from the road.

His mistake, however, was glancing over at Ashlee. There were those eyes again. He usually didn't have trouble saying no, did he? He didn't think she was trying to manipulate him - there was just a sweet spirit about her that was hard to ignore. For a moment, Eric wonders what it must be like for her to be the daughter of a law enforcer, and without a dad too. She seemed happy and well-adjusted but he was sure some days must be tough. Why she'd come to him though, he had no idea.

"And I ain't sure when I'll be in the saddle again," he concludes, settling on his last excuse. "I got a leg that don't like cooperating."

Getting up from the bench, he limps over to the supply shelf and grabs a round tin. Bringing it back, he sits next to Ashlee again and leans over, pointing out some dusty places in the leather, and even where some mold had formed. "This is some saddle soap," he explains. "It'll soften up leather too, but does a better job of actual cleaning." Picking up a soft toothbrush that had seen better days, he rubs the bristles into the wax-like soap and brushes it onto the saddle, brushing in circles until the soap had disappeared and a clean spot now existed. He hands Ashlee the toothbrush. "You can use this too... don't much matter where on the saddle you use it - just if the leather ain't soaking up anything anymore, it's had plenty of soap and oil."

He pats the saddle seat, gaining back a little grin. "Just don't put too much of either here... you might go sliding off as soon as your bottom hits it."


Tal chuckles and he shakes his head. "If I didn't want to share the secret with you, I wouldn't have brought you here, now would I?"

He takes a bite of his food before leaning back against the tree, his mind wandering to many different places. None that took away his smile, but none that wished to be spoken either. So for a few moments, he simply enjoys his lunch and the company.

"So I was thinking... Eli said he'd be out with Scarlet again tonight. I... wondered if maybe you'd like to come over to my place for supper?"

He glances over to Ryan before his eyebrows rise a little. "If... you don't have any other plans. I mean..." He didn't want to make her uncomfortable. "...if you want to. And I could even introduce you to Holly."


Justin shrugs lamely, his eyes staying focused on his food. "Maybe some of it's my fault, always trying to fix things. I guess when I couldn't make it with social services, I gave up on starting my own practice or anything. Just got a bad taste in my mouth. But then I just started trying to fix people's problems all over again, like a bad habit or something. Technically I'm not even a counselor... I just get away with it because of connections. Experience, I have. The little paper that says so, I don't."

Stabbing a meatball with more force than necessary, the tines clang on his plate. Taking a bite, he has enough time to chew before he laughs outright at Beth's suggestion. "Vacation? What's that?"

He smirks and shakes his head. "Oh, I've had a day off here and a day off there. A real vacation hasn't happened since I was a kid. Not since..." His sentence drifts off as he remembers the last family vacation when his dad had still been alive. He clears his throat and takes a sip of water. "I guess there's just some things that never get done." He'd always wanted to take a trip to a nice big lake somewhere, take the dogs with him, and spend a week fishing and relaxing. But he'd always had too much work and had always stayed close so he wouldn't be far from his mother. Of course... that had apparently changed now.

That thought seems to anchor his mood on the downswing and he gestures to the television remote. "Wanna watch the movie while we eat or wait 'til after?"

Vacation

Letting Eric just guide her hand Ashlee continues to watch and feel how he showed her to rub the rag and the amount of pressure to put in some areas and less in others. It was fun to feel the leather under the rag and to know what the outcome would be. Knowing that the saddle would be soft and save the life of it making it last a little longer. And knowing that this saddle could be hers, the one she used for riding made her want to work at it even more.

"Mom's pretty good about not worrying to much about me. Not because she doesn't care that is but because she knows she really doesn't have too. Not to mention I have been begging her to let me take riding lessons for a long time. Now that we are here, I don't think she will mind so much."

Looking back to the saddle and working on a rough patch she came across Ashlee without even thinking about it sticks her tongue out to the side a little as she concentrates really hard in oiling that one spot. Working it till she was satisfied and felt it was soft enough Ashlee looks back to Eric and cocks her head for a second.

"I'll definitely ask my mom if its ok first though. Can you be the one to teach me?"

Taking a bit of her food and just looking out again Ryan couldn't help it. It was almost hypnotic to just see the way the sun bounced, and the shadows cast. It was like being on top of the world looking down with out anyone knowing. It really was amazing.

"Don't worry you secret of this place is safe with me."

Breaking her gaze away and looking to Tal again Ryan gives a smile as the sun dances, and bounced off her eyes making them just seem a little bigger today.

"As long as you don't mind sharing it with me."

Hearing Justin's comment about her cooking Beth couldn't help the slight color that came to her cheeks. She new he has said she was a great cook before but every time he did it just caused her to blush more. It was nice to get a complement and know her mother recipes were going to someone who looked them.

"Well, as long as you like what I cook than I'll keep doing it."

Getting comfortable on the couch and setting the plate in her lap Beth settles in and takes a bit of the food. It was pretty good, and everything she made something and eat it, it brought back good memories of when her mother would cook. Than alone was definitely worth it.

Hearing about Justin's phone calls and all the problems he was seeming to have Beth felt bad for him. It always did seem like people with problems grouped around him and wanted him to be able to fix them. It had to get a little tiring after a while just wanting a normal friendship where someone didn't want him to fix there troubles.

"Shesh I can see why it gets frustrating after a while. Everyone coming to you with there problems. I guess they think because you have the title as councilor you can fix everything."

Beth does her best to give a smile to Justin. Though she wondered somewhere in the back of her own mind if she had gotten away from the needy problems, and if Justin saw past them too. She didn't want to add to his problems.

"I think you good at your counseling. But maybe...you need a vacation and just relax for a little while! I bet you haven't had that in a long time huh?"

Get lost

Eric's mouth forms a little smile at the new spark in Ashlee's eyes. At her question of if she was oiling the saddle correctly, he reaches over and guides her hand with his, showing her how to make little circles and let the oil soak in. "You got it," he encourages, returning to his own saddle.

Giving her a sidelong glances, his grin reemerges. "Well, you are living on a horse ranch... If your hind end didn't wind up in a saddle, I'd be pretty surprised. There's plenty of people around here to help ya out there if you just ask."

He pauses to concentrate on a particular spot on his saddle. "That is, if your mom says it's okay." The last thing he needed was to get Miss Stern-officer-turned-bodyguard upset with him for putting any unwanted notions into her daughters head.


Tal grins at Ryan and shakes his head. "I don't know. Guess it was just one of those days I took a drive and wanted to get lost. Wound up here and it's been a favorite spot since."

He tosses her a wink. "Just don't tell anybody else about it."


As Beth comes into the living room, Justin comes to the couch to sit with her. Taking a bite of food, he murmurs his approval. "Mmm... I don't think you could cook a bad meal if you tried."

He goes to start the movie, but pauses to answer Beth's question. "Oh... just stuff. Reese gave me a new goal for Alec, Brookshire called and Scott had a bad day, I got one friend trying to cry on my shoulder even though half her problems she's brought on herself - I think she likes being a victim because she gets attention - and I got another friend... so-called friend, taking her side and blaming me for being honest."

He shrugs lamely. "That's about it. Ma always used to ask me why I didn't change careers and I never had an answer for her. I can take people like Scott... it's those like Nichole that drive me bonkers. I mean... I can't help it that she makes stupid decisions... I can't help it that she won't let go of a guy who's a jerk, right?" Justin sighs. Maybe that whole scenario bothered him more than he'd thought. He takes another bite of food. "I guess I wouldn't know what else to do if I gave up trying to be a counselor anyway, unless I want to offer computer tech service full-time and even part-time is bad enough."