Light

The ride in the car was quiet and Rosetta didn't mind to much. Her mind wondered on many things along with the excitement of Jay coming to the ranch. Though it was strange at the same time she new the feeling would pass as soon as they got home. There was be far to much excitment.

Hearing Jay's question Rosetta looks to him and gives a smile. A lot really had changed since he had been there last and the ranch had expanded a lot more too. Though it still held some of the old building and what not this was going to be like a whole new place to visit.

   "Well, Cindy has her own house with Kaylee tucked back in the woods.Wes built it for them.  Sparky and Faith are working on there own house, Clint and Wendy have theirs. We have a few more barns, bunks, and we expanded on our dinning hall."

Stopping for a second and thinking Rosetta new there was more she was leaving out. It was hard to get everything in when there was so much that was different now. 

   "The rest you will just have to explore when you get there. It's been a while."

Seeing Hunter Katie gives a bright smile. Though he looked and smelled like he had been hard at work she thought it made him a little extra good looking than normal. There was just something about a working guy that always seemed to catch Katie's eye and she wasn't sure why.

   "Mmmm...Lemonade! That sounds refreshing right about now. If you wouldn't mind could you bring me a glass? I have to wait till these girls dry before I leave them."

Katie gives another smile to Hunter as she runs her hand along the back of the horse. She was still wet enough to get muddy but not overly wet. Still after just cleaning them she didn't want to run the risk of them getting dirty once more.

Victoria sometimes hated there busy work times, and she hated they couldn't be honest about there love. She hated when she had to kiss another guy, or show him affection when the hold time is was Garret she was thinking about and felt like she was wronging even if it was her job. 

Still though Garret's question seemed to surprise her. She'd though about leaving before, and thinking about it made her heart beat faster again as if her body could taste the freedom that was being talked about. That was more dangerous than anything. To leave, escape, be free, live in the light. As exciting as it sounded it scared her all the same.

   "I've dreamed about it but left it at that. Never have I dwelled for fear my scenes would be lost and death would find me. Nore do I think the light would welcome me...not after all I've done."

Leaning down Victoria gives Garret a soft kiss on the lips. She new there time was drawing short and she had stayed longer than she should have already but leaving always seemed to get harder and harder. No matter how much they did it, or how use to it she was. To fall asleep with Garret just holding her...that was another dream she wondered was just that.

   "You're my light Garret...As long as I got you I'm not truly in darkness."

Lemonade

Getting into the car with Rosetta, Jay responds with a little sigh. "Yeah... I apologized to him for our spat when he was out at my place." He shrugs as he starts the engine. "If I made all this worse, I really do feel badly. I told him to just be himself and we all wanted to keep him around. He seemed a little better but I guess if it were me lying in there, I'd probably be depressed too."

Pulling out onto the main road, Jay knew the route well, and they were soon headed back to the ranch. Though Jay kept his eyes on the road, his mind wandered many place. "So... how are things at the ranch anyway? Jeff isn't the greatest when it comes to details." 

Mick wanders back down the bairn aisle, and coming upon the last few stalls, his eyebrows rise slightly. Hunter was just finishing up the second stall - Mick had figured the young man might get the first one done, but no more than that. "Hey, how's it going?"

Hunter looks up and wipes some sweat from his face with his shirt. "Not bad." He dumps the last shovelful of manure into the wheelbarrow and pushes it out of the stall. "Just finished up this one." 

"I see that." Mick surveys the work and chuckles. "I wish all my ranch hands worked that hard."

Hunter laughs. "Well, I don't know if I'd work this hard if I had to do it every day."

Mick grins and pats Hunter's shoulder. "Well thank you for your help - this is great."

"No problem." Hunter had actually enjoyed it. It had been too long since he'd just had a good hard physical task to do. It made him feel like he accomplished something, and the muscle weariness felt good. "Got anything else you want me to do?"

Mick's surprise comes back. "After all that, I thought I might have scared you away."

Hunter grins and shakes his head. "Naw. It takes more than that to scare me away. Besides, if I'm gonna be totally honest, it's more for me than helping out anyway. I can't sit still - gotta be keeping my hands busy or I'll go nuts." 

"Well then you've come to the right place." Mick chuckles again. "How about I give you a break now though? I bet there's some lemonade in the kitchen over in the dining hall - you can help yourself." 

"A finer suggestion, I've never heard." Hunter smiles and grabs hold of the wheelbarrow. "After I dump this out." 

As he heads away, Mick watches him, cocking his head. Finally though, he turns and goes back to his own tasks. 

Once Hunter was satisfied that his job was done, he wanders around the outside of the barn, finding Katie near the yearlings at the fence. Coming up alongside her, he greets the first filly with a pat on the back, giving her a loving rub. "Headed inside for some lemonade," he mentions. "Want some too?"

Garret shakes his head a little. "Don't know when I'm supposed to be back out again. I was supposed to get a couple weeks break here soon but I don't know when." 

His fingers trail over Victoria's on her free hand. "If you had the chance... would you leave this place?" It was a dangerous question, and he knew it. But he'd never outright asked before, and he wanted an answer. 

Jared laughs with Grace as he enjoys this time, finally able to relax. "You? What about me? I haven't seen the sun in ages. Come to think of it... I don't even know if I burn easy or not." He pauses in thought. "Maybe I get a super nice tan and look like a super model or something." 

He lifts his head to look at Grace teasingly. "Or not."

Depression

Rosetta can't help but give a laugh. Jeff new no matter what she told anyone if someone was going to come and spend all day with him they would. It's just how the family worked when anyone was hurt, and it was that care that made them closer than anyone else.

On the same hand though he seemed to be in the depressed stage and she wondered if maybe that was worse than denial. She loved the happy joking around Jeff, and now...she was said to see him gone. Rosetta could only hope he would be back again soon.

   "We are all puppets in a bigger plan and the one who pulls our strings is the almighty. Remember that Jeff...God never gives us something we can't handle."

Tasking note to the nurse that came in to check on Jeff Rosetta gives a little sigh. She new he would be ok but she hated leaving anyways. Though if she stayed it might be even worse for Jeff. The whole thing was one big circle and it was hard to know witch way to go.

   "Alright I'll be back later. Keep you head up got it?"

Smiling Rosetta leaves the room and joins Jay once more. Slowly walking with him down the hall and outside Rosetta was quiet though before getting into the car she looked to Jay and squinted a little in the sun light.

   "Jeff's hit the depression stage, not sure if I like that more or less than him pushing himself. I hope it doesn't last long for him."

 Victoria gives a small laugh as she continued to pat Garret's head continuing to go back and forth between the basin making sure the cloth was still cold. She wasn't to sure if she believe this was just due to getting sick, but anything could happen and Garret wasn't great so she said nothing.

   "Ha, I can dodge the Dr's even easier than the guards. Really they are clueless."

It was true that most of the unimportant people here were clueless or blinded by the millions they made and the pride they felt by being treated like kings here. But that was the standered here and sometimes Victoria hated it. The only good part was Garret being here to or this really would be a living nightmare.

   "Grandfather is not sending you out again so soon...is he?"

Grace can't help but let out a loud rolling laugh. The quick banter was nice, and it was fun to watch the clouds with someone else. She'd done this before but alone just guessing to herself was not early as fun as it was with another person.

   "Oh alright, I'll give you this one. A frog on a rock it is."

Shaking her head with humor Grace lets out a long sigh. Hearing Jared's comment she thinks for a long moment. To be trapped in a moment, with a friend, a good time would be so nice. Though it was not possable to always be there enjoying it while could was imporant.

   "We can stay out here till they kick us back inside, but if I show up tomorrow looking like a lobster you better not laugh."

Katie gives a nod to Luke with a smile that followed. She'd stay and continuing drying the horses and making sure they stayed put at least for now so they could look nice before being shipped off to be sold. She didn't know how much longer Hunter was going to be but she could only hope he was being well taken care of.

   "Yeah I can stick around here for a short while yet and watch the horses. Doesn't seem like Hunter is done working yet."