Crossbar Ranch

Dusty---


"Well, let's get ready for two months of trouble." She sighed, she was glad that her dad signed everyone in. "Let's catch the horses and line the on the fence. We'll match people up to their horses when they come out. We'll have to make sure they don't over pack either. They each only get waht their horse can carry." She didn't have to tell any of them this, but she was saying it to remind herself more then them. She followed them to the corral and grabbed a handful of halters. Each halter had a name on it and they had to match the names with the horses.

"Which one's Tristian?" Coke called, "And who named him?"

"I did, he's the mustang." She said, "Which is Polly?"

"The white in the corner." Sammy said.

Caleb:

I frowned. I did not like all the google eyed girls surrounding me. "Sammy, is there any way I can stay behinde?!" I begged.

Dusty---

Dusty spun around and looked at Caleb. "You can't be serious." She said ignoring the teens lined on the on the fences. She kept her voice low so they couldn't hear. "You can't just ditch us, that....that would really stink." She said almost despretly. She knew how hard it was to have the people in the group google eye you and all the other annoying things. But she couldn't lose a hand because of it. She needed all the help she could get.

Elizabeth

She looked around and wandered down to the horses. She was instantly drawn to the mustang. Finding a horse was like what her friends described as finding the perfect pair of shoes.

This was her horse.

**is Tristian a mare or a gelding? oh and just so you know saddlehorse is coke's name for pretty much all horses**
[Coke]

Coke started his way towards Tristian with a halter in his hand. The horse eyed him warily as he approached, but continued to gnaw at the grass. He held out a hand as Tristian raised his head and regarded him coolly. Coke let the horse sniff him, laughing when he turned back to his grazing.

"I know how you feel saddlehorse, but you've got to get some exercise sometime," he crooned, stroking Tristian's neck before slipping the halter on.

He led the horse toward the group that was beginning to gather.

Sammy~

Sammy laughed at Caleb's desperate attempt to stay behind. "I think Dusty already answered that," she laughed slipping a halter on a white horse named, Andalusian. She lead the horse to a post on the fence and tied him up, the teenagers eyeing the horse and craning their necks.

Caleb:

I frowned, but said politely, "Yes ma'am." I saddled my horse and jumped on his big black back. "That's it my boy. Everything's going to be okay." He snorted and jumped a bit. He didn't like the crowd. It made him jumpy.

[Coke]

Coke ignored the group of city slickers and saddled Scorch. He swung himself up onto his back, scratching his withers, "Well Scorch ol' buddy let's see how this goes."

He clicked to his horse and nudged him into a slow walk towards Dusty. Scorch whinnied a greeting to Broc, Dusty's horse, and stood next to him.

Coke smiled slightly at Dusty's slightly annoyed, determined look, "Ready for this?"

Sam~

Sam quickly saddled Dancer and hopped on his back. She clicked her tongue and joined everyone else. Dance whinied in greeting, kicking up dirt with her back legs.

>.< short

Just as a note, Alicia's horse isn't called Andalusian, that's its breed, lol. Guess I should have made that clearer. Sorry. I'm not sure about a name, actually. Feel free to choose one for me...

Alicia

"Looks like you already know which you want. A good choice too," Alicia smiled and rolled her eyes at Elizabeth who was staring after a dark brown mustang.

"He's perfect," Elizabeth replied. Alicia laughed pleasantly and began to walk the fence's perimeter, glancing at the horses tied there and into the distance at those still roaming free. She absently paused to pat the neck of one and it moved eagerly towards her but Alicia had already turned and carried on. It was a decent enough horse but not what she was looking for.

Then she saw the white. It wasn't an immediate yes but there was certainly potential.

"What's this one called?" Alicia asked, turning purposefully towards one of the male hands and smiling coyly, one hand smoothing an imagined crease in her dress while the other tugged at her right pig-tail. He sure is cute, she thought. Almost as cute as the horse.

*Can I still join? I'll make a character tomorrow if I can.*

Caleb:

**do you want me to make a name for you?"

I sighed and looked at the girl. "Apparantly that is now your horse. Know how to mount it?" I asked in a southern accent.

Hmm. I think I'll go with Megan actually.

Alicia

"Apparently that is now your horse. Know how to mount it?" The man talked with a thick, southern accent that Alicia found very attractive. She smiled again and moved closer to the horse. "Her name's Megan."

"Megan? How pretty," Alicia said. She climbed onto the fence, ignoring the way the wind tugged at her dress and unfastened the reigns from the post. "And what's your name?" Alicia asked as she vaulted carefully into the saddle, "Is it pretty too?" The man frowned at her, taking in the outfit properly but there was a touch of approval in that glance. Maybe he recognises a good rider, Alicia thought, or maybe he likes the way I dress.

"Caleb," the man grunted. "I've got work to do. Ride around a bit if you like." Alicia pouted as the man walked away and then led Megan around the enclosure at a gentle trot, keeping her unsuitable shoes out of the stirrups and loving the feel of her bare legs against the horse's sides.

"I'll have to go change soon," she murmured, "but then I'll be able to ride you faster while all the others ditch half their luggage." The horse whinnied in what Alicia took for agreement and she laughed lightly, leading her back towards the fence.

Jude

Jude had been working on lining the horses up, but had let the others finish while he tended to his own, Tux. He had wandered into the arena and tied the paint up, adjusting his saddle,

"Way to blew your stomach out." He shook his head with a smile to Tux, tightening the girth a bit more. Jude had raised Tux from a baby, and infact still owned his mother, but he had always been Jude's horse. He had trained him and Tux was ridiculously comfortable around Jude and almost always did as asked.

Jude pulled his cowboy hat off and wiped his forehead off, but it didn't help the sweat running down his bare chest to the top of his jeans. He placed the hat back on and glanced over to the center of the arena.

He chuckled a bit at the girl on Megan (PS. I love how I just became a horse haha). He hooked his thumbs in his jean pockets and cocked his head up to her,

"You are going to be sorry if all you brought was those sandals there."

Haha, sorry about that Via, guess I wasn't thinking but you're a beautiful horse at least.

Alicia

"What, these sandals?" Alicia asked, feigning innocence, folding her leg up and extending a foot towards the man. Suddenly she laughed and shook her head, her face splitting into an enigmatic grin as she pulled it back towards her and hugged Megan with her knees. "Just wait until tomorrow and then you'll see I mean business." She winked, admiring the man's bare, toned chest.

"You have riding experience then?" He asked. Alicia offered another smile, bringing Megan alongside his horse. This man's actually cuter and more sexy than his horse, Alicia thought wryly.

"Sure, I grew up around horses. Nothing as extravagant as this place but I worked at the stables down the road almost all my life and in exchange they taught me how to ride... what's your name?"