Crossbar Ranch

Dusty:

"Because, I don't watn to get hurt. I've been hurt before and it was bad. I don't wnat it to happen before. I want to let you in, but I it's hard." She lowered her gaze. "I'm sorry, I'm tryin, I really am."


*tears*

Caleb:

I sighed and nodded. "I will never hurt you. But, I understand. I'll try to be patient, my love." I walked away, trying to give her some space. I wanted her to be mine...but I didn't want to hurt her. If or when she was ready, she would come to me. I didn't want to press...I was more of a gentlemen than that. I sighed and started to check my horse over, making sure he was okay.

Dusty:

Dusty filled her lungs with air. She felt so alone without him next to her. She didn't wnat him to move away. She sighed and rubbed Broc down the rest of the way then laid down on her saddle wittling at a stick.


*cry(

Caleb:

I watched her. She looked sad...alone. I moved over to her and sat down beside her, just watching. I didn't really have anything else to do and I hated the look in her eyes. It made me ache. I wanted to see her happy, to see her smile. I laid down and closed my eyes, tired from my restless sleep the night before.

Jude

Jude turned around, his face almost angry with Alicia, "What are you, crazy?! This is a mountain, you run here you die here." He, of course, was not mad at Alicia per se, Jude just got a bit tesky around the city kids who thought they knew everything. This wasn't exactly his dream job, that's for sure.

Alicia stayed silent for a moment, she had never seen this side of Jude...but she wasn't about to let it kill her flirtatious mood. She trotted up beside a stopped Jude and let Megan graze for a moment on the surrounding shrubs, "So what if I am a bit crazy? It's us crazies that have all the fun." She raised a brow to Jude and he turned to her, raising an equal brow her direction.

Before he could get a word out, Alicia loped up the trail to the right infront of him, as close to a run as a horse could get. Jude shook his head and followed up behind her. He glanced to the sky as the clouds started rolling in.

Alicia

Alicia laughed and whooped as she led Megan up the rocky path, throwing a glance over her shoulder to grin at Jude. She was absolutely delighted to see that he was following and riding almost as hard as her in an attempt to catch up.

"See, isn't this fun!" Alicia asked. She reigned Megan in a little, allowing Jude the chance to catch up but the narrow trail prevented him from riding alongside her.

"We have to turn back," Jude called. "Look at the weather." Alicia glanced up, admiring the storm clouds that were rolling across the sky and she smiled.

"Have you never rode in the rain before? It's the best time for riding," Alicia said. "You haven't tasted freedom until you've run in the rain." She urged Megan to pick the pace up a little, patting the horse affectionately. She switched the reigns to her right hand and punched the air with her left, rising in her saddle a little.

Her spirit calmed, Alicia took up the reigns again and slowed Megan down. When the horse had come to a stop and Jude was trotting up behind her, Megan fastened the reigns at the saddle and swung her left leg over to dismount. With all her weight resting on her right foot, the leather stirrup groaned and then snapped and Alicia cried out in surprise as she stumbled, alarmingly close to the edge and fell heavily on her leg. She whimpered a little but rubbed fiercely at the tears in her eyes and ignored the hand Jude offered her, trying to stand by herself. She stumbled again, a sharp pain in her leg, but Jude caught her arm this time.

"You didn't check your stirrups?" Jude demanded.

"I did!" Alicia snapped, pulling away and limping towards her horse, cringing with every step. "They were fine."

The change in Alicia was drastic and for just that moment, Jude got a glimpse of the real girl beneath her layers of protection but then she sat herself clumsily on the ground and dabbed carefully at her eyes with a white handkerchief. She cleaned the dust and tears from her face and looked up expectantly at Jude.

"My leg hurts and it's getting dark. I'm scared, is there somewhere we can spend the night?" Alicia asked.

Jude

He sighed a bit, I knew this was a bad idea he thought. He glanced around the area. He knew it pretty well, he had spent many a summer day/night up in these mountains with no tent to speak of growing up. A ride to his childhood home, in fact, would only be about 3 miles from that point.

He pointed up about twenty feet and a bit to the east where a small cave opening was that was not visible from their current position, "there's a place up there. it won't be very cozy, but at least it'll be dry."

Jude hoped down off Tux and moved over to Alicia, "Here, I'll sit you up there and lead Megan up behind me. She's a good lead horse. We need to beat the rain, though. She does not like rain."

Alicia nodded and turned with her back to Megan and her front towards Jude as he lifted her and placed her side-saddle on Megan's back. He pulled Tux up towards him and climbed up, grabbing Megan's reins and slowing walking up and around the path to the opening.

Jude surveyed the cave. It was just a shallow cave, nothing really to be found here, but it was often used by country kids on dates and kids having fun on the mountain. Today it was empty luckily, and there was evidence that it hadn't been too long since it was last used.

Climbing off Tux and tying him to a tree near the opening, Jude reached for Alicia's hand and placed his other arm beneath her legs, "Slide down, I've got ya."

Alicia did, and Jude did as he promised. He carried her like a baby into the opening and set her on a log near a firepit.

"Thanks, Jude." Alicia added, examining her leg.

Jude nodded but said nothing else. He pulled Megan into the opening and attached her to a small post that had been built within the cave.

He turned and stared at the sky, wondering whether or not he should try to go tell Dusty what was going on or just wait until morning.

Alicia

"You're not going to leave me alone here, are you?" Alicia asked, feigning worry and batting her eyelashes playfully. Jude turned to face her, looking distractedly annoyed as he stepped back into the cave, placing one hand against the smooth, grimy side and then pulling it away in disgust. The cave walls were lined in moss and slime, causing a moist and faintly vile smell. Behind him, the clouds gathered and the rain lashed down.

"Can't you ever be serious?" Jude demanded, wiping his hand on his pants.

"Yes," Alicia snapped. She looked at him fiercely and then away, to the floor. "Are you going?" she asked quietly. She shivered a little, pulling her jacket tighter and wishing she had something to sit on: the cave floor was uncomfortably cold and making her bottom sore and numb.

"No. Best to leave it until morning now," Jude said. Alicia nodded timidly and looked up as he sat down not far from her. "We should try to make a fire."

"You're the woodsman," Alicia replied. Jude raised an eyebrow.

"I thought you told me you was no city girl?" His voice held an edge of mocking but also curiosity. Alicia let out a light-hearted laugh. This was familiar ground.

"That doesn't mean I can rub two sticks together and make fire. There's some matches in my saddle bag if you need them though."

Jude

He smiled a bit, reaching into his back pocket and pulling out a lighter of his own, "think I have that one covered."

"Well, aren't you handy." Alicia smiled and bobbed her head a little bit in a "well la-tee-da" kind of way.

Jude raised a brow and made his way over to the pit, thankful that whoever had used it last had left enough wood for a fire for at least four or five hours, maybe more. But, it would be hard to start without kinling, and he certainly wasn't going to find any outside right now.

He stood from his crouched position after gathering a few logs in the pit. He seemed satisfied with his teepee looking contraption.

He turned to Alicia, "Do you have anything like...paper? Maybe a notebook or something like that?"

Alicia

Slowly, Alicia tugged a neatly folded piece of pink, scented paper out of her pocket and passed it to Jude.

"What's this?" he asked, unfolding it and staring at the string of numbers there. Alicia blushed a little.

"Doesn't matter," she mumbled. "It's scented though." She said the last part more brightly, with a faint smile. Dubiously Jude sniffed at the paper, looking a little surprised.

"Could you make the fire now?" Alicia asked, batting her eyelashes. Jude looked at the numbers for another moment and then slipped the piece of paper into the middle of his pyramid of twigs. He flicked the lighter, touching the flame to a corner and then blowing gently. The paper was swallowed by flames quicker than expected and gradually, the twigs began to burn and the fire crackled contently.

"Better?" Jude asked, sitting back.

"Not bad," Alicia said. "Thanks. Thanks for helping me too... I'm sorry about that." She stretched her foot out towards the fire, enjoying the warmth that it offered. Her ankle was throbbing roughly and a part of her wanted to curl up and cry. She was cold. She was starting to feel hungry. And she was a long, long way from home.