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Wesley enjoyed the ride, settling on West's back and relaxing considerably. He loved the sweet smell of the fresh air, then, when it reached him, the interesting smell of cattle. He loved the breeze that blew the smell of cattle away and ruffled his horse's mane, making the trees rustle happily. It was all so peaceful... Wesley could never imagine living in a city where you couldn't sleep without cars honking or tires screeching, where you drove cars everywhere, where when you drove the cars you had to worry about getting smacked with another car, where the only horses existed were in tiny stables in the middle of the city and every single one of them was highly bred and fancy. Wesley prided himself on being one of the best cowboy breeders on this ranch, and he produced a fine line of working horses... Quarter Horses and Morgans. Not those fancy crossbreeds they had in parks. When Ella came up again and asked him a question, Wesley thought about it for a moment. "Well... that could go a lot of different ways. They are kind of split into two groups... the teasing group, led by none other than me, and the quiet group, led by someone named Justin. That's just their personalities. Anyway, any one of the quieter cowboy's might look at you weird for a moment, then shrug it off and go back to their normal duties. Any of the ones that like to tease, which is a lot of them sorry to say, might throw a couple jokes in your face." Wesley almost sounded apologetic. "They don't mean any harm and if they see you getting upset I'm sure they would stop, but there are a few of hem in particular that would most definitely have something to say about you riding English." He finished, hearing the sound of slow moving water ahead and guiding West towards it. |
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Ella swallowed back a small, but embarrasing wave of tears as he finished talking, her hands dropping from the air onto Misty's mane. She was hardly able to take the teasing from the car shows she went to, all the guys sat on the bonnets of the cars just...cat calling. Teasing her about her car. Asking where he dad got it from. Of course, they were joking, they all knew who she was. But still, the feeling she got every time a teasing comment was made was too much. She got anxious. Ella had never liked to hear herself being told she had anxiety. It went against everything she prided herself for. Being healthy, happy and confident. At least two of those were wrong on a daily, though. Especially now she was here. . She struggled to find the words to just simply reply, and racked her brain for a good couple of minutes before finally coming out with an "oh" and staring down at the mare she was on. |
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As Wesley studied Ella, he immedietely knew he would have to fix that ... problem ... himself. He looked up whe they got to the river, letting West walk right into it. The stallion stopped in the middle, the water washing up to the bottom of his stomach. "On second thought, I'm sure they won't be teasing you at all." Wesley commented quietly, stroking West's neck and drawing up his boots slightly so they didn't get wet. - (Sorry that it is short, I have to go rake up some ground to plant grass seed) |
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its fine dw) "It's fine. You dont have to say that to make me feel better." Ella let out a slight laugh as she spoke, shaking her head. Sure, they were gonna tease her. Sure, she wouldn't be handling it well in her mind, but as long as she put on a brave face, where's the problem? Plus, having Wesley not ask them to tease her would make her look even worse than she already did. She couldn't have that. . Nudging Misty on through the water, she did the same as Wesley, and lifted her feet up slightly, doing her best not to get soaked. As West stopped, and she came side by side with them both, she pulled the mare up, and racked her brain for something useful to say. "So how long have you been working here?" She asked, eyeing up the scenery around her. |
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Wesley snorted slightly at her response, shaking his head. "Naw, that was more like a silent threat to them. You don't have to worry about them teasing you, and there's not much you can do about it now." He answered, looking like he was almost thinking about urging his horse out of the cold water, glancing at West who was now sleeping, and deciding otherwise. At Ella's question Wesley looked thoughtful for a moment, actually having to use his brain to figure that out. -My brain is going to get a workout- He thought wearily, since really the only thing he used it for was thinking up good jokes. "Well... er..." Wesley paused and tried to do the Math. He was a ranch hand, not a scientist. It took him a moment before his brain kicked into gear and he answered. "Roughly 7 years." Wesley finally replied. |
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"Well..if you say so." Ella said, doing her best to keep a warm smileon her face. Wesleys attitude was helping her calm rather a lot, and she felt a little more relaxed than she had done when she arrived. Then again, she wasnt actually at the ranch right now. Of course she had nothing to worry about. Right? She regretted relaxing her body as much as she had, when Misty decided to shake her whole body, making Ella have to do her best to hold on. She would rather not be plunged into cold water at all, let alone around someone she'd met that day. . She nodded at Wesleys rather dry response, not knowing exactly what to say. "Oh right. And I suppose you'd hate going into the city at all? Having been here for so long." She continued, e-adjusting her seat in the saddle, keeping Misty at a halt next to West, who seemed to be pretty much asleep. "How far do we have left?" She asked, looking around. She was enjoying the ride a lot, but was also growing rather weary. |
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Wesley didn't how he did this, but he managed to keep a straight face when Misty shook. With any other person he would have laughed, and with any of the guys he would have shoved them off the other side, but he gathered up the scrap of maturity he had and used it. "Yes... I probably would not appreciate the city that much. I have not been in a city since my mother died, and that was just to visit her in the hospital sooo... not a fan." Wesley answered, then added. "I'm sure it's perfectly fine for you, I'm just opinionated I guess." He then urged West out of the stream the same way he had come in, starting the horse at a walk. "No farther, just back now." He replied, stretching his legs by taking them out of the stirrups. |
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Ella tightened her grip on the reins for a split second, and closed her eyes. Of course she had to say something wrong. "Right, sorry." She said rather apologetically, then released the firm grip and opened her eyes. Sometimes she wanted to rip her brain out and plant herself a new one. A less awkward one. She nodded at his second comment, and urged Misty on to follow the pair, her heart racing yet again. It didn't take a lot, usually, to get her embarrased. But it seemed like the air here was..different. Everything she said or did was somewhat embarrassing. Her eyes lingered on Wesley as they rode, and she took her time to admire the western riding, Misty having been bhind them for a little bit. |
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Wesley arched an eyebrow for a moment and looked conused, then figured it out. "oh- don't be. It's fine." He answered cheerily, wiggling West's reins slightly to make the big horse put his bulky head down a little further. He really didn't need to do that, since the stallion already almost touched the ground, but it was kind of just to wake West up. "Maybe I should have put you on this guy. He's falling asleep on me." Wesley chuckled slightly, but in truth he wouldn't trade his horse for the world. West was perfect for ranch riding, and the big stallion woke up when needed. Specifically when needed. Misty was a great mare, and she was very easy-going, but she would never get the level of laziness West achieved. The stallion went above and beyond, accomplishing the slowing gaits Wesley had ever felt and the least spookiness he had ever seen. |
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Ella smiled, looking away as Misty caught up with them again, seemingly having a slight new wave of freshness for a bit. "He looks rather sleepy." She said, a slightly more cheery tone emerging than before. She was used to quite spooky, nimble horses. Thoroughbreds. Everywhere she rode, a crisp packet, a rogue binbag, a leaf was absolutely terrifying to them. Here, the horses seemed like they'd stand still if a bomb went off. "The horses here are very different to back home. At home, i'm sure they'd be terrified of the water and everything. Showjumpers dont tend to be bombproof." She said, finding it a little easier to talk. Her words werent paticularly choked up anymore, she felt a lot less nervous. Misty was certainly helping with this, and Ella did her best to keep a soft touch as they carried on. |
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Bright Sunshine with a few High Clouds
