Don't let ur mouth write checks ur ass can't cash

[natalie]

Early spring… the flowers were now beginning to burst from the frost that covered the ground. Everything that came with winter was now starting to melt. The mornings held a thick cold layer of fog which made seeing a foot in front of you difficult. But that never stopped the majority of people in the horse world. In fact… fog was one of Natalie’s favorite weather conditions. She loved getting lost in a maze of trees with the fog so thick that you could cut it with a knife. To some it was eerie and spooky but to her and Levi it was soothing and peaceful. They may be two refined English riders that could be elegant and pristine but shake her down to her roots and this is what you got… a trail riding western outdoor girl. Trail rides were where she started they gave her the room to breathe that the arena didn’t. Don’t get it wrong though… she loved the rush of the arena… the race against the clock… the split second in the air that seemed to last an hour… floating across the ground as if you were a boat on the ocean… all of it… that’s what she lived for.

Making their way up the hillside they finally came to the big clearing… the racetrack. Since she was about 8 years old she dreamt about being in the racing world… and zooming around the track as fast as she could… but since she wasn’t born into it and didn’t know a single person to help her get to the inside she put it off… she secretly still held onto that dream. The track was a little ways down the hillside and looking over it with the fog layer still pretty thick… it was magnificent… indescribable. She could stay there all day and just day dream… Thoroughbreds were her dream horse… but again don’t get it wrong she loved 3 day eventing… but the thrill of racing… it gave her chills. She came up her as often as she could just to think about what life would be like… in her mind this old abandon track was transformed into an amazing extravagant place where everyone gathered. There was no vines covering the stone walls and no weeds… it was perfect… But to be perfectly honest she loved the abandoned look… the tarnished old rustic look… it gave the place character.

Today there was something different though… a rider came bursting through the fog making Levi snort with curiousity. She looked down at the track with a furrowed brow then patted the gelding’s neck and urged him forward. Apparently she wasn’t the only one with this idea. They made it down to the railing and she dismounted watching the other horse and rider flash back out of the fog near them. It wasn’t a thoroughbred… that she could tell for sure… and just from the brief look she could tell the rider was way too tall to be a jockey… but it was nice to know that there was another race track admirer out there. She leaned against the railing to watch and Levi rested his chin on her shoulder… he loved watching just as much as she did… She didn’t plan on staying long enough to meet him… but day dreaming caught hold of her again and she forgot to sneak off before she was spotted snooping…

[loneangel479]

Sterling 'Colt' Tucker

((I thought I saw a sign somewhere between the lines))
((but maybe it's me, maybe I only see what I want.))

Thud. Thud. Thud. All Colt could hear was his stallion's hooves hit the damp earth and the rush of the wind zoom by him. He couldn't really see but maybe a few feet ahead of him because of the fog. He loved the thick fog thought. It made rush of running the track that much better. His quarter horse stallion loved to run. So he brought him to this old race track as often as possible. Colt found it one day when he was riding the trail. Everytime he came here no one was ever here. He made it like his little hide out. And Val loved it. Sometimes Colt thought the quarter horse could out run any thoroughbred. The stallion could run his heart out and still give more.

He had always thought about racing for real, but he was to tall and didn't have the money for a race horse right now. So he lived out his little dream here. As Val rounded the bend again Colt caught a figure out the corner of his eye. He pulled Val to a stop. The horse slid to a stop and back up a few steps like the cutting horse he really was. He turned Val on his hocks and slowly moved toward the figure. As he got closer he could see a horse and a girl at the railing throught the fog. He had never seen her before. She was beautiful, but he wouldn't say it. He looked at the horse. He was white all over except the chestnut around his head.

Colt wondered how long she had been watching him. Was she stalking him. The though made him laugh. He'd had a few of those before. He had never really had to try to get a girl. He just walked into a place and girls came to him. He had always been the jock or jerk type of guy. As an ass. Ehh, it was just him. Probably broke a few to many girls hearts. But to him never a one of them where able to break his shell so gave them what the they thought they wanted and then lefted.

Val snorted. The stallion was unsure of the other horse. Val was a red tinted blue roan. He was big and stocky like a pure breed quarter horse should be. He patted Val letting him know everuthing was fine. Colt was dressed in wranglers, black tank top cover with a dark blue and grey plaid button of shirt. The button up shirt was un buttoned showing off his well fit body under the tank top. He pulled Val to a stop not to far from the girl in her horse. He spoke loud enough for her to hear him. She looked as if she was lost in her own thoughs. 'Enjoy the show? He looked at her and waited for her to say something.

[[Sorry it's short and everywhere.]]

[natalie]

Early morning cup of coffee came with skimming over the paper but not before her morning devotional then she snatched her jacket up and out the door she went. She was always on the go. Between classes, work and riding she spent a total of oh 6 hours at home…. All of which she was sleeping. Sometimes she woke up to realize she was still in her clothes from the day before… that wasn’t a good look when you had class or a business meeting in less than twenty minutes. But she always made sure she kept a professional look whenever she walked out the door. Unless of course it was her day off… well she never really got a day off but some days she got to start off with riding. Today on the other hand she was actually getting half the day off. No classes today… and she wasn’t needed around the barn till the afternoon. Of course she still woke up at 5 but it was hard to break habit… and she liked to stick to routine as best as she could so she wouldn’t get thrown off. Once she fell off her routine it was nearly impossible to get back on it… but now days she had such a strict schedule it was pretty impossible to not follow it.

Once she was at the barn it didn’t take long for her to saddle up Levi in her old western tack. She kept it around for days like these… nothing like a long trail ride in a nice comfy deep western saddle. Instead of English tack it was western, instead of breeches it was jeans, instead of a riding helmet it was an old baseball hat. Her hair was in a loose ponytail and for her life couldn’t get anymore bliss. She wasn’t the only one who enjoyed these type of days either, as she walked down the aisle Levi poked his head out of his stall snorted and bobbed his head anxiously as if to tell her to hurry up. She simply shook her head at him… he loved the arena more than any horse she had ever met but like any working person he loved his day of… even if it did start at 5:30 am. He was like a race horse on race day… all worked up and ready for what was about to happen.

Levi’s health and safety always came first to Natalie, and even though they both enjoyed racing through the trees recklessly she always made sure the footing was good and they knew the trail extremely well. They’d been on this trail a million times but Natalie was still always careful. Levi was worth more… well more than her whole life… he was her whole life she loved that horse. He was like her boyfriend; she spent more time with him than any other human being. He always knew just how to bring a smile to her face when she was feeling horrible. But today they were both in a great mood and she was determined to keep that mood all day long no matter what happened. It was a good day. Even if she did have to work on a Saturday… Saturday wasn’t so bad but she hated when she had to work on Sundays… other than those two days she loved work, well as much as any person could love work. Work was different for her though, she did what she loved for a living… she worked with horses. It didn’t get much better than that, at least not for her.

The horse snorted as it approached them and she jumped slightly then at the two of them. She blushed instantly and involuntarily, something she couldn’t exactly help. The horse was a quarter horse that she could tell easily… he was stocky but still fast. At least from the little bit that she had seen he’d seemed fast. She took a step back and leaned into Levi, he rested his head on her shoulder protectively. As he asked her if she’d enjoyed the show she smiled and chuckled a little. “Yeah, he’s quite a horse” she nodded at him. She hadn’t meant to stay this long but the guy didn’t seem crazy… in fact she couldn’t help but notice he looked far from crazy… but you could never tell about the good looking ones… she resisted the urge to laugh at her thoughts. Her cheeks were now returning to their normal color and she stroked Levi’s nose assuring him that everything was okay. “I didn’t know anyone was out here and then I saw you guys and thought I’d get a closer look… hope I’m not bothering you.”

[loneangel479]

Sterling 'Colt' Tucker

((I thought I saw a sign somewhere between the lines))
((but maybe it's me, maybe I only see what I want.))

Colt watched as the girl jumped slightly as she realized him and his horse was there. A redness tinted her cheeks and Colt smiled. She stepped back and leaned against her horse. She smiled to him and chuckled as she spoke. She said yeah and that Val was quite a horse. Colt smiled bigger and patted the stallion's neck. 'Val has always be a good runner. And thanks he is quite a horse. His voice was deep and charming. He moved Val closer to them; stopping him just a few inches from the rail. Val reached his nose out to the other horse as the girl rubbed her horse's nose. Val stopped a few inches from her hand and snorted. He squealed and pulled his head back. He arched his neck and held his head high with his ears slightly back. Colt rolled his eyes at the stallion. 'Be quit. And be nice.' His voice came strong and stern. The stallion stomped his front left hoof at him.

Before Colt could say anything else to his horse the girl spoke again. He smiled to her. 'You not bother me at all. I was just messing letting Val run a bit. The name is Colt by the way.'He's voice came deep again holding is country accent. He smiled to her. He dismounted Val and leaned up against the rail. The unnamed girl was beautiful. She dark brown hair flowed around her face and her greenish blue eyes stared at him. He looked away for a moment hoping she didn't notice him staring at her. His mind wondered to the past girl he had met or been with. Not a one of them had broken his hard ass shell and got to know the real him. They just drolled over his good looks and in the end he always broke their hearts. He glanced back at the girl. She was stunning. He didn't want to do that to her. He sighed and stepped away. He knew he needed to leave before she to became just another girl. He turned back to get on his horse.

He paused for a moment; brushing his hand through his short black hair. But then like the guy he was he turned back around and looked at her. A grin wide on his face. 'Bet my horse can out run yours. His voice turned co.cky. And for the life him he couldn't figure out what made him say that. He should have just left. He walked back over to the rail. His brown eyes stared at her. A fire danced in them. 'And if I lose I'll take you to dinner.' And like that there came the jock of an a.ss that he was. He was for sure he would win. He was just coc.ky like that. The stallion snorted again and dropped his dome to nibble at the grass on the other side of the rail. Colt looked at her and waited for her to say something.

[[An there he goes being all coc.ky. Haha.]]

[natalie]

Working with horses was a dream Natalie had, had ever since she was 8 years old. She dreamed of the winners circle and big 17 hand horses. As life went on she tried a couple of times to get herself into that seemingly so distant world but each time seemed to fizzle away like the carbonation of a coke after it was left out on the counter for too long. She didn’t let it get her down she was willing to let that dream go and realize that it just wasn’t meant for her. After so long she developed an interest in writing, short stories and such. She enjoyed sitting in front of her laptop and just getting lost in a completely different world where she could be just about anyone. She could jump from character to character with ease and loved painting a picture with words on paper. She never once thought it would ever amount to anything when she start… and technically she had been writing stories since she was about 8 as well but it was more out of boredom back then. Once she was about 13 it turned into an escape, a way to avoid the uncomfortable truths that surrounded her. Natalie was actually planning on going to college to get a creative writing degree and was accepted into a school with almost a full ride scholarship when she found the college here in West Virginia.

Her dreams of actually working with horses went out the window officially when she was a sophomore and she realized that she couldn’t be a vet because she was horrible in biology. By then it wasn’t really devastating because she was already in love with writing. When she found this school in West Virginia she discovered that she didn’t need to be a vet to work with horses and make a living. So she switched her major to Equine Business, packed her bags, and off she went. It wasn’t exactly that simple but that’s the basics of the story. Now she was in her 3rd year of college working as an intern and almost ready to start her own barn. She had some ways to go and under no circumstances did she consider herself a top competitor in the eventing world. But she was moving up and the thrill of moving up kept her motivated. Levi and her were a good team; they were so much a like it was as if they were twins. Sometimes she swore they thought the same way, he would look at her sometimes and she would just nod in agreement and laugh. People probably looked at them like she was nuts… but it was as if they spoke their own little language.

For instance when he put his head on her shoulder just now it was as if he was telling her that he would protect her if this guy (meaning the stallion) tried anything. He knew when she was startled or taken off guard and this was one of those moments. But as soon as she reassured him, he backed off. This is why they were so good at dressage even though it wasn’t their favorite event. They had a little unspoken language that only they understood so her cues to him were invisible to everyone but him. Even now as she was listening to the guy in front of her talk, she simultaneously was talking to Levi with her subtle motions. She stroked his face as the guy spoke about his horse, thanking her for the compliment she paid to his horse. By no means was she ignoring the guy she was giving him her complete attention. Besides how could she not? He was so charming and alluring just by standing in front of her he demanded her full attention. Not out right of course but just by the way he presented himself, he made it impossible for her to ignore him.

He hadn’t even said anything like a compliment to her or anything like that. And if you asked her she probably wouldn’t be able to tell you why she was so intrigued by this stranger. It was probably from his good looks… and his voice, it was deep and hypnotic almost. Not in a creepy way or anything. He was a normal guy, Natalie was just very perceptive. She paid attention to the little practically invisible details. He spoke to his horse and she smirked slightly, Val, his stallion, was acting like a stallion. Levi was so laid back around other horses, unless they were his competitors. Its funny how he knew the difference, at least it was funny to her. The guy smiled at her and assured her that she wasn’t bothering him and that he was just messing around. Then he officially introduced himself making her want to smack her forehead. How could she forget to do that, she felt so dumb. But it wasn’t the first time; she often got lost in her thoughts and forget even the simplest of manners. She shook her head “Sorry, I’m Natalie, it’s nice to meet you Colt.” He had a country accent making her smile even more… she loved country boys.

Leaning against the rail now he looked at her and she shifted slightly. Natalie wasn’t a good flirt; at least she didn’t think so. She was always the best friend never the girlfriend and to be perfectly honest she liked it better that way. It was easier to keep a best friend than a boyfriend. But then again that never seemed to work out for her either. Sure she was still friends with all the other guys but they always ended up liking her as more than a friend and then they either realized she wasn’t good girlfriend material or found someone else. She always kept the friendships with them because she forgave easily, but the point was that she liked being the friend better. That’s what she did… even if she liked a guy she always got to know him and became his friend without even realizing it. Next thing she knew he was looking and stepping away. She didn’t think anything of it, the conversation was over…. Now you know why she thought she was bad at flirting…

Running was something that both Natalie and Levi had in common, they both loved it. Natalie wasn’t a track runner nor was she fond of long distance running. But place her in some running shoes and on a path and she’ll go for as long as she can. There were many different reasons for why she loved it… she loved being outside, she loved the fresh air, and being able to breathe freely. But most of all she loved the fact that when she ran it was just her and the road in front of her. Even if she was just on a treadmill she loved the fact that she could block out the rest of the world and just sink into her own thoughts. Her first year of college was filled with many early morning and late night jogs. It allowed her to focus on everything that was going on. While she was running she could clear her mind and really view things from outside of the box. She never thought she was going to be a famous runner and that was never a dream of hers she just enjoyed the peace of mind that it gave her. Just her and the path under her feet.

Levi was one in the same, well she wasn’t sure if he loved it for the same reasons but she could tell that he loved to run. And of course when there were obstacles to jump over that just added to his enthusiasm. When he was at the starting line for cross country or in the jumping arena his nerves bunched up in his gut and his muscles all tightened up as he prepared himself to take of when he was given the cue. Then he lurched forward like a bullet from a gun and took off. He was no thoroughbred just like Natalie was no track runner. But the wind in her hair and his mane… it just felt right, natural even. They both had the ability to move like a ballerina but their favorite thing to do was speed through a course leaving everything and everyone in their dust.

Without warning he turned around and bet her that his horse was faster than hers. With that a broad smirk spread across her face. “And if I lose I’ll take you to dinner.” He added. She crossed her arms and looked at him challengingly. With her and Levi’s love for a challenge and for running there was no way she was going to pass this down. Besides she could get a free dinner out of it. “You’re on.” She said without hesitation. “…And if you win?” She grasped the reigns in her hand and stepped toward the gate to enter the track. Sure she was no jockey and Levi was no Thoroughbred… but there was no harm in having a little fun. And she wasn’t one to walk away from a challenge. Natalie was far too competitive to do that. Winning was in their blood. But she was a good loser so either way it went she would be fine and so would Levi… and if nothing else it would be fun.

[loneangel479]

Coming soon if you haven't put her in the vault yet.