Anraí had finished Jagger's daily grooming (being the only one the big black would tolerate at the task) and was quietly communing with the gelding. He sensed Laine's approach at the same time he caught Jagger's flash of recognition. Stubborn-mare was probably the best translation for the horse's mental impression of his titular owner, and Laine's tone of voice reinforced the image.
Slipping out of Jagger's stall, he offered Laine the best smile he could manage just then. "Yes," he said softly, "I think we do." Tilting his head toward the ladder, he asked, "Hayloft?"
She gave her husband a wry look and placed a hand over the bulge at her midsection. If Dr. Monroe didn't want her climbing up on a horse, Laine could just imagine what the obstetrician would say about her scaling a ladder. Still...if he was going to do this without an argument, "You let me go up first cause if I fall I'm landin' on you."
She wasn't serious, the brunette wouldn't take the chance if she seriously thought she couldn't make the climb, but the idea of having him behind her was still a comforting one. Laine gave Anrai's cheek a gentle pat and then another to Jagger's flank before she moved past them both to head up the loft ladder. Hand over hand and boot heels catching each rung, she made it up there without incident and found herself a low half-bale to sit on.
That Anraí had proposed one of their favorite private spots without taking Laine's condition into consideration only showed how distracted he was. But she made the climb just fine, with him following right behind and watching her every move. When she seated herself he sat beside her, slipping an arm around her shoulders and sighing.
Where to start? Start with what needed saying. Rubbing her shoulder and looking into the blue of her eyes, he murmured, "I'm sorry, a chroi."
"Don't tell me you're sorry. Just fix it." She wasn't trying to be acerbic about things, just straightforward. Laine wasn't going to enable him any longer and if that meant coming across as a little less compassionate than maybe she should, so be it. She loved him far too much to do anything else.
"Darlin', I ain't askin' you to tell me things I don't need know. I'm askin' you to talk to me about what's troublin' you. That's all." There, she found a bit of a smile for him, understanding. "I know you're used to suckin' up and goin' it alone, bein' on your own...but you ain't alone no more, honey. You got me. You got me and I want to be the someone you talk to. Please."
Comments 20
Slipping out of Jagger's stall, he offered Laine the best smile he could manage just then. "Yes," he said softly, "I think we do." Tilting his head toward the ladder, he asked, "Hayloft?"
Reply
She wasn't serious, the brunette wouldn't take the chance if she seriously thought she couldn't make the climb, but the idea of having him behind her was still a comforting one. Laine gave Anrai's cheek a gentle pat and then another to Jagger's flank before she moved past them both to head up the loft ladder. Hand over hand and boot heels catching each rung, she made it up there without incident and found herself a low half-bale to sit on.
Reply
Where to start? Start with what needed saying. Rubbing her shoulder and looking into the blue of her eyes, he murmured, "I'm sorry, a chroi."
Reply
"Darlin', I ain't askin' you to tell me things I don't need know. I'm askin' you to talk to me about what's troublin' you. That's all." There, she found a bit of a smile for him, understanding. "I know you're used to suckin' up and goin' it alone, bein' on your own...but you ain't alone no more, honey. You got me. You got me and I want to be the someone you talk to. Please."
Reply
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