ikissdhimbck | OOM sorta: Rooms, back door, stables, in the morning.

Doc stays put and still, across the way, arms crossed over his chest and eyes focused on the scene in front of him. When Corella does protest, sudden and loud, he manages somehow not to start on instinct. Him jumping would only make things worse.

Once she and the mare are out and on their way to the paddock, he moves to take Nova from his stall, and ties the lead around the nearest railing just to keep him in one place.

He's careful in his check of the animal, making certain that he looks completely healthy and ready to be ridden, including his shoes. If Katherine is going to be riding him (with plenty of hesitation on her part as it is) he doesn't want Nova to have anything wrong with him that might cause him injury (or her, for that matter) or distress.

"You're gonna be a good boy, ain't ya," he chatters with the gelding. "You're always a good boy, but today you're on your best behavior, you understand me?"

Nova is quite used to his hooves being picked up off the ground, and cooperates with the inspection. When she returns, she'll find the gelding gnawing happily on the carrot that Doc happens to be spoiling him with as a reward for not kicking him.

"He's gonna get fat, you know."

The statement is uttered from the doorway, where Katherine is leaning, arms crossed over her chest and legs crossed at the ankles, just watching the two of them interact. She grins, and nods once.

"Corella made it out just fine. She's found herself a nice little patch of grass, and is enjoying the sunshine."

Which is really an understatement for 'last I saw her, she was spread out like a dead fish, rolling in the grass as much as her pregnant belly would allow for.'

"How's he lookin'?" she asks, inclining her chin to Nova and stepping back over to him.

(The "aside from spoiled and on his way to a pot belly," is implied in the look she gives him.)

"Lookin' just fine."

A beat.

"And he's not gonna get fat from carrots."

Those sugarcubes are still on the desk, and he glances from her to the horse, who's watching her walk closer with curious interest. Perhaps she has the treats.

"Least I ain't feedin' him spaghetti."

From the tone of his voice, there's a story there.

"Depends on how many carrots you feed him a day," she returns the serve, pointing a finger to accentuate her point.

We'll forget the way her hand sneaks into her pocket then, producing three of the aforementioned sugar cubes.

(What, did you think it was just coincidence that the animals were all behaving so well with her this morning?)

She tries to hold Doc's gaze long enough to sneak them under Nova's muzzle, but the smirk growing at her lips will no doubt give her away.

She arches a curious eyebrow.

"Spaghetti?"

And the way his horse suddenly nibbles at something in her open palm.

"Billy's horse eats spaghetti."

Doc shrugs and then glances over at the black gelding (who still needs a name) and considers, then returns his attention back to her.

"You still up for that ride?"

"You mean, of all the things, that story is one of the true ones?" she asks, a mildly horrified look on her face.

Accompanied by a highly amused smile.

She shakes her head, rubbing Nova's muzzle affectionately when the ~~secret~~ sugar is gone.

"You sure you still trust me with this fella?" she asks, just once more to make sure. There's nuzzling from Nova's end, as he insistently seeks out more affection from the lady with the treats.

"Well he obviously don't mind you," he points out, but he nods easily. "Yeah, I do. He saddles easy, unless you want help?"

Doc's giving her the option to do it herself if she'd like.

This is obviously a Big Step.

A Big Step, indeed. Therefore, Katherine tries her best to rein in the amused little smirk tugging at her lips.

"I think I can manage. 'Sides, you have your own fella to worry about," she points out, looking over his shoulder to where the black gelding is stabled. He looks right back, ears twitching,

"Alright, then," he nods, and then motions for her to follow him. The tack room is full of various saddles, reins, bits and bridles, blankets and various other pieces. Each storage 'place' is labeled with either the owner's name or that of the horse or beast it matches up to.

(This is so Doc can see who is out, when, and keep track of things a bit easier and tell at a glance who else might be around.)

"His is down at this near end," he points out, before he heads deeper into the room (it's a pretty good sized room, too, with the amount of stock they have it's necessary) to pull his own gear.

He gets another raised eyebrow as she peers around at the efficient organization of the room, smile still tugging at her mouth. But she doesn't comment on it. She simply nods, once, and moves to get her gear.

Doc wasn't kidding; Nova is an absolute gentleman when it comes to saddling him up. In short order, she has him brushed, saddled, and reined, talking to the animal gently the entire time, getting to know his personality and body language.

"You about ready, Scurlock?" she calls, giving each belt and clasp one more thorough once over before she mounts.

Obviously, someone spent a lot of time out here organizing. Doc needed something to do while she was gone, after all. That was a long time.

The black gelding is quite used to being saddled and reined, probably thanks to a well trained page, and even if he does have a bit of an attitude when it comes to actually being ridden.

(Which explains why Doc pauses just long enough to pull a pair of dull spurs on, before he scribbles something down on the desk's logbook, then walks over to the gelding again.)

"Now you treat her right," he warns his horse, needlessly, before he checks the straps on the gelding and then hauls himself up into the saddle. The horse sidesteps and tosses his head a little, impatiently, but Doc doesn't pay him much mind.

It feels weird to see Nova saddled and being ridden by someone that's not himself, but it doesn't bother him. He nods.

"You follow me?"

It is weird. Katherine's still-gloved hands are light on the reins, but she still has them double-wrapped, to be sure she has that needed control. She's sitting very proper, but she's not overly tense. Just aware.

She nods in return, giving him the go ahead to take the lead. But before she starts out, she leans forward in her saddle to stroke Nova's beautiful neck, whispering surreptitiously in his velvety ear.

Almost in understanding, or perhaps agreement, he nickers quietly, stamping his foreleg twice. And Katherine smiles.

Doc doesn't notice the secret-sharing going on behind him, as he leads the gelding out of the stables and towards the path that will lead them towards the mountains.

Horse still needs a name, but he's got an idea floating around in his head, now.

The path on this part of the trail is wide and flat, and easy enough for her to come along side him if she'd like to. Nova's used to running in a pack, the gelding not so much, but he's got the reins held firm just in case he decides to try and start something.

"This fella's used t'bein' the only horse for miles, I think," he comments, idly, tossing the words back to her as he tilts his head.

"Does havin' other horses nearby spook him?" she calls back, eying the lines of Doc's mount as he trots along ahead of her.

He's a beautiful animal, with that healthy, sleek coat, and well-toned form.

She keeps Nova at a respectful distance, just in case, though there is a mite bit of protestation on the horse's end. He's keeping both Doc and the gelding in his sights, the way a wary mother might.

It makes Katherine smirk, and laugh lightly.

"He's actin' up just a bit, tryin' to keep track of where you both are...come up closer, 'longside, nice and slow? I want to see how he reacts."

And train him out of his 'me and me alone' attitude, eventually.

"But he ain't as bad as one of the stallions we got here, that's for sure. That boy has an attitude worse than a cheap...firecracker."

She obeys without word, gently urging Nova up along Doc's left side. She's sure to make a little noise, and give the gelding a berth of about five feet, so as not to make him too uncomfortable as she brings he and Nova eye to eye.

There is definitely a bit of ear twitching going on, and a few awkward steps of protest, but Doc curtails those quickly.

"Knock it off," he warns, voice firm and even, but he doesn't raise it at all. Yelling isn't his style, ever.

After the brief protest, the gelding settles down (grudgingly) and permits this side-by-side riding to continue.

Nova remains both mild and calm during the whole shuffle, though his ears do tip back once in a look that might suggest a thought process somewhere along the lines of 'What the hell is this guy's problem?'

Katherine nods, satisfied with the results, and lifts teasing eyes to Doc's face.

"He's pretty obedient. Which is good. Wouldn't want to be dealin' with no 'cheap firecrackers', after all."

"No, we wouldn't," he agrees, one hand reaching forward to flip an errant piece of that black mane back to the side with the rest. "Just needs a few bits of practice, that's all. He'll come 'round to bein' agreeable."

Doc grins at her.

"You should see him when I just let him have rein, though."

They're not in a spot that's good for that, right now, but they will be soon enough. This path winds a bit towards more open space, and he's also explored quite a bit more the last few months.

"I can imagine," she chuckles, shaking her head. "He's built like a powerhouse. I figure he must be quite the fast one, given some freedom."

There's a subtle edge to her voice, as she recalls to mind their last race. Nova is a splendid animal, but she's not sure he can hold up to the likes of this as-of-yet-unnamed gelding. Doc's on the winning breed, today.

Damn it.

Nova has gotten Doc through some very tight scrapes. What he lacks in sheer speed and build he makes up for in tenfold for his willingness to clear fences, deal with gunfire, charge through thorny brush or race down muddy creeks and riverbacks, and even follow his rider's instructions to go down that cliff.

Being loyal beats sheer power any day.

Doc nods. "Yeah, he's good once he gets goin', just has stoppin' issues."

She chuckles softly, gently urging Nova into a canter to see if the gelding will follow suit.

A spry young animal like him is fun for the occasional ride, just to test his limits and see how far he can take you, but Katherine would agree that it's better to have, perhaps, a slower, gentler beast, in exchange for the peace of mind that comes with knowing your ride is gonna end without incident.

Or, even if it don't, you at least trust the animal to get you back to home base in one piece.

"You mean he gives you trouble, when it comes to stopping, or d'you mean he just doesn't like to quit once he's out there?"

The gelding follows suit and breaks into the easy canter, tossing his head a bit before he hits his stride.

"He don't like t'quit," he explains. "Don't like bein' reined in and slowed down after runnin' full out. Fights you for it. I ain't his normal rider...he don't think he's gotta listen to me."

"I can understand that," she smirks, nodding her head once.

"It's the might of being out there, nothin' but the wind pulling you back, dry dust pulsing beneath you as you race for nothin'," she elaborates, looking out towards the horizon. "There was nothing quite like that freedom, when my Chestnut would take me over them fences, out into the desert where naught but hell 'r high water could rein us back. Somethin' about that dry heat blowing through your hair 'n chappin' your lips. Never wanted to quit, once I got out there. Always resented it when someone would come lookin' for me."

She chuckles, shaking her head. After a time she peers down at the gelding, taking note of the look in his eye. She inclines her chin to him.

"He don't think he's gotta listen to you, 'cuz maybe you ain't listenin' to him. Some horses are just born to run. Pullin' 'em back is like clippin' their wings. It does something to their spirit."

She falls quiet, thinking the words over her own self.

"Reckon you're right about that." Doc reaches one hand up to stroke over the gelding's neck, and then nods. "Suppose I should listen, then."

It isn't long before they reach a long, wide stretch of flat grass, the place they raced before. It seems bigger, now, but maybe that's just Milliways playing tricks. The ground is soft, from the rain and cold weather soaking into the earth, and when Doc chirrups sharply to command him to go, clods of mud and grass fly up from his hooves as he breaks from their pace and into a heated gallop.

He knows that Nova won't be far behind - especially if she's riding him.

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