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

Katherine chuckles lightly, shaking her head.

"...Thunder clouds and lightning bolts the next?" she finishes his sentence for him. "Women can be mysterious folk, when with child. Even among animal-kind."

When it comes her turn to be fed, Katherine cautiously ducks her head around the corner to peek into the stall, before raising the latch. She's met with a disapproving nicker, and the sound of shifting hooves.

"Hey there, girl," she whispers, voice level and calm. "Uncomfortable, ain't ya? How 'bout some breakfast, hmm?"

It's obvious by the way she's breathing, and the frustrated way she tosses her head, that the mare is in foul spirits, so Katherine is careful not to tempt her luck. She ignores the mare for the most part, humming softly as she fills the trough. She takes her time, not wanting to spook the horse into any kind of negative reaction.

After a moment or two, the mare begins to shift, uncertainly, almost rocking on her heels in indecision, before stepping slowly to the trough beside Katherine.

Katherine doesn't look at her, or make any move to touch her, but softly she begins to murmur to her. Soon, the horse's ears perk, and her body language relaxes, as she begins to feed.

"Atta girl. You just take your time with that."

Doc keeps his distance from the stall, watching the two of them together, arms crossed lightly over his chest and leaning against a wall. He doesn't move - Corella knows he's there, alright - but he's not about to do anything that might spook her when Katherine is in the stall with her.

It's something that makes him smile, thoughtfully.

She's got a hell of a way with horses.

He'll wait until she exits the stall, however, to speak.

When the bucket is empty and the trough is full, air filled with the sounds of contented munching, Katherine chances a glance at the mare as she slowly backs out of the stall.

"Such a good girl," she murmurs sweetly, keeping her eyes on her ears, as they will be her first indicator if the mood suddenly goes sour again. "Y'go on and feed that baby of yours all you can stand. Good mama, you are."

She knows Corella is watching every move she makes, of course, but there's enough cautious trust there for her to keep muzzle in oats, ears perked and legs relaxed.

Katherine quietly swings the stall door shut again, latching it back into place with a few more gentle utterances. When she finally turns away from the mare, her eyes alighting on Doc, she grins.

"She ain't so bad."

"No, she ain't. Normally she lets me right up with her but she just wanted no part of me this mornin', I guess."

Doc smiles at her.

"I'll git the hay, we can turn out a handful of these ladies and gentlemen and then...I think I want to check Nova's shoes."

He moves to a bale that's sitting nearby to cut the strings.

"Teja's supposed to teach me how to shoe," he continues. "I mean, I can shoe but I can't make them myself."

She nods, dusting her gloved hands together before picking up her empty buckets.

"Sometimes they just need some space from menfolk," she smiles, shooting him a teasing wink.

She starts toward the store room to replace her buckets.

"Teja... is he the King who works in the forge occasionally?" she calls over her shoulder, recalling bits from a conversation she had with another patron.

"Yeah," he replies, as he goes about grabbing flakes of sweet hay and moving along the row, slipping in and out of the stalls as he drops the hay into the rack and then moves to the next horse.

Of course, he ends up with flecks in his hair and sticking to his coat, but he's used to that.

"I brought him two saddles, for his mounts, Orion and Bramble," he motions over to a dappled grey and an appaloosa in two stalls beside each other. "In exchange for the tack he's going to teach me to make shoes on my own."

Doc grabs a few more flakes and continues on.

"That's sounds like quite the arrangement," she comments, stepping out of the stockroom and observing him for a moment to see where he's at. She moves to grab a few flakes of hay herself, starting in the opposite stalls, working towards him.

"It would be just another thing for you to add onto your list of accomplishments," she teases, calling out so he can hear her. "Medical school, teacher, poet, stable master, outlaw, ranch hand--"

She meets him, unable to restrain a chuckle as she observes the hay sticking out of his hair and littering his coat. She throws an extra handful at him, for good measure.

"--farrier," she smirks.

The hay floats down his front and sticks to that tan duster, and Doc runs a hand through his hair before he turns and shakes the edge of his coat off. Of course, if this puts him directly in her path...

"S'a pretty long list," he says, looking down at her.

And then he tips his head down.

"Y'wouldn't mind cleanin' up the mess you made, now would you?"

He means the bits of leaf and sweet hay in his hair. In reality, he just wants her closer to him so that he can steal a kiss, but he'll get to that part.

She feels a slight thrill when he steps close, eyes shyly meeting his.

"You're a pretty accomplished man," she murmurs, oh-so-softly.

He's close enough to notice the goosebumps on her neck, as the tiny hairs at her nape stand on end. She's chilled without her coat, feeling the warmth of his body so near.

Her lips twitch in a brief smirk, but she doesn't say anything in response to his request. She only pulls one glove from her hand, slowly, never breaking eye contact with him, and carefully begins to dust off his lapels, before her fingers reach up into his hair.

It's when she's seeking out the bits of sweet hay in his bangs that she eventually breaks eye contact.

"I take pride in that," he admits, as he leans in a little bit closer to press his forehead lightly against hers. Her fingertips are still in his bangs, but one gloved hand of his moves to catch her hand and pull it back to his chest.

"Now, it wouldn't be proper for your employer to thank you for a job well done until it was actually finished," he murmurs. "But I got faith in your work ethic."

Which explains why he does lean in, ever so slowly, and press his lips against hers.

Her eyes are open to him, pupils dilated and eyelids heavy, as he moves in. She lets him kiss her, lashes fluttering softly as her eyes finally close. Her stomach turns flips, and her heart races.

She pulls back first, a little abruptly. It's the first time they've really kissed since he's been back from the gunfight with Garrett, and the trust isn't quite there yet. It's by no means a rejection, of which fact is clearly evidenced by the way she shyly licks her lips, fingers twitching against his chest, and smiles. She moves back in to gently nuzzle his nose.

"This the way you treat all your new hires, Mr. Scurlock?" she murmurs teasingly.

Doc arches a curious, teasing eyebrow. "I ain't in the habit of kissin' the men on my staff. Suppose I'd try somethin' new with a woman on board."

He keeps her close, but not too close.

"Course, wouldn't just go kissin' any woman, now. Ain't my style."

He's a gentleman, of course.

Of course.

There's a bit of a warning in her smiling eyes.

"One would certainly hope not," she murmurs.

She's glad for his warmth, and the closeness of his body. She relaxes into it momentarily, with a slight shiver.

Old habits die hard. Doc's been with a fair number of women, but he's not about to bring that subject up, not now. Not with her.

"Ain't my style," he echoes, again, before he nods and rubs one hand along her upper arm.

"Reckon we should turn out a good number of them, save for Corella - she can go out later, and Nova, because I want to take a look at him."

She nods.

"Right."

They're still in the stables. She had momentarily forgotten.

"Most are still feeding, but you just let me know where you want 'em and point me in the direction of the tack room, an' I'll get them on leads and help haul 'em out."

Two months in Milliways, removed from her schoolhouse, has played hell with her diction. Especially since she mostly ever talks to Ben Wade and Doc, whom, she finds, rub off on her ever so easily.

You can take the girl off the ranch, but it's like pulling teeth to take the ranch out of the girl.

"Ain't in no hurry," he says. "They are still eatin', after all."

For all the proper New York schoolteacher Doc can play, underneath that is an outlaw used to saloons and whores, rough around the edges, and under that is a southern drawl that creeps in, too. It's an interesting combination.

He's an interesting man.

Doc leans back just slightly.

"I got a feedin' station set up at the edge of the woods, couple'a the free range beasts we got use it in the winter. I should take a look at it, perhaps take a bucket of grain out...you want t'walk with me? Give these fella's time to finish breakfast."

She has seen that proper New York schoolteacher in action, heard and felt that gentleman's subtle drawl, even met his younger self, and seen ghosts of that hardened outlaw, spitting blood and shining iron. For all the care he takes around her, she knows there's plenty left of Josiah "Doc" Scurlock to be seen, but each side no less fascinates her than the last.

She smiles softly.

"Of course," she nods.

"Handful of folks got...well I wouldn't call them owned, really," he says, as they move to walk to the store room and he grabs a bucket and scoop. "A few beasts don't take shelter indoors, durin' the winter. Unicorns, actually."

Doc fills the bucket with a good amount of feed.

"One a'them gets groomin' help occasionally, she'll hang 'round and let you know..."

"Let me help," she encourages, watching him fill the feed bucket. She isn't sure if maybe she can fill another one to carry for herself, or simply assist in some other way.

But all such thoughts flee her mind in an instant, blue eyes turning to meet his.

"...Of course, that shouldn't surprise me. What with winged men and dragons, and fire-breathing bunnies and freshwater squid."

But it does. You can tell by the excitement on her face.

Doc can tell. He hands her the feed bucket he's filled and then begins in on another.

"It's certainly an interestin' place."

He smirks a little.

"But, I think the variety and the folk, and the strange things, that's part of what keeps me comin' back, time and time again. Don't get winged men and dragons out in the territory, after all."

"No," she chuckles in agreement, both hands curled around the handle of her bucket. "No, you certainly don't. I can't help but think on all the things I would have missed out on, had the door here never appeared."

There's a hint in her voice, though she elaborates to include more the science and technology aspect of her 'new education.'

"My children are going to learn and experience so much in the coming years. Things about space and flight and automobiles... breakfast cereals," she smirks, though there's a soft sadness in her eyes thinking on her children back in Green Lake.

When he's finished filling his own bucket, she steps out of the room to grab her coat again, shrugging it back onto her shoulders. Though, she doesn't bother with buttoning it, or pulling the scarf back around her neck.

"Just 'cause the sun's up don't mean you won't freeze your ears off," he protests, the bucket going down on his desk as he reaches past her for that scarf and drapes it around her neck, wrapping it once. "Several people here would have my hide if I let y'freeze to death on the first day."

Scarf secure, he picks up the bucket again and nods.

"Much better."

Satisfied, he leads the way out of the barn itself and starts on the walk towards the far paddock, the one nearest the woods. There's a bit of a shelter assembled and a feeding station as well, just inside the tree line, and that's their ultimate goal.

"You know it's interestin' to think about the things our children will learn, and our children's children...some things are just...too much for me to even comprehend."

The corners of her mouth turn in a soft smile as she watches his hands work the fabric around her throat, eyes sparking at him when he's finished.

"Daresay that's the truth, though I wouldn't be surprised if'n you're just using that as an excuse to get your fingers close again," she taunts, hiding her wicked smirk as she follows his lead out.

"I know what you mean," she comments softly, stopping once they've reached the feeding station, lifting her bucket and filling the trough evenly. "Had a nice conversation with Captain Kirk 'bout that very subject, last night. By his age, they will know such things..."

She trails off, shaking her head and shuddering in a sudden, cool wind.

"Can't even wrap my mind around the thought some of those things exist."

"It is awful strange."

Doc fills the feeder as well and then sets the bucket down, before moving to inspect the shelter. It's a simple structure, with a break for the wind and roof to keep the rain or snow off, and he circles the piece entirely, checking it like he would a fenceline.

Which means kicking it with a foot and checking the solid attachment of the roof.

She watches him quietly, eyes scanning the structure helpfully.

"Might could do for a bit of thatching," she remarks, gesturing to a small section that looks like it might be getting the beginnings of roof rot.

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