Bare Feet & Cowboy Boots

Horse Poop & Stable Talks

It was early morning.

The air was brisk as the wind gently blew around them, hitting Maka's bare skin as she stood with the other girls. Sunlight peeked over the horizon as its rays reached into the sky and it rose to wake the rest of the world. A rooster's croaking call could be heard from where she stood. It was early in the morning, but late enough for the ranch to be active as well. Marie importantly stood in front of the cameraman as she waved a sheet of paper around. It must have been their itinerary for filming that day because they all listened to her attentively.

Soul was beside them with his back turned, one foot propped up on the wooden fence as he cooed a black horse that was on the other side. Maka watched as his hand slowly brushed down the bridge of its nose while his other cradled the jaw to hold it steady.

His touch was soft and caring as he handled the beast; its eyes squinting in pleasure the longer Soul stroked it. Her gaze went from his hand to Soul's mouth. She noted the small movement as he talked to the creature in hushed tones. A comfortable aura surrounded Soul and the horse that suggested a bond had built between them over time. It felt like as if she were intruding on an intimate setting as she walked closer to them, her shoes squishing the grass beneath her.

When she was close enough to touch the fence, the horse's eyes snapped open, hinting that she had ruined the moment. The creature started to whinny and struggle out of Soul's grasp. He jumped out of the way as the horse spastically moved about and attempted to calm it in a soothing, mellow voice.

"Sshh, calm down, boy," he said. "Sshh, it's okay. You're okay."

Her fingers flexed by her side as she stepped back. The horse finally calmed down, snorting heavily as it walked back over to Soul. It nuzzled his hand with its snout as its nostrils flared with each breath it took, and it fell back into its initial state as Soul's fingers scratched the side of its face.

"Sorry, I shouldn't have come over here. Just wanted to see your horse. Didn't mean to scare it or anything. I'll go back, though."

Maka turned to go back to where the other girls were meant to be, but didn't get too far as Soul stopped her.

"Nah, it's fine. He gets spooked easily, is all." Soul reached his right hand out toward her. "Come here."

She reluctantly placed her hand in his and he pulled her back over, tucking her between him and the fence. He grabbed her wrist with the other and extended her hand out toward the horse. Carefully he brushed the tips of her fingers along the horse's muzzle. The horse jerked back at her touch, causing Soul to hold her still, before it nudged her hand with its snout to allow her to touch it. Short hairs sticking around its nostrils tickled beneath her fingernails each time Soul moved her hand back up to the bridge of its nose. Maka smiled and giggled as she pet the beast before her - growing braver as her other hand cradled the side of its face in a fashion similar to how Soul was before.

"There," Soul whispered behind her, "that's all he needed."

It quickly became clear of how close Soul was standing to her. She felt his body heat press against her back and the slow motion of his chest with each breath the bull rider took. Little sparks of electricity surged along her spine as she swallowed the lump in her throat. The feeling was both comforting and weird; she hadn't known him long enough to have this kind of effect being close to him. Rather than dwelling on it for too long, though, she excused it as her body's way of reacting to someone of the opposite sex after so long.

That made sense.

"And what would that be?" she asked, her voice equally as quiet and thankfully not thick like she had feared.