Xanadu

For all intents and purposes, Hugh had tried to clean his house. There was a girl coming. A little bit of contact from the outside world. So after this morning's early rise, shower, breakfast, moving of the animals, feeding, cleaning and maintenance, he had come in to arrange his garage, tidy the main room, scrub the bathroom, clean the dining room, air out the spare room and he even slightly arranged his bedroom. Not that he expected her to come see his bedroom, but he didn't like leaving a job half finished. It was getting close to noon, which was when she said she would turn up, and he hoped she wasn't late. He'd washed and even ironed these clothes just to seem a bit more... presentable to his new guest. If the time pushed much past twelve then he was going to have to wear his favourite horse selling boots and his best jacket as he gave the animals their mid-day meal. Not that he'd mind, but coming out all dirty and hot probably wouldn't give a good first impression. Not to someone coming here to look after his heart at least.

Becca's cab dropped her off in front of the beautiful white house. It needed some flowers in the flower beds, and a rocking chair or swing on the front porch but all in all, it was gorgeous. Paying the cab driver she stepped out onto the gravel drive, pulling her two suitcases and duffel bag with her. Lifting the duffel bag over her shoulder, she carried the suitcases, one in each hand up the steps. Setting them down she rang the doorbell, waiting patiently. As she waited, she turned around to look at the beautiful land around her. They were literally in the middle of nowhere. She heard that this Hugh, owned most of the county, which was very impressive. Brushing her blonde locks out of her fair and sighed. This was going to be interesting.

Hugh answered the door and... he realised immediately that if he wasn't staring then he was going to start staring in a few moments. He attempted to stop staring before he even began, and nodded gently to her. "Becca?" he asked, his deep voice emerging at the same time as a hand, which was presented to offer a welcoming shake. "Arrived on time I see." he said with a nod, showing his approval of her punctuality. So, she was meant to be fixing his heart? Just by arriving at the door she'd put his pulse through the roof. How was he meant to survive living with her?

Becca let out a soft squeak, clearing her throat she nodded her head and placed her small hand in his large callused one. He was undeniably gorgeous. She was here to keep his house clean and make his food healthy, not drool all over him. Sighing softly she forced a smile onto her face. "Yes, and you must be Hugh, the man I'm here to keep alive." Looking him over thoughtfully she grinned, he was certainly the one to do all the work around here, and if her eyes benefited from that, then by all means!

The act of stepping back and waving an arm into your home was usually for inviting people in. Hugh didn't really understand that by stepping back and opening his arms like that he was giving Becca a full view of his body; she could see the muscles under his clothes, a tan that stretched well past his sleeves and neck line, and his broad chest contained within a white cotton shirt. The fine and expensive looking shirt was also practically new, or at least looked as if it was barely worn. If the tan lines were anything to go by, wearing a shirt at all was a rare occasion for Hugh. He did prefer to remove it if jobs were messy, which they usually were. "Need a hand with your bags?" he asked, taking a little longer than usual to scan her before his eyes settled on her cases.

"Oh, god that would be great." Becca placed one of the cases down, not wanting their fingers to brush against each other quiet yet. Her nerves were shaken up enough as it was without him accidentally touching her. Sliding into the house past him, their bodies centimeters apart as she stepped into the foyer. Beautiful grey eyes, like the color of storm clouds, scanned the room. "You need a womans touch." The words were out of her lips before she could stop them. Turning on her heal she blushed deeply and shook her head. "Sorry, I blurt things out when I'm nervous."

"The truth is important." was Hugh's reply, a small nod indicating that he wasn't insulted by her claim. He bent down, picking the heavy back up in one hand and holding it as if it weighed barely anything. His own eyes, a strange cloudy colour between green and blue, gazed into hers for a moment. "I'll show you around the house." he said as he shut the front door behind her finally. He looked around the main room, where they were standing right now. "Front room. Got pretty much what all front rooms have. Book case." he indicated the floor to ceiling book case over by a large cabinet, "Chairs, couch." they were, strangely, not leather, but a quite fine white cloth. "Got a landline," he indicated the telephone, "just so you know. The mobile network can get sketchy out here. Got a TV, of course." He moved forward, moved past her, and for a moment he could smell... what was it? He wasn't sure. Her perfume, it must be, but he couldn't recognise the scent. He opened the large cabinet to reveal a twenty five inch plasma television, and behind that were a few not very well hidden bottles of alcohol. Spirits, hard ones at that. Not exactly all drained dry, but there were more than a few bottles.

Becca scrunched up her nose at the alcohol and shook her head. "Those will be the first to go." Looking up into his eyes her frowned deepened. "Hugh, I'm going to be rather bossy and you may end up not liking me. But I'm not here for you to like me, I'm here to keep you alive." Her voice was soft and melodic by the end. She wanted them to get along but she knew that getting in between a man and his alcohol was dangerous. "How about you show me to the kitchen and my room? I'll be able to find the rest later. For now it isnt quite that important." 

"They're for guests, mostly." Hugh said, indicating the drink "Ranchers get up too early to get hangovers, and handling a horse drunk is just asking to get kicked in the head." Still, he nodded to Becca and opened the door near the book case. Inside was the kitchen, a rather hi-tech one at that. A very near top-of-the-line over with hobs and a grill, a sink set into the counter, which was a polished marble. There was a hood suspended from the roof over the cooker for ventilation and light, and several draws which held a variety of different utensils, some of which might be useful and most of which Hugh had never touched in his life. There was also a microwave, which seemed oddly out of place in this hi-tech kitchen. The fridge was huge, and actually quite tidy. The only thing was that the fridge had very little greenery in it. The occasional piece of fruit, or a vegetable, but not as much as there should be for a fridge this size.

Becca bit down on her bottom lip and looked around the kitchen, practically in heaven. "This is amazing. But we'll have to go grocery shopping for food. Which means I'll need a vehicle. And I'll want you to come along for the first trip so you can tell me what you like." She began opening drawers and cupboards, peeking into them each in turn. "This is perfect, you'll be eating like a king."

Everything seemed like new, perfect... which meant that Hugh had never touched them. He was always on the go, never sitting around to prepare his own meals. "Fine. I'll drive us down later, if you want." he said to Becca, "I've got to feed the animals before I head out though." He was standing by the door, waiting to head up to her room to show her where she'd be sleeping. He suddenly wished that the guest bedroom was a little closer to his. And he wasn't considering it because he might fancy a midnight snack.

"Could I come with you, to feed the animals?" Becca chewed on her bottom lip nervously as she followed Hugh. Ascending the stairs she looked around the hallway. She didn't see many decorations, that would have to change. He didn't seem to have many family possessions around the house and this saddened her for some reason. "Are you out here alone, all the time?"

"Since father grew sick, and he and mother moved out, yes." Hugh admitted to Becca "And you can come out with me to feed the animals. They'll smell you around anyway, might as well let them see you first day." He paused, turned, then pushed open a wood paneled door. "This is yours." he said flatly, waving into the room; inside was a room on par with the rest of the house. The bed was queen size, the sheets looking clean and soft, while a relatively large walk in closet could be seen through a screen door, and a few other small comforts, like a night stand, cupboards and a lamp. She had her own on-suite bathroom, with a shower but no bath, and it all looked rather expensive, which seemed to be a theme running through the house. "The guest bedroom." Hugh said, stepping inside and putting her back carefully down beside the bed, not wanting to break anything in her luggage.

Becca entered the room behind him. Walking over to the dresser she set her suitcases down on the floor, bending slightly causing her already tight jeans to cling more provocatively to her body. "It's wonderful, thank you very much." Walking over to the vent in the corner she reached down and opened it, unknowingly giving Hugh a very nice view of her perfectly round back side. As she turned to address him she began fiddling with her ring finger where an engagement rind usually was, only now, there wasn't one. Blushing slightly she shook her head and forced a smile to her face. "Should I change or will this be okay?"

Hugh was trying not to stare, trying not to, and he moderately achieved that. He didn't stare directly at that round, perfect backside that had bent over in front of him, but his gaze slipped from the dresser to her, then the bed, then her again. Every time he looked away his eyes slid back to Becca. Managing not to seem too bad as she stood up again, he pretended to have only been watching her out of interest of the person now living here. "Anything's fine so long as you don't mind it getting a little dirty." he said with a nod "Those pants look mighty fine though, so maybe it would be a good idea to change to something you can get muddy. We've got a fine washing machine here, but some things just never get clean."

Becca nodded her head and opened up one of the suitcases and riffled around the organized case before pulling out a pair of old capris and a tank top. Her tennis shoes would work just fine for now. Turning she held the close to her chest and smiled at Hugh. "Just give me a minute to change." Stepping over to the door she held it open for him and waited patiently for him to leave the room so she could change.

"Of course." his feet resisted, oh how they resisted, but he was used to being on top of things that didn't like how he wanted to control them. He turned away and walked out of the room, and resisting the urge to stop right outside the door, he continued on to his own room. He had to change himself, to the stuff that he was wearing before hand. His dirty stuff, basically. He didn't want to get his own best stuff dirty.

Becca took no time at all to change, looking around the room she noticed there was no hamper so that would have to go on her list of things to get when they went to the store. Exiting her room she headed downstairs and went around peeking into cupboards once again. He was going to eat like a king once she got enough groceries to stock the house. Leaning against the counter and smiled and waited for Hugh to join her.

The clothes he emerged in were once plain, normal, working clothes. Now they were quite dirty, caked with the morning's mud around the ankles, while Becca's eyes would strangely be unable to find any sweat stains on the shirt. Perhaps some dirt, wood flecks, but the man must sweat, doing heavy work in the heat, but there was no sign of it. "Wondered where you'd gone." he said, not sounding angry about it "Careful with the horses when we get near them. Not all are broken in yet."

Becca chewed her bottom lip and nodded, not sure she was even going to go near the horses. Clearing her throat she smiled at his attire. "You'd better have a good washer because I am not washing those by hand!" Giggling softly she shook her head as she closed the cupboard she had been looking through.

"Pretty good one, I should say." Hugh said with a nod, "Now if you'd kindly follow me. I'll show you round the place. Hope you can walk." This was going to be a little trek. Nothing for him, of course, but he wasn't sure how a girl like her would handle it. He went outside for a second, then went back in and grabbed up a straw stetson hat. "Better to have it and not need it than need it and not have it." he said before walking out again.

Becca raised her eyebrow in question. She'd never seen a cowboy wear a...straw hat before. Shaking her head she followed at him and looked around. Good thing she'd thought to wear the tank top because it was going to get hot. She'd need to rememeber to buy a hat while they were in town. A real hat.

"I'm gonna need to fetch the feed for the animals," Hugh said, standing at the bottom of the steps and indicating a barn off in the distance, positioned beside some stables and a fence that seemed to stretch on forever "that's where we're heading first." He then just... walked off. Strange, he did have a car, she had seen it on the way in, but he was walking to the barn. Perhaps putting more stress on himself than he should.

"Hugh, dont you have a gator or some type of four wheel vehicle you can ride up to the barn in?" Becca knew in the next few months, or however long they would be in the same house hold, she would be coming across as bossy, but her father had hired her to care for hi patient and make sure he stays alive, and that is what she was going to do. "I mean the exercise is good and all, but your straining yourself for no reason."

"Well, a walk is good for a person." Hugh said with a shrug, stopping and turning to look at Becca "Aint gonna be carrying the heavy stuff around. There's a truck in the barn, I use that to move the feed around, I just like walking to the barn myself. Enjoy the sun, you know?" He really did see this as a leisurely stroll to the barn, while other people not raised on this ranch might see it as a trek.

"Like I said, exercise if good for someone but straining yourself is going to send you further towards a heart attack." Knowing he probably wasn't listening intently, Becca grabbed his arm to stop him and made look at her. "I'm serious. My father wouldn't have suggested you hire me if he wasnt so serious about it. So please let me make your life easier." Her eyes were soft as she looked up into his face, searching his eyes.

Hugh was about to say something, then simply sighed and nodded to the girl. "Fine. Spose you're here for a reason. Should follow it, or there's no point in having you round." He pulled out a set of keys from his pocket, then nodded towards the drive way she had seen the car in "Gas prices are getting hefty though. Hope this aint gonna make it too hard."

"Oh I'm sure you can afford it. Daddy tells me you raise cattle for a living. You should take me out one of these days and show me the extent of your property. Half the county, is huge." Smiling softly Becca followed Hugh to his truck. She knew for a fact that this handsome cowboy in front of her didn't have to worry about money, ever. His family's ranch had been around for so many years that Hugh's great great grandchildren would most likely be set for life.

"True. But I've had a few oil barons round here. Asking to dig for oil all over the place. Don't want to speed up their desire to take my land any some." Hugh said, unlocking his truck with a click of his keys from afar. It was an all terrain vehicle, almost nine foot tall and could hold fourteen people in the back. It was actually army issue, and could run over landmines and still trundle off. "I also make trade in colts, and stallions," he said as he pulled himself up the small ladder needed to get into the driver side "breeding stock, you know."

Becca nodded her head as she climbed into the truck and looked around. "If your worried about gas prices, its your own fault. You need to get yourself a daily driver." Crossing one leg over the other she waited for him to start the truck and take her to the barn.

"This thing never breaks down, can handle any terrain and usually, if someone wants a trip out into the land, they've got a whole heap of people needing to come along for the ride. And they aint got no trucks." Hugh pointed out as he started up the truck, listening to it purr to life. "And I do have a daily driver. In the barn. I use that one for the jobs, this one's for the rich people who come round. Give them a little show." He was driving along road and dirt as if it was all the same stuff, not a jolt or bounce in the entire truck.

"Uh huh..." Becca sat back as he drove along and looked out the windows watching as the land went by. Closing her eyes as the sun intruded on her vision she waited for him to stop and park, giving her the okay to get out. "Why dont you have a girlfriend?"

Hugh didn't stop the car, but there was a pause in the speech. "Well, far as I see, you're here to help fix my heart." he said rather flatly "And considering we have only just met each other, that's a bit of a question to spring on a person. But I'm an honest man, and I'll say it honest. I don't do well with people. I'm used to cattle, cattle and horses. I don't have to talk to them, so I aint used to it. The way I interact with living things usually is to either squeeze the udder or grip them between my legs and try to break in a wild stallion. No talking needed out here."

Becca nodded her head as she listened. "I just thought a handsome man like you would have a girlfriend." Shrugging her shoulders she looked out over a pasture where a herd of cows were grazing. It was just a small but compared to what she knew he would have further back in his property. A calf hopped by, chasing after something in the tall grass that she couldn't see. "Any dogs?"

"Got some big ones, more like a pack of them really. Don't hurt the cows, keep wolves away, hungry coyotes." Hugh said as they got closer to the barn "Keep them fed. You might see them today, if they're waiting for us. Just be careful, they can be a bit feral sometimes." Handsome man. That was something... interesting. "What about yourself?" he asked bluntly "Any lucky fella waiting for you?"

Becca bit down on her bottom lip so hard a trickle of blood slipped down her chin. Wiping it away she sighed and shook her head. Of course he'd want to know. It would have been a proper response to her asking about him. Swallowing past the lump in her throat Becca shook her head and looked away from him. "No, no one." she refused to break down and cry, not after she'd been doing so good.

Hugh looked around, then the car came to a halt in a couple of seconds. He dug around in a pocket and pulled out a handkerchief. It was offered up in a matter of seconds, his look of worry rather serious over such a thing as a bleeding lip. "Here." he said softly, making sure she took the piece of cloth "You... cut yourself... Are you alright?"

Becca reached over and took the cloth, licking away the droplets of blood she held the cloth to the cut. "Damn, ah, yeah I guess." Sighing she laid her head back and stared at the roof for several minutes before turning to Hugh and smiling slightly. "Sorry about that."

"That's alright." Hugh said, nodding to her gently and obviously looking at her with a worried frown. He continued on with the drive, occasionally casting glances at Becca to see if she was still alright. That had happened rather suddenly. It worried him that she should bite through her lip like that. But he didn't bring up the question why.

"I think we should stray away from relationship questions for now." Becca's wound from her recent break up was only beginning to heal, since it had only happened a few short months ago. She was still in a great amount of pain from it. "I would like to get to know you though, that way we're not living under the same roof and complete strangers."

"Right." Hugh said, thinking how this was going to drive him crazy. To be honest, he'd like to get to know her. Very intimately. But there was obviously something up with her about relationships, and he didn't fancy wading in without a clue. That's how people got hurt. He stopped the truck outside of the barn, turned the engine off, then started to climb down out of the truck. Time to do some work.

Becca stepped down from the truck and looked around. Taking in a deep breath she sighed happily. "Wow. It's gorgeous." smiling she rounded to the front if the truck and looked over at Hugh. "I can't wait to go shopping once were done. I've got a lot planned." She was going to buy the best bottle if red wine she could find and they were going to celebrate there first night as a team. She also thought about buying some boots so she could help out around the ranch. "I want you to teach me so I can help out around the ranch on days I don't NEED to be inside. Deal?"

"Alright. But it's heavy work." Hugh said, going straight to the barn and opening it up, pulling the big doors wide. Inside were bags of feed, huge ones, piled up against hay bales that reached close to the ceiling. There was a forklift in the corner, and in the center of the huge barn was a rather beaten up looking Ford Pickup. That was more his kind of vehicle, not the big truck. "I need to get three bags of feed into the Pickup." he said, walking into the barn, the air heavy with the smell of dusty hay and the few pieces of escaped straw on the floor rotting. It was a strangely sweet smell, muffled by the heavy dust of the hay as the wind carried it out the door. He went right over to the huge feed sacks, grabbed the handle, then began to lift it from the floor. It must weigh more than Becca did, and he was lifting it up to carry to the Pickup truck.

Becca gasped as he picked up the heavy bag, her instinct was to call out and stop him, but she kept her mouth shut this time. She couldn't change his entire life style. And using the truck to get to the barn would help out a great deal on his heart. "I said teach, I'll only do what I'll be able to." Giggling softly she watched as his muscle rippled. God he was yummy. Yummy? Becca had never thought of a man as yummy before in her life. Raising an eyebrow at herself she shook her head, a small smile crossing her face. But she had to admit, he was the definition of yummy.

He pulled at his collar, once he'd lifted the food bag up and onto the back of the truck. Hugh seemed uncomfortable wearing the shirt, and every time he did pull at it he glanced over at her. Could the fact he hadn't stained the shirt be because he barely wore it? He went over, starting to move the second bag and finding it excessively tight inside of the top. Shame there was a woman watching him right now, or the shirt would have been off before he'd even started lifting.

"You know, if your hot you can take your shirt off. I'm not going to stop you from doing your thing." In fact, she hoped he'd take off her shirt. Her eyes widened suddenly as that thought passed through her mind. She was amazed at how attracted she was to this stranger. She hadn't thought of any man in a sexual way since...Well since her cheating ass fiance. Shrugging her shoulders, Becca leaned against the barn door and watched him carefully. Pulling her long blonde hair back, she took the pony tail from her wrist and wrapped it around her hair. Sighing happily, glad to have the heat off of her neck she smiled softly. 

Hugh was a little afraid to turn around to look at her, just in case he did something that he shouldn't. But without a word he removed his hat, placed it on top of the feed bag, then pulled his shirt off. He did work without it on, rather a lot it seems, because he had a perfect tan over his chest. His muscles were well defined, smoothly shifting beneath the skin as he placed his hat back on his head and started to haul away the feed bags. He wasn't sure what to say, so he kept his mouth shut.

Becca gasped audiabley as his bare back came into view. He was gorgeous. Watching him carefully she was amazed at how his muscles rippled.

Again, he wasn't sure what to say. Hugh was half tempted to ask if she'd be more comfortable without her shirt as well, but that lecherous thought shouldn't be said aloud, not to a lady he'd only just met. Finally, as he hauled the third bag up onto the truck, sweat starting to make his muscles glisten and his job here complete, he opened the car and nodded to Becca. "Come on. We'll take these to the pens." he said, not making a move to put on his shirt. She was going to be sitting right next to him while he was like this.

Becca hopped into the truck and got comfortable. She watched him out of the corner of her eye. Clearing her throat she looked out the window so she wasn't tempted to reached out and touch him. "I'm really surprised woman don't throw themselves at you."

"What makes you say that?" Hugh asked, starting up the car and starting to drive away, making sure it was nice and smooth so the feed didn't spill over in the back. He really didn't see himself as anything better than a glorified farm hand. He was rich, but he did the work around here as well. Sure, he had a lot of other hands out there, tending to different areas of the ranch, but this little part here, this was his. As the truck got out into the sunlight his tanned muscles caught the light occasionally, as if trying to catch Becca's eye all the time.

"Well on top of being rich, your damn sexy. You reek with sex appeal." Becca blushed as the truth spilled from her lips. "Any woman would be stupid not to want you." Turning so her back was against the door, she watched him thoughtfully. "Your obviously good with your hands and willing to work. So far you've been very respectful. Hell, your the ideal man for a woman. And to top it off, your a cowboy! And honey, believe me, that is ALWAYS a turn on."

Becca was making him a little nervous. Hugh wasn't used to compliments, specially not for stuff he just did anyway. "Well, any girl who wants me just for the riches tends to... get a little unhappy that I expect them to do some work around the place too. Lots of people are willing to work, I just have that bit easy because no one has denied me work yet. As for respectful... well, I think it's just the right thing to do. Be nice to others." He had avoided the comments about sex appeal and the cowboy thing... he found them a little embarrassing. He'd met this woman a little while ago and she was already staring at him as if she was eyeing up a prize stallion.

Propping her knee up she rested her head against it. "Sorry if I'm making you uncomfortable, but I'm getting to know you at least." She giggled softly before shaking her head. "No woman deserves a man like you, so far, if she is in it just for the money. I hate people like that. There terrible and self richious." Becca had been raised by her father most of her life and he had always taught her that she needed to work for her money, and she always had. This is clearly how Hugh had been raised as well. "You should be proud of yourself, and your looks, for that matter. Your nice to look at." Shrugging her shoulders she turned her head and looked out the wind sheild, feeling very at ease with this man.

"Lucky you landed this job with a rich cowboy like me then, huh?" Hugh said, trying a joke and even managing a little smile at her, glad she seemed at ease. He cast a glance into the mirror. Good, not a single bit of food had slipped from the bags. "Ya aint making me uncomfortable, I just aint used to all the compliments. You'd almost think that you'd taken a fancy to me." and there was her opening. If she was going to say something, now was a good time.

Becca turned to look at him, her smile genuine. "Maybe I have. I mean I don't know much about you physically I'm VERY attracted to you. And that hasn't happened in quite some time." The smile remained on her face she watched him. Looking for some sort of reaction to her remark.

Well she got one. He slowed down carefully, stopped the truck, undid his belt, then leant over. Hugh had kissed her cheek before she could even grasp what had happened. He was pulling back in a moment, doing his belt up and smiling to himself. Really, since she had just admitted she liked him physically, he could have done a lot more. This was more of a tease really. He was acting rather than just telling her that he found her attractive as well.

Becca, from the chest up turned a deep crimson as he pulled back. "Oh..." Smiling softly she looked back out the wind shield, her cheek resting on her knee. Lucas had never kissed her cheek, ever. It made her giddy inside. "So I've got to warn you. I'm terrified of horses."

"Best you stay with the bows then." Hugh said as he continued to drive on, wincing as the truck gave a little bounce and he heard the feed rattling in the back "They're in different areas. You won't have to go near the horses." He didn't need to ask why. He'd seen a horse go feral, seen what they can do to doors let alone people. What was Arthur Conan Doyle had said? Wicked at both ends and crafty in the middle.

"Okay, it's not really that I'm terrified, I've just never been around one." Becca looked slightly embarrassed. Who has never been around a horse? Unless they lived a sheltered life. Sighing she looked over at him. "Can--can you show me?" she asked nervously

"Course. But the cows need feedings first." Hugh said, going past the pens, then slowly reversing backwards. He didn't need to get out of the truck for the door to open, it had sensors and swung outwards as he reversed in. There were rows and rows of feeding troughs in here, running down the entire length of the barn. He stopped the car, slid out, then went around the back to go lift the feed out. "See, feeding isn't too tough," he said as he started to carry the food towards a funnel on a track that ran along the top of the feeding trough, "you just stick this big old sack in here, it cuts the bottom, you drag it along the trough and the food comes out." In the distance there was the sound of animals approaching, cows by the sound of it.

"You don't interact with the cows much do you? This is as close as you usually get?" Becca watched him carefully as he poured the food into the troughs. Leaning out the window of the truck her breasts seemed to stick out more showing a fair bit of cleavage from her tank top. Becca wasn't paying attention so she didn't move to cover herself.

"Sometimes go in, check for injured. I don't do the branding myself, I have people for that." there were a LOT of cows around here, and they were flooding in for the feed. As he came back for the second back his eyes slipped down and... immediately turned away. He licked his lips, trying to think of something to say, then nodded to her "Sometimes, if we're a man short, I'll help with the milking machines, but that's about it. That and stopping any stampedes of course." He mustn't stare... and he mustn't say the word "milking" again. That chest was burnt into his mental landscape, and he wasn't going to get it out of there any time soon.

"How do you keep in touch with your ranch hands?" She knew reception up her had to be spotty so maybe they used hand radios or something. Becca waited for him to finish with the second bag before asking or talking about anything else. She just leaned out of the truck and watched him and sometimes the cows.

When she leaned out... good God, Hugh was trying not to find his eyes drawn straight to that chest. He smiled at her and said gently "Trucks have got transistor radios, just in case." He opened the driver side door in order to pop the glove compartment, showing the radio and the speaker "But they mostly follow a schedule. They drop me a call on the land line if they need to change anything."

Becca turned to see what he was showing her and nodded her head. "Do they all live on your land? Or do they drive in every day?" Becca was anxious to see the horses, since she'd never been around one she didn't really know what to expect. Pulling herself back into the truck, she sat down in her seat and waited to Hugh to start the truck once again.

"Some live on the land, some decided they wanted to stay more in the towns. Don't blame them." Hugh looked around, only the horses left now actually. He had an access for them in another place, a little away from everything. This was the cattle's area after all. "We're up for another drive," he said as he settled down into the driver's seat and started up the engine "Just dealing with the horses. Don't worry though, it's protected, like this place. They can't get over the troughs." He reversed the truck slowly as he spoke, casting the occasional smile at Becca.

Becca sat nervously in the passenger seat waiting to see these creatures that would no doubt, be absolutely gorgeous in person. Glancing in every which direction, Becca clasped her hands in her lap and tapped her foot in a nervous habit.

"Now... no need for those nerves," Hugh said, smiling and reaching over with one hand while keeping the other on the steering wheel. His hands were large, and a single one of his seemed to just wrap around her smaller ones with ease. "Aint no body going to make you go near them if you don't want to. If you're staying over mine you're gonna have a while to get used to them. Take you're time."

Becca nodded her head simply to agree with him, but she knew the moment they pulled up she wanted to try and get close. She needed to break this fear and it getting trampled was how to do it, then...well she probably wouldn't allow that, but still. A small smile spread across her face as they came over a hill and you could see just about everything for miles, including the horses!

Hugh looked around, then looked back at the road ahead. He paused, then grinned to himself and said "You know... you got a real pretty smile Becca." Maybe he should pay her a compliment for a change. He wasn't very good at it, so he started with the most truthful one.

Becca blushed instantly, the smile only growing bigger. "Thank you." Biting down on her bottom lip slightly she averted her eyes until the rosiness of her cheeks was gone. In the back of her mind she was making up a grocery list and for a moment 'birth control' popped up. Becca almost choked in surprise at the thought. Sure she was attracted to the man but she couldn't start thinking about sex now! She'd been without for so long that now that she had thought about it, it wouldn't leave her mind. Images of there sweaty body's rolling around in his bed flashed through her mind causing her to blush once again. Oh my...

"You alright?" Hugh asked, looking over at her and a bit surprised to see her cheeks flushed and her breathing a little heavy "Getting a bit hot out here for you?" He reached out and turned on the AC in the truck. Maybe he should have put a shirt back on in here, with the AC on it might cool Becca down a bit, but his nipples would be getting hard in a matter of seconds. Then again, she didn't seem to mind him with his shirt off.

"Uh...yeah I guess so. The material of my tank must be thicker than I thought." Becca rolled her eyes at the stupidity of her excuse. But at least he couldn't tell through her shirt and bra that her nipples were hard from the dirty thoughts that were racing around in her mind. And I have to live with this man?! She was going to die of arousal within a week, she could already see it.

"Well, now you see why I took off my shirt." Hugh joked, grinning at her gently. He wouldn't go so far as to suggest she took off hers, that would be a little rude, specially when they had known each other for so little time. It was implied though, and he hoped she took it as a joke. It was more... testing how far her sense of humour would go.

"Well you have that luxury. It would rather inappropriate if I were to do it." Becca giggled softly as she laid her head back against the head rest of her seat and watched trees, clouds, hills and bushes role by. It was entirely too beautiful out here. She could fall in love with this place and never want to leave. Too bad she didn't have that luxury either.

Hugh shrugged and made a face that showed he wasn't sure if it was quite as inappropriate as Becca belied, but didn't say anything. He smiled as the horses came into the distance, milling around another set of pens where he fed them. There weren't as many horses as cows, about ten, but they were big ones. Stallions and studs that he used as breeding material for people with enough money. He continued on, staying silent for now, until he pulled forward into the penning area for the horses. "Alright now, best to approach them before they've started eating." Hugh said as he slipped out of the truck "So, if you want to get near them, you better say so now before I start feeding them."

"Yes!" Becca jumped out of the truck once it had some to a complete stop and waited by the hood of the truck, practically jumping up and down with excitement. A few of the horses were standing right beside the gate, which caused her to gasp at their beauty. "Gorgeous..." Stepping forward without thinking or waiting for Hugh, she walked over to a near by horse and held her hand up to its face, palm out. The horse gently placed its nose into her hand and closed its eyes as if asking her to pet it, so she did. "Oh my god..."

Hugh tutted, the girl was brave. Or quite silly at least. Either way, he carefully came closer to her, watching as the horse nuzzled her hand. They were expecting food, so were probably quite gentle at the moment, but could get disgruntled rather easily. "That's Bolt," he said as he saw the horse she was petting "Used to be a rich girl's pet pony until she grew bored of him. I bought him up. He's pretty tame."

"I love him, he's absolutely beautiful." Becca stepped closer to Bolt and began patting his neck, suddenly the horses head was over her shoulder and pulled her against his body as if in a hug. "Hugh! Look!" Gasping loudly she wrapped her arms around his neck and laid her head against his neck. "Oh my god..." She whispered quietly as she horse practically cuddled with her.

"Just be careful. Some of the horses here will take bites out of your clothes if you're not watching them." Hugh said, but he was stroking Bolt's cheek as she cuddled up to him. He wasn't a bad one, in fact he kept Bolt around because he seemed the calmest horse he'd seen in a while. Sometimes he disrupted stampedes just by not joining in.

"Hugh, I want to learn to ride him." The words were out of Beccas mouth before she could think them over and stop them from exiting her stupid brain, but after she said it, she realized it was nothing more than the truth. She did want to learn to ride this beautiful animal.

"You can. But not now. We've gotta get this lot fed, then go out shopping for ourselves." Hugh said, smiling and slipping away to go get the food out of the back of the truck. "Might want to take a step back," he said as he hauled the bag off "Horses get mighty fidgety when their food's coming."

Kissing the horses cheek affectionately, Becca did as Hugh told her. Looking around she saw a near by stump and sat on top of it with her legs crossed indian style to watch. Bolt, who she had fallen instantly in love with, began pacing and neighing, as if to get her to come back over to her.

"Now now," Hugh said, loading the food up "You can see her later Bolt." With the bag now pouring the food out, he began to drag the mechanism across the trough. As he passed the horses dipped their heads, starting to eat at the food he had delivered. He looked around at the other end, when the bag was empty. He wondered if Bolt was eating, like he should be.

Noticing that Bolt hadn't taken to the food like he probably should have, Becca stood and came back over to him. Dipping her hands into the horse feed, she brought them back up and held them together so that Bolt could eat out of them. The horse instantly understood and trotted over to her to begin eating his lunch. Munching on the food he kept dipping his nose in for more. Becca giggled at his lips moved against her skin in a tickling fashion. "Adorable..." Slowly she began moving her hand further down until he was within centimeters from the food. Carefully she pulled her hand away so he could eat freely. Bolts ears went back for just a second when he realized what she did, but instead of glaring at her, he continued to eat.

"You've got a way with horses Becca," Hugh said with a smile, hugging her with one arm and grinning at her as he watched Bolt eat, "Strange since you've never seen one before. I'm sure you and Bolt here will get along just fine." He reached out, petting the horse's cheek gently as it ate "And don't worry. We'll get you riding him soon enough. For now though, I think we should head out to go shopping. Need anything back at the house?"

"My purse." Becca leaned forward and kissed Bolt's forehead. She noticed the white marking on his forehead when she pulled away and smiled. His marking had a zigzag affect that gave it an impression of a lightning bolt. Cute. Smiling she turned she nudged Hugh with her hip before heading for the truck and climbing in.

Hugh nodded, making sure he had everything before starting up the truck and driving off. He got wasn't heading to the barn where the big military vehicle was though, instead he was driving the pickup straight back the main house. "I don't like driving the big truck around town. Tends to take up a lot of room." he explained as the house got closer and closer "So we'll use this one." He was silent for a moment, before grinning at Becca "So, something tells me you like horses now, huh?"

"Oh my god, I love it. Absolutely love them!" Jumping across the truck she moved his face towards her and kissed his lips excitedly. Realizing just what she had done, Becca sat back on her haunches and stared at him in shock. "I am so sorry..."

Hugh, very carefully, so he didn't tip Becca over by slowing down too rapidly, brought the truck to a stop. It hummed for a moment as he sat there, looking thoughtful. Then, slowly, as if it had taken him a long time to think about it, he unbuckled his seat belt, and leant right over towards her. His lips met hers, and it was a much softer kiss than the one she had given him. It was strange to think that this cowboy, this half naked cowboy, could be so gentle after he'd been hauling around sacks heavier than she was.

Becca gasped against his lips before practically melting into his arms. Before realization kicked in she wrapped her arms around his neck. Allowing herself to enjoy the moment a little longer before she pulled away. Smiling softly she shook her head. "We can't let that happen again." Turning away she climbed out of the truck and walked the rest of the way to the house. She needed her purse and a good swift kick in the ass for doing that. What had she been thinking? She hadn't that was the problem. Sighing heavily she sat on her bed and ran a shaking hand through her hair. "Becca, your so stupid."

Hugh pouted slightly as she got out of the car, frowning and driving the truck to the front. He decided to go inside anyway, he should probably find himself some new trousers, these ones were a bit dirty. He was getting dressed quietly, pulling on the shirt he was wearing before. After he was relatively well dressed he moved silently through the house, finding Becca's door and knocking on it. He knew that women took a while to get ready, but surely she was only grabbing her purse.

Becca's head shot up from where they were laying in her hands and sighed heavily. "Just a moment." Slipping her clothing off, she slipped into a flaring jean skirt that reached to just above her knees. Slipping on a bright blue halter top, and sliding her feet into her flip flops, she opened the door and forced a smile onto her face as she slid her purse over her head and shoulder. "Are we ready?"

"Just about. One thing first though." Hugh said gently, moving forward and wrapping his arms around her waist. He pulled her close, muscled arms around her in a gently hug. He held it there for a moment, resting his head on her shoulder, before pulling back and saying "It seemed like you needed one."

Becca stiffened slightly but nodded her head once he pulled away. Biting her bottom lip she forced and smile and turned away. Walking around him she headed outside. This was awkward, she needed to distance herself from him a bit.

Normally a person would ask "What's wrong?" but Hugh wasn't very good at the whole social thing. So he let her be silent, mistaking it for just normal silent, and walking to the truck as well. He slipped inside, started it up, and after making sure they were all buckled up alright, made off towards the town. He had no idea Becca was trying to distance him from her.

Once they arrived at the store she hopped out and headed inside to grab a cart. Glancing around she saw a ton Of unfamiliar faces. She should have stayed with Hugh. Then she probably wouldn't feel so out of place. Leaning against the cart she looked out the sliding doors, waiting.

Hugh was there in a few moments, and surprisingly, he wasn't being mobbed by people. You'd think a boy like him, so young, fit cowboy, and so rich, would have been surrounded by people the moment he got out the car. And yet... nothing. Not a single person seemed excited, or even to notice him. "What are we here to get?" he asked as he moved up beside her.

"I wanted to get a pair of boots, a hat, definitely some of your favorite foods and some stuff you've never had. Maybe a book and a nice bottle of wine." Becca noticed the food section near by and headed that way. "What do you like?"

"Steak." Hugh said simply, grinning at Becca and thinking about how excited she seemed about her job "potatoes. But that's only on Sunday. Usually I grab some of the quick stuff out of the freezer section. You know, done in sixty seconds burgers and lasagna and stuff like that." Perhaps now she could see why he would need someone to look after his health.

"Oh...my...god. Seriously?!" Becca rolled her eyes as she began to pick up what seemed like random things from the shelves and fresh produce. "Its a wonder your not dead yet." She picked up more green things than she did anything, until they got to the fruit section, then she really started pulling things off of the shelves. "No more boxed lunches and dinners. Those things are completely unhealthy." Shaking her head she grabbed three bags of grapes, inspecting them carefully before placing all three into the cart. Grapes were her favorite fruit, she ate them with every meal so they would go through a lot. "Ok, now clothing." Looking over at Hugh she waited for him to show her the way.

Hugh grimaced at the contents of the cart they had, the amount of green in there worried him. He wasn't a big fan of green. Rabbit food. He remained silent however and nodded to Becca as she asked about clothes. "This way." he said, taking the lead towards the clothes. Shame she had a trolley, if she'd had a basket he would have held it for her. And probably held her hand.

Becca noticed the shoe department before she was shown to it and began heading straight towards it. Looking around easily she saw exactly what she was looking for, Womans Cowboy boots! Smiling she nodded and picked out her size and placed them in the cart. Glancing around for hats, since there normally around the clothing and shoes she smiled. There was a HUGE display of cowboy hats! She picked up the most basic of them and placed it on her hat before continuing on towards the womans clothing. "So what are you thinking about?"

"Riding." Hugh said calmly. He always tried to say the truth. And he had. To a point. He was indeed thinking about riding, but he hadn't said what he was imagining riding. Perhaps the hungry look in his eyes as he gazed at Becca with her cowboy boots and hat on was enough to tell her that he wasn't exactly thinking the purest of thoughts. He looked around almost immediately, searching for something not erotic to gaze at.

Becca blushed instantly, catching on to what he was implying and continued towards womans. Seeing the lingerie and grinned suddenly. "Stay here." She began walking through the isles looking for what she wanted until finally she found it. "Perfect!" Taking her hat off she stuffed the outfit into the hat and hid it in the cart. Coming back to Hugh she smiled and as she passed a display, picked up a pair of tight jeans in her size. "I believe we're done."

"If you say so." Hugh nodded, wondering if he'd been a little... heavy just then. He just couldn't help himself, and it was the truth. He walked with her to the cashier, then cracked open his wallet as the queued "I see you're taking well to this whole ranch thing. Getting the outfit and all."

"Grandma and grandpa lived on a ranch before they passed and I was there all the time. Daddy would have taken it over but, being a doctor he was just far to busy." Shrugging her shoulders she began piling the food onto the belt. Putting a bar down after the food she placed all of her things onto the belt, making sure to hide the lingerie from his eyesight. Walking up to the cashier she let her know there was something in the hat that needed to stay hidden. The cashier nodded almost knowingly as she continue to check things out.

Hugh almost felt like peeking. Almost. He decided last minute not to, that it wouldn't be the gentlemanly thing to do. So he stood there, waiting for Becca to take care of whatever she had bought, while he got out his card to pay for the groceries. It was a strange card, the kind that screamed "platinum member" of something or other. The cashier even looked at him funny, as if he'd just pulled out a dead chicken. All the time, Hugh definitely not looking at the bags being packed.

Becca paid for her purchases as the bags were being placed in the cart. The cashier came around and handed her her receipt, and winked at her as if saying 'have fun'. Becca giggled and pushed the cart out to the truck and waited for him to unlock it before she began placing them in the back. Her bag of 'goodies' was clutched in her hand as she went around and climbed into the truck. "Ready to go."

"Sure." Hugh said, eyeing the bag carefully but giving Becca a small smile "Am I going to find out what you bought now, or is it a surprise?" He wasn't sure what it was. She was so secretive about it, and she was kinda... new. Perhaps it was something she thought he might not like? He wanted to put any worries of hers to rest.

"Who said it was for you?" Placing the bag between her feet, she smiled softly. She was going to make him wait until he least expected it. "I figured we could have something a little different tonight for dinner. How does Chili sound?" Her chili had won several awards over the years and she was very proud of it. Sitting back comfortably she looked out the window, confident in changing his feeding habits.

"Sounds like you're being nice to me," Hugh admitted, chuckling softly as he drove off, heading back through town to go back home, to the secluded ranch "I was expecting nothing but vegetables and lettuce." He smiled at her, then looked forward again at the road. "You know, you didn't have to pay for it yourself. Whatever it is. I would have gotten you the new clothes."

"You can be healthy and the food still be good. Steak is healthy, you need the red meat, just not all the times. Chili is good as well. Gets your veggies, meat, and its delicious." Becca looked down at her bag and smiled softly. "Thanks, but that's okay. Next time I'll let you pay for it. How does that sounds?"

"Sounds good." Hugh said, trying not to make it obvious that he was peeking every time they stopped at the lights. He couldn't see what was down there, but he was certain it wasn't just chili. He remained silent for a little while before saying "What's your favourite kind of food anyway?"

Becca grinned and rubbed her small stomach. "Chili..." it was the best thing in the world to her. Aside from sex. Pursing her lips to hold back a laugh she turned to him questioningly. "Yours?"



Xanadu Ranch