The secret

[intriguess]

Life sucked.

At least so far it had. It didn't matter if she said it up front or waited until it was unavoidable, she always told. She just wasn't the type to fake it and now she had a string of exes who adored her but whom she still broke up with over the sectret. Occasionally when she saw one of them she'd feel bad, but she hoped they were better off without her.

She was tired of it being seen as a challenge, or something else, and so she'd finally given up on ever being completely happy with a lover. It was a sad and lonely life and despite a few tears she resolved to not go through the painful crap that always arose after her secret was revealed.

She was even more tired of dealing with the secret and despite her desire to have a family she figured that dream was only a dream.




OOC okay I know I haven't named her and I haven't revealed the secret as I feel it would mess with the story line. So either a former lover comes back in her life, in which case I'll PM the secret, or someone new, in which case the secret will eventually be revealed.

She's pretty, dark haired, 30ish, looks wistfully at babies

 

[horseman4]

Jake Donovan

Jake had toiled for the last few years on the Cirle R ranch about 100 miles to the south breaking horses and getting them ready for the horse sales. He had tried his hand at rodeo's over the years but after several broken bones decided to leave that alone. He had been saving his money waiting for the day he could buy his own farm. That day had finally arrived a few months ago when he got word that one of his employer's customers was retiring to an easier more laid back life. He was selling his small farm of 120 acres for a more than fair price. Jake jumped at the chance and within another month had moved into the modest farm house. Jake was single as his life style did not appeal to most women. The few relationships he had never lasted long and he had given up on women a few years back. Jake was an attractive man standing six foot and packing 220lbs of mostly muscle on his frame. Most ladies found him attractive. He kept his head shaved with a beard and goatee and had a hard rugged look about him. Today he was traveling to a local sale with the hopes of picking out a few mares to breed to his only stud worth anything. As he walked out on his front porch he looked to the house across the street where he had noticed his neighbor spent much of her time sitting and sipping a beverage from a mug in the mornings. She was an attractive woman looking to be in her thirties with beautiful black hair and a very nice figure. Jake had seen plenty of attractive women in his life but something about her struck him as being different than your average pretty girl. Maybe he should walk over and introduce himself.

 

[intriguess]

Maggie had always wanted to learn how to ride, but have never taken the time. She was a farmer's daughter and as a child her brother had tricked her into walking behind a horse, she'd been kicked, and she'd always had a wariness. It was a huge dissapointment to her grandmother, who'd been an expert horsewoman in her time. Of course the fact that Maggie wasn't married by now was another dissapointment, but the fact that her brother had kids softened that blow.

When she'd first wanted to open the store her family had been so supportive and her grandma had offered her the old homestead to stay at. The house had a lot of memories, and Maggie secretly dreamed of tearing it down and building something else. But since her dream house was built around a dream family, that too had faded from possibility.

The barn had burnt down some time ago and she'd rebuilt it into a studio space, where she could not only rework old furniture but build her own stuff. It didn't seem like much, but it was hers. It was probably the best investment her grandmother had made. She was wearing blue jeans as usual, well worn, with more than one stain or dab of paint. She leaned against the studio, heck she practically lived there, the house mainly stored her belongings and clothes. She had thought about wiring the second story for a living space but the plumbing was more complicated.

She took a sip of her tea and closed her eyes, allowing the smells of the country surround her. She didn't mind the skunk, or manure, it smelled like home.

 

[horseman4]

Jake Donovan

Jake finally decided that he would waltz right on over to his neighbor and introduce himself really fast. He hoped that his arrival would be welcomed and not seen as an intrusion. As he walked across the road and up the stone path leading to her front door Jake could feel his insides churning and then he noticed his palms were sweaty. He was surprised that he was nervous and almost turned around but something made him continue with his plan. He walked up the steps and rang the doorbell. After waiting a minute or so he rang a second time wondering if maybe she was not home. Then he remembered seeing an out building to the side of house towards the back. He walked around to the side of the house and stopped at just at the end of the porch. Jake looked at the building and decided against knocking on the door as he was afraid he might startle her. "Hello, anyone home?", Jake called out loudly hoping she might be in ear shot.

 

[intriguess]

Maggie Conroy had great hearing, and at first thought she was hearing things as the heavy crunch of boots on gravel. She figured it was just a critter and her mind was playing tricks on her, but when a tremorous but definetly male voice called out, she realized that there was someone out there.

"One moment," she called out, wishing she didn't have such a barnyard voice that even at a whisper carried through walls. She brushed herself off, and strode to the door. The studio didn't have windows in order to limit sun damage the lighting was pretty good.

She knew it wasn't her uncle checking up on her by his voice and upon opening the door she was pleasantly surprised by a rather good looking man. Maggie figured she probably looked worse for wear with saw dust and/or paint in her hair.

She wasn't sure how to greet him, a simple introduction? ask what he wanted? At least her assorted collection of critters seemed to be off at moment. "Hello, are you lost?" it seemed the simplest direction to go as not many people would be out this way knocking on her door, especially since the house across the way went up for sale.

 

[horseman4]

"Hi there, I uhh hope that I didn't startle you." Dalton fumbled with the words finding them sticking to the back of his throat. This was a bad idea and he should just say he was lost and get out of here as quick as possible. But woman standing before him was like none he had ever met. She was wearing what appeared to him as "barn clothes" and looked as if she had been working on something. But even still there was a subtle beauty and a way that she carried herself which intrigued him. "Hi, I'm Dalton and no I'm not lost. I recently purchased the farm across the road and was hoping to meet my neighbors." Dalton stepped forward offering his hand.

 

[intriguess]

"Well I'm the only neighbor for miles," she smiled and wiped her hand on her pants before taking his hand in hers. She berated herself for not introducing herself first, "Maggie Conroy," oh please don't let him know my family she thought. The last thing she needed was for her gran to be interfering in her life and have him checking on her. Of course since her grandmother and Uncle owned a good chunk of land locally, it was highly probable he did.

She finally withdrew her hand feeling a little awkward. "I hope you plan on keeping the place up, I know the house isn't much but the place is beautiful." Okay she now officially sounded like a country bumpkin. "Do you have a side job or should I expect to see you around? I should warn you I have a collection of critters that roam about," she bit her lip. Was he the killing type? not everyone appreciated wolf breeds. She suddenly wished her t-shirt had less holes, and her jeans weren't quite so snug, but she opted for comfort when working.

 

[horseman4]

The woman introduced herself as Maggie Conroy. The name Conroy seemed to register somewhere in the back of his mind but he decided to file it away for the moment. "Well, its very nice to meet you Maggie and since you are my only neighbor within shouting distance I do hope we can become friends."

She took his offered hand and shook it with a nice firm grip. A real handshake not the limp wristed ones most women had. He held hers in his hand till it was almost awkward noticing that her hand was not rough but was not unaccustomed to work. Dalton relased his grip as she started to pull it back. "I'm actually working on restoring the barn and patching the fences. A tractor is being delivered tomorrow so that I can bush hog the place. Yes, the house is not a mansion but it's all I need as its just me over there with my animals. Horses mostly with two Great Danes so your animals is not a bother at all. As far as work goes well I break horses and sell. So you will see me around the place all the time. Its my full time job now as horses is about the only thing I know." Dalton had seen Maggie bite her lip as she mentioned her animals and wondered what sort of animals she might have? "Well, I really don't wanna keep you away from anything just felt like an introduction was in order but I would love to have you come over for a visit. I should warn you that I love to cook and feed people till they pop." As Dalton said this a big smile spread across his face as he thought how long it had really been since he had cooked for anyone other than himself. Just the prospect of having a dinner guest pleased him.

 

[intriguess]

A man who cooks, it sounded very tempting, heck she enjoyed a good meal but cooking for one was not as much fun as cooking for two. She smiled and only momentarily bit her lip. "It's a lot of work to do alone," she paused wondering if that sounded like an insult, an offer, or something else entirely. "Been there, done that," she added, "wouldn't change a thing." She paused again unsure of whether this was a simple intro, an invite over to see the place, or just friendly conversation. "Are your dogs fixed? I've got wolf mixes and they aren't very veterianarian friendly. I've tried to keep the breeding to a minimum, but I can't seem to catch Shera except when she's already pregnant."

 

[horseman4]

"Yes my dogs are fixed so no problems there and I keep them up rather than letting them run loose unless Im there to supervise. If your not busy tonight I would be glad to cook something up and maybe get a few decorating tips in return." Dalton studied her wondering what his chances of her accepting his invitation. She was a beautiful woman and he was certain she should have plenty of male invitations like mine.

 

[intriguess]

She tried to recall the last time she'd had a meal with someone other than family. Had it really been over six months ago. She pushed down the sad feelings that accompanied the memory and sighed. She should be friendly, if he were married or a woman she would have accepted in a heartbeat, but he was very male and very single.

She finally opted for honesty, she knew that the truth hurt less than a lie. "Sounds great, I spend far too much time mixing paints and dyes to do much more than reheat something." It would certainly be nice to have someone around, and there was nothing wrong with being friends with a neighbor.

"Any time in mind? I'll probably take the time to get cleaned up," she half joked. Typically she ate first, worked out designs, played with the few house critters, and sat in a hot tub only for about 25 minutes right before bed. If she lost track of time occasionally she'd go to be at wee hours of morning and get up early to shower.

 

[horseman4]

"Well, why dont we say 7pm that is about two hours from now which gives me time to get a few groceries. Is there anything particular you don't like to eat or something you would like?" Dalton was excited about having company over as it had been awhile and he needed some human interaction. She seemed really nice though maybe a bit reserved. But that was alright with as he was going to spend an evening chatting with a beuatiful woman. He just hoped he didn't say something stupid and offend her.

 

[intriguess]

"I'm not all that picky," she said while thinking of all the exceptions, like celery, asparagus, cooked carrots, chunks of stewed tomatoes. "There are a few veggies I don't care for, I'm a fan of pasta though," she almost added what she liked to drink and decided that was probably bordering on too much information.

"Can I bring anything? I think I have a pie or two in my freezer." It was strange, she was thinking about what to wear, she wanted to make a good impression, without appearing as if this were a date type situation. The last thing she needed was for him to think she was interested, it would really muck things up as he lived across the way and neither of them was probably going to move anytime soon.

 

[horseman4]

"Well, then I think that I shall suprise you with a little creation of my own and if it sucks well I will take you out to eat. Ok, I'm going to run and will see you in a little while. Oh yes, a nice pie of some sort would be quite nice as I'm not much of a pastry chef. I really look forward to seeing you soon."

Dalton almost ran back to his more than excited having to make himself walk back to his house. He jumped in his truck making the trip to town buying what he needed to make dinner. He bought a couple bottles of wine both red and white not sure what she might want to drink if she even drank. He bought a case of beer for good measure and several types of tea's. Once back home he became a whirlwind in the kitchen taking out his grandma's china from the boxes that were still packed. He began cooking shrimp, vegetable and steak skewers on his grill along with a nice pasta in a creamy alfredo sauce. He chilled the white wine made the three types of tea's one cold the other two hot and put the beer on ice. After setting the table not once but four times trying to decide whether they should sit next to one another or across and which side the forks and spoons went on he finally placed it all on the bar so she could pick where to sit. He entered the shower and shaved putting on just a little cologne. As he dressed he put on a new pair of wranglers, his best western style shirt, and his dress boots. Taking a look in the mirror checking for any nose hairs or other unsightly things he smiled and thought ok here goes nothing. All was left to do was just wait. He lit a few candles but not to many and placed a small flower arrangement in the center of the table. He then took a seat in the living room with a view of the walk leading to his front door.

 

[intriguess]

She was glad he was rushing off, because that take her out to eat comment made it sound a lot more like a date. She finished up in the studio and dashed to the house, to take a shower and attempt at removing all the various paints, stains, and other from her body. Not like he was going to be seeing her entire body, it was amazing how certain things always ended up on her skin.

Maggie was uncertain of what to wear, she didn't want to be too casual, or too formal. Then again if he went either way and she didn't, "Just neighbors having dinner nothing serious." She said outloud glancing over her options, skirts and dresses were out, so she picked out a nice pair of red slacks and considering it was still chilly and that she'd walk on over, she pulled on a clean t-shirt and a sweater. She wrangled her hair into a braid and heard the oven timer.

It smelled deliscious, strawberry rhubarb, it tasted even better out of season, and was that perfect mix of sweet and sour that she typically found appealing. Of course eating an entire pie alone was rather depressing and she was still surprised at how fast she could finish one off.

Her long dark hair was not going to dry in time, even if she had a blow dryer. At least the few wisps being wet stayed out of her eyes. Maggie finally made sure the critters had food and water, glanced at the clock. It was time to go, probably past time to go, while she was typically very prompt. She carefully wrapped up the pie, threw on a coat as night had cooled some and headed out the door. Her shoes did not match, since she was going to be walking across a gravel road and other she was wearing her well worn brown shoes.

Hopefully she could kick them off once she got there.

 

[horseman4]

Dalton looked at the clock and saw that she was a few minutes late. His mind began to play cruel tricks on him thinking maybe she might not show. Maybe he had been to pushy or offended her in some way. Then he calmed down hoping his first impression of her as a honest and sincere person was correct. He looked out the front window and there she was with carrying something walking across the road. Her hair was back in a pony tail and she looked totally beautiful. His heart began to race as Dalton felt butterflys in his stomach.

"I sure don't wanna mess up tonight" thought Dalton.

He took one last glance around the room making sure everything was in place and then quickly lit the fireplace as the temperature was supposed to drop tonight and the old house had chill. He watched as the fire sprang to life crackling and popping as the dry wood caught quickly. He made himself walk slowly to the kitchen and decided he would wait a few seconds after her knock so he didn't seem to over eager.

 

[intriguess]

She kept telling herself that it would all work out, trying to be optomistic, heck she'd been friends with guys before... of course that was before she developed breasts. She'd almost forgotten how nice it had been to be one of the guys privy to the strange workings of their minds. Then she recalled how most of their thoughts were focused on sex.

Her mind had just shifted to pessimist mode, when the door finally opened. At least the food smelled good. "Rhubarb strawberry pie, I hope you aren't allergic and that you have ice cream." Okay she was off to a good start casual, relaxed, trying to ignore the smell of his aftershave, 'This is not a date' she mentally reminded herself once more, 'stop reading his intentions as date like.'

"Smells good," she handed off the pie, as she had no idea where to put it. She managed to casually slip off her shoes and headed to the dining area. 'Candles' she stopped the thought before it could go any further. "Prepared for the storm season I see," she said lamely trying to initiate what she hoped would be a neutral conversation.

 

[horseman4]

Dalton opened the door smiling at the lady standing before him. She looked beautiful and was holding something that smelled absolutely wonderful. The strong smell of the hot pie reminded him how hungry he was.

"Hi there, I'm very glad you could make it. Come on in and don't mind the boxes as I haven't quite got around to putting everything away. I hope your hungry because I have a tendency to cook way to much."
Dalton observed how she looked around noticing the candles. She made a light joke concerning them and he thought that they might have been to much.

"The candles, well uhhh, some people like to dine by candle light and I wasn't sure so I set them out but we don't have to light them. By the way you look great! I should go and take the food off the grill it should be ready. The bathroom is down the hall to your right and I'm cooking on the back porch right off the kitchen. Just make yourself at home."

 

[intriguess]

Ah yes, a man and his grill, cooking with fire. She smiled, and told herself to relax and she wandered around a little bit, spying boxes with stuff sprawling out of them. She'd moved around a lot as a child and knew the joys and pains of packing and unpacking. She was certain she probably had a few boxes that had never gotten unpacked, mainly lingerie and old mementos.

Maggie knew she should probably take the time and sort through it and get rid of most of it. She wasn't sure she had the time, or that kind of energy to reminiscense about the past. At least there was food, it wasn't like she was going to be required to have a full fledged conversation.

She finally sank into an old wear worn chair that was between where he was cooking and where they were going to eat.

 

[horseman4]

Dalton took the skewers from the grill placing them on a serving platter. He then moved them to the table covering them with a towel. After seeing everything was in order he called to his guest. "Hey, food is ready come and get it while it's hot. I have several different type of tea's, milk, bottled water, red and white wine, beer, and several soft drinks. I wasn't sure what you wanted to drink so I just got a little of everything."

 

[intriguess]

Distracted from her somewhat melancholy thoughts. It smelled fabulous and she said as much, as she moved gracefully from chair into dining area. Drinks, she pondered the thought for a while and seeing the vast array of food decided to see if he had good taste in beer. "I haven't had a good stout in a while." She took the time to place a napkin on her lap. If he went to the trouble to set the table she would take advantage of the hospitality. "Or I've been working my way through all the flavors of Sam Adams."

 

[horseman4]

"Well, I have a Red Stripe which is close to what your looking for I believe. It comes from Jamaica and is a really nice lager." Dalton placed several skewers on each plate along with hot buttered rolls and placed one in front of her. He then opened a Red Stripe and poured into a beer mug taking care not to create to much foam. Dalton then took his seat making sure he had not forgotten everything. "Lets dig in while it is hot and if I can get you anything else just let me know."

 

[intriguess]

She was impressed, a country boy who knew more about beer than the major labels. The rolls were her undoing, she loved bread, and the way he made it so she didn't have to attempt conversation. She was glad of that, now, how would his table manners stand up. Not that he needed to be a neat freak, after all she was just looking for a friend, someone she could enjoy eating with, not someone she enjyoed watching eat.

The food was deliscious and she savoured every bite, it was good to have a home cooked meal without her Grandmother questioning why she was still single. As she wiped her mouth and popped the last bite of roll into her mouth she told him as much.

"I can't tell you how nice it is to have a meal with someone my own age." She took a long drink of the beer. It was rather refreshing not to have to think about how she looked or being ogled or any of that crap either, but she wouldn't go so far as to burp or something. She almost had said they should do this more often but she was still a little uncertain of his intentions and she certainly didn't want to encourage any sort of romantic attachment.

 

[horseman4]

She seemed to enjoy the meal as we ate and conversation was light and Dalton tried to avoid any awkward moments. Though there were several times conversation lasped into silence he never felt pressured to talk. He let her pick the tempo of the evening. Dalton was careful to chew with his mouth closed and keep his elbows off the table. He also paid attention to how fast he ate remembering the things his mother had hammered into his head over the years.

"I'm very glad you enjoyed it as it was my pleasure. Nothing pleases the cook more than seeing his guests eat. I should heat up that pie you made. Would you care for ice cream with it? Maybe we can have dessert on the back porch and I can show you where I plan to build a barn and riding arena?"

Dalton didn't want to seem pushy but thought the living room might become awkward. He knew going outside would allow him plenty of easy conversation pieces. At least talking about things he loved like horses he wasn't as likely to make a total ass of himself.

 

[intriguess]

Maggie Conroy

The conversation was calm, no loaded questions, thank heavens. She was glad when he suggested a change in venue, the candle light was begining to get to her the soft flickering light made everything seem romantically tinged. "It shouldn't need much warming up, I don't like my ice cream to turn into a puddle," she joked as she finished off her beer and picked up her plate.

(the board froze on me for an hour, my migraine is just annoying enough that I'll take another dose of painkillers in a few minutes. I just wanted to reply while I was able)