appearances are deceiving (rawr/logan)

[FREE ♥]

Riley was nervous. She had never before competed at cutting. She had just gotten into it because it looked fun, and then her sister had jokingly dared her to enter the amateur class at the next rodeo. Avery should have known better. Here Riley was, on a borrowed gelding, next in line to cut one cow out of a whole herd of them. Thankfully, the gelding knew exactly what he was doing. He had been patiently teaching her how she was supposed to cue him, but he knew what shows were. As competitive as Riley was, so was the gelding.

They called her name. Riley Grant riding Golden Shadows. "Here we are, buddy." She petted his neck as she urged him into the ring, not even knowing if she had a time limit or anything. Reading up on the rules had not been as high on her priority list as actually learning how to cut a horse well enough to come out in an arena and do it by herself. She started by walking through the cows, cutting a small group away from the larger herd. She picked an all black cow, zeroing in and making sure Shadow knew which cow she wanted. Then began the harrowing process of keeping the cow from the rest of the cows. She and Shadow moved almost as one as the horse whirled on his hindquarters, shot forward, stopped, and reversed directions in the blink of an eye, always keeping the black cow away from the others. As soon as the cow turned away from the herd, Riley signaled the gelding he was done. She patted his neck, triumphantly leaving the arena. She would tell no one that she was basically just along for the ride. Of course, those who knew Shadow knew that he was a total packer, practically doing the work for the rider after the cow was chosen.

She dismounted, prepared to wait until the rest of the competitors competed. With Shadows, she might place. If she had come on any other average horse, she would not have done well. She slung her right arm over the buckskin's neck, looking around at the other people and horses. It was very busy, and she saw a couple young horses who were clearly overwhelmed. She would have to remember these nights. She wasn't exactly a Western rider, although clearly she dabbled in it. Her specialty was English, specifically jumping and cross country. But if she needed to see how a horse would do around crowds or if she needed to desensitize a horse to crowds, the rodeo would be the perfect place. Tons of people, tons of horses, the roar of the crowd, and millions of distractions. Shadow wasn't fazed, but stood with his back leg cocked and eyelids drooping over his dark, chocolatey eyes. Riley had on a white cowboy hat, white shirt with brown accents, and a pair of worn jeans. She certainly looked the part of a normal rodeo competitor, but appearances could certainly be deceiving.

[RAWR!]

today was just one of those days. logan was bored and just lazing around at home when he got a call from a buddy of his. they were more into the cowboy/cowgirl scene. logan still hadn't converted, he wasn't sure he would fit into that whole thing. but he figured why not, it would at least get him out of the house and do something. he had been pretty lazy the last few days and it was nice that his friends were trying to help him out and have some fun. so he texted them back after telling them he wanted to think about it and told them he would go. he got a reply back and said they were on their way. "well damn." so he rushed around trying to get ready. he found a clean white tshirt and pulled it over his head and then slid on some blue jeans. he looked around, not quite satisfied yet and then pulled on his boots and grabbed his sunglasses. "good enough." logan didn't really feel like dressing up to go to a rodeo and he didn't want to stand out in a crowd. this was good enough for him.

finally his friends picked him up and they were on their way to the rodeo. honestly, logan wasn't sure what was going to come of this little event but hey, it got him out of the house. he laughed with his buddies as they joked around on the ride their and finally found a parking spot in the crowded parking area and then headed towards the grandstands. the five of them all filled in and found a spot to sit pretty close to the front rails. logan wasn't really sure what to think but it was a good ol' time being with his friends. they were all looking forward to watching the bulls. they liked watching the cowboys get bucked off. logan just rolled his eyes.

during rodeo, logan got slightly bored and decided to go walk around. he was slightly curious of all the events but he got tired of sitting. he gets pretty antsy and wants to get up and move around. so he headed down the stairs and walked around. he watched people warming up for their events. he saw all the horses attactched to trailers standing and waiting. logan had never ridden a horse but was told it was a lot of fun. one day, he told himself, he would ride. but when that day would come, that was way beyond him. so he contined walking and saw a girl standing by her horse. she looked like all the other cowgirls running around. he walked up to her and spoke, his voice smooth. "so what event are you in?"

[FREE ♥]

Riley looked up at the man who had chosen to address her. Tall, brilliant blue eyes, and dark wavy hair. "Cutting." She wondered briefly if he thought she was a real cowgirl. She looked him over. White t-shirt? Without stains? Probably not from around here. She chose white because of her hunter/jumper background, but that didn't mean it was particularly smart. Blue jeans were the norm, so she figured at least a little background here, but probably not a lot. "This is my first event. If I get anything, it'll be because of Shadows here." she commented, patting his golden neck. The gelding didn't budge.

"I'm your typical English girl. I've got tons of blue ribbons from hunter/jumper shows, combined training, three day eventing..." She trailed off, watching another girl go into the arena and cut a cow like nobody's business. Yep, Riley wasn't going to place. She brought her attention back to the guy. "I'm Riley Grant." She reached out her hand to shake his, then looked at it and wiped it on her pants. She then held it out again with a sheepish grin.

"You ride?" she asked, ever curious. Shadows was only borrowed from her stable, but she did have a horse she leased. She would love to buy her own, but at this point, getting a good horse for her wasn't exactly cheap. Leasing one wasn't cheap either, but she hoped to eventually get a horse that could jump to the moon and back for her. She would also have to have a horse that didn't mind dabbling in tons of other things as Riley saw fit, but Riley didn't have too much time when combined with running and soccer. But Riley was incredibly fit, making adding on a little something else not all that hard for her body to adjust to.

ooc- please don't swear in posts with me.

[RAWR!]

logan stood there looking at the girl and her horse. in a way the girl looked nervous and almost like she was trying a little hard. he smiled. "cutting." he gave a nod. "sweet. this your horse?" he looked over the horse. he was big. but then again, all horses to him were big. he just couldn't see himself up on top of one of these beasts. he then thought of himself. he didn't really belong here at the rodeo. sure, he dressed up a bit to not stand out so much but it probably wasn't working. then again, he could care less what people thought of him. when the girl spoke again, he smiled. "this is my first event. if i get anything, it'll be because of shadows here." he just nodded. "first event of the day or first event ever?" he didn't comment about the horse. he didn't wanna seem completely stupid.

a horn buzzed and he looked around and out into the arena. he was brought back by the girl speaking again. "i'm your typical english girl. i've got tons of blue ribbons from hunter/jumper shows, combined training, three day eventing. . " logan tried to keep up but he was lost at, english girl. he knew almost nothing about horses and the ways of riding and everything else. you were lucky he was this close to a horse. he tried to seem interested but this was just not his cup of tea. "i'm riley grant." he then smiled and was about to shake her hand when she pulled it away and wiped it off and then stuck it out again. he chuckled slightly. "nice to meet you riley. i'm logan newton." he pulled his hand away and then ran it through his short hair.

that was when the girl asked if he rode. he stood there and shifted his stance. he then shook his head. "no, i have actually never ridden a horse. i am kinda out of my element here." he blushed slightly and then looked back out into the arena watching what they were doing. he really did want to see the bull riding, it was one of those things that just gets your attention and doesn't let you go. he then looked back at the girl and gave her a smile. he honestly just didn't know what to say.

[FREE ♥]

Riley smiled and shook her head. "Nope, Shadows is on loan from one of the girls at the stable I ride at. We're pretty good friends, despite the fact that we ride completely different styles. And this is my first western event ever. My sister jokingly dared me to enter. Bad idea." Riley's blue eyes sparkled. Riley was completely out of her element, but she didn't care. She was one of those people who had discovered who they were at an early age, and Riley had long stopped caring what other people thought and was happy to be herself, where ever that might take her.

"Nice to meet you too, Logan." Riley's smile was genuine, but the way she looked at him a little through her eyelashes gave a flirty flair to her look. She wasn't above flirting with complete strangers, and she was even currently unattached. She had a year of college under her belt, and was soon regaining the status she had in high school. She was a complete jock, but she could be counted on to dress up and be the life of the party too.

"Aw, you're missing out. It may not be quite the same thing as training on your own for a sport, but it's twice as rewarding. Do you play any sports?" In her current get up, it would be easy to assume that Riley was a full time cowgirl. Not only had she told him she typically rode English, and was quite good at it, Riley played soccer and ran track. Under her cowgirl costume, Riley had the muscles to prove it. She might be short, at only five foot five, but she was one tough cookie. That was probably one of the reasons she didn't fear guys, because she knew she could take care of herself in a pinch.

[RAWR!]

logan listened to the girl closely as she spoke. she has a light airy sound to her voice. she enjoyed what she did and that was evident in her tone. he smiled as he listened. when she said he was missing out on riding he just laughed. "i don't think i'm missing out on too much. i'll keep my feet firmly planted on the ground." he grinned. when she asked about him playing sports he just smiled and nodded. "yeah, i play football. it's a passion of mine and my family for that matter." he looked around, trying to listen to the announcer on the overhead speakers. logan heard something about cutting or something and giving out ribbons. he looked at her and wondered if that ment she had to go.

logan took a deep breath and took a chance. "so hey, riley, would maybe . . . maybe like to go out for a coffee or something with me? he blushed slightly. he waited for her to give him an answer and shifted his weight from one foot to the other. logan was not very good at asking girls out. sure he was an outgoing guy and complete jock and he loved girls don't get him wrong but it was just one of those things where he got nervous. sue him. "i mean. . . if you don't wanna . . i totally understand." he gave her a nervous smile and waited, kicking his boot in the dirt.

sorry its so short.. but i figured we will have another one

[FREE ♥]

Riley just shook her head as he laughed at her. He was missing out. He didn't even know. As much fun as sports were, training as part of a horse and rider team was infinitely better. Not that she was bashing sports, as a very competitive soccer player, but she pretty much felt like riding was a superior sport. The chance to team up with such a beautiful and magnificent animal was not something she had ever been able to resist.

"Football? Nice. Although 'keeping your feet firmly on the ground' doesn't always apply." Her smile was teasing, her blue eyes sparkling. Unless he was a quarterback, pretty much any other position had to jump around and if tackled when jumping, could probably hit the ground just as hard as falling off a horse. If they got to know each other better, she might use that kind of logic to get him to try riding. However, she was a girl, and a fairly short one at 5'5", so he couldn't use the reverse logic. She might attempt to throw around a football, but anything more than that and she'd balk.

The sound system announced her class, and she straightened up. "That's me." she told him. And then he posed his question. Riley smiled. Date? With a cute football player? What girl could resist? And his uncertainty was cute. "Sure." she replied to him. "How about tomorrow at ten?" She searched her pockets for paper, but couldn't come up with anything. She grabbed the pen from her shirt pocket and grabbed his hand, scribbling her name and cell phone number on it. "Text me if that doesn't work." She called over her shoulder as she hurried into the arena, ending up being the last one in.