Just What I Needed

Just What I Needed (4)

Picture of Tony on the side :) ------------------>

"Why don't you play in front of me?"  Joe asked as they dismounted fluidly in front of Keely's barn. Joe had already ridden his two horses at home while Keely rode the two horses at her farm she was being paid to train, Joe was now riding one of Keely's two horses. The horse he was riding was named Chris, while Keely was riding Rosie.

Shrugging, Keely took the lead. The horses would be staying in tonight, so she lead Rosie to her designated stall.

There was a companionable silence stretching across the hallway as both Joseph and Keely started untacking their horses swiftly and experately, even though they would stop at odd moments to rub the horse's wither or something along those lines.

"You going to tell me?" he enquired when they met in the tack room.

Choosing silence, Keely pretended to ignore him as she waited for Joe to put his saddle on the saddle rack. Rolling his eyes, Joe plucked the smooth saddle from her arms and slid it methodically on the rack beside his own saddle. By the time he turned around, Keely had already hung her bridle and sidle silently out of the room avoiding his notice.

"Can't avoid me for ever," he pointed out.

"I don't know!" Keely burst out giving Rosie an apple. "I don't know if I'm scared that if anyone sees me play that they'll tell my I'm no good or maybe the magic will be gone after playing in front of someone."

"I have seen you play before," Joe informed, standing beside her looking as if he was completely engrossed in the nail sticking out from the wall.

"You have?" her voice was absorbed in astonishment.

Now he grinned light-heartedly up at her. "When we were younger, you never had a fear in the world. I guess that was what we were supposed to be like than. But I remember coming over to your house when we were little and your mom would pull out her guitar and get you to play for us."

"I don't remember that," she whispered.

In a affectionate big brother move, Joe wrapped an arm around her neck. "Plus, you sing so loudly when you feed evening feed or whenever you're alone."

"I do?" Today was just a day of revelations, Keely decided and wrapped her arm around Joe's waist.

"Uh huh," there was a smile in his voice, but Keely wouldn't be able to see it unless she craned her neck to look up at his face. "So, if I've heard you sing, mom and dad as well plus Frank must have heard you sing, and the magic isn't gone yet. I can't think of why it would disappear anytime soon. Plus, even when you were a baby, you were really talented."

"This is going to get pretty awkward soon," Keely mentioned.

"It already is," he laughed. "I would never say any of this usually, because it just sounds weird, too Hollywood. But since we've already started, you're a really great person Keel. And really talented at everything you do, you just worry too damn much."

"You're right, that does sound weird," she giggled. "So, let's get away from the Hollywood talk, and you can help me let in horses."

 *

"Really does take away from the Hollywood sayings when you're trying to avoid horse crap, doesn't it?" Joe smiled, brushing the dirt off his hands when they finished bringing in all twenty four horses.

"I think so," she giggled.

"You're coming to dinner tonight, at my house, right?" his face was suddenly completely sombre.