Crossroads of Life. [Amber/Frosty]

[Cavallo]

He'd put a lot of thought into today's date. When you ran your own stable, time was never something that you had enough of, but somehow he and Amber always made a point to make time for one another and their relationship was thriving. He had called her and told her to meet him at the trail head that lead to the meadow. The summer weather was in the air, but not overly warm - a perfect day for a picnic. He'd already unloaded Princetta, the white grey mare standing nicely tied to the end of the trailer with her saddle pads loaded with treats and delicacies for their lunch. He patted the mare's neck and had to smile. It was odd to see the mare in a western pleasure saddle rather than her racing gear, but Malva was most definitely enjoying retirement as it meant she pretty much got to do whatever she wanted. Malva had always been a more withdrawn kind of personality, but she could have spirit, a nice challenging ride for a picnic, but not out of control.

He smoother his grey cotton v-neck and stepped back from the mare to take everything into account. The truck and trailer were locked and Malva was saddled and ready. He checked his watch, he was still early, but he knew she would arrive at any moment. They led stressful lives and it was important to take a break from their hectic schedules and just be and he intended to do just that with the love of his life. Being around Amber made him feel lighter, like he could conquer the world, but he had to be honest, he missed her. Retirement as a jockey had been a big shift in his life and he had reached a point in his life where things were changing and he knew that this time today with Amber would be crucial. There was no questioning that he loved her and he knew she loved him, but now they needed to take the next step. They had been together now for two intriguing years, exploring if theirs was a relationship that could work and they had proven that it could.

He was settling in nicely to the life of a trainer, in fact, it couldn't have been more perfectly timed. It freed him up to do other things and to focus on his life and his life included Amber. He was eager to spend time with her and slightly anxious to discuss the thoughts on his mind, but knew regardless that he needed to. They had come to a crossroad in their relationship and they needed to decide which path they were going to pursue and go down on. He walked up and affectionately patted Malva, "You ready for a nice trail ride today Malva girl." She snorted and rubbed her head on him leaving white hairs on his shirt. He laughed and patted her and looked up as he heard the approach of her rig and a smile touched his face.

[S u N f r O s T ~]

Amber felt his smile like a beam of sunshine directed at her face. She could feel it from within her van, bouncing along the path with a horse trailer at the back. And oh how she looked forward to returning that smile. She parked the van and vaulted out the door, sending a smile Nick's way as she made her way to the horse trailer. The horse back there would not tolerate the trailer for much longer. She came in, grabbed the lead and led none other than Shiver Me Timbers out the back. The sixteen year old stallion had been a Western speed horse after his racing career and had excelled ferociously. A Western-style trail ride was exactly what the stallion would need. And better yet...it would be with Nick Landing.

They had been together for two glorious years. Amber could not recall having made a better decision in her life, at least on a personal level. Being owners of two top-tier stables had not stopped their relationship from existing. They had overcome roadbumps and time constraints and other commitments to make it this far. Amber had surprised herself with her ability to keep SOPS running and leave time in her life for the person that had become an integral part of it. This trail ride and picnic today had been at Nick's request, and she had eagerly agreed. She could always use some time in nature to come back to herself, away from the hustle and bustle of her stable. She had left Krystal in charge of today's workouts - she was trusting her assistant trainer with more and more lately - grabbed her horse and left quickly, eager as always to see her partner.

And now, with Timbo Tam safely secured against the side of the trailer and enjoying the air, she made her way straight to Nick, who was currently being used as a scratching post by Princetta. As she got closer she saw all the white hairs on his shirt and smiled. You really have a way with the ladies, don't you?