Horses and Freedom (Cody)

[Dr. Terrence Jordan]

Ever since his (non) date with Leila, horses had been on Terrence Jordan's mind. Leila had spoken quite fondly of her horse, Red, and her assertion that she missed the animal had motivated him to search for local horse ranches during whatever free time he could find.

One in particular stood out, with positive reviews and a drive that wasn't too grueling; though it still was outside of Pilot Ridge proper, and so Leila would still have to find transportation there, it was still much closer than Texas. And so he'd called up Haven Ranch and scheduled an appointment to talk with the proprietor; he sounded young on the phone, though that was certainly meaningless. If he was as capable with horses as the reviews of Haven Ranch suggested then age wasn't an issue at all.

His car bumped and crunched up the seemingly endless driveway; if it hadn't been for the arch proclaiming that he was entering Haven Ranch he would have doubted his directions and turned around. But just as he was beginning to wonder how long the driveway was a house loomed into view. It reminded him of a farmhouse, and he smiled. How appropriate for someone who owned a horse and cattle ranch.

He parked his Camry behind a very decrepit-looking pickup, eying the truck with suspicion. That was the only vehicle he could see, and as he wasn't sure if it was capable of still running, he therefore wasn't sure if Mr. Branson was home. They had, however, agreed to meet, and so perhaps there was another vehicle parked somewhere else.

He meandered on up to the door, turning his head to look this way and that, expecting to see giant dogs bounding up at any moment, but nary a bark was heard. Perhaps Mr. Branson only had hooved friends, or perhaps he kept any canines around out of sight of visitors.

If so, that was a smart move.

He pressed the doorbell once, then, because he couldn't hear the echo from within the house and it might be broken, he rapped sharply on the door, squinting at the peephole as if he might be able to see the owner come into view.

[Cody Branson]

Many things had been on his mind ever since Jalen had broken up with him. His mother had been the comforting soul, needing to coddle her baby boy; his father had been the reality check, telling him that he needed to move on and find another sweet and willing woman to be his. He had an idea in his head, a memory of the fun and sexy redhead who owned the Kafe in town, but now was not the time for that. He needed to focus and get the equally sexy and flirtatious blonde out of his head.

This new job might have done the trick. Earlier in the week, a man by the name of Terrence had called him and made an offer that the cowboy couldn’t refuse; a chance to win a lady’s affections through horses? Cody understood that logic; it had worked for Jalen, even if she was afraid of the animals. Waiting for the man to arrive for their appointment, the cowboy spent the day doing his normal routine of chores, exercising the animals, and taking notes of inventory. He wore jeans and a white shirt, simple enough, with his cowboy hat on, a new one since he had given the last one to Jalen. He grit his teeth in frustration as he rode out into the field on Tank, Jackie trailing along.

Would he stop thinking about her any time soon?

He was mending fences, his torso bare to the sun when his dog pricked her ears, signaling something. Cody stopped and listened as well, hearing the faint crunch of gravel as someone came down his driveway. “Guess he’s here,” he murmured to Jackie as he packed his equipment and headed back to the house on Tank, slipping his shirt and hat on while guiding the large bay with his knees.

The sight that greeted him was comical, and he chuckled softly as Jackie barked once to get the man’s attention. “Sorry I didn’t answer the door, I was mending fences,” Cody apologized, grinning as he dismounted the large horse and walked to the front steps, taking off his gloves and offering his hand to shake. “You must be Terrence Jordan? I’m Cody Branson, owner of Haven.”

[Dr. Terrence Jordan]

The crunch of hooves on gravel wasn't enough to get Terrence's attention; it wasn't until the expected sound of barking came from behind him that he turned to see a young man (he had to have been at least a decade younger than Terrence) riding up the drive on a very large horse.

"Mr. Branson," He accepted the hand, shaking vigorously. Young, sturdy, obviously spent a good deal of time outdoors if the tan and the athletic body and the rough hands were any indication. Then again, he owned a ranch, which was a far cry from the hospital career Terrence had made for himself.

It was impressive, really.

"We talked on the phone."

As if the young man would have forgotten, since he already addressed Terrence by name. Still, he thought it was polite to mention it. "I'm afraid I still haven't talked to Ms. Gold, but I wanted to see the premise and make sure that I could arrange everything with you before getting her hopes up."

He glanced around, taking in the woodsy little home and the wilds surrounding it. "It looks like quite a nice place for a horse to call home. Not that I'm all that familiar with them, to be honest."

[Cody Branson]

Cody shook the man’s hand with a smile and stepped back. He was young, younger than some of the ranch owners around Pilot Ridge, and the fact that his age confused some people when they spoke about his ranch made it all the more fun to prove them wrong. It also helped that Cody had the gift of speaking to horses, something his mother’s family had given him, and he used his power to bring up the prestige of the ranch he lived on. “We did,” Cody agreed, taking off his gloves and slapping them on his leg.

Jackie bounded up the stairs to greet Mr. Jordan as the other man spoke, complimenting the blonde on his residence and operation, and the praise lifted Cody’s spirit. “Thank you, Mr. Jordan,” Cody said as he looked at the man. He tilted his hat and looked back at Tank, who stood there waiting for them. “If you’d like a look around, you can follow me to the barn,” Cody invited as he stepped off the porch and grabbed Tank’s reins, walking the stallion to the open barn that held the geldings and young horses. A chorus of neighs greeted him.

He clipped Tank to crossties and began stripping the gelding of tack, putting it on a sawhorse. “We have three barns here on Haven,” he told Terrance as he worked, grabbing his tools to rub Tank dry. “This barn is where the geldings and yearlings stay. The barn down the trail a ways,” Cody pointed behind him, “That’s the mare barn. There’s another barn behind my house, and that’s where the boarding horses go, along with any stallions that are mine or boarding as well. It’ll help if you tell me a bit about Miss Gold and her horse, so I can make the proper accommodations.” His blue eyes flicked to the man as he spoke.

[Dr. Terrence Jordan]

Terrence scratched the excited canine behind the ears as the younger man offered to show him around, nodding in acquiescence. That was why he came, though his knowledge of horses was paltry enough that as long as the animals didn't look starved and the rancher seemed nice enough he would probably just go with it.

He followed Cody to the first of the barns, watching as he deftly dealt with the horse he'd been riding on. He certainly appeared to know what he was doing, though Terrence didn't have much of a clue. He supposed this was what his patients felt like watching him.

His eyes lit up when asked to discuss Ms. Gold and her horse.

"I know very little about the horse, except that she misses it and it resides in Texas." He confessed, knowing that was not helpful to Cody in the least. "It is named Red. I wanted to scope places out and suggest them to her so I have not exactly told her about this."

Apparently he should have quizzed her on the horse before going off on this little project, though.

"Ms. Gold is an attorney in town, very lively and energetic. I think she is used to getting her way about most things. She's recovering from a very intense surgery and she needs to exercise for that, and what better way than to have her horse nearby? I think that it would be very good for her."

Not to mention good for his chances of impressing her.

[Cody Branson]

Ah, a horse from the deep South. Cody would have to acclimate the horse to the cooler weather some before it could interact with the other horses. Some of his stock tended to get a bit more frisky in the crisper weather, and he didn’t want them hurting his client’s horse, no matter how his mental commands may hold with his horses. Cody really didn’t need to hear everything about the client’s horse, since he would be able to listen to him or her when it arrived, but this was a way to get the two men talking, and not feel so awkward.

“Well, I can tell you that Haven is one of the best out here, and I’m not saying it to toot my own horn, Mr. Jordan,” Cody said as he rubbed Tank dry and put the gelding into his stall. He stroked the noses of a few of the younger horses, yearlings and two-year-olds that were just ready to begin training. “I can talk to the horses, listen to their wants and needs, and I don’t think another rancher out here has that ability.” He walked out of the barn and slid his hat over his eyes, blocking the sun.

“As for Ms. Gold’s surgery, I pray she has a safe recovery,” he told the other man, hooking his thumbs into his belt loops. “I can stable the horse here and help Ms. Gold with therapy, if she needs it. I got my BS in animal sciences back in Montana and know a thing or two about recovery and therapy.” He smiled at the smaller man. “Also, Haven is the closest ranch to Pilot Ridge, so it isn’t much of a commute.”

[Dr. Terrence Jordan]

Cody's confidence with the animals was reassuring; it was easy to believe that he was as good as he claimed even without the explanation as he so evidently was at ease dealing with the horses under his care. The casual mention of his ability, however, caused Terrence to raise an eyebrow in interest.

"That must be useful in your profession." He remarked, glancing from horses to rancher with renewed respect. If he could communicate with his charges, know what they needed without need for years of practice (though surely he had that, to some degree, despite his youth) then he really was the right man for the job. He could help Red acclimate more easily than someone who only had experience but less ability to communicate.

The revelation that Cody also had a background in therapy, and had a degree to go along with his ability, earned him even more points. If Terrence had any doubts they were all but gone now.

"That would be wonderful." He exclaimed with warm enthusiasm. He was definitely sold; now the only question was discussing this with Leila.