Till all the stars go blue [Chaennie]

Chapter 3

After what felt like an eternity to Jennie, Rosie finally steered them into a small grove of trees and back out the other side. The woods gave way to a beautiful, wide meadow and Jennie could hear the bubbling of water from close by.

Rosie threw her leg over the saddle and slid easily off her horse. She stretched up and twisted, trying to work out the stiffness from the ride. Jennie sat quietly and watched, still not quite sure what she was supposed to be doing and also startled to find herself entirely fascinated by the view.

Not the mountain vista or the meadow, but the view of Rosie. The arch of her neck when she tipped her head to the side. The barely-there peek of smooth stomach when her shirt pulled up as she stretched. The sleek swells and full curves in all the right places when she bent forward to touch her fingers to the ground. Jennie stared, her features slack, her gaze wistful and soft. One corner of her mouth curled up.

Rosie raised up and met her gaze and Jennie blanched. "Do you need some help?" she asked immediately.

Jennie opened her mouth to answer and then realized she had absolutely no idea whether she needed help or not. Before she could even think about it, Rosie closed the distance, reached up and placed her hands squarely on Jennie's waist.

"Okay, swing your leg over behind you."

Jennie did as she asked and felt herself stepping down what seemed miles before her foot finally touched solid ground.

"Good, now just pull your other foot out of the stirrup."

Jennie flailed a bit, but eventually got her foot free and was standing on the ground.

"Graceful," she muttered under her breath.

"Stop it." Rosie scolded lightly. "Okay?" Rosie asked releasing her grasp.

"Sure, great," Jennie responded confidently. It wasn't until she went to take a step that she discovered her legs were like noodles. She would have stumbled and gone down hard had Rosie not immediately caught and held her around the waist.

"Ohh," Jennie sputtered in surprise.

"Whoa there. I got you," Rosie told her calmly with a smile.

Jennie chuckled nervously to cover her embarrassment. She could feel her face go crimson right up to the tops of her ears. Hopefully the sunblock hid it well.

"No worries. Riding takes some getting used to. Let's take a second, let the blood flow, and get our sea legs again," Rosie suggested.

There was really no place for her to sit, so they just stood facing out to the meadow. Jennie kind of leaned back into Rosie, silently willing her legs to find their strength again quickly. In an attempt to ease the awkward tension, Rosie decided to play tour guide.

"There's a stream about a half mile away, " Rosie pointed back over her shoulder behind them. There's also a really nice lake about 25 minutes across that field. We can set up everything here just inside the tree line. It'll keep us cooler that way and we can get a good view, too."

Jennie just nodded, not really absorbing too much of what Rosie was actually saying, but lulled by the sound of her voice. She was also very aware of Rosie's hands easily gripping her waist. It was a very comforting sensation. It felt...natural.

"What say we give it another go, huh?" Rosie encouraged, keeping her grip just in case.

"Sure, of course." Jennie offered quickly. After she managed a few steady steps, Rosie released her hold and Jennie didn't know whether to be pleased or disappointed.

Rosie had explained during the ride that this was more or less a permanent campsite she used and that way they didn't have to pack everything along with them, just enough to get a feel for things. Still, there was plenty of real work to be done before they could even think of resting. They spent the better part of the afternoon setting up tents, gathering water and wood and making the campsite liveable. By the time the sun disappeared, Jennie ached all over, had fallen into a royal funk and was exhausted to the bone.