[2.1] THE BRIGHTEST LIGHTNING, tyler owens

Like The Sound of That

The next morning came bright for Jaymes. She was letting everyone else sleep in for the morning as she walked to the stables with the three halters in hand.

She was greeted by Rango, giving her a slight nicker at the sight of her. Looking around, she put the other two halters on a nearby wheelbarrow handle and quietly slid into Rango's stall.

His head was immediately in her hands as he motioned it up and down, clearly having a wild itch. She giggled slightly and swung the lead rope around his neck, and tied it to the other side of the halter to form makeshift reins. She fastened the halter on the third hole before opening his stall once more, this time completely.

With a graceful jump, she glided herself onto his bare back.

His footsteps, accompanied by the sound of birds chirping and a small breeze, were the only sounds that filled the morning air.

She quickly steered him towards a large empty patch of grass that transitioned into small trails surrounding the fairgrounds.

---

After about 10 minutes, Tyler and everyone else had woken up. When he didn't see Jaymes beside him, a slight tang of worry set itself into him, but it was quickly erased when him and Boone walked to the stables to see Rango's stall open.

Tyler walked over to Saige's stall and opened it halfway. She stuck her head out as he caressed it up and down. He smiled at her reaction; her head was down, and her eyes were relaxed. Even though Rango, Tex, and Saige were all Jaymes, he and Saige had seemed to connect more and more every time they saw each other.

Saige reminded Tyler of Jaymes in many ways. That's probably why he was drawn to her. He continued to rub her face and neck before he heard a voice.

"So when are you gonna do it?"

Tyler had a small jump at the sound of Lily's voice. "Damn, Lily, you scared me." He turned around to see everyone else there, too.

"Wow, we got a whole party here." He said sarcastically as he faced everyone.

"Ha, ha," Dexter said, "C'mon, she has absolutely no idea. It's gonna be perfect."

"Yeah, don't get your britches in a twist." Boone said, causing a small snicker to come from Danni.

Tyler nodded and smiled closed-lipped. "I'm scared I'll mess it up. Either I'll drop it, or I'll lose it, or she'll say no -"

"Tyler, Tyler," Javi stepped forward and placed a hand on his shoulder. "You know Jaymie, she would rather die than ever say no to you."

Tyler smiled again at the joke.

"But, everything'll be fine. She's gonna ride great, and you're not gonna freeze up."

He nodded, a new confidence flowing through him. "You're right, and since when am I nervous?"

Lily rolled her eyes, "Since you asked your soon to be fiance to marry you."