She used to call me Cowboy

Chapter 3-Toby

Tucker's POV

I hurridly changed into something other then the suit and dress shoes that i had been wearing. As i stepped out into the hot July sun i pulled my ball cop onto my head. I would have to take the time to go into town and get me some cloths that were more appropriat, damn you growth spurt. 

Victoria was waiting outside, stroking her horses neck effectionatly. When she heard me approach she looked at me, her eyes instantly norrowing dangerously before she put her foot in the stirrup and mounted her horse.

"The barn isnt that far away" I said 

"I prefer Bailey" She replied curtily, i couldnt help thinking she wanted to add the words 'over you'

We waled in silence to the barn, it was awkard. Victoria clearly had no interest in speaking to me because her eyes were pointed strait at the big barn ahead of us. I hurried to open up the big barn door for her so she could just ride right inside, she did so without even glancing at me, ouch. 

Inside i was welcomed with the scent and sound of horses, i peered into a stall and saw Victoria taking off Bailey's tack.

"Hes two stalls down" She said without looking at me

I walked down the long alley to find my horse standing there with his head down. I sighed, it had been a long time since i had seen the old grey horse. He had been mine since Vic and i had learned how to ride and he had been my best friend, besides Victoria, now he was my only best friend because she clearly didnt even have enough interest to even look at me. 

"Hey old boy" I said softly

The horse nickered softly at me but didnt move his head, i opened up the door of the stall and stepped inside. I reached out to touch his long grey mane.

That was when he lost it on me.

With a scream, Toby lifted himself up on his hind legs, shaking his front legs at me before comming down hard just a foot away from me. Someone grabbed me and pulled me back with emense strenght before slamming the stall door closed.

"Are you crazy?" Victoria raged "I just told you he has problems!"

I starred at the horse in the stall, breathing heavily. He was prancing around angrily in his stall and shaking his head savigally.

"What the hell is wrong with him?" I asked

"How should i know?" Victoria snapped "Hes been like this for months, he broke five rail fences and damn near destroyed his stall"

She stalked off back to her stall and started brushing Bailey again, i followed her and leaned on the stall door.

"So hes crazy?" I asked

"I dont know" She said "I have tried everything, hes just an angry horse. The best bet would be to set him out in a pasture and just leave him"

"But Toby is a good horse" I said "Hes the best roper horse around"

"He used to be" Victoria said "Now hes just an old bitchy horse"

This made me angry, to think of Toby like an old bitchy horse didnt seem right. He still had alot in him, there was just something wrong with him.

"I want to work with him" I said

Victoria looked at me and blinked, then turned back to her brushing

"Your crazy" She said "You havent delt with horses in years"

"But you can re-teach me?" I asked

Victoria snorted

"Now your the crazy one" She said "I have better things to do then teach a spoiled California brat how to ride a horse"

She said the words harshly and they made me wince, but then i got my back up.

"Im not a spoiled California brat" I said "I have only been gone for a few years, working"

"Right" Victoria said "You have been gone for FIVE years!!! Five damn years! and did you call? no, Did you email? no, You didnt even say goodbye before leaving! i just woke up one day and you were gone off to california. CALIFORNIA! the place that we were going to go together after graduation. But no, one freaking hockey offer and poof just gone, not even a "see ya Vic" No just gone. GONE! and if you ask me you should have stayed gone. I dont need you to fix that horse, I can fix that horse, ALONE!"

Shoving me backwards, Victoria slammed the stall door closed and stomped out of the barn. I heared a truck fire up and pull out of the yard. I stood there for a long time, stunned by her outburst.

So not only did she want nothing to do with me, i think she may possibly have wanted to kill me to.

Victoria's POV

Angry tears threatened to spill out of my eyes as i drove down the old gravel road to my favorite spot to get away that was on the back of our property. Ironically it was a place that i had found with Tucker but it was a place of piece and i had made it my own place in the past few years. It was a small grove with a spring bubbling out of a side hill, it was the perfect place to swim in the summer because the water was clear with a smooth stone bottom and no leaches or anything nasty because hey i may be able to deal with cow crap but there is no way in hell i am touching a leach. 

I got out of my new chevy truck and slammed the door as hard as i could, i knew that i shouldnt take my anger out on my brand new baby but i was just so mad! Why did he have to come back? after all this time i was finally starting to forget all the hurt and betrayal he had caused me and the major crush i had had on him. That was sort of hard to forgot now that he was back and even hotter then before. Sure he had the whole California look going on, with the frosted blond tips in his dark spiky hair and the suit and everything. His boyish features had sharpened and defined to those of a man and his skin had cleared up rather nicely (had a little acney issue). He was at least a whole head taller then me, but then, he had been before. But now he was more toned, i could see that when he came out in his California ripped jeans and a T-shirt, if he was going to stay here (which he wasnt if i had my way) he would need to get some clothes that actually worked around here, you got your hands dirty around here, no matter who you were.

I kicked a rock that was laying in the green grass at the edge of the clear pool right into the water. This wasnt fair, he left, he was supposed to stay gone. Not come back just to blow my world up all over again. I bet he wasnt even staying for that long. Just long enough for me to get used to having him around again then leave and screw me up again. Well i would not let that happen, no sir, if Tucker Taylor wanted to even be friends with me i was not going to let that happen. See how much he likes it when someone he cares about acts like they dont give a damn. But then again, he couldnt have cared about me that much if he had left in the first place. Sure he had protected me from all the bullies in school and been my best friend since the first day we met when we were five but that apparently hadnt mattered to him, why should it matter to me?

It didnt, not if i could help it.

I smirked into the glassy water beneath me, maybe i should let him try to work with Toby. After all, that horse did have an even worst attitude then i did. Maybe if i couldnt knock Tucker around a bit he could.

Still sniggering on my way home i found Tucker leaning against the house, throwing a stick for my dog, Rex,who ran and braught it back in a flash (rex was a hearding dog so he was fast)

"You can work with Toby" I said "But you better not screw him up even more"

Tucker glared at me

"I know how to handle my horse" He said "its you that im having the problem with"

"Yeah well i guess i can thank you for both mine and Toby's change in personality" I said before walking into the house and slamming the door shut behind me.