shoots and ladders .

[kaler ryan scott]

In hindsight, moving to the east coast might not have been Kaler’s best idea ever. They had this thing called humidity there, and it was making unloading everything off of the trailer and getting it arranged into his allotted space in the tack room such a pain in the ass. He felt like he was literally sweating his balls off, and Kaler Scott was not a stranger to warm temperatures or long days of manual labor. This humidity, though, was fucking ridiculous. He had thought that he had left Texas with good reasons, needing time and distance between himself and the life that he had had there, but if this was Virginia’s climate then he might have to rethink this plan. At least, that was the one of all the strings of curses that went through the twenty-four-year-old’s head as he made trip after trip, first unloading his two horses and then getting his saddles and other things into the barn. After that, it was just backing his trailer into its new parking spot and Kaler was done with the move. He still had boxes left to unpack in his apartment, but after a day like today there was no way in hell that he would be doing much of anything when he got there. After parking the trailer and pulling his truck back around to the barn, Kaler went to check on his two mares in their stalls, wanting to be sure that they were settling in okay. Athena already needed a refill on her water bucket, but Israel was easily munching on her hay, perfectly content. Kaler took care of his girls and already felt guilty to bringing them into this hellishly hot and humid place, but they would adjust as he supposed he would, too. He sighed as he watched Atty sip at her new water before also going to eat at the hay, and then turned. The new barn wasn’t quite as big as the one he had left in Texas, but it would work. It also wasn’t as busy, which meant that Kaler was pretty well alone as he walked down the barn aisle and let himself into the lounge, pleased to see that there was no one else ducking inside the air conditioned room. It seemed as though it took no thought; Kaler’s body worked on autopilot as he went over and let himself sprawl out comfortably on the couch. Sleep as a must after the road trip and work he had just done, and within minutes he was dozing off without a thought in his head to keep him from doing so.

TAG: BRITTANY HALE

[brittany nicole hale]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=style, width: 420px; border: 1px dotted grey;] the sparks flew instantly , Britt removed the black helmet from her head, wiping the sweat that covered her forehead. It was hot, almost unbearably so, but that was nothing new around here. She was used to it. She sighed and hung the helmet and spurs on her hook in the tack room then walked back to the stall where her sorrel Hanoverian gelding, Ares, stood still tacked up. She loosed the saddle and removed it, separating the saddle and the saddle pad, which was soaked with sweat from the poor horse. She had worked him hard today, mostly out of frustration because he refused to listen. In the end he had done what she had wanted him to do and they had ended their training session for the day. After placing the saddle in the tack room, she took her boy outside to hose him down. Ares always enjoyed the water. He was the first to jump in the stream on trail rides and always enjoyed being hosed down or bathed. He was one of the few horses she had ever came across that actually enjoyed such things. He was her baby, having had him since he was a foal. She had done all the training herself, just as she had done with Dutch, and so far he was looking very promising. She was proud of what they had accomplished together and she was sure it could only get better from here. She never neglected Dutch, though. She spent all her time at the barn most days, and in between lessons and training sessions she took the time to work with both of them throughout the day. Some people got tired of sameness from day to day, but Britt loved it. She loved being with the horses and working with them. She didn’t even mind the people she had to deal with. Sometimes they pushed Britt and frustrated her, and she did lose her temper from time to time. But she was good at what she did, and she wouldn’t be old by anyone how to do her job. She wouldn’t let anyone tell her how to train her own personal horses either. Britt finished hosing Ares off and walked him back to his stall, checking his water and hay before closing the door and shutting it. She checked her watch as she made her way towards the lounge. Her last lesson was in a couple of hours, so she had finished with plenty of time to spare. That meant that she could relax before going back to work, something that didn’t happen nearly often enough. When she opened the door, though, she saw something that she didn’t really expect. Some guy she had never seen before was spread out on the couch, and he was fast asleep. She frowned, stepping lightly into the room, her blue eyes watching him curiously. She tiptoed closer to him and stopped beside the couch, her hands on her hips. She definitely didn’t recognize him, and Britt knew everyone around the ban. She extended a hand towards him and poked him in the arm. When he didn’t wake up, she shook him harder until he stirred. “Excuse me but… who are you?” Cause they really couldn’t have just anyone sleeping in their lounge, now could they? tagged: kaler ryan scott // words: 548 // notes: ... i got nothing. // credit: made by luna. do not use.

[kaler ryan scott]

His mother always said that he could sleep anywhere. Bethany Scott had always been amazed with the positions and places in which she would find her son sleeping, whether it would be in the morning when she went to wake him or if she would happen upon him randomly throughout the day as he napped. Kaler didn’t know what it was, but as soon as he got comfortable and there wasn’t one thing to otherwise occupy his mind, he would be out like a light and sometimes for hours. Sure, there were plenty of things that should have been on his mind as he decided to take a break on that couch. He was living in a new place, his horses were in a new place, and he was starting a new job. There should have been all kinds of things and wonderings going through his mind, and at the very least he should have thought to try and track down the owners of the stable and touch base with them. But, as it were, Kaler had been exhausted and the couch had presented him with just the right kind of place to rest for a little bit. The lounge itself had seemed to be nothing too lavish, and definitely would not have been to his mother’s taste compared to the lounge that had been installed at the Scott Ranch but the couch made up for what it was lacking. His body had just sunk down into it, the cushions soft and too welcoming for those weary riders and staff members that put in long hours with the horses. Kaler was certainly appreciating it even while he slept, his mind completely blank and his sleep totally sound. It didn’t matter that he was in this new place where he knew no one; he had made himself at home. He could have remained there in that peaceful state of sleep for hours had he been left alone, but of course that was not how his luck was going to go. Someone had noticed him sleeping there, and this someone wasn’t the kind to just leave the sleeping man be and go on her own little way. Kaler was a deep sleeper, and although he registered the slight poke in his arm it did nothing to wake him. But, then this person was shaking him, and that had Kaler stirring, face scrunching in frustration as he forced his eyelids open but immediately squinted against the light of the room. Standing there before him was a blonde haired woman, looking at him with something like confusion etched into her lovely features. He heard he question, though it took a moment for him to really wake up and understand what she was asking of him. “Kaler Scott,” he mumbled, forcing himself upright into a sitting position as she ran his hand through his dark hair. “And you are? Oh wait, I know this one. You’re the rude woman that pokes people while they sleep.” There was that sarcastic kind of smile on his lips momentarily as his blue eyes took her in, this woman finding his snarky side upon waking him up but she almost deserved it.

TAG: BRITTANY HALE

[brittany nicole hale]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=style, width: 420px; border: 1px dotted grey;] the sparks flew instantly , Britt stared down at the sleeping man, waiting for him to stir. He was really quite a looker. The dark hair and blue eyes likely attracted many women. He was indeed very pretty to look at, but the image was shattered when he spoke. “Kaler Scott.” At least she had a name to go with the face, now, but that still didn’t really tell her anything. “And you are? Oh wait, I know this one. You’re the rude woman that pokes people while they sleep.” Britt frowned at him. Yep, the image was gone. Britt typically met such sarcasm and attitude with some of her own. There wasn’t a whole lot stopping her from doing so now, either. Britt often had to keep such things under wraps, cause parents didn’t particularly enjoy it when you gave attitude back to their kids. She sometimes could not help it though. She knew what a lot of those spoiled little children needed, but she wasn’t allowed to do such things. Mouthy back to them, though, she could do within the law. She tried to keep her attitude in check, though. She didn’t want to be such a person who lost her patience with every bratty kid who passed through her arena. She was better than that. “Haha.” She crossed her arms over her chest. “Brittany Hale. I’m an instructor here. And I still don’t know who you are or why you’re here sleeping on our couch.” His name was as unfamiliar to her as his face was. She tried to know everyone, and having grown up in this town there weren’t many that she came across that she didn’t know. He was new here, but that still didn’t tell her a whole lot. Nothing at all, really. He could be just about anyone. “So? What are you doing here?” She didn’t move or relax her stance, but continued to look at him with the frown on her pretty face. tagged: kaler ryan scott // words: 326 // notes: ... i got nothing. // credit: made by luna. do not use.

[kaler ryan scott]

Kaler was definitely the kind of guy that would shoot first and ask questions later, and he often didn’t think a lot of his actions through. Sometimes that landed him in some deep shit, but most of the time Kaler was able to pull it off and make whatever he was doing work in his favor. In some situations, though, there was just no going back after he had said something that he shouldn’t have to the wrong person. Now that he was more awake and aware of what was going on, he thought that he probably should have kept his attitude and reaction to being woken up in check. This blonde haired woman that now stood before him could very well be someone that was in charge around this barn. She wasn’t the owner, as Kaler had met her already when he had interviewed for this job and had been asked to join their staff, but that didn’t mean that she wasn’t part of management. And, even if she wasn’t, Kaler had to remember that this was not his facility and that he was really at the mercy of his new colleagues. Back at the ranch in Texas, he had been in charge and called most of the shots. Here, he was basically a nobody. This woman was obviously not impressed with his attitude as she crossed her arms over her chest, and a frown appeared on that pretty face of hers. For a second, he thought for sure he had just pissed off someone that maybe he shouldn’t have, which would really be unfortunate after he had just done all that work to get his things into the barn. It would be a bitch to get fired that quickly and have to go load everything up again. Luckily, this woman turned out to be another instructor and Kaler had to stop himself from smirking at her. He could tell that she had some fire to her, and that made this Brittany Hale that much more interesting in his eyes. She was not happy about not knowing who he was, and she apparently had missed the memo that there would be a new instructor coming to the barn. Kaler stood. “Well, starting tomorrow I work here and after unloading my horses and my trailer I thought it might be acceptable to take a break in the lounge. I mean, that’s what this is here for, right?” Yeah, the last time he checked, that was kind of the sole purpose of a lounge area. Lounging. “So you’re the other instructor?”

TAG: BRITTANY HALE

[brittany nicole hale]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=style, width: 420px; border: 1px dotted grey;] the sparks flew instantly , This barn was Britt’s life. She had spent her entire childhood growing up around horses. Her grandfather had saw her love and talent for them and had encouraged it as much as possible. She had learned from him how to read the horses and to know what they were trying to tell you. He had taught her all the tricks and everything that came with understanding them. She owed him everything. And now she was working here, passing on her knowledge and understanding to those that were willing to learn. It was trying some days and she often missed the small horse farm where she didn’t have to answer to anyone but her grandfather, but those days were few and far in between. And it wasn’t like she never got to see him. They were a close family. As it was she saw her brother almost every day. Her family had always been important to her, and her grandparents and brother were all she had. Her parents had never been the best and as it was they hadn’t cared at all about her or her brother. Because of that Britt didn’t really care about them, and she hoped to never have to see them again. She couldn’t say that her life had turned out all that bad with their absence. Her grandparents had raised her and her brother well and Britt was quite successful. She had made something great of herself and she was proud of that. She took great pride in what she did. And now she was faced with this guy that she didn’t know. It wasn’t that Britt just assumed that he wasn’t supposed to be there, but she didn’t know him, and in a place like this that was a rare thing. “Well, starting tomorrow I work here and after unloading my horses and my trailer I thought it might be acceptable to take a break in the lounge. I mean, that’s what this is here for, right?” She didn’t like the tone he used, and now that he was standing she was forced to look at him instead of down on him like she had been. Once again she cursed her short stature. “So you’re the other instructor?” Britt sighed and uncrossed her arms. “You’re the new instructor?” Answering his question with a question. She could remember being told that there was going to be a new instructor here but she hadn’t caught his name in the exchange. “You know you could have just said that to begin with and we could have avoided this whole exchange.” It would have made everything a whole lot easier. She took a seat in the chair across from the couch, finding her bag that she had left sitting next to it earlier that morning and dug around in it to find her book, though if he chose to stay up and talk to her she didn’t foresee a whole lot of reading in her future. tagged: kaler ryan scott // words: 497 // notes: ... i got nothing. // credit: made by luna. do not use.

[kaler ryan scott]

He had questioned this move several times over the last couple of days. Kaler had been on the road, hauling his two mares to their new home that he had previewed the week before, and all the while there were combating voices inside of his head. One told him that this was exactly what he wanted, and even something that he needed after the death of his mother. Kaler had been in the horse world so deeply, ready to kick start what would have surely been an amazing career with national and maybe even international recognition. He was great at what he did, and there were people in Texas that had frowned deeply at his decision to put all of that on hold until further notice, but Kaler didn’t care. He knew what he needed, and this new home in Virginia would be perfect. However, the other voice kept screaming at him, asking him just what the fuck he had been thinking for taking a job as just an instructor. Kaler was good at teaching, otherwise he wouldn’t have been such a great clinician, but there were days when he really hated dealing with one-on-one lessons and having to put up with certain personalities. But, he supposed that he would have to bite the bullet and make this work, and the owner had seemed pretty pleased to be welcoming him as a part of the barn staff. This blonde haired woman, though, she didn’t seem quite as pleased. At least she did know that they were getting another instructor, as she had answered his question with one of her own. Yes, as much as Kaler hated it to be title, he was going to be Pine Hollow’s new instructor and he would get to teach his first round of lessons tomorrow. That was going to be fun…he had to stop himself from rolling his eyes at that thought. “But what fun would it have been to make it all so easy?” He had a smirk a little, knowing that she probably would have appreciated things being easier but Kaler wasn’t the type for it. Then Britt was moving away from him, going over to a chair and taking a seat before she pulled a book out of a bag that was apparently hers. He retook his seat slowly, his blue eyes still on her. “So…what’s the deal? Do you have lessons later or are you just hanging out around here for the hell of it?” He realized that she had a book that she would probably like to be reading, but now that she had woken him up this Britt was going to have to deal with him for a while.

TAG: BRITTANY HALE

[brittany nicole hale]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=style, width: 420px; border: 1px dotted grey;] the sparks flew instantly , Britt loved those moments when she got the chance to just get away and spend time with her boys. She loved it when she didn’t have anywhere to be or any lessons to give and could concentrate on training Dutch and Ares. She loved spending time with them, being out in the arena or on the trails where she didn’t have to deal with anyone and could just clear her head. When things went wrong in her life, she could always be found with the horses. It was the comforting moment and times for her. It was how she cleared her head and sorted things out. Her boys were sometimes the only people she felt understood her. It was stupid and crazy, but it was how she felt a lot of the time. She didn’t always understand people. She was a pretty insightful person, but a lot of the things that some of them did made no sense to her. Horses she understood. She could tell you why they were acting a certain way or what it was that you needed to do to get them to do what you wanted. People, not so much. But now she had finished up with her training sessions for the day and had nothing left to do but wait. And now apparently talking to the new guy. “But what fun would it have been to make it all so easy?” Britt rolled her eyes, finally extracting her book from her bag and sitting it on her lap. “So…what’s the deal? Do you have lessons later or are you just hanging out around here for the hell of it?” She closed her bag and sat up, looking over in his direction. “I have a lesson later tonight. So I have several hours to kill before then and since I finished working with my boys for the day I thought I’d read a little.” She offered a small smile. “Guess that’s not happening now.” That was okay, though. She could always read later when she was at home and cuddled up on the couch with her golden retriever. What an exciting life she led. tagged: kaler ryan scott // words: 359 // notes: ... i got nothing. made by luna. do not use.

[kaler ryan scott]

Some might say that Kaler’s people skills were lacking. For doing as much public speaking as he did and hosting private clinics and lessons as well, you would think that he would have more grace when it came to talking and relating to others. Kaler was always polite enough when he was teaching, and he tried to keep a good sense of humor about him so that he didn’t outright insult people, but reining in his own personality for the sake of others had never been a strong point of his. Kaler Scott was who he was, and he hadn’t changed over the years for anyone or anything. He was very much the actualization of what you see is what you get, and that was something that people had to learn and be able to take the right way. His people skills were sometimes questionable, but people could never doubt his talent when it came to the horses. That was what he got, and perhaps he was able to teach horsemanship and training practices so well because he was talking about the horses and how he had come to understand them along the way. Otherwise, Kaler usually always had this tone to his voice that people didn’t seem to take the right way, often passing him over as some kind of asshole that was trying to be condescending when that really wasn’t his goal at all. It was a flaw, sure, but Kaler was okay with that. He was also very okay with the new company that he had been given even if she had woken him from a nap that he would have very much liked to continue into the later part of the day. Britt was certainly a looker, easy on the eyes and beautiful in a unique way. And she even seemed to have a good mind on her, which wasn’t always something that Kaler looked for in a woman but it was a major plus seeing as she was a co-worker. Bimbos on horses were never attractive. He didn’t know that Britt was all that thrilled with his questioning, but if she wanted him to shut up he was almost certain that she would just come out and tell him so. The little remark about not getting to read might have been a hint in that direction, and Kaler’s brow rose slightly. “No, probably not. Tell me about these boys of yours instead.” Pushy? Maybe a little, but that was Kaler and he was trying to get to know this woman and what she was about. And, there wasn’t anything wrong with a little friendly conversation even if it was to get back at her for waking him up, was there?

TAG: BRITTANY HALE