Meeting Christine

A hot shower was exactly what Cody needed after his very personal introduction to life here at Swollen Root. It was actually pretty fortunate that Ms. Mitchell had a bathroom with shower immediately on hand for him to use, as there was definitely plenty for him to clean. Warm water, and a selection of fragrant shampoos and body washes, were the tools used to scrub away the sticky remnants of their encounter and by the time he was done Cody felt so comfortably refreshed that he had almost put the whole ordeal out of his mind. After all, he had a stable of horses waiting for him in his future. No sense in dwelling on what was done, right?

Vivian was absent from her office when Cody stepped out from the bathroom, probably going to her own room in the house to clean herself as well, but true to her word an outfit from his own suitcase had been laid out neatly for him to change into. Nothing particularly fancy, just a pair of jeans and a t-shirt, but fine enough for him to wear for work outside and with animals. He was given a small surprise however when, noticing the clean white boxers placed there for him to wear, he noticed a carefully placed kiss mark on the front in the same shade of lipstick that Vivian had worn earlier. Just this gesture alone was enough to give him a blush yet he slipped into the underwear all the same before pulling on the rest of his clothes.

The grounds behind the house were truly impressive to see. Expansive, well gardened, and decorated with a wide arrangement of trees, flowers, and shrubs it was certainly worthy of praise. Cody was so entranced by the scenery that he barely noticed he had already crossed the near quarter mile separating the main house from its stables until he was standing at the entrance of the building itself.

The stables themselves were in the same ornate style of the main house, well maintained and surprisingly clean for a building that could easily house a dozen or more animals comfortably. To tell the truth Cody was feeling a little overwhelmed from the grandeur of the building mixed with his bubbling excitement at meeting his favorite animal. This was also about the time his friends at home would call him a little princess or something for getting so excited. Shaking the thought from his head he pushed the door open to enter and find Christine.

"Erm, hello?" he called out as he entered, looking around for any sign of someone in charge. "Is there a Christine anywhere in here?"

"Jus' Chris is fine." came a voice from further in the stables. It seemed a little appropriate that it had a southern accent. While Cody turned to see which direction the voice had come from he saw Christine stand from a chair she had been sitting in. Good lord the woman was tall.

If she wasn't seven foot height she only missed the mark by an inch or so and she matched the towering height with the muscular but still shapely build of a woman familiar both with hard work and with home cooking. She put him to mind of an Amazon, sculpted and athletic, if Amazonian women typically came with long golden blonde hair, bright blue eyes, and a collection of freckles. Christine was dressed very much in the way he imagined a girl raised on a farm would dress. A durable flannel shirt covered her upper body, but the upper buttons were put to task in holding back her bountiful breasts, while a pair of well worn jeans hugged nicely to her well curved hips. It was only the lack of cowboy boots and hat that broke the stereotype in his mind, but he honestly wouldn't have been too shocked to find a pair lingering somewhere in her closet. She looked perhaps a few years younger than Ms. Mitchell, leaving Cody to assume she was in her mid to late 20's.

"Somethin' you need, hun?" Chris asked, standing over him as if he were a little child in comparison.

"Oh! Um, hi i'm Cody." he said cheerfully, extending his hand out in greeting. "Ms. Mitchell assigned me to help you with the horses."

For a moment Christine only looked down at him, raising an eyebrow in curiosity while shifting her weight and placing a hand on her hip.

"_You _are supposed to help me out?" she asked quizzically, looking him up and down. "No offense sweety but you don't look like you could do much. Yer a little on the small side."

The comment stung as if he'd been slapped.

"I-I know i'm not the biggest guy around but I promise I can carry my weight!"

"That'd only be maybe a hundred pounds from the looks of ya." she said back. Christine gave out a small sigh. "Tell me little guy, you ever _work _with horses before? You even know how to ride?"

Shit... Cody was worried it would come to this. For all of his love for the animals he'd never actually been near one in the flesh outside of a petting zoo when he was little. Still, if he confessed to having no experience she would turn him away for sure. But is lying really the right thing to do here?