Head Over Boots For You // Jenlisa

18: I Want You To Try

Lisa

Lisa didn't like to frame her life in terms of best and worst. It was dangerous to create some kind of unsubstantiated view of the past or view it through rose-colored glasses that hid the natural ups and downs of life and made her yearn for something that hadn't ever existed. But despite her knowledge of this, there was no avoiding it.

Summer came, along with Jennie's return to the ranch, and that summer was the best of her life so far.

It was undeniably, irrefutably, positively the happiest that Lisa had ever been. She hadn't remembered ever being so excited to earn a living, or meet new people, or even just wake up in the morning. Some days in her life, especially right after her parents had passed away, Lisa had only persevered through a tenacious refusal to quit. And even though she still sometimes had bad days, when the weight of responsibility on the ranch seemed too heavy, Lisa couldn't deny that this, now, with Jennie, was a life that she could be proud of in every way.

Because Jennie made her better. Lisa knew that she wasn't always very personable. She could always get the job done and make the connections she needed, but Jennie was just... nicer. More sympathetic to other people's situations, always asking about their businesses and grandchildren and that surgery they had three months ago. And Jennie made such an effort to maintain relationships with those she cared about. Lisa could get caught up in her work and, before she knew it, it had been weeks since she had last seen her friends. But Jennie always made time for them, even when things were busy. Where Lisa fell short, Jennie filled in the gap.

Beyond that, there were so many little moments that let Lisa know how lucky she was to have found Jennie. Jennie waking her up with a fresh cup of coffee. Jennie filling her mind with fresh ideas and new perspectives. Jennie burrowing into her side as they unwound at the end of a long day. Jennie laying down in the grass, "only for a minute," and falling fast asleep—Lisa had decided to join her rather than wake her up.

Of course, Jennie's transition back to the ranch that summer hadn't been without its challenges.

"Lisa, it's too quiet. I can't fall asleep."

"Just wait for me to start snoring," Lisa said groggily. "I sound like a grizzly bear, remember?"

"That won't work." Jennie's hand started wandering under Lisa's shirt, bringing her more awake. "I'll know you're sleeping, and that will only make me feel more stressed that I can't sleep." Her palm was now cupping Lisa's breast, which made Lisa's eyes open wide. "But maybe if you help me tire myself out..."

Of course Lisa had helped her. She could lose a little sleep to feel Jennie's hands and lips roaming over her body, especially if it were for such a worthwhile cause as helping Jennie fall asleep.

But more than that, it was some of the little things. Jennie had to readjust to riding on horseback for hours at a time (her walk the next day reminded Lisa of two summers before, when Jennie had first started to ride). She stalled out the truck again in the driveway ("I can see you laughing, Lisa! Don't make me come over there!"). She had to rebuild bonds with some of the cattle, who had seemed to forget who she was and that she could be trusted.

No surprise, this was not a problem with Daenerys.

Their first day out in the pastures with the herd, Jennie had dismounted and could only stand in place, hands over her mouth in amazement, as she watched Daenerys run toward her.

The cow sniffed her all over, as if she were reacquainting herself with Jennie. But then Daenerys literally danced—there was no other word for it. She threw her snout back and forth and pranced around on her hooves, so enthusiastically that Jennie started to flail her arms around and dance too. Of course, Jennie had taken Lisa's hands and pulled her into the dance as well. Lisa's self-consciousness at dancing in a field full of cattle disappeared as soon as she saw how happy all of this was making Jennie.