a s h l e i g h

A wide smile formed across Jess's face, quickly grabbing her water bottle under the register. She took a sip of the cool beverage before putting it back in place out of sight. "Aw, girl, that's like the best story. A true 'I went in without knowing a thing and ended up loving it'! Like, the dream right now. I'm happy for you." Jess said excitedly and leaned against the counter. Thankfully, the rush seemed to be dying considering nobody else had entered the cafe yet. "Oooh, there you go again tempting me with amazing ideas. I'd love to come by and learn to ride. Honestly, I was never interested in horses. Don't defriend me." Jess teased, smiling warmly at her friend. "I mean, I may have to pitch this idea to Taryn now... Cause I love the idea of having local adorable furbabies to stare at all day!"

"I think some of life's best moments are borne out of the random chances we take," which sounded really deep and meaningful, but it really was plain and simple: taking chances sometimes lead to really, really good things happening. Or, in Ashleigh's case, a whole new life being built around what she wanted to do in Merrock, and she certainly wasn't going to miss out on that. "Thank you, that's very sweet of you!" Not that she had expected anything else; Jess was always a sweetheart, through and through. "Please! I'd be happy to teach you. And I promise not to unfriend and disown you," she laughed, "everyone's got their thing. I had plenty of non-horse friends growing up, and even now as a grown up." While she did relate to people who loved horses -- or animals in general -- she could get along just as well with those who didn't. "You should! I feel like with how much Taryn loves dogs, especially, she'd be on board with making that happen."

taryngramsey

"Oh, you must doubt my skills. I will definitely be able to find out whatever secret ingredient they put into these things. I will make it my mission to." Taryn said before taking another bite of the cookie. When she had her mind set on something, she made sure that she was going to get it. Taryn thought about her question for a few minutes then nodded. "I do actually. My apple fritters and my cranberry nut muffins. No one will ever figure out my secret ingredients for those treats." They were really her grandmother's recipes, but she had added some things to them to make them hers. "I actually really do." she chuckled. "It's my favorite kind of pizza."

Taryn nodded as she listened to Ashleigh speak. "Wow, that's amazing. I've always wanted to go to New York, but I've never made it there. Did you have something that was your favorite while you were out there?" she asked as she drank some water from her water bottle. "Wait, you have more places on your bucket list? I feel like you've been so many places already! Now, I need to known about these places on your bucket list." Taryn nodded. "Yeah, we have CreekFest that's in the Fall. Maybe I will do a competition between my pumpkin spiced muffins and coffee cake muffins. I'd love to see which one would win out of those." It would be very fun for both Taryn and the town. "Yeah? You would?" she asked raising her eyebrows. "I'm trying to work on getting out to places more so I'm not always in the house with the pups even though I love my pups." she chuckled softly. She had to admit that the mechanical bull did sound very interesting. She had never been on one before.

#writing with taryn #taryn 001

"Does that mean I can turn this into a challenge? Hand you any food item and have you figure out exactly what's in it?" she asked, raising both brows with amusement, "in that case, Colonel Sanders must hate to see you coming." Joking about Kentucky Fried Chicken and their secret spices might have gone over anyone else's head, but she had a feeling that Taryn would appreciate a food line, none the less. And given that she knew more about food than most people that she had gotten to know, it made sense. "And I bet that your apple fritters and cranberry nut muffins are better than anyone else's, too," because she did have those top secret touches to add to them, and that made a world of difference. "Completely valid! Pepperoni and sausage only, or do you add all the extras?"

"I wish I could say that I did something super exciting," she admitted with a see-saw motion of her head, "but I was so busy with school and teaching lessons that I mostly kept to myself. I loved seeing the horse farms, though. All the acreage with white fences and big red barns, the English arenas. It's a lot different from the ranches I grew up with." Which made sense -- different coasts. "Oh, pretty much anywhere, honestly! My dad is from Guyana, so I'd love to visit there someday, see his family." Even though they had visited the family in the States a time or two, it was different to get to go somewhere new. "I'd definitely participate in that kind of competition, especially if it means that I get to have some sweets in the process," because that seemed like something that would be pretty fun to judge. "Yeah, of course! I'm trying to do the same, I feel like otherwise it's too easy to fall into that routine of working and coming straight home, and there's too much to see to just do that."

allisonbennett

Alli normally didn't eat out as much as she was for the month of July, but it was for a good cause. And she wouldn't complain about less of a mess to clean up at home or standing over a hot stove. It was nice to enjoy the weather while it was good, and she couldn't pass up on a good deal. She looked over the menu at the Garden and was almost done deciding on what to have when she was pulled from her thoughts by a voice beside her. "Hey Ashleigh! How nice to run into you here." She smiled at her friend and nodded. "Very good, but I'm also not hard to please."

#writing with allison #allison 001

"Looks like we had the same idea," she said with a broad smile, before breaking into a laugh, "although given all the good deals and specials all month, I feel like the entire town shares that idea." And rightfully so. Even though Ashleigh considered herself new to town, still, she was very quickly learning how kind and caring everyone was, and how much they loved their little town and wanted to make things good for one another. "Oh, good, me neither," she wrinkled her nose playfully, "food is food, as long as it's edible, then I'm going to be happy. And this entire menu looks pretty damn edible."

xjaylahopkins

"So did I, so we're good!" Jayla nodded, sure they had more than enough food and water for the afternoon. With that said, Jayla began to slowly lead the way out toward the trails. She kept a rather slow pace so that the two could chat as they rode. ''How has the summer been treating you?"

#writing with jayla #jayla 003

"I figured you would come prepared," given how much Ashleigh had gotten to know Jayla over the last few months, she definitely seemed like the kind of person who was always one step ahead and ready for everything that came her way. "So far, so good," she turned Dusty to follow Jayla, clicking softly with her tongue to let the mare catch up to her friend. "The programs have all been busy, which is nice. Do you guys keep busy over at the library? Summer programs yourself?"

chessxwilde

"There are times when it's okay to rebel but not so much when it comes to safety," Chess agreed. She paused for a moment before she asked, "do I have permission to be so real with you right now?" Maybe it was a bit much, but was truly earnest. A light touch on either of the other's arms, Chess looked into her eyes as she stepped into her space. "I trust your gut implicitly," she said as if it was the most serious thing in the world.

#writing with francesca #francesca 001

"Sage advice, that sounds like something my mom would have told me as a kid," and something she would have listened to, probably while clipping on a helmet and heading out on the back of a horse she had no business being on, to top it off. "You always have permission to be so real with me," did she barely know this woman? Yep. Did she already trust her just for being honest? Double yep. "Okay, well... in that case... wanna go cram our bodies into the tea cups and see if we live?"

Hearing Ashleigh laugh, Jess found myself smiling at the sound. Being around people was so fulfilling to her. Once the espresso was finished pouring, she completed making her drink order and ensured not to forget the extra creamer. "I think you give it back to them more than just a little, girl." Her voice was warm and sincere. "You can hear how much you care when you talk about the ranch and the programs. Kids pick up on that kind of thing; they know when someone genuinely wants to be there or not, you know. And, well, you seem like an amazing instructor. If I was younger, I'd be begging my mom to sign me up." She grinned as she placed her finished drink on the counter near her treats. Jess giggled and asked in a joking manner, "Do you guys do adult programs?" When Ashleigh spoke of Howdy, Jess thought of her own fur babies. "It is amazing that he has adjusted so well and honestly, let that baby thinks he owns the marina!" She teased with another soft laugh. "Girl, don't tempt me. Maybe I need to just start a pet of the week board or something. Everybody around here has amazing fur babies that deserve a little something too."

Ashleigh could only hope that Jessica was right, that she was giving all of those good, happy feelings right back to the kids, that she made them feel included and good and happy, and helped make their day a little bit brighter, since they certainly did that to her every day, too. "I'm surprised, you know? I didn't know what to expect when I took the job, since I had always just taught one by one lessons before, and that's vastly different from a therapeutic horsemanship program, but this is good work," and it really was. She felt like she was doing something good with her life, and hopefully injecting a lot of good into other lives, too. Fingers crossed. "I don't yet! But we always invite people to come volunteer, spend time with the horses and the kids. Or, you know, you're always welcome to come out the ranch any time, I'd be happy to get you up on a horse and teach you some tricks," given that Ashleigh had been riding for basically the same amount of time that she could walk, she never minded sharing that love with others. Taking the coffee and the treats, she widened her eyes a little bit, "that would actually be so cute, honestly? And imagine coming in to get your coffee and telling someone that it's your cat up there on the bulletin board!"

TASK #35 DEEP DOWN

ashleigh eva narine december 10, 1988 just on the cusp of winter

#merrocktask

nicklennox

Nick smiled, “I get it. I was born and raised in an area of Arkansas where we got very little snow at the most infrequent times during the winter. As an adult, I moved to a city in the mountains where we got way too much snow. Of course, now I’m just way too accustomed to that kind of environment,” he chuckled. “Doesn’t mean I like it all that much, though. But yeah, southern heat is brutal.”

They nodded and moved to grab two more sample cups before glancing towards the pastry display. He opened it carefully and grabbed a brown butter sea salt cookie and a pastel yellow macaron, cutting both up as he had previously done and placing them into the cups before closing the display. They then glanced between the samples, the leftover cookie, and the woman before shrugging and taking a piece of the leftover cookie for themself. “It’s very hard to resist,” he added after he’d finished. “That’s a con about running this kind of business. I’m very easily tempted. I’m not sure whether to expect any more customers today, anyway, and there’s more in the display, so it’s not like I’m being selfish. I hope I’m not anyway.” They quickly moved to change their gloves (just to be safe) and approached the counter. “Maybe this is an opinion, but I really don’t like macaroons. I feel like Americans got inspired by the iconic French delicacy and wanted to replicate it, but it didn’t go well. I mean, it’s just a sad little lump of coconut. Macarons might be a pain in the ass to make, but they’re the way to go, in my opinion.”

#writing with nick #nick 001

"I guess it kind of worked out that you got used to that snow at least a little bit," she said thoughtfully. It was better than going straight from Arkansas to Maine, same with if she had gone straight from Texas to Maine; two drastically different worlds. Sometimes, it was nice to have some sort of go-between to make the transition a little easier. "When I was growing up, I think I had it in my head that Maine was like Alaska, because it was so far north, I couldn't fathom it not being a barren tundra full of snow and ice. Lo and behold… no," she laughed. Maine was colder than Texas -- definitely didn't have that brutal heat! -- but she was excited to see the warmer sides, too.

"I was going to say, I would end up eating everything myself," that was why she worked with horses, and not baked goods. Well, that… and she wasn't really that good of a baker. "Ever get so into something that you make that you end up eating like, a whole bundt cake or something before it can even go up for sale?" That would be her fear, that she couldn't say no and ended up eating the whole product before anyone else even had the chance to try it. She took samples, and couldn't help her laugh at the way they said they hoped they weren't selfish, "you're not, trust me." She'd rather try the foods with someone than feel like she was enjoying without them, anyway. "I… you know what?" Ashleigh paused, looking at the macaron, the pretty pastel color, and couldn't help but smile, "I actually don't think I ever realized there was a difference! I thought people were just spelling it wrong."

elisequinn

I can kick their asses and make them regret they were ever born. It's my god-given right as their oldest sister. Yeah, I've tried that and people still keep coming around to bother me. It's always my pleasure to intrigue people with good wine and deals, and to stick it to the man where I can.

You're a woman to be feared and a sibling to be listened to, obviously! If they don't know that by now, it's really not your problem to solve, right? I guess there must be something about you that draws people in, whether you like it or not. Sorry, Elise! You're good at it, I'm well stocked on wine for the summer now. Well, until the ... next time that I need to stop in and get wine.

#talking with elise

Jess smiled as she half turned towards the espresso machine, running almost on auto pilot as she had done the actions countless times. "See? That's exactly why you need the brownie. Future You is going to be so thankful when you're curled up with a glass of milk later." She giggled softly. Her hand pressed the button for the grinder, the whirling of the coffee beans being grounded into powder filling the cafe for a moment. Her eyes glanced over at Ashleigh as she spoke so fondly of the kids and the ranch. "I really love that," she said sincerely. "Giving those kids a place where they can just be kids for a while... that's really special. I'm sure they look forward to seeing you every day, girl." With the appropriate amount of coffee in portafilter basket now, Jess tampered the powdered espresso down with firm, even pressure. Sliding the basket into place and placing a cup under to catch the fresh espresso, Jess inhaled the smell of the fresh brew. At the mention of Howdy's popularity around the marina, Jess laughed again. "Oh, so he's a local celebrity now? I knew he had main character energy!" She joked, focusing her attention on Ashleigh while the espresso finished pouring. She seen the ten dollar bill in the tip jar that definitely wasn't there before and felt herself smiling softly. "Thank you, Ashleigh, I appreciate that so much. Maybe I need to add 'Help Support My Kitties' on the tip jar for some laughs."

"Exactly," she said with a warm laugh. There would always be truth to the idea that there was no bad time to have a little treat, but there was always going to be regret when you didn't. And Ashleigh didn't particularly want to live with that regret, feeling like she hadn't spent enough time with a brownie in her hand. Smiling to herself as she listened to Jess talk about the kids and how special the program was, she nodded her head, "that's why it means so much to me, I mean… I went to school for this, to learn how to use therapeutic riding for kids who need it, to learn a little bit more about my own horsemanship, and it feels right to apply those skills to this program." Merrock was a truly special place, after all, and if she could use her time in this town to make someone's life a little brighter, a little better, than that was what she wanted to do. "I can say that they're the best part of my every day, too, so I hope I give that back to them just a little bit." There was nothing quite as good as knowing that you made someone happy and gave them something to look forward to. "He thinks he is," she rolled her eyes playfully, shaking her head, "honestly, I'm just glad he's happy here, I was worried boat life would be too much for him, but he seems really happy with it," and that was what mattered the most. "Oh, you should! And if you include a picture of the kitties, that wins people over even more."

taryngramsey

Taryn nodded as she chewed the cookie. "Very good. I'm going to have to figure out what they put in them to make them so good." she smiled as she looked at the cookie and ate a few more pieces until it was gone. She hummed and nodded as she agreed with Ashleigh's comment. "Wouldn't that be great?! Then you could go around and make sure you hit every food booth or truck and even if you had the first week, you could go back the second week and get your favorites." It just made all the sense to Taryn for it to be that way. She chuckled and nodded. "That's exactly what I call it. Healthy pizza! I try to tell myself it tastes the same as a nice, cheesy pepperoni and sausage, but it doesn't always work." she shrugged softly.

Taryn chuckled and shook her head. "Not yet. I do have a few cute coats and snow outfits, but they do not a snow bunny make. You were in New York? I don't think I knew about that. Where haven't you been, girl?" she grinned as she looked at the other woman. She wished she had done more traveling. It was something she and Simon had wanted to do after they got married. "You know, I have put out different treats to see which would get received better, but I have never made it into a competition for the town. Sounds interesting. May try it out in the Fall." she said, making a mental note to add that to her notebook for later. She chuckled and nodded. "Well, if burly fisherman are anything like rowdy bikers, I need to go visit that dive bar some time. I've heard about the Tumblweed. I'm not the best dancer, but I wouldn't mind watching everybody else dance." She smiled and put her hands on her own heart as a thank you for Ashleigh naming the cafe as one of her favorite places. "Oh yes! The botanical gardens are beautiful! I finally went there once spring was in full bloom and wow. It was absolutely magical."

#writing with taryn #taryn 001

"Probably some top secret ingredient that we're never going to figure out," she laughed, shrugging both of her shoulders. But it was always a possibility -- didn't people strive to find the best of the best when it came to what went into their food, and make sure that it couldn't be replicated? Then again, Taryn would know that better than anyone. "Do you have any recipes like that? Something you make that no one else could ever make exactly like you do, since it's top secret how it's done?" Ashleigh wasn't as much of a cook or baker, so she didn't have to worry about that -- if the house didn't catch on fire, it was a win. "Good point! Although I'd have to walk around twice as much to work everything off," she admitted with a laugh and a shrug of her shoulders. "Does that mean you like a good meat lovers pizza, then?"

"I was," she smiled, nodding her head, "I went to school in New York, so I actually spent more time there than most places that I've been, but I was upstate a little more, away from the city area." And she had loved it, even if it had been far from Texas, and different from anywhere else that she would have been. "Honestly, it just seems wild and exciting," she grinned, "there are so many places on my bucket list that I want to see yet, someday." The time would come for that. But now, she was happy to be there in Merrock and slowly have that feel more and more like home. "There you go, if I remember correctly, I feel like there's some kind of fall festival that happens in town, so maybe you could come up with an idea for that!" There was still plenty of time, that way, she could come up with something fun. "You should -- actually, call me when you want to go, I'd be happy to meet you there. Or at Tumbleweed, if you get adventurous and want to dance or try to ride the mechanical bull. Or… just people watching," she wrinkled her nose teasingly, "that's my favorite." When Taryn took the compliment, she beamed again, and then nodded her head, "I'm excited to spend more time there this summer, when you can enjoy the outdoor gardens, too."

bryanxlawrence

Oh I’m glad to hear it! Summers must be extra busy with more kids piling in. Do they really love the horses? I’m sure there’s a few newbies that come in as well, right? Been doing the usual thing with the food cart. We almost finished our garden so that’s something!

Oh yeah, the kids keep us hopping! But I wouldn't have it any other way. If they're having a good time, I feel like I'm doing something right. And yeah, they do -- I have a couple of kids right now that love to tell me that they always dreamed of having their own horse, and this feels like the next best thing. Oh, hey, definitely something! What all are you attempting to grow this year?

#talking with bryan

xjaylahopkins

where: Harmony Ranch when: July 2026 who: Jayla & @leighash

"Alright.. Ready to head out?" Jayla asked, riding up beside Ashleigh on Misty. One of the best parts of the warmer months was more time out riding, whether her horse or the others at the ranch and Jayla was never one to pass up the chance.

#writing with jayla #jayla 002

"Ready!" Ashleigh smiled, smoothing her hand through Dusty's red mane, tangling her fingers in the long locks, looking over at her friend. Although she spent an awful lot of time in the saddle, it wasn't often that she got to do it for fun, just spending hours out on the trails with a friend, catching up and doing something for herself. "I've got snacks and water, too, so if we're out for a while, we're covered."

amberstevenson

"No, that was definitely more of a thing of my youth," said Amber with a soft laugh. The idea of making headlines delivery a really cool baby made her smile, though, even if she couldn't really see it happening in Merrock. It wasn't as though they had celebrities coming out of their ears or anything. Once they had a heading, she weaved in and out of the stalls, trying to figure out a path. That was when Leigh spotted what they were looking for. "Amazing!" she said enthusiastically, immediately making a beeline there.

#writing with amber #amber 001

"Who among us didn't have a rebellious phase?" Ashleigh asked with her own laugh. Maybe that didn't end up in the papers, but it wasn't outside of the realm of possibility for people to have gone through a little bit of a wild streak. Following after Amber when she started in that direction, Ashleigh couldn't help her excited laugh, dodging around kids hurrying off to play games, some adults holding hands and heading for the quieter areas. "It's like a beautiful beacon in the carnival night," she laughed, getting into line and immediately taking out her cash so she was ready to go. "I wonder if they have fun flavors, too. Although I'll admit… I like the classics best."

oliverxsutton

Okay, I see where you’re getting at. There’s something special about having that extra leisurely me-time, right? The important thing is that you’re having fun! That is probably the most teacher-ly thing I’ve said all week. I go to visit my friends and we stay in central London, find our favorite pub and sometimes we’d just spend hours there. And if there is time and I am able to, I like to venture out into the countryside for a day. Have you ever been?

Thankfully, I haven't fallen into that 'don't turn your hobby into a jobby' trap where you start hating something that you normally love when you have to do it for a job? I still love it, so that helps a lot! That honestly sounds so nice, a trip home but something that you get to do with friends, that makes it even better! I bet that the countryside there is beautiful. I haven't! I've only really been to Canada, Mexico and Costa Rica when it comes to out of the US travel.

#talking with oliver

Jess laughed as she rang up the muffin, the brownie, and the coffee. "I like the way you think," she said with a grin. "Muffin now, brownie later. That's what I call planning ahead." She slid on some plastic disposable gloves before reaching into the display case for the chocolate chip espresso muffin and the brownie. Placing the muffin on a small plate then the brownie in a small bakery box, Jess kept the smile on her face the whole time. "Please, don't worry; I fully support dessert waiting for you at the end of a long day. Consider it a reward for surviving the day." She slid the gloves off her hands and into the nearby trash can. Her smile softened as Ashleigh talked about the ranch. "That sounds like so much fun! I bet those kids are having the best summer ever with you guys.” Then, at the mention of Howdy, Jess let out an affectionate ‘Awww’. Cats and coffee were two gateways to her heart. "Oh my gosh, I can just picture him stretched out on the roof of the boat like he owns the whole marina." She laughed. "Living his absolute best life, getting sunbathing privileges and fresh fish? I'd say he's got it made, that’s for sure." She slid the boxed brownie along with the muffin over towards her. “I’ll get your coffee whipped right up.”

"There's nothing worse than getting home and realizing that you should have bought something a little extra," because then you were going to spend the rest of the night wishing that the bakery was still open, and when it wasn't? Huge disappointment. Ashleigh was pretty sure that she didn't want that for herself, those cookies bought in the grocery store or brownies made from a box just didn't compare to what she could get there in that little store. "That's exactly right. Nice chunk of something chocolate, tall glass of milk, I'm basically in heaven," she said with a warm laugh, "helps me sleep at night." Most people would probably argue that having that much sugar before bed would actually make it harder to sleep, but… that was okay, they could be wrong. "We try to make it as much fun as possible, especially since some of them are already dealing with so much, it makes for a nice little escape from the rest of the world, you know?" Ashleigh wanted the program to be something that kids looked forward to, something that they wanted to go to every time that they left the house. "He absolutely loves it -- and wishes he could own the whole marina, too. There's a couple of fishermen who always stop to say hello to him when they go by, he's really popular, you know?" she reached to take the offered baked goods with a smile and nodded her head. "Of course! No rush," when Jess turned to get everything ready, she slipped a ten into the tip jar, returning her wallet to her purse.