It was then that reality hit Jo. She didn't know this man. Didn't know who he was or what he did or even where he lived. She didn't know his history or even his full personality. She didn't know him. Jo swallowed before putting on a fake smile and shrugging off the jacket, handing it to him. "Well you better get home. You don't want to make your father wait." Jo shouldn't be socializing anyway. She had work to do. Food to catch for her family and the town. They were dependent on her, and she wouldn't let them down.

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Not taking the coat, he said, "Please keep it, you've barely worn it five minutes. You can... You can give it back to me later if you really want to. Do you think we could meet here again?" The stream was easy to find and it wasn't too far from either the castle or the village. From where the sun was in the sky, Adam knew that he was already going to be late, but he would take the lecture from his father.

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Jo stared at Adam, actually considering his offer for a bit, before she shook her head and kneeled down, gently laying the coat on the ground so that it wouldn't get dirty. Jo wouldn't take it. She'd made her compromise, and he'd accepted. She wasn't changing it now. She stood back up and looked around, gurgling she were at the stream. Should she see this strange man again? Jo looked over Adam. "Yes, we can meet again," she answered before looking at the sky than back at him. "Here tomorrow at noon." Jo didn't ask whether or not he was free. No, she just smiled before turning around and walking away.

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Adam sighed and let her go, but he picked up the coat and hung it on a nearby branch before he got on Silver again. He hurried home and took the lecture from the king, but it didn't last too long since they still need to look like the perfect family to welcome their allies. Diplomatic meetings like this always bored him and he would normally just daydream of hunting, but now he was already planning to sneak away the next day to see Jo again.

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The day before Jo had managed to capture a sleeping squirrel and though it hadn't been much, she was happy she had caught something for her family. So Jo knew that today, after seeing Adam she would have to try harder, to catch more today. She needed to. Because she did want to try and help others in her town as well, like they had done with the deer though not as loathe proportions. She found her way to the stream before she saw te jacket hanging on the branch. Jo shook her head, rolling her eyes before she took the jacket and put it around her shoulders. She could feel it's heat almost immediately. "He just doesn't give up." Jo shook her head but couldn't help the small smile that found her face.

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Adam was a little late, but he was trotting on Silver when he finally got there. Dismounting, he said, "Sorry I'm a little late, I couldn't quite get away." His words were still vague, but he knew that it was necessary. He was wearing another wool coat today and slacks, having been careful to avoid selecting anything to wear that had the royal crest on it.

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Jo shakes her head, smiling. "It's fine really. I know the feeling." And then she gestures to the coat she had on before twirling around, making sure Adam could see all of it before grinning back at him. "Isn't it nice? I just found it on a branch. I didn't know that jackets grew on trees. Maybe I should pay attention more often." Jo looked at Adam, but there was something in her eyes that hadn't been there before. Something she didn't even know was there. Affection. Jo was actually starting to care about Adam.

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He chuckled at her and said, "It's funny how that happened, maybe a little bird heard that you needed a coat." Walking closer to her and still holding Silver's reins, the gray stallion started sniffing at her and he laughed lightly, "I don't think I ever properly introduced you, this is Silver."

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A giggle escaped Jo's lips, as Silver put his muzzle in her hair and sniffed before nuzzling her a bit. Jo smiled before using her hand to rub the horse's face, marveling at how soft it was. As a little girl, Jo had always wanted a horse. But te closet her villiage had to a horse was the donkey that one of the neighbors used to own. But it had been old and had died several years ago. And Jo knew Silver was as far from that donkey a show could be. "Nice to meet ya," Jo greets the horse before shooting Adam a glance. "You think you could teach me how to ride?" She asks, an exciteful glint in her eye.

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"Sure, if you want," he said, a little surprised at her request, "Have you never ridden before?" Ever since he could practically walk, he had been taught how to ride and even fight on horseback. Silver was his favorite out of the whole stable and he had spent the most time with him. He was even trying to start breeding a line from the stallion.

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Jo raised an eyebrow at Adam before gesturing towards herself. "Does it look like I enjoy nice rides while horseback on my saturdays?" She asks sarcastically before going to where the saddle was for Silver. She then proceeded to grab a hold of the horn, turning back to look at Adam. "Give me a little help." It wasn't a question but a command. She just needed a bit of help to get into the saddle since she'd never gotten into one before and it was pretty high up probably because Adam was so tall.

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Shaking his head at how demanding she was, he still smirked and went to stand behind her. "Put your left foot in the stirrup," Adam said and reached to hold her waist in his strong hands. Waiting for her to put her foot in the right position, he lifted her and helped Jo get her other leg over the saddle. Silver was so well trained that he just stood still and settled a little under the weight of the new rider since she weighed less than Adam.

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If Jo were being honest with herself, when Adam had his hands on her waist, her heart beat had accelerated and her breath had hitched. She'd never had a guy this close to her and had never wanted one that close, but it seemed as though Adam was a different matter all together. Once in the saddle, Jo settled down a bit, adjusting her feet to sit in the stirrups before she turned down to look at Adam. "And now?" Jo asked. "What do I do?" This was a question she seldom asked because she liked doing things on her own, but it seemed like she was changing the rules a lot lately.

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Handing her the reins, he positioned her hands the right way and said, "Don't pull on the reins any yet, but nudge him with your heels. You don't need to kick him hard." Adam was still holding the horse's bridle and just wanted to walk her around a little on him first. She seemed stable on the saddle, but he still kept an eye on her.

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Gripping the reigns correctly, Jo proceeded to gently kick the horse with her heel, actually squealing when the horse stepped forward with Adam leading it. Riding s horse had been Jo's dream for years, since she was a young girl and now that it was happening, she could hardly contain her happiness. She rubbed the horse's neck. "You're such a good horse," she praises before looking at Adam with a large grin. She mouthed the words 'thank you' before sliding off of Silver and giving Adam a hug. "That was great!" She slowly oulled back so that they could now look at each other. They were closer than they ever had been before.

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