She breezed into the diner with a huge smile on her face and a hint of mischief glistening in her eyes.

'Uh-oh,' thought Luke.

Plopping down on a stool by the counter, she swivelled slightly before arranging her coat and purse on an adjacent seat. Surprisingly, the first words out of her mouth weren't along the lines of 'Need. Coffee. Now!' or 'Feed me!' No, she just smiled sweetly up at the man behind the counter. "Hey Luke, how are you?"

'Oh no.' Luke groaned inwardly, knowing that whatever she wanted, it wouldn't be good and might possibly involve personal humiliation. Of course, it was almost impossible to refuse her anything, but half the fun was in making her think he might. Ignoring the question, he tipped the coffee pot slightly in his hand, and asked, "What? No cup of death today?"

It was likely a trick of light, but for a moment he thought he detected disappointment hidden in those big blue eyes. Nah. Couldn't be.

"Well, since you offered..." She held out her mug and sighed happily as the dark liquid swirled inside. "Mhmm... Thanks Luke."

He tried not to watch as she inhaled deeply and savoured that first sip of java. He wondered briefly what else could bring such a look of pure contentment across her features. Then he shook his head and breathed heavily; it wasn't a good idea to wonder about things like that. "Anything else?" Did his voice sound as harsh to her as it did to him?

"Um. Yeah. No. Wait. Luke?"

"Yeah?"

"Have you ever gone horseback riding?"

"What?"

"You know, the thing you do when you get on a horse's back and the horse moves and you hold on for your life because the horse is moving with you perched on it's back?" Was she nervous or was this simply a normal Lorelai ramble? All he wanted to do was tell her to just breathe. Breathe and ask him for whatever it was she wanted.

"Um. No."

"Luke?" She took another sip of coffee. "Would you like to go horseback riding?"

"What?"

"Well, you see, I've got these two horses, Cletus and the girl horse. I forget her name. I should know her name, but I forget it. Anyways, I have these horses for the inn, and they're great. Nice big, pretty horses and I've been assured that they're gentle and strong. But I want to test drive them myself."

"You want to test drive a horse?"

"Yeah, well technically it's not a test drive since I already own them..."

"And you want me to go with you? Me? Isn't there anyone else? Rory?"

"Not Rory, definitely not Rory. She claims to have suffered some childhood trauma, something about emotional scarring, I don't know. Anyway, the point is that she refuses to be within ten feet of all equines. That's scientist-speak for horses in case you were wondering. I tried to convince her that these horses are different than the evil fair-ride ponies, stuck walking in circles all day long with screaming children on their back, but she'll have no part of it..."

"Lorelai."

"Oh and Sookie can't come because Jackson's convinced she'll fall off and kill herself, which with Sookie could possibly happen. Although it's more likely that she'd just break or sprain something..."

"Lorelai."

"And Michel. Don't get me started on Michel..."

"I'll go!"

"What?"

"I said I'd go."

"Really?" She seemed genuinely relieved. "Thanks. Now tell me the truth. You've been on a horse before, right?"

"If evil fair-ride ponies count."

"Only the number of times they walk around in circles."

Luke crossed his arms and stared at her patiently.

"So, that's a no?"

"That's a no."

"Oh, well, no worries. I'll help you get the hang of it."

Luke snorted, "You?"

"Hey there Mr. Scoffs-a-lot. I may not have grown up on a farm, but Hello! Riding lessons. One of the few benefits of my misspent youth."

He held up his hands, conceding defeat. "Okay, okay. So when do you want to do this?"

"Saturday? Two-ish?" A wave of inspiration hit her and she clapped her hands together in excitement. "Ooh, I'll pack us a picnic lunch!"

"I'll eat before we go."

"I'm good at picnicking."

"You're good at eating."

"I'm also good at sandwiches."

Luke raised an eyebrow. Lorelai began to mime making a sandwich. "Bread, peanut butter, jelly, next!"

He could almost picture the imaginary knife slipping through her fingers and flying through the air toward him as she spoke. Best not to tempt fate. "How about I bring something?"

"No PB & J? Hmmm.... Hamburgers?"

"No."

"French Fries?"

"No."

"Pancakes?"

"For a picnic?"

"No, for breakfast, silly. I'm hungry!" She grinned at him brightly and pushed her coffee mug forward for another refill.

Luke sighed and headed towards the kitchen. What had he gotten himself into this time?