EXT. PATIO AND POOL - DAY
Barbara and BRIAN, 50ish, in terry cloth robes, play scrabble at a table near a grill under shade in a back yard with a kidney pool. Neighbor's trees above cedar fence. They each have a beer, their sunglasses and phones near. Brian has the pencil and pad of paper for scorekeeping. Tiles on board indicate a game close to an end. Barbara rearranges the tiles in her tray, in search of a word. Brian surveys the board.
BRIAN: Do you know what Tom does or did for a living?
BARBARA: Retired ranch foreman. Which a quick search shows to include myriad responsibilities.
She plays MYRIAD.
BRIAN: Nice.
BARBARA: Thank you. Twenty, please.
Brian tallies her 20, Barbara gets six tiles from the bag.
BRIAN: And she regains the lead. How many makes a myriad?
BARBARA: Many many.
BRIAN: Oh.
BARBARA: More specifically, I am fairly certain I have heard it connected to ten-thousand, along with innumerable.
BRIAN: I am similarly certain you are correct re the Greek, murias, re ten-thousand, although ten-thousand sounds numerable to me.
BARBARA: Agreed.
Barbara's PHONE BUZZES. She picks up, stares at the screen, hands Brian the phone. We see the SELFIE CHLOE HAS TAKEN that includes Tom, Hunter and Jackie standing on the shoulder of a highway through wooded hills, a significant mountain behind them.
BRIAN: I've been there.
BARBARA: Where's there?
BRIAN: Highway seventy through the Mescalero Apache reservation. The mountain is Sierra Blanca.
BARBARA: When were you there?
BRIAN: Maybe a dozen years ago visiting a friend who moved to Cloudcroft. Pretty place.
He hands her phone back.
BARBARA: Jackie's pretty, isn't she?
BRIAN: She is. Do you know what she does?
BARBARA: History professor at New Mexico State.
Brian finally finds LARIATS in his tiles, smiles.
BARBARA: Uh oh. That smile.
BRIAN: Tom Walker from Texas looks like he might know how to fashion a lariat.
He plays LARIATS.
BRIAN (CONT.): Or two.
Barbara shakes her head.
BARBARA: Well, well. I reckon that about lassos the game.
BRIAN: Given there are no more tiles in the bag, I reckon you reckon correctly.
She extends her hand, they shake.
BRIAN: Round two?
BARBARA: Yes. But not scrabble.
She stands, extends her hand. Brian takes her hand, stands.
BARBARA (CONT.): All this horse talk has me hankerin' for some saddle time.
BRIAN: Yee. Haw. Okay with some buckin'.
BARBARA: Just try to throw me.
Barbara leads him to the door to the house, Brian follows her in, closes door behind him. Barbara removes her robe, she's nude, as is Brian after dropping his robe. He follows her into the house out of view.
