Chapter Two

I took a deep breath as I awoke, trying to calm myself. Throwing the covers back, I had a strong urge to see the mustangs again, and dressed quickly. Scarlett, the striped cat that had slept at the foot of my bed, opened one eye at me, showing her annoyance at being disturbed before going to back to sleep. Normally, I would soothe her with a gentle hand, but this time I ignored her.

Don't be ridiculous. The mustangs are fine, I told myself. Grabbing my warm flannel jacket, I fixed a thermos of coffee and headed out the door. The rest of the household was still asleep, and though my father would be getting up in just an hour or so to feed the horses, I was as quiet as possible.

Even the dogs knew not to bark as I passed, all four sleeping in a pile on the front porch, under the swing. Duke raised his head, and as much as I loved his company, I didn't want him to scare away the mustangs if I found them, so didn't call to the Border Collie. He watched me go, yawned, and settled back to sleep, dreaming whatever dog-dream I had interrupted.

The horses whinnied, and I promised I'd return to spend some time with them as soon as I found the others.

By the time I reached my destination, the hill from the day before, the sun had risen almost completely. The sky was still tinted with the pink hues of dawn, but that was rapidly fading into blue crystal, a few dark clouds gathering in the distance.

To my great delight, the mustangs were still in the valley. A quick count told me no one was missing, and I took a sip of my coffee with a steady hand. Chalking up my fears to a bad dream based off the news my father had told me at dinner, I sat down comfortably, and watched the herd interact.

Moon Dancer was picking on another of the colts already, but this time the filly's mother came to the rescue. Ears back, she walked with a purpose right towards the bothersome colt, and he fled. I noticed the mare kept an eye on him, making sure her flank was always showing. She seemed to stay perpendicular to him. When he tried to enter the loose circle of his herd again, she faced him and drove him away.

He moped around for a while, before trying once more. Moving slowly, this time the mare turned away from him a little, and his ears went forward. Dropping his head to the ground, his breath blowing small clouds of dust, he continued to approach her, and now was shown her shoulder.

I chuckled to myself when I saw his tongue a few times. Although his jaw was working as though he was eating, he was chewing nothing. He was apologizing. Careful movements, head bowed, I could almost hear the childlike apology.

'I'm sorry. I was just playing. Can I come back now?'

He was close enough to touch the other horse now, and reached out with his nose to rub her flank. She nudged him gently, all was forgiven, and he took off, romping and playing again.

The mare had been scolding him, I realized, rather like a time out. When she stopped looking at him, he could apologize and return.

My stomach began to growl, and I knew it was time to go home. Finishing the last bit of my coffee, I screwed the cap back on the thermos, and stood slowly. The horses glanced up at the sounds I made dusting myself off, but I turned and left before they could be frightened.

I decided I would go out again after breakfast, although not to Mustang Point, as I had started calling the hill. I would go on horseback, and just to explore more of the land, not to see the mustangs. They had given me plenty to think about already, I figured I would let them be for a while.

All right, so I admit it. I wanted to check out the new family on the adjoining land. I was curious as to whether they were a threat to our peaceful countryside, and intended to find out as soon as possible.

My dad was just finishing feeding the horses when I returned.

"Your mother's inside, she asked me to tell you there was a phone call for you," he said.

"All right. Do you want any help?"

He chuckled, and shook his head, tossing the last can of pellet feed into the final feed bucket. "No, I'm done here. They need to be groomed sometime this week, though, if you want to get started on that." He patted the thick coat of the nearest horse, and I nodded. The fuzzy winter coats were warm but the horses liked to roll in the dirt, and they needed to be brushed even more often.

Taking off my boots by the front door, I stopped by the living room on my way to the kitchen, and turned on the radio loud enough to carry into the other room. It was the easiest way for me to get caught up on the news.

"Morning," I called, smelling omelets.

"Morning, AJ. Stacey called for you this morning," she related, speaking of my close friend, and the veterinarian's daughter. "I think it's something about Rhett."

I nodded, and grabbed the phone eagerly. We'd had to take one of our cats to the vet just a few days before, and I was hoping Stacey had good news for me. Rhett, Scarlett's brother, had gotten into a fight with a rattlesnake. The rattler won. The snake struck him twice and slithered away, and when I found the cat, his left side was puffy and tender. I jumped in the truck and raced him down the road to the Telamons, the home of our vet, which was also her office.

So it was with slightly trembling hands that I dialed the number.

"Telamon residence," came the greeting.

"Is Stacey in, please? This is AJ."

"Oh, AJ, hi! This is Dr. Lisa. I had Stacey call you because I was on a house call this morning. One of Mr. Benton's dogs took sick."

I tried not to sound as unconcerned as I felt at the moment. "That's too bad. Is there any news on Rhett?"

"Oh, yes, I'm sorry, dear. Here I am rambling on about a dog and you're probably worried sick about your cat," she said, chuckling a little to herself. Dr. Lisa was an excellent vet, but sometimes I just wanted to shake her and tell her to hurry up. She was friendly and kind, but liked to talk. Everything she said began with "Oh…" as though she was telling you something you weren't going to believe.

"Is he okay?"

"Oh, he'll be just fine. He's resting now, and I'd like to keep him just a few more days to keep an eye on him, you understand. But he's doing much better."

I smiled, and waved to my mom that he was okay; she'd been watching my conversation from her place at the stove. Now she smiled, and turned her full attention back to breakfast.

"Thank you, Dr. Lisa."

"Oh, not a problem, glad I could help. He's just a sweet little thing. I'll have Stacey give you a call on Friday, let you know when you can pick him up and take him home, how does that sound?"

"That sounds wonderful. Thank you again. Take care." I hung up the phone, and rushed down the hall to tell my brother the good news.

"Bastiaan!" I knocked on the door to his room twice, and then opened it. As I expected, he had his nose stuck in a book. "Dr. Lisa says Rhett will be able to come home by the end of the week!"

He didn't look up. "That's great," was all he said.

I frowned, and straddled the chair at his desk, watching him for a moment. He was stretched out across his bed, lying on his back. He turned a page and kept reading, until my gaze got to him and he looked up, annoyed.

"What?" he demanded, his dark eyes meeting mine. His hair was a shade darker, his eyes were a deeper blue, but we were about the same height, and I was confident I could still beat him in a wrestling match.

"Come on, Bastiaan, I thought you'd be happy. I mean, Rhett is your cat, after all."

He sighed, and laid the book across his broad chest.

"I am happy, AJ. I'm glad he's going to be okay, we were all worried about him. I've just got a lot on my mind right now," he admitted, and I tilted my head. There was something funny about his book.

"What are you reading?"

Now he dropped his eyes. "Just stuff for school, you know. Studying." I would have believed that, if it wasn't for the fact that I caught the spine of another book under the first. He wasn't reading the textbook whose cover I'd seen and recognized by the calculator on the front as being math – besides, he had no scratch paper or calculator around – there was another book in the middle, a trick even I recognized as trying to hide the actual reading material.

Springing out of the chair, I reached for the books, but he clutched them tighter.

"What are you hiding?" I tried again, kneeling on the bed.

"None of your business!" he said, trying to push me away.

I laughed. "Ooh, I bet it's a porno."

"Bite me, AJ."

With a bright smile, I bit his shoulder. He yelped, and pushed me on to the floor as I laughed even harder.

"You're such a pain in the ass, Annika."

He was blushing. Whatever he was reading had to be good, but I let him go, for now. I'd find out later.

"Come on, bro. Mom says breakfast will be ready soon. Pull your nose off that grindstone, huh?" He looked relieved that I wasn't going to tell our parents he hadn't really been studying. I wasn't sure what it was, but it definitely wasn't school-related.

Tucking away the image of the two books, I patted my sibling on the back as he helped me to my feet. The books were still face down on his bed, and he made sure I walked out the door first, but I had no intentions of swiping at them again.

If it was one thing I was good at, it was waiting.

All through breakfast, I kept sneaking a smug grin at Bastiaan, who would then kick me under the table. I cleared the table, and raised an amused eyebrow at him as he returned to his room in a huff.

"Bastiaan's been studying too much," said my father, and I bit my cheek.

"Yes, I think he could use a break," agreed my mom. "AJ, didn't you say you were going riding today? Why don't you take your brother with you?" Looks like I wouldn't have to be patient on this one.

I grinned at the suggestion. "Sure, mom. I'll go tell him to put his boots on." I bounded up the stairs, happily planning on teasing the hell out of my twin.

With a quick knock, I opened the door, and found him in much the same position as before.

He looked up at me, immediately holding the books close.

I chuckled. "Come on, lazybones. You're going riding with me." I went to his closet to pull out his riding boots. He leapt off the bed and grabbed my arm before I could slide open the door.

"I'll change. Go tack up the horses, AJ, I'll meet you out there. Promise."

I paused. Was that desperation I saw in his eyes? Holy cow. First the mysterious book, and now this? Whatever was in his closet that he didn't want me to see was juicy with a capital O for opportunity. If I could find out what it was, oh boy could I have fun with my brother.

A slow grin crossed my face. "Sure. All right, Bastiaan. Ten minutes."

He nodded, smiled gratefully, and shoved me into the hallway. I walked into my room and fell against the door laughing until my eyes watered.

Oh, this was going to be great.

I had our gray, Leslie, and the bay, Shannon, saddled and ready to go in just under ten minutes. Both were mares who had not been impregnated that spring. The stallions were also capable of being ridden, but they had a tendency to be a little more headstrong, and I didn't want them trying to start trouble if we came across the mustangs. Typical males, I decided, they never listened very well.

My brother, however, was outside right on time, and closed the barn door behind me. I mounted Shannon easily, who was my favorite to ride, and then held Leslie so he could settle himself in the saddle. He'd changed into a pair of faded jeans and his boots, but still wore the same brand name T-shirt. The sun was out, and had warmed the land enough so we didn't take a jacket or long-sleeved shirt.

As we started across the property, he pretended to be interested in the location of the cattle, but I knew it was an act. He liked the ranch, but had never gotten anywhere near as involved as my dad and I. He was going to college to study law, or so he said, and had no desire to stay in a small Montanan town.

I reached out and lightly punched him in the shoulder to get his attention.

He glanced at me, and I got the feeling he was dreading whatever conversation he thought we were going to have. I may not have been able to read books very well, but I could read people. From the look on my parents' face, I could always tell if the letter my teachers had written was good news or bad, and I could tell if most anyone was lying to me. Facial expressions and body language meant as much to me as the printed words did to my brother.

"Bastiaan, what's going on? You look like you're gonna puke."

In a rare show of embarrassment, my twin, older by just four minutes, reached up and scratched the back of his head. "You're too observant, AJ." At my confused look, he sighed. "Mom and dad never guessed I was reading another book, but you got it right off the bat. Promise you won't tell?"

"Look, don't worry about that," I assured him. "I'm gonna pick on you like there's no tomorrow, but I'm not going to get you in trouble. You should know me better than that."

He nodded. "I do. I'm sorry."

The apology made me pull Shannon even closer alongside him. "Hey, what's going on?" I repeated. "How long have you been reading whatever that was, pretending to study?"

"I got it from the bookstore two weeks ago."

I blinked. "You've been lying to mom and dad for two weeks?" Then, it made a little sense. "I knew it was too early for you to be studying. Three months is too much, even for you."

"I've been lying to them for a lot longer than that," he muttered.

"What are you talking about?" I was beginning to feel a little less gleeful and a lot more worried. "You've been lying to me too, haven't you?"

He nodded.

I had no idea what was wrong, but judging by the body language, I had two guesses. Either my brother was dying or he'd gotten some girl pregnant. Whatever it was, he didn't look pleased to tell me.

"Listen, Bastiaan, you're my brother. I might knock you around a bit, but you're still my brother. Even if you feel like you can't tell mom and dad, you can tell me. I won't say a word if you don't want me to," I assured him, patting his back gently.

My brother and I hadn't always gotten along, as I think I said earlier. Even when I was jealous of him, though, I always loved him. Maybe it was the fact that he wasn't just my brother, he was my twin. Regardless of the why, even in our worst fights, I never doubted that he'd be there if I needed him. I hoped he knew he could count on me to do the same.

He took a few deep breaths as we continued on, Leslie and Shannon apparently oblivious to their riders' tension.

"The book I was reading wasn't for school," he began, and I nodded, deciding not to tell him I knew that. "I got it a few weeks ago, like I said, when I was out with Bobbi." Bobbi was this girl he'd been seeing for the past few months. We hadn't met her yet, but Bastiaan seemed smitten.

"It's a book on law." That made sense. "It's about the legal rights available to homosexual couples in different parts of the world."

I paused, sorting that one out. "Bobbi is gay?"

He nodded.

"Aw geez, bro. I'm sorry."

He looked surprised, if not a little hurt, by my apology. "For what?"

"That Bobbi likes girls. I mean, not that that's a bad thing or anything, but I know you really liked her."

Bastiaan shook his head. "No, no, AJ." He sighed. "That's what I've been lying about. Its Bobby, short for Robert, not Bobbi, the girl's name."

Now I understood. "So, Bobby is a guy. How long have you two been together?"

"Almost a year. It'll be a year in eleven days."

I grinned, before wrapping my brother in a strong hug. "Damn, Bastiaan, could you have waited any longer to tell me? I almost missed out on the anniversary!"

His smile was hesitant but hopeful. "You're not mad?"

"I wish you wouldn't have lied, but I understand why you did. I still love you, Bastiaan. Hey," a thought occurred to me, "since I know, does that mean I can actually meet him?'

"Sure. I'll call him and see if you can hang out with us this weekend."

I was excited. I'd wanted to meet the one that had my brother so happy.

"What do you think mom and dad would say?" he asked.

I had to shrug. "I hope they'll accept it, Bastiaan, but I really don't know. They grew up in a different school of thought, you know?"

Bastiaan nodded. "That's why I've told them Bobby is a girl."

"So what's up with the book?"

"The book I got has the most up-to-date listing in print of the benefits offered to gay and lesbian couples, which states have which rulings, and things like that. We need to know what our options are, and so far The Golden State of California looks like it might be the best bet.

"I'm going to be a lawyer, AJ, I know that much. I also know that I love Bobby, and wherever he goes, I'll follow. He's applying to a few schools out in California. Mom and Dad don't know it yet, but so am I. Whatever firm I find, I need to know if they have domestic partner benefits and such."

"So it's not just about finding work anymore, is it? It's about finding the place where you have the most chance of enjoying your life together," I stated, and my brother nodded.

"Sometimes you're so much smarter than I am, Annika."

I was quiet for a moment, lost in my thoughts. I was thinking of my parents' reaction and found I was just as unsure as Bastiaan, and also very nervous for him.

"I'm glad you're happy," I told him, at last. "I'm just sorry we live in a world, in a time where you have to censor that."

We rode on for quite a while, talking. Bastiaan filled me in on all the details of how he and Bobby met in school, their first date, and all the disgustingly romantic things I wouldn't have wanted to hear regardless of who my brother was dating. But I listened. The way he talked told me how happy he was to have someone to share this with. I wasn't about to take that away from him.

When the sky darkened with heavy clouds, I suggested we turn back before it rained. I could already smell it, the clean scent clung to the air, and I knew it wouldn't be long until the sky opened up. I worried briefly for the mustangs, and then remembered they'd been through several winters just fine.

We didn't make it out to the old Tops' land as I had hoped, but I marked the day as a success, anyhow.

"So what's in your closet that made you freak out?" I asked, on our way back to the house.

"More books," he explained, and read off a few titles. "They're all gay fiction, and very good." From the descriptions he gave, they sounded interesting, and when I asked if he would read the back cover of one to me some time, he hid his surprise very well and agreed.

"Sure had you blushing," I teased, and he rolled his eyes.

"I was afraid you were going to find out," he admitted. I wouldn't have been able to know on my own what they were about, had I found them, but if I'd asked, I knew Bastiaan would tell me. He was too good about being honest with what he read to me.

"Are you going to tell mom and dad?"

He nodded. "Yes, eventually. I think."

"I'll be there with you when you do," I pledged, and he hugged me tightly, Shannon moving closer to Leslie to accommodate the embrace.

"All right, all right," I said, pulling back after a moment and poking his chest. "No more of that this close to the house. Mom might worry about us."

Bastiaan laughed, and I realized with a start that it had been a long time since I'd heard that. Oh, he picked on me, and chuckled when I did something stupid, but I hadn't heard that true deep-throated laugh since… well, I figured it must have been since before he was forced to lie about his heart.

With his help, Leslie and Shannon were quickly rid of their tack, and brushed until their coats were smooth. When we were sure they were comfortable and cooled down, we put them back into the barn.

The barn was large, with enough stalls for all twenty horses, plus their feed and tack. Special treats were kept in one stall, while the large silo outside held the daily feed. A door in the back of the barn was almost always open to let them out to run. A fence separated them from a much larger plot of land, where we kept the cattle. Another few structures could be seen within that fence, being where we milked the dairies, weighed those sent off to the slaughterhouse, and took any cows we needed to separate.

"AJ…" I looked up when Bastiaan called my name. "Thanks, for today. Thanks for understanding."

I shoved him in the direction of the house as we locked up the barn. "Don't thank me yet, bro. This just gives me something else to tease you about," I said, but we were both grinning.