"Wiser Time"
Chapter 4 "Feelin' Right"

Every morning, as soon as he got up, Ennis would bounce off his bed, brush his teeth, get dressed and head to the ranch before the sun rose. But now, even as the clock struck 4.30 a.m., he was still tossing and turning on his bed, doing nothing but watching Jack Twist. Ennis could hardly remember the last time he woke up and spent more than five minutes in bed like this. He was taught to wake up early. Sleeping late was almost a sin in the Del Mar house.

But there were times when Ennis was allowed to stay in bed for longer than usual. Like on the morning of his seventh birthday, he woke up to find his birthday present from his mama, a rodeo doll carved from wood, sat on his bed. He played with it 'til his daddy called out for help in the barn at noon. That was a long time ago. Waking up with Junior or Jenny curling beside him was precious times too. He loved to lay with his daughters, having fragile little arms wrap 'round his middle for as long as he could. But that was long ago when they were very young.

Seeing Jack sleeping soundly near him first thing in the morning, hearing his steady breath and feeling it tickling softly on his face was also something he never tired of. He could sleep all day in that position. Ennis always looked at Jack for as long as he could, absorbing the beauty that God shoulda forbid on a man's face. Sometimes he spent full three minutes, just looking at his sleeping form. But Ennis had never spent the time really looking at Jack when he was awake. A part of him wanted to be swallowed by the earth, instead of having Jack catch his eyes on him. But the truth was, once together in the mountain, they would busy themselves with something else, pitching the tent, cooking, talking, eating, more talking, sipping whiskey, bathing, and having sex. There was no time to just sit and enjoy the view.

But here, in his house, Ennis had been half sitting, half leaning with his elbows on the bed, looking at Jack walk back and forth for longer than five minutes now. Jack had been trying on Ennis's shirts, of which he didn't own many, and bitching about them being too tight. After trying on three shirts, he finally settled on the white one, with sesame buttons, the one that fit him best.

"Have you eaten anything? Don't know why the hell yer shirts won't fit me anymore? We used ta share the shirts not so long ago," Jack grumbled as he buttoned up. He frowned when he lifted his head and saw that Ennis was smiling.

"What?"

Ennis shrugged, "Sorry, bud, I ain't got no red or purple shirts."

Jack narrowed his eyes, "Very funny."

Ennis chuckled and crossed his legs at the ankle, watching Jack fasten the rodeo buckle and lean on the wardrobe, meeting his eyes with a faint smile on his lips.

"This's kinda weird, you know," Jack said. "I almost got the feeling that I can get used to this; waking up with you, trying out shirts from your wardrobe…with you watching…"

Ennis's smile faded like the sun sinking into the horizon, leaving Jack feeling cold from the darkness that creep into his heart. Jack's eyes lingered on Ennis's, seeking for the little hint of agreement that he dared hope to see in those chocolate brown eyes. But Ennis just looked at anything but him. He started to play with the pillow, thin lips pressing tightly, trying hard to control his emotions. Jack sighed.

"You gonna eat breakfast?" He changed the subject.

"I'm eating at the ranch, but you can eat somethin'. I can wait"

"No, don't bother," Jack walked up to the bed. "I'll eat at Hal's."

Jack sat on the bed, so Ennis moved up giving him more space. Ennis knew he should say something. But he didn't know the right words. He couldn't give Jack hope, but he couldn't turn it down neither. Seeing Jack sad would kill him. Ennis looked at the back of Jack's back and head, then raised his hand up to rub Jack's shoulder blade, silently and helplessly asking for forgiveness. He felt Jack's tensed muscle loosen up under his palm, so he pulled back. Jack turned to look at him, blue eyes piercing.

"We'd better go," Jack whispered. "You gotta get to the ranch at five."

"Yeah..," Ennis nodded. "How 'bout ya? What's yer plan?"

"Check out from the motel first thing, then I'll call Lureen again. Maybe I can have the truck fixed in Childress."

"How can ya take it there?" Ennis looked worried.

"Chad said he's gotta get Ford's spare parts from Cheyenne, so I reckon there's a Ford dealership there, too. I need ta find out first. I figure they should have some big trucks carrying new trucks between dealerships, ya know, from branch ta branch, town ta town. Maybe I can use that service."

"So you have ta go to Cheyenne…"

Jack fixed his eyes on Ennis, "Figure so."

"Right," Ennis breathed.

They were both silent for a full minute. The sound of the clock ticking told them they were both wasting more time. But neither of them wanted to move a muscle. Ennis looked at Jack, absorbing the brightest blue from those eyes into the deepest place in his heart, where he could cherish it forever once Jack was gone. He moved his eyes to Jack's long nose then on to his lips. Jack parted his lips almost instantly. Their eyes met again and Ennis raised his hand, at the same time as Jack. He touched Jack's upper lip with his thumb and smiled as he felt tickling from Jack's thumb which was now caressing along the trail of light freckles on his cheek. Jack then bent closer to Ennis, let his hand move to the side of his neck. Ennis tilted his head and closed his eyes, parting his lips a little as he felt the soft lips on his, sending a hot wave of electricity down to his stomach. Why? Why does this feel so right? Why does just kissing Jack make him feel so filled-up inside? Why, Jack?

"Ennis," Jack was the one who parted their kiss. "We'd better go."

They drove in silence, both buried deep in their thoughts. Jack, in the passenger seat, stole glances at Ennis in the dark. Ennis wasn't looking at anything but the road. Jack wondered why people said seasons changed, people changed. 'Cause Ennis never changed. If you let him be in his shell and let him take the lead in his own way, Ennis would play the most perfect role for you, even as a fishing buddy. He would make the tent and cook the best meal for you, if you didn't say anything about wanting to sleep on a soft bed, instead of on the hard ground in the middle of the mountain. He would do the research about the camp site and take you to the most eccentric place with heaven-on-earth view, if you didn't bitch about how much you wanna just play pool with him in some local bars. And with a fishing buddy like him you could even get the best fuck of the year, if you didn't pursue him on living life together away from the mountain. Yeah, once in a while, Jack could pretend he could live with that. But not today. Not after last night, when he felt so right in the arms of Ennis. Jack felt even stronger each time they met, that they were meant to be together, on or off the mountain, in Riverton or in Childress, in heaven or hell, even.

Why didn't Ennis see this?

Jack was so deep in his thoughts that he didn't realize when Ennis had stopped the truck. He looked up and found that Ennis had parked the truck beside the pavement, a block away from the Siesta. They then met each other's eyes in the dim light of the dawn. Ennis cleared his throat.

"What time ya figure you'll finish with everything?"

"In the afternoon, the latest," Jack put his hat on and glanced around the dark town. "Can't do much now. Have ta wait 'til, you know, six or seven o'clock to call Lureen. You?"

Ennis shrugged, "I might finish early. There's not much ta do today."

Jack just nodded. A truck then drove past them and Jack saw Ennis duck his head lower under the rim of his hat, eyeing up after the trail lights of that truck until it turned left and drifted away in the dark. Jack followed his gaze and back to Ennis, feeling like having a dejavu of Sunday's incident when a white truck drove past Ennis's house and Ennis sent him away.

Jack just bit his lower lip and opened the passenger's door. If he was not in the truck long enough, he wouldn't have to listen to Ennis saying goodbye.

"Jack, wait," Ennis called out. Jack stopped, leaving the door open. He lifted one of his knees up on the seat, facing Ennis. Jack tried to search into Ennis's eyes for the emotions that might slip out of his shell. You want me to stay?

"I have ta go ta the feed store 'round the corner at two...figure if ya finish ya business, then, ya know…"

Ennis shrugged and ducked his head down. Jack tilted his head, the corner of his lips curved up into a small smile. Without thinking, he reached his hand to caress Ennis's cheek, the gesture which Ennis, of course, moved away from.

"Don't do that, Twist."

"Fine. Can I kiss you?"

Ennis didn't answer, just stared at him with steel eyes. But it just made Jack chuckle.

"2 o'clock," Jack repeated.

And with the nod from Ennis, Jack got out of the truck and stood at the pavement, hands digging in his pockets. Ennis still didn't move. He sat behind the steering wheel like a statue. Jack wondered what Ennis was thinking. Ennis's hands now came up to hold the steering wheel. His thumb was knocking on it. Ennis's face showed no emotions but Jack knew it was just the shell. He knew well enough there were a lot more emotions flowing inside that thick shell that had been waiting for the right time to pour out. You just had to knock at the right door. He had learnt this trick up on Brokeback a long time ago.

Considering the tire irons and everything, maybe he knew what the hell Ennis was really thinking in that thick little head anyway.

"You go on now, "Jack said, tapping the passenger's door. "Nothing will happen to me."

Ennis turned to him then, looked full into his eyes and nodded.

"Just...be careful."

"I will."

A small smile was then painted on Ennis's lips. And with that, Jack knew one more door had been opened.

After watching Ennis's truck disappear into the darkness of the dawn, he walked into the Siesta and woke up the receptionist, who happened to be only a boy about 16 years old, at the counter. He checked out and went to Hal's with his bag hanging down his shoulder. He was surprised to see that almost all the seats in the diner were occupied by men of all ages. Jack walked to the counter and took the seat at the far corner of the counter, before eyeing back to 'them cowboys' again wondering where the hell these people had emerged from. The diner was like a haunted house yesterday.

"Good morning, Jack," Emily greeted and gave him a cup of coffee. "How're you doing?"

"Better." Jack smiled. And the minute he smiled, he wondered if his cheeks would explode. When was the last time he smiled a real smile like this anyway? He really couldn't recall.

Emily laughed and winked at him.

"I guess so. It's easy to see."

Jack smiled wider and took off his hat and tossed his bag on the floor. He then ordered breakfast, two scrambled eggs with bacon, bread & butter and more coffee. Emily handed him the food in five minutes. Jack sipped his coffee and couldn't restrain his curiosity no more. He asked Emily the reasons behind the 'cowboys gathering' here.

"Just a simple gathering up before they go off to work." Emily then pointed to the middle-aged guy with a dirty brown hat at the table near the door, sipping whiskey from his own bottle. "That is old Douglas. He is a foreman at this ranch north of town, big ranch. He drinks whiskey all day. If you happen to walk past him, don't even bother saying hello."

"Ok." Jack laughed softly, then followed with his eyes as Emily pointed to the young guy wearing a light brown leather vest and a white hat, looking more like a young missionary than a rancher.

"That is Willy Wild, the Sheriff's youngest son. He's only 17 but hates to be with his dad, moved out to the ranch a year ago."

Jack made a face, remembering himself at 17, trying every way to get away from his dad and the lonely Twist ranch. Later, Emily left him for another customer, a toothless skinny cowboy who had just walked in the diner. So Jack turned back to his food.

Beyond Jack's expectation, that toothless skinny cowboy turned out to be a very talkative and social guy, who used to work on ranches all over Wyoming, including Cheyenne. Jack spent the next half hour talking to him and gained almost all the information he needed.

By six o'clock, that man, and the other cowboys had disappeared from Hal's. Jack couldn't believe his eyes. He felt like he was sitting in a real haunted house, where all the spirits vanished once the sun had risen.

Finally, having had some time to think through stuff, Jack had come to a conclusion. He had to bring the truck to Cheyenne and have it carried down to Texas through the transportation service of the Ford dealership in Cheyenne, which ran between Cheyenne-Denver-Amarillo. Then from Amarillo, he would find a way to get the truck to Childress later.

Emily then refilled the coffee in his cup for the second round, Jack thanked her and excused himself to the phone. He hoped Lureen was already up and in a good enough mood to listen to the bad news that might make her spit fire. He had told Lureen yesterday that the truck was broke down, but he didn't get into such details like it was crashed into a pine tree, or that it needed to be hauled down home, oh, and that he might have to spend two months of his salary to fix it.

"Let's get it done." He picked up the phone.

Jack dialed his home number and the phone rang twice before Lureen picked it up. She sounded stern but Jack was determined to settle this matter, so he just told her in one long stretch about what was actually going on and what was he going to do about it. Lureen just listened. Jack thought it might be because it was still early in the morning and that Lureen's brain wasn't yet fully functioning. That was why she was not making any fuss. Jack was glad in a way, cause he sure didn't want to argue with her now. The conversation didn't take too long though. Jack hung up the phone and sighed.

One thing settled, Ennis.

He got back to his seat and finished his breakfast.

There was something else to be done. He needed to ask Billy at the Sheriff's office for the trailer service. Jack was just about to pay for the food and leave for the Sheriff's office when Luke showed up at the door.

"Did I miss something?"

Jack looked up and smirked at Luke who glanced down at Jack's bag on the floor, frowning.

"Are you leaving already?"

"Not that easy," Jack shrugged. "Need to talk business with some people before that. Have ta go to the Sheriff's office to ask about the trailer."

"Oh, then ya have ta wait. Johnny, I mean that long-haired guy who owns the trailer, is out ta fix the bridge northa town," Luke said and took off his hat and his black leather jacket, then sat on the seat opposite him. Jack wondered why Luke knew such information, but he didn't ask. Luke continued, "I'll drive you there later."

Jack wanted to say no to his offer this time 'cause he would see Ennis in a couple of hours. But as he watched Luke take off his sunglasses, and saw the scar on his left eyelid, he couldn't form the words. He didn't remember seeing it yesterday when they met. The scar drew his attention in a strange way. It looked like triple stars, lining from under his brow to his temple. Jack slowly took off his jacket, which he had just been putting on, with his eyes still lingering on the man's face. That was why Luke always wore sunglasses?

What happened to him?

----------

Ennis had been baling hay under the sun all morning but didn't feel tired or irritated. He usually got irritated by hay 'cause he sometimes got rashes from it, especially on the hot and dry days like this. Occasionally, rashes would spread rapidly along the trail of sweat that formed on his arms and back. But this morning he felt different. Despite having to work with the hay under the bright and burning rays of the sun, Ennis Del Mar couldn't care less about the rashes on his skin. He was even whistling. And that didn't escape his boss's observation.

"Any good news, Ennis?"

"What?"

Ennis's brows went together as he looked at Don, whose smile just went broader.

"Ya whistling."

"I'm not."

"You are," Don was so sure. "Glen Campbell, Rhinestone Cowboy."

Blushing, Ennis carried the hay to the back of the truck, topping bales up high. Don knew Ennis was a shy man who didn't talk much. He enjoyed teasing him sometimes because seeing Ennis reminded him of the young Don Wroe, who had worked hard in his 20s and 30s like this. Don liked to work with him, and he liked his company.

"Hey, listen," Don said, "thanks for yesterday, Ennis."

Yesterday? For a minute, Ennis was wondering what about yesterday. He just remembered about Jack, the mind-blowing sex, the stars on his ceiling. What was with yesterday? Oh, then he realized. Don had thanked him for joining the 'drinking' with Luke Martin, the lender to Don and hopefully the future lender to his oldest son, Joel, too.

"It's nothin'," Ennis muttered. "Any good news?"

"You're supposed ta answer my question, son, don't ask me back like this."

"Sorry."

Smiling, Ennis ducked his head down, sweeping some of the hay off his jacket. Don chuckled and leaned on the truck, he then took off his hat and used it to fan himself. Ennis stood close to him.

"Luke said there's a possibility. He used ta give out loans fer farming before but not fer a fruit farm, and not outside Wyoming."

"That's the problem?" Ennis asked.

"Looks like," Don signed. "He said he gotta do some research too, about peaches and the like and farm machines."

"Your son gonna grow peaches in Denver, using farm machines?" Ennis asked, genuinely interested. Don just nodded. Joel, Don's oldest son, was a kid in the form of a grown-up man. For the past three years, he heard from Don that Joel had started and finished more than 10 businesses, moving from city to city and spending his father's money like water. He never settled with one business, claiming that he hadn't yet found what he really wanted to do. And the man was 26 years old. Ennis thought if it had been between his daddy and him, it wouldn't be this complicated. Daddy wouldn't have listened to a thing he said and if he insisted, he woulda been kicked out to grow some weeds in South America.

"Yep, that was what he said."

Ennis grunted in disbelief. How could a good man like Don have that kinda son? If he wanted to start a business, why the hell couldn't the son ask for the loan by himself somewhere in Denver? He was not 17 no more.

"He promised me this will work out," Don said. "He had bought the farm and it is big. He will have peaches, pears and apples, so he needed the farm machines. Actually, he said he had started planting some already. I will have ta go down there with Tim this week, checking if my son is a damn liar, you know."

Ennis just nodded. Tim was the foreman at the ranch and he tended to accompany Don when he needed to do business out of Riverton.

"Ya don't like the idea, do ya, Ennis?" Don asked, out of the blue.

Ennis sighed and looked at Don wryly. "I'm not in a position to make any judgments, Don. But you tell me if you need help, ok?"

"Thank ya."

Don patted his shoulder and put his hat on. They had to drive back and put the hay in the barn. But before Don moved to the passenger's door, he turned to Ennis with a faint smile. "So what's your news, son?"

Ennis grunted and just ignored his boss and lead the way to the truck, hearing Don laughing right behind.

After lunch, Ennis asked Don whether he could bring Jack to the ranch in the afternoon. Don was more than ok with that. He surprised Ennis by asking if Jack was his friend who did rodeo when they met. Ennis mighta looked like he saw a ghost in Don or something. Cause then Don laughed.

"Son, you did talk when you're drunk, don't cha know that?"

Ennis just murmured something under his breath and walked away.

----------

Jack Twist was excited as a puppy running after a woodstick. The shithead had not stopped talking ever since he picked him up in front of the Siesta at two p.m. Jack was talking about all the cowboys that were gathering in Hal's this morning, blue eyes sparkling, like he was seeing men with hats and boots for the first time in his life. His voice rose even louder than the song from the radio, when he went on about the details of this skinny man with no teeth.

"He said," Jack lowered his voice, imitating the toothless man's. "'Yon boy, ya neeh ta getta truk don Cha-yaan.'"

Ennis frowned. "What the hell...?"

"He meant 'young boy, you need ta get the truck down Cheyenne'." Jack giggled. "He got no teeth, and he's like…only a coupla years older than us...n'..."

Jack trailed off as Ennis turned left and the one-story middle-sized house located on the vast green land emerged to his eyes. Jack scanned to the left, from the house to the barn and the stable and his eyes stopped at the black horse, nibbling grass in front of the stable that was encircled by the white wooden fences.

"Is that Black Shadows?" Jack gasped and, didn't wait for an answer from Ennis, flew out of the truck as soon as Ennis parked it under the shade of the tree, his hat and his bag forgotten. Ennis turned off the engine, rested his crossed arms on the steering wheel, put his chin on them, letting his gaze leisurely follow Jack who was now jogging to the black horse.

Ennis didn't bring Black Shadows and Shooting Star, his two horses, to the Sinks Canyon the last time they went for the fishing trip. So Jack hadn't seen them for almost a year now. That shithead sure missed horse's company a lot. Ennis smiled as he saw Black Shadows poke her head from the grass, up above the wood fence line, and sniff Jack's hand. She moved her head to the side of Jack's face and nudged. Jack laughed, one hand rubbing her neck. Well, it seemed Black Shadows missed him too.

Ennis tilted his head, seeking for the right position to look at the view clearer. Jack Twist with a horse sure was such a sight. The warm afternoon sun was shining through branches down on him, making him look like some kind of a tree guardian…well with boots. Ennis smiled at the thought and sighed with contentment as the mild wind blew through the truck windows. Jack's black hairs were blowing along with the wind now, and he was laughing so hard as Black Shadows continued to nudge his face, tickling him with her breath. Ennis could hear his laughter from there.

What would I do if Jack was hit by a tire iron? Jesus Christ, just thinking of it was enough to make his version blur with sickness. The son of a bitch just looked at everything in all good terms. Never believe a thing he'd said. What's the damn word? Yep, sanguinity. That was Jack Twist.

Ennis looked at Jack laugh and play with Black Shadows, then winced at the sudden thought that sprung in his head.

Could this be forever? Stop that, Del Mar. But you've divorced, you're free to do whatever you really want now. How? Shit. This ain't going nowhere...

"What cha doing in there? Come on out. Can I ride her?"

Ennis startled. He saw Jack calling out from the fence.

"Come on, Ennis."

Jack urged so Ennis got out of the truck, one hand putting his hat on, the other holding Jack's. He walked up to the fence and leaned in to rub the side of Black Shadows's face, with Jack standing aside.

"I missed this," Jack said, eyes looking beyond Black Shadows to the green area. "The smell of the grass, the sound of the wind and water flowing, the feel of the sun, the touch of the horse, I even missed the smell of the barn, you know."

Jack chuckled and bumped Ennis's shoulder.

"So, you work here?"

"Yep."

"Nice place."

Jack looked around again and, with both hands cradling both sides of Black Shadows's face, he touched his forehead with hers and closed his eyes.

"I feel like I could live here forever."

Ennis heard Jack's whisper and felt the clog in his throat. He knew Jack always bitched about his life in Childress, where he had to wake up from the sound of the farm machines roaring every day. Then there was that L.D. Newsome. Every time Ennis heard Jack talk about that man from hell, he really wanted to see that damn guy. Jack hardly hated anyone, well, except his Daddy, so that guy should be the meanest. And Jack was living in the middle of the city. He said he liked to be a city boy. But sometimes he missed the mountains. He didn't own a horse there and the biggest green field nearest his house was a small baseball field at the backyard. Ennis would go crazy to live in that kind of environment every day. Ennis was a Wyoming boy, growing up on a ranch. He loved mountains, green grass and horses. He loved bathing in the river and letting the sun dry his skin. He loved setting his bare feet down the soft ground and inhaling the scent of the rain when it was coming.

The truth was Jack also grew up on a ranch and he was a Wyoming boy, too. Jack sure missed life in the country something fierce, though the fucker might not accept it.

"C'mere." Ennis said finally, without having a second thought, and led Jack inside the fence to the stable, with Black Shadows following close. Inside the stable, Ennis walked toward his saddle while Jack went straight to greet Shooting Star. Like Black Shadows, Shooting Star also remembered Jack. She made a sound in her nose and sniffed his hand. Jack then admired Fencer and Maya, Don's horses, for a minute, too. And when Jack turned to Ennis again, he had already put the saddle on Black Shadows, ready for Jack to ride.

"Are you sure?" Jack asked, walking close to him.

"Yep," Ennis shrugged. "Take your time. I'm gonna be fixing the fence up north or handling stuff down at the barn for now."

"Ya sure yer boss won't fuss?"

"No," Ennis couldn't help but chuckle. "Don doesn't fuss and she's my horse. There ain't many people on the ranch, just old Tim, Buck and I. Just don't cross over the small stream down the hill or you'll be going onto a neighbor's property."

Ennis then put Jack's hat on Jack's head, pressing it down, muttering,

"There ya go."

He then met Jack's eyes that had been looking at him for some time. The blue eyes were smiling at him, like a ray of sun gleaming through the cloud. Ennis felt something heating up in his chest.

"Can I kiss you now?" Jack asked, lifting his brow.

"No," Ennis said almost instantly.

"Don't ya have ta think a bit?"

"Nope."

With that, Ennis walked out of the stable. He lit his cigarette when Jack walked out with Black Shadows. Their eyes met for a moment and Jack hopped up on the back of the horse. He playfully kicked Ennis's ass and that made Ennis look up to him. Jack smiled.

"Be back soon," Ennis heard Jack say softly. Jack leaned down toward Ennis and Ennis let Jack's fingertips trace gently from his earlobe down the rough stubble to his chin. Jack's fingers lingered on his chin a bit too long so Ennis took them off, feeling his own hand linger on those fingers a bit too long as well.

"Go." He finally patted Black Shadows's butt softly and watched as she and Jack went down the hill behind the barn.

----------

This is where I belong.

Jack stopped in front of the truck, and thought as he closed his eyes, breathing in the scent of the mountain. He missed this smell.

He had been riding for almost two hours, galloping Black Shadows up and down the hills, feeling light-headed and as free as a bird. He had met Buck, the young ranch hand at the end of the property, fixing the small wooden bridge. The man tipped his hat to Jack when he learned that Jack was Ennis's friend. Then he pointed up to the highest cottonwood tree up the hill, saying Ennis was supposed to be there, fixing the rest of the wire fence he had left off yesterday. Jack just nodded, but he chose to wander around the ranch a bit more. The ranch was not large, but Jack saw the space which looked like an unoccupied land in the east. Don could expand it if his business grew.

How could I have lived in Texas for the last twelve years? Right, I live there 'cause it's where I have to wait 'til I am home for each fishing trip. 'Til I'm coming home to the mountain, and Ennis.

"You Jack?" Jack abruptly turned back and saw the middle-aged man, with shoulder-length gray hair, walk up to him from the back door of the house, smiling wide.

"I'm Don Wroe."

"Oh," Jack shook his hand. "Nice to meet you, sir."

"Don't 'sir' me, Jack. Nice ta meet ya, too. How was the ride?"

"Great. I miss riding. It's good to ride again."

Don nodded. The two men looked at each other for a minute, then Don led Jack to the kitchen. With two bottles of beer, they were back outside again, grabbing two chairs and sat under the shade of the tree.

"Ennis told me you're living in Texas," Don said and that surprised Jack.

"He told you about me?"

"More than he thought he did." He laughed. "Just a week ago when he was drunk, he said you can't shoot a herd of coyotes even when they're walking right in front of ya."

"He told you that?"

Jack was annoyed, but he also felt his lips curving up. Ennis really did talk about me? Don laughed and drank his beer.

"It's nice to hear Ennis talk about friends, you know, Jack, he doesn't have many friends here. And I'm glad to finally meet you, too. I almost thought you were just his imaginary friend or somethin'."

"The pleasure is all mine." Jack laughed softly. He straightened his back and pointed to the land with his bottle. "You sure got a real nice ranch here, Don."

"Well, it all came with these."

Don held up his two hands to Jack.

"I held my wife's hand with this right hand, and bought the train ticket from Baltimore with this left hand. Then with four hands, we got this ranch. It wasn't easy, Jack. But the important thing is not to find the right place. I can live anywhere, up the hill or down the ditch. You just have ta find the right person." Don nodded and held up his hands again. "And these hands know the best just who it is. When I held my wife's hand for the first time, I swore I saw God."

They laughed. But Jack wasn't really into other topics after that. He was too occupied with his thoughts.

You just have ta find the right person...

Late that day, after having dinner with Don and Maggie, Jack saw that Ennis was still exhausted from tackling the damaged wire fence in the hot sun the whole afternoon, so he decided to drive the truck back. Jack was quiet and it was not normal. Ennis narrowed his eyes and patted his shoulder once Jack parked the truck outside his shack.

"What cha thinking?"

"Don..." Jack turned to look at Ennis, but it was already dark. He could see only his feature. "He told me about how he got the ranch."

Ennis groaned. Jack could picture him rolling his eyes.

"He told that story to every stranger he meet. Have he told you how he climbed the roof to see Maggie? And then fell off on cactus?"

Jack chuckled. "Not that much into details."

Then Ennis, too, laughed. Both of them didn't say anything, just sat there and looked out the window. It had become a habit, somehow, cause neither one knew what to say.

So, Jack cleared his throat, being the first to break the ice. "Ah, thanks for today, Ennis, it's great to ride Black Shadows again. Thanks, bud."

No problem, Jack heard Ennis say so soft before he slid off the door and walked in the shack. Jack's gaze following, Don's voice was still ringing in his ears...you just have ta find the right person... and these hands know the best just who it is.

That night, they made love leisurely, bodies moving together in perfect harmony that almost looked like a slow dance. They sighed and moaned at the same time, breathing in and out of each other's mouths. Ennis was spooning behind Jack, with both their hands roaming up and down the sweaty bodies, worshipping the soft skin from to. Then he entered Jack and started the shallow, gentle thrusts. Jack was panting, calling out his name, eyes shutting, toes pecking the crumpled sheet, nails scratching one of Ennis's arms holding his middle. Ennis buried his nose into Jack's hair, thrusting long and slow thrusts. His legs caught on Jack's, locking their position on the small bed. Then they came almost together, intensely.

"Ennis?"

"Hmm?" Ennis kissed Jack on the sensitive skin behind his ear, both feeling exhausted from the intense orgasm.

"I've been thinking." Jack snuggled closer. "I want to run a ranch."

"You do?"

"Yeah, I got a strange feeling today, that I belong to the mountain."

Ennis wasn't a dreamer. His life had been harsh and he had been struggling, finding something to eat more than just sitting and seeing pictures in his head. But he knew Jack was a dreamer. And that made the man so lovable. He might not able to give Jack what he wanted, guess listening to him was the only thing he could do for Jack. Ennis couldn't dream. But maybe, Jack and him, and that sweet life Jack always wanted for them could be kept safe in Jack's dream anyway.

"Where?" Ennis nudged Jack's neck with his nose.

"What?"

"The ranch, where do ya want that? Yer home? Lightning Flat?"

"Anywhere, I don't care." Jack shook his head. "Just a small ranch, you know. Cause we won't need extra help much when running a small ranch."

He said we.

"But I need more hands," Jack continued, holding up his hands and looking at them in the dark.

"What do ya mean?"

"Nothin'," Jack said so soft, shook his head again. Then he took Ennis's hand in his, squeezing.

Ennis didn't say anything. He just let Jack play with his hand 'til he felt Jack's breath steady, his body stilled as sleep overwhelmed him.

Jack had been asleep for a long time now but Ennis still stared into the dark, counting the ticks of the clock and stroking Jack's stomach softly with his thumb at the same rhythm. He wondered what had gotten into Jack? But Jack was happy, that was easy to see. This afternoon, when he came back to the house with Buck, Jack and Don were having the third beer and were talking and laughing like old buddies. Don might feed him with all his stories about the ranch, which somehow was stirring his dream about their life together.

That little cow and calf operation.

Ennis sighed and looked at Jack's sleeping form, suddenly feeling a stiffness in his arm. If he had to stay on his side, spooning behind Jack like this 'til the morning, the muscle of his left arm which was used as Jack's pillow would be dead for sure. Ennis raised his head and looked at both of Jack's hands that were still holding his left hand tightly even in his sleep. Damn you, Twist, Ennis grunted but didn't move away. Instead, he laced his fingers with Jack's and snuggled closer behind him, closing the gap between the two bodies. He kissed his nape and closed his eyes. Damn the dead arm.

Ennis tried to sleep but popped his eyes open instantly as he saw something green in his head, something that looked like a small hill sloping down to this little house. What the hell was that? Ennis closed his eyes again and the same image popped in and was getting clearer and clearer. The little house was painted white. There was a front porch, with a rocking chair, like the one where his mom loved to sit and knit at his home when he was a kid. He saw people there, too... Damn you, Del Mar, Ennis cursed himself as the image of two men riding horses up the hill emerged behind his eyelids.

He wondered if sleeping with their heads touching could somehow bring Jack's imagination flowing into his head?

Or was it him that was actually dreaming now?

Shit.

TBC.