A/N This chapter has been read over and edited for better reading quality, Thanks again to my Wonderful BETA Addicted2ItAll for all of your help and hard work.

Chapter 7 Trust and be trusted

Draco and Lucius spent the rest of the first month cleaning stalls, studying anything and everything that they could about muggles, and taking cooking lessons on the weekends from Grace in her apartment. They were pleased to find that it was exactly like potions brewing. As long as they followed the written directions in the cook book, their meals turned out mouthwatering, and delicious.

"I knew that you two would be good cooks," said Grace as she sat at her dining table sharing the meal that Lucius and Draco had prepared.

"This is actually, a lot more fun than potions brewing," commented Draco after swallowing a mouth full of food.

"Draco's definitely right about that, if you add an extra ingredient or forget an ingredient, or even forget to stir the proper amount of times and in the wrong direction, you are likely to end up making your cauldron explode and may even possibly die, or be horribly maimed and disfigured," said Lucius as he thought about his old friend Severus.

"I know, my husband actually taught me to brew my own potions that he thought would come in handy. I have my own cauldron and even have an account at the local apothecary if I ever run low on ingredients," said Grace making the jaws of both Malfoy's drop in shock.

"What kind of potions to you know how to make," asked Draco who was now thoroughly impressed?

"Let's see, I've made Anti-paralysis potion, Blood replenishing potion, Bruise removal paste, Burn paste, Calming draft, Cough potion, Essence of dittany, Murtlap essence, level four pain potion, Pepper up potion, Revive potion, Skelagrow, and my personal favorite that helps me on those nights when I just can't sleep no matter how hard I try, dreamless sleep potion," she said as she counted them off on her fingers. Draco and Lucius gaped at the muggle woman in utter disbelief.

"I can't believe it, how long did it take you to learn how to brew them," asked Lucius in shock?

"About a week per potion to get each one of them down to an art," said Grace with a smile.

"Well, uncle Severus always said that Potions was the one art that was the most muggle friendly, if the muggle wasn't a dunderhead like the students that he had to teach," said Draco shaking his head.

"Every day that I learn something new about you, I slowly come to understand exactly why a wizard would marry a woman like you," said Lucius as he dabbed at his mouth with his napkin. Just then Grace's phone rang making the men jump. She got up to answer it and took some quick notes on a scrap of paper by the phone.

"Well gentlemen, I hate to cut our lovely chat short, but I've got to get lots of sleep. I've just received a call about picking up a new horse tomorrow, which means a hard day of work for me," she said as she picked up the dishes and started to carry it to the kitchen. "I'll clean this up tonight boys, see you in the morning. Also Lucius, whenever the boss gets a new horse I usually spend all day working it, so please just put the horses out into their pastures," she said with a soft smile as the two men bid her good night and left the apartment.

The next morning when Lucius and Draco awoke they were quick to notice a few things. The first thing that they noticed was that their bunk mates had returned from their stay in the hospital. The bunk house was a smelly mess in the short amount of time that the three men had been back. "What kind of girly men need a woman to defend them," asked Abet?

"Nice hair Lulu, who fixed you up," asked Brumby?

"I'll bet that he's been all over my skirt while we were gone," snapped Carter.

"I certainly hope that you aren't talking about Ms. Terry, because that would be extremely rude," said Draco as he pulled on his boots.

"Oh, great, we're gone for a few weeks because some psychotic bitch cold cocked us with a shovel and the damned brat moves in on my territory too," snarled Carter.

"Firstly, Grace is not a psychotic bitch, she's a lady, and I'll thank you to treat her as such, and refrain from speaking about her in such a manner in my presence. Secondly, believe me that I don't need a woman to defend me. When my sentence is over here, if you're still working here at that time, you'll find out what kind of man I truly am," spat Lucius as he and Draco left the house for breakfast.

As they walked out to the dining hall they noticed Grace hooking up the blue truck to the large trailer, and decided to see if she needed any help. "Good morning, Grace, do you need any help," asked Lucius as he got closer to the back of the truck where Grace was locking the trailer hitch into place? She jumped with surprise and slammed the top of her head against the bottom of the goose-neck hitch, cursing.

"Shit, that hurt," she said as she grasped the top of her throbbing head and stumbled backward, lost her balance and fell out of the bed of the truck and into Lucius's arms.

As he held her, he momentarily got lost in thought, over how natural it felt to hold a woman in his arms. Silver eyes locked onto brown, and they were both too quiet. Draco cleared his throat and they blinked, Grace shaking her head and both of them turning a deep shade of embarrassed crimson. "Um, I'm okay, Lucius. You can put me down now," she said in a tone that was stronger than she felt.

"Oh, right, sorry about that," said Lucius as he placed her back onto her feet earning a grateful smile from the red head.

"Oh, shit, shit, I'm behind schedule. I've got to run, so you might want to step away from the trailer," she said as she quickly closed the tailgate of the truck and jumped into the cab starting the engine, which rumbled to life. At the door of the bunk house Abet, Brumby, and Carter had seen the whole scene. Carter was as red as a tomato, and gritting his teeth with rage.

"I'll teach those city boy's what happens when you mess with my bitch," he snarled under his breath menacingly. "Come with me boy's I've got an Idea, that will get rid of our little bunk mates for good, but we've got to work fast, while there are no women around," said Carter as he ran quickly around the corner of the bunk house out of view of the other hands and the watchful farm manager.

By ten thirty that morning Grace returned with a new horse for the farm. She unloaded the new horse, and led it into the arena and into a round pen that was set into the far corner. She tied the horse to one of the posts of the round pen, then quickly walked to the tack room to get a western saddle, the bit that the horse's last owner said that the horse supposedly rode well with, and her work gloves.

Lucius had finished cleaning the first barn early, so he decided to watch the woman who had become a close friend and somewhat of a secret obsession to him, while she worked. The horse easily accepted everything that Grace did to him, and seemed very eager to please his rider. She leapt into the saddle and gently guided the horse around the round pen taking him through all of his paces.

"Lucius, would you mind opening that gate for me, so I can see what he does in a larger space," she asked as she moved the horse up to the gate of the round pen?

"Are you sure that's a good idea," asked Lucius getting a bad feeling about the large horse?

"He's fine, Lucius. If he was going to throw me, or give me a hard time, he would have already done it," said Grace as she stroked the horse's sleek neck in a peaceful manner. Lucius quietly opened the gate and frowned as the horse passed him. There was something wrong with the horse, he wasn't sure exactly what it was, but he had an overwhelming fear for Grace's safety all of a sudden.

Grace moved the horse around the arena, taking him through all sorts of small tests to see if the horse knew all that his old owner had said that he was supposed to know, when all of a sudden it happened. The horse snorted then flattened his ears against his neck. "Nah,ah, don't you dare do that," she scolded the horse tightening her grip with her legs and the reins.

The horse reared sharply rolling its eyes back into its head and screamed as he pawed the air wildly. "Whoa now boy, easy now," she soothed hoping to calm the horse. When the horse's front feet returned to the ground he lowered his head and started to buck and kick wildly thrashing about.

"Grace, this isn't safe, please jump off of him," called a now terrified Lucius as he had to jump and roll out of the way of the wildly thrashing horse and it's rider who seemed to be glued to the horse's back.

"Not a prayer, you ornery son of a jack ass," snarled Grace as she struggled to get the horse back under control.

She pulled hard on the reins making the horse spin in a tight circle to stop him from bucking, then screamed in pain as the horse flung himself down onto the ground penning her right leg beneath his massive weight. "Get up you lazy, son of a donkey," she said as she smacked the horse on the rump with the end of her reins. The horse got up quickly and started bucking again even wilder than before. "Grace, please just get off of him," screamed Lucius with fear now very apparent in his voice.

"This isn't my first rodeo, Lucius. If I get off of him now, than he wins. I don't work that way, she ground out as every jump and buck sent shocks of pain radiating through her entire leg.

"It's not a game to be won or lost, Grace. That animal could kill you," he screamed as he jumped over the partition that separated the bleachers from the arena. Draco and Hermione were going off into their secret room to study when they heard the commotion and changed direction, heading into the arena to see what was going on.

"Merlin's balls, Hermione, has she lost her mind," asked Draco as the horse went tearing past them bucking wildly and screaming with rage?

"You don't know her like I do, Draco. She's impossible when she finds that someone has lied to her about a horse. She won't stop until she can't move anymore," said Hermione as she noticed the look of utter determination on the face of the horse's rider.

"Maybe you should go and get your God-mother to talk some sense into her," suggested Draco as the horse flopped down onto the ground again and ground her wounded leg into the dirt of the arena floor.

Grace smacked the horse on the rump again before he could attempt to roll on her, and tears of pain flowed from her eyes as the horses every move now sent shocks of pain even further through her body. She knew now with a certainty that her right leg was shattered beyond the means of modern medicine, but her pride and utter rage over the lies that the horses old owner had spouted to her had blinded her making her resolve to stay on the horse or die trying even stronger than before.

Hermione wanted to scream out, cry and beg for her to get off, but she knew that she had made a promise not to interfere, and the anger that she would face if she broke that promise. She wanted to turn away and not watch but, she knew that she was the only one who could soften the fall that was soon to come. The horse suddenly stopped bucking and lowered its head taking a hold of the bit in his teeth, as he bolted at top speed toward a very solid wooden wall, which would take the horse out into the pasture if he broke through it.

Grace fought to make the stubborn horse turn, but was unsuccessful. The horse crashed through the wall splintering the wood, and sending Grace flying to the ground. Hermione quickly whipped out her wand and screamed the incantation for a cushioning charm to soften the fall, as she ran forward with Draco and Lucius by her side to assess the damage and injuries to the fallen rider.

"Oh, my gods, whispered Lucius as he pulled large pieces of wood off of Grace's fallen form. "Grace, can you hear me," he called as Draco helped him lift a heavy piece of wood from her body? No answer came from the motionless lips of the woman as a trickle of blood dripped from the corner of her mouth.

"No, Mr. Malfoy, don't move her yet," commanded Hermione as she cast diagnostic spells over the fallen woman.

"Good, that's good, her back is not broken, and their doesn't seem to be any internal bleeding," sighed Hermione in relief as she transfigured a small fragment of splintered wood into a stretcher and gently levitated Grace onto it making straps tie her down to it.

"We should get help, or call a healer, I mean a Doctor," said Lucius with concern written plainly all over his face.

"No, I'll have to heal her, she hates hospitals and anything to do with them. She always has, just help me get her into her apartment," she said as she pulled the chain with the silver key from around the neck of the unconscious woman.

"This looks pretty bad, are you sure that you have the proper knowledge to help her," asked Lucius as he lifted his end of the stretcher and grimaced at the darkening bruises that took up Grace's entire body?

"Father, you don't know Hermione, very well. She spent loads of her spare time helping Madam Pomfrey and learning loads of healing magic when she was at Hogwarts," said Draco as he thought back on the time that Hermione was forced to help Madam Pomfrey in healing his wounds when he and a few of the other Slytherin players had gotten beaten badly by bludgers during a quidditch match. She had hated him then, but her skill was obvious, and even though he had never said so it was appreciated.

As they reached the interior of the barn George came running in with a panicked expression on his face. What happened, Hermione," he asked as he stepped closer to the group?

"Let's just put it this way, George. You and the men need to get out into the pasture and catch that horse. The person that he was purchased from lied to my God-mother about the nature of the horse. She was riding him when I suspect that the tranquilizer wore off, and he went berserk," said Hermione as they moved toward the map on the wall that hid the secret door. "My God-mother will want the horse returned to the man who sold him and a full refund. You might want to inform him that if he refuses that he will be sued, for damages to tack, property, and medical treatment," she said as she pressed on the map making the door open.

"Yes, Miss Granger, consider it done," said George as he turned and ran the other way to catch the horse.

Once they got inside of Grace's apartment, Hermione levitated Grace onto her bed, and flicked her wand instantly removing all of Grace's clothes except for her under garments. "Are you two going to help me or, just stand there gaping. Honestly it's not like you've never seen a half-naked woman before," she said as she started silently moving her wand back and forth over Grace's body.

"What do you need and where would we find it," asked Lucius as he shook himself mentally?

"Let's see, I'll need the Bruise removal paste, Essence of dittany, for the scrapes and cuts. I'll also need the Blood replenishing potion, level four pain potion, Revive potion, Skelagrow, and possibly the dreamless sleep potion for later on," said Hermione as she worked on healing the cracked ribs, and the dislocated shoulder. "You'll find them in the medicine cabinet in the loo, " she said as she started to cast a splint charm upon the shattered leg to stabilize it.

Draco and Lucius returned quickly with the needed potions and ointments and placed them where Hermione could easily reach them. "Is there anything that we can do to help," asked Lucius softly?

"Not at the moment. It's getting late, the two of you should get back to your jobs. I'll be here for a while, so if you need anything, just tell me and I'll get my God-mother to handle it," said Hermione as she worked on healing the shattered bones of the leg. "You can come back after you've finished your jobs, if you want. She should be awake by then," she said as the two men reached the door.

"Draco, all these years, and I'm starting to believe that I was wrong about Miss Granger and Muggles in general," said Lucius as he walked toward the training barn with Draco by his side.

"Father, if I told you something private, do you promise that you won't blow up and beat me or hex my balls off," asked Draco stopping to face his father? Lucius crossed his arms across his chest and arched an eyebrow at his son's serious expression.

"Have I ever beaten you when you made me angry in the past, Draco," asked Lucius slowly shaking his head? "Instead of telling me, why don't you let me guess on what you desire to talk about," said Lucius as he took a horse out of the stall and led it to the proper pasture. Draco swallowed hard, fearing his father's intuitive nature, and his reaction.

"If I could take a wild guess, I'd have to say that it has something to do with the way that you feel for Miss Granger. I'd also say that I'd bet you've been in love with her for years and never admitted it because of the Dark Lord's wishes and pure blood mania. I'll tell you this, son. Follow your heart, if you feel as if you could spend the rest of your life with her, than act on it. You have years of cruelty to make up for with her, but if she's worth it, then I won't protest your relationship. It's time to make a change and to prove to the ministry that we've changed. I can think of no better way to earn our freedom and our happiness, can you," asked Lucius leaving a stunned Draco standing by the gate of the pasture.

After Draco and Lucius had finished their work for the day they went back to their bunk house to shower up and refresh themselves. Then Draco and Lucius walked through the secret door and knocked on the door at the top of the stairs. Hermione opened the door with a sour expression on her face. "Grace, you are honestly the most stubborn woman that I've ever known," she said as she dodged a pillow to the head.

"Bite your tongue, young lady. I am not stubborn," laughed Grace from the bed unable to move. Take this damned spell off of me," she ordered in a tone that reminded Lucius and Draco of Mrs. Avery for a second.

"I don't think that's a good idea, your leg is shattered, and needs to heal before you can move it," said Hermione throwing the pillow back at the fuming woman on the bed.

"What if I want to take a shower or use the bathroom," argued Grace twitching slightly?

"Has anyone ever told you that you are very annoying when you're sick or injured," asked Hermione rolling her eyes?

"We can help too, offered Lucius as he sat gingerly on the edge of her bed and smiled at Grace.

"Father's right, I'll start cooking something for dinner," said Draco making Hermione's jaw drop in shock.

"Since when do you cook," she asked in a flabbergasted tone?

"They both cook, since I've been teaching them to do so. After all it is one of the terms of their rehab, which they must learn to live like muggles. Muggles, as you well know, don't use magic to cook meals," said Grace with a satisfied look on her face. "Now, go and take care of your business," said Grace as she reached for a horse magazine on her night stand.

"Yes, ma'am," said Hermione as she left the apartment.

For the next three days Lucius, Draco, and Hermione took turns helping Grace with her recovery. One night after Draco and Hermione had retired to the bunk house, and to her bedroom in the large house Grace was left alone with Lucius for the rest of the night. He slept on the sofa mesmerized by the moving pictures that played on the television that hang on the wall. Lucius awoke to the sound of Grace's bed squeaking as she lifted her weight off of the mattress. Before she could move away, he walked up quietly behind her and grabbed her around the waist making her lean into him.

"Where do you think that you're going," he whispered in a soft silky tone?

"Lucius, please I told you before that I can do this by myself," she protested.

"If you are worried about me seeing you in a state of undress, it's a bit late for that my dear. I've already seen you naked on several occasions, admitted Lucius fearing that she would knock the shit out of him.

"Is that a fact," asked Grace turning to glare into his silver eyes? "I don't recall ever undressing in front of you, so when have you ever seen me naked," she asked with an unreadable expression on her face?

"I'm not sure if you were aware of it but every time that you took a quick shower, that oriental looking wall goes completely transparent to wizards," said Lucius with a calm tone in his voice.

"Humph, I always wondered why my ex-husband always seemed particularly eager to have my naked body in the bed, wet hair and all," said Grace leaning tiredly into his strong chest. "I drank too much tea today, would you please help me to the bathroom, or would you prefer that I hop there," asked Grace?

"Do you trust me to take you where you wish to go," he asked hopefully? Grace looked into his eyes and blushed at what she saw burning within their depths.

"I trust you, just don't ever let me down," she said as she kissed his cheek and relaxed in his grasp.

By the end of the week Grace's bones had healed fully, and she had now started riding the more gentle of the horses again. She still had pain in her leg, but it was easily managed with one dose of pain potion before bed. To the puzzlement of Draco and Lucius Mrs. Avery had lately not been seen outside of the house, and had left the morning assignment detail to George or Hermione.

They had mixed emotions about their three mischievous bunk mates, whom had been strangely quiet despite the looks on their faces that screamed bad intentions. Lucius and Draco were walking toward the barns after breakfast one morning chatting amiably about their future plans, while Grace and Hermione were in the barn saddling a few horses for a relaxing ride through the woods.

They stopped about fifteen feet from the gate of the bull's pen, where they both burst out laughing at something that Draco had said to his father. While their attention was elsewhere and nobody else was looking Carter casually walked passed the gate of the bull's pen and slid the heavy bolt that held it closed, and kept the bull safely confined, as he walked passed and out of view.

The bull stepped up to the opening as the gate silently swung open revealing the two blonds who were caught up in their laughter. Draco looked up for the briefest of seconds, then his laughter instantly died and he froze with fear in his eyes. "Draco, what's wrong," asked Lucius as he noticed the look of terror on his son's face?

"Father, the bull is loose, and he's about fifteen feet behind you. Don't move a muscle," whispered Draco in a shaky voice. Lucius looked passed Draco to see that the other men on the property had noticed the bull as well, and had scurried to get up trees, on top of cars, trucks, and tractors. Some had even shimmied up drain pipes and sat fearfully on roof tops that were easily accessed.

Instrumental music that sounded Spanish in nature began to blare through the intercom system so that it was heard by everyone on the farm. Nervous beads of sweat accumulated on the faces of the two Malfoys. "Help's on the way, don't move, Malfoy," called Justin Fletcher from the roof of the dining hall.

"Trust me, we don't plan on it," said Lucius nervously.

They could hear the sound of the bull as it lowered its head threateningly, snorted, and pawed the ground in preparation to attack. Then they heard the sound of galloping hooves rushing toward them and they clenched their eyes shut and stood there preparing to die a painful death. The next thing that they felt was the feeling of being jerked off of their feet and pulled over the fast moving rumps of the two horses and their riders whom had grabbed them in the nick of time.

"Open your eyes and hold on," came Hermione's voice from in front of Draco. He opened his eyes and felt her free arm holding him by his belt onto the horse, and saw the ground moving rapidly beneath him. He looked up to see his father struggling to get himself sitting in an upright position on the back of the large black stallion that Grace was riding, and quickly mimicked his father's movements grasping Hermione tightly around the waste.

"Hermione do it now," screamed Grace as she pulled a red cape from under Lucius's leg!

"Are you sure that he'll follow you," asked Hermione looking over her shoulder at the angry bull?

"I'm sure, just get over to the gate of his pen, and get ready to shut it, once we get him inside," ordered Grace as she unfurled the cloth with a snap of her wrist getting the bull's full attention. The bull bellowed with rage and followed Grace and Lucius on the black horse.

Hermione turned her horse away from Grace and moved quickly toward the bull's pen. On the other horse, Lucius looked over his shoulder at the large angry black bull fearfully, then whipped his head back to the front when Grace loosened his grip around her waist, and placed each of his hands firmly on the back of the saddle.

"Grace what are you doing," he asked as he saw her taking her feet out of the stirrups?

"Don't worry about me, just slide yourself into the saddle when I get off, and stay on the horse until I get him locked back into his pen," said Grace as she swung her leg over the front of the saddle and jumped away from the horse landing on her feet. Lucius quickly slid himself into the saddle and dug his hands into the horse's long thick mane. Sensing that his new rider didn't know what the hell he was supposed to do, the stallion slowed down and stopped a safe distance away from the bull, making Lucius breath a deep sigh of relief that the horse didn't want to run off with him.

Lucius turned in the saddle to see Grace dancing and twirling gracefully as if she was dancing with the bull. Every flick of her wrist made the red cape flutter beautifully. The bull calmed and seemed to follow her every well placed step as she moved. She stepped closer to the bull, and gently draped the red cape over his head making it slide along his large body a few times, then she rubbed and caressed the top of his head and one of his horns lovingly, and the bull was hers to command. Draco and Lucius's jaws dropped in shock as cheers sounded all around them, and the bull simply allowed Grace to lead him back into his pen. Hermione rode her horse around and closed the gate latching it firmly.

Grace climbed out of the bull's pen and handed the cape back to George who, put it away. "George, that latch was opened by human hands. I want the person responsible for opening it found and brought to me for punishment," she whispered in an angry tone.

"Yes, ma'am, but you do know that it may take me some time to go over the security videos," asked George?

"I'm aware of that, now make it happen," she snarled under her breath as she whistled for the black stallion to come to her.

Lucius was trying to get off of the horse when it started moving again, and sat there pulling on his mane in an attempt to stop him. "Whoa horse, stop, I want to get off now," he said in a panicked voice. The horse tossed his head as he stopped in front of his mistress.

"You know, he won't stop if you don't pull on the reins. Pulling the mane will get you absolutely nowhere," laughed Grace as she grabbed up the reins and handed them to Lucius.

"Perhaps, you can teach us both to ride if Mrs. Avery approves," said Draco as he hopped down from Hermione's horse?

"I think that I could arrange that. How about you both have your first riding lesson now," said Grace as she jumped onto the horse from behind and reached around Lucius for the reins.

"Here, Lucius, you hold the reins like this," she said as she placed the reins into his hand.

"I don't think that I should do this, or that I can," he said giving the large house a weary look.

"Lucius do you trust me," she asked as she held his hand firmly over the reins?

"Of course I do, Grace. I just don't want to get into trouble, or to get you into trouble," he said still eyeing the big house.

"Trust me, when I say that Mrs. Avery has been planning for the two of you to learn to ride ever since I gave you that ride back from the lake," said Grace as she guided the black stallion back to the barn.

A/N thanks for reading once again. Please feel free to leave a comment if you feel like giving your opinion. Chapter 8 Malfoy's Cowboy up will be next.