The morning passed quickly for Alejandro, as he let himself be guided by Pablo. He had been with him for a long time now, since Diego had been very small. They had shared a lot of joys, laughter and personal tragedies. Alejandro regarded the man as a friend, almost as a brother. He trusted him implicitly.

The vaqueros stayed with the group until they approached the area where the strays had last been seen. Diego stayed close to the older men, Maximus shaking his head warningly.

"Keep an eye on Maximus," Alejandro said, slightly concerned. "He has been known to bolt with inexperienced riders."

"I am watching him, Father." Diego spoke in a tense way. No wonder the horse was fussing, Alejandro thought, Diego is holding him too tightly. The horse could obviously sense Diego's fear.

The vaqueros had just taken off after the first head of cattle they had seen in the scrub, and Diego's horse startled. Alejandro made a grab for the reins, but the horse had broken into a gallop.

"Damn," Alejandro breathed, his hand grasping at the air. "I thought Maximus was a bad choice for Diego. First time you were ever wrong on that, Pablo."

"Don't rush after him, it'll only make Maximus run harder. Let the horse wear itself out," Pablo said, his eyes concerned but thoughtful. "Diego can keep his seat."

"These days I am not so sure," Alejandro said. Worry filled his eyes, and furrowed his forehead. He lifted a hand to shield his eyes to gaze in the direction the horse had taken his only son.

Zzz

Diego felt badly for his father. What had seemed like a bolt had been a very dramatic deliberate gallop, controlled masterfully by the rider. He was too exasperated to consider his father's feelings at the instant he performed the act, but as he adjusted on the saddle he thought about what might be going through his father's mind.

He shook his head. It wasn't about his father. It was about himself today. One day he could be himself, as Diego. Without a piece of cloth over his face. Without a barrier to the world.

He joined the vaqueros in a few moments, and reined in. A few turned to him with concern, glancing at Maximus knowingly.

"I want to help," Diego said quickly. "Show me what you need doing."

"I don't have time to teach you," the headman of the vaqueros replied with a frown. "I'd rather you'd stay back, Patron."

"I promise I won't let you get the blame for any injury I receive. I need to learn sometime," Diego said. "Just show me, and I'll follow the best I can."

A few riders glanced at each other.

"It might give us some entertainment at least," one of the men said in a excited whisper. A little too loud to be missed. "Give him a go, Luke."

"I don't want Don Alejandro to blame me if you kill yourself," Luke said a little less forcably.

"He'll blame Maximus mostly, I made it look like he bolted," Diego said with a small smile.

A smile touched Luke's mouth, and faded as quickly as it came. He nodded briefly.

"We won't wait around for you, Don Diego. If you keep up, follow my lead. We want the loose cattle to head over there, where the fence starts. If you get the hang of it, guide the cattle through the open gate. If you manage it….well. I'll buy you a drink at the tavern. If you don't…" He shrugged.

"I'll try not to get myself killed," Diego replied with another smile. He watched the vaqueros urge their horses to sprint after the cattle, and he held Maximus back from joining them for a moment.

"Not too good, Max. Just good enough to get some respect," Diego said to the horse, making the gelding's ears twitch. He said it to remind himself.

Zzz

Alejandro and Pablo joined the vaqueros about two hours later. All the cattle had been gathered behind the gate, which was now closed. The cowboys were sweating and laughing together in a group.

"Hey, boss!" Luke said as he saw Pablo. "You should have seen Don Diego."

"Yeah," Diego interrupted. "I managed to stay in the saddle after that bolt. Might need a few lessons in controlling my mount again."

Luke threw him a look of curiosity, but took the hint to follow along.

"We had to get the poor man out of the brambles over there. It was pretty amazing that he kept in the saddle. Max was going pretty fast."

Alejandro sighed. He was relieved but still. Diego used to show promise as an expert horseman at quite a young age. He was disappointed that his son had lost what skills he had, and he'd have to keep an eye on him. Diego had been lucky to get away with his life, and didn't seem too shaken by his experience.

Luke grabbed Diego's shoulder. "We couldn't have done it in such good time without you. Why are you hiding?"

"I don't want to be on vaquero duty full time. I need to keep editing the newspaper," Diego said softly. "I know my father would like to know, but not yet."

"I'll keep my mouth shut about it for a while, but that was some amazing horsemanship. It will be an honour to work for you, when the time comes, Don Diego."

"Thank you, Luke."

Diego went back to his father and Pablo. He dramatically rubbed his thigh.

"For getting caught in the brambles, there is not too much damage," Pablo said thoughtfully.

"I think I'll stick with Esperanza after all," Diego said a little sheepishly. "Max is a firebrand."

"First time Pablo got your mount wrong," Alejandro said, eying his friend. "Every other time he was spot on."

"No one is perfect," Pablo muttered. He made his way over to his men, a little surprised that the cattle had been contained already. He had fully expected to have to assist them with the final couple.

"I'm going to have a good bath when we get home," Diego said, trying to keep the excitement of the day from making his words make him laugh out loud. He had had a great time with the vaqueros, and the cattle. He had done more than get some respect, he had relished the chance to show himself as a great horseman.

"My legs are going to kill me."

"At least you got some fresh air," Alejandro said with a sigh. Diego had obviously had a very tiring day, and they hadn't even spent much time together. The men had been unimpressed by their future employer and his estates would be left in the hands of an inexperienced boy of a man. Alejandro loved his son dearly, and was proud of the talents he obviously had with the newspaper and other pursuits, but he wondered how Diego had grown up so much different from himself.