AN: Want to thank my beta, he knows who he is, on this one. His influence changed very few words, but added a large dose of much-needed realism.

Work didn't provide enough distractions. Usually he was alright. That stupid movie. Twenty three degrees, breaking ice on the horses' water buckets, and spilling some on himself on purpose to feel the sting of it, take his mind off things. Settled for a short afternoon ride on one of the three horses he kept there.

Rob's horse was an Appendix Quarter Horse past her prime but sharp as a tack, named Heidi. She was none too friendly, but let the city folks ride her, no complaints. Gerry's horse was a younger, stouter Appaloosa named Katrina. Both Kat and Heidi paid their board by giving rides to visitors. Not Augie. He was Kim's horse, a tall, lean thoroughbred, who didn't believe in a gate slower than a canter. Rob thought he was no good, but Kim called him "spirited." Granddad, what's the point of riding a horse if all you have to do is sit on top and let it steer, huh?, Kim's voice echoed through his mind. Thinking on Kimmie always eased his Jack-colored pain.

But not today. "That horse has a low startle point."

"Doubt there's a filly that could throw me."

"Granddad, what's the point of riding a horse if all you have to do is sit on top and let it steer, huh?"

Thought and emotion began to run together. Rob felt dizzy. Kim was going a be home tonight. Kim with her blue eyes.

He was watching her sleep. She'd come home during the day, not supposed to be home until late nighttime at earliest, but evening found Kimmie passed out on her bed, blankets haphazardly wrapped around her rumpled form. Kim's mass of black curls was sticking up in all directions, and a duffle bag had been abandoned just by the door.

He was in love with his only grand-daughter. Judy had two boys, lived far away in Chicago, but he'd been here, living with Gerry and Kimmie since Rick had run off and he'd lost his trailer all in the same year. They had a small house, three bedrooms, one bathroom, all off the same little cramped hallway, cold hardwood floors. A wide open kitchen and family room were downstairs. He was working on adding on a patio off the back door.

"She decided to come home early." Gerry met him in the hallway, home early from work herself.

"Hmm, long drive; shouldn't do it all in one day like that."

"Yeah, I know, but she likes to drive, and she likes to get back home even more. She said she couldn't take that campus one minute longer after finals. She dropped by the ranch to tell me she was here on her way in," Gerry said by way of explanation.

"What time was that, then?"

"'Bout four."

Rob groaned in disapproval. He didn't like the idea of Kimmie doing a 20 hour drive all in one night by herself, could have wrapped herself around a telephone pole or run herself off the road.

Gerry cleared the dinner plates for all three of them. It had been grilled cheese and tomato soup, but Kim had a dozy, sated expression on her face. "Thanks for dinner, mom, no one makes grilled cheese quite like you do."

"It's not exactly a gourmet dish."

"I know, but the dining hall always burns it. And they put cream in their tomato soup."

"How did your finals go?"

"Oh God, can we not talk about that?"

"Sure thing, honey."

"What are we doing for Christmas?"

"Well, it's just going to be the three of us this year. Your grandmom's going a Aunt Judy's."

"We could have gone to Aunt Judy's!"

"Your granddad and I have to work up 'til Christmas."

"What about Uncle Cliff and Uncle Dave?" Gerry wasn't too close to her half brothers, Lynn's two kids with Lewis, but Judy was.

"Going a Judy's too. Everyone's headed out there."

"Well that doesn't seem fair."

Gerry decided it was time for a change of subject. "Your Granddad and I went to see Brokeback Mountain last night."

"Oh, you did?" Kim's eyes lit up. She'd taken the bait. "How'd you like it?"

"It was alright."

"Aww, just alright?"

"I guess it wasn't quite my kind of movie."

"Granddad? What'd you think?"

"'S alright."

"You too?"

Rob tried not to notice the sharp glance from Gerry, rose and started wiping down the table.

"Well, I really like it. What were your favorite parts? Who did you sympathize with the most? Come on, we need to discuss it! It's a discussing-type movie."

"Not in the mood," Rob grunted.

"Come on, who did you sympathize with most? Jack, right? Everyone says Jack. I guess me, too."

A noise escaped Rob's throat that might have been a laugh. "Hmm, nah, Ennis I think."

"Really? A lot of people I've talked to get kind of annoyed with him. He's a pretty complex character, under a lot of external stresses… We should go see it again!"

"Don't think I need to see it again."

"Aww, granddad, you're not being homophobic, are you?"

"Homophobic?"

"You know, not liking gay people?"

This time, Gerry laughed, and then promptly announced she needed to take a shower. She did spare Rob one more sharp glance before she disappeared up the stairs.

"No, honey, queer men are alright. Didn't always think that, but a man can change."

"That's good to hear, granddad." Her bright blue eyes twinkled.

He could see Gerry was right, he was going to have or tell her something of the truth. If she ever found out another way, she would never forgive him, and Gerry was taking no prisoners.

Kim was already glowing just from the subject of the discussion. Guess this movie really does mean something ta her. The glow flushed her cheeks, made her hair seem darker against her pale library-weathered skin. Where did she get that dark, dark hair, being born a two red-headed parents? She had blue eyes, alright, but they weren't the color blue of Gerry's mama's, Lynn's, eyes. They were about eight shades more vibrant. Or maybe that was the light behind them. Or the light he was wantin' a see behind them. He cursed himself there.

"Listen, darlin', I got something I need a say to you, and if I don't, your mama will." He had to talk quickly, she was reading messages on that tiny little phone a hers, and it meant he didn't have her attention for much longer. "That movie, that one from the story Annie wrote?"

She looked up. He'd found her favorite subject again.

"It weren't all fiction. Was based on a true story."

"Well I know she talks to people."

"No, I mean it. What I mean is, Kimmie, long time ago, I was a herdin' sheep on a mountain, too, with a man named Jack."

She was squinting hard at him now.

"I mean… them people in the movie? They's me and Jack. I talked to Annie 'bout it a while back. Never expected anyone would care to hear such a story, though."

He wasn't sure what he had expected to see across Kimmie's face, but he was rewarded with the biggest slightly-lopsided, toothy smile he'd seen in, oh, nearly twenty five years, wide blue eyes to go right along with them. He saw something then in that face—something he had not seen before, couldn't understand how he'd overlooked it for twenty years. Maybe he hadn't wanted to see it? Maybe it needed time to mature?

What she said next cut through him like a bread knife. "Granddad, quit fooling with me, I'm not that stupid."

Struck speechless, Rob could only watch as Kimmie said something about having to talk to her mother, and disappeared up the stairs.