Disclaimer: Ms Proulx still owns 'em, dangit.

Saturday found Linda sitting in her usual spot. Today was the day she'd find out if her plan would work or not. She'd sent Ennis into town for supplies. She'd givin him enough to do that he should be in town most of the morning. When she heard a truck pull up at about ten o'clock, she knew it was too late to back out. She had to see it through. Answering the knock on her door, she saw a couple standing there. She'd been expecting them so she ushered them into the kitchen after giving the lady a big hug. After being introduced to the young man at her side, she asked if he wouldn't mind pulling his truck around back. While he was gone the ladies talked of old times, both wondering what would happen next. When he returned, she told him he was welcome to use the spare room to rest up after the long trip. He thanked her and left. He was asleep before his head hit the pillow.

When Ennis returned, Linda introduced him to the lady.

"Ennis, I'd like you to meet Eleanor. Eleanor, this is my son Ennis," she said.

"Pleased to meet you, ma'am," Ennis said.

"Likewise, young man," Eleanor replied. "He sure is a handsome man, Linda. Almost reminds me of you at that age."

Blushing furiously, Ennis suddenly found the floor real interesting while both women giggled. Noticing a movement behind him, Linda smiled at Eleanor.

"By the way, I believe you know Eleanor's son, don't you?" she asked motioning behind him.

Turning around, Ennis felt his jaw hit the ground as his eyes got as big as a saucer. Looking back at him with just as much surprise, was the bluest eyes he'd ever seen set in a face that was very familiar to him.

"Jack?" he whispered.

"Ennis?"

The two shared a look before Ennis spun back around looking at his mother in shock not seeing the hurt look on Jack's face, but, knowing it was there. Linda and Eleanor saw it too.

Soon, all four of them were sitting at the table. Linda and Eleanor were on one side looking at their sons on the other seeing the space they kept between them. Finally, Ennis looked up at his mother.

"What's goin on here, Momma?" he asked.

Suddenly, he saw a look come across his mother's face he'd only seen once before. He could see she was pissed off at him and he didn't know why. He glanced at Jack's mother and saw the same look.

"Ennis James Del Mar," she said. Ennis flinched. He knew when she used his full name like that that he was in deep shit. "Just what in the hell do you think your doing here? I thought I'd raised you better than that. Now your making me think I was nothing but a lousy mother."

Not understanding her he got a puzzled look on his face. What the hell'd I do wrong, now? he thought.

He started to ask what he'd done to make her think that, but, she cut him off. "Don't you dare say a word till I'm finished. Jack drove all the way down here just to see you and you haven't even said a word to him. You haven't even looked at him. From what I've been hearing, this man loves you and all you can do is hurt him. Now I know what your daddy did to you, but, that is not an excuse. All these years I have kept my silence waiting to see what you'd do, but, now I see I waited too long. When Eleanor told me about how Jack looked every time he came back from your little "fishing trips' it was all I could do not to take you out behind the woodshed, young man."

Finally, Ennis had to say something in his defense. "But, Momma, what we'd been feelin and doin'. It ain't right, Momma. It's downright sinful."

At that Jack started to get up. He couldn't stand to hear anymore. Suddenly, a voice he knew better than his own, piped up. "John Charles Twist, Jr., sit your ass back down." Sitting back down, he shot an incredulous look at his mother. She'd never used that tone with him before. Hell, she'd never used his whole name before. She'd always just called him Jack like everyone else.

When that was done, Linda turned back to Ennis. "What is so sinful about it, Ennis?" she asked finally calming down.

"A man ain't supposed to love another man, Momma. That ain't how it's supposed to be," he replied, tears in his eye, but, refusing to let them fall.

"Ennis, love is not a sin. If it was the entire world would be in trouble because of it. And I don't know, I may be mistaken, but, last time I checked God doesn't make mistakes. Ennis, it's been my belief that God brought you two together for a reason. If He didn't want you two to be together, you'd never have met in the first place, let alone four years later. Do you or don't you love him? I think you'd better speak up now so we can end this one way or another."

"I do, Momma. I do love him, but, all I keep seeing is Earl. I couldn't stand to see that happen again. Not to Jack. I couldn't live with myself if that happened," Ennis said, the tears he'd been holding back finally falling.

"Ennis, sweetheart, I know that what your daddy did affected you terribly, but, you can't let fear rule your life. It's alright to be afraid, hell, I'd be afraid in your place. You have to remember, though, that love conquers all. You and Jack have something precious few people ever find in their lifetimes. Instead of fearing it, you should embrace it. I have a feeling that you and Jack can stand up to just about anything, as long as you do it together. All I've got left to say is, if you don't do something about it now, you will regret it for the rest of your life. Live for the moment, Ennis. Live for you and Jack, not everyone else. Not everyone out there is gonna have a tire iron waiting for you."

Sitting there, Ennis absorbed his mother's words mulling them around in his mind. The others waited silently to see what would happen. Finally coming to a decision, he looked at his mother. "Your right, Momma. As usual." Turning to Jack, he took Jacks hands in his forcing Jack to look at him.

Staring deep into those blue eyes that could always make him do anything, his throat choked up. Seeing the hurt in those eyes made him want to just curl up and die right then and there. Finally, thanks to his mother, he was able to say what had needed to be said so many years ago.

"Jack, I'm so sorry for what I've put you through. If you don't love me anymore I'll understand. I know I've never let my true feelings show before, but, it's cause I've been letting my fear rule my life. I've always been afraid for you. All those times I closed my eyes and seen Earl's body in my head, well, after our first week on the mountain, his body became yours. Instead of seein him layin in that ditch I'd suddenly started to see you layin there. I couldn't stand it if anything happened to you. You are my heart and soul, Rodeo. Without you I couldn't live. Without you I'd have no heart to pump blood thru my body. I want you to know that, if you still want me, I'm finally ready to spend the rest of my life with you. I'm ready to see us thru come hell or high water. But, if you don't want me to, if you wanna go your own way, I won't stop you," Ennis said, becoming too choked up to continue.

Jack just sat there stunned. The tears were falling freely out of his eyes. Falling back on his usual self, he couldn't help but say, "Dang, Cowboy. That's the most I've ever heard you talk." That got a laugh from everyone there. Becoming serious once again, though, he said what was in his heart, "Cowboy, I know it hasn't been easy for ya. I know I've been pushing ya for something better when I should have just backed off and kept my mouth shut. I know what I did wasn't right, startin this whole thing up there on the mountain. If'n I just left ya alone that night, ya wouldn't be in this mess right now. Plus ya'd have a serious case of frostbite or something. But, I guess what I'm really tryin to say is, I love ya, Cowboy, and I couldn't stand livin without ya. Wakin up each morning to see your beautiful face looking back at me. To say that I wasn't hurt would be to lie to ya, Cowboy, and I never will do that to ya. I was hurt pretty bad the last time. When we had that fight, but, I guess I hurt ya bad, too, with the things I said. I have to tell ya, Cowboy, goin to Mexico was the stupidest thing I ever done. It's just that ya hurt me bad that day and I wasn't thinking straight. There are some more things in my past that I wanna tell ya about, but, they can wait till later. Can ya ever forgive me, Cowboy? Can we try to start over here or something? I gotta tell ya, Cowboy, it would kill me if I ever lost ya."

Neither one saw when their mother's left the room. Linda had takin Eleanor out to the back porch to give their boys some privacy. Glancing thru the window, she could see that they were finally starting to heal.

Hope y'all liked this one. Not sure if I'll continue or not. Reason behind it is, I hated the way the movie and book both ended. R&R, please, let me know what ya think.