A/N: Apologies for the long hiatus, but I've been going on a ton of trips this summer. Kudos to all my reviewers. Keep the feedback coming!

It wasn't until we were all in the barn that I realized we had a problem. Sparks Flying and Storm Cloud were both used to running because Chavez and I were experienced riders; I didn't know how they would react under the guidance of a nervous young boy. There was the carthorse, but she wasn't saddle-broken, so nobody could ride her. Now that I'd promised to teach Cy to ride, I couldn't very well go back on my word. I'd just have to choose between Sparks and Storm and pray for the best. I ended up deciding on Storm Cloud, since I knew his disposition more initmately than Sparks'.

Storm nickered to me from his stall. He stretched his neck out over the door, sniffing hard and interestedly in Cy's direction, his ears pricked forward. I walked into his stall with a brush, which I started to run over his coat. As I worked, I sang a Spanish love song Chavez had taught me called "Cielito Lindo." Somebody had told me once that if a high-spirited horse heard something soothing, it would become much more mellow. I had never tried it with Storm, but now was as good a time as any to do it.

I laid a saddle blanket over Storm's back and his ears swiveled backward. He knew what was coming next and he was not pleased with this knowledge. Undaunted, I kept singing as I lowered the saddle onto his back and started tightening the girth. Storm twitched, but he didn't try to bite. Quickly and efficiently, I tied the lattigo knot. Then I jiggled the saddle from side to side to make sure it was firmly in place. All I had to do after that was slip Storm's rope bridle over his nose.

I opened the stall door and led Storm out. Cy's expression was one of awe. I was used to that reaction; there aren't too many gray pintos in the New Mexico Territory.

"What a magnificent animal," Cy said at length.

"This is Storm Cloud," I introduced. "Now, the first thing you have to know is how to get on. Allow me to demonstrate."

Unable to resist showing off just a little, I signaled for Storm to gallop across the barn. I grabbed the saddlehorn, and with an effort, hoisted myself onto his back while he was still running. That little trick was one I had picked up from Billy and it had saved both of our lives more than once. I grinned at the disbelieving expression on Cy's face as I climbed down.

"Of course, you won't be doing that just yet," I said. "There's also this way..."

I stood to the side of Storm. In a fluid motion, I put my left foot in the stirrup, grabbed the saddlehorn with both hands, and sort of vaulted myself aboard.

"Which is almost as hard as the first way," Chavez put in.

"Right." I agreed. "Which is why there's a third way. Put your left foot in the stirrup, grab the saddlehorn, and jump up there." I showed him what I meant. "Easy. Now it's your turn."

Cy looked a little uneasy about this prospect, so I clapped a reassuring hand on his shoulder. Cy put his foot in the stirrup, grabbed the saddlehorn, and started to bounce up and down. I don't know where he went wrong after that, but he missed the sitting down in the saddle part and fell onto the ground. He stood up with a bewildered, hurt expression on his face.

"Did you hurt yourself?" I asked.

"No, but I got dust all over my coat," moaned Cy, trying frantically to brush it off.

"You may get more on you before today's over, so just leave it." I advised. "Try it again."

Cy obeyed and actually landed in the saddle. He smiled proudly.

"Very good. To go left, pull the left rein," I instructed. "To go right, pull the right rein. To stop, pull back on both reins. It really doesn't get much more complicated than that. To get Storm to walk, nudge him with your heels. Just don't put your heels in him too hard."

"What happens if I--"

I tried to shake my head to stop him, but it was too late. Cy had dug his heels hard into Storm's sides and Storm was rocketing away toward the desert. Chavez leapt onto Sparks and chased after him, hollering, "Atsay! Atsay!" to no avail. Storm had been trained in Apache and English, not Navajo.

I clapped a hand over my mouth in horror as Cy slipped out of the saddle. Chavez grabbed Storm's reins and jerked them backward, causing to Storm to come to an abrupt hault. I ran toward Cy, still lying where he'd fallen.

"Are you all right?" I asked anxiously.

The only response I got was a faint moan. Chavez walked up beside me, leading both horses.

"How bad is he hurt?" he asked concernedly.

"I don't know." I bit my lip, fighting back tears and wondering why I had thought this would be a good idea in the first place.

I tried to calm myself. Panicking wouldn't help the situation in the least. But why was I? In my brief career as an outlaw, I'd seen people shot, stabbed, and beaten nearly to death. Why did the sight of a hurt little boy bother me so much? I quickly reminded myself that now was hardly the time to be pondering the answers to these questions.

Slowly and gently, I rolled Cy onto his back. His hazel eyes peered up at me with the same frightened look I'd seen the previous day at the train station. I held three fingers an inch from his nose.

"How many fingers am I holding up?" I asked.

He squinted. "Four."

At first I thought he'd hit his head really hard, but then I realized the fall had knocked his glasses off his face. Good thing too, or his face would've been cut up worse. I assessed the rest of the damage, but I didn't find any cuts or bruises that hadn't been there before. Damn, he was lucky.

"Are you sure you're not hurt?" asked Chavez.

Cy nodded. "Can I try riding Storm again?"

I smiled. "You little son of a gun."

It took a while for Storm to settle down again, but as soon as he had, we put him back in the saddle. He nearly fell off a few times until he learned how to balance himself and was a little unsure about guiding Storm, but overall, it was a respectable first attempt.