Jim heard the taunts but ignored them. He asked for a light blanket and made it into a pad. To his relief, his saddle fit her just fine. He noted that she had a snaffle bit on her bridle, so he let it be. He gave her one last pat and mounted up.
She danced a little as he settled his weight on her, but settled down almost immediately. Jim waved away the groom holding her bridle. She looked skeptical but nodded and stepped aside.
"That's it, my lady. Yes. Now let's see what you can do." He made himself relax and just feel her beneath him. Then he applied the slightest pressure he could to her sides, and she began to walk. He changed it and she stopped. "They were riding you all wrong, weren't they?" He looked at Scott, who was staring at him in astonishment. "Is there a ring I can use?"
Scott nodded and pointed to a structure behind the barn. "Stay there as long as you want."
Jim nodded and managed to steer her to the ring while barely touching the bridle. She was one of the most response mounts he'd ever had. He then proceeded to lose himself in the ring just discovering all of Dancer's tricks and moves. He was, of course, aware of the crowd he'd collected, but chose to ignore it. Just for that time, all there were was the two of them...just like he often felt when he was working with Blair.
He spent the rest of the morning putting Dancer through her paces. By the time the sun was high in the sky, he felt as if he'd known this horse forever. More...as she flowed through the corners at his slightest directions, he felt as though they were one being moving around the ring. He didn't want to stop but she was getting tired and he wanted time to groom her and take a shower before lunch.
Dancer stood perfectly still as he dismounted. He gave her a pat on the neck. "Beautiful, pretty lady. Let's get you taken care of."
As he walked out of the ring, he spied Blair riding that old chestnut gelding around the ring. He was clumsy, barely maintaining his seat, but he was also clearly working with the horse. He didn't want to distract him, so Jim just kept leading Dancer back to the stable. A groom showed him where her stall was, and how to find the brushes and other supplies he needed. It had been a long time since he'd taken care of a horse properly, but he found it all came back to him - and Dancer loved it.
When she was groomed and her tack put away, and she'd had some water, he gave her nose a final pat, said reluctantly said goodbye.
He headed back to the room for his shower. By the time he'd finished and had found clean clothes, Blair had gotten back.
His hair was half out of the tie and tangled, his clothes were filthy and torn in places, he moved like an old man, but there was a smile of triumph on his dirty face. "I did it!"
"Did what?"
"I actually got that horse creature to do what I wanted him to! Look, I need a hot shower desperately - they made me clean him first - and then, oh, Jim, I had a morning!"
As he spoke, he shed his clothes, leaving them in a fragrant pile near the bathroom door. His body was scratched and Jim could see that he'd be getting some decent sized black and blue marks, too. On the one hand, he was upset that Blair had been hurt. On the other, it was the price one paid to learn to ride, and he was just slightly banged.
As Blair disappeared into the bathroom, Jim had time for one more thought...how very beautiful his partner was no matter how battered and bruised.
He picked up his own clothing and got dressed, then put Blair's laundry in the same bag as his own. He'd ask Scott about using a washer later on. Blair came out toweling his hair.
"Man, that felt good. I have *never* spent a morning like this." He walked over to the dresser and began to rummage for clean clothes, incidentally presenting Jim with a view of his nicely fuzzy hindquarters. Jim sat down on the bed and crossed his legs quickly.
Minutes later, Blair had found clothes and jumped into them. Jim had never seen Blair so unselfconscious, which was even stranger considering how he'd spent the previous night.
"You okay, Chief?"
"Oh, yeah. You think they have lunch ready? I could eat a horse. A specific horse."
"Better not let them hear you say that."
Lunch was a cold buffet. As they fixed themselves plates, they were greeted by their host.
"You two are the talk of the ranch. Especially you, Ellison. I've never seen anyone ride Dancer like that. She's usually off and running before the rider gets himself fairly settled."
"That's because your guys have no idea how to treat a lady. I've ridden some good horses back when I was a kid, but Dancer is one of the best. What's she doing on a ranch like this?"
They took their plates to a table. Scott took a cup of coffee and sat down with them. "I bought her from a friend of mine who lost his business. They had to sell everything - the house, the car, take their kids out of private school. It broke their son's heart to sell her, but they couldn't afford the upkeep any more."
Jim nodded. "She doesn't belong here. She can't get the right training."
"I know. I'm looking for a buyer now."
Jim looked wistful for a moment. Then he grinned. "Now, Blair here learned something today."
"Yeah. Horses laugh. Every time I fell, that damn horse *laughed* at me." Blair glared at Scott as if it were his fault.
"Falling's part of learning. I saw you riding around by yourself." Jim kept his own laughter in.
"Yeah, I guess. We doing more riding this afternoon?"
Jim shook his head. "What do you suggest we do, Scotty?"
"Got some nice hiking round here. Make yourself some sandwiches to go and grab a couple of water bottles. And don't forget to wear your hats."
"Sounds great." Blair smiled and dug into his lunch.
They took their time over lunch and making the sandwiches, so it was an hour or so before they actually left for their walk, but they were finally outfitted with food, water, a map, a compass and a hat for Blair. They'd had to borrow that, which meant finding one that fit. Jim privately thought that Blair looked adorable in the just slightly oversized ten-gallon, with his hair loose underneath it.
They set out walking east, with the sun behind them. The sky was a brilliant cloudless blue, the late summer plants bright and fragrant and there were cool dry breezes blowing off the mountains. The two men walked side by side in silence, just absorbing the scenery. Jim relaxed enough to concentrate on vision as he walked, knowing Blair was by his side.
They settled on a slow steady pace that let them just stroll for a couple of hours, stopping only to sip from their bottles. Every once in a while, Blair would come upon something - a flower, a stone, a bird in flight, and show it to Jim, his eyes wide with curiosity and joy.
To Jim, Blair himself was the real wonder. Jim's senses permitted him to perceive the world in incredible detail, but it took Blair to show him how it really was. He saw the universe on so many levels at once that Jim grew dizzy. A discourse on a single plant could range from the spiritual to the practical to the scientific and back again without a seam. It was all one to him, and it was at times like this that Jim could vaguely sense the wonderful world that Blair saw with his mind and his soul, and know that he, with all his senses, would never see quite as clearly.
They paused to eat their sandwiches under a rock outcropping, near a small cave at midafternoon.
"Oh, man. I am *so* glad you brought me here. This has been incredible." Blair swallowed a bite of sandwich and grinned.
"Even after this morning?" Jim peered at him.
Blair nodded. "Even that. Oh, God, I thought I'd *never* get it. I kept getting on and falling off, or Kris wouldn't move when I told him or shouted at him or tugged on the reins or anything. And then I'd tumble again. I'll tell you, I was *almost* ready to give up."
"You? Mr. Stubborn? Chief, I've never known you to give up on anything."
"Well, I was *that* close. But...you know what changed it?"
"Want to tell me, Sandburg?"
"You. I started watching you and that brown horse. It was like she was reading your mind. You never said a word, you never twitched a muscle but she was turning and doing grand jete's or whatever they're called."
"I was twitching muscles...and they're called courvettes. Just watching me?"
"Well, whatever. You just looked like a centaur. The main thing was your face. You looked so happy and so relaxed. Even your posture was correct but not stiff. I mean, I've never seen you like that before. And then I got it."
"Got what?" Jim barely listened. He was too busy watching Blair's face and hands as he tried to describe the indescribable.
"I was trying too hard. Old Kris has been doing this for years - he knows how to be ridden. All I had to do was relax and just sort of let him know what I wanted - just move *with* him. So, I got on again, and took some deep breathes to relax. And then I just nudged him a little and he moved. I got him around that ring without falling off and it was...I did it! You know?"
"Yeah. I know. I remember. You were watching me?"
"Yeah. I couldn't take my eyes off of you. I know you're athletic and maybe you don't want to hear it, but you're graceful, too. Watching you move...is an experience. But watching you ride today...man, this is going to sound weird, but you were beautiful." He stopped and looked Jim in the eyes. "You *are* beautiful. I just never noticed before. Oh, man, I was an idiot."
Now he had Jim's total attention.
"What are you saying?"
"I'm saying that...that...that I spent last night in a chair and I'm not going to do that again. That I'm not going to run away from this. That...I don't know how far I want to go or where it's all going but I've never felt like this before and..."
Jim watched his own hand reach out to touch the soft curls beneath the huge hat brim. Blair's eyes grew wide but he didn't move. Jim drew courage from this. He moved closer, removing his own head gear. Blair stared at him and then licked his lips. It must have been unconscious, but Jim could smell something...not quite arousal but something close to it. He asked a question with his eyes. Blair nodded briefly, his breathing rapid. Then, to Jim's surprise, *Blair* closed the rest of the distance between them.
The touch of his lips was at once electric and familiar. Jim's entire consciousness was focused on the single point of contact. Only the fact that it was *Blair* kept him from zoning. Then they parted and looked at each other.
There were tears in Blair's eyes.
"Chief?"
"That was...oh, God." He jumped to his feet and ran into the cave.
"Sandburg! Blair!" Jim took off after him. "Sandburg, where are you?" The cave was dark. *He* could see fine, but Blair must have been lost. "Blair?"
"Ow!" Off to the right, where the cave was at its darkest. Sandburg, you idiot!
There he was, holding his toe, next to a crate of some kind. It smelled...familiar.
"Blair?"
"Jim...I'm sorry. I...I needed to think about this. It's just too much."
Jim stood there helplessly, dying to put his arms around him but certain that would drive Blair further away. "Take the time you need. I'll wait."
"You will?"
"For as long as it takes. How's your foot?"
"I stubbed it on something. Can you see what it is?"
Blair smiled at him.
"It's box of some kind. It smells...cocaine. It's full of coke."
Jim knelt down and began to pull off the top. It took some effort but he managed it. Inside were plastic bags. He ran his fingers over it, hoping to catch some that might have worked its way out. Yes...there was some grit. He sniffed it carefully and touched his tongue to it. He spat.
"It's pure coke. It hasn't been stepped on at all. What the hell is it doing here on Scotty's territory?"
"Jim...you don't think...?"
"Scotty? Never. You saw him...he doesn't even drink beer. I'd stake my life that he has no idea this is here."
Jim used a rock to nail the cover back into place.
"What are you doing?"
"Putting it back together."
"Then what?"
"Then we find out who put this here, how and why. Then we nail *them* shut, too. Damn, I'm out of state."
"So we call the local cops?"
Jim sat on the crate. "No. Not yet. If we call them now, this disappears and we don't find out anything. I want to catch the guys who are doing this. There's probably a metric tonne of the stuff in here - if we catch them, we'll do some damage."
Blair nodded. "So what do we do now?"
"We walk back to the main house and get ready for dinner."
"Okay."
"First...we have to get you out of this cave. Can you walk?"
"Yeah."
"Do you mind taking my hand?"
Blair shook his head hesitantly, and reached it out. Jim took it and led him back into the light. They gathered their hats and their packs and turned back. Somewhere along the way, Blair's hand found Jim's again. Jim held it as gently as he could all the way back home.
They probably got a few stares as they reached the main house, but Jim didn't care. They already had the reputation and it felt good to hold Blair's hand in his. The fact was, once he paid some attention, that they got smiles instead of smirks - and one or two called out to him that his riding earlier had been good.
If only things would be this easy when they got back to Cascade. Blair gave his hand a squeeze as if he realized that Jim was bothered about something. Sometimes Jim wondered if the two of them could be much closer even if they did become lovers. He squeezed back and gave Blair a smile.
They took turns taking their third shower of the day, and changed once again for dinner. He had to find out about laundry. At this rate, he was going to run out of clothes before the wedding - and he knew Blair had even fewer clothes.
Or, rather, fewer changes...Blair always wore *more* clothes.
By the time he had his clothes on, Blair was sprawled out on the bed reading. He looked up as Jim entered the bedroom proper.
"Do you have any ideas yet? I mean about those drugs?"
Jim nodded. "We ride out there tomorrow morning. You can use the trail time, and I think you're ready. And, well, I do think Dancer could use with an extended ride herself."