"Now, you’ve ridden Tharo so tell me a few of the things that he does." Michelle waited expectantly while Alex worked his way through the question.

"What do you mean? Like, what he does when?" Alex gave her a puzzled look and shook his head slightly when he realized that Michelle wasn’t going to say anything more until he answered the question.

He looked away and absently scratched the horse’s forelock while he pondered Michelle’s query. She was willing to wait, knowing that Alex could answer the question once he thought about it a little longer. Aaron had made her do the same thing when she was training Fancy and she remembered that she had sat on this same rail for almost twenty minutes trying to come up with an appropriate answer. Though, she was much younger than Alex was when the same question was posed to her. If he didn’t answer the question then she would make him walk Spirit around some more to let him think longer. By the way that Alex was frowning, though, she didn’t think she would be forced to do that.

Michelle raised her eyebrows expectantly, trying to act as if she hadn’t been speculating over him, when Alex finally turned his brown eyes upon her. There was still a dubious line between his brows but she could tell that he had an answer.

"Well. . . when he’s upset he begins to breath heavier and his steps become – stilted, I guess. When he’s happy he arches his neck and his tail goes up and there’s just a different feel through his body. Sometimes he rolls his eyes and his nostrils flare and I figured out the hard way that that signals fear and uncertainty, whereas when he trusts someone his lids get droopy and he cocks his hind right leg." When he had finished Michelle nodded her approval.

"That’s great. All those things are signals that you had just adapted to because you didn’t really know anything else; you figured out what they meant without the analyzing. Now that you recognize them though you can apply them to Spirit.

"Next time we go riding I want you to watch my hands and legs. You’ll notice that I’m relaxed but my attention is always centered on Fancy, reading and responding to her. All I have to do is make minute, almost imperceptible corrections and it corrects my horse before she gets herself into trouble." Michelle chuckled a little. "Sometimes she even does things in response to my body language. One time I was totally out of it but she took me right to Spirit Lake. We’d only been there a couple times so there was no way that she could have really known where it was that we were going, but she sensed through the way that my muscles tensed or pressed against her side where it was that I wanted to go. Because of the fact that you’re training Spirit all by yourself, you can have that relationship with him too."

Alex was looking at Michelle and his lips were twitching in a suspicious manner. She leaned away from him and looked at him, a slight frown clouding her eyes. "Alex? Alex, did you hear a word that I just said?"

"Of course, you were talking about Fancy and. . . and her-," he gave up with a shrug and looked incorrigible. "Sorry, I guess I wasn’t paying attention to what you were saying."

"I think that’s a little obvious. Well I can see that we’re not going to make anymore headway today. Are you ready to go in?" Michelle asked in a little voice. Without waiting for his reply she slipped off the bar and jogged over to the makeshift door.

Alex sat on the corral rails and tried to puzzle out what he had done wrong this time. He took in Michelle’s hunched shoulders and the wary look in her eyes and hung his head with resignation. He rubbed his hands over his eyes and cursed his uncontrollable desire. Why can’t I be like her and know the proper time and place, he scolded himself.

Wearily he trudged over to where Michelle was uneasily waiting for him. As she closed the door behind him and Spirit, Alex tried to lighten the mood.

"I like you better off the job," he teased. "I don’t have to worry about that whole teacher/student relationship."

All it earned him was a hesitant glance.

"I don’t know about you but I’m bushed. This little monster sure has a lotta’ ginger in ‘im."

This time Michelle looked at him with something akin to sympathy.

"I know how you feel. The first week that I tried to work with Fancy I went to bed around six every night, it took so much out of me. Didn’t seem to phase her though," she added wryly.

Alex relaxed as Michelle defrosted completely. They walked the rest of the way to the barn in silence though.

Instead of going inside, Michelle showed Alex how to tie Spirit in a crosstie. The colt tested the constraints connecting both sides of the halter to two poles that were five feet apart, with Spirit in the middle of them.

Over the next hour Michelle walked Alex through the evaluation of a horse after a work out. She taught him how to spot an enflamed joint and swelling of the muscles. This took most of the time because she had to try and explain to Alex what Spirit’s legs would feel like if there was something wrong.

"Since you didn’t really work him hard there’s no fear of swelling and there’s no need to cool him down because you would just have to walk him some more. But, say that you had trotted or loped him for a continuous amount of time then you would have to walk him until this spot between his forelegs," Michelle stopped to place Alex’s hand in the proper place on Spirit’s chest, "was back to a normal warmth again."

The last half an hour Michelle watched as Alex tried to get Spirit accustomed to being groomed by a brush instead of his dam. Spirit would try to nip at the offending bristles so Alex would present the brush to the colt and let him smell and chew. When Spirit finally became used to the different feel of the combs and brushes, he learned to enjoy the grooming also. Michelle and Alex shared laughter as Spirit leaned into the strong strokes, his lower lip lax and slightly trembling.

The last obstacle to overcome was the hoof picking. This proved somewhat difficult. Michelle told Alex to lift up the hoof and cluck his tongue at the same time so Spirit would learn to respond to the verbal signal. When Alex manually lifted up the hoof Spirit would behave while Alex put his hands in the right position, but as soon as Alex was ready to pick the hoof the colt would jerk his hoof back and aim for Alex’s foot.

After four or five times, Alex was becoming mad and once he became too mad to think rationally, all the training would be rendered moot. When Michelle recognized the first signs of tightness around Alex’s mouth and eyes she offered to take over. Alex was silent for a moment, trying to decide whether he should be offended or relieved and the latter won.

"Thanks," he said tightly and solemnly handed over the hoof pick.

Michelle was more experienced and less likely to give in. The colt stole his hoof back once but that was the last time. Alex saw how Michelle held the hoof up higher than he had and held tighter to it with her left hand. With a few quick flicks of her wrist the muck in the small hoof was on the ground and she was moving on to the next hoof. Again, Spirit tried to take his hoof back but Michelle held it with a vise-like grip and within moments all four diminutive hooves were clean.

At Alex’s despairing glance Michelle smile unassumingly. "You probably think that was pretty good, huh? Well don’t. I’ve had to pick out heavier hooves than his and hooves with more obstinate owners too. You just weren’t sure how tight or where yet. As time goes on it’ll get easier – for both of you," she added lightly.

She let Alex put Spirit back in the stall and used the time to see her Fancy. The black mare was standing quietly, lipping hay. When she saw her mistress approaching, her ears perked up and she stretched her head over the door.

"Hey, sweetie. You feelin’ better? Hmm? That’s my girl," Michelle murmured lovingly. She stroked the silky neck and rested her cheek against Fancy’s jowl. The mare pulled back and butted her muzzle against Michelle’s chest, rubbing the front of her face against Michelle’s shirt. Michelle laughed deep in her throat and scratched Fancy’s star and forelock. When her fingers came away very dirty, she made a disgusted sound.

"Gosh, sorry, Fancy. Do you want a bath?" Michelle took a halter off the wall and slipped into the stall. Fancy nodded her head up and down and seemed eager to get the halter over her nose. Michelle had to hold tightly to the lead rope and speak sharply to her mare as she practically trotted out of the box stall.

"She sure doesn’t let things keep her down for long, does she?" Alex snorted with laughter.

"Yeah, and you’re not even the one holding her back. She’s not going to be happy when she realizes that we’re taking a bath not a ride."

Michelle steered Fancy to the showering racks and tied the lead rope to the rail beneath the hose. She dug around in a small shed with a faucet built onto the outside and came out with two sponges and two buckets. It dawned on Alex that he was going to take part in the ‘bath’ too.

He watched as Michelle filled up both buckets with lukewarm water and lugged them onto the cemented platform. She handed one sponge to Alex and began to clean Fancy off with her own set of sponge and bucket.

"Let the sponge soak up a lot of water and then squeeze the water out by running it over her body. It’s kind of like a squeegee. Here, watch." Michelle demonstrated and then they both began on opposite sides. They worked down the neck and over the shoulder, across the back and down each leg. Michelle cleaned Fancy’s utters and vulva while Alex watched in revolted fascination.

When Michelle noted his uncomfortable expression, she laughed outright. "Don’t worry. It’s even worse for a stallion or gelding because you have to clean the sheath, which generally means they ‘drop.’" At Alex’s blank expression she went on to explain that the male would release his organ from the sheath and enjoyed Alex’s uneasy squirming.

"Now that I’ve totally grossed you out, we can finish Fancy’s mane and tail. Oh, and just for your information Fancy enjoys it when I clean her more sensitive areas, it’s the equivalent to getting a massage and a deep cleaning. Now I’ll do the mane and you can do the tail. Get the hair all wet and then suds it up with shampoo. After you’re done rinse it out thoroughly and knot the tail." Michelle watched him with a critical eye and only began on the mane when she was satisfied that he was competent in his assigned duty.

When Fancy’s mane and tail were clean and smelled like the horse soap, Michelle inspected the mare one last time before addressing Alex. "If you would, clean out the bucket and put it and the shampoo back in the shed. I still have to clean her face off. You can go back to the house and clean up while I finish putting everything away."

Michelle filled her bucket up with warm water again and began to sponge off Fancy’s broad face. She rinsed until no more dirt was left and even the base of the forelock was clean. Fancy shook her head vigorously and it coursed the rest of the way down her now shining black body, spraying water droplets all over Michelle.

"Guess you didn’t want to be the only one to take a bath," the girl mused. She dutifully cleaned up the showering platform and hosed off the cement. Only then did she lead the mare back to her stall.

The next twenty minutes were spent combing out knotted tail hair and smoothing down wild black hairs along the mare’s back and legs. By the time that Michelle was finished, Fancy’s mane and tail were only slightly damp but the rest of her was dry. She put the mare back in the stall and gave her a few parting slaps on the neck.

"Sleep easy, Fancy," Michelle murmured into the mare’s ears. Then she left and walked to the big house.

The warm water slid off his shoulders and eased the tension that had plagued him for the past few days. Alex rinsed the soap off his body and turned the heat up, standing quietly beneath the streaming water. He let the water run over his face and down his neck, enjoying the slight stinging that touched his skin with the water.

After standing that way for five minutes, he cut off the water and toweled off; however, the steam was so thick that he had to turn on the exhaust, wait a few minutes and then towel off again in order for the terry cloth to have any effect. Alex cleared off one portion of the mirror and stared at his reflection before giving a shake of his head and dressing in clean clothes.

Alex didn’t enjoy looking in the mirror; he only did so when he absolutely had to, especially now that his right eye was augmented with an already purpling bruise. His rough good looks and plain coloring did nothing to brighten his day, and he still couldn’t believe that Michelle enjoyed looking at him. She once told him that it was his imperfection: It was what made him human. Alex had replied that that was what he had her for. She had simply grinned and tweaked his imperfect nose.

The boy stepped out of the bathroom and saw Michelle coming up the stairs. "I thought you’d fallen asleep out there or something," he joked, toweling off his hair. "I got tired of waiting and decided to wash all the horse dirt off of me, not that Fancy didn’t give a valiant effort," he commented dryly.

"I just did all the fun stuff once you left for the house, the grooming, the brushing, the talking. . ." she trailed off and began her way down the hall.

"Oh? And just what did you talk about?" Alex inquired.

"This and that."

" ‘This and that,’" he mimicked. "Anything that applied to me?"

Michelle looked him up and down and lifted one sardonic eyebrow. "You were the furthest thing from my mind," she answered truthfully. Then to ease the harsh reality she said, "But the work is over for today so we can go do something together if you like."

Alex just stood there, again not sure whether to be offended or indifferent. Finally he just shrugged one bare shoulder and padded down the hall to his room. "Take a shower, you smell like a horse," he jabbed, just before he slammed his door shut.

"Oh yeah," she muttered to herself, "Well, you look like your chest has been trampled by Clydes." She thought how pitiful that sounded but all she wanted was a warm shower.

When she finally slipped underneath the warm, pelting drops, she found that Alex had selfishly used most of the hot water and had to limit herself to a sketchy wash. Cursing him with none of her usual vehemence, she stepped out after ten minutes and wrapped her towel around her chest, not bothering to get dressed for the five-step walk from the bathroom to her room.

Michelle dressed in loose jeans and a tank top, not in her typical flannel and Wranglers. She ran the brush through her hair a couple of time and pinned it up in a bun, not so much for looks but for practicality. For the first time in a long time she slipped her feet into worn hiking boots and trudged down to the living room.

Already there were her parents and Alex was just sitting down with a sandwich in one hand and a Coke in the other. Her stomach growled mildly in response to the food and she continued on into the kitchen, returning with a lunch/dinner identical to Alex’s.

Dylan was stretched out in the armchair and Tallia was in one corner of the couch with a woman’s magazine across her lap. Alex was applying himself to the large sandwich and doing a good job of inhaling the Coke between bites. Michelle joined Alex on the couch and followed his example.

While they had been training the sun had eased past its zenith and gotten pretty far in its quest for the western horizon. When Michelle had looked out the bay window she had been astonished to find the duskiness that settled over the plateau before true night fell already blurring the sharpness of day. Shadows were already misshapen representations of the object they originated from and only the nocturnal animals were stirring, albeit slightly.

No one had bothered to turn on a light as the natural illumination slowly disappeared and the living room was becoming increasingly enshrouded in shadows. Michelle absently flicked on the lamp by her shoulder and all heads swiveled to look in her direction.

She hunched her shoulders and leaned away from the three sets of eyes. "Sorry if I’m the only one in the room who can’t see in the dark," she argued.

Three sets of eyes blinked owlishly at her and went back to what they were doing.

When Michelle had finished her food she silently took up Alex’s plate and empty can and threw them away with her own. Once she had settled herself on the couch again he smiled his thanks, but still no words were really spoken.

"Aaron said that you were doing real well with that colt, Michelle." Dylan’s voice startled Michelle out of her reverie and it took a moment for her to come up with a response.

"Oh? I didn’t realize that he knew." Michelle didn’t have to feign her surprise because she truly had no idea that Aaron had been watching.

"He knows how to be inconspicuous when he wants to be and at the moment he didn’t want to disturb you. He said that you instructed like you were born to it." Dylan’s eyes beamed with pride at his daughter’s ability and this made Michelle blush a deep red.

"Well, she’s definitely a great teacher. We had little Spirit doing everything she wanted by the end of the session," interjected Alex.

A change came over Dylan and the room became silent again. Michelle glanced at her father out of the corner of her eye but his stony face had changed to that of infinite sorrow. She couldn’t understand what was happening except that it involved her and Alex.

When true night had fallen and Dylan had fallen asleep in the chair and Tallia had gone to pick up Danny from a friend’s house Michelle slipped from the house to find Aaron. While she had been thinking Alex had disappeared someplace and she wasn’t going to look for him.

Once out of the house the first place that Michelle looked was the workers’ housing. Aaron’s house was dark and exhibited no signs of occupation. The next place she looked was the tack shed. Aaron derived some sick kind of pleasure from the frustrating work of re-weaving loose leather strips and polishing saddles. When that place too wound up with no Aaron she started back to the house, figuring that she would talk to her godfather tomorrow.

As she was passing by the well though she saw the old hand hunched over and splashing his face off. She walked up to him and the way he jumped made her think that he had seen a ghost.

"Gosh sakes, girl, don’t ya’ know it’s bad manners to sneak up on a man like that?" he berated gruffly.

Michelle just smiled sweetly and replied, "I didn’t sneak up on a man, just an old cowpoke."

Aaron snorted and his face was pulled into harried expression. "What am I to do? My own goddaughter can’t even show me proper respect, what can I expect from the horses?" His face took on a woeful expression and his drawl was emphasized due to his weariness after a day’s work.

"Oh, enough," Michelle offered. "So, Dad was telling me that you were watching our little training session. How do you think it went?"

Aaron snorted again. "You big headed little rascal. You just glory in all the praise. Well, you’re not going to get it. You were too hesitant. You were too easy. You didn’t work them long enough. You didn’t lounge the colt. You didn’t-."

"Okay, okay, I get the point. Sheesh! Talk about knocking me down a rung or ten." Michelle pouted and looked up at Aaron through her light lashes.

"You know I’m just pulling your leg, bright eyes. I don’t think I could’ve done better myself, to tell ya’ truthfully," he praised.

"Really?"

"Really," Aaron said with an emphatic nod of his head.

They walked over to the porch and sat beneath the naked, yellow bulb. Aaron could sense that something was plaguing his girl but he didn’t want to force it out of her. He didn’t have to wait for long.

"Aaron, why didn’t you ever marry?" she asked simply.

The old man rubbed the stiff stubble lining his strong jaw and looked out into the night. He had asked himself the same question many times over the past few years, yearning for the daughter that he had found in Michelle.

"Hmm. Well, when your grandfather decided to marry Sorean and bring her out here to live, he asked me to help him start the horse training business. I was hesitant at first because I didn’t want to get between him and his wife. Then I realized that he wanted me out here because she was pregnant and she wasn’t handling it well. So I came out here and we became partners in horse starting.

"To answer your question, I just got wrapped up in the life that I had created here with your family. First your father and then you came along to occupy my time and try my patience, but because of that I didn’t have to look elsewhere for it. I never felt less because I didn’t marry, merely because I couldn’t have my own children to train and teach like I did with Dylan, and later with you." Aaron smiled down on Michelle and she was warmed with the love that she saw in his face.

"You would have made a good father," assured Michelle.

They became silent and Aaron noticed that Michelle began to fidget. He calmly bided his time.

"Aaron, you have to promise me that you won’t tell my parents this, okay?" She waited for him to promise and then continued. "Earlier today, after you gave Alex that shiner I felt bad so we went for a little walk and talked. During that time Alex asked me a question that I am refraining from answering till tomorrow." Michelle paused and looked up at Aaron, trying to see if he realized what she was talking about yet.

When she realized that he was lost, she continued. "I refrained from answering because I didn’t know what would happen if I said yes." Michelle arched both eyebrows, her eyes not leaving Aaron’s face.

As she watched she could see the understanding dawn in his face. He turned wide eyes upon her and for the first time in his life, Aaron was truly shocked.

"Bright eyes, are you tellin’ me that he proposed? And you haven’t told your parents yet?" The old man was incredulous.