Michelle pulled a pad of paper from one of the multiple drawers in kitchen and wrote a note to her still sleeping parents explaining that she and Alex were going for a ride and that they would be back for lunch. She put the note in the middle of the table. She then took a cursory glance around the quaint kitchen and motioned for Alex to follow her out of the house.

Once outside, Michelle relocked the door and entwined her fingers through Alex’s. Hand-in-hand they strolled to the large stable.

The sun hadn’t yet begun to peek over the trees, leaving the morning air crisp and thin; thin enough to sear the lungs yet still leave you feeling refreshed. The couple’s footsteps remained in the blanket of dew evenly covering the short grass. As usual, the pureness of the mountain sky amazed Alex; especially on days like this: flawlessly blue, unmarred with clouds or pollution, true and honest in its endless depths.

The slight rasp of the stable doors opening brought the young man out of his awe-induced reverie. The welcome smell of horse and hay beckoned him and he was helpless.

"Hey, girl. Good morning to you too!" Michelle laughed deeply as Fancy rubbed her black head vigorously against the girl’s chest. Michelle was forced to brace her legs so as not to be knocked down. "Wanna go for a ride? Hmmm? Yah, I bet you do!" The young girl scratched her horse up and down her neck, causing Fancy’s lower lip to go limp and quiver slightly away from her teeth.

The intimate moment was quickly broken as Alex walked up. He slowly reached his hand out and held it beneath Fancy’s nose, giving the mare a chance to get acquainted. Fancy’s thick tongue licked the boy’s hand, leaving a slimy trail of hay and oats.

"I take it I’ve been accepted? At least I hope I was accepted, as I was nice enough to let her slobber all over me." Alex’s voice was light with good humor and his gorgeous eyes danced with delight at being remembered. He absently wiped the ‘gift’ on his jeans and stepped around Michelle to see Tharo.

Soon a regal, gray head extended itself out of the stall, a rumbly whicker issuing itself from Tharo’s noble throat. The gelding’s large ears were pricked in expectation and tremulously quivering.

"It seems that you’ve been remembered by someone else, Alex. I think you remember where we keep the carrots? Good." Michelle was tickled pink at the exquisitely happy expression on Alex’s face. She still felt guilty about what she did to the Landers, but right now her heart was overflowing with love for the young man with eyes only for his horse.

Michelle groomed Fancy to the serenade of Alex’s soft murmurings. As her arm brushed the large black in smooth arcs, a delighted smile lit up her face. Alex tied Tharo up next to Michelle and also began to brush his gelding. At first, he seemed shy, his hand faltering and unsure how to react to Tharo’s obvious gestures of friendship - at least obvious to Michelle - but soon his confidence had strengthened and his interaction with the gentle horse became bolder.

The tall girl turned back to her own horse. She ran her hand down the mare’s leg and clucked deeply in her throat. Fancy willingly lifted her foot, her trust in Michelle unconditional.

"Gosh, Fancy. What have you been walking through?" Michelle couldn’t believe how compacted with dirt the hoof was. Michelle picked each hoof in turn. As she straightened, the lack of movement to the right of her caught Michelle’s eye. She looked up and was baffled.

"Alex. . . is that hoof pick intriguing?" Michelle asked, not bothering to hide her curiosity.

Alex was standing beside Tharo with a hoof pick in his hand, shifting his gaze between it and the large hooves on the gray’s legs. His face was that of a person who knew what to do but was not sure how to go about it. He looked up at Michelle and gave a little shrug as if to say, ‘Now what do I do?’

Michelle gave a little chuckle and walked over to her friend. She flashed him a reassuring smile as she gently took the pick out of his hand and bent down to pick Tharo’s hooves. Michelle proceeded to do two of the heavy hooves and then straightened up to give the pick to Alex.

"I guess I’ve been away too long," Alex stated with much chagrin. He began to walk around to Tharo’s other side so as to finish the job but Michelle grabbed his hand.

"One day is too long. Besides, the thought of leaving yourself to the mercy of a horse isn’t very appealing to me either." Michelle squeezed Alex’s hand.

"Thanks."

Michelle walked back to Fancy and saddled her up. She glanced over at Alex, but sighed with relief when she saw that Alex was doing fine and was half way done with the tack up already. The tall girl slipped Fancy into her bridle and then gave her a couple carrots to make her happy.

"So, did you have any place in particular that you wanted to ride? We could go to the glen, or we could go to Spirit Lake. That would be a wonderful place to go today, with the slight breeze and all. Then again, we could always just wander for awhile.

"The wild flowers should be majestic about now." Michelle looked expectantly at Alex, leaving the decision up to him.

At first Alex didn’t answer. He finished putting the bridle on Tharo and then led him out of the stables. Michelle followed him out. "Alex. . . It might be best if you decide some time today. The sun will only be up so long." Michelle couldn’t understand what was so hard about making a simple decision.

"Wait, Michelle." He put his finger to his lip, motioning for her to be silent. As they silently stood, Michelle tried to figure out what it was that she was supposed to be hearing.

"Alex, what am-" but she was cut short by Alex’s sharp look. And then she heard it. The loud staccato beat of a galloping horse. She left Fancy tied to the ground and began to look around. Finally she spotted the smudge of a dust cloud from the direction of the Kyneese ranch. Inwardly, Michelle groaned at the thought of Johnny coming so soon after the arrival of Alex. But then the significance of the galloping horse found its way into her brain. Why would Johnny be galloping?

She looked wonderingly at Alex, for she knew that most people could not hear things that she could.

"Wow, Alex! How could you hear him? I couldn’t even him!"

Alex turned his attention to her even though his eyes were locked on the figure flying towards them. "It’s not that I heard them, I felt them through the ground. It was really weird. Shouldn’t we go out and meet them? If we don’t, that boy might just run his horse into the ground." Alex turned his head to Michelle, a weird expression lighting his face. "By the way, how did you know it was a boy?"

Michelle cursed herself at her own stupidity. Oh well, he would have found out soon enough anyway. "I guess I just had a feeling." Michelle tried to keep her apprehension from showing and hoped that she had succeeded. Without another word, she swung up into the saddle, and, without waiting for Alex, struck out at a canter. Alex, not surprised at his friend’s unexpected departure, also swung into the saddle and trailed after her.

As he neared, he noticed that it was not a boy in the saddle, but a young man no younger than he was. His eyes noticed the pitch black hair and the finely chiseled features. Alex felt that there was something significant with his presence, but he couldn’t pin point it.

When he caught up with Michelle, the unknown rider had wearily settled his horse to a halt. The beautiful palomino was so lathered that his peachy flanks were white with sweat. Alex had never seen a horse so winded before and he was alarmed; something must be dreadfully wrong for this rider to have speeded here at such a rate as he had. Then he looked at his friend and was even more alarmed. Michelle seemed on edge and cautious. Almost as if she didn’t trust the new comer. Her face was white and her eyes a little too wide for Alex’s taste. He was on guard now.

"Johnny, what’s wrong?" Michelle’s usually warm voice was tight. Yet the man, Johnny, seemed not to notice.

Johnny slumped wearily in his saddle and kicked off his stirrups. He proceeded to slowly flex his legs from their cramped position, wincing from pain as the tightly clenched muscles were released. He quickly slid a glance at Alex but turned his eyes back to the girl so quickly that he wasn’t even sure that Johnny had looked at him.

Johnny took a deep breath and seemed to ponder something. He looked at Michelle and then twisted in his saddle to look back behind him. He once again looked at Michelle.

"Michelle, do you remember when we were told that the wild mustangs no longer roamed this area?" He waited for Michelle to dubiously nod her head in agreement before he continued. "Well, unless I’ve lost my mind, which I seriously doubt, I just saw a band of about thirty Roamers five miles south of my place." He raised his hand to forestall Michelle’s weak attempts to protest. "I know, I know. I’ve even gone out with you when Aaron tried to track them down. But I know what I saw, and what I saw was a band of thirty wild horses." The new comer’s voice held much excitement, and even through the dust, his face shone with zeal.

"Johnny," Michelle’s tone was one that you would use on a two year old while trying to explain something that you’ve tried to explain a hundred times before. "There haven’t been wild horses on these ranges for a good nine years. Why would they all of a sudden come back? I know that you want it to be true, but maybe you just saw someone’s herd grazing." Alex heard Michelle’s words but, even to him, they sounded like they were said more to convince herself than to chide Johnny.

Johnny obviously didn’t believe her either, for he firmly shook his head, knowing what he saw. "Since when did the cattle ranchers begin to breed horses? Besides, these horses were unshod; I saw some of their tracks. Face it, Michelle, we’ve got mustangs again." The last was said with poorly contained glee.

Michelle responded to this statement with a strangled laugh. Alex looked at her and was confused. At first she was adamantly refusing the existence of these horses and the next she’s sublimely happy. There was something going on that had gone completely over his head.

"Michelle, what’s going on?"

Michelle tore her eyes from Johnny and quickly looked over at Alex. "Oh dear, I’m sorry Alex." Michelle paused and suspiciously glanced at Johnny. She seemed to come to some sort of decision. A firm glare was pointedly thrown at Johnny. "Alex, this is Johnny Kyneese. He is a neighbor of mine. Johnny, this is Alex. He is the friend that I’ve been expecting these past few days." The tall girl shifted in her saddle and looked squarely at Alex. "With the horses. Supposedly, there haven’t been wild mustangs in these parts for nine or ten years. The reason it’s so thrilling for me is because I’ve been waiting for their return ever since. When I was four or five, my father and I came across a wild band of mares while on a ride. I still remember their beauty and the majestic way they moved. They were so free and it was a rarity to be able to see them in their home. I’ve been hoping that they would come back ever since they disappeared. It would appear that my dream has come true." Alex smiled in response to his friend’s shining face.

Then he was uncomfortably aware of a hostile stare on the back of his head. He slowly turned to look at the young man sitting his horse in front him. The finely featured face was a solid mask of welcome but the eyes did not share that warmth. The brown eyes were filled with an enmity that took Alex aback, for how could this man feel such hatred against a person that he’d never met before? When Johnny realized that Alex had caught him, he smiled a cold smile and shifted his attention to Michelle. Then it hit Alex like a rock.

When the handsome rider looked at Michelle, the hatred melted from his eyes and, instead, they were filled with such love that Alex was shocked. That was followed with such an extreme envy that he shocked himself. Yet, still, he sidled Tharo closer to Fancy and hovered possessively around Michelle.

"Well, let’s go back to my house and get Windy cleaned up before he gets sick. You should know better than to do this to him, Johnny. It’s not healthy. Besides, now that they’re here, I doubt that they’re going to go away." Michelle turned her horse and started back to the house. Alex and Johnny both moved to either side of her and glared at each other. Michelle caught the challenge and pulled her mare up short.

"You stop that right now! I will not have it!" Michelle fumed first at Johnny and then at Alex. "I will not have my summer ruined because you two think that I need protecting and owning. If you even begin to think that then I’ll drop you both right now!" Both boys’ jaws were hanging. Michelle calmed herself and berated herself for losing control. She began again, this time though her voice was chiding.

"Alex, you know how things are between us and that’s not going to change." Michelle smiled at her chosen. Then she turned to Johnny and the stern look that she directed at him warned him to make his jealousy disappear. "And you. I believe that we’ve been over this before, so I won’t insult your mentality level by repeating myself. Now, I hope that this will settle everything, yet I know that it won’t. But-" Michelle paused threateningly, "-if you take it too far, I will take you both to task for it; so get used to each other."

Michelle nudged her horse to go and the boys looked guiltily at each other, following suit. Once at the house, Michelle directed Johnny to wash his horse down and then longe him. While he was doing this, Michelle gestured to Alex and they went in search of Aaron. The weathered cowboy was found outside the saddle shed, fixing tack.

Michelle’s demeanor completely changed while in the presence of her godfather. She became a young child again, dropping all of her guards.

"Aaron." Michelle paused and tapped the old man on his shoulder. "Aaron, I need to ask you something. Do you believe that there are still mustangs out there?"

Aaron looked up at Michelle and indicated to the couple that they should be seated beside him. "Hello, Alex. Nice to see you again." The cowboy’s voice was as rough as sandpaper, yet oddly soothing. Alex nodded in greeting, eager to hear the old man’s story.

"Well, Michelle. What makes you ask? I thought that you were told that the Roamers were gone." There was something odd about the way that Aaron phrased his question, and from the look on Michelle’s face, she noticed it too.

"Aaron, Johnny claims to have seen a band of about thirty mares five miles from his place. We were told that there weren’t anymore mustangs out there, but I won’t doubt Johnny." Then a look crossed over Michelle’s face as she puzzled out Aaron’s words. Then anger flashed across her face.

"You knew that they weren’t all gone," Michelle accused. "Why didn’t you ever tell me? You knew that I wanted them to come back." Her eyes were filled with anguish at the thought of Aaron lying to her.

"Oh, my bright eyes. I didn’t try to keep it from you; I tried to keep it from everyone else. I knew that you would be so excited that you wouldn’t be able to keep it to yourself. I’m glad that you found them though. I didn’t know how much longer I would have been able to keep it to myself." An apologetic smile appeared on his face, looking mildly out of place on the rough visage.

"You didn’t trust me?" A hurt expression was on the girl’s face. "Well, I know now and I won’t tell another soul," Michelle declared. Then a curious little smile lighted her lips. "Have you been out to see them yet? We were just going to go out, and you could come if you wanted too."

Aaron chuckled a little guiltily. "The temptation was too much; I just had to go out there and see for myself. Michelle, you should see the stallion of that band. He is as proud as any you’ll ever see. By the looks of ‘im, he’s kinda past his prime, but the fact that he still has his harem is proof enough for me that he still has some fire and spirit in ‘im. He is powerfully muscled and his crest is like a hill with its curve. He is a piebald with a split face. The oddest thing, though, is his china eye. As blue as any sky and only one of ‘em. The other’s normal as can be." Aaron ran a hand over his face and stood up, no signs of old age hindering his movements. "Yah, I guess I’ll go with you. I wouldn’t mind getting another look at that old man."

Michelle picked up the tack that her godfather had been working on and put it back in the shed. Then she hooked one arm in Aaron’s and her other in Alex’s, strolling back to the corrals with two of the many important people in her life.

When the trio reached where Johnny had been lounging Windy, Aaron broke off and walked briskly towards the stables. Alex trailed after, looking back at Michelle, who was telling Johnny the day’s plans. He just couldn’t help feeling a little protective of the tall girl who had so effortlessly captured his heart. He shook his head to clear the unwanted thoughts and jogged to catch up with Aaron.

When Michelle reached Johnny, he had a sullen frown on his handsome face. He looked up at her and tried to act like everything was okay, but Michelle’s shoulders were slumped in defeat. She would never get the two boys to accept the situation, least of all, Johnny. Johnny eased Windy to a halt and walked towards him, looping the lounge line through his arm as he did. When the long line had been gathered up, Johnny walked over to Michelle, who was casually leaning against the railing.

"We talked with Aaron. Apparently, he already knew that there were still Roamers out there and just happened to forget to mention it. It appears that our dear cowboy can be very tight lipped when the need arises.

"Anyway, we decided to go back out and see for ourselves. Windy looks to be okay, but it’s up to you whether or not you go. You know your horse better, so you can always go back to your ranch if you want to." Michelle shrugged with indifference as she opened the gate so that Johnny and his gelding could go tack up.

Michelle and Johnny met Aaron and Alex at the stables. The two men already had their three horses out, so Johnny just tied up Windy at the end of the line. The four companions silently groomed their mounts and swiftly tacked up.

Much to the surprise of both, Alex and Johnny, Aaron had pulled out Brombie, the rudest of the Valentine’s horses. The old horse liked no one and allowed no one on his back. Yet, as Aaron dressed him up, Brombie made no protest; no laid back ears, no grinding of the teeth, no attempts to bite or kick. It almost appeared to Alex that Brombie was. . . happy.

The quartet walked out into the open and simultaneously mounted up. Again, Alex was astonished at how quietly the old fighter stood as Aaron mounted up.

"I guess that Aaron and Johnny should lead since they both have been there. No galloping." Michelle’s voice showed that she would not put up with any nonsense. "Windy’s already been ridden hard once today. Not to mention the fact that it’s not even noon yet so we have plenty of time." Michelle nudged Fancy forward.

Aaron had an extremely proud and self-satisfied look about his face. Michelle looked back and said with a completely straight face, "It’s alright to be proud Aaron, I’m the product of your genius." She flashed an impish grin at her friend and then faced forward again.

"What’s the point of trying to understand them." Aaron sighed resignedly and with lost hope.

"I heard that," Michelle stated without looking back. Aaron laughed and Alex joined in whole-heartedly. Johnny glanced at his fellow riders as if unsure how to act around them. He nudged his gelding in the head position where he could be somewhat by himself and try to sort out his confused thoughts.

Aaron, too, urged his horse forward and rode beside the young man. The leaders coaxed their mounts into a leisurely canter and the small group surged toward a lost dream. Michelle was watching Windy critically, searching for any sign of discomfort or weariness. Yet she was pleased when they reached the Roamers’ grounds with no cause for concern.

Aaron scouted out ahead, searching for the tracks of the small band. He came across many old tracks but no new ones. Finally around midday, Aaron shouted to the three teens to come and see. They dismounted and carefully watched their horses for any signs that they wanted to communicate with the wild horses. Michelle wasn’t sure how the band would react but she didn’t want to chance them running away. They walked to where Aaron was standing and an awed intake of breath ran through the companions.