Love is Always Write Anthology Volume 6

give him as much of my body heat as I could.
    "You take good care of me, James," he said. "Sorry I keep messing things up."
    I snorted to let him know he was being ridiculous.
    "I changed. I didn't know what else to do. I don't have a plan."
    I nuzzled his temple and blew out just to see his hair flutter.
    He laughed.
    "I love you," he whispered.
    The barn door opened again. Jax jumped back. He grabbed his blanket and scrambled behind me. I peered through the window and saw Ray's familiar silhouette.
    "Hey there, Trig," Ray said, closing the door softly behind him. "What are you doing up?"
    I whickered eagerly to let him know that yes, I was wide awake and ready for some petting, maybe a carrot or two, but that he absolutely shouldn't look in my stall.
    "No sign of your brother yet?"
    I tried to give Ray my most nonchalant, oh go back to bed he'll probably turn up come morning face, but he didn't seem to notice. He was staring through the window into the shadows of my stall.
    He unbolted the door.
    I threw up my head and gave a brief, piercing whinny, hoping to scare Ray a little.
    "Who's there?" he demanded.
    I turned sideways and sheltered Jax with my body.
    "I said who's there?"
    "Um…" Jax said. "Sorry. I just… I don't mean any harm."
    "Come out here." I'd never heard Ray's voice so hard. I flattened my ears.
    Ray laid a gentle hand on my neck, but I could feel the tension and anger inside him.
    Jax stepped forward, blanket drawn tightly around him. I kept my body angled between them and rested my chin on Jax's shoulder, hoping to somehow convey to Ray this guy was all right.
    "Who the hell are you?" Ray asked.
    Jax looked at the straw at his feet. "Jackson Tiller, sir."
    The "sir" was a nice touch. Jax sounded about ten years younger.
    "Jackson Tiller. Is there a reason you're in my horse's stall?"
    "Needed a place to sleep. Just for tonight."
    "Why don't you sleep at home?"
    "Long story."
    "Let's hear it."
    "I ran away."
    "Long goddamn story."
    "That's all I'm gonna say about it." Jax's voice held a touch of defiance. "I was walking along Zenobia road and I saw a horse— just a random horse, wandering along the edge of the field. Tried to get near it, but it wouldn't let me. I tried to follow it and ended up here."
    Ray's fingers twined in my mane. "What'd the horse look like?"
    "Too dark to see much. Kind of small. Light colored coat."
    "Winchester," Ray said.
    "Huh?"
    "He's my horse. Ran off this afternoon."
    "Anyway, I thought I could—"
    But Ray was no longer interested in the "stranger's" story. "Tell you what," Ray said. "You help me find my horse, Jackson, and I'll give you my damn bed for the night."
    "Yeah?"
    "Yeah. Get out here and help me tack Trigger up."
    "I don't know how to ride."
    "You'll ride with me."
    "Um…" Jax's step forward was hesitant. "Could I borrow some clothes?"
    "You ran away naked? "
    Jax gave him a tentative grin. "Told you it was a long story."
    ****
    Forty minutes later they were both on my back, Jax dressed in a pair of Ray's jeans and an oversized sweatshirt. I tried to be a good sport about it, but it was really, really tempting to buck them both off.
    Jax kept up a stream of companionable chatter, never minding if Ray didn't answer one of his questions.
    Ray answered most of them.
    What struck me was that they sounded like they'd known each other for years. Part of that was Jax— he could carry on a conversation with anyone. But Ray was talking more than I'd ever heard him talk, and it was clear some part of Ray knew Jax was no stranger.
    We headed through the field that bordered Zenobia. Ray yelled "Winchester!" every few minutes or so. "I've got carrots," he promised. "Peppermints."
    "You really love that horse, huh?" Jax said.
    Shameless. I lifted my tail and farted to let him know how shameless.
    "Best horse I've ever known," Ray replied. "How fast was he moving when you saw him?"
    "Walking. But he started trotting when I tried to get close."
    "And he kept going south?"
    "Yep. I turned off at the ranch, but he kept going."
    What the hell was Jax's plan? I wondered. Were we going to search all night for "Winchester" when he was right here on my goddamn back?
    "When we find him, we're not taking him back to Ottsenmeiser," Ray said.
    "What?"
    "Ottsenmeiser— he owns the ranch— he's gonna auction 'Chester off. But he's my horse. So's this one. I found them, I take care of them, I train them. Not Ottsenmeiser. So we're gonna split."
    This was news to