Jill watched from the north door of the horse barn as Hank checked the horses one last time for the night. She felt the wind on her back and knew, without a doubt, that winter was setting in. If winter in Texas could even be called that. The bipolar temperatures were trademark for Texan winters. She pulled her jacket tighter around her waist as a gust blew through the barn. Her husband had barely spoken three words to her since the evening before in the kitchen. She watched as he stopped to pet her gelding, Darling.

She still remembered the look he had given her when she insisted on naming him that. He'd finally given in and registered the sorrel as Tulsa's Darling. And she'd been quite happy. Thinking of those sweet little things about him while a chasm lay between them was healing and painful at the same time. She thought back to when she first met him.

They'd both been seventeen. Her family had just moved to Quitman from Indiana. She smirked remembering the fit she'd thrown when her father decided they were moving to Texas. She'd told him she was moving back the day she turned eighteen. Boy was I wrong! She'd been the "new kid" at Quitman High. Hank, on the other hand, had known every person at the school since he grew up there. The first time she saw him, she thought he was quite attractive. And also a big showboat. The biggest truck. Wealthy. He was friends with everybody. Much like Stetson had been in high school. But, unlike Stetson, he wasn't a football guy. Instead, his clique had been rodeo. Roping. And he was good at it.

He ended up taking a seat back from her in science class. She'd been studying quietly before class started when a paper slid on to her desk. She turned around to see the "showboat" grinning ear to ear. She hadn't even hesitated to roll her eyes. She didn't read the note in class, just slipped it into her backpack and went back to studying. Later that evening, when she went to do her science homework, the note slipped out of her textbook and landed on her desk. She'd opened it then.

Howdy!

You already know my name so I won't bother with introductions but I wanted to invite you and your family to a bonfire out at my folks' place next Saturday night. Hope to see ya there! Hank.

Any hope of focusing on homework had been lost. She still blamed him for the C she got on her essay the next day. Instead of just asking her dad if they could go, she decided to see how bad he really wanted her to come. Or if he was just being nice. So the next day, when she walked into science, she slapped down a note on his desk. He didn't wait to open it. All she had written was her dad's phone number and instructions to call and ask him. He hadn't wasted time. In fact, within two months, they were "going steady". And the rest was, as they say, history.

Watching him now, even with his anger, she realized just how blessed she was to have him. If she was brave, she would just walk up and hug him. She grinned, wondering what his reaction would be. He pulled a horse treat from his pocket and gave it to Darling before walking a few stalls down to Drifter, the colt Stetson declared impossible to train. Hank was much closer now and she was honestly surprised he hadn't seen her yet.

"How's he gonna train that stallion if he can't even train you, eh? What's he thinking?" Drifter snorted and bobbed his head up and down as if he completely agreed with Hank. She saw something in her husband that everybody else seemed to have missed. He wasn't trying to be a control freak. He was scared. He didn't want Stetson to get hurt. And thinking back to twenty-five years earlier, the day her son was born, she honestly couldn't blame him.

"You just gonna stand over there?" Hank asked. She started his way.

"I thought you hadn't seen me yet." she commented.

"You've been standing there for the past ten minutes, Jill." he said.

"You sure don't miss much, do ya?" She smiled, trying to lighten his stormy mood. It didn't work.

"Why didn't you just tell me?" he asked. She was confused.

"What are you talking about? Me standing there?"

"No." He shook his head. "You shouldn't have kept your emails with Stetson a secret, Jill. I thought we agreed that there wouldn't be any secrets between us." She was shocked.

"H-how long have you known?" she managed to get out.

"Since the day you sent it. Like you said, I don't miss much." he said wryly. She tried to think up a reasonable excuse for doing the exact opposite of what he had asked her but there was none. She needed to be honest.

"I didn't tell you because I knew that you would be angry." He looked at her sharply.

"So why did you do it?" His voice cut out like a sharp knife.

"I wanted to make sure he was okay. And I missed him." She blinked back tears. She hated fighting with him.

"So that makes it okay to go against what I told you seven years ago? You remember that, don't you? How, when he left, I said we weren't going to try to make any contact with him?" His eyes blazed with rage.

"Yes." she said quietly and looked down. She hated the guilt she felt. "Why, Hank? Why didn't you want any contact with him? I don't understand." Her voice broke on the last word.

"Does it matter?" He sounded disgusted.

"It does to me." She let her eyes betray her desperation to understand. "I wasn't emailing him to go against what you said, Hank. I've never done that. I just-" She buried her head in her hands. After wiping some errant tears, she looked back up. Some of the anger had faded from his eyes though she knew he was still upset. "I just wanted to know how he was. He's my little boy." She fought so hard to keep from breaking down. This wasn't what she had expected when she came out to the barn. She'd figured he would vent about the "loco horse". Not question her about something she didn't even know he knew about.

"I wanted him to contact us, Jill. Because he would have eventually. That boy knows where home is. And he would have come back. But I wanted him to be ready. And even with everything he went through while he was gone, I think life still has a few lessons to teach him. Ones that I can't."

He sighed and looked back at Drifter. She felt awful. She knew exactly what he meant. Stetson still had a lot of pride. And you never put two roosters in one coop without a squabble or two. Stetson liked being in charge. But this wasn't his house. It was Hank's.

"I'm sorry, Hank." He looked back at her.

"I know, darlin'. I know you are. I just wish you hadn't emailed him." He pulled her tight against his chest and she hugged him fiercely. She felt like she needed to tell him one more thing.

"I had Matt call him." she admitted. His hold tightened just a bit, then loosened again. But still, he said nothing.

"Forgive me?" she said, pulling away just enough to look into his eyes. He stared at her for a minute and she started to worry if maybe he was too angry. He, however, quickly quenched all her fears.

"Of course I do." He offered her a sad smile and kissed her forehead. "What are you doing out here without a coat? That wind is freezing." His change of subject indicated that he was moving on and she was grateful for it.

"I'm plenty warm right here." He chuckled and squeezed her one last time before motioning toward the barn doors.

"Let me close up and then we can head back to the house. Did you walk or bring your car?" he asked.

"Walked." He shook his head.

"Crazy girl." he said jokingly. Hank took off his coat and draped it over her shoulders before going and shutting the doors. "You ready?" he asked. Jill nodded. Once they were driving back to the house, she realized they hadn't spoken about the horse.

"Hank?" I don't want to talk about it anymore. She fought within herself. They needed to address this.

"Hmm?" He asked, He sent her a love-struck smile—the kind he'd given her when they were still newlyweds—and she wanted to talk about it even less. Couldn't it wait? "What is it, darlin'?" He divided his attention evenly between her and the gravel drive leading up to the house.

"We'll talk about it later." He raised his eyebrows and quirked his cheek in a silent question but she ignored it. "I love you, husband-of-mine." His smile came back instantly.

"I love you more." he shot back.

"You wanna bet, Mr. Dalton?" He laughed.

"Couldn't do that, Mrs. Dalton. Wouldn't be fair to you." He winked at her and she rolled her eyes.

"You're just scared I'd beat you." He shook his head and grinned but didn't disagree.

"There's actually somethin' I wanted to talk to you about." he confessed.

"Oh? What's that?" she asked. His quick mood change caught her attention.

"If Stetson goes through with his plans to train Trojan..." He didn't finish but started chewing his lip. She was honestly grateful he had been the one to bring it up.

"You're scared for him." By that time, they had reached the house. He shifted the truck into park and looked up at her.

"I don't want to lose my son, Jill. I love him and he doesn't know it." The fear in his eyes gutted her. This horse had to be a true danger to rattle him this much.

"You gotta tell him, Hank. He needs to know why you don't want him doing it." He scoffed.

"He won't care, Jill. I'm pretty sure he hates me." he said mournfully. She shook her head.

"No. No. Oh Hank. He doesn't hate you. He thinks-" She bit her tongue. Stetson needed to tell him. Not her. But they were both so stubborn.

"He thinks what?" he asked.

"I can't. I-he needs to be the one to tell you. But you have to be honest with him. He needs to hear from you that you love him. When was the last time you told him that?" He concentrated for a few minutes before shaking his head.

"I can't remember to be honest." She nodded "I'm not a words guy, Jill. You know that." he said. Once again, she nodded.

"But he still needs to hear it, Hank." They left the conversation off at that point, but as she lay in bed that night, listening to her husband's breathing in the dark, she sent up a quick prayer that Hank would have the courage to say it to her youngest boy. Hopefully before Stetson did something stupid.

Shay laughed as the wind blew through her hair. He'd moved her seat to the old Chevy and she loved it. As they cruised down the middle-of-nowhere highway blaring music with the windows rolled down, he finally saw a little of the carefree side of Shay that had been missing even before the accident. The day was warm enough to warrant the air conditioner but he knew she'd like the wind as A/C more than the truck's fans. She shot him a gleeful smile and he was glad, for the fiftieth time during the drive, that he'd decided to take a few hours to spend with her. The colts would survive without him for a little bit. Shay shouldn't have to.

"I love this!" his daughter exclaimed. He chuckled and stepped on the brake enough to slow down for a corner. As he sped back up, he was mindful of the gas tank, which happened to be getting low. He was glad he'd had the presence of mind to bring along a few spare gas cans. With the truck's poor fuel mileage, he didn't want to risk getting stuck out here. They drove around for another forty minutes before he decided they should head back towards Quitman. As they neared the exit for Sulpher Springs, Shay perked up.

"I want to see Trojan, daddy. He's here right?" He shot her a glance.

"Yeah. You sure?" he asked.

"Yes!" she said excitedly.

"Alrighty, princess. We'll see if Mr. Densley is home, alright?"

"Yes!" He smiled at her exuberance. He took the exit and headed out to the Densley farm. He had her wait in the truck as he walked up the steps to Tanner's house. He knocked. No answer. He knocked again. He heard somebody shuffling around before the door opened. It was Densley himself.

"Well, well, well. If it ain't Stetson Dalton. Why don't you come on in, boy?" Tanner stepped out of the way to offer him entrance. He motioned back to his truck.

"Thank you kindly, sir, but I actually just had a request." Densley moved back into place.

"What's that?" the older man asked.

"I was out driving with my daughter and she asked if she could see Trojan. Would you mind if I showed her?" Densley cocked his head to look out at his truck. Shay must have sent him a big grin because he smiled.

"Sure. That'd be fine. I'll meet you out back."

"Thank you, sir." Tanner waved him off and closed the door. Stetson helped Shay into her wheelchair and shut the truck door. He pushed her out to the corral, He was once again amazed by the majestic horse. He snorted and shook his head when he caught sight of Stetson. He clearly remembered him well.

"This your little gal?" Stetson pushed Shay's wheelchair over to Densley. To the older man's credit, he didn't comment on her disability.

"Yes, sir. My pride and joy. Mr. Densley, this is Shay. Shay, this is Mr. Densley. He's the gentleman that offered to let me train Trojan."

"It's a pleasure to meet you, young miss." Tanner said.

"It's nice to meet you too, Mr. Densley. Thank you for letting me see your horse." Tanner's gaze softened.

"I'm glad you stopped and asked. He's a bit wild, ain't he?" She gazed over at Trojan.

"No. He's just lonely." Her answer surprised both of them.

"Lonely?" Stetson prompted.

"Yes. I get lonely sometimes. I would want to act crazy too." Stetson had never heard her talk about being lonely before. Without a word, she wheeled herself over to the green panel closest to them. He stuck close by her side. Just in case.

"Come here, Trojan!" she called. The horse's ears perked up at the sound of his name. "Come here, boy!" she repeated. He snorted and trotted toward her. Stetson stepped in front of her and Trojan stopped.

"Move, dad. He was coming to say hello." she said.

"He's not safe, honey. I don't want him to try anything." Stetson replied.

"He won't hurt me, dad." she insisted. Stetson stepped back just slightly but stayed close enough to pull her away. The stallion didn't seem to be acting aggressive but Stetson knew firsthand that he could change his mood instantly. Shay called to him again and he started her way, walking this time. When he came within three feet of her, Shay reached out her hand. Stetson watched nervously as Trojan took another step forward and blew on her hand. She giggled. The noise startled the horse slightly but he quickly recovered.

"He likes me, dad." Shay said quietly. He couldn't believe his own eyes.

"Yeah, he does."

"Amazing, isn't it?" Tanner commented with his attention riveted on Shay. Stetson nodded, all the while keeping an eye on Trojan.

"You need a different name. Trojan makes you sound mean. Do you like your name?" He smiled as his daughter talked to the horse. Trojan snorted. "I wouldn't like it either. We should name you..." She looked up at the sky and thought hard. "Thunder." Trojan, or Thunder, whinnied in approval. Shay smiled. "I like it too, Thunder." Stetson watched in amazement as his daughter interacted with the giant steed. Nearly twenty minutes later, she looked up at him.

"Thunder isn't a killer at all, daddy." Shay stated.

"Honey, for some reason...he seems to really like you. He wasn't this kind with everybody else." She looked back at Thunder who was standing by her, head down.

"Maybe I'm his only friend." she said quietly. The connection she seemed to have with the stallion was phenomenal. He couldn't understand it. Horses were definitely perceptive animals but Thunder seemed to be more perceptive than normal. Something about Shay quieted him. He wasn't prancing around as he normally did when people showed up. Or so Tanner said.

"Yeah. I've never seen him act this way and I've had a lot of people come and see him. He's normally restless and wild." Densley said. Stetson shook his head.

"I don't understand this. I saw the way he acted when I was here. He's a whole new animal." Stetson muttered.

"Yes. He is indeed." Eventually, though he wanted to let Shay stay longer, Stetson declared it was time to go.

"Can I come back and see him sometime, Mr. Densley?" she pleaded.

"You, sweetheart, are welcome back anytime your dad says so." Tanner said warmly. She grinned.

"Can we come back sometime, daddy? Please." She sent him a puppy-dog look. He couldn't resist his adorable child's plea.

"Sure thing, darlin'. But for now, we need to go back home." he said.

"Okay, dad. Thank you, Mr. Densley. See ya soon, Thunder!" As Stetson loaded her back up, he could hear Thunder protest her departure. Shay fell fast asleep on their way home. As he drove, he had time to contemplate what he's just witnessed. And he decided it was one of the craziest things he'd ever seen. But also one of the most beautiful. '