Will left Alma and Sarah up in the loft looking at the old decorations. As he climbed down the ladder, he couldn't help but think about how nice it would be if they could decorate for Christmas this year. He let out a deep sigh once he reached the bottom. "No... couldn't do that to Bailey."

The boy turned towards the entrance of the barn and headed back to his other duties. He quickly turned to his right after going through the large doorway and bumped into his uncle, startling as he did so. The man smiled at him. "Will. Would you come and look at a horse with me?"

"A horse?" The blond haired teen blinked a couple of times. "Why are we going to look at a horse?"

"Someone asked me to look at a horse for an eleven year old girl so she can start riding lessons. Actually, it wouldn't be a bad idea if you taught her."

"Whose the girl?" Will frowned at the man.

"Let's go and look at the horse first." The answer from his uncle caused him to let out a deep sigh before he headed after the man to the truck. The twins however seemed to notice that they were leaving.

Zoey frowned at the two. "You're taking off Will?"

"I have some things to do. My aunt and Alma's dad are here, so they can take care of things while we're gone." The boy opened the door and got up into the truck, noting that the trailer was already hitched up and ready to go. He glanced back in the mirror. "So, are we going to be bringing the horse back?"

"Only if you approve. If you don't we'll just need to look for another horse."

This statement from his uncle caused Will to suddenly frown, before looking out the window. "I don't know why my decision is so important this time. You always have final say."

"This time you have final say."

"You trust my judgment that much?"

Will's uncle let out a laugh. "I've always trusted your judgment. I let you pick out Aztec did I not?"

"True." The blond haired boy continued to stare out the window as a soft snow fell. "Did the weather say anything about a snow storm?"

"The weather man said something about a slight chance for snow, but no really nasty weather at this point. Which is good, because I want you to see this horse and decide if it is suitable for a beginning rider."

The truck soon turned into the gravely path into a particular ranch, the gravel grinding under the truck wheels. They got out of the truck and Will saw the beautiful pinto mare stomping it's foot onto the ground before heading over to the fence to be greeted. The blond haired teen walked over and petted the horses head, stroking the main. "Well, she has a very nice personality and she doesn't seem overly hyper. Well, she does have energy but it doesn't seem like she is the type to be nervous. I'll need to watch her some more." The boy leaned against the fence as the person who owned the place came out and walked the horse through it's paces. "Yes. The horse is pretty good. I would pick her out for a younger writer to start learning with."

"That's good. We'll be getting here then."

Will frowned as his father went over to talk to the owner of the place. When his uncle came back he spoke his mind. "Hey... I was thinking... you had the horse picked out the whole time and it would have been a yes no matter what, right?"

"Well... yes. But your approval still matters believe it or not."

"What I don't understand is why we're purchasing a horse specifically for teaching younger students. All the students bring their own or arrange to borrow from another rider. We can't afford a scholarship."

"It's not for a scholarship." Will's uncle went over to the back of the trailer and put the end down. The sound of the horse being brought over was heard, and then the sounds of the hooves going up the metal was heard. "It's rather a surprise. There is another place that we need to stop before we go back to Horseland."

"Am I going to like the surprise?"

"Well, I think that you will like the surprise. It's kind of an early surprise for Christmas."

Will stopped short, half way into the trunk. "Wait... Bailey isn't going to like that. He hasn't wanted anything to do with Christmas since..." The boy paused. "Wait... is she coming?"

"Do you think I can answer you even if you're right?" Will's uncle let out a laugh.

"But what about Bailey."

"Bailey should be fine."

"You don't know if Bailey will be fine or not. You're just hoping that he'll be fine. Even if she isn't coming there is the fact you're thinking of celebrating Christmas. Actually, I don't think Bailey will be happy. I'm lucky that I can't remember what happened that day, but Bailey more then remembers. He still wakes up sometimes with nightmares about what happened, particularly this time of year."

His uncle sat down in the cab of the car. "Bailey's mother and I know very well that he's had trouble with this time of year. We've let him be for a long time, but we don't think it is helping him. On top of that..." The man stopped short. "Even if we decided to avoid celebrating Christmas the subject of what happened that year isn't something we can get away with not talking about or bringing up around him."

Will leaned back in the front seat. "She is coming, isn't she."

"So much for it being a surprise for you. She's actually going to be staying with us now. She's excited to see both you and Bailey again. Aren't you happy?"

"Yes, but I'm also worried about Bailey."

His uncle turned on the truck. "I guess I should tell you that we're going to go and get your sister's tack for her horse. I guess it will be easier for you to pick it out if you do know, rather then it being a secret.