Excited to see Kristoff again, Anna swiftly walked out of the house. She easily spotted him in the fence with the colt. She smiled, leaning against the fence and watching him work.

For some reason, the colt was rearing up. "Ooh there, boy. Hey." Kristoff said, his arm being pulled as he tightly held the rope.

From the distance came a loud whinny. "Ooh," Kristoff said, trying to calm the colt as he snapped his head to find the source of what was making the colt uneasy.

Suddenly, he heard a loud, roaring thunder. He spotted the brumbies less than a mile away and getting closer. Easily his eyes landed on her. "Bess," Kristoff muttered. A flashback hit him hard. The sound of the chain snapping and the groan of the log.

Without thinking, he hopped onto the colt. "Kristoff, don't you dare!" Anna warned, seeing the determination in his eyes.

Not listening to her, he had the colt jump the fence. They rushed toward the herd, Kristoff unable to clear his mind from the flashback. He needed Bess back. That was all he had left from his father.

Anna and Cassandra ran to the end of the fence, watching in fear. This could only end badly.

Just as Kristoff got to the last fence, the colt slammed his hooves into the ground, bucking Kristoff off and over the fence. He landed hard on the ground, knocking himself out.

But the hooves beat closer. Cassandra pinched her eyes shut as they ran right for him. They showed no signs of stopping. Anna let out a gasp as they plowed right onto his body, hooves landing on his back, legs, and arms. "Kristoff!" Anna shouted, running to find help.

Eventually, the herd had run past, their hooves clomping in the distance. Thinking the worst must be over, Kristoff began assessing his situation. He could move his legs and his arms, but they were in so much pain.

But then he heard panting right behind him. He flipped onto his back, seeing the stallion reared up. Kristoff gasped in horror, waiting for the stallion to drop his weight onto his chest and kill him.

xxx

"How's the head?" Anna asked. Kristoff jumped, her voice making his head pound. He blinked his eyes, trying to figure out where he was. He sat up, taking a few deep breaths. How was he still alive?

Anna smiled, holding a tray of food. "Cassandra told me this is your favorite."

"What happened to the colt?" Kristoff immediately asked. He was worried that it had gotten loose and ran off with the brumbies, too. Oh, what was he thinking?

"We yarded him," Anna answered.

"Is he alright?" He pressed. He was more concerned about the colt than about his own health. As long as it was alright, he didn't care.

"He's still a bit flighty, but not hurt, luckily." She said.

Kristoff let out a sigh of relief, laying back down. He closed his eyes and ran his fingers through his hair. "There'll be hell to pay when your father finds out."

"Well, he won't find out. We've all agreed not to tell him." Anna explained, smiling. She was happy that this all turned out well. Kristoff was a little bruised up, but at least he wasn't dead. And thankfully the colt was in perfect shape, too.

Kristoff's eyes shot open. "We? Who's we?"

"Cassandra, Aunt Elsa, and I."

"I'm not hidin' behind the skirts of a bunch of women." Kristoff scoffed.

Anna turned up her nose. "Oh, I'm so sorry. I must remember that the next time you try to kill yourself."

He rolled his eyes. "That's nonsense, Anna."

"Well, somebody's got to save you from your own thoughtlessness." She argued, glaring.

He knew it wasn't smart, but he didn't need to hear it from her. "Don't you Harrisons ever get tired of running other people's lives?" He asked. Anna's mouth dropped.

"You ungrateful-"

"'Cause I'm getting tired of it."

"Well, don't worry, that's the last time I'll stand up for the likes of you!" Anna declared, storming out of the cabin.

"Anna." He called.

She stopped, turning around. "You are a foolish boy, Kristoff."

xxx

The next day, Jackson and John and the rest of the men came down from the mountains. They had herded a large portion of the cattle and were transporting them back to the field near the house.

Jackson rushed home, excited to see his family again. Quickly following behind him was Ralph, the foreman. Jackson hopped off his horse, looking at him. He must have come back to check on the work left behind. "How many missing?" Jackson asked.

"Twenty at the last count," Ralph said.

Quickly, Hans rushed up to Jackson. "Take your horse for you, Mr. Harrison?" He asked, grabbing the reins.

Jackson let it go, then stopped and turned around. "Hey, where's the mountain boy?" He asked.

"Uh, still in his bunk," Hans said.

Still in his bunk? Upset with this behavior, Jackson stormed to the cabin. If he was a working man, he should have been up a long time ago. He should have started on the chores and checked on the colt. What was he doing still sleeping?

"Bjorgman?" Jackson called, opening the door. He walked in, seeing Kristoff shoving his feet into his boots. "You waiting for breakfast in bed?" He asked. Kristoff glared at him. No. He was actually trying to get out of bed.

Kristoff stood up, a pain shooting up his back. He hoped Jackson hadn't seen it. "What happened?" He asked, pointing at Kristoff.

"I came off the-" he began. Then he quickly remembered that he couldn't mention breaking the colt. That would be like shooting himself in the foot. "-off a horse." He corrected.

Jackson nodded his head, understanding. "Do you think you can get back on?" He asked. "Pick up twenty strays we left on top?"

Kristoff raised his eyebrows. They were seriously giving him this job? "Yes, sir." He said.

"Before those mountain men get their grubby hands on 'em," Jackson grumbled as he left the cabin.

Kristoff should have been offended by Jackson's insult to his people, but he was still in shock by his offer. They were going to let him go and find the rest of the strays? He knew it would be difficult alone, especially with his new injuries, but it finally gave him a chance to prove himself. He was going to take it.

xxx

Up in the mountains, Eugene was fumbling around in his house. Finally, he came across what he was looking for. He smiled, gently opening the picture book. A quiet tune played from it as he gazed at the picture. He longed to see her again.

He closed the picture and let out a soft sigh. In the distance, he heard a horse's hooves clomping towards his house. He had a visitor.

Kristoff sat down at the table, grinning at Eugene. "It's good to be back." Kristoff had missed being up in the mountains and away from everyone. It was nice to be alone with nature. And Eugene of course. "At least nothing changes up here." He added.

Eugene hummed, softly smiling. He had missed Kristoff. He hadn't seen him in over a week. "I saw Bess again with the brumbies. Nearly got her back." Kristoff smiled.

"I told you not to throw effort after foolishness. Forget it." Eugene scolded. He couldn't believe Kristoff tried to get that damn horse back. Bess was gone and there was no point in trying to change it.

Not wanting to fight with Kristoff again, he changed the subject. "How are things goin' on down there?" He asked.

"Not good." Kristoff sighed. Eugene frowned, letting out a hum. "I'm working for a fella called Harrison." Kristoff continued. He stared at Eugene. "He reminds me of someone."

Eugene held his breath as a smirk played onto Kristoff's lips. "You never told me you had a brother." He said.

"You never asked," Eugene said. He didn't want to talk about Jackson, especially not in this household. Jackson and he hadn't talked to each other in over a decade. They didn't end on good terms either.

"Well, I'm askin' now," Kristoff said as Eugene stood up.

He leaned forward, pointing at Kristoff. "You just concern yourself with Kristoff Bjorgman."

Eugene hopped to the fire, scooping out some more stew. Kristoff sighed, shaking his head as he watched the man balance on one foot. "Seems like all you Harrisons have got it in for me."

All of them? Eugene looked over his shoulder, studying Kristoff. "Have you seen Anna?" He asked.

He looked up, a smile appearing then gone in a second. "Yeah."

"What's she like?" Eugene asked, hopping back to the table.

"She's a Harrison," Kristoff answered. Eugene hummed, smiling. He tossed a chunk of meat onto Kristoff's plate. "I'm gettin' out after this muster."

Eugene sat up, watching Kristoff grabbed his fork and knife. "Henry Bjorgman's son quitting?" He asked.

"You sayin' I should stick it out?" He asked, looking up. Kristoff didn't know what to do. He felt unwelcome and he knew he wasn't like by Jackson. Not only that, but he seemed to have ruined whatever was happening between him and Anna. There wasn't anything to really go back to.

"You can learn more from Jackson than you know," Eugene said, pointing his knife toward Kristoff.

"I'll be searching for his strays for weeks." Kristoff sighed, slightly shaking his head. Maybe he shouldn't have taken this job from Jackson. It would have made it his life a whole lot simpler that's for sure.

"Not if you know where to look," Eugene said. Kristoff looked up, ready to hear Eugene's advice. "At the first hint of snow, every beast on this plateau heads for the bluff. Warm pocket, good forage. Gather 'em up with a butterfly net." He smiled, waving his knife like a net.

"How do you know?"

"Well, I don't always eat wallaby, son," Eugene said. He stabbed into his meat, holding it up on his fork. "Huh?"

Kristoff eagerly cut a chunk off and paused before he popped it into his mouth. "'Grubby hands.'" He quoted with a smile. "Harrison was right." He chuckled.

Eugene grinned as Kristoff savored the taste. "I'd say prime two-year-old Hereford-"

Eugene nodded his head, encouraging Kristoff to go on.

"-fattened on mountain pasture." He said.

"You might make a good cattleman yet," Eugene said, making both of them laugh.

After calming his nerves with Eugene, he set off to find the rest of the cattle. He took Eugene's advice and went to the top of the mountain. He couldn't help but smile at the beauty. He really did miss being up here.

xxx

Jackson walked around his ranch, making sure everyone was doing their jobs. "Cool off this horse and stable him." He said, pointing at a horse. Spotting his colt, he decided to go check on him.

He stood on the fence, narrowing his blue eyes. Something seemed off. He hopped over and walked to the colt. It wasn't scared of him in the least. He ran his hand over his silk mane then stopped. There were saddle marks on his back and underbelly.

"Come here," Jack muttered, grabbing the horse's hooves. He dug out the dirt trapped between and growled, throwing it to the ground. That mountain boy had broken in his colt. He stood up, looking at the colt. He should have known this would have happened.

He stormed back the house, anger beginning to boil inside of him. He was going to let loose on everyone in there. He entered the kitchen, slamming the door shut behind him. His eyes narrowed at Anna, who was peacefully skinning a potato. "What happened to the colt?" He asked.

"The wild horses came down. Ran through the place. They set him off." Elsa said. She could easily tell how angry Jackson was and she wasn't going to let him take it all out on Anna. She didn't need that.

"I'm asking Anna." He replied, throwing his gloves onto the table. He placed his hands on the edge of the table, staring her down from the other end. "A bruise on the foreleg. Black soil from the bottom paddock still in the hooves."

Anna swallowed, trying to keep her composure. She knew he would be upset when he found out, but she never expected it to be this bad. "And a girth mark around the horse's belly. Huh?" He demanded.

He stood up, walking to stand beside her. "You're an intelligent girl, Anna. What does that add up to, huh?"

She turned her head to the side, not wanting to look him in the eyes. She had clearly disobeyed him and brought Kristoff down with her.

"Your old friend is still alive," Elsa said, trying to calm Jackson down a bit. "The stallion." This slightly caught his attention. "He was leading the brumbies."

But his attention didn't hold long. He put his hands behind his back and stared at Anna. "Who rode the colt?"

She paused, placing her fingertips together and pointing them upward. She didn't want to lie to her father but she couldn't throw Kristoff under the train. After all, it was her idea. "We were breaking him in-"

"We?" Jackson exclaimed.

"Kristoff's very good with horses." She said, shaking her head at him.

"That mountain boy," Jackson growled, folding his arms over his chest.

"Now wait," Anna said, standing up from her chair. "It wasn't his fault. He was riding it when the brumbies came down. He went to save the stock horses."

"What stupidity." Jackson scowled, slapping his legs. "To save stock horses worth a few shillings, and risk a colt worth a thousand pounds?"

"You can't blame him for that," Anna defended. "It happened too suddenly."

"Well, suddenly he's finished here." Jackson declared. Anna held her breath as she looked back at her father. What had she done? "He gets off this place the moment he gets back."

He walked to Elsa, his eyebrows furrowed in anger. "There's a train tomorrow. Take Anna with you."

"Father, please-" she began, her voice getting louder to match his.

"You will board at the Presbyterian Ladies' College." He shouted, turning to tower over her.

"No! I won't go-" she fired back. A loud slap filled the room as her blue eyes widened in shock. Her left cheek began to feel like fire as her jaw dropped at her father.

"You're as deceitful as your mother." He spat, staring into Anna's eyes.

Anna's bottom lip trembled as she fought with herself over what to do. Without a word, she rushed out of the house, Cassandra on her tail. Anna had to get away. She couldn't be near him any longer.

Jackson rushed to the open door, watching Anna take off to the stables. Elsa walked up behind him. "You wouldn't dare break the spirit of that wretched colt the way you've just crushed your own daughter." She said with disgust.

"My daughter?" Jack asked in a softer voice. "You really believe that?"

"Oh, when will you give up this obsession?" Elsa scoffed.

"You tell me. Rapunzel's your sister." He fired back. Elsa couldn't believe what he was implying. He seriously thought that Rapunzel had cheated on him with someone else? He must really be losing it.

"You see other people so clearly, but look at yourself. What if the night you fired those shots your aim had been better?" She replied. Jackson looked back, seeing the anger in her blue eyes. "What then?"

~~~~~~~~~~