Julie stopped reading what her father had written in his journal and bit back a small, tired sigh while her heart became filled with pain and sadness. She moved a hand through her hair and across her face before she shook her head and pursed her lips in annoyance.

Worry and sadness filled her body while she started to read over her father's words before she started to read further into his journal hoping that there would be more clues into what he was feeling and wasn't telling them right off the bat.

But she never could find any clues...

"Oh, Dad," she said, her voice barely above a whisper before she cleared her throat and shifted in her seat. "Why did you feel like you were supposed to take care of Blue for Mom when you didn't need to?" she asked, her voice still barely above a whisper and filled with pain and sadness.

Did he know that she was his..?

She cocked her head to the side when she noticed her mother had written something beside it, and she couldn't help but bite back a small snort.

A small amused smile appeared on her face when she saw what her mother had written, for it looked like her mother had the same question that she did.

'Oh, Dean,' she read in the margins on the page she was reading about how he and Alec went to take care of her horse for her. 'Did you know that I was yours? Was that why you wanted to take such good care of Bue?'

Or were you just feeling guilty because of what your father had done..?

The other question that plagued Julie's mind was something that her mother hadn't written down, but she had a feeling that her mother had the same question.

She knew her mom like the back of her hand, knowing full well that was something that would be going through her mind but was afraid to write down in this journal that belonged to her father.

Because it would have gone through her mind if their positions had been swapped, and she wouldn't have wanted to write it down either...

Julie sighed and shook her head, looking up and away from the book, pursing her lips in annoyance. She didn't say a word and clasped her hands together, gathering herself before she had to start reading again.

She leaned her arms on the table and placed her head on her hands, taking a deep breath in before she released it with a small soft whoosh, and her whole body slowly started to relax. "Oh, God," she said and rubbed her forehead while she pursed her lips in annoyance. "Why was Mom doing this to me? Why did she even want me to read this book when she already told me all about her past with Dad?"

Because every story has two parts and then the truth... a voice seemed to gently say in her ear. And this part is your father's story.

Julie sighed and slowly nodded, knowing full well that voice. She pressed her lips into a thin line before she moved her hands away from her face and took her arm off of the kitchen table.

She shifted to the side and bit back a tired sigh before she skimmed over what she had read so far before she started to read again, silently praying that all of her questions would be answered before she reached the end...

~***~***~***~

"Hey, Boy," I said when I reached Blue's stall to see that he had been restless throughout the whole night and that his stall was a huge mess. "It looks like you had done a number on your stall. Huh?"

Concern filled my body when I saw the condition of his stall, and I couldn't help but frown while I looked at the gelding and slowly blinked. "Were you not comfortable? Is that why your stall is such a mess?"

Blue whickered a greeting before he snorted and shook his head. He flicked his tail behind him and stared at me from the back of his stall, not moving toward me like I thought he would, and I couldn't help but have my frown grow deeper.

I opened the stall door and stepped into the stall, looking him up and down to make sure that he was safe, only to notice that he was covered in sweat and looked just as disgusting as his stall. "We're going to have to give you a bath; don't we?" I asked and raised an eyebrow in question while I studied him. "How would you like that?"

Blue snorted and shook his head, flicking his tail in annoyance. He turned around until his rump was facing me but didn't kick out at me.

Instead, he turned his head and looked at me that way, earning a small chuckle from the other male.

"I do not think he wants a bath, Lad," Alec said and shook his head. "Now, go ahead an' close the stall door before you try to feed him. We don't want him to escape, ya?" He raised an eyebrow in question while he studied me.

I bit back a small chuckle and slowly nodded before I did what I was told to do and closed the stall door. I bit back a tired sigh and moved a hand through my hair before I turned to look at Blue with a small smile on my face. "Come here, Boy," I said and walked over to him, being careful of the mess he made in the stall. "Let's get you fed, ya?"

Blue flicked his tail and turned to look at me. He whickered and bobbed his head before he started to walk over to me, flicking his ears to the side of his head.

I paused and watched as Blue walked over to me and whickered in greeting. I bit back a small smile while I rubbed his nose before I turned around and started to walk to his food bucket where I knew that there would be food. "Ok, Blue, you need to eat," I said and looked at him from the corner of my eye, "and you need to eat by yourself."

Blue snorted and shook his head. He looked at the door before he looked at me, flicking his tail, and his brown eyes seemed to be filled with sadness and pain.

My heart ached, and I bit back a small smile while I shook my head. "Come on, Blue," I said and gestured to the bucket. "Go ahead and eat, Boy. I can't continue to feed you from my hand. You know this."

Blue flicked his tail and stared at me with an annoyed look on his face. He looked at his bucket before he looked at me, laying his ears to the side of his head and looked at the bucket before he looked at me. He blinked and blinked before he looked at his bucket.

The gelding hesitated before he walked over to the bucket, and he stuck his head into the bucket and started to eat, making slobbering sounds with both Alec and I watching over him.

And I couldn't help but breathe a small sigh of relief while my shoulders slowly started to sag as if the weight of the world was lifted off of my shoulder, grateful that he was starting to eat without me hand feeding him.

Oh, thank God, I thought while I moved a hand across his neck, and he flicked his skin as if he was trying to shake my hand but didn't move his head toward me. "Good, Boy," I said with a small chuckle in my voice. "Good, Boy. You are doing amazing eating like this."

And hopefully we will be able to get you to eat like this without me by your side in the mere future for Ella, but I will be there every step of the way.

I promise...