Date: Tue, 31 Dec 2013 08:24:32 -0500
From: Andrew Todd <atodd867@gmail.com>
Subject: Second Chances Chapter 18

This is the third book in the `Riding Lessons' series. As always, if
romantic entanglements between people of the same sex offend you, you are
in the wrong place.


Riding Lesson III: Second Chances

By

Andrew Todd

Chapter 18


CJ, Mattie, Dusty, Spin, Zak and Chris sat around a conference table in the
bunkhouse. Ace and Sarge stood at the head of the table.

"Alright, guys," Sarge started. "Ace has laid out to me your plans for this
Carter kid who we believe is the one who attacked Spin. I've agreed, with
CJ's ok, to help you guys. I've made a few tweaks to your plans, mainly for
Chris' safety. First, no one outside of this room is to be in on this;
well, except for one other person, but I will get to that in a minute. The
fewer people that know about this the less chance that it gets out.

"We're gonna wire Chris, but not until he establishes himself with these
guys. After he's established trust with them, then we will wire him. We
will be giving him a panic button with a GPS tracker in it and we will know
where he is at all times.

"Finally, we are sending back-up in with him--a handler, if you will."

"Who? Ace?" asked Mattie.

Ace shook his head. "Naw, everyone knows I'm with you guys so that would be
a dead giveaway. `Sides, we want them to think ol' Chris is a ladies' man,
so we're giving him a girlfriend."

Everyone turned as a young woman walked in the door. She was a petite
brunette dressed very stylishly.

"Maddy?!?!" Spin laughed. "What happened to you?"

"Ahem..." Sarge cleared his throat, stifling the chuckles that were coming
from several of the boys. "Chris, this is Madison Michaels; the reason some
of your cohorts find her appearance humorous is that Maddy is one of our
ranch hands and they've never seen her cleaned up."

"Ranch hand?" Chris asked.

"Well, our ranch hands are a little special," CJ interjected. "Most of them
are ex-military and all of them double as security for the ranch."

"Right," Sarge continued. "Maddy is a former Marine."

"Marine?" Chris asked incredulously. "She looks like she's my age."

"Which is why I can help you," Maddy replied. "I can pass for a teenager
and yet I am licensed to carry so after your initial meet, I'll be with you
as much as possible."

"So, what's the plan?" Dusty asked.

"We'll start next Friday night," Sarge explained. "We'll stake out the mall
until this kid and his cronies show up. Once we know where they are we'll
stage a confrontation between Chris and one of you boys...something loud
that gets noticed and something that makes Chris' `dislike' of gay kids
apparent. Hopefully, this gives him an in with this crowd. From there,
Maddy will be with him as his girlfriend. Once we know they accept him,
we'll wire him. Maddy will be carrying at all times."

"Why are we waiting until next Friday to start?" Chris asked. "Why not this
week?"

"Because you're going to boot camp." Ace grinned.

"Boot camp?" Chris choked out.

"Yessir," Ace nodded. "Maddy and I are going to be giving you a crash
course in self-defense and weapons. We obviously can't teach you everything
in just a week and a half, but we can give you a solid introduction."

"Chris, you're eighteen, right?" CJ asked.

"Yes, I just turned a few weeks ago."

"Good. Otherwise, I'd have to pull the plug on this or get your parents to
sign off, but seeing as you're legal, we can do this."

"What if they want him to do anything illegal?" Zak asked.

"We'll cross that bridge when we get to it," Sarge replied. "For now, you
don't do anything without our say-so. Once we get you wired, we'll fit you
with an earbud so that Ace or I will be in contact with you."

"Ok, so when do we start?" Chris asked.

Ace grinned. "Right now."

***

Thursday afternoon, found Dylan and Jesse on a trail ride with Kyle, his
girlfriend Bree, his cousin, Scott and Scott's boyfriend, Mark.

After they had their blood tests, the boys had returned to Abigail's ranch
with Danny. Danny had left earlier that day and Trevor had arranged for a
car to pick up the boys in the morning and take them to his farm in
Wellington.  Knowing there was no longer any chance of him not returning
home had made Jesse enjoy the days in Ocala more than he had expected. He
and Dylan had spent all day Wednesday riding as many of Abigail's horses as
they could handle.

Wednesday night, Danny had taken the boys and Abigail to a local bistro
that he and CJ had frequented when they were in college. The boys were in
high spirits, the dark clouds of the last few days having been lifted. They
spent several hours regaling Abigail with stories of their friends and
family at Second Chances.

Wednesday night, Jesse had called Kyle to see if he and his cousin were
available for a trail ride the next day. Kyle readily agreed to meet them
early the next morning so they could spend the better part of the day on
the trail.

Abigail packed a large picnic lunch for the group in several saddle bags
that were packed onto the horses.

They rode for a couple hours before they came to a beautiful lakeside
meadow.

"Let's stop here and rest the horses and have lunch," Kyle suggested.

"Can we swim?" Dylan asked.

Everyone laughed in reply.

"What did I say?" Dylan asked, very confused.

Jesse grinned at him. "Sorry, Dyl, but we're all natives here. There are
probably alligators in there."

"Alligators?!?"

"Yup," Scott answered. "Actually, I know there's at least one in this lake.
According to one of my friends who lives around here, there's a ten-footer
that lives in that lake."

"Are you kidding me? There's a ten-foot alligator in that lake and we're
going to have a picnic here?!"

"Don't worry, Dylan," Mark said. "They're usually out in the deeper part of
the lake or we would see them sunning on the shore. We just keep an eye
out. We're faster than them--we just stay alert."

"Uh-huh," Dylan said looking around wide-eyed and far from convinced.

Everyone laughed as Dylan slid closer to Jesse and farther away from the
lake.

Dylan and Jesse had a great day with their new friends. Neither had really
thought much about the fact that their main circle of friends revolved
around Second Chances and that they really didn't socialize much with
people outside of that circle. They both realized that they tended to
insulate themselves from people they didn't consider `family'. Meeting Kyle
and his friends showed them the benefits of opening themselves up to new
people.

Friday morning, a Humvee pulled up in front of Abigail's house. A tall,
bald man about thirty stepped out and walked towards the house. He was well
over six feet tall and while he didn't appear overly muscular he gave off
the vibe of someone you didn't want to mess with.

Dylan and Jesse came out of the house carrying their duffel bags.

"Mr. Osterman and Mr. Summers?" the man asked looking the boys over with
his piercing blue eyes. He had a faint British accent.

"I'm Jesse Osterman and this is Dylan Summers," Jesse said.

The man nodded. "Very good. I am Liam. Mr. Van Edsel sent me to collect
you."

"Ok," Jesse nodded as he and Dylan walked towards the Humvee.

Liam reached for their bags. "I'll take those, gentlemen."

"We're good," Dylan said.

Liam looked at the boys with a slight frown. "I must insist," he
said. "Mr. Van Edsel has charged me with taking care of you."

"Taking care of us?" Jesse asked.

Liam nodded. "That is correct. I will be your driver, bodyguard and
assistant while you are in Florida. If there is anything that either of you
needs, please let me know. Mr. Van Edsel's instructions are to make sure
that you two are safe and that you have a most enjoyable time."

Jesse put his duffle down and nodded for Dylan to do the same.

"Ok, Liam," Jesse started. "If you're supposed to make sure we're `happy'
then there are a few things we need to get straight."

"Certainly, young sir."

"First, my name is Jesse and his is Dylan and that is what we want you to
call or us...or Jess and Dyl if you want. Please, don't call us Mister or
Sir or anything that formal. Second, we don't mind carrying our own
stuff. I know that my father probably told you to do everything for us, but
that's not something either of us is comfortable with. If that's a problem
for my father then I'll take care of it when I see him. We have guards at
home, but they are our friends and that's how we treat them and we would
prefer to treat you."

Liam's slight frown and hard expression softened as Jesse spoke. When Jesse
finished, Liam nodded and smiled at the boys.

"Very good, Jesse...Dylan," he said. "Just promise me if there is anything
that you need, you'll let me know."

"It's a deal," Dylan answered.

The boys followed Liam to the SUV and tossed their duffels in the
back. They ran back to the house to say their goodbyes to Abigail and
returned to find Liam standing next to the SUV holding the back door open
for them.

"I assumed you would be more comfortable seated together," he said.

The boys both grinned and nodded as they climbed into the Humvee. Liam shut
the door and walked around to the driver's side. He started up the SUV and
they pulled away from the farm.

"There are beverages and some snacks in the cooler behind the seat," Liam
said.

Jesse looked behind them and found the large cooler and pulled out cokes
for him and Dylan.

"Would you like something, Liam?"

"Thank you, Jesse, but I'm fine."

In spite of the air conditioning, the bright Florida sun quickly warmed the
interior of the SUV. Within a half hour of leaving the farm, Jesse and
Dylan were both asleep.

The sound of a door slamming jolted both boys awake.

Jesse looked out the window and grinned. He was reaching for the door
handle, when it opened.

Liam looked in at the two and grinned. "Did we have a nice nap?"

Dylan was disheveled and still out of it while Jesse smiled excitedly at
Liam.

"Where are we?" Dylan asked as he looked out his window. They were in front
of a large white building. It looked like something out of an old Victorian
movie he had seen once. There were people running around in period
clothing.

Jesse laughed. "You don't know?"

Dylan shook his head.

"We're at Disney World!!" Jesse shouted.

"No way," Dylan said looking out the window again.

"Yes, way," Liam said from the open door. "Mr. Van Edsel thought you might
enjoy a short stay here. He and the missus and young Master Cole will be
joining you tomorrow."

Jesse and Dylan scrambled out of the car. Liam was directing a young man to
the back of the SUV. There he took out their luggage and loaded it on a
trolley. An older woman carrying an iPad approached them.

"Mr. Osterman?" she asked.

"I'm Jesse Osterman."

The woman smiled warmly. "Welcome to the Grand Floridian. My name is Alice;
I'll be taking you to the Concierge Floor and getting you checked into your
room." She looked back down at her iPad. "And this is Mr. Summers and
Mr. Smythe?"

Liam nodded.

"Why don't you gentlemen come with me and we'll get you all settled."

Alice walked towards the entrance to the resort with Jesse and Dylan close
behind and Liam taking up the rear. The bellman was following them pushing
the trolley with the luggage on it.

Dylan stopped when they entered the lobby and his jaw dropped.

Jesse turned and smiled at his boyfriend. "Cool, isn't it?"

Dylan just nodded with his mouth wide open. "Holy shit," he whispered in
Jesse's ear. "This place is crazy."

"This is the fanciest hotel in all of Walt Disney World," Jesse
explained. "I've never actually stayed here. My mom brought me over one
time before Christmas. You should see this place then. They have a huge
life-sized gingerbread house over there."

"No kidding?"

"He's right," Alice interjected. "The Grand Floridian is the crown jewel of
the Walt Disney World resorts and many people come here during the holidays
just to take in our decorations. There really is nothing else like it."

Dylan kept looking around, until Alice directed the boys to follow her to
the elevators.

When they entered the elevator, Alice brushed a card against a pad on the
wall.

"Anyone can ride this elevator to the second floor, but only guests staying
on the concierge levels can access the other floors," she explained. "When
you enter the elevator, you will touch your card key to this pad; there is
a radio chip in the card and the elevator will then let you hit the key for
your floor. You will be on the fifth floor."

The elevator stopped at the third floor and Alice gestured for the three to
exit the elevator. She led them to a desk where another woman sat.

"Jackie, this is Mr. Osterman, Mr. Summers and Mr. Smythe."

The woman behind the desk stood up. "Gentlemen, welcome. My name is
Jackie. Why don't you have a seat and I'll get you all checked in."  Jesse
and Dylan sat at the desk, while Liam stood between them.

Jackie typed a few things into her computer. "Mr. Smythe, could I see a
picture ID please?"

Liam handed her his passport and a credit card.

Jackie spent a few more minutes typing and then handed Liam a slip of paper
to sign.

She pulled a folder from her desk and opened it in front of the boys.

"You boys are going to be in Suite 5127. It is a two-bedroom suite located
on the fifth floor," she explained. "Here on the third floor is the
Lounge. We have a continental breakfast every morning, snacks and drinks
throughout the day and in the evening hors d'oeuvres and desserts." She
laid a small envelope on the opened folder. "In here are your
Key-to-the-World Cards. They are your room keys and our access to the
elevator. You also have your theme park tickets in here. You have three
days of admission with a park hopper, which means you can go to any of the
four theme parks each day. There are also brochures and maps for all of the
parks in this folder for you." She gestured to Alice. "Alice will show you
to your room. The bellmen should have already dropped your luggage off
there for you."

After another quick ride in the elevator, Alice led the party to a door
marked 5127. She tapped the key against a glass pad and the door
opened. She held the door open for the boys to enter.

For the first time that afternoon, Jesse was just as bug-eyed as Dylan.

They stood in a small ornately decorated foyer. Alice led them into a
living room area with several chairs and a couch.

"There is a master bedroom over here," she gestured to the right. "And a
second one over here," she gestured to a door to the left of the couch. "Is
there anything else I can help you young men with?"

Liam shook his head. "No, thank you, I'm sure the boys will be fine."

Alice smiled at Jesse and Dylan. "If you need anything there is someone at
the desk on the third floor from seven to ten as well as at the Concierge
desk in the lobby."

"Thank you," Jesse said.

Alice nodded and exited the room.

Liam walked towards the second bedroom.

"Liam, aren't you taking the big bedroom?" Jesse asked.

Liam shook his head. "No, Jesse, that is for you and Dylan. Why don't you
boys freshen up and then perhaps we can explore some of the parks."

Both boys nodded and went into the master bedroom. The room was larger than
Jesse's bedroom at the ranch. The room had a king-sized bed. Jesse opened a
door and whistled.

"Dyl, we've got our own bathroom and there's a huge sunken tub in here."

Dylan peered over Jesse's shoulder.

"We might have to check that out tonight," he whispered in Jesse's ear.

Jesse turned and grinned at Dylan. He grabbed Dylan and kissed him
tenderly.

"Do you believe all this?" he whispered. "We came down here scared that I
might not be going back, and not only don't I have to leave you, but I have
a little brother and we're at Disney World."

Dylan smiled and hugged Jesse back. "Not losing you is all I ever wanted,"
he said breathlessly. "Everything else is gravy."

***

"You're looking good, Luka, just relax your shoulders a bit," Danny said
from the side of the arena as he watched Luka move Onyx through a dressage
program that they he had been working on with Jesse.

When he finished, Luka rode over to where Danny was standing.

"That was really good," Danny said. "Especially considering you've only
ridden Onyx a couple of times."

Luka smiled and stroked the Friesian's neck. "It's not like I thought it
would be."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, I figured that he was going to be a lot tougher than he's been. But,
he's been great."

"It's you," Danny said.

"Huh?"

"Luka, you are so relaxed right now," Danny explained. "More than I've ever
seen you. Usually, you are very tense and intense. You pushed yourself so
hard. Now you're calm and relaxed and you're enjoying what you're doing and
your riding looks so much better."

"I'm the same rider I've always been," Luka protested as he slipped from
Onyx's back.

"You have the same skill-set, but riding is about more than knowing
how. Think about it: we can teach anyone the technical aspects of
riding--how to get on, stay on, walk, trot and canter--that's the easy
part. You can't teach joy; you can't teach love; you can't teach
teamwork--those are the things that separate riders," Danny
answered. "You've always been a great technical rider and you've shown
proficiency--you've won based on that; but there are judges, especially in
dressage, who are going to judge you not just on skill but on the
intangibles and those are the things that you are excelling at now."

"I don't feel like I'm doing anything different."

"I don't know if I'm explaining this right. Have you seen Jesse do this
routine?"

Luka nodded. "Sure, a couple of times."

"And you've seen him ride Val and Dodger and Dancer?"

"Uh huh."

"Think about how Jesse looks when he rides. Remember last weekend when you
were watching him ride Dancer?"

"Yeah, he looked like a robot," Luka replied. "He was doing everything
right, but he was just writing it in."

"Exactly. When Jesse rides he has so much joy, he's so relaxed, he's one
with the horse," Danny said enthusiastically. "That's something that many
riders strive for and few achieve."

"So you're saying I wasn't good before?"

Danny shook his head. "No, not all." Luka looked at him with
disbelief. "Luka, if I didn't think you were an excellent rider, I would
have said so at your first lesson and I would have referred you to someone
else. You are an excellent rider. You have great potential...but where some
people need to find maturity, you have been almost too mature, too
serious. Today is the first time I've seen you ride with joy--there was
laughter in your performance."

Luka still had a look of confusion on his face.

"You said you didn't think you were doing anything different and really you
weren't. What I'm talking about isn't what you're doing...it's about how
you're doing it. When you are relaxed and enjoying the ride, the horse
feels that and they respond accordingly. That's one of the reasons Jesse
always looks so good. You have the same skills that he has, but he lets
himself relax into it and enjoy it and that's what I saw in you today."

"I guess. I just don't feel like I should be enjoying myself. If I'm riding
better now that Winston's gone..."

Danny walked over and put his arm around Luka's shoulder. "Luka, I don't
think your riding has improved because you're riding a different horse. I
think if Winston was here it would have been the same."

"Why?"

"Diego," Danny answered. "You've got some feelings for him and those
feelings are what's setting you free. I could probably put you on any horse
right now and you'd do well, because you are happy and you are feeling
comfortable and not pushing yourself."

"It's wrong, though."

"Why do you think that?"

"Winston hasn't even been gone a week and I'm falling for Diego and riding
other horses."

"Luka, you're getting on with your life," Danny said. "That's what we all
have to do when bad things happen. I've watched you and Winston for the
past few months. He loved you, I know that. There were times you were so
tense that another horse probably would have thrown you. But he knew you
and he took care of you."

"Took care of me?" Luka thought a moment. "I guess you're right. My old
trainer always wanted me to use a different horse: he said that Winston was
too `push-button' for me. That pissed me off."

"I wouldn't say he was push-button," Danny replied. "That would make people
think that he was an easy ride, which he wasn't, but he would correct
things for you. He would relax and move in a way that made you appear less
intense then you really were. Now, you're more relaxed and that is showing
with Onyx. If you were as tense with him, he would not respond very well
and he's moving almost as well for you as he does with Jesse."

"So what happens when Jesse comes back?"

"That's up to you and him. Either of you could compete very well on Onyx
and then there is Dancer. He's obviously had some training, but he would
need some work. You guys will have to figure it out. I know Zak's ok with
either of you riding Onyx. But if one of you wants to use Dancer, you'll
need to get with Dusty since he is up for adoption. A horse with his
abilities will definitely go quickly, but whoever adopts him will have to
work with him, since he still spooks at some things."

Luka nodded. He wasn't sure he was ready to replace Winston.

*** Jesse released a long sigh as he lay back against Dylan. The two were
in the large Jacuzzi tub in their master bathroom. They had spent the day
exploring amusement parks and enjoying each other's company.

After their day in the parks, Liam had taken them to a restaurant on the
fifteenth floor of one of the hotels. Dinner was amazing and they spent
most of it learning about Liam.

In spite of his imposing appearance, Liam told them he was only
twenty-five. He had attended a British military school and had served four
years in the British Army before deciding to come to America. He had worked
for Trevor for two years as a bodyguard and driver. When Trevor had decided
to send someone to accompany Jesse and Dylan he had chosen Liam based on
his skills and the fact that he was younger than most of the guards and
could relate to the teens.

Jesse and Dylan both enjoyed Liam's company. He reminded them of Casey and
Josh in the way he acted more like a friend or a big brother than an
overbearing guard.

When they returned to the suite, Liam had wished them goodnight and retired
to his room.

Jesse took Dylan by the hand and led him into their bedroom.

After he had shut the bedroom door, Jesse pulled Dylan to him and the two
kissed deeply.

"Whoa!!" Dylan panted as they separated. "I guess you're not tired."

Jesse shook his head. He carefully removed Dylan's glasses and placed them
on the nightstand.

Jesse started to pull Dylan's t-shirt over his head and then stopped. "Hold
on," he instructed as he ran into the bathroom.

Dylan grinned as he heard the water start to flow into the oversized tub.

Jesse came back into the bedroom smiling brightly. He was wearing only his
baby blue jockeys.

Jesse wrapped his arms around Dylan's neck and kissed him tenderly. He
reached down and pulled Dylan's t-shirt over his head. He ran his finger
down the middle of Dylan's chest eliciting a shiver from Dylan.

Jesse reached down and released the snap on Dylan's shorts and pushed them
down. Dylan kicked off his sandals and slipped his feet out of his shorts.

Both boys stood facing each other clad only in their briefs.  Each reached
over to the other and slid the briefs down.

They had been naked together many times, but the excitement of the past few
days fueled them.

Jesse took Dylan by the hand and led him into the bathroom. They waited for
the tub to finish filling and then Jesse turned off the tap.

Dylan, being the taller of the two, slipped into the water first. It was as
hot as they could stand it and felt great.

Jesse stepped into the tub and slid down in-between Dylan's legs. He
laughed as he felt Dylan harden against his back.

"I love you," Dylan whispered in Jesse's ear.

"Me, too," Jesse sighed.

The two just lay in the tub not saying a word. There were absent caresses
and the occasional kiss, but mostly they just lay there letting all the
chaos of the last week flow from their bodies.

When the water was finally too cool to stand, Jesse stepped from the tub
and offered Dylan a hand up. He grabbed two large towels and the two began
to dry each other off.

They then walked hand in hand to the king-sized bed and drifted off to
sleep wrapped in each other's arms.

*** Ace and Stephanie walked across the mall parking lot. Ace had finally
been able to get Stephanie to keep her promise and the two of them were
coming out of a movie.

They climbed into Ace's truck and he started it up.

"Hungry?" he asked.

"Sure," she replied. "It's still early."

Ace drove them to a small family-run restaurant a few miles from the mall.

It was quiet inside and they were seated right away.

"So..." Stephanie started after they had ordered.

Ace grinned. "C'mon, now, Miss Stephanie, don't tell me you're gonna get
all shy all of a sudden."

Stephanie laughed. "No, but we talk all the time at the ranch, so what do
we talk about now?"

"How's Luka doin'?"

"Better than I thought he would. I figured he'd be a basket case and lock
himself up in his room, but he's actually been in a good place. I guess
Diego is mainly to credit for that."

Ace nodded. `I told you Diego was a good ol' boy. I think they are good for
each other. Diego's always happy no matter what happens, he's always seeing
the good; and Luka, he's a good guy, but sometimes he's..."

"Wound a little tight?" Stephanie grinned.

"Yup."

"I know, usually the only one he'll relax around is me, but everyone has
been so great to him and that's made him relax a lot. Dylan and Jesse asked
him to work with Dodger and Val and Danny's working with him and Onyx. I
guess that's going really well."

"I guess he just needed to find some people who didn't judge him."

Stephanie nodded. "He was bullied so badly at our last school, I was
worried he was going to do something drastic. He just built this shell
around himself and hid from the world."

"I remember how quiet he was that first time y'all came to the ranch," Ace
said. "He didn't say a word until he got around the horses."

"That's why I was so worried, Winston was his world. We've talked some. He
was feeling guilty about not being sadder, but I tried to get him to
understand that Winston would want him to be happy and he's entitled."

"It'll get easier for him as time passes."

"I'm just glad he's still riding."

"Has he said anything about a new horse?"

"He's mentioned it, but I think it's too soon. I know he likes Dancer, but
I don't think he's going to jump into anything. He knows he can get a ride
here for shows, so he's not in a hurry. I think he's just letting himself
deal with riding for now. Making another commitment and replacing Winston
is going to be another hurdle for him."

"If he wants Dancer, he needs to move quickly," Ace replied. "There's
already been a couple a people askin' about adoptin' him."

"If Dancer's not there, he'll be fine. I think this time he's going to let
the horse pick him."

Ace nodded.

They enjoyed a quiet dinner and continued making small talk.

After dinner Ace drove Stephanie home. He walked her to the door and gave
her a chaste kiss before saying goodnight.

"Is that the best you can do, cowboy?" Stephanie smirked.

Ace bent down and kissed her deeply. Stephanie rose up on her toes to meet
the tall Texan and melted into his arms.

"That better, ma'am?" Ace asked when he pulled back.

Stephanie had a rosy flush on her pale skin. "Oh, yeah..." she panted as he
opened the front door. "We'll have to do that again sometime." She grinned
as she entered the house.

Ace turned to walk back to his truck a huge smile lighting up his face.

***

Jesse and Dylan were lounging around their suite when there was a knock at
the door.

They had risen early and gone down to the lobby for breakfast. Liam
informed them that Trevor and his family should be there mid-morning and
they decided to wait before heading to a park.

Jesse went and opened the door. Trevor was there, Jesse waved him inside.

"Good morning, guys," Trevor said.

"Good morning," the boys replied.

"Where's everyone else?" Jesse asked.

"Julia and Cole are in our suite," Trevor responded. "I just wanted to talk
to you guys first."

"About what?"

Trevor sat down in a chair opposite from the couch Dylan sat on. Jesse sank
down next to Dylan. Trevor smiled at how comfortable the two boys were
together.

"Julia and especially Cole are very excited to meet you guys. Cole is
beside himself at the idea of having a big brother."

Jesse grinned. "Then bring him on." Dylan nodded in agreement.

Trevor laughed. "I will, but I wanted to warn you. Cole is a very smart
little boy, but the cancer and the treatments have weakened him a great
deal. He doesn't have the energy he once had and he looks very sick."

"Then we'll do things that he can do so he doesn't feel left out," Dylan
said.

"I kind of figured that's what you guys would say," Trevor replied. "But
some people are put off by a sick child and he's very perceptive and can
pick up on that."

"Don't worry about us," Jesse answered. "He's my brother and we won't make
him feel anything but a part of the crowd."

"Thanks," Trevor said. He rose from the chair. "Why don't you guys come
over to our suite and meet him then?"

Jesse and Dylan stood up. They grabbed their room keys. Dylan knocked on
Liam's door to tell him where they were going and they followed Trevor down
the hall to another suite.

Trevor led them into the suite.

An attractive woman of about thirty-five was sitting on the couch. She had
long light-brown hair and was dressed in a polo shirt and shorts. She stood
up and walked over to Trevor.

"Julia, this is my son, Jesse, and his boyfriend, Dylan," Trevor said as he
introduced them. "Boys, this is my wife, Julia Kingston."

Julia offered her hand first to Jesse and then to Dylan. "It's very nice to
meet you boys."

`Thank you," Jesse replied his eyes searching the room.

Julia smiled warmly at Jesse. "He's in his room," she said. "He's anxious
to meet you, but he's also a bit apprehensive."

"Can we go in?" Jesse asked.

Julia glanced at Trevor who nodded to her.

"Sure," she said. "He's through there." She pointed to a door off the
living room area.

Jesse and Dylan walked over to the door. Jesse peeked in and saw a young
boy sitting on the bed watching TV. The boy was very thin; he had wispy
blond hair and was dressed in a t-shirt and shorts.

The boy turned towards the door. He had dark circles under his green eyes,
but his eyes shone with curiosity.

Jesse walked into the room followed by Dylan.

"Hey," he said as he approached the bed. "You must be Cole. I'm Jesse, your
brother."

"Hi," Cole said shyly. He looked behind Jesse at Dylan. "Who's that?"

"That's my boyfriend, Dylan."

"Your boyfriend?"

Jesse nodded. "Yes. Dylan is my boyfriend."

"Like a mommy's and daddy's kinda friend?" Cole asked curiously.

"Right. Dylan and I are together like a mommy and a daddy only we're not
married."

"Yet..." Dylan whispered under his breath.

"What are you watching?" Dylan asked.

Cole turned back to the television. "I don't know...it's `bout Disney
World."

"Do you want to go to the parks with us?" Jesse asked.

Cole lit up. "Can we?" he asked excitedly.

"Sure," Jesse replied. "Why don't we take the monorail to the Magic Kingdom
and see what kinda trouble we can get into?"

Cole nodded rapidly and slipped off of the bed. He ran into the living
room, where the boys heard him excitedly tell his parents that he was going
to the `Kingdom' with `my brothers'.

Jesse looked at Dylan and grinned. "Looks like he's got two brothers."

Dylan smiled and nodded.

Trevor and Julia agreed to let Dylan and Jesse take Cole to the park as
long as Liam accompanied them. They made Cole agree that if he became too
tired, he would let the boys bring him back to the hotel.  Dylan took Julia
aside while Cole was showing Jesse his room.

"Is there anything special we need to watch out for?" he asked.

"Just that he doesn't get overtired," Julia answered. "His will is stronger
than his body right now, so he tends to want to keep going."

"Don't worry," Dylan reassured her. "We'll keep a close eye on him. Is
there anything he can't eat or drink?"

Julia shook her head; she was impressed at Dylan's maturity. "No, he'll let
you know if there is something he doesn't care for, but he doesn't have any
dietary restrictions."

"Great."

Julia gripped Dylan's hand in hers. "Thank you."

Dylan was confused. "For what?"

"You don't know how much Cole has wanted a big brother. He knows about
Trevor's other children and their ignoring him hurts him terribly. It's so
great that you and Jesse are here for him."

"Jesse's family is my family," Dylan declared. "So Cole was my brother the
second Trevor told us about him."

"Well, Jesse is certainly lucky to have you," Julia said.

"I think we're both pretty lucky," Dylan replied.

***

"Oof..." Chris exhaled as he landed on his back yet again. He was in a room
in the bunkhouse.

He slowly got to his feet and glared at Ace and Maddy. "I thought I was
supposed to be learning how to defend myself," he said.

Ace laughed. "You are. Part of learning to defend yourself is learning how
to react to an attack." He looked at Maddy, who nodded. "Here, watch," he
instructed.

Ace approached Maddy like he was going to attack her. She grabbed his wrist
and flipped him over onto his back. Ace immediately rolled and sprang to
his feet and grabbed Maddy. After a few seconds, he released her.

"See?" Ace said. "It's not just about how to attack, but how to deal with
one. Every time we take you out, you just lie there. If your life depended
on it, you'd have to move quickly and react."

Chris just shook his head. "This isn't as easy as you make it look."

"No, it's not," Maddy agreed. "But, Ace has been doing this since he was a
kid and I was in the marines. We're just trying to give you some basics so
you can get out of trouble if you need to. Don't forget, most of the time
I'll be with you."

Chris nodded. Maddy left to attend to some other duties and Chris spent
another hour getting his head handed to him by Ace.

"Ok," Ace said to Chris as he gave him a hand up. "Time to try something
new."

Ace led him down a flight a stairs and into another room.

"Oh, shit," Chris muttered when he realized he was staring at a firing
range.

Ace turned and grinned at him. He punched a code into a panel in the wall
and a door slid open. Behind the door was an array of firearms unlike
anything Chris had ever seen.

"You don't expect me to learn to use all this, do you?" Chris asked.

Ace laughed. "Hell, no. I don't know how to use all of these." He reached
over and grabbed a small pistol. "This here's the one you're gonna
use. It's small enough that it can be concealed on you, but got enough kick
to show anyone on the other side of it that you mean business."

Ace put on some protective glasses and handed a pair to Chris along with
some earplugs.

When they had finished donning their safety gear, Ace picked up the gun and
checked the clip. He released the safety and aimed at the paper target in
front of him.

He squeezed off five shots and then flipped a switch so that the target
slid down to where they waited.

Chris almost swallowed his tongue when he saw the tight pattern of holes
right where the target's heart would have been.

"Your turn," Ace said turning to Chris and nodding towards another paper
target. Before handing Chris the gun he gave him detailed instructions on
its operation.

"Just squeeze off five shots," Ace instructed.

When they examined his first target, Ace was pleased that all five bullets
had at least hit it.

"Ok, Chris, let's try this again. Do you play video games?"

Chris nodded.

"Ok, treat it like that," Ace said. "Aim the way you would in one of those
games. I know it's hard cuz you can't help but think of the target as a
real person, but if it's life or death, you need to get over that and shoot
straight."

Ace stepped back and let Chris ready himself.

Chris took a deep breath and slowly let it out. He gripped the pistol in
his right hand, his finger on the trigger. He cupped his left hand under
the grip to steady his aim. He took another breath and held it. As he
slowly exhaled he pulled the trigger six times.

Ace's eyes bugged out as he watched all six bullets tear through the target
in a tight cluster right where an assailant's heart would have been.

When Chris had stopped shooting and put the gun down on the counter, Ace
slapped him on the back.

"Man, we got some serious talent here."

*** Trevor opened the door to the suite and caught his breath at the sight
of Jesse carrying Cole piggyback. Cole's small head rested on Jesse's
shoulder and it was obvious the little boy was sound asleep.

Trevor stepped aside to let Jesse and Dylan enter. The boys walked through
the living room to Cole's room and Dylan carefully detached Cole from Jesse
and the two laid him on the bed. Trevor and Julia watched from the doorway
as each other older boys bent over and kissed Cole on the cheek.

The boys then turned and left the room closing the door behind them.

Trevor and Julia invited Jesse and Dylan to have a seat in the living room.

"So I take it you had a good time?" Julia asked.

Jesse grinned and nodded. "We had a great time."

"We thought you'd be back sooner."

"Well, Dylan had the great idea to get a stroller for Cole," Jesse
explained. "At first Cole wasn't having any of that, but Dylan explained to
him that the less energy he spent getting to the rides the more time we
could spend on the rides."

"I had also remembered reading that you could get a special card at Guest
Relations that let him stay in the stroller like it was a wheelchair
instead of getting out at the entrance of every ride, so he didn't have to
stand in those lines," Dylan said.

Jesse nodded. "He actually dozed a little in the last few lines," he
laughed. "But that seemed to take enough of the edge off that we just kept
going."

"Well, thank you both for spending the afternoon with him," Trevor
said. "I'm sure it made his day."

"It made ours too," Dylan said. "He's a great kid, really smart. We kept
wishing we could take him home to introduce to Maxie."

"Maxie is a little boy who just turned four," Jesse explained. "His dad
used to work at the ranch and he's always around. He's really cool and I
bet he and Cole would be fast friends."

The four continued to make small talk and Julia and Trevor took the time to
learn more about Jesse and Dylan.

"I have a question for you boys," Trevor started. "Actually, it's more like
an offer."

"What?" Jesse asked.

"Have you boys ever considered attending a private school?"

Jesse and Dylan looked at each other and then turned back to Trevor and
both shook their heads.

"Not really," Jesse replied. "Why?"

"Well, like I said, I was very proud of the interview you boys gave, but
being out at your ages can be a bit dangerous. I also did some checking and
you are both near the top of your classes." Trevor saw questioning looks on
the boys faces. "I'm sure CJ and Danny have told you with wealth comes
`resources'; when I was trying to find out more about Jesse, I used mine
and found out about your academic achievements. It was especially
impressive considering Jesse missed an entire semester."

"I still don't get why we would think about a private school," Dylan said.

"Well, here's the deal. I have a very good friend from college; he's the
headmaster at the Lexington Academy in New Hampshire. He's spoken to me
about wanting to start a riding program there and asked if I knew any
qualified boys who might be interested. I think it would be an ideal
opportunity for you boys. It's an all-boys boarding school and ninety-five
percent of the graduates go on to Ivy League schools."

"Boarding school?" Jesse asked. "We'd have to leave the ranch."

"It would still be your home, Jesse," Trevor explained. "Look, this is just
an offer. It's an excellent school and you'd be able to take your horses
and room together and get a great education. I don't expect you to make any
decisions today; I just wanted you to know about the offer."

Jesse and Dylan nodded.

Jesse was about to speak when a phone rang.

Trevor pulled out his cell phone and looked at the screen. "I have to take
this," he said as he stood up and went into the master bedroom.

"Boys, I don't want you to think that Trevor's pushing for this school
thing," Julia explained. "If it's not something you want, he'll
understand. His friend, Craig, has been after him for the past year to help
him start a riding program there and I know he sees so much potential in
both of you."

"We appreciate the offer," Jesse started. "But, it's a big decision to make
on our own."

"Like Trevor said, he's not expecting an answer right away; he just wants
you to know the offer is there."

Trevor came out of the bedroom.

"That was Cole's oncologist," he said. "They found a match for the bone
marrow transplant."

Jesse and Dylan jumped up with big smiles on their faces, while Julia
rushed over to hug Trevor.

"So how soon can I get this done to help Cole?" Jesse asked.

Trevor looked at the two boys. "You weren't a match, Jesse," he said.
"Dylan was."