Disclaimer: BBM and all of its characters belong to its creators (not me). If you don't recognize the person/place/thing/story from the movie, then it's mine. Otherwise, give the money to someone else. :)

Sharing My Boy

by Jen (WCUGirl)

He was a fresh faced boy, with a good heart. His eyes were blue like the summer sky and his touch was the gentlest I’d ever encountered. His daddy got me from my first owner, and was just as mean. But this boy…he won my heart in a minute, and I’d do anything for him.

We worked well together, everyone said so. Him with his gentle commands and me with my eagerness to make my boy happy—we could conquer the world, the two of us. Sometimes his daddy’d get me with the lash, but then there my boy was, with a brush and with warm water and a towel, and he’d take care of me, cleaning me til I shined and easing away my hurts. Sometimes his daddy’d get him with the lash too, and I’d hear him running before I’d see him and he’d be in my stall and on me before I ever saw his daddy comin. When he got like this he wouldn’t even bother with the saddle or the bit-bridle but I knew how to read him and I knew that the only place he wanted to be was out of that barn, so off we’d go.

That was the way it went for us. He’d take care of me, and I’d take care of him, and in the mean time we did our work and tried to stay out of his daddy’s way.

I guess one day it got to be too much though. I heard my boy come running down the path, and the way he was hugging himself and favoring his left side, I’d be willing to bet his daddy’d got after him with the boot this time insteada the lash. He couldn’t even get on me that day, he was hurt so bad and so I did the only thing I knew to do to save my boy. I knelt down almost flat for him, so all he had to do was sling his leg over the side of me. He got hold of me best as he could, and then I slowly stood up, balancing the weight of both of us. I went running out of the barn and as we passed his daddy I heard the old man yell something about a faggot, but by then we were too far away to know for sure what he’d said.

Jack, that was my boy’s name, left not long after that last whipping. The day he drove away he came to the barn and hugged my neck and I felt his tears dampening my coat. He told me he loved me, told me I was his “favorite horse ever” and told me he didn’t know if he’d be back or not, but that he’d try. He told me to be good for his daddy, and then he walked away without a backward glance. I thought my world had ended.

You can imagine my delight then, when, a few months later, just before it turned really cold, Jack came home. He ran into the barn, sporting a bruise on his face, and I wondered how he could have gotten it when he hadn’t been around his daddy in weeks. I longed to ask him where he’d been and where he’d gone and what he’d done, and who had hurt him, but of course I was unable to do that. He hugged my neck and whispered my name, and then he gave me a good brushing. I knew I’d missed him, but until I felt his gentle touches, I didn’t realize how much.

My boy was different now. Something had changed him in the time he was away. He was quieter now, more thoughtful, and even gentler than he’d been before he left. He would come sit in my stall for hours, “grooming” me he’d tell his momma and daddy, but often times he’d just sit in the corner and tears would roll down his face. When he got to brooding too much I’d nudge him with my nose and he’d laugh and stroke my face. Then he’d get up and we’d go for a ride, and I tried with all my might to make him feel better. I didn’t know what was different. But I knew Jack was never the same after that summer.

One day in the middle of the winter, Jack told me all about his cowboy. Told me about the other boy’s quiet ways, and how he was so good with the horses too, and how he loved those “stupid fucking animals” that I imagined must be the sheep that Jack talked about. He told me how much Ennis loved him and how special he’d made Jack feel. Then he told me how the cowboy was getting married that day and how he’d been invited to the wedding, but just couldn’t bring himself to go, so he’d decided to stay here in the barn with me instead. I realized then what the difference in my Jack was. Jack had found someone to love. He’d found a mate.

Winter turned into spring and Jack and I resumed our long days in the fields working hard. Jack kept talking about wanting to go join the rodeo, and the thought scared me. I’d heard stories of the rodeo, knew what happened to horses and their owners in the rodeo…my first owner had also bred rodeo stallions. Those were an odd sort of horse, let me tell you. It seemed that it was all talk though; Jack didn’t make any moves to leave, and each day we just kept working until the sun went down and then the next morning we’d wake up and do it all over again.

It was toward the end of one of these endlessly long days that Jack stepped on a snake. Later I heard it was a prairie rattler, but if it rattled, we never heard it. We were working along a rocky section near the fence line, and it bit clean through his boot. He let out a yell like he was dying and fell before I knew what had happened. The snake drew back to bite Jack again and I took to stomping on it, killing it before it could hurt my precious boy again. Jack managed to drag himself up against a fence post, and I knew it was bad when I looked at him.

His normally rosy cheeks were as white as I’d ever seen them. He was sweating and moaning, and a mess. He leaned to one side weakly and threw up right there on the ground. Cautiously I came over and nudged him, wanting him to climb on so I could take him back to the house, back where someone could help him, because we were so hopelessly alone out here…but he shook his head weakly and his eyes slid shut and I knew he wasn’t going to make it back on his own, even with me helping him. I nudged him again with my nose, and he stroked my face softly.

“S…s’ok…Sunnypoint…go…go get me some help…go get Momma…”

I took off running like the end of the world was chasing me, and made it back to the house in record time. I didn’t notice the beat up pickup truck sitting out in front of the house, I only barely noticed the rugged cowboy standing on the steps, talking to a very happy looking Mrs. Twist. She looked up, alarmed, when she saw me coming, and a hand went to her throat.

“Sunnypoint! Why girl, what are you doing here? Where’s Jack? Ennis this is Jack’s horse, he rode her out this morning…something must have happened for the horse to come back without him!”

I whinnied and reared back, turning, ready to run back again. My Jack needed help! Then the cowboy approached me. Took me gently by the reigns and stroked my face softly, while looking me right in the eyes.

“Woah now…steady girl…easy now…something happen to Jack?” I whinnied, and the cowboy climbed up on my back, “Can you take me to him?”

Boy could I ever! I took off running, back across the fields to where Jack was waiting for me. When we got there, he was still leaning on the fence post, but he looked even worse than he did when I left him. I stopped and let the man get off my back and he stopped short for a second, staring at the ground where I’d trampled the snake.

“A snake…” he turned to me, “good job girl. Ya killed it dead, good job.” Then he turned to Jack.

“Hey…” He slapped Jack’s cheek a time or two, trying to pull him out of whatever kind of daze he’d drifted into. “You with me darlin? Jack can ya hear me?”

Jack’s head moved slightly and I snorted in relief. Then he blinked and moaned and I could have danced—Jack was ok! My Jack was going to be alright!

“E-Ennis…?” I knew the name. Why did I know the name? I wracked my brain trying to remember who Ennis was, and then I looked and saw Ennis press a kiss to Jack’s forehead and I knew. This was Jack’s mate! The cowboy he’d met while he was away! He was here!

“It’s me Bud,” he said quietly, and I was taken aback by just how gentle and quiet he was. “What happened to you?”

“S-s-snak-ke b-bit m-m-me…Ennis,” Jack ground out. He was gritting his teeth, I knew he must be hurting, but he didn’t seem to be quite with it either. I made sure to stay close, but not too close so I could help if Jack needed it.

“I saw the snake, looks like your horse stomped it for us.”

“S-sunny-p-point-t s-s-saved-d me,” he whispered, “always s-s-saves m-me…I’m s-so c-cold-d…”

Ennis tugged Jack’s boot off his leg, and tied a handkerchief around his leg, just below his knee. Jack winced in pain and looked like he might pass out again.

“C’mon now Jack. Stay with me ok? We got to get you to a doctor. C’mon.”

Jack leaned against Ennis as Ennis put an arm around the back of Jack to support him. Tears ran freely down his face and every now and then he’d moan or cry out in pain. It scared me to think that Jack was hurt so badly.

Ennis turned and looked at me helplessly. “Don’t rightly know how we’re gonna get you on the horse darlin,” he said quietly, supporting Jack who leaned heavily against him, nearly unconscious from the looks of it. I knew what to do. I sidled right up to them and then knelt down, just as I’d done for Jack in the past when he’d been unable to climb up on my back. Ennis smiled and patted my neck.

“Good girl,” he whispered, “You love Jack don’t ya? Wanna take good care of him. Help me get him home now Sunnypoint.”

He gently helped Jack swing his wounded leg over my back, before doing the same himself. When I was sure that he had his balance and had hold of Jack, I slowly raised up. It was even harder to raise up under the weight of two grown men, but Jack needed me, so I’d do it a thousand times if I had to.

“Good girl,” he whispered again. I turned my head back to look at him, and saw Jack leaned fully up against him, with his forehead pressed into the side of Ennis’ neck. “Take us home girl,” Ennis said quietly and I took off at a full gallop, trying to be as gentle as I could with my two precious riders.

I rode right up to the front door of the house and knelt again, allowing Ennis to get Jack off of my back easily without hurting him. Jack moaned, and clutched to Ennis’ neck, and Ennis effortlessly scooped him up and carried him inside without a backwards glance at me. In just a few minutes I heard a car and saw a man I didn’t know with a black bag go running inside. A few minutes after that Ennis came back outside and took me gently by the reigns and began walking me back down towards the barn. I resisted. He wasn’t going to take me away from MY Jack. Not now, not after all this. But he was calm and he stroked me softly as he spoke quietly to me.

“Shh sok now Sunnypoint, Doc’s in with Jack. He’s goin a be alright. Let’s get you tucked in for the night, c’mon I’ll give you a good brushing and some carrots. You’ve been a brave girl, you’ve had a big day today. C’mon lil darlin, c’mon now Sunnypoint. I’ll bring Jack down to see ya soon as he’s able to come.”

He clicked twice to me and reluctantly I followed him. He brushed me down good and put fresh hay in my stall and gave me some carrots to munch on. Once the carrots were gone he produced an apple out of his jacket pocket. I wasn’t used to such a wonderful treat, and though I wasn’t going to be bribed into liking Ennis more than I liked Jack, it was becoming increasingly clear to me why it was Jack liked him so well. Like Jack, Ennis talked quietly the whole time he groomed me and bedded me down for the night. He told me I was a good girl and that only big brave horses could stomp on rattlers, and only horses who loved their owners would stomp a rattler to save a human.

Ennis stroked my nose softly and looked me in the eyes again, like he’d done earlier. “Ya love him, don’t ya Sunnypoint,” he said quietly. I snorted and nudged him. Of course I loved him! This was Jack! MY Jack! Of course I loved him. He smiled at me and stroked my nose again.

“Yeah lil darlin I know. I love him too. Gonna stay up here with him. Can’t bear it without him.”

And I knew that would bring a smile to MY Jack’s face. And I knew I was going to have to learn to share him. But, after meeting Ennis…I was ok with that.

End.