My handsome cowboy

Chapter 6

You thought the day couldn't get any worse. But today was just one of those days that just wouldn't stop giving. You didn't turn a blind eye when wrong was done, but when children got involved, it took on a whole new dimension. Children were your great weakness. And harming them in any way was like a red rag to a bull. It could be hurtful words that a little boy like JJ couldn't protect himself from. Or it could be the derisive laughter of grown men bullying a boy - no, worse, putting him in danger.

Carter was on his way to becoming a man, but being new to the ranch and still more boy than man, he mostly got the jobs the others were happy to pass on. So it was not surprising that the boy was immediately hooked on working with the cowboys in the round pen. The only problem was that it wasn't the cowboys you knew from the bunkhouse, but the day workers who came and went on this ranch. And they had no business anywhere near the round pen, let alone Carter. You knew that John avoided hiring them as he had a loyal crew to rely on. But sometimes there was just too much to do. And usually the drifters were simple, hard-working cowboys. But you had a really bad feeling about those you met recently. And that was only confirmed when you spotted Carter with the stallion in the round pen while the others stood behind the fence laughing.

How dare they put the boy in the round pen with that stallion! You'd seen Kayce with that horse enough times to know it might be one of those untamable cases. And for an inexperienced boy who trusted that the cowboys had only his best interest at heart, it was an extremely dangerous situation. You knew life on the ranch wasn't easy. And that even boys Carter's age had to work hard. And as everywhere, there was one or the other joke at the expense of the young inexperienced. But that was no joke. That went way beyond that. Carter could be seriously injured - or worse.

You only realized you had jumped the fence like you hadn't in decades and rushed to Carter when you were already standing at his side. You could have noticed so many things first, like the dust the stallion kicked up preventing you from seeing the drifters whose derisive laughter still lingered or the hurtful comments like "stupid" or "useless boy", but the first thing that caught your eye was the tears in the eyes of a little boy who was once again let down. And those tears hit you hard because they weren't just tears of anger, but tears that showed he believed what they were saying about him. As if these vile men would confirm what Carter had always feared.

"I'm sorry... I'm stupid... I know I'm not allowed in the round pen... but they said... and I thought... please, I'm good... I can work... I'm not useless... please... please... don't send me away."

With all the tearful hiccups, you had a hard time making sense of everything Carter was saying. But what you heard confirmed what you had already suspected. You wanted to rush over to these idiots and kill every single one of them with your bare hands. Fuck your Hippocratic Oath! How dare they hurt your precious boy! But you would make time for those idiots later, because right now there was only one person important to you. And so you put your arms around Carter and told him that you - and Gosh, you were hoping you were speaking on behalf of all the Duttons - would never ever send him away. No matter what. Period.

You didn't know if seconds, minutes or maybe even hours had passed, but it had gone quiet and the dust had settled. And the only thing you noticed was Carter, who seemed to have recovered, and the stallion, who seemed a lot more trusting and relaxed than was normal for him. You've always had a good feeling for animals, especially horses. But after an accident a long time ago you gave up riding and tried to avoid horses altogether. But you felt that there was a connection, not between the horse and you, but between the horse and Carter. And maybe Carter's day could take a turn for the better - although you needed the stallion's help.

"There's a lot to learn on a ranch. And it definitely has nothing to do with being stupid if you don't know everything yet. You're a quick learner and always willing to help, Carter. Don't let anyone take that away from you. And the good thing is that a horse doesn't care how much you know until it knows how much you care. And you, my boy, care a lot. And that's the only thing that matters."