Whoa, Cowboy!

Chapter 2

We've been at Sarah's for two weeks now. It's hard to give up complete control of anything and everything that deals with my sisters to Sarah. I still get them dressed for school, help them with their homework and put them to bed. Sarah or Jessica bath them. Blain won't let Jacob or Adrian near her without crying. Cara is warming up to Jacob and she already likes Adrian. Jacob and Cara will do stuff with the horses. Blain will only go near the horses if I'm with.

The second Friday were there, Sarah suggested I take the girls out on horses. I nod eagerly. "May I take them on a trail?" Sarah nods and I thank her and promise to do more stable chores this weekend.

"Cara and Blain, want to ride horses?"

They bound out of their rooms with huge smiles. I saddle up a horse and as I'm putting Cara on Snowflake, a Gypsy, I hear someone walk in behind me. I slowly turn to see Adrian.

"Mom said you were taking them out on a trail?" When I nod he continues, "Want me to ride with Cara so you can ride with Blain?"

"Thank you. Cara is it okay that Adrian rides with you?" She looks at him and grins. Adrain saddles up Piper, another Gypsy, and puts her in the saddle before getting up there behind her. I climb up behind Blain and follow him and Cara.

Two hours later we're back in the horse barn. All four of us are brushing, watering and feeding the two horses before putting them back in their stalls. After hanging up the saddles we head back to the house to help with dinner. The whole ride Adrian and I not only talked to the girls but each other. I believe Blain is warming up to him a little more. Me, I find I'm having feelings for him.

"Dean," Blain asks me as we're all sitting for dinner except Jessica who's at a friends house for the night.

"Yeah, Squirt?"

"Can I ask you a question?" I nod and she continues after a minute of thinking hard. "Where are our real mommy and daddy? I don't remember them."

I look at her for a moment deciding how to answer her. "You don't remember them at all?" She shakes her head. "Blain it's good that you don't remember them."

I see Adrian, Jacob and Sarah give me a curious look. I turn to them asking Sarah, "May I ask what was in our file about why were sent to the orphanage?"

Sarah smiles sadly at me. "All your files states is that you were 12, Blain was 5 and Cara was 2. That both parents were unaccounted for when the the police and social worker arrived to the home to check the situation out. The police and social worker stated that there were numerous reports from the neighbors expressing concern for your physical health and well being in the home and around your parents."

I grunt at her, regretting the disrespect and quickly apologizing. Sarah nods. "That's an understatement and a load of crap." Taking a deep breath I continue. "Our parents were notorious for being gone days to months on end. From my earliest memories from when I was probably 4 years old, I remember being home alone and eating whatever I could find in the house. I was 7 when Blain was born and I thought they would change once she was born but they didn't nor did they after Cara was born."

I smile at Blain before continuing. "I had to steal formula and diapers from the store to take care of her when they weren't around. When they were home they were great, and they'd be there for a few weeks before disappearing again."

I take a deep breath trying to control my racing heart and shaking hands. "Then about a year after Cara was born, dad came without mom. He was mean and angry whenever he was there and if he wasn't happy about whatever he'd take it out on me. Come to find out one night when he was drunk, mom died. Not sure how but she was dead. We dealt with an angry father for about six months before we were taken."

"Did you go to school?" Adrian asks.

I shake my head. "I was never enrolled and none of us went until five years ago."

"Then how are you graduating this year?" Jacob this time.

"Living the way we did, I taught myself how to read, do math everything that I needed to know for us to survive. When we entered school I was tested and put into the grade I was suppose to be in."

"Impressive," Adrian whispers in awe. I can feel my face heating up.

"So you've always taken care of Cara and me?' Blain asks.

I nod at her and give her a small smile. "Always have and always will. Your my sisters and I love you both."

"Didn't mom and dad love us?"

"I'm sure mom and dad loved you and Cara." I can't tell my little sister that I'm the reason our lives are fucked up lives. That I wasn't good enough for them to even want to be around me let alone them since I was there. There's a look in Adrian's eyes that makes me feel as if he knows what I'm thinking. I want to change the subject so I ask my sisters if they have any homework and they ask if I'll help them. I tell them we'll do it after we help clean up dinner.

After homework is done and I've told them their stories I'm laying in my bed trying to read. I've zoned out when I hear a soft knock on the open bedroom door. Adrian is on the other side studying me.

I lay my book down and give him a smile. "What's up?"

As Adrian comes into the room and sit on the bed next to me I feel my heart start to hammer in my chest. He studies my face intently. "You are not the reason that you're parents acted the way they did. You are not responsible for their actions, only your own, not the negative ones that have litterly been beaten into."

I gape at him. What I thought at dinner was right. "It had to be me. What parent doesn't take care of their child who can't care for themselves?"

"Parents who should have never been parents in the first place." We spent hours laying on my bed talking about life and future plans we have and what we want out of life. I found out he's bisexual and he's dad left because he couldn't handle that.

5 months later...

This is the longest we've ever lasted at a foster home. Cara and Blain fully trust everyone in the house but we still do all of the stuff we've done before. We're currently preparing for a horse show. Sarah surprised me with that the three of us can participate as well. She says that all three of us are natural on the horses.

We leave for the show in two months. Plenty of time according to Sarah and her kids for us to perfect our routines for our age bracket and skill levels. We're also going in two weeks to get our clothes, boots and helmets for show. Sarah saying that we're going to get show clothes and be in the show which means that she wants us to be around still.

In these last 4 months I'm happy to say Adrian and I have become very close. We're together as much as we possibly can. We're not dating but we've developed a friendship that I love and we both agree that perhaps one day it may develop into something more.