By Chance

by Sasha Kay Riley

  Mandy came over and gave him a hug. “It’s nice to see you, little brother.”

  “You, too,” he replied, returning the hug. “I’m guessing you want to see the horses,” he added after greeting his soon-to-be brother-in-law.

  Mandy grinned. “You know me so well.” As they headed toward the barn, she asked, “So what really happened with you and Jane?”

  “I don’t really want to talk about it,” he told her.

  “But you’re still friends?” she asked quietly. “Bet that won’t last long.”

  “Yes, it will,” he stated. “I know you have this theory that whatever happens in your relationships happens to everyone, but it doesn’t apply. Nor will it ever.”

  She snorted. “Well, you’re my brother, and you have always followed in my footsteps. So you’d have to be gay for that to happen.”

  He just threw his hands up and walked away from her. There was no way he was having this conversation again. His head hurt too much. Even trying to insult her hadn’t thrown her off.

  “What the hell, Vince?” she called, trying to catch up. Then she gasped. “Oh my god. That’s why, isn’t it? You are.”

  He spun around so fast he almost thought he’d pass out. “Shut up!” he practically yelled, then relaxed as the earth rolled under his feet and his head pounded. He winced and put his hands to his forehead. “Just stop. Okay? I’m not doing this right now.”

  “I’m sorry,” she said quietly, then reached out and hugged him again.

  He just nodded. “Do you want to see the horses or not?”

  She let him go, and they headed into the barn, where she greeted the horses she knew as well as the stable hands.

  “Two new horses since you were last here,” he told her. “Star is outside; I’ll show her to you when we go back out.” He stopped at Justin’s stall and found Dustin grooming him. “This is Justin and Dustin.”

  Mandy laughed. “Who’s who?”

  “Dustin is the one with two legs,” Vince answered. He leaned on the stall door and motioned to Mandy as Dustin looked up. “Dustin, my sister, Mandy.”

  Dustin rubbed his hand off on his jeans, then shook hers. “Nice to meet you,” he said with a smile.

  “You too,” she replied with a smile of her own. “When did you start here?”

  Dustin patted Justin’s neck. “About a month ago. Same as this guy.”

  “Yeah, it was a good day for the barn.” Vince rubbed his forehead. “I need coffee.”

  “I offered you some earlier,” Dustin pointed out, returning to his grooming. Did the kid groom Justin when he had nothing else to do?

  “I know,” Vince replied. “I didn’t want it then. I’m going to go make some now. Either of you want some?”

  Mandy looked at him curiously. “Have a rough night?”

  Vince snorted. “Yeah, something like that. I’m sure Dad will tell you all about it. Or you can ask Dustin.”

  Dustin shrugged when Mandy looked at him. “He’s hungover. Your dad asked me to stay with him for a little while last night.”

  Mandy looked at her brother skeptically, and he shrugged. “It’s been a rough two weeks.”

  She nodded. “I’ll come with you.”

  He sighed and started to turn away before stopping to ask Dustin, “Do you want anything? I owe you.”

  “No, I still owe you,” he argued. “I’m fine.”

  So Vince and Mandy walked toward his house. Once inside, Mandy followed him to the kitchen.

  “So,” she asked immediately, “who knows?”

  Vince practically slammed the tin of coffee grounds on the counter. “Man, can you just leave it alone?”

  She sighed and put her arm around his shoulders. “We don’t have to talk about it. I’m just curious who knows.”

  He hung his head in resignation. “Apparently, you do. And Jane, obviously. And I guess I told Dustin when I was drunk last night.”

  “He didn’t seem bothered by it,” she commented.

  He shook his head. “He’s fine. Can we drop this now? I’m not ready for this.”

  She rubbed his shoulder. “Sure.”

  VINCE QUICKLY learned that if he needed to find Dustin, he could almost certainly be found with Justin. They reminded Vince of himself and Xander; the kid was always grooming him, petting him, giving him treats, even hugging him. And Justin seemed to be responding very well to all the love and attention. The horse had calmed down significantly and listened to every command Dustin gave, both on the ground and in the saddle. Vince hadn’t seen him spook or put up any sort of fight since the first week he was at the farm. Vince continued giving Dustin riding lessons but had moved him onto Justin within a week of his first ride on Zeus.

  Whenever Vince saw them together, he felt saddened by the knowledge that his dad would eventually be selling Justin, once his training was done, and that it would break Dustin’s heart. He himself didn’t have the heart to remind him of this and damage the bond between horse and human.

  Dustin had taken to the other horses, too, just not as deeply as Justin. Vince found him in one of the pastures one day, just socializing with the four horses out there, despite the fact that it was raining a fine mist across the fields. He had already bonded with the horses more than any of the other hands ever had. Vince was glad he’d insisted on taking him on.

  “How about taking Justin for a trail ride?” Vince suggested one afternoon when he found Dustin in the pasture yet again.

  “Trail ride?” Dustin asked in response, walking up to the fence with two horses following him.

  Vince nodded and pointed toward the far side of the property. “Dad wants me to check out the trails, see what they’re like now that winter is over.”

  “So we ride out and check how the trails held up?” Dustin questioned, idly rubbing one of the horses’ noses.

  “Basically,” Vince replied, rubbing the same horse’s forehead. “And we fix what we can. Drag tree branches out of the way and that sort of stuff. It’s a two-man job. Want to help me out?”

  Dustin smiled. “Sure. It’ll be good training for Justin.”

  Vince moved aside to let Dustin climb over the fence. “Exactly what I was thinking.”

  A short time later, they were riding out toward the start of the trail. Dustin was riding Justin, and Vince had chosen to take Zeus, mainly because he didn’t want to put a western saddle on Xander and he wasn’t about to hop on and off a horse with an English saddle.

  “So did your dad buy this whole place?” Dustin asked as they rode.

  “Nah,” Vince answered. “He grew up here. My grandparents used to have a dairy farm here. They passed it to him before they moved to a retirement home in Florida. He’d turned it into a horse stable before that, though. They got out of the dairy business when my dad was in college, but they kept the place and let him turn it into a boarding stable.”

  “A boarding stable?”

  “Yeah. Lots of people own horses but not a place to keep them. So they board them at other stables.”

  “When did he start training racehorses?” Dustin asked, looking over at him.

  “College, I think. My grandpa trained, so my dad started working with him, then started taking over for him. Not many people were willing to give him a shot, being so young, but he proved himself. He’s had three horses in the Kentucky Derby, one that won and the other two placed. Plus he’s had some in other big races. Then he and Mom decided to have kids, so they came back here. That’s also when he started this place and cut back on race training.”

  “How’d he meet your mom, if he was doing all this training? Sounds like it involves a lot of travel.”

  Vince laughed. “He hired her as a groom and exercise rider. Said she was the only woman he’d ever met who could put up a fight with any man or horse.”

  “I thought you were never supposed to date the boss,” Dustin joked.

  “Where’d you get that idea?” Vince laughed as he pulled Zeus up next to a large
tree branch across the trail. “This is why we’re out here,” he pointed out, dropping down off his horse’s back.

  Dustin followed him, and they managed to drag the branch, which was nearly twenty feet long and heavier than Vince had expected, off the trail. Both Justin and Zeus stood waiting patiently for them, probably because Zeus was that well trained, but Vince was impressed that Justin hadn’t moved more than a foot. Vince had a feeling it was because of his love for Dustin that he didn’t wander off. He’d been prepared to give Dustin a lesson in catching a loose horse when he’d instructed him to leave the reins on the saddle horn.

  Instead, he was just saddened by again realizing that bond would eventually be broken.

  “There’s a good boy,” Dustin murmured with a smile, kissing Justin’s forehead. As he went to mount again, he saw Vince watching him and frowned. “What’s wrong?”

  Vince sighed and motioned to Justin. “You know my dad’s going to sell him… right?”

  Dustin nodded sadly and patted Justin’s neck. “I know. Anna and Mia keep reminding me.” He shrugged and hugged the horse. “I figure he deserves to have someone to love him while he’s here.”

  “I just thought I’d make sure,” Vince said quietly. “I didn’t want you to get attached if you didn’t know. Since you know, I guess that’s your choice.”

  They got back in the saddle and rode on quietly for a few minutes. Finally, Dustin asked, “Have you ever gotten attached to a horse you had to sell?”

  Vince shrugged. “A couple of times. Dad had this really sweet mare when I was probably about sixteen. I loved the hell out of her, but she went to a young girl who needed a therapy horse. Her parents wanted her to have a pony, but the girl loved that horse as soon as she met her. I couldn’t tell my dad not to sell the horse to a girl trying to learn how to walk again. That was probably the hardest. There were a couple of other times when I got pretty close to a horse, but none ever hurt like that one.”

  Dustin sighed. “I know he’ll be leaving,” he admitted, “but I like having this bond. Never had it with a human, but I have it with this guy. He’s not going to let me down. Even if I know it’s going to end, why not enjoy it while I can? Isn’t that why people get in relationships? It always ends somehow—break up, divorce, someone dies… but they enjoy it while they can.”

  “I know exactly what you mean,” Vince told him quietly. “Xander is my best friend. It’s nice to know I’m not the only one who understands what that’s like.”

  “It’s nice to know I got the chance to know what it’s like,” Dustin replied with a smile. “I think I’ll always appreciate it.”

  Vince pointed ahead of them toward a hill overlooking most of the property. “We’re going up there,” he explained, trying to lighten the subject.

  “What’s up there?” Dustin asked.

  “A cabin, like the ones you guys live in, but without heat or plumbing. Used to be Mom’s special quiet place where she’d spend time writing. She’d ride up there and write poems all afternoon, especially as she got sicker. Mandy or I would go with her then, to make sure she was okay. Never Dad. She said she was enough of a burden to him at all other times of the day. But Mandy and I would do our homework with her or work on the garden we built just for her.”

  “So you still use it?” Dustin questioned cautiously.

  Vince nodded. “Dad didn’t want it to fall apart, because that’s not what Mom would have wanted. It doesn’t get used much now, but it’s nice to have it there for her. Mandy used to keep the garden nice all summer. Not sure what’ll happen now that she’s living an hour away with Jeff. I go out every few weeks and make sure the animals don’t start calling it home. Even in the winter. There’s a little corral for the horses, too.”

  “It just sits there looking habitable but not being used most of the time?”

  Vince shrugged. “Basically. Sometimes when I need to relax, I take Xander and move up there for a few days. Took Jane there for a weekend once. It’s mainly one of those things you don’t really need but you keep for sentimental reasons. It doesn’t take much to maintain, just some roof tiles each year and some pest-repellants. And whatever Mandy does for the garden. Water only when we use it for the horses.”

  Dustin looked at him curiously. “No bathroom?”

  “That’s the part I personally don’t care for,” Vince replied with half a smile. “The stupid outhouse. And if you stay there a couple of days, you’re forced by your own grossness to either come back or take a hose bath.”

  “Better than what I had for a while,” Dustin commented.

  Vince suddenly realized what he’d said. “I’m sorry,” he said quickly. “That was—”

  “It’s fine,” Dustin assured him. “If I don’t joke about it, I’ll never be okay. I know what it’s like to wish you could take a long, hot shower. If you don’t remember, it’s practically the first thing I did when I got here.”

  Vince had to laugh. “I thought I was going to melt when I dropped your clothes off. I didn’t realize that little shower could generate that much steam.”

  Dustin laughed, too. “It was the best shower I have ever had.”

  Vince let his smile fade. “This might not be okay to ask, so you don’t have to answer… I was just wondering; how did you survive being homeless for two years?”

  “By doing a lot of things I’m not proud of,” Dustin replied quietly, not looking at him. “I stole things when I had to. Let myself be raped when I had to. Ate out of trashcans. Drank filthy water. Things I had to do to survive.”

  “You didn’t have to answer,” Vince told him, stunned and deeply disturbed. “Jesus. What about the homeless shelters?”

  Dustin shrugged. “I stayed in a couple for a few days. But I felt confined, that I’d rather be on the streets. Plus the workers there are always asking questions, trying to catch runaways and get them back to their families. The only thing I am proud of is not taking up drugs or drinking. When I couldn’t stand living like that anymore, I moved out into the woods.”

  “How did you live out there all winter?”

  “I stole two tarps from someone’s backyard. Used those and a bunch of tree branches and dirt to build a shelter, used snow to reinforce it when it started. Stole food from a store down the road—mainly nuts. I felt like a fucking squirrel. I also got as many packages of hand warmers as I possibly could, whenever I could. I had some blankets and a winter coat I’d taken from my house before they changed the locks. I think they realized I’d come in and taken things like that, and a couple hundred dollars from my mom’s purse.”

  “I’m sorry,” Vince whispered.

  Dustin shook his head. “I’m pretty sure I owe you my life, so don’t be. In fact, thank you. Thank you, a lot.”

  Vince smiled a little. “You’re welcome.”

  Chapter Nine

  WHEN THEY had their traditional party for the Preakness Stakes race, Vince made sure he stayed well away from the beer. Not that he had much more personal information to divulge in a moment of drunkenness, at least not to Dustin. The last thing he needed was to spill his guts to someone else.

  Dustin picked the same horse to win as he had before, and got lucky enough to win again. This time, though, he wasn’t the only winner.

  “Don’t pick that horse to win the Belmont,” Mia warned him. “There hasn’t been a Triple Crown winner since Affirmed in 1978. Won’t happen this year, either. Never does.”

  Vince rolled his eyes. “Pick whoever you want to pick. Mia is going to pick him. She always does. She just wants less people to share the possible winnings with.”

  “I can’t even plot my victory without you ruining it, can I?” Mia grumbled.

  “Is this when I learn not to trust Mia?” Dustin questioned.

  “Yes,” Vince answered at the same time that Mia said, “No.”

  Dustin smiled. “Guess I’ll have to choose wisely.”

  “HEY VINCE?” Dustin asked one afternoon as Vince was standing a
t the arena fence watching Mia ride one of the horses in training.

  “Yeah?” he replied, turning to look at Dustin as he took a spot at the fence beside him.

  “If you’re free sometime, would you mind taking me to get a haircut?”

  Vince smiled. “Sure. Actually, we can go once Mia is done here. Tired of the ponytail?”

  Dustin nodded. “I hate having long hair. Can’t really cut your own hair very well, though.”

  “I’ve never tried, so I’ll take your word on that,” Vince replied. “You want to try driving?”

  Dustin looked slightly terrified. “Your truck?”

  Vince shrugged. “Why not? I mean, you don’t have to, but I thought I would at least offer. I wouldn’t make you start off on the road. It’s Wednesday, I’m sure most church parking lots are empty.”

  “Can I think about it?” Dustin asked.

  “Yeah, we can get your hair cut first,” Vince agreed.

  They were heading for the mall an hour later when Dustin looked over from the passenger seat and asked, “How hard is it to get a bank account?”

  Vince shrugged. “You’re over eighteen, so I doubt it’s very hard.”

  “I think it would be a good idea to get one,” Dustin told him, looking back out the windshield. “I feel bad that your dad pays me under the table because he knows I don’t have a bank account to deposit my paycheck into.”

  Vince stopped for a red light and glanced over at him. “He actually suggested I take you to get one back when we got your ID and birth certificate. I didn’t want to overwhelm you then, and with everything in my own life, it slipped my mind. I’m sorry.”

  Dustin shrugged. “Doesn’t matter to me. I can still get one now, though.”

  The light turned green, and they started moving again. “We can do that. There’s a bank at the mall. It’s the same one my whole family uses, so I know it’s pretty good.”

  “Thanks,” Dustin replied with a smile.

  Vince thought the afternoon was quite successful. They got Dustin’s hair cut first, and it made him look totally different and more attractive. Vince tried not to think about the second observation—it wouldn’t be a good idea to start down that path. After that, they got him a checking account at the bank, bought some coffee for the road, and headed home. On the way, Dustin decided to try driving. So, in the parking lot of a local church, Vince parked the truck and traded seats with him.