It was clear Kris was disgusted with herself, and Ryanne felt bad - perhaps she had expected too much from the injured woman. "Kris, I'm sorry," she said. "Maybe the soup was a bad idea."

Kris' expression softened a little, and she met the woman's soft green eyes. "It wasn't you, Ryanne. I'm sorry. Lunch was wonderful, I'm just angry with myself," she admitted.

"Don't be," pleaded the blonde. "You can only do so much, at least, until you strengthen that arm. Your muscles are going to be sore, after the surgery, for quite a while, and you're going to have to work up to things. Take little steps, so you don't hurt yourself, and you'll be back to your old self before you know it," she encouraged.

The tall woman smiled, and gave Ryanne a quick hug. "Thanks," she said. "I'm going to go check on Wind Dancer. Do you want to come with me?"

Ryanne nodded, and said, "Let me get Cassidy. We'll both go. I'm warning you, though, you may lose your horse. Cassidy loves horses," she added, and Kris laughed.

The tall soldier was a little unsettled to see that the Palomino still seemed to walk with a limp, in the same leg.

"Hey, girl," said the woman, patting the mare softly. "I thought I told you to get some rest so you felt better, hm? Did Mickey take good care of you? Hey… where is he?

"Mickey!" she called, and a few minutes later, a small man came walking up to her. The man was about 5'5'', with thick black hair and eyes with the color - and friendliness - of coal. He was a fairly well-built man, with dark skin, and Ryanne wondered if he was perhaps of Indian lineage.

"Yes, Señora?" he asked, politely.

Ah, he's Spanish, thought Ryanne.

"Mickey, Wind Dancer still seems to be limping," she explained. "When I left over a week ago, I left her in her stall, with specific instructions that she was not to be let out for at least seven to ten days. I come back today, only to find that she is still in pain, and in the same leg. Did you let her out?" she demanded.

The man seemed startled. "Oh, no, ma'am!" he exclaimed. "I would not go against your orders. I did just as you said in your note; I fed her in the stall, and made sure she was comfortable, and only walked her around for a few minutes in the morning and just before I left in the evening. I swear to you, ma'am!"

Mickey seemed so hurt by her accusation, Kris didn't have the heart to be angry with him.

Some soldier I am, she scoffed.

"All right," she said, "I believe you. Just keep an eye on her, will you? If she's not doing any better within the next few days, I'll call the vet."

"Perhaps I could take her for you, ma'am, since you need to rest," he offered, glancing down at her sling, as if to remind her that she needed to heal.

Kris shook her head. "I'll call the vet down the road and have him take a look at her, if I think she needs it," she said, and the man nodded.

"Very well, Ms. Jones," he agreed. "If there is nothing else, I will go back to cleaning the tack." Kris nodded, and the man wandered off into a nearby shed, where he was working on polishing Wind Dancer's gear.

Kris introduced Cassidy to Wind Dancer, and, as Ryanne had predicted, the child was instantly taken by the beautiful golden horse. Cassidy was undisturbed by her size, and brushed the mare until she shined, allowing her mother and Kris to help her with the areas she couldn't reach - like beyond the horse's legs.

By the time they were finished outside, Wind Dancer was shining brilliantly, she had her dinner in front of her, she had made a new friend, and Kris realized it was dark. Not only that, but Cassidy was falling asleep in her mother's arms as she was carried inside.

The soldier went into her own room, as Ryanne placed her slumbering daughter in the bed of the guest bedroom, wishing her pleasant dreams as she kissed her goodnight. Then, entering Kris' room to tell her the same thing, Ryanne was surprised to find the woman's sling resting on the bed.

"What are you doing?" asked Ryanne, as the tall woman tucked her Army dog tags inside her shirt.

"Exercising," responded the soldier. The blonde looked like she was going to protest. "Ryanne, I'm not supposed to put much weight on my arm for the first few days, and I'm not expected to ever regain full use. But if I don't keep up with a semi-normal routine, I'm going to get out of shape. Plus, I'll hate myself for giving up, and not trying," she added.

"All right," sighed the blonde. She stood watch as the tall woman dropped to the floor, pumping out 25 one-handed pushups with her right arm, very easily. Then, slowly, she placed her left hand flat on the ground, deciding to do regular pushups until she was ready for the one-handers with her left hand.

Ryanne watched with increasing concern as the woman did one… two… three… four pushups with both hands, each one more difficult than the last. Finally, when the pain became too much for even the hardened soldier to bear, Kris collapsed to the floor on the fifth pushup with a muffled cry of agony, clutching her shoulder as she fought tears.

The tall woman was surprised when she felt Ryanne near her, and allowed the small blonde to soothe her.

"Do you think you can sit up?" asked Ryanne, a few minutes later, when the soldier seemed to have recovered a little. At the woman's nod, the blonde eased her into a sitting position, which made Kris inhale through clenched teeth at the pain it caused.

"Thanks," said Kris, when Ryanne helped her climb into bed.

"Can you get to sleep?"

The tall woman shrugged, and refused her sling. "I'll try," she sighed.

Ryanne was silent for a moment, thinking. "Lay on your right side," she said, suddenly. Kris raised an eyebrow at her, but did as she said. The blonde moved to the other side of the bed, so she had access to the woman's back, and, careful not to get too close to the wound itself, began a gentle massage of the tense muscles in the soldier's shoulders and neck.

"Mm," murmured Kris, surprised, but very pleased, by the woman's decision. No one had given her a massage in many years, and the blonde was excellent at it. The treatment felt especially good, because it came from Ryanne, and made her pain diminish significantly.

Ryanne smiled as she noticed Kris' jacket, which was hanging from her bedpost. "Kris, are you going to wear that jacket?" she asked, and the woman grunted in the negative. "I saw Cassidy trying on one of them earlier, do you think I could sew up the tear and let her wear it?" Kris smiled, and agreed.

The soldier continued to make contented noises until she fell asleep, and Ryanne did not stop with the massage, knowing it would help relax the woman, until she, too, fell asleep.

Sometime during the night, at a little past midnight, judging by the clock on her small bedside table, Kris woke up to the need for more pain medicine. Reaching for the bottle, which she'd wisely brought into her room, along with a glass of water, the woman swallowed the pill quickly, and followed it with a few swallows of water.

She was about to go back to sleep when she heard something; or rather, caught the flash of lights out of the corner of her eye.

That's odd, she thought. No one drives up here close enough for me to see their lights… Frowning, she sat up slowly, and glanced out her window. Her blue eyes narrowed to angry slits at what she saw: Mickey leading Wind Dancer into a horse trailer, urging her on by pulling fiercely on the lead rope.

What is he doing? she wondered. Where is he taking her? I'll corner him in the morning, she decided, as the pain killer kicked in, and made her drowsy - thankfully. Laying back down, Kris was careful not to aggravate her arm or the blonde beside her, who had apparently fallen asleep in her bed. Kris remembered the strong, skilled, yet gentle fingers kneading her back, and closed her eyes, a smile on her face.

Chapter Eight

The next morning, Kris awoke at seven o'clock. She figured the pain pills must have really knocked her out, for her to sleep past dawn. Either that, or her body knew she needed rest.

Glancing down at the sleeping form in her bed, Kris grinned, widely. Ryanne had not awakened during the night, and so had not moved from Kris' bed - a fact which Kris did not mind one little bit. She wasn't about to complain when she woke up to find the woman she loved in her bed beside her, no sir-ee.

The soldier placed a gentle kiss on the blonde's forehead, and her lips lingered on the fair skin for a few seconds, before she pulled back, to find two very awake green orbs staring at her.

"You can't blame that one on the medicine," stated Ryanne, and Kris' blue eyes got huge.

"I, uh, well, uh… damn," she swore. The woman had caught her, knew how she felt, and that only left one question on the soldier's mind. "What are you going to do?"

Ryanne sighed, and got to her feet, turning her back to Kris as she hid a giant smile, pretending to think. Sliding an angry mask over her features, she turned back to face the woman, hands on her hips.

"I guess there's only one thing to do," she replied, surprising the hell out of Kris by leaning over and pressing her lips forcefully against the soldier's, who was still lying in bed.

If Kris hadn't been lying down, she knew she would've fallen. Deciding not to dispute the blonde's actions at the moment, she closed her eyes, and allowed herself to get lost in the velvet sweetness of Ryanne's gentle lips.

When they pulled back, Kris cracked a grin. "I'm not letting anyone claim that but me!" she exclaimed, happily. "Geez, Ryanne, you scared me! I thought you were going to walk out on me, or something," the soldier admitted.

Ryanne smiled, softly. "Well, I'm sorry," she said. "I just couldn't let you off that easy; not after I spent the last week wondering if you knew how much I cared for you, and how badly I hoped you felt the same way."

Kris sighed. "Ryanne, I have a confession to make," she said, and the blonde raised an eyebrow at her. "I knew exactly what I was doing when I told you I loved you, and when I called you "love". I just didn't want you to know how I felt, because I was sure you couldn't feel the same way," she explained.

In response, Ryanne leaned over again, even going so far as to lay next to Kris on the bed, and kissed the soldier, again. The blonde gently moved her tongue to run along the lengths of Kris' lips, and the woman eagerly opened her mouth to allow Ryanne entrance, thrusting her own tongue into the blonde's gentle mouth. Both women moaned softly at the contact, and Ryanne leaned into the soldier's touch when she felt the tall woman caress her cheek.

"Any doubts?" she asked, smiling, as they parted. Kris shook her head, and reached for Ryanne, to take the woman in her arms, but her shoulder quickly reminded her that the pain medicine she'd taken during the night had long since run out.

Wincing in pain, Kris was grateful when Ryanne not only offered her the medicine, but also cradled her in her arms, brushing the hair back from her face until the soldier looked more comfortable.

"Thank you," said Kris, sincerely.

Ryanne kissed her forehead, so glad she could do so without having to worry about Kris having a negative reaction. "You're welcome," she whispered. "You know what?"

"What?"

"I love you, too." Both women smiled, and turned their heads when the door to Kris' bedroom opened, revealing a sleepy Cassidy. Ryanne made an attempt to move, but Kris gently asked her to stay by placing a hand on her arm, and the woman obeyed.

The child, upon seeing her mother and Kris finally together, climbed up onto the bed beside them, with the biggest grin that Ryanne had ever seen on her daughter. Taking the soldier's right hand, and her mother's left, Cassidy put them together, and laughed happily when the women's fingers remained intertwined, even after she released them.

"So, pip-squeak, are you happy, now?" asked Kris, and Cassidy nodded, enthusiastically. Ryanne looked at them, quizzically, and Kris sighed. "Go on, Cassidy. You can tell her, now."

Pointing to Kris, then to her mother, Cassidy kissed the small blonde's forehead. Ryanne's brow furrowed as she tried to understand what her daughter was saying. "You want Kris to kiss me?" Cassidy shook her head, and then pointed to her eyes. "You saw Kris kiss me?" The girl nodded, and Ryanne chuckled when she saw the slight blush covering the soldier's face.

"We won't tell anybody, will we?" Ryanne whispered, loud enough for Kris to hear, and Cassidy shook her head, laughing.

Even in all the commotion, and what wonderful commotion it was, Kris had not forgotten the scene she had witnessed outside of her window the night before. Tucking it away into the back of her mind, the soldier announced it was breakfast time, which immediately sent both blondes running to the kitchen.

"Wow," commented Kris, a small smile on her face as she followed them. "I might work with an army, but I'm not used to feeding one!" Ryanne slapped her stomach, but quickly kissed her cheek, as well, so the soldier wasn't sure if the blonde knew she was joking, or was actually taking it as a compliment.

After a breakfast of cereal, toast, eggs, and juice, which Ryanne graciously prepared, since she learned very quickly that Kris couldn't cook to save her life, the soldier set out to find her ranch hand, and demand some answers. Sliding her arm in her sling, since she was in more pain than she'd care to admit, Kris wandered out to the stable, and greeted her mare.

"Morning, Wind Dancer," she said. "Where'd you go last night, hm? I sure wish you could talk, girl," said the woman. "I don't know if I'm fit to drag answers out of anyone right now.

"Mickey, can you come here for a minute?" she called, and the man approached her not long after.

"What is it, ma'am?" he asked. The man arrived every day, except Sunday, at 8 and left around dark. Or, he was supposed to.

"What time did you go home last night?" she asked.

"I was in my home by 7, Señora," he responded, unsure of why Kris was asking such questions. "Is something wrong, ma'am?"

Kris shrugged. "I must have been dreaming," she lied. "I could have sworn I saw headlights in my window last night, but it would have been around midnight. You wouldn't know anything about that, would you?"

The man shook his head, but not before taking a quick moment to regain his composure. "No, Ms. Jones."

Kris had a sneaking suspicion of where the man was taking her horse - illegal horse racing was a common occurrence at the old closed-down race track, and Wind Dancer would be ideal for raking in some money. Only problem was, Mickey knew Kris would never agree, so the woman assumed he took her to the games, which were held late at night, and brought her back when it was over. With the Sergeant staying at the base, it would be all too easy for the man to do as he wished, and Jones would never be the wiser.

"One more question, Mickey," she said, before he could turn away. He nodded for her to continue. "Would you mind telling me how Wind Dancer got grass in her hooves, when all she's been on is dirt for the past few weeks?" the soldier demanded. She was bluffing - the soldier hadn't even checked the horse's hooves, but if her suspicions were right, Wind Dancer was being run on a grassy field, as well as dirt.

The frightened ranch hand looked like he was going to pass out. "I… I… I," he sputtered, stepping away from the blaze of blue that surrounded him.

"Spit it out, Mickey," said Kris, grabbing the collar of his shirt with her right hand and pulling him closer until they were face-to-face. "What are you doing to my horse?"

"I needed the money!" he exclaimed. "She is a good horse, and I needed the money. It is my fault she is injured, she sprained a muscle during a run two weeks ago, but I was unable to let her rest, because I had to race her again. I am sorry, ma'am," he muttered.

"You're lucky I'm injured, Mickey, or you'd be a whole lot more than just fired," she growled. "How long has this been going on?"

"About six months."

Kris kicked herself for not realizing that something was wrong before. "Where's the money you owe me?" she asked.

"What money?"

"If you're racing with my horse, than I get the winnings," clarified the soldier, releasing the man with a hard shove. "Give it to me."

"I… I don't have all of it left, ma'am," he admitted.

"Empty your pockets and give me what you have," she ordered, holding out her right hand, into which a wad of bills was placed. Kris counted it out to be almost $2000 as she stuffed it into her pocket.

"If I ever see you near my property, Mickey, you'll be in a shit load of trouble. You see, messing with my horse was your second mistake," she said.

"What was my first mistake?" he asked.

"Trying to fuck me over in the first place." The man nodded, and ran off without looking back. After the look he had been pinned with, the man was glad to get away with all his vital body parts intact; unless you count the fact that his heart was beating fast enough to explode at any given moment.

Ryanne came up beside her, and put a gentle hand on her shoulder. "Is everything okay?" she asked, softly.

Kris smiled, and kissed her nose, before wrapping her good arm around the woman's shoulders, pulling her close. "It is now," she replied.

Every day for nearly twenty minutes, Ryanne and Kris sat down, and the blonde helped the soldier with her physical therapy. Despite the obvious fact that Ryanne hated to see Kris in pain, she knew she had to push the soldier to her limits, and it was what Kris requested, because she felt it would help her heal faster.

Sure enough, one week later, when the staples were removed, the doctor said Kris was healing well. The first thing the soldier did, after getting home from the doctor's office that day, was jump in the shower - for over an hour. She had been unable to take a shower, because she couldn't get her bandage wet, so the woman enjoyed herself, until the hot water ran out. She leapt out of the shower with a shout, glaring through the closed door at Cassidy and Ryanne's muffled laughter.

The soldier presented her Junior Sergeant with her old jacket, which Ryanne had sewn up, and watched as the girl's eyes lit up, happily. Cassidy slipped it on, and let her mother and Kris roll up the sleeves, before hugging the tall soldier with all her might. Kris noticed with delight that the girl didn't even take it off when she slept, but pulled it over her like a blanket.