Free Among Wolves by G.A. Hauser

weekend."
    "Well, yer welcome to."
    Charlie helped Roman with his shoes and
socks, assisting him with his coat last. He tugged his pant legs
over his own cowboy boots and stayed still, holding Roman as he
appeared to be injured and recuperating.
    Charlie listened. The horses were being
brought into the barn and Butch said, "Thank y'all. It was a
pleasure."
    "Thank you, Butch! Have a good
Christmas!"
    The women's voices faded away and Charlie
heard Butch's boot scuff on the cement. Charlie opened the stall
door. "Butch!"
    "Huh? Where are you?" Butch walked closer,
holding a western saddle in his arms. "Why're you hidin' in
here?"
    "Roman's been hurt."
    "Hurt?" Butch set the saddle down and stepped
into the stall.
    "I'm okay." Roman held up his hand and rubbed
his chest.
    "How?" Butch asked.
    Charlie thought about mentioning the man with
the sword, and didn't.
    "I said, I'm okay." Roman stood, using the
wall to get upright.
    "Uh…" Charlie looked at Butch. "You need help
with the horses?"
    "I do. I have to clean their shoes from all
the ice and get the tack off them."
    "Go. I'm fine." Roman nudged Charlie.
    "Will they let me near them?" Charlie watched
Butch pick the saddle back up.
    "I hope so. I don't want to have to do
everythin' by myself."
    "Go tie them up first in case they run.
Okay?"
    "Okay." Butch walked away with the
saddle.
    Charlie spun around to Roman. "Did he burn
you?"
    "I have no idea. I thought he cut me in two
with the sword." Roman raised up his shirt. The mark was gone. Both
he and Charlie inspected his skin. Roman appeared more surprised
than anything else. "Did I imagine it?"
    "I'm at a loss, Roman. And you may be right.
We need to go to Utah. Now."
    Roman cupped Charlie's jaw and kissed him.
"Thank you."
    "Let me get them horses settled. You go
inside and make sure yer okay."
    "I can help." Roman and Charlie emerged from
the stall. All of the horses shifted and made noises of
distress.
    "Damn." Charlie lowered his head and walked
slowly to one of their hack geldings, trying to help Butch get the
saddles and bridles off. "Okay. It's jus' me. Will ya settle down?"
He unfastened the cinch and the horse was a nervous wreck, shifting
and moving its ears as if it was confused.
    Charlie brought the saddle to a wall peg and
hung it up. Butch was scraping out the ice from Scout's hooves.
    When Roman moved closer to help, one of the
horses reared and slammed into a wooden wall with a loud bang,
making all four of the animals panic.
    "Roman!" Butch said, avoiding a kick from his
horse. "Can ya just go? Ya smell more like a wolf to them than a
person."
    "Jesus." Roman sniffed his hand. "I can't
smell it."
    Charlie tried to settle the animals down
again, but he was almost as bad as Roman was in that department at
the moment. And Butch's frustration was evident.
    "All right." Charlie removed the bit and
bridle from the anxious gelding slowly. "I'm not even goin' to try
to clean their shoes, Butch. I'll get a kick to the head."
    "I know." Butch picked up his horse's back
leg and worked on the ice again.
    "Bye." Roman crept to the door so he wouldn't
startle the horses.
    When he left the animals were slightly easier
to deal with. Charlie managed to get them all out of their saddles
and bridles and brought them to their stalls until Butch could tend
them, brush them down, and make sure they were free of ice and
packed snow.
    He adjusted his cowboy hat and observed Butch
settle Scout into his stall.
    "I need to get the other horses inside,"
Butch said.
    Charlie nodded. "I can at least do that."
    "You scare 'em up the mountains, I will kill
you."
    "Nope. I'll send them this way. Promise."
Charlie headed outside and looked up at the sky, which was cloudy
and there was a slight chance of more snow.
    Feeling tired, Charlie moved to the paddock,
opened the fence, swinging back the wooden gate. Then he walked to
the farthest end of the corral and stood there. The small herd of
eight horses trotted out of the paddock and directly