Headstall

My youngest granddaughter starts school this fall and I am terrified. She had a 'practice' day recently and was so excited to do it again.

Anyone remember these?

Oh, that is horrible. No where is safe anymore.

Congrats, cherie.

Um... did you notice the shirt he was wearing? @dughlas might have something to say about it.

Received another great review from @Dan South, this time for "Larkspur: A Sidewinder Tale". Thanks, Dan!

Hey, all!

Hi, Cassie.

... his little nuke...

I thought it was Beelzebub.

Good to know, bro. You should definitely put off being outside for extended periods.

Hey, bro and Mum. Hope you both are well. Visibility here is not so bad but the smell is strong and breathing outside gives me some shortness of breath and a headache pretty quickly. I'm worried for my mare.

They could be there already, settling in the south-east, or even on one of those parcels of land to the north of town near Red Apple farm. Or, they could still be on the road to Heaven On Earth. Tough to say until my muse tells me what to do. Thanks, buddy. I really enjoyed this reread and seeing your new comments. It's a very satisfying story.

The Old west was full of hard times and it made for hard men. America really was a land of opportunity, but unfortunately the opportunities often involved thievery and murder, what with law enforcement (and the army) spread so thin. Lucas is a user, slimy and treacherous, and truth is if we look deeper he might hate himself for being attracted to men. Who knows, though? Evil is everywhere, and for most of us it's not easy to understand. I think Virgil was right that in his own twisted way Lucas loved Wyatt, and the whiskey mixed with jealousy was potent. I like how cool Virgil was on the outside as he provoked the man, and I loved writing the conversation after between Virgil and Wyatt. Thanks for the supportive words. You mention potential and I must say it was difficult to contain this one. It had to be short for the anthology, so I had to be disciplined, but I could have made this story twenty chapters easily.

A good summation of the situation, but pride comes into it too. Wyatt seems intent on keeping what little pride he has left. He wants to escape for sure, but we can already tell enough about him that he will want to do it on his own terms. I'm glad you got that he is loving... and I think it's clear he is lonely and craving acceptance. These men have only just met, yet Wyatt is making Virgil feels things he hasn't felt since he lost Norrie. That might be exciting, but it would also be scary.

No doubt Wyatt's parents loved each other, and paid the price for bigotry and hate. Virgil and Wyatt seemed to have started an unlikely friendship in a miserable town. I did love exploring this time period, and what it was like for people who lived along the border after the war. You're right that it was an ugly war and an ugly time. It's clear there is a lot of tension in Matador Hill, a truly unhappy place. Thanks for caring enough about this story to read it again, my friend.

Thanks, Terry! I truly appreciate your support.

Have fun, buddy!

Me too.

Drew is too if he stands on a chair.