Saturdays are always my favorite.

It's not because that's the day Glen Springs chooses to have its monthly town meeting and magic show in the square—two things that are inexplicably linked and have been for as long as I've been there. It isn't because that's when Eric dusts off his Food Network featured Hot Brown recipe. It isn't even because that's the day Miss Beverly reads her erotic poetry at the small, family-owned bookstore.

Saturdays stand above the rest for me because they’re the day I really get to give back—the day I can show my gratitude for a friendship that's gotten me through some really rough times. And they give me a chance to nurture a love of horses in a new generations of Glen Springs residents.

I bought this ranch seven years ago, and I've spent every day since working with horses that are deemed too problematic for the average owner. Every other Saturday, I get to pair those horses with kids who are deemed too problematic for the average teacher.

Today, I can hear the diesel engine in Jake's truck before I even see it crest the hill. Lucky for those kids, he's not the average teacher. Lucky for me, he's not the average friend, either. He knows I need this as much as they do.

As I head up to greet them, a braying in the distance tells me I won't be the only one. Otto, a fifteen-month-old donkey, comes poking across the property, not confined by any pens. His head is down and his tail wags behind him as he beats me to the long, dusty driveway.

The kids barely wait for the truck to roll to a stop before they abandon it. Julie hops down from the passenger seat and Robbie and Curt vault over the wheel well from their place in the bed. Otto prances up to them, his tail whipping back and forth.

The driver's side door shuts and Jake walks out in front of the truck, wearing the same thing he always wears for these trips: A flannel shirt and faded jeans.

"At some point he's going to figure out he's not a dog, right?" Jake asks, coming to stand beside me.

We both watch Otto as he greets Julie, throwing his neck over her shoulder and rubbing his head against hers.

"Haven't had the heart to break it to him," I say with a little shrug.

Otto is the star out here, followed by the horses, then Jake, then—finally—me. At least as far as his students are concerned, and I'm more than okay with just existing in the background, helping to facilitate something they enjoy without being front and center.

The kids do greet me, though, and the five of us set off toward the holding pen to get their mounts ready to go.

"Sorry we're a little late," Jake says. "I couldn't get ahold of Robbie's dad."

I frown at that, hopping the fence. "Everything okay?"

"Robbie says he's on some sort of business trip." Jake glances back at the boy and his voice lowers. "Not sure I believe that, but it's not like I can do much about it. And I didn't want to tell him he couldn't go just because his old man's MIA, you know?"

I nod, then click my tongue against the roof of my mouth. The horses slowly amble closer, used to moving together in the same group. It's a big improvement over how unsocialized most of them were when I took them in.

"I left word with his neighbor; gave him my cell just in case."

I smirk at him. "Just in case we get a rare pocket of reception up in the hills?"

"Stranger things have happened, man. Speaking of… remind me to tell you about my brother later."

My brows lift at that, but Jake isn't forthcoming. He goes to help Robbie and Curt get their horses ready, and I help Julie. She's quiet. Shy. Jake's told me she has trouble opening up around people, and I can definitely relate.

As soon as Gloria comes up and nudges her palm, though, she absolutely lights up, giggling as the mare sniffs and mouths her hand, looking for sweets.

"Pack an apple in your lunch today?" I ask.

She nods. "I was going to give it to her later."

When Julie first started coming here, she only really spoke to Jake. But once Gloria picked her out of the group, she warmed up to me some, too.

"Good. She needs to work for it a little bit," I tease, helping Julie with the saddle after she puts the blanket on. "Remember how to tighten the cinch?"

She nods again, her hand moving along Gloria's side until she nearly reaches her back thigh. She presses in gently, and Gloria lets out the breath she'd been holding. Julie tightens the cinch quickly, just like I taught her.

I can see she wants to climb up in the stirrups already, but she waits. Robbie, Curt, and even Jake wait, too. They know the routine here. Maybe a little too well for my liking.

I go through the line, checking every cinch, every saddle, every halter. I make sure the horses are in good temperament and I nudge them until they lift their feet up so I can check their shoes.

At this point, I trust the kids to do it right. I definitely trust Jake. But if I don't check, I'll obsess about it the entire trip and that won't be fun for anyone. So they wait, and once I give the all-clear, we get settled on our mounts.

"Is that a new horse?" I hear Curt ask as I take my position near the front.

I follow his gaze to a large pasture, already knowing which horse he's referring to. A slim palomino stallion is walking at a leisurely pace, trying to get out of the midday sun.

"He is," I say, resting my hand on the pommel of my saddle, my thighs holding tight. "His name's Apollo. I just got him from an auction last week. He was a racehorse. Is a racehorse," I say, correcting myself. "His leg is giving him trouble, so I'm helping him get back into shape."

Curt's eyes light up at that. "Is he gonna race again?"

"That's the hope."

I dare a glance at Jake. As I expected, he's looking right at me, one brow arched. He doesn't say anything just yet, but I know he'll get around to it sooner rather than later.

We set out through the meadow, following a sloping track that's already well-worn. I lead and Jake brings up the rear, with his three students keeping a slow pace that matches mine. Trying to keep Otto from joining us has been an exercise in futility since I got him, but he’s fitted with a rope lead, just in case there's anything dangerous in the foothills. A snake. A rock. A wayward flower.

The trail is blissfully uneventful, though. We trek over small and medium hills, up to the largest of the set. The top is nearly flat, and that's where we stop so everyone can have lunch. I dismount and let my own horse, Domino, nibble at a patch of dandelions while I unpack my sandwich. A breeze rustles through the tall grass, and as I look out over the fields and meadows below, I'm filled with a sense of peace I'm only ever able to get here.

Some of that peace fades a little as Jake comes up to stand beside me. "New horse, huh?"

"I always planned to rehabilitate racehorses," I tell him, trying to keep the accusatory note out of my voice.

"I know," he says.

And he's one of the only people who knows why, too. He knows exactly how much it means to me, the amount of hurdles I've had to clear just to get to this point, and how many more are waiting down this path.

"Are you going to race him?" he asks tentatively.

"What? No. God, of course not."

Sweat prickles on my brow, and I know it's not all from the sun. A wave of nausea hits me and I have to focus on standing my ground just to keep the shakiness out of my limbs.

Jake lets out a puff of breath. He looks visibly relieved. "Okay. Good. 'Cause I was gonna say…"

My laugh sounds more than a little hollow to my ears. "I bought a racehorse; I haven't lost my mind. Chill."

"Hey, I didn't know," he says, putting his hands up. "Maybe you had a change of heart since we talked about it last."

Heart has nothing to do with it. My heart's still out there on the track. My mind, though…

My mind's a tangled mess that I'm just now starting to sort through.

"Yeah, definitely haven't. It's just… a step in the right direction."

Jake flashes me the smile that would've brought me to my knees when we were rooming together in college. Years of friendship have lessened the effect, but I still appreciate it.

"It's a big step. I'm proud of you, Shane," he says, clapping me on the shoulder. His expression sobers, though, and I tense. "Just… if it ends up being too much, too fast…"

"I know," I tell him.

"You should really have some help out here, anyway. This is a lot for one person to take on. Even you."

"If I need help, I'll ask for it."

Jake was there for me when I was at my worst all those years ago. We fell out of touch and I fell into everything racing had to offer—and everything it demanded of me. Even with that, he still came when I called.

I look back at the kids. Julie is feeding Gloria her apple. Robbie and Curt apparently got a tablet to work up here. Everybody's doing what they should be doing, so that leaves it on me to change the subject.

"So you mentioned your brother earlier?"

Jake gives me the 'are you serious right now?' stare down before he smirks. "Nice segue."

"I try," I say, unwrapping a ham sandwich from aluminum foil.

"He's… gotten into some trouble," Jake says, ruffling a hand through his hair.

I raise a brow at that. "Travis, right? Or do you have some other brother I don't know about?"

He snorts. "Yeah, Travis."

That's… shocking to me. I've never met Travis, despite how long Jake and I have been friends. Jake's dad gave preference to his younger son from the time he was old enough to hold a football, and the two of them were always at a camp or some other training event whenever Jake went home.

But from everything I know, Travis grew up to be the perfect son his dad always wanted him to be. Huge star in the NFL—apparently; I don’t watch much football—wildly rich and successful, popular with women the world over. Everything Jake wasn't.

"What'd he do? Wear the wrong brand of cleats during a game? Ruin an endorsement deal?" I’m teasing, but I honestly can't think of anything that might qualify as ‘some trouble.’

"Bit of a bigger deal than that," Jake says with a half-smile. He glances back to his students, then to me. "A tape got uploaded of him fucking some guy. Everybody's losing their shit."

My eyes go wide and there's no way I can hide my shock. "Travis is gay?"

"He's bi. I thought I told you about that. He came out in college. Thought Dad was going to have a heart attack over it, but of course since it was Trav, he could 'tolerate' it."

There's a bitterness to his words that I need to unpack later on, but for now I'm fixated on this tape. "If people already know he's bi, what's the big deal?"

"It's, uh… explicit. And not… I mean, people see Trav a certain way, and this doesn't really…" He makes a face. "Look, I'm not talking about my brother's sex life with you. You can ask him yourself if you want. He'll be here tomorrow."

In Glen Springs? It must've been a huge scandal for him to need to lay that low. Our town has maybe three thousand people in it, and that's a generous guess. The only time we ever even get tourists is when people lose their way while trying to get to Lexington.

It's a big part of why I love this place so much.

"He's staying with you?" Jake nods. "On purpose?"

Another nod. "He's the one who asked."

I wouldn't say Jake has a bad relationship with his brother, but despite being only five years apart in age, they barely know one another.

"So… how's that going to go?" I ask, knowing he'll get what I mean.

"I don't know." He shrugs. "I'm kind of excited. It's been years since I've seen him in person, and without Dad around, maybe it'll be different this time."

I frown a little and reach out for him, giving his arm a squeeze. "I hope so."

"He's a good guy, and it honestly sounds like he could use a break from the spotlight. He's just…"

Jake doesn't finish that sentence, but I can finish it easily enough in my head. A liability. Travis was just a liability. Jake has spent years feeling like "less" in their father's eyes, and Travis being around is only going to dredge that up.

"Hey, I know that look," Jake says suddenly, gesturing to me. "That's the same look you got on your face every time I told you I was going home for the holidays."

And with good reason. Jake came back a mess, each and every time.

"Just give him a chance, okay? It's not his fault he got mixed up in all of this."

I'm not sure if he's talking about football, the sex tape, or their dad's legacy. Maybe all three. It doesn't matter, though. My answer is the same.

"I'll try."

But if he hurts Jake the way the rest of his family has, we're definitely going to have a problem.