“Ow!” Sometimes his sister didn’t realize her own strength. Rici glared at Charissa and then noticed the men gawking at him.

  “Did that mouse just say ow?” The older of the men who boasted a floppy hat with a wide brim running all the way around it, zeroed in on Rici.

  Oh, shat! Rici tried to pull the paper over his head, but couldn’t wrestle it from Charissa’s hand. Instead, he tried another tactic. “Squeak!”

  His imitation of the creature’s sound seemed to mollify the man. Still, he held his breath as the man’s attention diverted to Charissa.

  “Justin?”

  Charissa dropped the paper over Rici as she turned to face the men. “Oh, yeah. Right. I’m Justin.”

  Sure. Now she drops the paper. Rici lifted his front legs to keep the paper from sticking to his soppy head. She couldn’t let it go a second earlier when I tugged on it, but now she just dumps it on top of me. Yet, he knew she’d dropped it to hide him. He couldn’t, however, keep himself from peeking out from under his cover.

  The man frowned at her and ran his gaze over her body. “And I’m Dan. You okay? I thought I heard another voice.”

  The man next to him held a broom in one hand and swung it side to side as he spoke. “Hey, dude. I’m Bob. Are you hiding a mouse under there?”

  Rici flinched and drew the paper over his head a little farther. He didn’t care much for the way the man had said the word “mouse.” But at least now he knew the name for the creature he’d copied.

  “Mouse?” Charissa started to fake ignorance, saw that the men weren’t buying her act and confessed. “Oh, right. Yes, I have a mouse under the papers.”

  The third man, darker in complexion than the other two men, mumbled something in a different language to Dan. Dan shrugged and answered back in the same melodic, flowing speech.

  “Juan wants to know if you’re planning on killing it with your hands?”

  Kill me? Rici stifled the few choice words that came scorching up his throat. Why did they want to kill him? From Charissa’s answering tone, she’d had the same reaction to the question.

  “Kill him?” Charissa shifted a foot to the slide in front of the basin and protect Rici from the men. Unfortunately, her movement also kept him from seeing them, too. If he was in danger, he’d rather know it’s coming; see it coming and, hopefully, avoid it.

  “That’s what we do to mice around here.” Dan spied at her quizzically. “In fact, I’m surprised Old Tom hasn’t made a snack out of him. He must be slowing down in his old age.”

  “Old age?”

  Rici knew Charissa tried to buy some time with her question, but Dan took her question to mean something else.

  “Oh, hey. I didn’t mean anything by that. But the cat is getting pretty long in the tooth.”

  A cat? What the haellus was a cat? Rici slipped out from under the paper to poke his head around Charissa’s waist. But if a cat had anything to do with eating a mouse, he didn’t want to find out. At least, not while he was stuck in this body.

  “I’m not going to kill him.” Charissa fisted her hands on her hips and a surge of pride coursed through Rici.

  “Do we have a problem, guys?”

  The fists fell from Charissa’s hips as Travis approached the group. “Travis! Uh, no, no problem. Or I hope not.”

  “Justin’s got a pet mouse, Travis.” Dan scowled at Charissa before grinning a wicked grin. “I think he’s giving the damn thing a bath.”

  Juan and Bob chuckled along with Dan, but Travis didn’t crack a smile. Instead, he stepped closer and leaned over to peer around Charissa at Rici. “I don’t believe I’ve ever heard of a horseman having a pet mouse. Is this true, Justin?”

  Rici could sense the mix of Adoration and Lust flowing from his sister. Yet, as disgusting as the idea of his sister experiencing emotions for a human was, he hoped she’d convince Justin not to let the others hurt him.

  “A pet? Yes, he is.”

  “He? You know it’s a male?” Travis’ mouth curved up at the ends, but he kept from breaking out into the smile glinting in his eyes. “How?”

  Charissa stumbled for a moment before finally answering. “I just do. Besides, can’t I have a pet? Or is it against the rules?”

  Bob replied before Travis could. “Considering how much horses hate mice, I’d think the answer would be clear.”

  Dan nodded in agreement. “Bob’s right.”

  Travis, however, didn’t jump in right away. Instead, he took another look at Rici. “Well, it is kind of weird. But I don’t guess there’s anything wrong with it. As long as you keep it in a cage at all times. Which means no giving it a bath in a sink.”

  All the men stared at Travis as if he’d grown a third head. “You’re kidding right, Boss?” Bob slapped Travis on the shoulder in a playful, joking manner.

  “Nope. I’m serious.” He pointed a finger at Charissa and added, “But if I ever find out you’ve let him out or he’s escaped, then you’re going to end up with one dead rat. Got it?”

  Got it? Got what? Rici breathed a sigh of relief even as he wondered what Charissa was supposed to have gotten.

  “If you’re asking if I understand, then yes, I do.” Putting her hands behind her back, Charissa wiggled her fingers at Rici, prompting him to hop into her palm. Once he was secured in her hand, she brought her hands back to the front and showed Rici, the mouse, to the men. “See? He’s not going anywhere.”

  “You just make sure he doesn’t.” Travis cocked his head to the side as if still trying to believe one of his hired men had a pet mouse. “Dan, show Justin where to bunk.” He jabbed a finger toward Rici. “Put that thing in its cage and get on back here. I’ve got work for you.” Turning on his heel, he took a few paces.

  Rici curled into a ball in Charissa’s hand as she nodded at Travis. “You bet, Boss. I’d love to get to work.”

  Watch your tone of voice, Charissa! The seductive way she’d said the words stopped Travis in his tracks and had Rici peeking out from under his paws.

  Travis opened his mouth to say something, then abruptly turned on his heel and strode away.

  Chapter Four

  “When are you going to give up this absurd idea of caring about a human?”

  Rici stretched out on the bed in the comfortable house Travis had referred to as the living quarters for the men, and enjoyed the splendid feeling being in his own skin gave him. For three days, Charissa and he had stayed in their altered forms, while “Justin” followed Travis around the ranch, learning all the aspects of his new job. Only when Rici and Charissa could guarantee their privacy could they revert to their true forms.

  “I can’t help it, Rici. Someway, somehow I’m going to find out how to get Travis to love me.” Charissa, in her natural form, too, brushed through her long, dark hair in front of the one mirror in the building. “We’re lucky the others gave me a private room.” She caught his eye as she smiled at him in the reflection. “As a ‘gesture for the old man’ they said. Personally, I think they didn’t want me around them any more than I want to stay around them. Besides, from everything I’ve learned, most of the hands don’t live on the ranch, anyway. So, we’re lucky to be here. Where else would we have gone?”

  “Lucky?” Rici sat up, slipping his feet to the floor and sitting up. “Are you insane? How is it lucky to spend our days in the bodies of an old man and his pet mouse? Lucky would be to go home to Matlantia and forget this foolishness.”

  As so many times in the past few days, Charissa met his gaze and held it rock-solid; a study in determination. “I’m not giving up. Look what I’ve gone through to get close to Travis. Have you ever seen me work like, like a servant before?”

  “A servant? Ha. And they’re called hired hands here. Besides, every time Travis told you to do something unpleasant, you pushed one of the other hands into doing it for you. I haven’t seen you so much as lift a tired, old finger in labor yet.”

  Charissa admired her reflection and shrugged. “So? Did you really expect me to shovel a horse’s excrement? I think not.”

  “Of course not.”

  “Then what’s the problem? I need time before I can reveal myself to Travis.”

  He’d had enough. If he didn’t get out of this charade, this farce, he’d go crazy soon. “So you say, but I have yet to hear the plan for this revelation. Sure, you don’t mind staying longer. You don’t want to give up, but you’re not the one stuck in your pocket or left in a cage all day long, playing the part of what is considered a very disgusting, disease-carrying creature.”

  “I think you look very cute with your whiskers and itsy-bitsy feet.”

  He glowered at her, knowing she meant it as a diversion from the topic at hand. But he’d make her stay on subject no matter what. “Charissa, dear, if you must have this man, then do it. Have him. I’ll wager once you’ve ridden him, you won’t care about him a minute later. So why not simply push the Love emotion into him and get it over with.” He tried to resist, but couldn’t keep the whine out of his voice. “I want to go home, Charissa.”

  “’I, I, I.’ Can’t you think of anyone but yourself? How selfish!” Charissa pouted her lips out and pivoted to face him. “What about what I want? Why must you always think of yourself first?”

  Was she serious? “Are you kidding me? Talk about the sun calling the star bright.”

  Charissa dropped the brush on the end table next to the bed and flopped down next to Rici. She hugged him to her, sending a warning signal through him. Charissa rarely showed affection without wanting something in return.

  “I know, my dear brother, but I can’t help it. Ever since we escaped from the Chamber, I’ve had all kinds of emotions filling me up. But the biggest one, the one that holds me captive as tightly as the Chamber did, is Love. But it’s different, Rici.”

  He knew he shouldn’t ask, but did so anyway. “How is this different?”

  “Because for once in my life, I want a man to want me for me. I don’t want to push Love into him and get him that way. I want him to care about me the natural way. I want him to want me, as a woman, the way a man wants a woman. You know, the mor—”

  “No! Don’t say it!” Had his sister lost her mind?

  “I will say it. The mortal way.”

  A myriad of emotions assaulted him, blurring his vision as he tried to control the unexpected, unfamiliar, and unwanted rush of sensations invading his mind and body. “Oh, Charissa. What has happened to you? To us?”

  Charissa, however, didn’t appreciate his predicament. “Cease the dramatics, brother. Can’t you try to understand?”

  The wetness—“tears”—formed in her eyes as they so often did when speaking of Travis. And something about her tears opened up a part of Rici that he never knew existed. “First of all, the natural way for Matlantians to mate is through arranged unions. Emotions don’t play a part in any of it.” If the things rattling his mind and body were any indication of how humans experienced emotions, he wouldn’t want to wish such a horror on anyone. Even Travis Walker. But especially not himself or his sister.

  Charissa blew out an exasperated puff of air and began to speak, but he held up his hand to stop her. “Secondly, all this is happening because you’ve never experienced emotions before now. At least not at the strength you are now. But they’re still emotions. Nothing more and something to avoid at all costs. Push him into sex, Charissa, and let’s go home.”

  “How? Even if I wanted to push him, I couldn’t do it right now. Not as Justin.”

  She had a point.

  “No. We have to persevere and hope a way presents itself. Besides, we’re learning about the humans of this time. Don’t you think it might impress the Elders when they find out how much we know of their culture, language, and advancement?”

  “I guess, but I think you—”

  The knock on the door had them both jumping off the bed.

  “Yo, Justin!”

  Charissa mouthed Dan’s name to Rici. Seconds later, she was back in the form of the old man and Rici had scampered on tiny mouse legs into Charissa’s makeshift cage.

  “Yeah, what, man?”

  Rici frowned, making his nose twitch in the process. Charissa was picking up the vernacular of these humans in record time. Almost as if she planned on staying with them.

  “Travis wants you to help with the mare.”

  Charissa glanced at Rici with a “Do you know what he’s talking about” expression. Rici swished his tail in an irritated, nonverbal answer.

  “What mare?”

  “The one he told us about yesterday. Come on, man. The mare from Lazy W. The one to stud with Adonis. Shit, man, don’t you remember anything?”

  Charissa moved closer to Rici, opened the pocket on the shirt she’d copied from another hand’s wardrobe and motioned for him to climb inside. “Oh, yeah. Sure I do. Just because I let one little thing slip, doesn’t mean you have to rag on me about it.”

  Rag? Now what did that mean? Rici hated riding in Charissa’s pocket. What if someone saw him? How would they handle seeing a mouse in Justin’s pocket? Would they put him in a real cage? Or would they do away with him? He shuddered as he remembered how Tom, the ranch’s cat, had stared at him with hunger in his eyes. But what other choice did he have except to stay with Charissa?

  “Sorry, man. No offense meant.”

  “Okay, hold your horses.” Charissa opened the door and grinned at Dan. “Get it? Hold your horses which is pretty funny considering where we work, don’t you think?”

  Dan switched the twig in his mouth from one side to the other. “Yeah. A real laugh riot. Come on, Travis is waiting.” With a shake of his head, he whirled around and headed toward the building’s front door.

  Charissa’s dark eyes twinkled down at Rici from inside the weathered skin of Justin’s face. “Lead the way. I’m dying to see Travis.”

  Dan slammed to a stop, startling her with his abrupt stop. Facing Charissa, he tipped back his hat and gave her a hard look. “Why do say those things?”

  Lifting his head, Rici could see up at Charissa and held his breath. Her, or rather Justin’s, comments about Travis had raised more than a few eyebrows, but no one had ever stopped to question her about it. Now it appeared Dan was about to do just that.

  “What things? My jokes?”

  Snuggled close to her chest, Rici heard her heartbeat pick up speed. Stay steady, Charissa. Don’t let him see you’re nervous.

  “No, man. Weird shit like you’re dying to see Travis.”

  “I didn’t realize saying that was weird.”

  Rici heard Dan step closer and could almost see his face as he leaned nearer to Justin. He scrunched down inside the pocket and tried not to make a squeak.

  “Man, some of things you say are a bit, well, you know.”

  “No, I don’t know. What do you mean?”

  No, Charissa. Don’t question him. Let the matter drop and move on before he gets more suspicious than he already is.

  “I mean, when you say stuff like that you sound like you’re sweet on the guy.”

  When he saw Charissa smile, Rici knew he had to do something. She’s going to say it’s true! As she inhaled and opened her mouth to speak, Rici the mouse, banged his nose against Justin’s chest, opened his jaw wide and clamped down on as much flesh and cotton as he could.

  Charissa yelped and slapped her hand over her pocket, knocking Rici free of his hold and squishing him.

  Dan took Justin’s cry to mean something other than the expression of pain it was. “Hey, man, don’t get me wrong. Like I said before. I don’t have anything against your type of guy. I’m just saying you being sweet on the boss is a little strange for the rest of us.”

  Charissa pulled her pocket open far enough for Rici to glare up at her while he held his throbbing head in his paws. With a thrust of a fisted paw, he narrowed his already beady eyes and shot her a silent threat. Watch it!

  She patted her pocket and returned her attention to Dan. “Oh, I understand. Okay, not to worry. I’ll try and watch what I say from now on.”

  Dan let out a sigh. “We’d appreciate it. Come on. We’d better get our butts in gear or the boss is going to have both our heads. He’s waited a long time to get Adonis and he wants to start getting his money’s worth as soon as possible.”

  ****

  Charissa watched as the mare Travis wanted to breed pranced around the stall. Yet, unlike what she’d expected, Adonis wasn’t in the pen beside the mare. Instead, mare after mare filled the eight stalls on either side of the alleyway. At least, Charissa was fairly certain they were all female horses judging from their effeminate names like Baby Blue Lady and Ms. Lonely. After Rici’s painful warning and Dan’s request, she decided to remain silent and not ask. Especially since she didn’t want to let on that she didn’t have a clue what breeding a mare involved.

  Yet Charissa being the inquisitive person she was, she had to ask some of the questions rumbling around in her head. “Okay, so this is Princess Dancer, right?”

  “Yep.” Travis ran a hand through the lock of hair on his forehead and shoved it back. He wore his usual outfit of jeans and a t-shirt, along with well-used boots. Unlike a lot of his hired help, he preferred not wearing a hat unless the heat of the day called for it. And Charissa, for one, liked that he didn’t. His cowboy hat covered way too much of his tussled hair for her liking. In fact, if she could have figured out a way, she’d have had Travis doing his chores and barking orders in the buff.

  “And she’s the one you want to breed with Adonis, right?”

  Travis chuckled as he attempted to steady the horse’s nerves by rubbing his hand along her neck and whispering soft words in her ear. “Which is why Tall Oaks is called a stud ranch.”

  How she’d love to have Travis run his hands along her neck and coo to her! “Right. Then why isn’t Adonis with the mare? I thought that was the whole purpose. And what’s this other horse for? The one they call a teaser horse?”