CHAPTER 19

"I need your help," Brian spoke softly, looking at Mauro, whose eyes were shining with joy after coming from the stables. "There is this special person in my life, and I want to buy them a horse as a present." The man smiled sheepishly. "I don't know anything about horses, except riding them."

"I…I'll do my best." Overwhelmed by the importance the librarian gave to his opinion, Mauro didn't find it strange that the man preferred his help instead of asking his cousin, the real expert. "I need to know some details about the person you intend to give the horse to, like age, height, and an estimated weight."

"It's a boy about your age and constitution." Brian smiled, caressing the top of the kid's head. "That's why I need your advice."

"The horses for sale are this way," Nuzzo intervened, pointing somewhere to his left. "I instructed the guys to bring them into the enclosure so you can take a good look at them."

"This is heaven!" Mauro exclaimed about ten minutes later, clapping his hands, his eyes shining with happiness at the sight of the horses elegantly trotting in the enclosure. "That one." He pointed to a solid-white stallion after carefully examining all of them for about half an hour.

Brian turned to his cousin. "May I…" When the man nodded, the librarian clipped the lead in place and handed it to the kid. "Then he is yours. Congratulations on your first horse."

"I… I can't believe it!" Mauro stuttered, staring in disbelief at the two men, who nodded, bright smiles on their faces. "You are the best in the world!" the boy exclaimed, hugging the two. "Thank you so, so much!"

"I'm glad you're happy." Brian rubbed soft circles on the boy's back, then kissed his temples. "You picked a fine horse. What are you going to name him?"

"Snow." Mauro hugged the horse's neck and kissed his nose. "He is so, so white he almost shines," the teen continued with a smile.

"A perfect name for a beautiful horse." Seeing the teen so happy brought tears in Brian's eyes, but he managed to blink them away. "Now that he's yours, why don't you get the feel of him, while my cousin and I are chatting for a bit?" he suggested, and the kid gladly accepted.

"I'll arrange for him to be shipped to the vet clinic when all of you go back to the States." Nuzzo, who was familiar with the teenager's heartbreaking story, said in a thick voice.

"Thank you, cousin." Brian gave the other man a tight hug. "Mauro is right. You really are the very best."

"Anything for you, the really amazing one." Nuzzo disentangled from the embrace and swallowed hard a few times. "When I look at Stefano, I see the love, care, and time you invested in him. He is beautiful, mature, and intelligent. His mamma smiles from heaven when she sees him."

"Thank you for trusting me with his care," Brian said in a warm, affectionate voice. "Your son is so smart, generous, loving, and respectful. I've seen his mom from time to time; she just smiles and disappears."

"Isabella was like that, a kind smile and a good word for everyone." Nuzzo's eyes were damp, his voice shaky and thick with emotion. "She was the greatest mother in the world."

"That I have no doubt of." Brian nodded in approval. "I can tell the first time she appeared."

Seeing the sadness veiling his cousin's eyes, the librarian changed the subject, and started to tell the other man about Stephanie and Bailey. Nuzzo, whose familial situation was also tangled, with Ennio Nardi and Il Pupparo still fighting over his paternity, listened to him in silence, reacting to his words through gasps and other short sounds expressing his feelings.

He understood Stephanie's and Bailey's point of view when it came to their father, Nuzzo said to his cousin after a few minutes of total silence; in all honesty, he would have done the same. However, the man didn't agree with them not wanting to acknowledge Brian as their brother; the unfortunate situation wasn't his fault, and besides, he helped and protected them in a way only an older brother would.

Anyone would have done the same, the librarian replied. He didn't expect his siblings' gratitude, nor didn't he think to force his presence in their life. Nuzzo didn't comment anything, but he was determined to talk to Stephanie and Bailey, singing praises to his cousin as a way of convincing the two to acknowledge him as their older brother.

The conversation took a different turn, this time Nuzzo being the one who changed the subject. He informed Brian that, very early in the morning, Bernardo Corvo and a few of his best men traveled on the private jet Ahmed Orhan sent to escort Mert to Istanbul. His uncle and a group of loyal soldiers were going to wait at a private landing strip, to take the young leader of Turkish Mafia to the family mansion in Anatolia.

The teen was going to spend two weeks of the vacation there and come back to the farm one day before flying back to New York City. The silence following Nuzzo's short report was broken by Brian, who, in the same voice he used when talking about Stefano, made a list of Mert's qualities and mentioned some of the progresses he made over the past year.

According to his father's last wish, the boy was getting educated in both the modern, Western way of life and culture, and was also taught the percepts and philosophy of Islam. Understanding both would help Mert become the leader of the Turkish Mafia, who often was a prisoner of some extreme practices that didn't have anything to do with honor or religion, so much needed.

The apparition of Mauro riding Snow made the two men stop talking; instead, they stared in awe at the teen holding the reins with a firm, but at the same time gentle, hand. He was controlling the horse, but not in a tyrannical way. It was rather a wordless communication, the boy asking the horse nicely to do one thing or another, and Snow gladly complying.

Eyes shining, his back straight, slightly panting after the fast gallop, Mauro showed confidence and control, the bond between him and the horse so strong it was almost palpable. There's nothing left from the traumatized, fearful kid who flinched at the faintest sound, Brian thought, his heart swelling with joy and pride.

Pulling his phone out of his jeans' back pocket, the librarian started to record Mauro for Don Calogero. Seeing his intentions, the teenager smiled, leaned over Snow, whispered something in his ear, and the horse started to trot, then took off in a short, but fast gallop. Love at first sight, Brian said to himself, smiling, just like Legend and I felt for each other.

***********

Stephanie liked Nuzzo from the very start. He was a bit rougher around the edges than his American cousin, but she could see through the layers, and felt the warmth in his soul. The more time the young woman spent with the man, the more she enjoyed his company, especially when she saw how gentle he was around Bailey.

It didn't take long for Stephanie to find out about the tragic loss Nuzzo suffered three years earlier, and it made her appreciate him even more. She was happy he found someone who could make him feel whole again, and that he was living a second love story, while keeping his deceased partner in his mind and heart.

As for Nuzzo, he was very pleasantly impressed by both Stephanie and her sibling. True Cavallieris, he said to himself, moved by Bailey's story of abuse and survival and by how their sister always stayed by their side, through thick and thin, helping them overcome the trauma and believe in a second chance.

The somehow na?ve and not-at-all subtle method Nuzzo used to convince Stephanie to see Brian as more than her best friend slightly amused the young woman, and she found him adorable. That was until she found out what the librarian did for his cousin's son and the man himself, which made her see his efforts in a different light.

Nuzzo's actions weren't just those of a good cousin, but also of a loyal, grateful man who wanted to repay the help he got from Brian in times of dire need. The racehorse breeder was not only related to the librarian, but he was also part of the Old-World Mafia, adhering to the organization's code of honor and its Laws.

Stephanie liked that universe. She understood the rules, the hierarchy, and everything else from the first time Liam, Baldassare, Luca, or whoever she asked about one thing or another explained it to her. The young woman felt safe and comfortable among all those men, some of them always tense and heavily armed, and decided she wanted to be part of their world. Brian's world.

"So this is the big day." Nuzzo's voice, although lighthearted, made the young woman flinch, and she gave him a confused look. "The day when you're going to ride for the first time. My cousin said you never did before."

"Oh, that!" Stephanie let out a short, embarrassed laugh. "Sorry, I didn't hear you coming. I was lost in my thoughts, and…" She let the sentence go unfinished, cleared her throat, then continued hesitantly. "The truth is, I'm a little terrified by the prospect. The horses look so…tall, big, and kinda scary."

"They are the sweetest creatures. There is nothing scary about a horse," Liam, who was next to his uncle, said in a soft voice. "You have to give them a chance." The young man smiled and continued in a voice filled with understanding. "To be honest, I was the same when I saw Legend for the first time, but once I got to get close to him, everything changed."

"Why are you worried?" Nuzzo intervened in a calm voice tinged with affection. "We have the real-life horse whisperer here." He pointed to the librarian, who, unnoticed by Stephanie, also joined the little group.

"It's not rocket science, really." Brian smiled softly. "Just like any creature, wild or domesticated, horses demand respect and offer affection and loyalty when they get it. Once they bond with people, the animals won't betray them."

"This interesting, pleasant conversation made me remember something." Nuzzo brought a hand to his forehead and turned to the librarian. "I have another Friesian. I bought him after I realized the previous owner was abusing him. You can have him if I feel he's okay around you. No one can get near him. He runs at the hands, bites, kicks, and rears up at them."

"It sounds pretty…challenging." Brian's answer came after a few moments of silence. "But then again, I like challenges, so let's go see him."

"For the time being, I've decided to put him in isolation, because his state of continuous agitation is transmitted to the other stallions, especially since it's mating season." Nuzzo pointed to a building not very far from them.

Brian nodded in understanding. "I see. You won't be able to keep him there when the mares start to get pregnant. Let's go in there."

"Into his stall? Are you crazy?" Nuzzo stared at the librarian, then vehemently shook his head. "No way, cousin. I'll tell the men to bring him out."

"Yes way." Brian nodded. "Just watch me." The librarian walked into the stall and stood there, not moving. At his sight, the horse tossed his head aggressively, stomping his front hooves, then walked to the man, but shied away a few times. Finally, he headed to the librarian, who ran his hand up and down the horse's face. "There you are," he whispered softly into the horse's ear.

"That was…" Nuzzo ran a hand over his face, shaking his head again, a mix of admiration and disbelief in his voice. "I never imagined this horse would accept anyone, but you proved me wrong. The horse is yours. I'm a man of my word. Did you pick a name for him?"

"Yes." Brian was slightly panting. "I'll name him Phoenix, because today, he was reborn."

All the people who assisted at that scene, Stephanie included, were in awe at the sight the librarian offered, caressing the horse, but also dominating him, earning his trust and establishing who's in charge at the same time. He understood the animal, looked into his eyes and saw past all the disobedience and rebellion.

Horses are like people; respect them, and you'll win their loyalty and affection for all the years to come. Stephanie remembered Liam's words when she first admitted to him she was intimidated by the beautiful, but imposing creatures. All they ask is that you give them a chance, the young man continued, then told her about the first time he got close to Legend.

Encouraged by his father, who advised him to talk to the horse in a soft voice, Liam approached him, hand extended, holding an apple. After huffing a few times, Legend graciously accepted the treat and enjoyed it, thanking the young man with a neigh and slightly bowing his head, offering his nose and forehead to be petted. I did, and the rest is history, Liam concluded his story.

Horse whisperer, Stephanie smiled at the thought, protector, Wisdom Keeper, Mafia leader, father, uncle, and friend to many; Brian Cavallieri was all those things and others she had no idea of. And he is also my and Bailey's brother, she continued the internal monologue, the word coming natural to her mind.

As Brian dismounted the horse, his eyes met Stephanie's, and he instantly knew she fully, wholeheartedly embraced the blood tie between them. There were no more obstacles between them, no more sad memories of the past, or resentments of people who were no longer among the living.

No more family secrets.