Follow a Wild Heart: A Christian Contemporary Western Romance Series

by Natalie Bright

  Before any words could be exchanged, Lola stepped between them and led the way to the saddle house where all the tack was stored. “Come this way, girls.”

  As Lexi passed by Sally, she stopped and gave the horse a scratch behind one ear. Sally buried her nose in Lexi’s stomach and snorted.

  “She remembers you.” Carli smiled at her.

  Lexi couldn’t stifle the grin that appeared on her face.

  Carli draped an arm across Sally’s neck. “It’s not easy being in a bad mood around horses. They’ll settle your spirit every time. Ready to get started?”

  Lola opened the door of the building and stepped to one side. “C’mon, girls. We’ll give you both gloves if you want. No muss, no fuss.”

  Carli hoped that Lola’s firm, but kind, mothering would penetrate their tough shells. She didn’t know their situations, but felt she could relate to being independent, rebellious, trying to survive on her own in life. She didn’t have a real mother since Michelle had abandoned her, and she’d been angry about it for a lot of years. Maybe that’s why she was drawn to these girls and the secret turmoil they buried deep inside.

  Carli had already laid out the supplies they’d need on a wooden counter—rags, saddle soap, leather conditioner. And gloves to protect Bianca’s new manicure. Carli brought over a few bridles and reins. Chairs and stools were already arranged around a metal work bench so they could all sit in a circle as they worked. Carli smiled to herself and thought maybe this was how old-time quilting bees were—older women teaching the young ones. Except in this day and age the girls had taken over the saddle house instead of staying inside to sew.

  Lola started with instructions. “Now take your sponge, wipe it in the container of saddle soap. Give the leather a good rub. We’ll soak the bits in hot water to get rid of any grass, spit, grime—you name it. We want to keep the leather supple, so it doesn’t dry out, crack, and break. And we’ll make sure the stitching is secure and the buckles are working. Okay?”

  Lexi said, “Yes.”

  Bianca huffed some as the side of her mouth stretched in a smirk. She scrunched her eyes and stood up from her seat. “I don’t have to do this, and you can’t make me.”

  Carli opened her mouth to reprimand the young girl, but Lola’s eyes told her to be still. It was kind of strange. Even though Carli was ready to chastise Bianca for talking disrespectfully to them, it was as though a voice inside her said, “Help her.” Over and over again. “Help her.” Was that Carli’s mind talking? Was God nudging her? She had heard people say that God spoke to them and Nathan reminded her to be aware of signs from God.

  “No cleaning. No riding.” Carli was firm. “Taking care of your tack and taking care of your horse is a big part of horsemanship. We want to teach you all of it if you’ll let us.”

  “How ’bout we keep working and I’ll tell you a story.” Lola's suggestion was met with smirks, but hands stayed busy on the task.

  Carli pulled out her phone to take a few pictures she would add to her social media pages later, with the parents' permission. She glanced at the time. Only fifteen minutes had passed. This was going to be a long morning.

  Chapter Seventeen

  As Carli set a bridle down in front of the only two riders who had showed up for opening day of her new LoveJoy Riding School, she cast a glance at the girl who refused to participate. Carli ignored Bianca’s outburst wondering what she should say. After several long moments, Bianca shrugged one shoulder and fiddled with a set of reins, brushing saddle soap on them with her sponge.

  In a low, soothing voice, Lola started. “This story comes from the Bible in the book of Luke. There once was a father who had two sons. But for our story I’m going to make it a father with two daughters.”

  Carli showed Lexi how to take a bridle apart, unbuckle the parts, then they both started cleaning the strips of leather.

  Bianca smirked and rolled her eyes but didn’t say anything.

  Lola continued. “One day one of the daughters came to the father and said, ‘I want my inheritance and I’m going to leave home.’ That sure made her parents sad.

  “The father loved both daughters and he only wanted the best for them. He agreed and the daughter left. At first the girl had a great time, traveling the world and partying with friends. The people she hung out with liked her as long as she was paying for everything. Unfortunately, her good times didn’t last forever. Eventually, the money ran out. Then those friends started disappearing, one after the other. She had no place to live and nothing to eat.”

  Carli stood to hang up several of the cleaned bridles on pegs that lined one wall. She glanced at the girls and noticed that Lola held their attention. They were not distracted or rolling their eyes, but instead listened intently. Another sign? Thank you, God.

  Lola’s soothing voice was easy to listen to. Even though Carli remembered the Prodigal Son story from Luke 15, she was just as enthralled as the girls. Lola continued. “The young girl, now hungry and homeless, abandoned by her wealthy friends, begged for work at a family farm. ‘I can do any work you have,’ she said. The owner agreed to hire her and in exchange for her help with the chores, she could have a place to stay.

  “The first chore on her list was to feed the pigs. You might know that pigs love mud. They like to wallow in it because it protects their skin from sunburn and parasites.”

  “Do you have pigs at the Wild Cow?”

  Carli was surprised that Lexi finally spoke. “No, we don’t. Have we ever had pigs on the ranch, Lola?”

  “I can’t say we have. Cows and chickens, and of course many ranch horses. One year we kept two Texas Longhorns at the headquarters. Ward took an interest in alpacas, but thankfully we didn’t have to learn about them. But I can’t remember having any pigs. They like garbage. A bunch of leftovers, veggies, and a soupy mixture of scraps called slop. That's why they call it ‘slopping the pigs’.”

  Both Bianca and Lexi scrunched up their noses and mouths. “Eww.”

  “Gross.”

  “You’re right,” Lola said. “It was gross. And it got worse. The girl was so hungry she even thought about eating a little food from the scraps she fed the pigs. The hollowness in her stomach reminded her she had finally hit rock bottom. She recalled the wonderful places she had seen and the abundant food and friends that were now gone. She cried and cried and thought of how mean she had treated her mother and father. It was a stupid idea to leave home and spend all of her money. Now she had nothing. What was she going to do? Where was she going to live?”

  Lexi spoke up again, quietly, “Couldn't she go back home?”

  “Do you think her father would let her come home?” Lola asked.

  “This story is so lame,” Bianca chimed in, all smart-mouthed and puffed up. “Her father would probably call the cops on her.”

  “The girl did think about going home,” Lola continued. “Her parents owned a business. The girl wished that maybe she could be one of the workers. She would do everything asked of her, all the things she'd been asked to do before but had rebelled against. And they might pay her a small wage and give her some food. It had to be better than stealing scraps from pigs. She wondered if her father would be angry, maybe even turn her away. But she had to try. She didn’t know what else to do. So, she borrowed enough money for a bus ticket, with a promise to pay it back as soon as she could and left to go back home.”

  Carli and the girls stopped cleaning the leather to listen as Lola proceeded with the story.

  “When the girl reached her home, she hesitated. Would she be forgiven? Or would she be turned away again for squandering her inheritance?

  "To her surprise, her parents came bounding out and wrapped their arms around their daughter. The father said, ‘You’re alive! You’re home! We love you!’ The mother called out. ‘We missed you. We’ll make a big dinner with cake and ice cream!' To the other daughter, she said, 'Let’s celebrate your sister’s return!’

  “The girl cried in her mot
her’s arms and said she was sorry for leaving. She promised her father to work hard. ‘I want to help you now. What can I do for you?’ she told them. But the second daughter who had stayed behind wasn’t as excited. Do you know why?”

  Bianca spoke up, tough as usual and flipping her red hair behind one shoulder. “Yeah. Because the sister who stayed home didn’t have all the fun, did all the work, and nobody was giving her a party. It sucks if you ask me.”

  “What do you think, Lexi?” Lola asked.

  She remained quiet for a moment, looked down, then a little side glance towards Bianca. But Lexi finally spoke up, “Maybe they just forgave her. They really missed her. And loved her.”

  “That’s exactly right,” said Lola. “Of course, the parents loved both daughters equally, but they forgave. You know girls, in this life people are always going to do bad or stupid things. And sometimes people change. They might do something dumb or mean this year or this day, but then at a later time, they’ve changed into a nicer person. Everyone makes mistakes. It’s up to us to forgive. Don’t we want to be forgiven when we mess up?”

  Both girls remained silent. Carli nodded. “Boy, have I made some doozies along the way. Sometimes I’ve had friends forgive and sometimes not, but we all work hard to do better next time, I think.” Except for her mother. Carli would never have a chance to mend that bridge. Would Michelle have ever changed? Carli needed to stop dwelling on the past.

  “And the most important thing,” Lola continued, “the real meaning of this story is that Jesus already forgave us for everything—our past, our present, even our future mistakes. All we have to do is talk to Him about what is bothering us, tell Him we’re sorry, and He’ll be there with open arms. He wants to welcome us home. So, it’s up to you. I think God sends people into our lives to help us sort out our troubles. That’s what Carli and I want too. If we can help you girls with anything, we hope you’ll feel safe in coming to us.”

  “We all share a love of horses, and we want you to know this is a safe place. We hope to become friends.” Carli added, “Thank you, Lola, for that great story. What did you girls think?”

  “It’s all a dumb fairy tale,” Bianca spouted. “People hurt you and they’re out for what they can get. There’s no knight in shining armor. There’s no God on his white horse to rescue you. And I’m sick of this cleaning. I want to go home.”

  With that, she threw her sponge into the soapy bucket and the dirty water splashed all over the other three. She jumped up and ran out of the saddle house.

  Carli stood to follow her outside. If this was a sign from God, she had no idea how to react or what she should do. Maybe her riding school idea was destined to fail before they even got through the first day.

  Chapter Eighteen

  Carli grabbed a lead rope and brush and hurried out of the saddle house to follow Bianca. Something about the Prodigal Son story had upset her. Seemed there was no lack for drama on the riding school’s opening day. But Carli wasn’t giving up yet. These girls were going to ride a horse before they went home, if it was the last thing she could do.

  “Have you met Mouse?” Carli called out to Bianca who stood in the pen. She hadn’t walked into the road yet and didn’t have her cell phone out, so she wasn’t calling her mother.

  Carli slipped a lead rope over the gray gelding and led him closer to Bianca. “Now that we have our riding gear in ship-shape condition, it’s time to brush your horse. Wanna give it a try?”

  Bianca glanced at Carli and then watched Lexi and Lola emerge from the saddle house. Lexi gave Sally a scratch and began to brush her back with firm, short strokes creating puffs of dust as she worked.

  Without a word, Bianca took the brush from Carli. Her frown decreased as she concentrated on her work. Carli worked on Mouse’s mane as Bianca brushed his neck.

  Carli’s heart swelled as she watched the transformation on the young girl’s face. Stress was leaving her, even if only in little bits. All was at peace again, at least for the moment. The power of horses to calm and soothe is a mighty thing.

  Bianca suddenly jerked her head around to watch Lexi.

  “Hey, I want to brush that horse.” She walked over to Lexi and Sally. “Move!”

  Lexi didn’t back down. “Just wait. I was here first and I always work with this horse. You've got Mouse.”

  Bianca shoved her shoulder against Lexi. “You can’t hog everything.”

  Lola watched with her mouth open. So much for peace. Carli froze in place with a curry comb in hand, trying to figure out what was happening.

  Lexi stood her ground. That set Bianca off and she took both hands and shoved her. Lexi stumbled back, regained her footing, and charged.

  In seconds they were rolling on the ground, pushing and grabbing each other’s hair. Profanities and name-calling spewed from both girl’s mouths.

  As they were spinning and tumbling around, Lola and Carli dove to separate them. “Now, just a minute, girls. Stop that! Get up,” Carli said.

  “You’ll spook the horses.” Lola wrapped her arms around Lexi’s waist and pulled her back.

  When both girls scrambled to their feet, held back by Lola and Carli from taking another swipe at each other, their clothes were dirty as well as their faces. But no blood as far as Carli could see.

  “She started it!” Lexi hollered. “I was just minding my own business brushing Sally. I knew I shouldn’t come to this thing. Y’all are just a bunch of losers.”

  “You’re a poser. You don’t know a thing about horses,” Bianca said. “Think you’re so cool in those combat boots and all. You’re just a wimpy b----!”

  “Hold on,” Carli stepped in. “No cursing. One of our rules, remember?”

  “You can go to h-e-double-el with your rules,” spouted Bianca. “I told you I didn’t want to be here.”

  Carli took a deep calming breath. “We’re not going to ruin the time we have left today because of this disruption.”

  “Let’s get you girls dusted off and then Carli can take you on a short ride. We have time before your moms get back.” Lola led the way to the cookhouse. Carli nodded in agreement to Lola and mouthed a thank you. It was obvious someone needed to teach these girls how to act, but Carli decided they'd spent enough time talking. She wanted to end on a positive note, give the girls a good memory to take home with them.

  Maybe a short ride would calm the situation. After their faces were washed and clothes dusted off, Carli instructed both girls to follow her into the saddle house and pointed to the saddles.

  “This is heavy,” said Lexi. “I can’t do it.”

  “Just a poser, like I said,” mumbled Bianca.

  Carli was at her wits’ end with both girls. Together, she helped Lexi lift the saddle over Sally’s back.

  With boots in stirrups and everyone ready, Carli led Beau to the gate, and leaned down to open for all to pass through. Bianca kicked her horse, Mouse, and trotted off leaving the others behind. Carli’s mind was abuzz. With all the excitement she completely forgot about the riding tips she had planned to review today.

  As they worked their way through the pen down to the creek bottom, Carli took in a deep breath. Towering cottonwoods were sprouting small buds as they reached towards a brilliant blue sky dotted with puffs of white. She inhaled again trying to shake off the tension caused by the girls' earlier scuffle.

  Lexi trotted a few short strides to catch up with Carli, head down, eyes fixed on her horse.

  "Looking good, Lexi."

  "That's not what Bianca would say," she mumbled.

  They both watched Bianca ahead of them trotting too fast, Carli thought, her flaming hair flying free.

  "Lexi, we're all at different levels with everything in our lives, whether it's education, physical gifts, even our spiritual walk. We're all on our own journey. Some of us might have more riding experience. I think your mom said you used to have horses. Did you ever get lessons or was it just for fun? Did you and Brandon get on them once in a whi
le?"

  "I used to ride almost every day after school, and then my mom got rid of them. We couldn't afford their feed." She looked so sad.

  "I'm sorry about that, Lexi. I can imagine you miss Itchy a lot. Animals give us so much love. It really hurts when we lose them."

  "It sucks. Nothing ever stays the same."

  "You know, Lexi, sometimes we look at others and think they have it all together or that their life is easier than ours. But you know what? Oftentimes they have it just as rough, or rougher, but we can't see what's happening to them on the inside. Does that make sense?"

  "Sorta."

  "I know Bianca gave you a hard time before when you two ended up thrashing around. We'll all have to talk about it next time you come out. That's gotta be one of our rules, no fighting. We want this to be a safe place for everyone."

  "She started it." Still, Lexi's head was down.

  "I know. But I'm going to give you two tips for today. One is when someone starts a fight, sometimes you have to be the one to walk away. If you don't add to it, like fuel on a fire, the fight can't escalate. Tip two is a riding tip instead of a life tip.” Carli laughed. “Keep your head up when riding. Look up, in the direction of where you want to go. Head up, shoulders back, your whole body follows, and then your horse follows. If your eyes and head are down, you slump, your body leans forward. It could convey to your horse that you want to stop. Got it?"

  "Yeah, thanks."

  "You're welcome. To be a good rider, you just have to learn the right things to do. Kinda like in life."

  Just as Carli started to enjoy the ride and felt calmer, Bianca came fast loping up to them. Aiming for Lexi, she jerked back on the reins to bring her horse to an abrupt stop. Lexi's horse startled and sidestepped. "Watch it!" she snapped.

  Carli saw the apprehension on Lexi's face. "Sally's okay, Lexi. Just tell her 'whoa'."

  Turning to Bianca, she had to reprimand her. "I don't want you riding like that on my horses. Don't jerk on his mouth. And don't upset other riders or horses. Our number one goal is to keep everyone safe."