Welcome Home!

by Kristin Earhart

  “Wait a minute, Ben. What happened to your hands?” Mom grabbed Ben’s wrist and looked at his bloody palm.

  “It’s just a cut from a rope in the barn,” Willa tried to explain. She gave Ben a Don’t say a word look. Her mom glanced at the old building. “You’d better go wash those hands off.”

  “But the cat,” Ben insisted.

  “No way are you touching that cat with an open cut,” Mom replied. “Eric, can you take Ben inside? The Band-Aids are in my bag.”

  They all watched them go inside. Grandma Edna turned to her daughter. “You’re going to need to loosen up a little, Amelia,” she said. “Kids need room to breathe and solve their own problems.”

  “Mom, you know that’s part of the reason we moved here,” Mom huffed. Willa had never heard her mom and grandma argue.

  “Now, you two,” Grandpa Reed said after a pause. “You’re both coming from the same place so don’t fight. I’m coming from the place of hunger. Willa, why don’t you give me a quick tour so we can head on inside and eat. Grandma made some of her strawberry scones.”

  Willa took her grandpa’s hand. They walked toward the back of the house, and Grandma Edna followed. New Cat was right behind them. “I haven’t had much time to explore yet,” she confessed. “But I saw these beautiful flowers on the back fence.”

  Grandpa Reed looked up and nodded.

  “Nasturtiums,” Grandma Edna told them. “Why, they’re just lovely.”

  “I could use those in salads.” That was Dad again. He and Ben had returned. Ben had white gauze wrapped around his palms. “But we’ll have to get a lawn mower to get anywhere close to them.”

  “Oh, a few goats could take care of that overgrown grass,” Grandma suggested.

  Eric coughed back a laugh. “We are starting a bed-and-breakfast, Edna, not a petting zoo.”

  Grandpa Reed broke in. “Yes, dear, we all know that you will find any excuse to surround yourself with more animals. But we all also know that it’s time for breakfast.” With that, he lifted Ben by the middle and swung him upside down. Ben giggled. “This boy’s ready to eat. He’s light as a feather. Let’s plump him up.”

  Grandpa Reed led everyone inside. Willa walked behind. She liked the way her grandma thought. What was the point in having a big house and big yard if you didn’t share it with animals? They needed at least one pet, maybe two. And the sooner the better.

  Chapter 4

  THEY HADN’T BEEN TO THEIR Grandparents’ house in years, but Willa had warm memories of their little island farm. Grandma Edna, who was a veterinarian, ran a small animal rescue center. She had taken in everything from pet rabbits to geese to goats. And, of course, Chincoteague ponies.

  “Remember how she let us throw flakes of hay into the pony paddock last time?” Willa asked Ben in a whisper. Her brother nodded. “You were so small, you could hardly reach over the fence.”

  Willa and Ben were sitting in the backseat of their grandparents’ truck, on the way to their farm. Once their bikes arrived, they’d be able to visit on their own, whenever they wanted.

  Ben frowned as Willa giggled. A lot had changed, and he was definitely taller now. Maybe this time he’d get to ride a pony by himself.

  “They still have ponies, right?”

  “I think so,” Willa answered. “Mom said that Grandma’s getting older and isn’t taking in new animals anymore. And there’s another pony rescue on the island now too.”

  When they turned onto the long driveway to Miller Farm, Ben saw his sister cross her fingers. He looked past her to the fenced-in field. There, a small band of ponies came into view. They weren’t the silky sleek horses like at the riding stable near the city. These ponies had muddy knees and thick, shaggy manes. They were still beautiful.

  Grandpa brought the truck to a stop close to a one-story house.

  “You’ll have to meet the newest member of our herd,” Grandma said as she swung the passenger door closed. She motioned to a horse that was nearly twice as tall as the ponies. He was all black, except his legs had long white hair from the knee down. “Jake is a Shire, a real, live draft horse. He’s a bigger sweetheart than the rest combined.”

  “Literally,” Grandpa uttered, helping Ben and Willa jump down from the backseat of the truck.

  “The ponies are all moving on in age,” Grandma Edna explained, motioning to the field. “They’re getting more stubborn by the day. They aren’t much for riding anymore. Annie pins back her ears whenever she sees a saddle. Oh, she pins her ears all the time.” Grandma pointed to a chestnut mare with a star on her forehead. Willa remembered that she had ridden Annie the last time she visited Miller Farm. Well, she’d sat on Annie, and Grandma had led her around.

  “Truth is,” Grandma continued, “I don’t have time for riding either. But Jake loves to get out and about.”

  Willa sighed. While there were still ponies on the farm, it sounded like they were pretty much off limits. Except for Jake, and he was so tall, Willa couldn’t imagine getting on him.

  “Can I pet him?” Ben asked. The horse had eased his way to the fence.

  When Grandma nodded, Ben stepped forward and held out his hand. The draft horse’s great tongue licked Ben’s fingers. Ben laughed.

  “Jake’s always friendly, but the ponies are only interested if you have a treat,” Grandma explained.

  “They’re a hungry bunch,” Grandpa said.

  “No more than you, Reed. It’s just their nature. They’re grazers. It’s their job, eating enough to keep them going.

  “Come on, kids. We should water the horses,” Grandma Edna said. It was a funny term, but Willa knew they weren’t going to throw water on the horses. It meant filling up the drinking trough. Grandpa went inside to make sandwiches, and Willa helped Grandma untangle the green hose. She slid it through the fence and into the metal trough.

  “Edna!” Grandpa called from the door. “Clifton left a note for you. Says a fellow named Worth called on the barn phone and is on his way over.”

  Grandma nodded as she worked the kinks out of the hissing hose. “Clifton’s a teenager who helps out around the place,” she said. “He’s awful nice, and he’s got a sister about your age, Willa.”

  Willa smiled, but she didn’t have time to ask questions. A truck and trailer began its way up the farm’s long gravel drive. They all turned to look.

  The truck stopped, and a man with a cowboy hat got out and shut the door. “You Edna Miller?” he asked.

  “Well, yes.”

  “My name’s Dale Worth. I got your name from a friend. She said you take in Chincoteague ponies.”

  Grandma opened her mouth to answer, but the man kept right on talking.

  “My neighbors are going through a rough patch and need to let their pony go. I promised them I’d take care of it. So here I am, and here’s the pony.” He motioned to the battered trailer and moved toward its back end.

  “I’m not exactly taking new animals,” Grandma called out.

  “I called earlier,” Mr. Worth said, “but I’ve only got the trailer for the day, so I came ahead.”

  “Now’s not the best time,” Grandma continued. “The fence on our small paddock is broken. We have no way to separate a new animal from the herd.”

  The man kept moving as Grandma talked. He lifted a lever and pulled down a ramp.

  Grandma had more to say, but the man disappeared inside the trailer. There was the shuffling of hooves on metal, and then a sleek buckskin backed down the ramp.

  Willa held her breath. Ben’s jaw dropped. Grandma Edna just stared.

  The pony snorted as she stood next to Mr. Worth. Her ears twitched. Her coat was a creamy butterscotch, and her mane and tail were the color of cocoa. Her dark eyes were warm and friendly.

  “This here’s Starbuck,” Mr. Worth said. “She’s a nice mare, but she loved her owner. I suspect she’s going to be lonesome not having young Merry around.”

  Ben looked at Grandma. Her eyes were steady on the pony, b
ut it looked like she had all kinds of thoughts churning around in her head.

  Willa couldn’t understand why Grandma wasn’t running up and hugging the pony that very second.

  “She looks to be a fine horse,” Grandma said, “but I don’t have the paddock space now. Like I said, my other gate’s broken.”

  Ben had heard Mom describe Grandma as “being stubborn as a mule.” Why was the broken fence such a big problem?

  “I can’t come back. My place is more than an hour south of here, and this pony needs a home now,” Mr. Worth explained.

  Willa felt a tightness across her chest.

  She looked at Grandma. Why was she taking so long?

  Finally Grandma spoke. “Where are the papers?” she asked.

  Mr. Worth hesitated. “I don’t have them, but the family promised they’d send the paperwork as soon as things settle.”

  “This is very unusual,” Grandma said, shaking her head. “Very unusual.”

  She took a deep breath. For the first time, her eyes looked over to her grandchildren. “What do you think, should we take this pony?”

  Ben’s eyes grew in size. Willa could barely speak but managed to say, “It seems like the right thing to do.”

  “Yes,” Ben agreed.

  “Very well,” Grandma concluded. “I suppose we could clear out a space in the barn for the time being.” She took the pony’s lead and handed it to Willa while she got contact information from Mr. Worth.

  Even in the hot summer sun, Willa had goose bumps. She reached out and smoothed the soft hair along the mare’s neck. Ben picked a long blade of grass. He let Starbuck eat it from his hand.

  They were still standing there when Mr. Worth backed the truck and trailer down the drive. They were both smiling.

  Chapter 5

  “EDNA?”

  Willa and Ben turned when Grandpa called.

  “She’s in the barn,” Ben said.

  “She said she has to figure out which stall Starbuck will go in,” Willa explained.

  “Starbuck?” Grandpa asked, his eyes lingering on the new pony. “Edna?” he called again.

  At that moment Grandma came out of the barn, but she didn’t see Grandpa. She had a bucket of brushes in one hand and a flake of hay in the other.

  “I need one of you to help move some feed bags. The other can help me groom the mare, make her feel at home. Remember how we did it when you last visited?” She stopped short when she saw Grandpa.

  “I go in the house for five minutes and there’s a new horse in our driveway when I come out?” He tried to hide a stubborn smile.

  “It must be what Clifton’s note was about. This pony needs a place to stay for a while, until I can find her a better home,” Grandma explained.

  “I’ve heard that before,” said Grandpa.

  “Well, I thought the timing might be right,” Grandma replied. She raised her eyebrows and tilted her head toward Willa and Ben.

  Grandpa laughed. “Your grandma might be retired,” he said, “but animals still run her life.”

  “They keep finding me,” Grandma admitted.

  While Grandpa helped Grandma in the barn, Ben and Willa took turns brushing Starbuck.

  The pony didn’t really need brushing. She didn’t have a speck of dirt on her, but she seemed to like the attention. Willa ran the currycomb in circles on her belly, and Ben petted the swirl of hair on the center of her face. “What did Grandma mean when she said ‘for a while’?” Ben asked.

  “I don’t know,” Willa said with a shrug. “Mom said that Grandma sometimes finds a new home for the animals, the ones that don’t really need to be at a rescue center.”

  Starbuck let out a deep sigh. So did Willa. The pony turned around to give her shirt a friendly nip. “I know, girl,” Willa said. “I sure hope you get to stay here.”

  When it was time to introduce Starbuck to her stall, the pony didn’t want to budge. “Move on,” Grandma said, patting the pony on the rump.

  Starbuck stepped forward with slow, stiff movements. Ben walked next to Grandma, carrying the brushes. “Looks like it hurts her,” he said.

  Grandma looked down. “I think you’re right, Ben.”

  They took the pony to her stall for a closer look.

  “See how nice this stall is?” Willa said as she led Starbuck inside. The stall smelled of fresh sawdust.

  Grandma knelt by the mare’s side. She ran her hands down her leg. “Sure enough,” Grandma said, “she’s got heat and swelling in this leg. It could be from the trailer ride, or maybe from before. It’s a good thing we have a place to keep her. I don’t think she’ll be ready for the paddock for a while.”

  Grandma told Willa and Ben that the leg wasn’t too bad. “But she’ll need company so she doesn’t get bored in this stall. It’s no fun to be cooped up on your own, is it?” Grandma scratched Starbuck on her lower lip.

  “We’re happy to help,” Willa said eagerly.

  Ben nodded. He petted the pony’s muzzle, which was the softest thing he had ever felt.

  Every morning Willa and Ben rode their bikes to their grandparents’ farm. They did whatever chores Grandma Edna gave them—weeding the garden, cleaning the saddles, sweeping the barn. But she did warn her grandchildren. “We don’t know much about this pony,” she told them. “For now, no going in her stall unless I am in the barn too.”

  Mom and Dad were so busy with the house—the furniture had arrived and the rooms needed to be set up—that they didn’t have time to take the kids around to all the local sights. “The carpenters are coming on Saturday,” Mom said. “We have a lot to figure out before they arrive.”

  But Ben and Willa didn’t care. Even though they hadn’t seen or met any kids their own age—except for Chipper—they had each other.

  And for once, they wanted to do the exact same thing: see Starbuck. Willa couldn’t believe that for the past few days, she hadn’t thought about Chicago or Kate once. She had Starbuck to thank.

  Chapter 6

  ONE MORNING, THE SMELL OF banana bread woke both kids and they hurried downstairs. They had been on the island almost a week, and this was the first homemade breakfast. “This is really good, Mom,” Willa said. Their dad was a chef, but Mom was the baker.

  “I need you two to do me a favor.” Mom was holding a casserole dish with an envelope taped inside. “We need to return this. I did some detective work, and Chipper is one of the Starling kids. They also have an older girl. They live up the road.”

  By “detective work,” Willa knew that her mom had talked to Grandma Edna. They hadn’t seen Chipper since that first night. And now Mom probably wanted them to make friends with the Starling kids.

  “Do I have to go too?” Ben asked.

  “Yes, you do,” Mom said. “I hear that the Starlings have something new in their backyard that you’ll be interested in.”

  When they were a few yards from the porch, Mom opened the door. “I invited them to a picnic at our house,” she called out. “After the construction’s done. Just so you know.”

  Willa smiled at Ben. Mom loved picnics. Even though they had a huge house now, she would rather plan a gathering outside.

  “I wonder what the surprise is,” Willa said, gripping the dish in both hands. “Maybe a trampoline.”

  “Or a pool,” Ben offered.

  When they came to the house, Willa realized it was one she had noticed when they first moved in. There was a swing hanging from a large tree, bikes on the lawn, and wildflowers.

  The doorbell was under a hand-painted plaque with the words, WELCOME TO OUR HOUSE. HOPE YOU FEEL AT HOME. Willa pushed the bell and waited. A happy scream came from the backyard. “Maybe it is a pool,” Willa whispered.

  The door opened. A woman who was not much taller than Willa greeted them. She had short almond-brown hair and big blue-rimmed glasses that made her look like a librarian in an old book.

  “We’re returning this,” Willa said. She handed the dish over.

  “
You must be the Dunlaps,” the woman said. “Willa and Ben, right? Your grandma has told me all about you. Sorry my kids haven’t been over. They’ve been busy. I can’t get them to leave the backyard.”

  “It’s okay,” Willa said. “We’ve been busy too. Thank you for the oysters. They were delicious.”

  “My dad would really like the recipe,” added Ben.

  “Ben,” Willa said, “you can’t just ask someone for the recipe.”

  “Well,” Mrs. Starling said, taking the dish in her hands. “I’ll have to think about that. It is an old family secret.” She smiled like a helpful librarian too.

  Willa and Ben followed her through the house. Books and wooden ducks were everywhere. When they came to a sliding glass door, she opened it. “Chipper! Sarah! The Dunlaps are here.”

  Two kids looked up from where they sat on a plaid blanket. Ben looked at Willa—it definitely was not a pool.

  “Why don’t you show them the puppies?” Mrs. Starling said. “Just keep it down. Bess is napping,” she reminded them.

  “Bess is our little sister,” Chipper explained once Willa and Ben reached the blanket. “We have a big sister too. Kat.”

  “Katherine,” Sarah corrected. She smoothed out her dark shiny hair, then her skirt. “We just got Marnie about a couple of months ago,” she continued. “We didn’t know she was pregnant.”

  Chipper pointed to the black and white pups. “That’s Amos, Ranker, Bella, Dolly, Rice Cake, Tramp, and Jubilee,” he said, rattling off their names.

  “They were born just before you moved in,” he added. “They’ll stay with Marnie for a few months. But then we have to give them away.”

  “All but one,” Sarah added.

  Ben reached out to lift Rice Cake, but the puppy squirmed and Ben dropped him.

  “What did you just do?” Sarah cried. “You could have hurt him!”

  Willa looked at her brother. His eyes filled with tears.