Chasing Gold

by Catherine Hapka

  “Ready for your breakfast?” she asked the dog with a yawn. “I guess I’ll feed you guys first, then do the other chores.”

  Soon the dogs and cats were fed. Haley let the chickens out, scattering a few handfuls of cracked corn for them to peck at. Then she stood there for a moment, trying to remember what else she had to do. With a groan, she recalled that the big stock tank had been getting low last night and would need to be topped off this morning. Hurrying out to the pasture, she slipped between the fence boards and dropped the hose into the tank. The hydrant was always sticky, but today it seemed extra hard to pry up the handle. Letting out a grunt, she finally got the water turned on.

  She returned to the barn while the tank filled. At least the stalls weren’t very dirty, since they hadn’t been occupied the night before. But nobody had mucked them out after the horses had come in for dinner the evening before, and there were a few piles of manure already attracting flies. For a moment Haley was tempted to leave cleaning them until after school.

  Then she remembered that Mrs. Vandenberg had called yesterday after dinner asking if Haley could watch the triplets this afternoon. That meant she would have to get the stalls done now.

  With a wide yawn, she went to fetch the wheelbarrow. It felt heavy as she pushed it into the doorway of Chico’s stall. She yawned again as she scooped up a manure pile with the fork. She’d just tossed the manure into the barrow when Bandit trotted into the stall and pressed himself up against her leg.

  “Out,” Haley ordered, giving him a shove with her foot. “No time to play today.”

  Bandit whined, his fringed tail wagging slowly as he gazed at her. She shook her head.

  “I’m serious. Go!” She made her voice stern and pointed to the aisle.

  With one last whine, Bandit slunk back out. But he didn’t go far—Haley had to stop the wheelbarrow to avoid running it into him when she moved on to the next stall.

  “Go!” she exclaimed. “Get out of here, Bandit!”

  The dog finally wandered off and Haley sighed, feeling slightly guilty for losing her temper with the dog. Oh well—too late now. She’d make it up to him after the clinic, maybe take him out trail riding in the woods or something.

  It didn’t take long to pick out all the stalls. Still, when she checked her watch she saw that she was running late. She’d need to hurry if she wanted to have time for even a quick breakfast.

  Leaving the wheelbarrow where it stood, she rushed around getting everything else done. She was so tired that she almost dropped the basket while she was collecting the eggs, and she tripped over the same cat twice while she was watering the window boxes on the henhouse.

  But finally, she was pretty sure everything was done except dumping the wheelbarrow. She grabbed the handles and rushed it across the barnyard. As she reached the gate, she suddenly thought about something. Had she turned off the water to the stock tank, or was it still running?

  She bit her lip, willing her tired brain to remember as she swung open the gate and shoved the barrow through. She pushed the wheelbarrow toward the manure heap slowly, still trying to picture whether she’d shut off the hydrant and coiled up the hose, or . . .

  Screee . . . CRASH!

  A sudden squeal of car brakes from the road startled Haley out of her sleepy thoughts. With a gasp, she whirled around—and saw a limp, furry shape lying in the road just a few yards away.

  “Oh no—Bandit!” she blurted out, glancing from the gate—standing wide open where she’d forgotten to close it—back to her favorite dog’s still body.

  CHAPTER

  10

  “PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE BE OKAY, Bandit.” Haley’s voice was shaky as she stroked the dog’s blood-matted fur. Bandit was stretched across the backseat of her aunt’s car, his head in Haley’s lap. He was trembling, and his eyes were cloudy with pain. Even so, his tail thumped against the vinyl seat every time Haley said his name.

  Uncle Mike glanced at the pair in the rearview mirror. “Hang in there, sport,” he said, his voice gruff with sympathy. “We’ll be at Doc Hagen’s place in five minutes. Your aunt’s calling ahead, so he’ll be expecting us.”

  Haley just nodded, too choked up to speak. How could she have been so stupid, so careless? She knew Bandit was always trying to follow her everywhere she went, and she knew how dangerous the highway could be, especially during the morning rush. How could she have forgotten to shut the gate behind her? Her gaze wandered to Bandit’s left hind leg, which seemed to be lying at an unnatural angle.

  Her eyes filled with tears as she looked at the dog. At least her aunt and uncle had agreed to let her be late to school to go to the vet. She couldn’t have stood not knowing what was going on.

  The local small animal vet’s clinic was located in his grand old Victorian house on the edge of town. The parking area was empty when they pulled in.

  “Hang on,” Uncle Mike said as he cut the engine. “I’ll help you carry him in.”

  The clinic door swung open as Haley and her uncle carefully carried the dog between them on the old bath towel they were using as a makeshift stretcher. Dr. Hagen was in his late fifties, with kind blue eyes and a gentle way with animals.

  “Easy, there,” he said. “Poor old Bandit. Bring him right in. . . .”

  Ten minutes later Haley held her breath as the vet finished his examination and straightened up. “Well?” Uncle Mike said quietly.

  Dr. Hagen’s expression was somber as he gave Bandit a gentle pat on his head. “You won’t be surprised to hear the leg is fractured,” he said. “That alone might not be so bad, but I’m pretty sure the hip is cracked too. That’ll require immediate surgery if we want to save him.”

  “Of course we want to save him!” Haley blurted out. She looked from the vet to her uncle. “Of course we do! Right?”

  Uncle Mike rubbed his chin, not quite meeting her eye. “What’re we talking, doc?”

  “Unfortunately, it won’t be cheap,” the veterinarian said.

  “Nothing ever is.” Uncle Mike smiled, but it looked strained. “Lay it on me.”

  Haley gasped aloud as the vet named a number. Uncle Mike winced. “That’s a lot of money, doc,” he said quietly.

  “But we can do it,” Haley said urgently, staring from one man to the other. “Right? We have to!”

  Uncle Mike hesitated. He closed his eyes for a moment, then stepped over and squeezed Haley’s shoulder. “I’m sorry, Haley,” he said, his voice hoarse and low. “I wish we could. But that kind of money just isn’t in the family budget right now. Might be better to let him go.”

  “What? You mean put him to sleep? No!” Haley was barely aware that she was crying. She stepped over and ran her hands over Bandit’s soft fur. The vet had sedated him, but his tail twitched at her touch.

  “I’m very sorry,” Dr. Hagen said. “I’ll give you a moment.”

  He stepped out of the exam room. Uncle Mike came over and stroked Bandit’s head, his kind hazel eyes stricken.

  “You know we’d do it if we could, Haley,” he said. “Bandit’s a good dog. But with the tractor payments, and—”

  “I’ll pay for it,” Haley blurted out before she even knew what she was going to say.

  Her uncle blinked, looking startled. “What’s that now?”

  Haley took a deep breath and squared her shoulders. “I said, I’ll pay for the surgery,” she said. “I have just about enough saved up.”

  “Oh.” Uncle Mike shook his head. “But that money’s for your riding clinic. This means—”

  “I know,” Haley said before he could continue. She couldn’t stand to hear him say it out loud. “I know. It’s okay. There will be other clinics. But there’s only one Bandit.” Her fingers ran lightly up the dog’s familiar snout and over his sleek head. It was strange to see him lying so still, when normally he never stopped moving.

  Her uncle took a deep breath. “Let me call your aunt and get her input,” he said.

  He stepped out into the waitin
g room with his cell phone, leaving Haley alone with Bandit. She leaned over the dog, willing him to hang on just a little longer.

  “I’m so sorry, buddy,” she whispered, burying her fingers in his fur. “It’s all my fault you’re hurt. But I’m going to make it better—promise.”

  She stared at him, picturing him jumping those cross-country obstacles right alongside Wings the other day. Thinking about that ride, about how much fun she’d had doing what she loved, sent a pang through Haley’s heart. For a second the Zina Charles clinic filled her mind, along with all her hopes and dreams for the future.

  But that didn’t matter. All that mattered was saving Bandit.

  Uncle Mike came back in. “Your aunt thinks you’re old enough to make this decision,” he said. “After all, you worked hard for that money, and you should be able to spend it as you wish. So if you really want to do this, we’ll sign off on the surgery.”

  “Thanks,” Haley whispered, relief flooding through her even as she felt her big-time eventing dreams slipping away.

  Haley was in a daze for the rest of the morning. Once the paperwork was signed and Dr. Hagen’s vet tech had arrived to help prep Bandit for surgery, Uncle Mike had insisted on driving Haley to school.

  She didn’t have a chance to talk to Tracey and Emma until lunch. When she saw them glaring at her from their usual table, she almost turned and walked the other way. Instead she steeled herself—and marched right over and told them what had happened.

  Emma gasped. “Oh no!” she exclaimed, her hands flying to her mouth in horror. “Not Bandit! He’s so sweet!”

  “Is he going to be all right?” Tracey asked. “I mean, the surgery will fix him, right?”

  “Yeah, the vet thinks so.” Haley unwrapped her sandwich, though she wasn’t hungry.

  Just then her phone rang. When Uncle Mike had come in to explain why Haley was late, the school principal had agreed that she could keep the phone on until she’d heard the results of the surgery. Haley’s hands shook as she punched the button to answer.

  “Good news,” Aunt Veronica said, not wasting any time with pleasantries. “Bandit did fine in surgery, and he’s resting comfortably at the clinic. Dr. Hagen wants to keep him overnight just as a precaution, but he says we’ll be able to bring him home tomorrow.”

  “Oh, thank goodness!” Haley clutched the phone tightly. “Thanks, Aunt Veronica.”

  When she hung up, her friends were smiling. “That sounded like good news,” Emma said.

  “It was. He’s going to be okay.” Haley smiled too, though it was shaky. Now that Bandit was out of danger, she couldn’t seem to stop herself from thinking about what she’d given up to save him. It had been worth it, of course. She’d do it again in a heartbeat—the decision had been easy. But that didn’t mean it was easy to accept that she’d just given up her chance to ride with Zina Charles.

  “Hey!” Tracey leaned closer, bumping Haley’s shoulder with her own. “So why do you still look so bummed out?”

  Emma reached across the table and gave Haley’s hand a squeeze. “Leave her alone. She’s probably still worried about Bandit, right?”

  “A little,” Haley said. “But the thing is, my aunt and uncle couldn’t afford the surgery. So I—I’m the one paying for it. I had to use all the money I saved for the clinic.”

  “Oh!” Emma’s eyes widened, and she glanced over at Tracey as if wondering how to respond.

  “Wow,” Tracey said. “I can’t believe you did that.”

  Haley shrugged, picking at her sandwich. “What else could I do? I don’t regret it.” She sighed. “I just wish I didn’t have to miss that clinic.”

  “Yeah.” Tracey took a sip of her chocolate milk. “Well, what’s done is done, right? I know! We should do something fun this weekend. You know—to take your mind off everything.”

  “That’s a great idea!” Emma exclaimed. “We’ve barely seen you lately, Haley. It’ll be fun!”

  Tracey nodded. “Maybe we should hit the mall. Or I know! I can ask my mom to drive us down to Chicago for the day. Won’t that be awesome?”

  “I guess,” Haley murmured. Her friends were being supportive, right? So why did she feel as if they had no idea what she was going through?

  That day after school Haley went out to the barn. The beagle mix wandered over to sniff at her shoe, and a couple of cats woke up from their naps and watched her. But the place felt empty without Bandit. And it was all her fault.

  She thought about bringing Wings in and going for a ride, even though it was supposed to be his day off. But what was the point? They didn’t need to do trot sets now, or work on their dressage, or even practice their jumping. Not anymore.

  The house was just as quiet as the barn. Aunt Veronica had gone grocery shopping, Uncle Mike was at the pharmacy, and both boys had after-school activities that day. Haley glanced at the phone on the kitchen counter, tempted to call Tracey or Emma just to have someone to talk to. But what was the point? Haley’s friends obviously didn’t understand why she was so upset about giving up the clinic.

  Then Haley remembered that there was someone who definitely would understand. Three someones, actually.

  A moment later she was logging on to the Pony Post. Brooke had posted a picture of her pony eating breakfast, and Nina had written a note about her plans to ride after school. But nobody had checked in yet that afternoon.

  Haley was kind of glad that none of the others was on the site just then. She wanted to tell all three of them her news at once.

  [HALEY] Hi, guys. Well, I knew there was a reason I don’t like Mondays. Here’s what happened today. . . .

  She went on from there, typing out everything that had happened. Bandit. The car. The surgery. And of course, watching her big-time eventing dreams vanish before her eyes.

  When she was finished, she sat back and read over what she’d just posted. For the first time all day, the sour feeling in the pit of her stomach faded away. She didn’t even need to wait and see what her friends would say. She knew they would understand, and that was all that mattered.

  Heading out the back door, she hurried down the path to the main pasture. Wings was grazing with the others, but at Haley’s whistle he lifted his head from the grass, stared at her for a moment, and then trotted over. Haley fed the pony a treat, smiling for the first time in hours.

  “Hey, buddy,” she said, rubbing the pony’s fuzzy jaw. Even though the temperatures were still mild, all the horses were already growing their winter coats. “I know it’s supposed to be your day off, but I had to see you. How about a ride? No trot sets today—I promise.”

  Her smile wavered, and tears blurred her vision. Wings was so amazing, and Haley had blown his chance to get even better. But she swallowed back her sadness. It had happened, and she had to accept it. What was the point in worrying about what might have been?

  She led Wings to the barn, but tacking up seemed like far too much effort. Instead she just grabbed her helmet and an old schooling bridle and slipped on bareback. This was the good part about not having anything to prepare for. She could just ride her pony and enjoy him, without worrying about accomplishing anything.

  That would have to be enough, at least for today.

  CHAPTER

  11

  “OUCH.” TRACEY PEERED OVER HALEY’S shoulder as Mr. Washington dropped her math test on her desk. “I can’t believe I actually beat you at math for once.”

  “Don’t get used to it,” Haley joked weakly, staring at the big, red C-minus at the top of the test paper. True, she wasn’t thrilled with the grade. Math might not be her best subject, but she usually managed at least a B average.

  But all things considered, she knew she was lucky she’d done that well. She made a mental note to thank Maddie again the next time she logged on to the Pony Post. She hadn’t had a chance to check in on the site that morning, since her aunt had sneaked in and turned off her alarm while Haley was still asleep. She’d awakened her just in time to have
breakfast and get dressed, telling Haley that the boys had volunteered to take care of all the morning barn chores.

  “I thought you could use a little extra sleep today,” Aunt Veronica had said, smoothing back the strands of strawberry-blond hair that had plastered themselves to Haley’s forehead while she slept.

  Haley was touched by her family’s kindness. Even though they hadn’t said much about either Bandit or the clinic, she could tell they all felt terrible for her. Her friends were being nice about Bandit too, asking about him first thing. But neither of them had even mentioned the clinic. Haley couldn’t help wondering if they’d already forgotten all about it.

  After school, Haley went with her uncle to pick up Bandit. The dog looked tired, but he sat up and barked when they walked in.

  “Easy, Bandit.” Uncle Mike smiled and stroked the dog’s head. “None of that. You need to rest.”

  “That’s right, Bandit.” Haley dropped to her knees and gave Bandit a hug, being careful not to jostle the cast and splint on his hind leg. “I’m so glad you’re going to be okay,” she whispered into his fuzzy ear.

  The vet tech, a strapping young man who lived just down the road from the Duncans’ farm, helped them carry Bandit out to the car. Dr. Hagen walked along, fussing at the tech to be careful.

  “You’ll need to keep him quiet for a while,” the vet told Haley and Uncle Mike. “Give the incision and the bone time to heal.”

  “Won’t be easy,” Uncle Mike said with a chuckle. “This one likes to keep moving—sort of like my wife.”

  That made the vet chuckle too. “Give Veronica my best, will you?” he said. “Anyway, I know you’ll do what you can.”

  As soon as the car pulled up in front of the farmhouse, Jake and Danny dashed out. “Mom borrowed a crate from the Abbots,” Danny called. “We just finished setting it up.”

  “We put it in the kitchen,” Jake added. “We figured Bandit would want to be in there, where there’s usually people in and out all the time.”