Storm Chaser

by Chris Platt

  The black-and-white filly circled at a trot, still bucking and kicking up sand. “What do you want me to do?” Jessica asked.

  Duncan handed her the end of the rope. “Okay, Jess, I want you to get a halter on this filly before we go up to the house for lunch.”

  Great, Jessica thought. Now I’ll have my first huge failure. And in front of Wyatt, too. Chase hadn’t let her within four feet of her head since she’d arrived at the ranch. How could she get a halter on her? She was going to flunk out of Duncan’s training program—with Wyatt watching.

  TEN

  Jessica gulped. She had a hard time just trying to make a horse turn on cue. How could Duncan expect her to halter Storm Chaser in only twenty minutes? She kept her eyes on Chase as the paint circled the round pen with her tail in the air.

  “What now?” she asked her brother.

  Duncan leaned on the outside of the pen. “Let her canter a few more rounds in that direction and then make her turn and go the other way. But watch out. When she turns, it’s going to put that rope around her hindquarters, and maybe up under her tail. When that happens, most horses go a little crazy. She’ll probably start bucking and hopping around pretty good until she figures out that it’s nothing that’s going to hurt her. But that’s what we want. She needs to figure it out on her own.”

  “But what if I can’t hold onto her?” Jessica said, beginning to panic as her mind raced every which way. What if she got hurt—just like her father feared?

  “You’ll do fine,” Wyatt said confidently. “You’re in a round pen. She can’t go anywhere but in circles.” He grinned at her, and she heard Wyatt chuckle.

  Sure, Jessica thought. It was easy for her brother and Wyatt to make jokes. They’d done this a hundred times. Keeping her eyes on the filly, she slowly reached down and picked up the lunge whip Duncan had left in the middle of the pen.

  She took a deep breath and stepped one foot forward, hoping she was ahead of the imaginary line that would cause the filly to turn. Chase slammed on the brakes, setting her heels and hindquarters low and spinning in the opposite direction. She ran several steps and Jessica began to release the breath she’d been holding.

  That’s when all chaos broke loose. Just as Duncan had predicted, the rope ran up under Chase’s tail, and the rodeo was on! Chase shot forward and Jessica cried out as the rope bit into her hands.

  “Stay with her, Jess!” Duncan shouted from where he stood on the rail. “Make her go faster so she lines out and stops that bucking. Get her to do what you ask. Show her you’re the one in charge. Horses respect and follow the lead horse. You’ve got to prove to her that the lead horse is you.”

  Jessica lifted the lunge whip and cracked it in the air. There was no need to touch the horse with it. Chase would run from the sound. “Get up,” she commanded, in as steady a voice as she could manage. She held onto the rope, giving and taking with the motion of the horse as Chase continued to buck, trying to rid herself of the rope under her tail.

  After another round, the rope swung free, the bucking slowed, and the filly continued around the ring at a steady rhythm. Jessica allowed herself a small smile. I can do this! she told herself.

  “Good job, Jess,” Wyatt praised her.

  “Now tell your horse what a good girl she is, too,” Duncan said. “Let her hear the sound of your voice, and keep it light and pleasant. She’s doing what you want. Reward her with your voice and let her break into a trot. See the way her inside ear is tipping toward you? She’s paying attention now.”

  Jessica nodded. The filly did seem to be paying attention to her. “Good girl, Chase,” she crooned, and was delighted to see the paint’s full blaze swing in her direction as she continued to trot the circle. “That’s my good girl.”

  “Excellent!” Duncan said. “Make her go another two rounds. Then make your body go quiet and ask her to whoa. We want Chase to halt and turn in to face you.”

  The next two rounds felt like an eternity as Jessica gripped the end of the rope, waiting to see if Chase would give her the desired response. When the time came, she laid down the whip, let her free arm hang at her sides, and said, “Whoa, girl, whoa.” The paint trotted another half-length of the pen, her ears flicking to the center to gauge what Jessica was asking.

  The paint pulled herself to a walk, then halted and turned into the center, taking two extra steps toward Jessica.

  Jessica held out her hand, beckoning the filly to come to her. But Chase stayed in place, her coat sweaty and her sides heaving from the run. The paint’s nostrils extended, blowing and sniffing, trying to catch Jess’s scent.

  Duncan climbed through the rails and entered the pen. “Nice work, Jess. I’ll take over now and get that rope off her neck.”

  Chase shifted her feet but stood where she was, watching the two of them.

  “I thought I was supposed to put a halter on her,” Jessica said.

  Wyatt and Duncan laughed. “I was just kidding,” her brother said. “You go on up to the house. I’ll get the halter on her and be right up.”

  “Yeah, right.” Jessica chuckled. There was no way her brother would get that halter on Chase in the next five minutes. She wished she could watch him try, but she heard her mother calling them to their nightly meal. She waved to the boys and headed to the house.

  She let herself in through the back door and washed her hands in the kitchen sink, wondering if Wyatt would be joining them for dinner. Ten minutes later, Duncan walked into the kitchen by himself, and Jessica felt both disappointed and relieved. She was starving, but she wasn’t sure she could manage to eat with him across the table.

  Duncan had a huge grin on his face as he stuck his hands under the faucet.

  “What are you so happy about, Dunce?” Jessica asked, following her brother to the table.

  Duncan shrugged and filled his plate with spaghetti. Once he started shoveling it into his mouth, Jess knew he wouldn’t answer her question. But she had a sneaking suspicion it had to do with Chase.

  Mrs. Warner passed the salad and Jessica put some on her plate, being careful not to get any of the onions or green peppers.

  “Just another few days of hard work and the cabins will be ready,” Mrs. Warner said.

  “I’ll be down to check on the plumbing tomorrow morning,” Mr. Warner said, stuffing a big bite of garlic bread into his mouth. “The lumberyard will be delivering another load of boards in the afternoon. That’ll keep Dunce and me busy for a while. The Lightfoots are coming over tomorrow to help with the framing.”

  Jessica dug into her meal with gusto. In a little over a week, their guests would be here!

  They’d already been discussing various ranch activities for the visitors: swimming in the lake, hiking, fishing in one of the nearby streams, riding the trails, playing horseshoes. They’d even planned a cattle drive. Everyone would take turns introducing the guests to the different trails and activities. Some things the guests could do on their own, once they were familiar with the routine. The big events like the weenie roast, the hayride, and the cattle drive would be handled by her parents.

  Just wait until I tell Marybeth about the cattle drive, Jessica thought. She should ask her parents if her friend could go. After all the hard work the kid had put in, she doubted her mom and dad would say no. Marybeth would love it…especially if there were other girls there her age. Maybe if she had friends her own age, she wouldn’t be so interested in hanging around with Jessica.

  Jessica had never been on a cattle drive, even though her family moved the herd every year. She’d always stayed home with her mom while her father, Duncan, and the Lightfoot boys made the trip. But this year, everyone was going. The only problem was she didn’t have a horse of her own to put a saddle on. She couldn’t ride Rusty, and she sure didn’t want to ride Grizz.

  You had to stay on your toes if you rode that ornery nag. It wasn’t that he liked to buck or rear, but if you didn’t pay close attention, he’d turn around and bite your leg while yo
u were in the saddle. Or untie himself from the hitching line and run home without you. And he wasn’t above making a fast turn to see if you’d tumble out of the saddle.

  She didn’t understand why her dad was worried about her working with the new horses, but didn’t seem to be bothered by her riding Grizz. Grizzly always minded her father—but he knew how stubborn that horse could be with other riders. She’d much rather take her chances with Storm Chaser.

  Jessica missed riding Rusty. He was totally trustworthy and they’d had some great times together. But even though the old horse was coughing less and his burns were healing, he still wasn’t in any condition to bear a rider. He seemed to enjoy his retirement and the companionship of Storm Chaser. She couldn’t begrudge him that after all the faithful years he’d carried her.

  When dinner ended, Jessica helped her mother wash the dishes, then went down to the horse pens to say good night to Chase and Rusty. She was shocked to see Duncan leading the paint around the training pen—in her blue halter!

  For an instant, she felt a twinge of jealousy, wishing she’d been the one who’d put the halter on Chase for the first time. But she quickly dismissed that thought. Once Chase was halter broke, there were all kinds of things Jessica could do with her. “How did you do that?” she asked.

  Duncan just smiled and handed her the filly’s lead rope. “Walk her around the pen a few times so she gets used to you. Try to touch her all over. She’s pretty good for a horse that just came off the range. I’ll work with her a little more on haltering, and then she’s all yours. Holler if you need help getting her back into her pen. I think she’ll be fine.”

  Jessica watched as her brother walked away. Now that he acted like he trusted her to handle Storm Chaser, she felt as if she didn’t really know anything.

  Duncan turned to face her as he backed away. “Come on, Jess, you’ve been watching Dad and me train horses your entire life. You know what to do.”

  Her brother was right, Jessica realized. She knew the basics. And she was sure he would help if she got stuck. She just needed some practice and a little more confidence.

  She stared dreamily into Chase’s soft brown eyes, imagining herself climbing into the saddle for the first ride. Her father certainly wouldn’t allow that. He was afraid she’d get hurt. But he hadn’t said anything about ground work.

  Jessica pursed her lips and tried to ignore her uncertainty. Maybe her father’s ban on horse training did include ground work, but he hadn’t specifically mentioned it. If she stayed off Chase’s back, she was fairly sure she could stay out of trouble with her dad.

  It would probably be Duncan, Wyatt, or Gator who would be the first to ride Storm Chaser. Another flare of jealousy bloomed inside Jessica, but again she tamped it down. Her brother and his friends would be good to Chase and they’d do it right. It was the best she could hope for.

  Chase walked calmly beside Jessica, and the two of them circled the ring several times. Jessica slowed and gave a slight downward tug on the lead rope, asking the filly to stand still. Chase halted, but stepped to the side, eyeing her with unease. “It’s okay,” Jess said, offering her hand, palm up, to the filly.

  Chase extended her nose, and Jessica felt the tickle of the paint’s whiskers on her fingers. “That’s my girl,” she said softly, then carefully placed her hand on the filly’s jaw, rubbing in a slow circle. Chase stiffened at first, then relaxed under the touch. She actually seemed to enjoy it.

  Jessica smiled and moved her hand to the paint’s neck, working her way to the horse’s shoulder and midsection. She tried to keep her actions slow and steady and her voice low and gentle so as not to startle the filly and cause her to lose trust. When she worked her way down one side and the filly seemed at ease, she went to the offside and started again.

  This side wasn’t as easy, but Jessica took her time, just the way she’d seen her father and brother do. After a few extra minutes, Chase relaxed and allowed Jessica to move around her quietly without flinching.

  “Thank you,” Jessica whispered and smiled as Storm Chaser’s ears pricked forward, trying to catch the sound of her voice. “You are wonderful!”

  Jessica made one more trip around the pen and then walked the filly toward the gate. Did she dare return Chase to Rusty’s corral by herself? What if something startled the young horse and she pulled back and got loose? She put her hand on Chase’s neck. “Can I trust you to behave yourself if I promise not to make any fast moves?”

  Chase just stared blankly at her.

  “Okay, here we go,” Jessica said feeling a lump of apprehension rise up in her throat. She opened the gate slowly and sighed with relief when the young paint didn’t shy away but followed her through and continued in the direction of Rusty’s corral.

  Jessica smiled. “You know exactly where we’re going, don’t you, girl?” She laid her hand softly on Chase’s neck again. “And I bet you know there’s food waiting for you when we get there, huh? I’ll be sure you get an extra snack tonight for being so good.”

  When Jessica and Chase reached the pen, Rusty belted out a greeting, his sides shaking with the force of his whinny. Jessica walked through the gate, shut it, and gently removed the halter from Chase’s head. The filly immediately took her place beside Rusty at the feeder.

  Jessica stepped back in satisfaction. She had actually helped train a horse today. She couldn’t wait until tomorrow to try it again!

  ELEVEN

  “You are so lucky,” Marybeth said with a sigh as Jessica put on her helmet and placed her boot into the stirrup to climb up behind her. Daisy, the Appaloosa pony, flicked her tail in annoyance at the added weight, but did as she was asked and walked off at a brisk pace. “I wish I could learn how to train horses.” Marybeth turned in the saddle. “Hey, do you think when I’m a little older, your brother will teach me, too?”

  Jessica chuckled. “You never know with Dunce. I’m his sister and I’m never sure when he’s going to work with me.”

  “What about Wyatt?” Marybeth said. “I bet he’d help if you asked him. And he’s kinda cute.”

  Jessica shrugged. “I never thought about it.” But her heart thumped a little harder at the mention of the Paiute boy’s name.

  Marybeth looked over her shoulder. “That’s such a fib. You always get all embarrassed when he talks to you.”

  Jessica gave her friend a playful slug in the shoulder, then grabbed the back of the saddle as the startled pony broke into a canter. The girls both laughed and held on tight until Marybeth had Daisy back under control.

  “What do you know about boys?” Jessica said.

  Marybeth shrugged. “I may not know all that much about boys, but I know you get all freaked out whenever Wyatt’s around.”

  “I do not.” Jessica tweaked her friend’s ponytail.

  “Whatever,” Marybeth said.

  For the rest of the ride around the ranch, Jessica filled Marybeth in on the details of the activities her parents had planned for the vacationers.

  “A cattle drive!” Marybeth exclaimed. “That would be so awesome! I’ve always wanted to go on one. I’ll ask my parents as soon as I get home.”

  “I still need to ask my parents and make sure it’s okay, but I’m sure they’ll be cool with it. You worked as hard as we did,” Jessica said. “You deserve to go.”

  Marybeth reined her pony around a clump of sage brush and headed back toward the house. “Just think, Jess, we’re going to meet a whole bunch of kids with this guest ranch thing.”

  “I hope so,” Jessica said. “We don’t have any control over who signs up. But my mom said there were definitely girls in this first group.”

  “Good,” Marybeth said. “It’s about time we got some girls around here.”

  Marybeth dropped Jessica off at the front door, waved a quick goodbye, and trotted off toward home.

  The next week passed in a flurry of activity as everyone continued to work hard to finish the preparations for the vacationers. Jessica work
ed with Storm Chaser some nights after dinner when the chores were done. She half-expected her mom or dad to see her and say something. She still harbored a suspicion that her father wouldn’t be pleased to find out how much she was doing with Chase. But the part of her that really loved working with the filly overruled her sense of responsibility.

  Chase was smart and picked things up quickly. Duncan showed Jessica how to “sack out” a new horse by taking a soft gunny sack and rubbing it over every inch of the horse’s body, then flapping it around so the horse would get used to scary, floppy things.

  Next came lunging, where Chase learned to walk, trot, and canter in a circle around Jessica at the end of a long lunge line. When the filly settled into that, Duncan stepped in and showed Jessica how to ground-drive a horse with a pair of long lead lines attached to the halter. Chase needed to be taught to steer, stop, and back up without carrying a rider.

  “It makes things a whole lot easier when it’s time to mount up,” Duncan said. “There’s nothing I hate worse than getting dropped in the dirt.”

  “Do you think it’s time to put a saddle on Chase?” Jessica asked. “It’s only been a week since we started working with her.”

  Duncan reached out to scratch Storm Chaser’s neck. “She’s really smart, Jess. She’s picked everything up really quickly so far…a lot quicker than the colts I’m working with. Wyatt kind of took a liking to this filly when she was young and worked with her a lot. I guess Chase remembers it and she’s tamed right down.”

  “Does that mean we could start riding her soon?”

  “Who’s we?” Duncan asked. “You know Dad would ground us both for life if I let you up on this filly before she’s safe. He probably won’t be too happy with what I’ve already let you do.”

  Jessica sighed. “I know he’d be really mad, but it would be so cool to ride her. It might even be worth getting in trouble for.”