by Chris Platt
Three days later, Jessica hadn’t even put a foot in Chase’s stirrup, but she got in trouble anyway.
“What do you mean ‘she’s only doing ground work’?” Mr. Warner’s voice echoed across the stable yard as he confronted Duncan. “I thought I made it perfectly clear that your sister is too young to start training horses.”
Duncan hung his head and scuffed at the dirt beneath his boots. “I’m sorry, Dad. I thought you were talking about riding the horses. I wasn’t going to let Jess up on Storm Chaser until the filly was safe and you said okay.”
“Well, it isn’t safe for her to be doing ground work with that filly either,” Mr. Warner went on. “You know how easy it is to get hurt when working with young stock.”
Jessica stood in the round pen, resting the long lines in her hands as her brother and father argued.
“But she’s doing really well,” Duncan said, leading their father to the round pen. “Jess, show Dad what you’ve taught Chase.”
Jessica’s heart hammered in her chest when she saw the unhappy look on her father’s face. She and Duncan were in major trouble. Her father hadn’t specifically forbidden her from doing ground work with Chase, but she knew she’d cheated by going around his authority. Her hands shook on the long lines as she moved the filly in a circle around her. She ran her through her paces, asking for a walk, trot, and canter, as well as turns and stops.
Chase performed admirably. Jessica patted her and gave her a treat when they were finished.
Mr. Warner tipped his hat back and sighed. “I’ve got to admit, Jess, you’ve done a good job with this filly.”
Jessica felt herself swell with pride. Her father had praised her for training Storm Chaser!
“Unfortunately, however, you both disobeyed my orders,” Mr. Warner continued. “Maybe I could have been a little more specific, but I think you both knew what I was talking about.”
He turned to Duncan. “Your punishment is going to be added chores, and no riding out with the Lightfoot boys for the next couple days.”
Duncan frowned heavily. Jessica felt badly for her brother. She knew how much he enjoyed the wild rides across the desert with his friends. He’d only been trying to help her, and now he was in trouble for it.
Mr. Warner spoke to Jessica. “And you, young lady, will have extra chores, too. But right now, I would like you to take the tack off of that filly, brush her down, and return her to the pen with the rest of the new stock. She’ll be under your brother’s care and you are not to do anything with this horse until I say so.”
He looked at both of them. “Am I perfectly understood?”
Duncan nodded.
“Yes, sir,” Jessica said, feeling miserable. She patted Chase and walked her over to the hitching post to remove her equipment and brush her. Then she took her to Rusty’s corral so Chase could say goodbye.
“I’m sorry, ol’ boy,” she said as she watched the horses touch noses. “I got us all into trouble, so now you’re going to lose your stable buddy for a while.”
Rusty nickered and nudged Chase with his muzzle. Jessica wanted to cry. She’d grown close to the paint filly over the past week. And spending time apart was going to hurt both her and Rusty. Maybe she’d be able to talk Duncan into bringing Chase over to visit the old horse when he’d finished working with her for the day. Just because she was being punished was no reason to punish Rusty.
Duncan stood at the stock pen gate and opened it for Jessica when she arrived. “I’m really sorry, Dunce,” Jessica said. She unbuckled the halter from Chase’s finely shaped head and watched the paint walk into the herd of geldings, swishing her tail and pinning her ears at the ones who got too close. “This wasn’t your fault. I know you were just trying to help me, and now I’ve gotten you into trouble.”
Duncan shrugged. “Hey, it’s only for a while. I’ll be so busy, it’ll fly by.” He smiled and walked off.
Jessica breathed a small sigh of relief. At least her brother wasn’t upset with her. She turned and followed him up to the house. The guests would be arriving soon. She might as well get started on the million things they had left to do. Maybe it would take her mind off of not being able to see Chase.
Jessica unfolded the new bed sheet and shook it out, tossing one side of it to Marybeth. Her friend giggled when it landed on her head and she blindly walked into the bed, bumping her knee on the post.
Mrs. Warner laughed. “By the time you girls finish making all these beds, our guests will be here.”
Still grinning, Jessica pulled the sheet from Marybeth’s head and centered it on the twin-sized bed, tucking the excess under the mattress. “Just think of all the new friends we’ll have to hang out with.”
Mrs. Warner brought over an armful of blankets and put one on each of the eight beds in the bunkhouse. “I know you girls are getting excited about meeting the visitors, but just keep in mind that it isn’t always easy to make friends right off the bat.”
Jessica furrowed her brow. She hadn’t thought about that.
“As owners of this ranch and the hosts for our guests,” Mrs. Warner continued, “we need to be aware of their needs. Sometimes people want to socialize and sometimes they just want to be left alone.” She smiled at Jessica. “As a representative of this ranch, you will be expected to abide by the guests’ wishes in that department. Understood?”
“Yes, ma’am.”
Mrs. Warner brushed a lock of Jessica’s hair behind her ears. “I’m sure they’ll be a friendly bunch,” she reassured her. “I know how much you girls are looking forward to having some other gals your age to hang out with. I just want to make sure you understand that you should be friendly and accommodating to all the guests, but it will be up to them how much contact they want to have with us ranch hands.”
She looked out the bunkhouse window. “Oh, my, Jess, I think there’s something out there you might want to see,” she said.
Jessica and Marybeth crowded to the window. A movement in the training pen caught Jessica’s eye and her mouth dropped open.
Duncan sat astride Chase, and the filly trotted around the pen as if she’d been doing it forever. Storm Chaser was being trained to ride!
TWELVE
Jessica bolted for the door with Marybeth right on her heels. She stopped about a hundred yards from the round pen where Duncan worked Chase. She knew she wasn’t allowed to be near the filly right now. No sense taking the risk of angering her father again.
She thrilled to the sight of the little paint trotting around the pen with her ears pricked, waiting for a cue from her rider. Her father stood outside the circle, giving Duncan pointers. After a moment, he looked up and motioned the two girls over.
They walked forward slowly, not wanting to spook the young horse.
“It’s all right,” Mr. Warner said, making room on the rail for her and Marybeth. “This filly is rock-solid. She’s got a good mind and learns quickly.” He clapped Jessica on the shoulder. “You did a real good job with her, Jess.”
Jessica smiled at the praise.
“It doesn’t mean I’ve forgotten that you two skirted my orders,” he warned. “But you did a fine job with this filly. I think maybe you’ve got the Warner horse trainer’s touch.”
Jessica hoped her father was right. And maybe, just maybe, he would let her work with Chase again soon. “Watch this,” Duncan said as he trotted the filly in a figure-eight pattern, then asked her to canter the full ring. “She’s broke as well as any of the horses I’ve had in training for thirty days. And I’ve only been on her three times.”
Mr. Warner nodded. “Well, this filly’s momma is that nice black-and-white paint mare I’ve been trying to buy from the Lightfoots for the past three years. All of her colts are easygoing and smart. She’s going to be just like her momma.” He took off his hat and brushed a hand through his hair. “I sure wish we could afford to keep her. This filly would be a nice addition to the ranch.”
Jessica’s heart sank. She didn’t n
eed to be reminded that Chase would be sold to another ranch and she might not ever see her again. Marybeth grabbed her hand and squeezed it. Jessica gave the younger girl a smile, but she was sure it looked rather sickly.
Mr. Warner plopped his hat back on his head and motioned Duncan to pull the filly up to the fence. “I’ve been thinking…you and Jess have been working awfully hard these past few days without any complaints. Can I assume that you’ve both learned your lesson?” He looked from one to the other, waiting for their nods. “Okay then, you are both off of suspension.”
Jessica breathed a deep sigh of relief. “Does this mean I can move Chase back in with Rusty? He misses her a lot.”
Her father chuckled. “Rusty misses her, huh?”
Jessica nodded and her father laughed harder.
“I’m pretty sure it isn’t just Rusty who misses her,” he said as he reached out and ruffled his daughter’s hair.
Jessica returned his grin. “Okay, maybe I miss her a little bit, too.”
“Well, like I said before,” her father cautioned. “Don’t get too attached to this filly. She’ll bring a good price.” He smiled down at Jessica and softened his words. “Honey, I know you had your eye on this little paint to replace Rusty, and I wish I could do it. But we’re strapped for cash, and we need to sell every single one of these new horses.”
Jessica looked down at the ground. The ranch had to come before her wishes. She knew that. But her heart ached just the same.
She waited until Duncan finished with the paint, then led Storm Chaser back to Rusty’s pen. The old gelding nickered a warm greeting and met them at the gate. “Go on, get back,” Jessica said, shooing him away from the entrance so she could get Chase through the gate.
“Your buddy is back,” she said to Rusty. “But try not to get too attached to her this time. Dad says we’ve got to sell her, and Duncan’s doing pretty well with her, so we probably won’t get to keep her much longer.”
Just saying the words was almost impossible. Everyone had warned her not to fall in love with the awesome black-and-white filly, but it was too late. Much too late.
“Here they come!” Marybeth galloped Daisy up the road at top speed. “They just pulled onto the lower road.”
The Warners and Marybeth stood in the front yard, watching as two dual-cab trucks pulling horse trailers turned onto the dirt road leading to Wild Hawk Ranch.
Jessica thought the trucks and trailers looked pretty fancy. She glanced around the ranch, wondering if the visitors would think it looked okay. Their house was old and probably needed a new coat of paint. There was nothing special about their yard, and the new barn was just a series of poles sticking out of the ground, with two-by-fours creating the frame. It still needed siding and a roof.
But the bunkhouses were fixed up pretty nicely. She and Marybeth had placed fresh flowers in pitchers and vases beside each bed. And they’d planned some fun activities and great horseback rides for the vacationers. They were sure the kids would really like the weenie roasts, barbeques, and trips to the lake.
They waited while the vehicles made slow progress up the bumpy road. Jessica grinned as she watched Duncan shift nervously from foot to foot. He didn’t like meeting new people. He glanced toward the horse pens, and she knew her brother was probably wishing he were out there with the horses instead of standing here waiting to greet guests.
The trucks rolled into the driveway and her father guided them back to the stable area where there was room to turn around. Jessica and Marybeth followed along behind the horse trailers. The trucks came to a stop and people started piling out. Jessica was thrilled to see two girls and a boy pop out of the first truck. The boy appeared to be about fourteen or fifteen. He waved to her brother and said “hi.” Duncan just nodded in the boy’s direction.
The girls appeared to be a year or two older than Jessica. She guessed that they were probably friends, and not sisters. The taller one had black hair and was very thin, while the shorter girl was plump with red hair.
The door to the other truck opened, and after the parents stepped out, a boy her age jumped from the cab and stretched his long legs. “Hi, I’m Michael,” he said to everyone with a friendly smile, then pointed over his shoulder toward the truck. “And that slowpoke inside is my sister, Ariel. Get out here, Ari. It’s time to start our vacation!”
A tall, willowy girl with long blonde hair exited gracefully from the truck. She wore a snug pair of fancy jeans, an expensive pair of leather boots, and a shirt that would have made a rodeo queen green with envy. Jessica thought she was probably one of the prettiest girls she had ever seen. Ariel looked around the ranch, then wrinkled her nose and frowned. “What is that weird musty smell? And where are we going to put Raven? There’s no barn here. The brochure showed a picture of a barn.”
Jessica frowned. Musty smell?
Marybeth elbowed her in the ribs. “She must be talking about the sagebrush,” she whispered.
Jessica huffed. Sagebrush smelled wonderful!
A loud clank of hoof on metal sounded as the horse inside Ariel and Michael’s trailer kicked the wall and whinnied. Several of the ranch horses, including Rusty and Chase, answered the distressed cry.
“That must be Raven,” Jessica whispered back.
They watched as Ariel and Michael’s father opened the trailer doors. Ariel ran inside, clucking like a worried hen. Jessica could hear the girl shouting orders to her father from inside the trailer.
She looked to her own parents to see how they were responding. Her mother had a worried expression on her face, and her father definitely looked disturbed. No way would Jessica get away with talking to her parents like that. She’d be grounded for life!
A moment later, hoofbeats sounded on the trailer floor and Ariel and Raven stepped out.
“Wow,” Marybeth said, her jaw dropping in awe.
Jessica let out a low whistle. “Amazing.” Raven stood at least seventeen hands—his back was eight inches taller than her head. And his solid black coat shone like the back of a crow’s wing. He had a white star in the middle of his forehead and one hind white foot. Raven appeared to be some kind of a fancy Warmblood show horse.
The large black horse lifted his head, which made him seem even taller, and eyed the large tract of open desert. Jessica could see the muscles quiver under his slick coat as his nostrils widened to take in the different scents. A moment later, he lifted his tail over his back, snorted, and jerked on the lead rope, pulling Ariel along beside him like a skier on a lake.
Duncan ran forward, removing his hat from his head. He held it in the air in front of the horse to get the big guy’s attention. Raven stopped for a second. Duncan grabbed the rope from Ariel, turned the horse to the side, and gave an attention-getting jerk on the halter.
The excitable horse lowered his head and stood still.
Ariel, surprised at having her horse taken from her, looked as if she were about to scream at Duncan. But she stopped short when he gave her an amused look and handed back Raven’s lead rope.
The girl’s face turned from anger to a huge smile in an instant. She brushed her long blonde hair out of her eyes and gave Jessica’s brother a dazzling smile as she accepted the rope. Duncan smiled back, then turned on his heels and walked away, leaving everyone else to help settle in the horses and new visitors for their stay.
“Ariel, maybe you should let your father take Raven to his stall,” Mrs. Wilson said. “He seems to have a lot of energy today.”
“That’s okay.” Ariel kept hold of the lead rope. “I can handle him. Why don’t you and Dad get all of Raven’s things and bring them down to his stall?”
“Jess,” Mrs. Warner said. “Could you please show the Wilsons where to put Raven? I’ll help the Curtis family settle their horses in, then everyone can join us in the main bunkhouse for introductions and orientation. We’ll give the guests a quick rundown on what they can expect for this week.”
Jessica wished she could have helped
the Curtis family. Melissa and her brother seemed really nice. Ariel was so regal that Jessica was almost afraid to talk to her.
The blast of a truck horn sounded in the driveway, and everyone turned to see the last family of vacationers enter the stable yard. They were from California and they weren’t pulling a trailer. Apparently they would be riding ranch horses.
“Everyone, these are the Turners,” Mr. Warner announced when they stepped out of their vehicle.
Mr. Turner smiled and nodded. “My name is Dean, and this is my wife, Betty, and our kids, Mark and Lainey.”
Jessica heard Ariel snort. “Lainey?” she said in a snide voice to the other kids standing around her. They giggled.
Jessica felt bad for Lainey, who didn’t even seem to notice that anyone was laughing at her name. It wasn’t such a bad name—and it had been a mean thing for Ariel to say. Maybe she just felt tired and grouchy from the trip.
“Come on, Ariel,” Marybeth piped up in her high-pitched voice. “We’ll show you where you can put Raven. It’s a nice portable stall with a roof where he can keep out of the sun.”
Ariel gave Marybeth an odd look. “You aren’t in charge, are you? And what do you mean, a portable stall? I thought this place was a ranch.”
Jessica walked beside Marybeth, leading the way to the stall. “We had a really bad fire a few weeks ago, and it burned down our barn.”
“That’s why they’re operating as a dude ranch now,” Marybeth volunteered. “Jessica’s dad didn’t want to, but they need to rebuild their barn and—”
“Here we are,” Jessica interrupted her friend before she could spill any more family secrets. She frowned at Marybeth, who immediately cowered like a scolded puppy dog. She felt bad about that, but Marybeth didn’t need to be telling everything she knew. Jessica opened the gate for Ariel to enter the portable stall and corral.
Ariel stared at the portable pen, but stayed outside. “Raven is used to staying in a box stall. He won’t like this.”
