Whisperer

by Jeanne Harrell

  CHAPTER TWO

  “Oh, would you look at our handsome grandson, Sam? He looks just like Sandy with Lily’s wavy black hair. Maybe a little bit of Montgomery Clift without the angst. Or maybe Warren Beatty, Sam? Mmm…some young filly is going to want to make him the co-star of her film.” Jeanne, Colt’s grandmother, was a cookies-and-milk kind of grandmother, although a real movie addict. She tended to sum up situations in movie-ese.

  Sam laughed. That was so Jeanne. “I thought you said Sandy looked like Robert Redford.”

  “Well, he does, but with black hair, that changes things.”

  “Okay, if you say so…” He tried not to laugh, but it slipped out anyway. Colt smiled. He knew his grandmother had said something funny, probably about movies.

  “Colt! Great to see you, son. How was your drive?” Colt walked up to give them both hugs.

  “Good. No problems. I stopped in Old Town Sac for lunch.” Colt studied them for a moment. They didn’t seem to change—all concern for him and the family. Jeanne still had a trim figure and Sam looked a bit like the fictional Marlboro Man, a rugged individual. Their obvious affection for him flowed over him like a warm river. He felt wanted. Loved. Nice feelings…

  “Well, come on in and tell us what’s going on with the family,” said Sam as they walked into the house. “Want some iced tea?” He didn’t wait for an answer and started pouring him a glass.

  “Now Sam, you just spoke to Lily yesterday.”

  “Sure, but now I want Colt’s point of view. Sometimes, just sometimes, it’s not the same as his parents’.” Sam laughed.

  Sam and Jeanne’s ranch just outside of Sonoma was not only a working ranch, where Sam trained horses, but was also a small winery. Sam Cable produced a nice Chardonnay and a few barrels that he sold to local restaurants. He was always experimenting with his wines. It was well known in the Cable-Johnson family that Sam was a perfectionist. Colt smiled. Walking inside their spacious home, he experienced many pleasant memories swirling around his head like butterflies. They were so numerous, that he couldn’t flick them away if he wanted to.

  The kitchen had some good aromas emanating from the oven. “Mmmm…that smells wonderful, Grandma. Is it banana bread?” Heavenly smells filled his nostrils.

  “You bet. Sit, sit, sit, and tell us everything,” Jeanne laughed. She took the bread out of the oven to cool. Colt’s senses were flooded. They all sat down at the kitchen table, where, naturally, all good discussions take place…

  “Okay, where to start? Well, we just celebrated Dad and Mom’s 24th wedding anniversary, but you know that. Remember you were down for the event.”

  “Yes, sweetie, we are not so riddled with dementia that we forgot the drive down and the whole celebration. My God, I think the entire town turned out for it!”

  Colt laughed. “You probably know more about sister Meg than I do. She landed that assistant chef job at a chic restaurant in San Francisco. She wrote Mother that she loved the job and the City. And you know how Mom feels about San Francisco.”

  ”Indeed. It’s her favorite city and has been for a long time. Meggie will do well. But no boyfriend yet?” She sighed. “How about Jesse? He and Audrey haven’t set a date?”

  “No, and Mother is getting impatient with him. They like Audrey very much—jeez, she and Jesse grew up together, but he’s taking his sweet time.” Colt smiled at the thought of his older brother with children. That – would be interesting…

  Sam laughed, knowing his daughter Lily and what she might be saying to Jesse. “How about the boys? What kind of trouble have they been up to?”

  Trouble seemed to follow Colt’s younger brothers, but he always assumed they brought most of it on themselves. “Miles is at home right now and has a new book out. Mom is pleased to see him, of course, but you know Dad is always wary. After Miles spooked his favorite horse goofing around last time, Dad watches him out of the corner of his eye.” Jeanne and Sam laughed.

  “I hope one of his books gets made into a movie. That would be so exciting, wouldn’t it, Sam? We could go to a premiere in Hollywood or New York.” Sam gave her a sour look and turned his attention back to Colt.

  “Sure. But what about Joey and Janie? Janie especially seems to get forgotten about with all the excitement that the twins cause.”

  “Very true,” said Colt. “Joey’s home too, painting in Nevada for a while. He had a small exhibition in New Mexico a few months back. Can’t believe Mom didn’t tell you about that. He’s a gifted artist.”

  “And Janie…”

  “Yes, my youngest sibling, but certainly not least. You know she attended the University of Nevada, Reno for a year in the teacher education program, but then she bailed on it.”

  “I know your mother was upset she didn’t continue. Since Lily had been a teacher, she was hoping one of her children would be as well,” said Jeanne.

  “She just didn’t like it that much. Now she’s following Sheriff Bud Moody around town in some kind of job shadow program. I guess she wants to be a deputy sheriff. That will mean a college law enforcement program.”

  “Wow, and to think she was named after Jane Austen, your mother’s favorite author. That’s the least likely profession we ever would have picked for her.” Sam looked at Jeanne quizzically.

  “Bud’s retiring soon and laughed when Dad called him about it. He recounted some story about Mother fainting in his office, when she and Dad were a new couple. When she was new in Naples? Ever hear that one? It’s a great family story.”

  “Yes, dear, we’ve heard that one. Evidently, Lily thought she was being stalked and went in to the Sheriff’s office to talk to Bud about it. Bud apparently pooh-poohed the whole idea, so she jumped up, hit her head on a low-hanging shelf and knocked herself out cold. Your mother has a thing for physical comedy which Sandy dearly loves.”

  “Let the boy eat, Jeanne dear. We don’t get him up here nearly enough and I have grapes and horses to show him. Pack it in, son, and let’s do a tour.”

  CHAPTER THREE

  Donner Summit was breathtaking. There were no other words for it, thought Amanda. Elevation was over 7,000 feet, which alone was incredible. She stood at the scenic lookout on old Donner Pass Road looking at sparkling Donner Lake. It sat in the center of a bowl surrounded by tall pines, juniper and mountains with a steep approach from the east and a gradual approach from the west. People said the lake glimmered from the gold flakes and mica in it. Breathtaking…

  She had visited the State Park Museum and learned more about the doomed Donner party who had tried to get over the mountains before the winter snows, but were too late. As a counselor, she could empathize with those who lost loved ones, but she could only wonder what last hours were like for those who perished. What extraordinary measures some took to stay alive… Amanda shuddered. Frightening thoughts…

  Climbing onto a rocky shelf to get a different perspective, she caught sight of people on horseback and knew she had to get back up on a horse. She had been hollowed out in Sacramento. What was that expression? She was as far from herself as a hawk from the moon. That seemed appropriate. Too much city life, maybe…Too much from a clingy mother and ungrateful boyfriend. She took a deep breath. Maybe she could figure a few things out up here. It was a good place to start.

  Amanda took several shots of Donner Lake and its surroundings before climbing down and getting back into her car. She had been out exploring her new environs before the new job started on Monday. Being a counselor at a camp for troubled kids would certainly bring challenges, so she found a small wooden cabin on the west end of Donner Lake. It was only about five miles from her job, but would give her the much-needed distance to get away from it too. The cabin fit her to a tee—a small, one bedroom log cabin with an A-frame roof, stone fireplace and bits and pieces of furniture. Amanda wasn’t that picky about furniture anyway. As long as the place was clean and had a decent bed, it would be fine. The front window was almost as high as the roofline and had a window seat by
it. She envisioned snowy nights by the fire, reading a good book. She sighed and pulled her car up beside it. Tomorrow she would find a place to rent a horse. Amanda needed to get back in the saddle—in more ways than one.

  The first week in Sonoma, Colt helped with the eternal grape harvest. He just had to smile remembering how many harvests he and his family had helped with over the years. Fun times with a big, loving family. Miles and Joey would, of course, throw the grapes they picked at each other. Dad would be trying to get them to behave. Mother, sisters Meg and Janie were all good grape-pickers, but Janie would get a stomachache from eating as many as she picked. Colt wasn’t that old at twenty-four, but he recognized the speedy passage of time with his memories. He also realized what a stable foundation he had with the Johnson family and felt grateful.

  The next few weeks were taken up with horse training. Sam had acquired a few feral mustangs, the ones that are wild on the range and asked Colt to see what he could do with them. Communicating with horses was the equestrian gift Colt had and people would come around to watch him work. His process didn’t vary too much. Today Sam brought in a new mustang that was acting aggressively. It had been caught in a Bureau of Land Management roundup in Nevada and someone in town had bought it. A few cowboys stood by the corral to watch and to protect Colt, if needed.

  Colt walked into the corral and just looked the horse over. The horse was skittish if he got too close and ran around the corral looking for a way out. Colt stood in the middle of the corral and let the horse run. Crouching down in a submissive position allowed Colt to check the horse for physical problems. Finding nothing obvious, he straightened up.

  “Throw me that rope,” said Colt quietly to one of the cowboys. He coiled the rope and then threw up his arms to get the horse to stop running. Time and patience were the keys. Colt could wait any horse out. When the horse finally stopped to stare at him, Colt reached out to pat his head. If the horse reared up or again acted aggressively, he would start all over getting the horse used to him. Sometimes this would take a day or two—depending on the horse. Today the horse let him get close. Colt was able to get a rope on and lead him to the gate in the corral. Another horse was saddled for Colt, so he opened the gate, mounted the new horse and led the mustang out into the meadow out back on Sam’s ranch. He and the mustang rode around and around. They just continued walking and trotting in circles, as the mustang came to trust him more. When the horse began chewing, Colt knew he was getting where he wanted the horse to go. The next few days he would try to saddle and ride him.

  Sam and some other men watched Colt work and marveled at his technique. Not many cowboys could do this kind of horse training and Sam was beginning to get a lot of calls for Colt’s expertise. Jeanne volunteered to be his manager.

  After an hour or so, Colt brought the mustang back into the corral and took the rope off. The mustang was much calmer than before and could be led to another area with other horses. Colt was walking back to the house when Jeanne came up with his cell phone.

  “It’s your mother, sweetie.”

  “Mom. How are you?” Colt wiped the sweat off his forehead with his bandanna.

  “We miss you. How’s the horse training going?” Lily smiled at the sound of his voice.

  “I’ve only been here a few weeks, but Grandma is fielding calls for me to go around the state working with horses. I’m thinking about it. Is Dad there?”

  “Sure, he’s waiting to talk to you.” She handed the phone to Sandy.

  “Son, how are things? Got any good horses?” His father too was pleased to hear his voice.

  Colt smiled. “Dad, I may have a business brewing. I’ve got several appointments around California and Nevada to work with problem horses. I’m going to travel for a while and see how it goes. What do you think?” His father’s opinion was important to him for lots of reasons. Mostly, his father was an astute businessman, as well as rancher.

  “Do it, son. Get all the experience you can. When you’re ready, we can talk about giving you some acreage to start your own business here at our ranch. When you’re tired of traveling, people can bring their horses to you.”

  “Wow. Thanks—I hadn’t thought of that angle, but it sounds great.” Colt spoke to his mother again and promised to visit them as soon as he could. He knew it would be a while, though, before he could get back. Finishing the call, Colt smiled. Life was getting interesting all right.

  “Sam, got any beer?” He brushed the dust off his chaps and kicked the mud off his boots before entering the house.

  Amanda had been working with a young boy for about two weeks now. They had been talking quietly, when suddenly he started shrieking and running around her office. Her job as camp counselor seemed fraught with peril, as she worked through problems with various kids. She kept quiet and watched him for a while. Amanda knew he wasn’t physically hurt, so she held out her hands to keep him from bumping into furniture. The boy finally plopped exhausted into one of her comfortable chairs. Like one of Colt’s horses, she had to give him time to get used to her and begin to trust her. Patience was the key to where she wanted to go with this boy.

  His breathing became normal again, signaling he was calm. Amanda quietly suggested that they go for a walk. Walking around and around her building, the boy let Amanda hold his hand. While walking, he finally told her a few of his fears—father beatings, mother abandonment, drug use in the home.

  It never failed to amaze her how many bad parents were out there and continuing to have children. The camp was trying to straighten out damaged children after their parents had put the kinks there. They talked a while longer and then she told him when they could meet again.

  Taking him back to the recreation area, she walked over to the lunchroom to grab a bite. Going into the bathroom to wash her hands, she glanced at her reflection in the mirror. A different Amanda looked back at her. Sure, her eyes were still green and her hair a pretty auburn color, but it was someone more confident—happier…An improved version of the old Amanda. She liked what she saw.

  Her new friend, another counselor named Kim, called to her, “Over here, Amanda.” Kim was a petite blonde who used a lot of physical therapy with her clients. You could generally find her in the pool with a child or two. She sat down with Kim and waited for the onslaught. It wasn’t long in coming.

  “So how about that movie tonight? It’s the new Johnny Depp one where he plays Tonto. I know the critics hated it, but what do they know? Have they ever tried to make a movie? No, so we won’t listen to the critics.” She seldom paused for breath.

  “Kim...”

  “Or, I know, there’s a cool new bar in Truckee I’ve been dying to try. How about it? Maybe we’ll meet a few cute cowboys.”

  “My turn to talk, Kim. Take a bite of your sandwich.” Amanda winked at her. Kim happily began to eat.

  “I wouldn’t mind going to Truckee some time, but not after work today. I want to try out that new horse at the stable in town.”

  “That’s all you do anymore, Amanda. You’ve been here a month and must be an expert horsewoman by now. Or is it equestrian-person? What is the politically correct term anyway?”

  “I guess ‘cowgirl’ would do.”

  “That doesn’t sound politically correct.”

  “Horses and this camp are changing me, Kim. I feel so much better getting out of the polluted city air.”

  “You can’t take a horse to bed, Amanda. I suppose you could, but I never figured you for a Catherine the Great type of person.” Kim laughed.

  “I’ve read Russian history and I think Catherine’s reputation has been tarnished by that lie. Don’t perpetrate it…” Amanda smiled when Kim’s mouth dropped open.

  “What were we talking about?”

  “I’m going riding after work today, but I promise to come out with you Friday. How would that be?”

  “You’re a boring woman, Amanda, preferring a horse to a guy.”

  “I know I’m hopeless. Finish your sandwi
ch, Kim.”

  CHAPTER FOUR

  For several months, Colt traveled around northern California, working with people and their horses. Sometimes it seemed more like people problems than horse problems, meaning the owners seemed to cause the problems with their horses. He would always come back to Sonoma, get his mail and the news from his grandparents. He had just returned from St. Helena and an agitated Appaloosa when Jeanne caught up with him at dinner.

  “I just got a call from some children’s camp in the Soda Springs area. Over by Donner, I think. They have a donated horse they can’t do anything with and would like to hire you. Know the place?” she asked him.

  “Yeah, by Truckee?”

  “Better get out the GPS. Sam would know, but he’s working on a new wine concoction tonight. We’re eating solo, sweetie.” Jeanne smiled.

  “Grandpa is not joining us?”

  Jeanne’s antenna went up. “Ah, no. Why?”

  He folded his hands on the kitchen table, then unfolded them and pulled at his napkin. He was clearly nervous. Colt swallowed. For some time now he had wanted to talk to her about something. She could smell the tension.

  “Listen, Grandma. If I tell you something, could it please not get back to the whole family? This is private.”

  “You have my word.”

  He took a deep breath. “I saw a woman at a restaurant in Old Town Sac that I just can’t seem to forget. It’s stupid, really. I mean, it must have been six months ago, but the scene plays over and over in my head.”

  “Tell me.” And he did, from entering the restaurant to her last lingering look. He sounded almost wistful.

  “My darling grandson, there are no accidents. You’re right in deducing this was a sneak preview – how sweet of you to phrase it like that – and I think Act One is right around the corner.”