“Look, Piper! Here’s a purebred Arabian horse to give away to a caring owner.”
“How old is it?”
“Nine months. Is that bad?”
“That horse can’t even be trained for riding yet. It’s too young. We have to find an older horse that won’t be excitable and dump you.”
“Yeah,” she said. “No dumping! Here’s one. Ten year old paint gelding, experienced rider. What’s a gelding?”
“It’s a boy horse that can’t make babies. But you don’t want that one.”
“Why not? I like paints.”
“’Experienced rider’ means it’s a tricky horse to handle. Keep looking.”
We scanned the cards.
“Here! Look, Adds! Twelve year old gelding free to a good home. Kid safe.”
“What does that mean?”
“That means it’s old enough to be calm and a safe ride even for a little kid.”
“But I’m fifteen.”
“So?” I said. “Even better. If a little kid can ride it, then so can you.” I tore the ad off the bulletin board and jammed it in my shorts pocket. We would have to check this one out. We found Sue, said goodbye, and headed home.
Chapter Three
~ A Free Horse ~
The next morning, I slipped out of the house quietly, while Mom was talking on the phone. I knew from the giggling that she was talking to Sam Applegate, Miss Julie’s son. I didn’t want to interrupt. Mom was pretty cool with me coming and going from the house since getting Dotty, but I didn’t want her to ask me where I was going this time.
Addie and I met up in her backyard, as scheduled. To go check out the free horse, we would have to ride our bikes because the address was three miles out of town. We could have walked, but I was in a rush to get there and see the horse. I had called the owner, who said he would be there all morning and we should stop by any time before noon.
As the sun beat down, we pedaled our way out of Serendipity Springs and through the rolling hills and red dirt of Western Kentucky. It was pretty poor farming country, not like the bluegrass part of the state with the big horse farms. It was a long ride and on the way, we talked about next summer when we could get our driver’s licenses and not have to walk or ride bikes everywhere.
At the top of a long hill that wore us both out, we found the driveway. Addie gave a whoop and I gave a sigh and caught my breath. We turned in and carefully rode down a twisty gravel lane, being careful not to turn our wheels and crash our bikes. Neither one of us had worn our helmets.
We pedaled up to a seedy house next to a tumbled-down barn. In a small pen by the barn was a freckled gray horse chewing some weeds. It looked at us with interest as we parked our bikes in the shade of a maple tree and walked over to it.
“He looks big,” said Addie.
“Yeah, but he has a sweet face,” I said, mentally measuring him. “He’s probably 15 hands.” The animal came over to the fence and sniffed at us. The long whiskers on his muzzle tickled my hand as I reached out to pat his small, velvety nose.
“Hands?”
“A hand is 4 inches, see? Like how wide across your hand is? Okay, a grown-up hand. You measure at their withers, where their neck meets their shoulders. From there to the ground. Fifteen hands is a good sized horse, and he looks taller because he holds his head high. He’s got a pretty face, doesn’t he?”
“How would I get up on him?”
“You use a wooden box or something. It’s not hard. I’ll help you.”
A scarecrow of a man walked across the yard from the house. He was possibly the skinniest man I’d ever seen, and what little hair he had was pulled back in a gray ponytail. He was about my dad’s age, wearing a dirty orange tank top and jeans.
“Hey, ladies,” said the man.
“Hi, mister, we’re here to look at the free horse. I called earlier. Is this him?” I said.
“Yeah, this is him. I thought you were older on the phone.”
“Well, I’m not, but I’m still interested in the horse. Why are you getting rid of him?”
“He was my mother’s horse. I’ve had him since she passed last year, but I can’t afford to keep him anymore.”
“So you’re giving him away?” I asked.
The man rubbed his face and I got a big whiff of cigarette smoke and beer. “People say there’s no market for riding horses and I got no papers for him. We need the space in the barn. My girlfriend wants me to sell him for slaughter, I owe her some money, but jeez...I had a pony when I was a kid and I loved that pony. This guy here was my mom’s and I guess I want him to go somewhere better than here.” He rubbed the horse on the neck. “Yeah, I’m givin’ him away.”
Addie and I looked at each other. We both wanted to save this horse and not let him go for slaughter. The horse was rubbing his nose on the man’s arm now.
“Can we ride him?” I asked.
“Sure, just gimme a minute. I have a halter in the barn. There’s no saddle, though.”
As he went into the barn for the halter, Addie and I consulted with each other. We agreed that I would ride on him first and, if that worked out okay, then Addie would try.
The man held the halter while I clambered from the fence to the horse’s back. His coat was very rough and needed brushing badly. His silver mane and tail were full of weeds and knots, but he stood quietly in the small pen. I asked the man to give me the lead rope while I rode and I guided him around with only that. This was a nicely trained horse. He walked smoothly and I could balance easily. We trotted, then we loped a little, but it was hard to stay on with no saddle; horse hair was pretty slippery. I got off and helped Addie scramble on. She didn’t want to go alone, so I led her around the pen. The horse stopped and started gently and looked at us with big brown eyes full of intelligence.
“What’s his name?” I asked.
“Name’s Nickel,” said the owner.
“That’s a good name,” said Addie. “He’s a kinda gray like a nickel.”
“Well, he was steel gray when he was younger. Actually, my stepfather named him that because he said he was a nickel-bred son of a...gun. Sorry, I forgot you’re just kids.”
“Huh?” said Addie.
I had heard the term before from my father. “It means his parents were not expensive horses, and that you are mad at the horse,” I said in a low voice to Addie.
“His mother was an Arabian that jumped the fence and got in with some cross-bred colts that hadn’t been gelded yet. My stepfather was really PO’d.”
“Can I go around again by myself?” asked Addie.
“Sure,” said the man. “Take all the time you need. And so you know, he’s had months of work with a professional trainer.”
Addie took the lead rope and clicked her tongue at Nickel, who began walking sedately around the little corral. Addie soon got into the rhythm of his gait and smiled.
“He’s great!” she said, beaming. “This is fun!” She clicked again and touched him with her feet and Nickel started a slow, collected trot. Addie stayed on as they went, her face set as she concentrated on keeping her balance. She pulled on the lead rope to stop him as she came up to us. He put his head down and stopped like a gentleman.
“He’s great!” she repeated. “We have to have this horse! I don’t want any other one.”
“Okay, then,” I said, not really knowing what else to say. We still had to convince our parents. “So... we’d better get going.”
“Piper, I want to keep riding.”
“Sorry, kids, but I have to get into town and meet a guy,” said the man. Addie scrambled down off of Nickel, who began rubbing his head on her shoulder. She grinned and hugged his neck.
“So do you want the horse?” asked the man. Addie and I looked at each other with smiles and shining eyes.
“We want him. But we have to make arrangements,” I said.
“Well, decide pretty soon. I’d hate to sell him to a slaughterhouse, but my girlfriend is really on my case about
it. Call me when you know. And what’s your names?”
“I’m Piper and this is Addie. And yours is...?”
“Charles Hyde. Chickie. You’ve got my phone number. Call me in the next few days if you want him.”
Chapter Four
~ Finding Allies ~
Addie and I were very excited as we left Chickie’s place and could hardly steer our bicycles down the bumpy drive to the highway. As we turned onto the blacktop, an old tan beater car with dents all over it turned in. I got a look at the driver and stopped my bike. The car raised a cloud of dust all the way to Chickie’s house.
“What are you doing, Piper?” asked Addie.
“I can’t believe it,” I said. “Remember the creepy guy that hung out with Nasty Jake? When we saved Dotty? The one we thought was one of his drug guys? I’m sure that was him.”
“He’s going to Chickie’s. Do you think Chickie is a criminal, too?”
“I don’t know. He does look like one, but he sure has a nice horse.” I took a deep breath. It was time to talk to the grownups and I thought I already knew what they would say. They weren’t usually reasonable. So I called my friend and ally, Miss Julie, first.
“Piper, hello,” she said on the phone. “I haven’t talked to you for days, I’ve been so busy. Why do you sound out of breath?”
“Because I’m riding my bike,” I said. “Here’s what I need to know. If Addie and I found another horse...a free one... could we keep it at your place with Dotty, if our parents say it’s okay?”
“Well, of course, Piper, if it’s okay with your parents,” she said. “Where did you find a free horse?”
“It was in an ad. I have to talk to my mom and dad, so please don’t say anything until I get them on my side.”
“My lips are sealed, honey,” she said. “Let me know what happens. Bye!”
And that was why Miss Julie was such a special friend. She was always there for me. I stuck my phone back in my pocket and smiled at Addie. We had our work cut out for us to persuade our parents, but at least we had one ally. And this ally owned a horse barn.
Late that afternoon, I detected that Mom was getting ready to go out somewhere. She was bustling around, fixing her hair and fidgeting with a nice blouse she hardly ever wore. “Are you going out, Mom?”
“I am.”
“Where are you going?”
“I’m going to an early dinner with someone.”
“Who?”
Mom sighed and turned to look me straight in the eye. “Honey, if I was going out on a date, would you be okay with that?”
“Sure,” I said. “But who are you going with?”
“Sam Applegate. I’m meeting him at the Old Springs Inn,” she said, smiling. That was the best and only nice restaurant in Serendipity Springs.
“Sweet! Get the stuffed pork chops,” I said. “Sam’s really cute. And he’s nice, too. Even though I didn’t think so at first.” Earlier in the summer, I had been sure that Miss Julie’s son, Sam, was a horrible person, but I was wrong. He was a great guy, actually.
“Piper, are you absolutely sure you’re okay with this? I can wait if you’re not, but I feel like I’m ready to get on with my life. I’d really like to start enjoying things again and having some fun.”
“Mom, I’m more than okay with it. I was sorta hoping you two would get together.”
She looked at me like she didn’t know me, shook her head and walked into the kitchen. She opened the refrigerator door and took out a frozen pizza.
“And, are you okay with this for dinner? I’m in a bit of a hurry and haven’t cooked anything.”
“I’m fine, Mom. Have a good time and tell me all about it later.”
“I’m feeling guilty.”
“Well, quit,” I said.
“Okay, then. I won’t be late. Call your dad if anything goes wrong. See you.”
“Oh, hey, Mom!” I called as she walked out the door. “Addie and I found a free horse. Can we keep it out with Dotty?”
“Sure, whatever,” she sang, closing the door. That wasn’t fair. She wasn’t paying attention to what I said, but it still counted as an okay. I had two adult allies now. Time to talk with Dad.
I found my dad at his house, getting ready to eat supper. He lived in a small house halfway between the clinic and Mom’s house. He always told me he did this on purpose after the divorce, so he could be near the two things he loves most: his practice and me. He was making baked macaroni and cheese, with tons of cheddar on top. It was ooey-gooey, and both of our favorite dinner.
“Can I have some of that? There’s only frozen pizza for me at Mom’s.”
“Where’d your mom go?”
“She’s having dinner with Sam Applegate,” I said.
“Really?” said Dad, filling a plate for me. “Interesting.”
After I ate a few bites of cheesey yumminess, I got down to business.
“Hey, Dad. Can I talk to you about horses?
“What about them? Is Dotty all right?”
“Yeah, she’s great. I’ve been riding her almost every day.”
“That’s good. That’s what she needed, along with some decent feed.”
“Yeah, but see, it’s a problem because Adds and I can never go riding together.” I didn’t want to tell him that Addie was scared to ride Dotty-- I would have to explain why and then he would know that she bucked. “So I was thinking, if we could find another horse, a nice, gentle one, then we could both ride together and it would be more fun.”
“True. It’s fun to go on trail rides with other people. But I know Sandy Davis pretty well, and I can’t see her shelling out the money for a horse.”
I thought about this. Addie’s mom and dad were divorced, like mine. That was one reason we’d gotten to be such good friends. Addie’s dad lived in Wisconsin and she didn’t see him much. She only had one parent to convince.
“But what if we knew of a horse that was free? What if someone wanted to give it away?”
“Piper, there are no free horses.”
“Duh! Yes, there are, Dad! I found an ad for one yesterday!”
“What I mean is, honey, you end up paying for feed, for training, for saddles and bridles, maybe even for more fences and gates. Every horse costs money, even if you don’t have to pay money up front for it.”
“But it could go in the paddock with Dotty and eat the grass there. We can use my babysitting money for its feed, if you won’t pay for it. I’ll advertise and babysit more.” Was he going to start being a tightwad now? He hadn’t mentioned the cost of feed before, and we went together every couple of weeks to buy her oats at the feed store.
“Where is this horse and who is giving it away? Before you get all excited about it, I think I should look at it and make sure it’s sound.”
This sounded promising, like maybe I was halfway there with my argument. But Dad’s phone jingled his business ringtone, “On the Road Again”.
“Dr. Jones. Yes, hello, Jerry. Have you got her in where I can look at her? Okay, I’ll be right out.” Dad hung up and stood. “Gotta go. Cow having trouble calving. Look, Piper, let me think about the horse and I’ll call you later when I get done with this farm call.”
“Okay, Dad, talk to you later.” I let myself out and walked home in the warm summer evening. Honeysuckle scented the air and I smiled to myself. Life was good.
Chapter Five
~ Crooks in Town ~
I got back to Mom’s and put the pizza back in the fridge because I wasn’t hungry after Dad’s mac and cheese. I curled up on the couch and turned on the TV, looking for something to watch, but it was the same old, same old. We didn’t even have any movies worth watching. I flipped around the channels for a while and was turning it off when my mom walked in the door.
“Hey, Mom,” I called so she would know I was here. “How was it? Did you have a good time? What did you have to eat?”
“Oh...yes, sweetie, I had a really good time. Sam is a great guy. We both
had beef filets and we split a bread pudding for dessert. It was delicious. I shouldn’t eat again for a week,” Mom sighed as she came in the family room and sat down in our old green recliner. “He asked me to go out again next weekend, maybe Saturday.”
“You’re going, aren’t you?”
“I said I would, but I don’t want to rush things. Dating is so new for me and it seems a little odd still. But I have to tell you something!”
“What?”
“We saw Harvey Martin at the restaurant. He and Sam go way back, so he came over to our table to warn us to keep our doors locked any time we were gone. There have been a series of break-ins and thefts all over the county, including several right here in town.”
“Thefts like stolen TV’s or what?” Harvey Martin was our town sheriff and even though I’d had my differences with him when we were rescuing Dotty, he was an okay guy.
“I guess they’ve taken TV’s and computers, but also some jewelry and silver. Pretty much anything they could walk off with that was worth anything.”
“Has anybody gotten hurt?”
“No, they seem to hit houses where no one is home,” said Mom.
“Do they have any idea who’s doing it?” I asked.
“I don’t think so,” said Mom. “Harvey didn’t say. So keep the doors locked, even when you’re home, if you’re by yourself. And be sure you have your house key with you when you leave, even for a few minutes.”
“All right, but Mom? We’ve never had to lock our doors.”
“I know, honey, but things change. This may be a small town, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t some crooks around. I’m going up to bed now. Oh, did you eat the pizza?”
“No, I went over to Dad’s and had some supper over there.”
“What did you have?”
“He fixed some macaroni and cheese. It was yum and I ate enough that I’m not hungry anymore.”
“Oh, yuck!” said Mom. “You and he could live on it, but I never did like that stuff. I wouldn’t fix it for him. Well, goodnight. See you tomorrow.”
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