“Angel. Do you know what she did?”
“Dad, what?”
“She barged into the back room of the clinic, when I was meeting with Roger Smith about his herd health program. She walked right in and wanted me to give her a hug in front of him and his wife.”
“Oh, my gosh! What did you do?”
“I took her arm and pulled her to the door. I told her to get out, that I wasn’t buying what she was selling. I didn’t know what else I said, I was so mad and embarrassed.”
“Did she leave?”
“Oh, she stomped out and slammed the doors, like she’s the one with a reason to be upset. I had to apologize over and over to the Smiths. I couldn’t believe it. I have never encouraged that woman. Ever! She’s nuts!”
“You’re right, she’s nuts. I hope she got the message this time, Dad.”
“Yeah, me too. Well, I had to vent. Listen, if she calls you again, don’t pick up. I have to go back to work. Love you!”
I couldn’t believe what Angel had done. I mean, I believed it, since I had met her and knew she was whacked. What I couldn’t get over was how she had behaved. Didn’t she have any sense? Of course I didn’t want my dad to be interested in a tramp like her, but couldn’t she figure out that wasn’t the way to get him interested? He liked women to be smart and pretty, not trashy.
I puttered around the house, not really doing much of anything, basically wasting the afternoon. I wandered into my bedroom and collected dirty clothes from the chairs and the floor. I had just put a load in the washer when my phone rang again. Angel? Not her number, so I picked up.
“Hello?”
“Piper?” It was a man.
“Yes, who is this?”
“This is Chickie. Listen, if you want that horse, you better come and get him tonight.”
“I still have to talk my dad into it. He’s not sure...”
“Hey, kid! I’m tryin’ to do you a favor here. Angel is mad as hell at you and your old man, I don’t know why. But she’s borrowing a horse trailer from someone tomorrow morning and taking him to the slaughterhouse if he’s still here.”
“What? Will they take a nice horse like that?”
“Honey, they’ll take anything with hoofs. They don’t care. So if you want him, get your butt over here and take him. I’d hate to see him get ground up for dogfood. My mom would not have wanted that, but I’m not getting in Angel’s way when she’s ticked off.” Chickie hung up.
The phone rang. Chickie again. “By the way, don’t let Angel see you or she’s liable to come out and mess you up. Stay quiet and be invisible.” Click.
Now what was I going to do? I tried calling Addie. No answer. I remembered she was visiting a sick aunt. I tried calling my dad. It went to his voicemail and I knew he had farm calls ‘till late, since I wasn’t coming to dinner. No point in trying him anymore. He didn’t want the horse anyway.
I thought about calling Mom, Miss Julie or Sam, but if they were all having dinner tonight, I couldn’t ask them to change plans.
I couldn’t let Nickel become a dog’s dinner. He deserved a nice home and someone to take care of him. I had to go and get him. And I had to go tonight, after dark.
Chapter Fourteen
~ A Wet Ride ~
I had tried and tried, after we saved Dotty, to tell the truth from then on, to do what I was supposed to do and follow all the rules. I mean, I really tried. But I had to tell another lie, a big one.
Miss Julie didn’t pick up her phone, and I was glad to leave a message. It was easier than lying to her directly.
“Hi, Miss Julie, this is Piper. I have to go with Addie to see one of her aunts who is sick. I’ll try to get out there later, but don’t wait dinner on me. Please tell Mom and Sam. ‘Bye.”
That job done, I walked the mile to the barn, watching to make sure Miss Julie’s speedy little car didn’t appear. I couldn’t let anyone see me.
When I got to the barn unseen, I collected a halter and began the hike out to Chickie’s. I didn’t want to haul my heavy saddle that far, so I planned to ride Nickel bareback, or lead him, if I had trouble staying on.
I tried calling Addie again a couple of times, but her phone went to voicemail right away. She was still at her aunt’s and had her phone turned off. I finally left her a message, which was risky because she doesn’t always check her messages. “Hey, Adds, it’s Piper. Call me right away, it’s real important.”
The sun began going down as I trudged along the two-lane blacktop. County Road 5 was not the main road into town, so very few cars passed me. I made a plan for when someone I knew stopped and asked where I was going. I would tell them I was lending my halter to someone. Another lie, but luckily no one stopped. About the time the wind started blowing my hair around, I stared at the sky and noticed black clouds on the horizon.
I started whistling and spinning the horsehair bracelet on my left wrist, while I held the halter slung over my shoulder. It was kind of awkward, but twisting the bracelet always calmed me. Whistling was supposed to make you feel braver. I wasn’t sure it did, but it was worth a shot.
Since an hour-long hike was time enough to think, I had pretty well planned out what I was going to say to my mom and dad about Nickel. Same deal as Dotty, right? They were proud of me for rescuing her, and they should be equally proud of me for saving Nickel from the slaughterhouse. I was banking on that reasoning.
It was full dark by the time I turned in at Chickie’s. I walked slowly down the bumpy, rutted driveway, watching for cars and headlights. A half moon rose over the woodland on the far side of Chickie’s property. I didn’t want to take Nickel through the woods. It would be hard to walk through. At least there was a little moonlight for me to see by. For now, until the clouds moved in. The wind was blowing in my face and causing my eyes to burn.
My phone rang and I hurriedly answered.
“Hello?”
“Piper, it’s me, Addie! I saw you’ve been calling me.”
“Where have you been?” I was talking in a whisper in case my voice was carried by the wind. “I’ve been calling you for hours.”
“I told you, I had to go visit my Aunt Amy. What’s up?” I explained about Angel harassing my father, about Chickie’s phone call, and how Nickel’s life was in danger.
“Where are you now, Piper?”
“I’m at Chickie’s, getting Nickel. I’m going to ride him to Miss Julie’s.”
“At night? In the rain?” Addie sounded worried about me.
“I’ll be okay, but what about you? Can you walk?”
“I’m pretty klutzy, but I can do what I need to do,” she said.
“Can you meet me at the barn in about an hour? Maybe someone could drive you?”
“Yeah, I can. Mom is going somewhere and I’ll get her to drop me off. She’ll nag me to be careful on my ankle, but she’ll do it.”
“Don’t go to the house. I don’t want Mom or anyone to know what I’m doing until it’s already done. Once Nickel is safe, they won’t have the heart to send him back to get killed.”
“Piper, there are thunderstorm warnings.”
“I can’t help that. I’ll have to get wet.”
“Okay. Listen, good luck. I’ll be in the barn with some towels.”
“And a change of clothes.” We wore the same sizes in everything, which was lucky for me. Addie had lots more clothes than I did. “Thanks, Adds. See you in a while.”
Wishing I had a plastic bag so my cell phone wouldn’t get wet, I stuffed it back in my pocket, hoping it would stay dry enough there. Sure enough, sprinkles began as I let myself into Nickel’s pen. The horse had seen me coming and was standing close to the gate. I rubbed his neck and he put his head down. I remembered that he had liked having his head rubbed, so I ran my hands over his cheeks and nose. He nickered softly and sniffed my hair.
I stood on my tiptoes and lifted the lead rope over Nickel’s neck, catching it from underneath. His head jerked up and he stepped away.
“Easy,
boy,” I said. “It’s time to put this on.” Still talking softly to him, I slid the halter over his nose and buckled it up high on his head.
“Good boy! Now we need to get me up on you. We’re going for a nice walk in the rain.” I led him over to the fence and climbed to the top rung.
Slam! A door shut over at the house and a man’s voice yelled something. I froze and crossed my fingers. Holding the halter with a clenched fist, I crouched on the fence like a bug. Another voice yelled, a different door slammed, maybe a car door, and then all was quiet. I counted slowly to thirty and heard nothing else, until two more doors shut, a car started, and headlights came on. They pointed at the drive, so I didn’t think anyone could see me. I stayed in my crouch, hardly breathing as the car passed Nickel’s pen. I could see several dark shapes in the beater car, but couldn’t make out who they were. It bounced down the driveway, turned onto State Highway 5 and headed into town.
Not wanting to waste time, I flipped the gate open, swung my foot over Nickel’s back and settled myself on him. Giving a click and a tap of my feet in the drizzly rain, I steered our new horse into the driveway and walked carefully down the lane. Riding with a halter and lead rope wasn’t very safe, but it was all I had. Nickel was a champ and picked his way in the semi-dark and rain. He seemed happy to go with me. I gripped his wet sides with my jeans and held on to his mane and the lead rope. So far, so good. Only three miles to go.
Down the rutted dirt drive, up onto the blacktop. The wind and rain picked up, blowing harder. At least it was at my back. I hunched down on Nickel, talking to him the whole time.
“Good boy. Stay over here on the shoulder, now. Easy does it.” I think I was calming myself as much as I was calming Nickel, whose head was down and ears were back as he walked through the downpour. I patted his wet neck, thinking of all the times I had wanted a horse when I was little. I didn’t know I would get Dotty the way I got her, and I sure wouldn’t have known I would get another one this way.
Crack! The sky lit up with lightning. Great. An electrical storm. That was all I needed, out in the open, wet to the core. Nickel shied and moved sideways into the ditch beside the road. He couldn’t see the ditch because of his blind eye and clattered with his hoofs, trying to find better footing.
“Whoa, son, easy.” I held on tight and steered him back to the shoulder where the ground was smoother. My teeth started chattering as the wind and water chilled me through my sopping cotton t-shirt. Why hadn’t I thought to bring a rain jacket? But the sky had been clear when I got dressed earlier and it was hot. Who knew there would be a storm?
Thunder rumbled, rain hissed on the still hot blacktop. Nickel and I plodded down the road with our heads down and rain in our faces. It felt like we had been walking through the rain for hours, although it only took one. Nickel had a long stride and walked quickly. He didn’t like the rain, either, and was probably trusting that we were heading for a nice, dry barn with plenty of hay and oats.
As Miss Julie’s house and barn appeared in the downpour, I turned Nickel’s head into the long tree-lined driveway. The lights shone in the farmhouse and I saw people inside. It seemed like there were too many cars, but Nickel slipped a little in the mud and I was distracted. He found his footing again easily and I aimed him toward the warm, dry barn.
Addie stood there with a bunch of towels and dry clothes. What a friend!
“Can you take Nickel? He needs to get dried off and put in a stall with hay and some oats,” I said.
“I’m on it,” said Addie, taking the lead rope from me, as I slid off and handed it over. “Are you okay?” She rubbed Nickel’s dripping head.
“I think so,” I said. “I’m freezing cold and sopping wet, but we did it!”
“No, I meant Nickel. Is he okay?”
“He’s a jewel. All the way in the storm and not a single panic attack.”
I went into a stall and stripped off my wet clothes, toweling myself dry as I went. Now that the rain and wind had stopped, the air was warming and beginning to feel humid. I put on a dry t-shirt and jeans, then fished my cellphone out of my wet jeans, hoping it wasn’t ruined.
I checked on Addie. She was brushing Nickel, who had his head in a rubber feed dish, eating oats. They looked happy with each other. Addie looked up at me.
“Hey, thanks for my horse.”
“You’re welcome. I wonder when you can ride with your hurt ankle.”
“I’ll ask Doc Williams. I have to go see him again tomorrow. Maybe I can ride soon.”
“Does it still hurt?”
“Not too much, as long as I don’t jump on it or anything.”
I put my bundle of wet clothes in a corner of the barn. Dotty had a walk-in stall and had come in to see who was in her barn. She stood with her nose over the stall divider, sniffing at Nickel who sniffed back. They made gurgling sounds in their throats as they got to know each other. Horses were herd animals and liked the company of other horses. I had to smile when I saw them.
Since the rain had stopped, I looked at Addie and we nodded at each other, mentally agreeing it was time to go. The sky still lit up and thunder rolled in the distance, but the storm seemed to be mostly over. We turned out the barn light and walked up to Miss Julie’s house to face the music with my mom. I was guessing that Miss Julie, Mom and Sam would be the only ones there. Then, when Mom got over yelling at me, she could call Dad and break the news to him. Or maybe she wouldn’t yell. Maybe she would be nice and understanding since Sam was there. I could only hope. I must have worried out loud because Addie stopped me and said, “Pipe, what’s done is done. We have to live with it. And so do they.”
Chapter Fifteen
~ Trouble ~
We walked up to the back door. I peered through the window in the door and was surprised to see Miss Julie, Sam and Mom all standing in a huddle in the middle of the living room. I was even more surprised to see that their hands were tied in front of them. Standing near them and talking to each other were Chickie, Angel and a man I guessed must be Earl. I grabbed Addie’s arm, pulling her off the porch and all the way to the barn.
“What’s going on?” she said.
“Shhh! Don’t be too loud! The storm is over and our voices could carry! Chickie, Angel and Earl are in there and they have Mom, Sam and Miss Julie tied up. They must be robbing Miss Julie!”
“What are we going to do?” Addie’s voice shook.
“We have to call for help,” I said, taking out my phone and dialing 9-1-1. Nothing. My phone was dead. “It’s dead as a hammer. Addie, do you have yours?”
Addie took out her phone and dialed 9-1-1. No signal. She walked all over the barn, trying to get bars on her phone.
“Stupid phone!” she said. “Stupid cell towers! I’ll have to go to the road. Once you’re on the main road, you can usually get a signal.”
“Okay. I’ll go see if I can distract them somehow. They won’t be expecting me. Hey, what are you doing?” Addie was pulling down the halter I had just put up.
“I’ve got to ride out to the road. It will take too long to walk and someone could be hurt...or worse, by then.” She went into Nickel’s stall, haltered him and led him out into the main area of the barn without hesitating.
“Addie, are you sure you want to do this?”
“I have to, Piper, and I have to do it fast!” She swallowed. I knew my friend. She didn’t want to think about the riding involved, she just wanted to start doing it.
“At least let me do this.” I grabbed a saddle that we had thought would fit Nickel and threw it over his back, cinching it tight. “You be a good boy just a little longer,” I said to the horse, hugging his neck, “and I’ll give you a lifetime of apples and carrots.”
Addie swung up onto Nickel’s back, turned his head with the halter rope, took a deep breath and walked purposefully out into the light drizzle. I grabbed a plastic carry-all with a horse brush, currycomb and hoof pick in it, and headed toward the house.
Addie started
up the long driveway, Nickel stepping out quickly. He had a lot of energy left after just plodding three miles in a thunderstorm. What a horse we had! I turned to go to the house and throw my horse grooming tools at the windows to distract the criminals.
As I neared the house, the back door opened and Chickie came running out. “Hey!” he yelled, looking at Addie on Nickel. “One of those girls is out here! I’ll get her. Get back here, girl!” He started running across the yard toward Addie. He would go directly in front of me, trying to grab Addie. I couldn’t let him grab her, or make Nickel spook and throw Addie, so I jumped. I jumped a long way and I jumped hard, landing on Chickie’s back. As we fell to the ground, I started hitting him on the head with the heavy plastic box.
About then, someone grabbed me from behind and pinned my arms behind my back. This man was skanky and dirty with greasy hair. A match for Chickie. It had to be Earl.
“Hey, let go! He was trying to hurt my friend!” I said, trying for innocence and indignation. I struggled against him. Chickie picked himself up off the ground and wiped mud and blood off his face. “I’ll take her inside,” he said. “The other kid is long gone, so we better get goin’ ourselves and get outa here.”
“Yes, you should get out of here,” I retorted, trying to seem braver than I felt.
“Shut up and get inside,” said Earl. He shoved me in the door, through to the living room, where he dumped me into the fat armchair that was Miss Julie’s reading place. I got a strong whiff of armpits from him, as well as cigarette smoke.
“Look what I found,” he said. “She was throwing stuff at the windows.”
“Well, well, it’s the smart aleck brat,” said a female voice, and Angel appeared in front of me, holding a large knife. “You have to interfere in everything, don’t you?”
“Piper,” my mother said in a shaky voice, “do what they say. They don’t want to hurt us, they just want to take some things.”
“You shut up, too! I told you not to talk,” said Angel.
“Sweetie, we really should leave,” Chickie said to her. “There are too many people here and we thought there would only be one little old lady in the house. Would have been easy pickin’s, but it’s not worth it. The other kid probably went for help.”
The Horse Rescuers Page 10
