Silver Spurs

by Miralee Ferrell

  Mom nodded. “I’ve contacted a trainer with excellent references. She’ll give group lessons if we have a minimum of four students. We have three now, and your daughter makes four. I’m sure it won’t be long before we’ll have more. I’m curious, why didn’t you stay at the barn where you were boarding?”

  Kate held her breath, half hoping Melissa’s mom would decide their barn wasn’t good enough for her daughter’s horse and leave. A prick of conscience niggled at Kate. They’d done a lot of work getting the barn ready, and her parents had spent money they probably couldn’t afford. She’d best be asking God to let Melissa stay, not leave, no matter how much Kate would hate having her here.

  Mrs. Tolbert’s smile faded. “Melissa won’t be taking group lessons, only private—at least once the trainer starts accepting private students. We expect her to win the championship at the show this summer.”

  “I see. I imagine something can be arranged.”

  Mrs. Tolbert tapped her fingers against her crossed arms. “You’ll get back to me after you’ve spoken to your trainer about those lessons?”

  “Of course.” Mom dipped her head in a brief nod. “If Melissa wants to turn her horse out in the arena to stretch his legs, we’ll get the paperwork done. Would you follow me to the office?”

  Mom and Mrs. Tolbert headed down the alleyway while Kate and Tori stood frozen in place. Kate motioned toward a nearby stall but didn’t meet Melissa’s eyes. “We got this stall ready for your horse. You can put him in now, or turn him loose in the arena like my mom suggested. It’s up to you.” She didn’t wait for a response but grabbed Tori’s arm and dragged her toward the outer barn door. “Let’s get out of here,” she hissed.

  Kate dashed beside her friend down the aisle that separated the stalls from the indoor arena, then skidded to a stop at the door. She gave it a shove, and they stepped out into the bright sunlight of the clear June day. A horse nickered, and a fly buzzed past her nose, but she ignored them both.

  Disaster had struck.

  She couldn’t imagine how she’d survive the next couple of months with Melissa Tolbert hanging out at their barn.

  Tori’s eyes brimmed with tears, and she swiped at them with the back of her hand. “She’s going to ruin our whole summer. She acts like I don’t exist at school … or anywhere.”

  “I know.” Kate trudged over to a stack of straw bales and sank down on one. “But it looks like we’re stuck with her.”

  “Maybe she’ll find another place to keep her horse.” Tori plunked down on the bale next to Kate.

  “Yeah.” Kate tore off a piece of straw and stuck it between her teeth. “Except that means we’ll lose the money. Mom’s pretty excited that we have four boarders, but we need more. Hopefully someone new will come in soon.”

  “Man, this stinks. Of all the girls at school, we had to land Melissa.”

  Kate leaned back on her elbows, enjoying the sun warming her face. “Other girls she hangs out with are just as bad.”

  “I know. At least Melissa’s the only one who came. I sure hope none of her friends decide to hang out here with her.”

  “Yeah. So what do we do now?”

  Tori tipped her head to the side. “We can’t let her treat us like her slaves.”

  Kate sighed. “She’ll be ordering us around, expecting us to wait on her.”

  “Will your mom make us do that?”

  “I’m not sure, but we’re supposed to be grooms and muck stalls. If Mom asks us to do something for her, we might have to.”

  Tori groaned. “Yuck.”

  “I know.” Even the idea made Kate angry. She tried to shove the anger away. She needed to keep a good attitude. From the beginning she’d known people might come that she wouldn’t like, but she’d never envisioned Melissa. Maybe this boarding stable idea wasn’t so great after all.

  Just then Rufus raced around the corner chasing a stray cat. The big dog dashed inside the barn after the cat, his deep-throated bark echoing off the walls.

  Kate and Tori sprang to their feet and ran after him. Kate cupped her hands around her mouth. “Rufus! Come back here, you bad dog.”

  Tori reached the door a second before Kate. “That’s not one of your cats, is it?”

  “No. He knows to leave our cats alone. But how’d he get loose? Mom tied him up when the horse trailer got here. She didn’t want him scaring a horse.”

  A girl’s scream pierced the air, followed by a thud of hooves hitting a wooden surface.

  Kate’s heart raced faster than her feet had seconds before. Another high scream sent chills up her spine.

  Melissa.

  Chapter Four

  Kate slowed to a halt a few feet inside the barn door, and Tori bumped into her. Kate grunted. While they’d been outside talking, Melissa must have turned her gelding into the indoor arena.

  The cat had leaped over the half wall separating the arena from the alleyway that ran along the front of the stalls, and Rufus had followed it inside. Melissa’s big Thoroughbred gelding, Mocha, galloped around the enclosed area, bucking and lashing out with his hooves.

  Melissa stood in the center, gripping a lead rope and screaming, “Get out of here, you horrid dog. Leave my horse alone!” She lunged at the dog and swung the rope hard as he raced by. Rufus totally ignored the horse but stayed close to the cat’s tail. The rope snaked out and caught him hard on the hindquarters, and Rufus let out a yip.

  “Hey, stop hitting my dog!” Kate ran through the open half door into the arena. Mocha raced around the corner at the far end, fury making his legs pump faster.

  Kate would have liked nothing better than to get her hands on that rope and … She checked her runaway thoughts, suddenly ashamed of the direction they’d taken. She wouldn’t like her horse to be chased by a strange dog either, but Mom or she should discipline him, not Melissa. Kate shot up a little prayer. God, please help me control my temper.

  She raised her voice, hoping to be heard above the barking. “Rufus—come here, boy.” Melissa’s continued shrieks seemed to upset her horse even more. Kate cupped her hands around her mouth. “Leave that cat alone!”

  Mom and Mrs. Tolbert ran down the alleyway from the office at the far end of the barn. Mom arrived at their side first. “Rufus, get over here right now,” she commanded. “Come.”

  Something about her voice must have gotten the dog’s attention. He slid to a halt only a couple of yards from where Mom stood. He panted and grinned as though he’d won some kind of special doggy award. “I said, come!” She patted her leg, and Rufus trotted over and sat beside her. Grabbing his collar, she led him out into the alleyway. “Kate, tie up your dog. He can’t be loose anymore during business hours.”

  Kate couldn’t believe she’d heard right. This was not Rufus’s fault—or hers. It was that dumb cat’s fault for running in front of him, and Melissa’s for chasing him and getting her horse all worked up. “Mom! That’s mean. I understand keeping him tied up if someone is here, but not all the time!”

  “No, young lady, it’s not. We can’t have him chasing horses.”

  “But he wasn’t. He was chasing a stray cat.”

  Mrs. Tolbert stepped up and glanced from the dog to her daughter. “Is Mocha all right?”

  Melissa stormed across the arena, her mouth pinched in a frown. “You need to discipline that dog and keep him chained. He’s dangerous.”

  Kate pulled Rufus to her side, her hands shaking. “He didn’t hurt your horse, and you know it. He wasn’t even looking at Mocha. All he cared about was the cat.”

  “It doesn’t matter. Mocha could’ve hurt himself when he kicked the wall, or he could have hurt someone else.” She turned to her mother. “This is what I was afraid of. They don’t know what they’re doing. I want to take Mocha somewhere else.”

  “Yeah, well, he could’ve ruined our wall too.” Kate tugg
ed on Rufus’s collar and headed toward Tori, who stood quietly a short way up the aisle. “Why don’t you find another barn if you think we’re so horrible?”

  “Kate.” Her mother’s tone stopped Kate in her tracks. “You need to apologize.”

  “Mom! I didn’t do anything wrong.”

  “Melissa and her mother are our boarders. They have every right to be upset that Rufus frightened their horse, and you shouldn’t be rude.”

  It was all Kate could do not to glare at her mother, but she knew exactly where that would get her. As it was, she’d probably be grounded for the rest of her life if she didn’t follow orders. Even then, she’d bet Mom and Dad would give her a talking to after everyone left. She kicked at a pebble in the dirt, then raised her eyes toward Melissa. “Sorry.”

  Her mother took a step toward her, eyebrows raised. “Excuse me?”

  Tears of humiliation sprang to Kate’s eyes. She stared at the wall and blinked a couple of times, then turned toward the arena. “I apologize for saying you should go somewhere else, Melissa.”

  There. She’d said it the way her mother expected, but she didn’t mean it. Not a word. In fact, she hoped Melissa wouldn’t accept it. Maybe she would demand they take her horse and leave, and her mother would listen. Nothing would make Kate happier.

  Melissa’s gelding had come to a stop and stood quietly along the nearby rail. The girl snapped the lead line on the halter and led him to the open gate, stopping only feet from Kate. “Fine. I’m sure you’ll make it up to me by grooming my horse when I can’t come. But I’ll have to show you what I expect and how I want it done.”

  Kate bit back a moan and curled her fingers into fists. She spun on her heel and glanced at her mother. “I’ll take care of Rufus.” She stomped down the alleyway past the stalls, with Rufus trailing on his leash behind her. Poor boy. His tail was tucked between his legs. She understood exactly how he felt. They were both doomed to a life of torture for the rest of the summer. Or at least as long as that girl chose to keep her horse at their barn.

  Minutes later she returned to rescue Tori. Kate realized she never should have left her friend in the barn when she’d taken Rufus to the house. At least Melissa was putting her horse in the stall, and Kate wouldn’t have to talk to her again.

  Tori stepped out of a stall farther down the alleyway, and Kate heaved a sigh of relief. It looked like her friend had been smart and kept out of Melissa’s way, although the other girl was now exiting the stall a few yards away.

  Right then Pete shuffled down the long alleyway toward them, his head bent and eyes gazing at his feet. “Hey, Pete.” Kate moved forward and held out her hand.

  He stopped but didn’t move to take it. “Pete wants Rufus.”

  Kate bent down, not touching her little brother but hoping he’d look up. “Pete, I had to put Rufus in the house. He got loose and scared a horse, and that’s not good.”

  “No. Pete untied Rufus. He wasn’t happy.”

  Kate sagged, shooting a glare at Melissa.

  The girl’s hard expression had softened to one of understanding, and she moved forward. “Hi, Pete. I’m Melissa.”

  Pete didn’t move, but his chin lifted ever so slightly. Kate was shocked at Melissa’s gentle, tender tone. She’d never heard her speak in anything other than a brittle or demanding voice. “Pete’s my brother, and he didn’t understand about Rufus and the horses.” She said it a little defensively, but she didn’t care. One apology to this girl was enough, and no matter how nice Melissa was acting now, Kate bet she’d change her tune when it sank in that Pete had caused the mishap with Mocha. No way would she let Melissa be mean to her brother.

  Melissa nodded. “I can see that.” She moved closer to Pete, then knelt in front of him. “Do you like dogs, Pete?”

  He nodded but didn’t look at her.

  “I have a puppy I’m training. He goes with me sometimes, so he’ll get used to new places. Would you like it if I brought him to see you? He’d have to stay on his leash, but you could pet him and play with him, if you want to.”

  Pete peeked at her, and a tiny smile twitched. “Uh-huh.”

  “Good.” Melissa rocked back on her heels and grinned. Then she turned her attention to Kate and Tori, and her expression hardened again. “I get it now why your dog got out, but I still don’t think this place is run the way it should be. I certainly hope we won’t have more problems in the future.”

  Kate gaped at her, totally knocked sideways at the change in Melissa’s behavior. “Yeah. Whatever. Come on, Pete. We’ll make sure Rufus is okay.” She held out her hand, but the boy walked ahead of her. Of all the rotten things to happen. Sure, she was glad Melissa was nice to Pete. Kate wouldn’t want it any other way. But why did her little brother, who didn’t respond to anybody, have to respond to a girl who was determined to make life miserable for the rest of them?

  Chapter Five

  Kate slapped the palms of her hands against her jeans, and a cloud of dust rose. Whew. It looked like she’d been rolling in dirty straw, not merely mucking stalls and putting fresh bedding in them. At least all the horses had been fed and watered, and she could go inside and sit for a while.

  Tori was lucky. Her mom had picked her up before the stalls were finished. Kate rinsed her hands under a faucet, loving the feel of cool water running over her newly formed blisters. The barn had been open for over a week, and it felt as if all she did was muck stalls; feed, water, and turn out horses; and run errands. She hadn’t even gotten to ride Capri today.

  She marched into the house and stopped in the kitchen. Her mother stood at the sink peeling potatoes, and Pete sat in a chair at the dining table, rocking and humming the same tune as always, over and over. Kate ruffled his hair, but he pulled back and didn’t look at her. “Hi, Pete. You happy today?”

  He kept rocking and humming, staring blankly at a spot on the ceiling.

  Kate shrugged. She was glad he wasn’t stressed about something and screaming—or banging his head against a wall. “Mom?”

  Her mother glanced at her. “Hi, hon. All finished?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Did you make sure the main doors are locked, and the lights are off?”

  “Yeah.” Kate slouched into a chair across from Pete, trying to block out the humming. “I’m tired. It’s not fair that I have to do so much of the work. I didn’t get to ride Capri at all today.”

  Her mother stilled, set the knife on the cutting board next to the sink, then slowly pivoted toward her. “I’m sorry you’re tired and you didn’t get to ride. But Dad’s working late, and I need help setting the table and getting Pete ready for bed.”

  “Aw, Mom.” Kate planted her elbows on the table and huffed.

  “Don’t cop an attitude with me, Kate. I’m tired too.”

  “But you spent most of the day with Pete and here in the house.”

  Mom pulled out a chair and sat. “I could give you a list of the things I’ve had to deal with today, but I shouldn’t have to do that. Maybe we need to talk about shutting down the barn. It sounds like it’s too much for you, and you’re already losing interest. Is that the case?”

  Kate jerked upright. That was the last thing she wanted. Had her grumbling made Mom think she didn’t want to keep the barn open? “No way. I haven’t lost interest, and I don’t want to quit. I just don’t think it’s fair that I have to do so much work. Tori and Colt got to go home way early today, and I finished alone.”

  “Tell me something, Kate. What has Tori gotten out of helping with the chores?”

  Kate opened her mouth, all set to give her mother a list, but nothing came out. She snapped her lips shut and twisted them to the side as she struggled to come up with a good answer.

  Her mother nodded. “Exactly. Tori is helping because you’re her best friend. And Colt does what he agreed to do for his board. There’s no reaso
n he should do more.”

  “Yeah, but Tori knows when we get a lesson horse someday, she’ll get to ride it.” Kate felt a small degree of triumph. “She’ll get free lessons, and we’ll even pay for the hay. So that’s something.”

  Mom sighed. “How many people do you know who would clean up around here and do chores several days a week in the hope they’d get to use a lesson horse ‘someday’?”

  Kate slumped in her seat, all the anger oozing out of her. “You’re right. Guess I didn’t think about it like that.”

  “Well, you need to. Tori is kind to help at all. We can’t afford to pay her, and she’s willing to come so she can hang out with you. That’s a pretty generous friend, if you ask me.” She pushed to her feet. “And I promise you won’t have to do it alone very often. I know that’s too much to ask. Thankfully, two of our boarders chose partial care, but when we get more who want full care, we may have to hire a part-time worker. Now change out of those dirty clothes, wash up, and help me get supper on the table.”

  “All right.” Kate stood. “I’m sorry for complaining so much. I really am happy we have the barn, and I’ll let Tori know how much I appreciate her.”

  Her mother gathered Kate into her arms, giving her a long hug. Usually Kate felt too old for mushy stuff, but right now it felt awfully good. Mom wasn’t mad at her. Better yet, complaining about doing so much work hadn’t made her mother change her mind about the barn. Kate wrapped her arms around her mother and hugged her back, suddenly thankful for all the good things in her life—even for her little brother and the tune he kept humming.

  A couple of days later, Kate, Tori, and Colt leaned on the wooden rail fence in the outdoor arena watching Colt’s Quarter horse gelding, Romeo, a stunning bay with white socks, canter around the arena kicking up his heels after being released from the horse trailer.