For The Love of Horses (Pegasus Equestrian Center)

by Diana Vincent

  The day Pam drove to Seattle to take the NCLEX, (the examination required for nursing licensure), Sierra invited River to dinner to either ‘celebrate’ or ‘commiserate’, when her mother returned. It wasn’t part of River’s or Sierra’s job at the stable to bring in horses and feed at night, but they both had always willingly done it to help out Manuel. They explained to him why they weren’t going to stay on this day, and smiling, he readily encouraged them to take off just as soon as they finished with their last assigned horse. River drove Sierra to the grocery store to buy dinner ingredients in secret - everything she needed to make lasagna, a salad, and also a loaf of French bread, a cake mix, and ice cream. Then they cooked together Sierra’s ‘famous’ lasagna, a dish she had learned how to make two summers ago, and her mother always raved as one of her favorites.

  While River made the salad, Sierra spread a tablecloth over the plain kitchen table and set it with her mother’s best dishes, a vase of flowers they had bought at the store, and candles. She had just placed the last candle into its holder when they heard Pam’s car pull into the driveway.

  Both Sierra and River stood facing the kitchen doorway as Pam walked in.

  At first sight of her mother’s exhausted appearance, Sierra’s heart dropped heavily in her chest as nausea rose in her throat. She felt River grab her hand and squeeze.

  “What’s this?” Pam looked up with a weak smile at sight of the two kids and the elegantly-set table.

  “Mom, what happened? Did you pass?” Sierra moved quickly to her mother to give her a hug.

  “I don’t know; I have no idea,” Pam answered. “I feel numb.”

  “How do you think you did?” Sierra asked, hoping for some reassurance.

  Pam shook her head and laughed. “I would read a question and think to myself, ‘I know the answer’, but then I either couldn’t find just the answer I was looking for or else there would be two answers that seemed almost equally possible.” She sighed deeply and kissed the top of Sierra’s head. “This looks fantastic!” she said, looking over the table. “What a wonderful surprise, and believe me, it’s just what I need right now.”

  Two days later, Pam was able to go to an on-line site to get unofficial exam results. When Sierra walked in after River dropped her off from the stable, this time Pam had dinner waiting for Sierra.

  “I passed!” Pam announced triumphantly.

  *****

  A week later, Sierra finished her own final examinations and felt immensely lighter as winter break began. “Almost half way through junior year,” Allison stated as they stowed all their books in their lockers.

  “Stop it!” Sierra exclaimed in mock dismay. “I want to relax and have fun over break.”

  They both laughed as they made their way out the door to the parking lot.

  Saturday, River and Sierra again excused themselves from stable work to attend Pam’s graduation ceremony. Since Pam had elected to continue her studies through the summer terms, she was able to graduate in three and a half years. Although official results of passing the NCLEX wouldn’t arrive for another two weeks, she had already been hired into a nursing resident position on a telemetry floor at the local hospital.

  “Best of all, I got the one day-shift position!” she exclaimed to Sierra when she received the phone call offering her the job. “Never again will I have to work graveyard.”

  “But you’ll still have to work weekends?” Sierra asked.

  “Just every other weekend. All the positions are twelve-hour shifts, so I only have to work three days a week for full-time. What am I going to do with four days off a week?” Pam said, laughing happily.

  The week after Pam’s graduation, Sierra had made an appointment to take her driver’s test, which she passed in spite of taking the test on a day of hard rain.

  “So I get João’s pick-up truck to drive now, right?” she asked her mother as they drove away from the licensing department, and she happily studied the temporary copy of her license that she still held in her hand.

  “I don’t know,” her mother answered in a teasing tone. “He did leave it to me.” João had left his diesel truck with a camper, and his two-horse trailer to Pam in his will.

  “Mom…” Sierra began to complain, but then noticing the twinkle in her mother’s eye, said, “right, and you have so much need for a truck and horse trailer; I understand.”

  “Sure do; I may need it to haul all my old textbooks and all of my fellow graduates’ books to the book-burning party.” They both laughed, and then, her eyes still twinkling, Pam pulled a set of truck keys from her purse and tossed them to Sierra. “All yours!”

  Another accomplishment occurred over Christmas break. River, with Manuel and Enrique’s help, finished construction of a round pen in an area behind the outdoor arena. Now he was able to take Oberon there a few days a week to work on the ‘attitude improving’ exercises that Ben had demonstrated. Although he still didn’t sense any development of a bond or deepening of trust with the horse, at least Oberon had improved in his manners. The horse was not stupid, and quickly learned that behaving respectfully and not exhibiting aggressiveness, would keep him from being pushed to run around the perimeter of the round pen. River talked with Ben by phone about once a week to let him know how things were going and to be sure he stayed on the right track. Ben assured him he was making progress.

  The year ended, and all too soon winter quarter of school began. Now, instead of River driving to Sierra’s house to pick her up for school, Sierra drove to the stable every morning and picked River up in her own truck; wanting to get as much experience as she could driving on her own. It was a newer truck and in much better condition than River’s father’s old truck, so River was more than happy to let Sierra have her way.

  On January thirtieth, River turned eighteen.

  *****

  Chapter 12 Eighteen

  God made the horse from the breath of the wind, the beauty of the earth and the soul of the angel…may they forever run with our hearts. – Bonnie Piper

  *****

  Lately, catching sight of the flash of the message light on the phone sent a chill down Tess’s spine and caused her stomach to cramp. Too many messages from Jerry and none bearing good news.

  Jerry continued to make offers to buy Corazón with Tess upping the amount by a thousand dollars on each consecutive offer.

  When the offer reached sixty thousand and Beverly again refused, Jerry also gave her more disturbing news. “Not only has she refused, but her lawyer claims she has had all along a contract with one of her long-time clients to buy him for eighty thousand.”

  “Eighty thousand! Jerry, something is definitely wrong here. The horse has potential, but he has only won at training level. He is not worth eighty thousand. He’s not even worth the sixty thousand I offered her. He’s only been shown one season, he’s a grade horse and a gelding; he can’t even be used for breeding.” Nevertheless, Tess countered with an offer for eighty-two thousand, still with no idea where she would get the money.

  The next time Jerry called, he sadly informed her, “She says she is going to honor the contract with her client.”

  “Offer her ninety thousand,” Tess instructed him.

  That was two days ago; if this message was from Jerry, it was most likely the latest refusal. Steeling her spine, Tess punched the playback button.

  “Tess, call me back when you get a chance,” her lawyer’s calm, neutral voice stated.

  “Damn you, Jerry,” Tess mumbled through gritted teeth. If he had good news he would have said in his cheerful, reassuring tone ‘good news’, so she already knew she didn’t want to return the call. Nevertheless, she dropped into her chair and punched his number. “It’s Tess Holmes,” she snapped at the secretary’s annoyingly cheerful ‘how may I help you?’. She picked up a pen and tapped it nervously against a pad of paper as she waited for the secretary to put her through.

  “Tess,” Jerry greeted over the phone.

  “
Just tell me,” she snapped back at him.

  She heard a muffled sigh on the other end. “I just received a certified letter from Cooper; another court order declaring the Cormack woman is the owner and if we refuse to relinquish her property they will press criminal charges. She is making arrangements to pick him up within the next few weeks, and Cooper will call with the date. The letter also states they will have deputies with them if necessary…Tess, are you there?” he asked when she didn’t respond after several minutes of his delivering the news.

  “She refused the offer of ninety thousand?” Tess asked feebly.

  “I talked with Pat yesterday who said she is still insisting on honoring the contract with her client, and don’t bother making any more offers.”

  “Pat?”

  “Pat Cooper, her lawyer.”

  “Oh, so you’re on a first name basis with him now, huh? How nice,” Tess spat out the words.

  “Tess, come on now.”

  “Damn you, Jerry, you’re missing something. There is no way it makes good business sense to turn down a much higher offer. I want to know who the buyer is.”

  “I’ve tried to find that out, but they are keeping it confidential.”

  “I thought contracts had to be public record.”

  “This isn’t real estate,” Jerry answered, “and the sale hasn’t gone through yet.”

  “So, we lost,” Tess stated.

  “Tess, I don’t know what else to do.”

  Tess dropped the phone back in its cradle and leaned forward, holding her head in her hands. It was time to tell River.

  *****

  “Reever, Mees Tess she want to see you in dee lounge,” Manuel said from the doorway of the stable.

  “Okay,” River called back, stepping down from the electric cart after parking it in its bay. He walked leisurely down the aisle; by habit checking each horse as he walked by their stall to be sure they were all eating contentedly and no signs of colic or other distress. It was Saturday, and they had just finished with the evening feed.

  Manuel had disappeared by the time he reached the entrance of the stable. He looked around, wondering where Sierra had gone, for with chores done, they had planned for him to follow her home. They would eat supper and then maybe watch a DVD movie tonight. He was looking forward to that; especially snuggling with her while they watched. She had told him her mother was going out with Ron, and they would be alone.

  With a shrug at not seeing her, he strolled on out of the barn to see what Tess wanted. It had surprised him when she drove up about a half hour ago, for Tess usually took weekends off from the stable. It also seemed strange that Manuel had said the lounge and not her office.

  When he opened the lounge door he was suddenly barraged with a chorus of, “Happy birthday!”

  With a look of shock on his face, he surveyed the room that somehow had been transformed from when he had last stepped out of the lounge after lunch today. Crepe paper streamers drifted down from the upper walls. Suspended from the ceiling across the middle of the room hung neon-bright cardboard letters spelling out happy birthday. The table had been set with a red plastic cloth and in the middle lay a sheet cake decorated with a plastic jumping course, a small horse and rider figurine taking one of the jumps, his name and happy birthday spelled out in frosting, and eighteen candles. Along the counter in the kitchen area, an assortment of serving dishes transmitted delicious aromas into the room. On a side table, a pile of gift-wrapped presents and several cards awaited him.

  Crowded together stood his birthday well-wishers: Tess, Manuel, Rosa, and Enrique; Katrina, Del, the Marshalls and Todd; Dr. Patterson, a few other boarders and students, Pam, and up front and center, stood a beaming Sierra!

  Emotion flooded through River’s being and he felt his face flush. He couldn’t remember when he last had a birthday party; probably when his mother was still alive. If asked, he would have most affirmatively stated he did not want a party. But he was deeply touched by this display, and the friends who had gathered, just for him. He ducked his head and in a husky voice said, “Thank you.”

  The well-wishers crowded in to either hug him or clap him on the back, all talking at once.

  “Your idea?” he asked Sierra.

  “Actually, Katrina suggested a surprise party and then she helped me plan it, and Mrs. Marshall, Todd, and Del helped set everything up.” Sierra admitted.

  After everyone had eaten and the cake cut and served, Sierra and Katrina dragged River to the ‘seat of honor’ to open gifts.

  Feeling embarrassed at being the center of attention, River felt his face heat up over and over, as he opened one-by-one the cards (many with checks inside), and the gifts. Most of the gifts had some bearing on horse care or riding: new grooming brushes, splint boots in bright red for Corazón and a matching red saddle pad, a bag of horse treats, a leather halter with matching lead, a new riding shirt.

  Since passing her driver’s test, Sierra had acquired an interest in automobile accessories, and she gave River a silver horse head key chain, engraved on the back with his name and his eighteenth birth date, and ‘love, Sierra’.

  Gwen Marshall gave him a hand-knit pullover sweater with a matching winter watch cap. Todd proudly handed River his own gift. He had received a camera for Christmas and had taken a picture of River coming back from the trail riding Corazón bareback. The eleven-year-old had managed to capture the late afternoon light just right, and horse and rider were highlighted very effectively. Gwen had helped him get the photo printed and framed.

  “Todd, this is beautiful,” River said sincerely. “Thank you very much.”

  Todd blushed and beamed and moved over into the protective arms of Mrs. Marshall.

  The final gift, Tess produced after all the others had been opened, and handed River a square shaped, wrapped package. It surprised him how nervous she seemed. After removing the paper, River opened the lid of a box and withdrew from its protective nest of crinkled raffia, a carved wooden figure of two horses running side-by-side. One horse had been painted a red chestnut color, and the other black. Both horses had real horsehair manes and tails that the artist had attached and somehow managed to display the manes flowing from the necks of the horses, and the tails held proudly arched.

  “It’s beautiful,” River murmured, his voice filled with emotion as he smoothed his fingers over the fine work. “The black looks like Corazón, and the chestnut…” He swallowed and looked up to meet her eyes. “It’s Magic?”

  Tess nodded, actually wringing her hands as she watched him examine the figure. “I saved a lock of his mane that day…and I asked Sierra to bring me clippings from Corazón the last time you trimmed his tail,” she explained. She referred to the day that Red Magic, a young horse that River had been very attached to, had been euthanized after breaking his leg. “I gave the hair and photos of both horses to the artist.”

  “Thank you,” River said, feeling the words inadequate. He looked up to meet Tess’s eyes and he believed he read, ‘forgive me’. He gave her a slight nod, silently passing on his forgiveness.

  *****

  A week after River’s birthday, Ben returned from Arizona, and the following Sunday, he came by to see for himself how Oberon had progressed. He purposefully came early, hoping to catch the kids riding, for he wanted to see how they handled themselves on the back of a horse.

  Standing back in the shadow of a tree to stay out of sight, he found River on a bay gelding and Sierra on a chestnut mare, both riding in the outdoor arena in spite of an occasional misting of rain. He watched the horses first; he could tell a lot about the rider by looking at the horse.

  Tall and lanky-limbed, the bay horse had the look of a thoroughbred. I’ll bet off the track, Ben surmised. Long-legged, long neck and body, the horse was built to stretch his head forward and run at breathtaking speeds. Nevertheless, Ben noted how he obediently worked off his hindquarters with his neck and back rounded as River asked him to move in a collected trot around a fig
ure-eight. The bay had well-developed upper neck trapezius muscles, shoulder, chest, and hindquarter muscles; didn’t get those from racing. He shifted his attention to the rider and the corners of his mouth curled slightly upward at the harmonious picture of the boy appearing to merely sit quietly astride; his body moving as if a part of his horse, his aids invisible to the onlooker. Kid knows how to ride.

  Movement caught his attention, and Ben turned to watch the chestnut cantering along the rail. Youngster, he determined, watching the mare moving rhythmically but in a more elongated frame than the older gelding. He liked what he saw. The chestnut demonstrated a happy, willing attitude. She appeared fresh and eager to move. Lifting his gaze to the mare’s rider, he observed the young girl sitting deep, and appreciated her soft hands following the movement of the chestnut’s head in canter. Ben understood it was harder to keep aids invisible on a green horse, and his expert eye could detect Sierra giving half-halts to keep the young mare at an even pace. He chuckled to himself as the chestnut shied in the upper end of the arena, at who knew what perceived danger, and Sierra didn’t react to her mount’s antics, but merely pushed her on. Good girl! he silently congratulated her. It took a confident and experienced rider to ignore such behavior, and recognize it was the youngster expressing her desire to play.

  Hunkering down, Ben leaned against the tree to watch until he detected the kids were finished with working the horses and cooling them down. He liked how Sierra had gradually coaxed the chestnut into more focused work and had finished the session with several nicely executed trot-to-walk transitions and a square halt. River had finished his session with transitions within the canter and included several flying changes of lead while crossing the diagonal. Then he had allowed the bay gelding to wind down by giving him the reins, encouraging him to stretch his head forward and down, finishing in a few trot circles in each direction. Now both riders walked their horses side-by-side on long reins as they talked about their rides. Their horses snorted and stretched their necks contentedly with their ears flicking at the soft chatter of their riders.