Star Gazer (3 page)

“Hi!” A cheerful voice called from the doorway. A tall, dark-haired girl stepped into the room.

Jordan's head jerked up in surprise.

“I'm Nicole Wilson. I live right down the road,” the girl said with a nervous smile. “Your front door was open. I hope it's okay? I guess I'm kinda like the welcoming committee or something.” She held out a plate of chocolate chip cookies.

“Uh, hi,” Jordan stammered as she got to her feet and dusted her hands on her jeans. “I'm Jordan.” She moved forward awkwardly—were they supposed to shake hands, nod heads or what? How did they do things in these small towns? Somehow a big hug just didn't seem appropriate in a situation like this.

Jordan smiled and reached out to accept the plate of cookies. “Mmmm, my favorite,” she said, lifting the plastic wrap. She offered one to the other girl before taking one for herself.

Nicole took a nibble of her cookie. “I'm sorry I didn't get here right when you guys moved in, but my mom had me on restriction because my final grades were pretty bad.” She brushed cookie crumbs from her shirt. “But I spent the past two weeks in a special tutoring session the school offered, so now I'm free for the summer.”

Bad grades were something Jordan had never had to deal with. They'd called her bookworm and teacher's pet at her old school because she studied a lot and got decent grades. It had been another thing that set her apart from the others. Maybe she wouldn't let this potential new friend know about that part just yet.

“Want some help?” Nicole offered, pointing to the boxes.

Jordan took another cookie before setting the plate on the nightstand. “Thanks for offering, but that's okay.” This girl seemed nice enough, but it would feel odd having someone she didn't know digging through her private possessions. Besides, she didn't want to scare off a new friend by boring her to death with unpacking.

The sound of a horse whinny echoed from the front yard, and Jordan paused with her cookie mid-bite. She hoped Bob hadn't gotten loose from his stall.

Nicole laughed. “That's my horse, Dakota,” she said. “I tied him to your tree. I hope you don't mind?”

First Bob, and now another horse? How lucky can I be?
she thought. “Can I see him?” Jordan asked. Before Nicole had a chance to answer, Jordan was already making her way to the front door.

She sucked in her breath when she saw the little black horse tied to their apple tree. “He's beautiful!” she exclaimed as she hurried down the front steps, Nicole at her heels.

“Dakota's a Morgan gelding,” Nicole said proudly. “He's eight years old and a lot of fun to trail ride. Sometimes I show him in the summer and fall. There's a big riding stable down the road, and a bunch of girls that go to my school board their horses there.” Nicole paused and weighed her words. “They're kind of snobby and have really fancy horses, but they can be a lot of fun. Did you have a horse where you came from?”

Jordan slowed her steps when she approached the gelding. She knew better than to run up on horses and startle them. “No, I came from Los Angeles,” she said. “There wasn't any room for a horse at our place and it cost too much to board one there. The only pet I've ever had is a goldfish named Petey.”

Jordan reached out to pet Dakota. His sleek coat was so soft. She closed her eyes and inhaled his warm horse scent while she stroked his neck. “I took some riding lessons while we lived there, but I didn't get to go very often. There's nothing I want more than to have my own horse. This looks like perfect horse country. I'm hoping I can talk my mom into it soon.”

“Yeah, you need to get a horse so you can go riding with all of us,” Nicole said. “Do you want to ride Dakota around the yard right now? He's very gentle.”

Jordan glanced down the road. She badly wanted to ride the little black gelding. But she had chores to do, and she needed to stay on her mom's good side if she was going to talk her into a horse. “I'd love to,” Jordan said. “But my mom will be home soon and I'm supposed to get those boxes unpacked.” She smiled apologetically. “Maybe sometime soon?”

Nicole nodded. “Sure, that would be great.” She glanced around the property. “You've got plenty of room here. If you fix a few fences, it'll be perfect for a horse.”

Jordan smiled. “That would be awesome.” She gave Dakota a good scratch on the neck, chuckling at the way his lips moved as if he were begging for more.

Nicole untied Dakota and mounted up. “I'm glad you moved into the neighborhood. Maybe I can come over again soon? You can tell me all about Los Angeles and your family and I'll fill you in on our small-town gossip.” She grinned and turned her horse toward the road.

Jordan watched her go, wishing she had taken Nicole up on her offer to ride Dakota. Maybe if Bob got better before they came to pick him up, she could ride him? She hurried back into the house. She wanted to come up with a good plan to convince her mom they needed a horse. But first, she had to get all those boxes unpacked.

“Here they are, Mom.” Jordan pulled a small box of one-inch screws off the shelf at the combination hardware/ furniture/ ice cream store. The screws her mother had purchased earlier in the day were too short, so they had brought them back to exchange.

Jordan looked around the small-town store. North Adams wasn't big enough to support certain businesses on its own, so folks took to combining their space to accommodate the locals and make a living. The small market where her mother had gotten a job also ran a real-estate office out of its back room. It was a big change from the clothing company she'd worked for in L.A., but it was a job.

She followed her mother to the counter and waited for her to pay for their merchandise.

“Thank you,” Mrs. McKenzie said to the shop owner. She handed the bag to Jordan and shouldered open the door while she dug her keys from her purse. “Let's go home and get dinner started.”

Jordan settled into the car and fastened her seatbelt. “Pizza?” she asked, remembering the frozen pepperoni pizza she'd seen in the freezer.

Her mother pulled from the parking lot onto the main road. “Ah, yes, pizza…the number one food of all growing teenagers.”

“Yup.” Jordan laughed as she rolled down her window. The open window worked just as well as the air-conditioning in their old car. Her mother called it their “two-forty air-conditioning”—you roll down two windows and drive forty miles per hour. Jordan smiled as she let her hand play on the breeze. Southern Michigan seemed hotter and muggier than Los Angeles. Maybe because of all the local lakes and greenery around here.

She turned to her mother. “So, this girl came over today while you were gone.”

“Oh? Who?” Her mother rolled down her window, too.

“Her name is Nicole, and she lives down the road from us,” Jordan said. “She has a horse.”

“Uh-huh,” her mother mused, lifting her brows.

“She's going to come back and visit again,” Jordan said, trying to figure a way to bring up the subject of getting her own horse. Maybe she should tell her mom having a horse would help her make some new friends. But no, it would probably be better just to come out and ask. Her mother had always told her that if she wanted something, she needed to stand up and state her case. But she really hated hearing the word “no.” And besides, that rule only went for standing up to
other
people, not her mom.

“I assume Nicole is going to bring her horse over?” Jordan's mom asked.

Here was her chance. Jordan took a deep breath and plunged right in. “Mom, we're in the perfect place now to have a horse. I've got almost a thousand dollars saved.”

“I know, honey,” her mother reached over and patted her knee. “But even if you used your savings to buy a horse, how would we pay for the hay and the upkeep? Your father didn't leave us with much when he left, and as you know, the move wasn't cheap.”

When they pulled into their driveway, Jordan was pleased to see Nicole waiting on their front porch. The girl smiled and waved as they got out of their car.

“Hi, I'm Nicole.” She stepped forward and shook Mrs. McKenzie's hand. “My mom said to give you this since Jordan and I ate so many of the cookies I brought over earlier.” She handed her a homemade coffee cake. “It's my mother's specialty.”

Mrs. McKenzie accepted the gift with a smile. “Why, thank you, Nicole. That's very kind. Please tell your mother I appreciate it.” She motioned for Nicole to follow them inside.

Nicole took a seat at their kitchen table. “I just heard you guys helped out the people in that wreck yesterday. I bet that was something.”

Jordan was surprised. She didn't think many people in town knew them. “How'd you hear it was us?”

Nicole grinned. “Welcome to the small-town grapevine. Our internet connections might not be very fast, but word-of-mouth travels
very
quickly around here.”

Jordan had already heard about the local grapevine, but she didn't realize just how fast it worked. In Los Angeles, you were lucky if you knew the name of someone the next block over after living there six months. Here, it seemed everyone in the town knew everybody else's business right away. She wasn't so sure that was a good thing. She pulled out the chair next to Nicole and sat down. “Who were the boys that caused the accident?” Not that Jordan would know them, but she was curious.

Nicole pulled her hair up off her neck and fanned herself. “The younger one was Tommy Sutton. His family owns that big Percheron farm on the edge of town. His dad is a VIP here in town. He won't let anything happen to his son. The other kid is from two towns over. I don't know him, but I hear he's sitting in jail right now.”

“Good,” Mrs. McKenzie said as she placed a glass of ice water in front of Nicole and poured some for herself and Jordan. “I should call the hospital and see how poor Mr. Fisher and Jacob are doing.”

Jordan blushed a little at the mention of Jacob's name. Nicole gave her a questioning glance and Jordan quickly looked away.

“Jacob has always gone to public school,” Nicole said, studying Jordan's face for a reaction. “Some of the Mennonite families in this area homeschool, but Jacob and a few others go to North Adams schools.”

“He seemed like a very nice boy,” Mrs. McKenzie said, smiling at Jordan.

Jordan quickly changed the subject. “We're still taking care of Mr. Fisher's horse,” she told Nicole. “Did you bring Dakota with you today? I was telling my mom about him.”

Nicole took a sip of her water. “No, it's his dinnertime, so I left him home.” She turned to Jordan's mom. “I'm hoping Jordan can get a horse soon so she can go riding with me.”

Mrs. McKenzie glanced over at her daughter. “Well, that might be rushing it a bit, Nicole. We only moved in a few weeks ago. A horse is a big responsibility—and a big expense.”

Jordan frowned. It was the same speech her mom had given her earlier. “I'm trying to talk my mom into going to the local auction house and buying some chickens or a goat or something,” she told Nicole. “But she's not too keen on that idea, either.”

Nicole seemed to sense Jordan's need for some backup. “Yeah, my neighbors raise miniature goats. They're really cute, and easy to take care of. And if you got chickens, you could have fresh eggs for breakfast.”

Mrs. McKenzie mulled the idea over for a few seconds. “You know, when I was little, my mother used to have a hen house. It was right out there between the barn and the house. I loved helping her gather the eggs,” she said nostalgically. “Yeah, maybe a few chickens would be good to start. We'll see about the goat later.”

“There's a livestock auction coming up this Saturday,” Nicole suggested. “My parents take me to it sometimes. This auction has everything, and it's a lot of fun to watch. Maybe you guys could go with us?”

Mrs. McKenzie looked at her daughter, who had on her most hopeful face. “I'm sorry, honey, but I've got to work this weekend.”

Jordan tried really hard not to show her disappointment, but she could feel her lips settling into a hard line. Going to the auction with her new friend sounded like so much fun.

Her mother hesitated. “Well…maybe if I arrange to meet Nicole's parents and make sure all these plans are okay with them, then
you
could go.” She took out a knife and cut a thin slice of the coffee cake Nicole had brought. “That would give me a chance to thank them in person for the welcoming gift.” She took a bite of the cinnamon-and-sugar-laced cake. “Mmmm…” she said through a mouthful of the tasty treat. “This is wonderful!”

“Really, Mom?” Jordan said. “You'd let me go?”

Her mother nodded as she cut several more slices of the coffee cake. “Anyone who can make a cake this delicious has
got
to be good people.” She handed Jordan and Nicole each a piece. “I think it's nice that you can make new friends here and have someone who lives close by to hang out with, Jordan. And, I think I'm warming up to the idea of fresh eggs for breakfast.”

“Awesome!” Jordan said. “We'll make the arrangements for you guys to meet.”

Mrs. McKenzie put the cake away before she wrecked everyone's appetite. “We'd love to have you stay for dinner, Nicole.”

“Thanks, Mrs. McKenzie, but my mom's expecting me home. She's teaching me how to make lasagna tonight.”

“Oh, sounds yummy. Be sure to bring us a sample, okay?” She laughed. “If it's as good as this cake, I think
I'll
be your new best friend.”

Jordan walked Nicole out onto the front porch and slapped her a high-five. “All right! We're going to the auction!”

Nicole looked her straight in the eyes and grinned. “I couldn't help noticing that look on your face when your mom talked about Jacob. You like him, don't you?”