Storm Chaser (12 page)

She thrilled to the sight of the little paint trotting around the pen with her ears pricked, waiting for a cue from her rider. Her father stood outside the circle, giving Duncan pointers. After a moment, he looked up and motioned the two girls over.

They walked forward slowly, not wanting to spook the young horse.

“It's all right,” Mr. Warner said, making room on the rail for her and Marybeth. “This filly is rock-solid. She's got a good mind and learns quickly.” He clapped Jessica on the shoulder. “You did a real good job with her, Jess.”

Jessica smiled at the praise.

“It doesn't mean I've forgotten that you two skirted my orders,” he warned. “But you did a fine job with this filly. I think maybe you've got the Warner horse trainer's touch.”

Jessica hoped her father was right. And maybe, just maybe, he would let her work with Chase again soon. “Watch this,” Duncan said as he trotted the filly in a figure-eight pattern, then asked her to canter the full ring. “She's broke as well as any of the horses I've had in training for thirty days. And I've only been on her three times.”

Mr. Warner nodded. “Well, this filly's momma is that nice black-and-white paint mare I've been trying to buy from the Lightfoots for the past three years. All of her colts are easygoing and smart. She's going to be just like her momma.” He took off his hat and brushed a hand through his hair. “I sure wish we could afford to keep her. This filly would be a nice addition to the ranch.”

Jessica's heart sank. She didn't need to be reminded that Chase would be sold to another ranch and she might not ever see her again. Marybeth grabbed her hand and squeezed it. Jessica gave the younger girl a smile, but she was sure it looked rather sickly.

Mr. Warner plopped his hat back on his head and motioned Duncan to pull the filly up to the fence. “I've been thinking…you and Jess have been working awfully hard these past few days without any complaints. Can I assume that you've both learned your lesson?” He looked from one to the other, waiting for their nods. “Okay then, you are both off of suspension.”

Jessica breathed a deep sigh of relief. “Does this mean I can move Chase back in with Rusty? He misses her a lot.”

Her father chuckled.
“Rusty
misses her, huh?”

Jessica nodded and her father laughed harder.

“I'm pretty sure it isn't just Rusty who misses her,” he said as he reached out and ruffled his daughter's hair.

Jessica returned his grin. “Okay, maybe I miss her a little bit, too.”

“Well, like I said before,” her father cautioned. “Don't get too attached to this filly. She'll bring a good price.” He smiled down at Jessica and softened his words. “Honey, I know you had your eye on this little paint to replace Rusty, and I wish I could do it. But we're strapped for cash, and we need to sell every single one of these new horses.”

Jessica looked down at the ground. The ranch had to come before her wishes. She knew that. But her heart ached just the same.

She waited until Duncan finished with the paint, then led Storm Chaser back to Rusty's pen. The old gelding nickered a warm greeting and met them at the gate. “Go on, get back,” Jessica said, shooing him away from the entrance so she could get Chase through the gate.

“Your buddy is back,” she said to Rusty. “But try not to get too attached to her this time. Dad says we've got to sell her, and Duncan's doing pretty well with her, so we probably won't get to keep her much longer.”

Just saying the words was almost impossible. Everyone had warned her not to fall in love with the awesome black-and-white filly, but it was too late.
Much too late.

“Here they come!” Marybeth galloped Daisy up the road at top speed. “They just pulled onto the lower road.”

The Warners and Marybeth stood in the front yard, watching as two dual-cab trucks pulling horse trailers turned onto the dirt road leading to Wild Hawk Ranch.

Jessica thought the trucks and trailers looked pretty fancy. She glanced around the ranch, wondering if the visitors would think it looked okay. Their house was old and probably needed a new coat of paint. There was nothing special about their yard, and the new barn was just a series of poles sticking out of the ground, with two-by-fours creating the frame. It still needed siding and a roof.

But the bunkhouses were fixed up pretty nicely. She and Marybeth had placed fresh flowers in pitchers and vases beside each bed. And they'd planned some fun activities and great horseback rides for the vacationers. They were sure the kids would really like the weenie roasts, barbeques, and trips to the lake.

They waited while the vehicles made slow progress up the bumpy road. Jessica grinned as she watched Duncan shift nervously from foot to foot. He didn't like meeting new people. He glanced toward the horse pens, and she knew her brother was probably wishing he were out there with the horses instead of standing here waiting to greet guests.

The trucks rolled into the driveway and her father guided them back to the stable area where there was room to turn around. Jessica and Marybeth followed along behind the horse trailers. The trucks came to a stop and people started piling out. Jessica was thrilled to see two girls and a boy pop out of the first truck. The boy appeared to be about fourteen or fifteen. He waved to her brother and said “hi.” Duncan just nodded in the boy's direction.

The girls appeared to be a year or two older than Jessica. She guessed that they were probably friends, and not sisters. The taller one had black hair and was very thin, while the shorter girl was plump with red hair.

The door to the other truck opened, and after the parents stepped out, a boy her age jumped from the cab and stretched his long legs. “Hi, I'm Michael,” he said to everyone with a friendly smile, then pointed over his shoulder toward the truck. “And that slowpoke inside is my sister, Ariel. Get out here, Ari. It's time to start our vacation!”

A tall, willowy girl with long blonde hair exited gracefully from the truck. She wore a snug pair of fancy jeans, an expensive pair of leather boots, and a shirt that would have made a rodeo queen green with envy. Jessica thought she was probably one of the prettiest girls she had ever seen. Ariel looked around the ranch, then wrinkled her nose and frowned. “What is that weird musty smell? And where are we going to put Raven? There's no barn here. The brochure showed a picture of a barn.”

Jessica frowned.
Musty smell?

Marybeth elbowed her in the ribs. “She must be talking about the sagebrush,” she whispered.

Jessica huffed. Sagebrush smelled wonderful!

A loud clank of hoof on metal sounded as the horse inside Ariel and Michael's trailer kicked the wall and whinnied. Several of the ranch horses, including Rusty and Chase, answered the distressed cry.

“That must be Raven,” Jessica whispered back.

They watched as Ariel and Michael's father opened the trailer doors. Ariel ran inside, clucking like a worried hen. Jessica could hear the girl shouting orders to her father from inside the trailer.

She looked to her own parents to see how they were responding. Her mother had a worried expression on her face, and her father definitely looked disturbed. No way would Jessica get away with talking to her parents like that. She'd be grounded for life!

A moment later, hoofbeats sounded on the trailer floor and Ariel and Raven stepped out.

“Wow,” Marybeth said, her jaw dropping in awe.

Jessica let out a low whistle.
“Amazing.”
Raven stood at least seventeen hands—his back was eight inches taller than her head. And his solid black coat shone like the back of a crow's wing. He had a white star in the middle of his forehead and one hind white foot. Raven appeared to be some kind of a fancy Warmblood show horse.

The large black horse lifted his head, which made him seem even taller, and eyed the large tract of open desert. Jessica could see the muscles quiver under his slick coat as his nostrils widened to take in the different scents. A moment later, he lifted his tail over his back, snorted, and jerked on the lead rope, pulling Ariel along beside him like a skier on a lake.

Duncan ran forward, removing his hat from his head. He held it in the air in front of the horse to get the big guy's attention. Raven stopped for a second. Duncan grabbed the rope from Ariel, turned the horse to the side, and gave an attention-getting jerk on the halter.

The excitable horse lowered his head and stood still.

Ariel, surprised at having her horse taken from her, looked as if she were about to scream at Duncan. But she stopped short when he gave her an amused look and handed back Raven's lead rope.

The girl's face turned from anger to a huge smile in an instant. She brushed her long blonde hair out of her eyes and gave Jessica's brother a dazzling smile as she accepted the rope. Duncan smiled back, then turned on his heels and walked away, leaving everyone else to help settle in the horses and new visitors for their stay.

“Ariel, maybe you should let your father take Raven to his stall,” Mrs. Wilson said. “He seems to have a lot of energy today.”

“That's okay.” Ariel kept hold of the lead rope. “I can handle him. Why don't you and Dad get all of Raven's things and bring them down to his stall?”

“Jess,” Mrs. Warner said. “Could you please show the Wilsons where to put Raven? I'll help the Curtis family settle their horses in, then everyone can join us in the main bunkhouse for introductions and orientation. We'll give the guests a quick rundown on what they can expect for this week.”

Jessica wished she could have helped the Curtis family. Melissa and her brother seemed really nice. Ariel was so regal that Jessica was almost afraid to talk to her.

The blast of a truck horn sounded in the driveway, and everyone turned to see the last family of vacationers enter the stable yard. They were from California and they weren't pulling a trailer. Apparently they would be riding ranch horses.

“Everyone, these are the Turners,” Mr. Warner announced when they stepped out of their vehicle.

Mr. Turner smiled and nodded. “My name is Dean, and this is my wife, Betty, and our kids, Mark and Lainey.”

Jessica heard Ariel snort. “
Lainey?”
she said in a snide voice to the other kids standing around her. They giggled.

Jessica felt bad for Lainey, who didn't even seem to notice that anyone was laughing at her name. It wasn't such a bad name—and it had been a mean thing for Ariel to say. Maybe she just felt tired and grouchy from the trip.

“Come on, Ariel,” Marybeth piped up in her high-pitched voice. “We'll show you where you can put Raven. It's a nice portable stall with a roof where he can keep out of the sun.”

Ariel gave Marybeth an odd look. “You aren't in charge, are you? And what do you mean, a portable stall? I thought this place was a
ranch.”

Jessica walked beside Marybeth, leading the way to the stall. “We had a really bad fire a few weeks ago, and it burned down our barn.”

“That's why they're operating as a dude ranch now,” Marybeth volunteered. “Jessica's dad didn't want to, but they need to rebuild their barn and—”

“Here we are,” Jessica interrupted her friend before she could spill any more family secrets. She frowned at Marybeth, who immediately cowered like a scolded puppy dog. She felt bad about that, but Marybeth didn't need to be telling everything she knew. Jessica opened the gate for Ariel to enter the portable stall and corral.

Ariel stared at the portable pen, but stayed outside. “Raven is used to staying in a box stall. He won't like this.”

Jessica pursed her lips. She wanted new friends, but this particular girl was making things difficult. The portable stall was brand new, loaned to them by a rancher down the road. “It's all we have,” Jessica said.

Ariel rolled her eyes and Jessica wished she'd been given charge of the other girls. They had to be friendlier than this one.

Duncan walked up with a wheelbarrow load of hay nets to hang for the horses' dinners.

Ariel perked up. “That's really nice of you to deliver Raven's dinner. I was just putting him in his pen.” She walked her horse through the gate of the portable and took off his halter.

Jessica and Marybeth stared at each other, amazed at the transformation Ariel went through when Duncan came around. Jessica watched her brother shuffle into the pen with the hay net slung over his shoulder. Duncan was very shy around girls—especially pretty ones. He didn't say a word as he hung the hay net, but he gave the new girl a nice smile. Jessica felt like kicking him.

Ariel stared at Duncan expectantly, the smile still on her face.

“See ya,” her brother muttered and quickly exited the pen.

“Thanks again, Duncan.” Ariel continued to smile at his retreating back. “Maybe we can go for a ride later?”

“I'd like to go for a ride,” Marybeth said.

Ariel blinked and turned to stare at Marybeth. “You're kind of young for me to hang around with,” she said. “I used to babysit kids your age.” She gave a quick nod to Jessica and sauntered off in the direction of the bunkhouses.

“Whoa…” Marybeth said under her breath.

“Whoa
is right.” Jessica shoved her hands deep into her pockets. Ariel was pretty and she had a great horse, but she didn't seem very nice. She sure did seem to like Duncan, though.

This might be a very
long
ten days.

THIRTEEN

The first evening at Wild Hawk Ranch, the guests mostly unpacked and settled in. Jessica's mother had spent the past several hours preparing the meal. Over a dinner of barbequed chicken, mashed potatoes, and corn on the cob, Jessica listened to her parents explain the activities that would be offered while they were there. Everyone seemed excited about the cattle drive and agreed it would be the highlight of the week. Jessica's parents had given the okay to let Marybeth come, and both girls were eagerly looking forward to the adventure.