Storm Chaser (15 page)

“Okay,” Jessica said. “I'm really sorry.” After she hung up, her stomach felt a little upset. She turned to see her mother standing by the couch. Jessica knew her mother had probably heard most of her conversation with Marybeth.

“Marybeth is staying home tonight?” Mrs. Warner asked. Jessica nodded.

Her mother gave her a thoughtful look. “Well, honey, just remember: It pays to know who your real friends are.” She turned and walked out of the room.

Jessica stared at the empty doorway. She knew who her friends were, and Marybeth was one of them. But what was wrong with making new friends? It was just a stupid ride with Ariel. What could be wrong with that? Her mother had told her to be nice to the vacationers. That was exactly what she was doing.

But as she walked through the stable yard to catch the borrowed gelding, she knew she was lying to herself as well as her friend. She wasn't just being nice to Ariel. She really wanted to be friends with her. Who wouldn't? She was pretty and daring and older—and an accomplished rider.

Making friends with Ariel wouldn't be easy with Marybeth around.

FIFTEEN

The ride would have been a lot more fun if Marybeth had come along,
Jessica thought as she and Ariel rode the trail back to the ranch. Once Ariel realized that Jessica wasn't allowed to ride Chase, she'd spent most of the time talking about all her friends and accomplishments at school, bragging about the ribbons she'd won at important horse shows, and asking questions about Duncan. Jessica didn't even get a chance to ride Raven. A jackrabbit had popped out in front of them and spooked the big black horse, so Ariel pronounced him unfit for a less-experienced rider to handle.

Jessica thought about mentioning the fact that her father and brother trusted her enough to ride a green-broke horse. Surely she could ride the big, well-broke Warmblood at a walk going down the trail? Yes, he was wearing an English saddle and tack, but Jessica was sure she could handle it. Ariel had a lot more experience than she did, especially with schooling lessons, but Jessica knew enough not to fall off a horse at a walk.

She gave Grizz a bump in the belly to speed up his lazy walk. The horse pinned his ears and swished his tail to show his displeasure. The ride also would have been a lot more fun if she could've ridden Rusty or Chase. At least they wouldn't have been so foul-tempered.

By the time the two girls rode into the stable yard, it was getting dark. The other visitors were getting ready for the evening snack. Jessica knew that there would be hot fudge sundaes and several kinds of pies. The mouthwatering scent of apple pie drifted out through the open kitchen window, making her stomach growl.

Her father and Duncan were climbing down from the barn roof, where they'd just put on the last piece of plywood sheeting. The girls pulled the horses to a halt at the hitching post.

“Here.” Ariel dismounted and handed Raven's reins to Jessica. “Can you put Raven away for me? I've got to go do something.” She started off in Duncan's direction, then called over her shoulder, “I'll save you a spot at the dessert table.”

Jessica sighed, and Raven looked at her with big solemn eyes. She wanted to be mad at him for causing her extra work, but it wasn't his fault. She quickly untacked him and led the big horse to his corral, then returned for the other horse.

Jessica removed the saddle from his back, groomed him, and gave him the treats from her pocket. Then she went to the other side of the pens to see Rusty and Chase.

Rusty nickered when he saw her approach and Jessica smiled. The old gelding definitely looked better these past few days. His burned spots had already grown new hair and he didn't cough as much anymore. “Sorry, ol' boy,” she told the horse. “I've given all the treats away.” Rusty nuzzled her pockets and Jessica wished she'd thought to hold back a couple of goodies.

She went to the line of trees outside the pens and pulled up several handfuls of grass. Chase stepped up to the fence and bobbed her head when she smelled the fresh green blades.

Jessica couldn't hold back a smile. Chase was coming around nicely and seemed to like people. Whoever ended up with the beautiful filly would be very lucky.

The thought made her sad. She'd grown attached to Chase, and so had Rusty. Jessica divided the grass and gave a handful to each of them, then kissed Rusty on the tip of the nose. “We're going to miss her, aren't we ol' boy?” She put her arms around his neck and breathed in his warm horse scent. Everything would work out right. She had to keep telling herself that. Chase would go to someone very special who would love her and take great care of her. Maybe even someone close by so she could go and visit.

If only Chase didn't have to go anywhere at all.

“Jessica?” Mrs. Warner poked her head into her daughter's room just before bedtime. “Ariel is here to see you.” She opened the door wider, allowing Ariel into the room.

The girl gave Jessica a big smile and waved. “I just wanted to drop by and say thanks for taking care of Raven for me, and I'm sorry I wasn't able to save you a seat at the dessert table. Duncan got there first.” She walked across the room and plopped down on the end of Jess's bed.

Jessica put down her horse magazine. It had kind of bothered her that Ariel hadn't saved her a seat. But she didn't want to say that to Ariel, and it was nice that she had come by to apologize. “No problem,” she said. “Raven's a great horse. He didn't give me any trouble.” She sat there for a few awkward moments, trying to think of something cool to say. Ariel saved her by speaking first.

“I was talking to the other kids and we decided to have a marshmallow roast at ten o'clock. Lainey's mom said she'd chaperone us and it's okay with your parents. I love S'mores.” She bounced a little on the bed. “Do you think Duncan will come?”

Jessica tried to hide her frown. It sure seemed like Ariel asked a lot of questions about Duncan. “I don't know,” she said. “He's supposed to start baling hay tomorrow and he'll have to be up really early. But I'll definitely be there.” She'd have to call Marybeth and let her know. Maybe inviting her to the marshmallow roast would almost make up for dumping her earlier.

Ariel picked up one of Jessica's horse magazines and thumbed through it. “Yeah,” she said in a less than enthusiastic tone. “It's just that Duncan makes things more interesting.”

He does?
Jessica thought, trying to hide her hurt. Sure, Ariel was almost three years older, but Jessica was trying really hard to fit in and make the older girl like her. She felt a moment of shame when she thought about Marybeth. Was this the way Marybeth felt when she was trying to fit in with
her?

“I'm thirsty,” Ariel said. “Do you think you could get me a glass of water? I really want to read this article.”

“Sure,” Jessica said. “I'll be right back.”

She went downstairs to the kitchen and came back with a glass of ice water. But when she opened the door to her bedroom, it was empty.

“Ariel?” She paused for a moment, looking around the room. The sound of the girl's laughter came from down the hall. She followed it to Duncan's room, stopping several feet outside the door.

“You probably shouldn't even be in here,” she heard her brother say.

“Why not?” Ariel said. “We're just talking. I was getting bored waiting for your sister.”

Bored?
Jessica's grip tightened on the glass. She'd only been gone for two minutes. How could she get bored in that amount of time? Especially since she'd left Ariel with her best horse magazines! It was becoming painfully obvious that Ariel didn't want to be friends with her at all. She was only interested in Duncan.

“Oh, hey,” Duncan said, spotting Jessica in the hall. “There's Jess now.” He jumped to the door, giving her a please-help-me look and pulling her into the room. Jessica almost dropped the water.

“Here,” she said, handing the glass to Ariel.

“Why don't you take Ariel down and show her the map of where we're going on the cattle drive?” Duncan said.

Ariel looked disappointed as Duncan closed the door solidly behind her and Jessica. “Your brother sure is hard to get to know,” she said. “Usually guys are dying to talk to me.”

I
bet,
Jessica thought. Aloud she said, “Yeah, well, like I said, he's pretty shy.”

“Good thing I like a challenge,” Ariel said. “Anyway, thanks for the drink. I'll see you at the roast. We can look at the cattle drive map later.” She started to leave, then turned back to Jessica. “Oh, and I know your little buddy will probably be here tonight, but try to keep the munchkin away from me, okay? She really bugs me.” Ariel lifted her glass in salute and started down the hall. “And see if you can talk Duncan into showing up,” she called over her shoulder.

Jessica stared after the blonde girl. She didn't understand Ariel at all. And what was she going to do about Marybeth? She knew her parents wouldn't be happy if some kind of trouble started between the kids. Maybe it would be better to leave Marybeth out of the marshmallow roast.

Jessica woke at 4 a.m. when she heard Duncan tiptoeing down the hall. He'd be on the tractor baling hay hours before anyone even rose for breakfast. Ariel had been a real jerk at the campfire last night when he hadn't shown up. After seeming so excited about having a marshmallow roast, Ariel had suddenly declared that s'mores were fattening and singing songs around a campfire was stupid. Apparently, if Ariel wasn't having fun, she made sure no one else would either.

Jess sat up in bed and leaned toward the window, parting the curtains. It was still dark, but the half-moon allowed her to see the clouds gathering on the horizon. She hoped it wouldn't rain. Rain was the last thing they needed when cutting hay. But if the weather stayed dry for the remainder of the summer, they wouldn't get another cutting, which they desperately needed. Either way, they would be in big trouble.

She lay back in her bed and tried to go back to sleep, but she wasn't tired. She tossed and turned a few times, then decided to get up.

“What are you doing awake so early?” her father asked when she entered the kitchen.

Jessica yawned. “I couldn't sleep. I thought maybe I could help with the hay.”

Duncan handed her a piece of toast while her father poured her a glass of juice. “Well, there are some boards we'll need to move before we can get the hay in the barn,” her father said. “You can help with that. Duncan's going to be running the baler, and the Lightfoot boys will follow behind him with the wagon, picking up bales. You're strong enough this year to help drag the bales off the wagon when we load them into the barn.”

Jessica nodded and took a bite of her toast, eyeing Duncan's bacon hungrily. He ignored her for a few moments, then rolled his eyes and handed her two pieces off his plate.

“Thanks, Dunce,” she said. “You're the best.”

Mr. Warner smiled teasingly. “I know another gal who thinks the same thing.”

Duncan lowered his head, and Jessica could see the red creeping into his face.

“She's Jessie's friend, not mine,” Duncan mumbled.

“Not really,” Jessica said. “Sometimes I think she wants to be friends, but then she starts being kind of mean.”

“Especially to Marybeth,” Duncan said. “Poor kid.”

That made Jessica feel even worse. She still felt guilty for avoiding her friend because Marybeth bugged Ariel so much.

They quickly finished their breakfast, put the dishes in the sink, and pulled on their boots. When Mr. Warner went to find the keys to the tractor, Duncan said, “Look, Jess, I know you want some new friends and all, but watch out for Ariel, okay? I'm not really sure she wants to be friends with anybody.”

“Except you,” Jessica said.

“Well, you can't blame her for
that.
” Duncan playfully slugged her in the arm, then put on his hat and walked out the door.

Jessica worked by lantern for over an hour to move the boards with her father. The Lightfoots came in with the first load of hay just as the sun peeked over the hills. Wyatt looked rather sleepy, but he smiled at Jessica and helped her up onto the hay wagon before jumping down to move the hay.

“Just roll the bales off to us,” Wyatt said as he pulled on his gloves and picked up his hay hooks. “We'll put it in the stack.”

A low rumble of thunder sounded and Jessica cocked her head. It was unusual to have thunder this early in the morning. That wasn't a good sign. She gazed at the mountain to the west of their ranch. Dark clouds hung low on the hillsides.

“Looks like it's going to be a race between us and Mother Nature,” Gator said. “I felt a few drops on the way in with this load. I'm guessing we've got about two hours to get this hay put up before we get some serious rain. If we take too long…Mother Nature wins.”

Jessica nodded, glad that she'd offered to help. It was taking all of them working together to save Wild Hawk Ranch, and they couldn't afford to lose another crop of hay.

SIXTEEN

The rains arrived just as Gator had predicted. The guests finished breakfast and, after checking their horses, retired to the bunkhouses to wait out the storm. Nevada storms were often fast and ferocious, quickly replaced with blue skies and sunshine. The guests would spend their morning inside, waiting for the sun.

Ariel made an appearance at the barn just as the rain began to fall. Jessica hoped she was there to help, as she was the only one in the barn right now. The bales weighed almost as much as she did.

“You have to move hay?” Ariel asked. “That's a tough job. We hire people to do that for us.”

Jessica wiped the sweat from her forehead and nodded. “Yeah, well, it's worth it. If we lose this crop of hay, we're in a lot of trouble. And the guys are helping, too. They're out in the field getting another load.”