Whispering Hope (7 page)

W
e’ve got to find that horse before dark,” Skye said to Chad and Mr. Chambers as they trailed Rebel through the back ten acres of Keystone Stables. “If he wanders on other farmlands or open fields, he’ll run like the wind and we’ll never catch him.”

“Well, we’re not going to catch him if we stay together,” Mr. Chambers said, glancing at his watch. “We’ve got to split up to cover the five different paths leading to Piney Hollow. Chad, you take the east trail, and Skye, you cover the two center trails. I’ll check out the west end. Let’s meet in an hour at the campsite. If you see him, we can form our posse again and try to round him up.”

“Okay, Mr. C.,” Chad said, reining his mount to his left. “See you both in an hour.”

“And I hope one of us will have a good report,” Skye said, riding straight ahead on a path into thickening woods.

Mr. Chambers reined his horse to the right. “One hour then—at Piney Hollow!”

As Skye rode Champ through the woods, she started sharing her heart, just as she had done so many times
before with her best horse friend. “You know, Champ, this is as good a time as any to talk out some of my problems,” Skye said, stroking her horse’s bobbing neck, “Rebel and Wanda are so much alike, it’s unreal.”

Champ nickered while he twitched his ears free of buzzing flies.

“I want to help them both, but neither of them will give me one second of their time. What am I doing wrong?”

The squeaking saddle and jangling bridle took Skye through thick woods where she searched as far as her eye could see, but in vain. When the hour had passed, she headed toward Piney Hollow, but with a new plan for Wanda.

Riding into the clearing, Skye spotted Mr. Chambers and Chad sitting on wooden crates next to the chuck wagon, chewing on long strands of field grass.

They’re probably wishing Mom were out here with some grilled food,
Skye thought, glancing at her watch. “6:50,” Skye said to Champ. “I’m starved too.”

“Hey, Skye!” Chad yelled as soon as he spotted her. “Any sign of him?”

“Not a hair!” Skye yelled back. She rode to the hitching rail, dismounted Champ, and joined her dad and Chad.

R-i-n-g!

Yanking his cell phone from his shirt pocket, Mr. Chambers flipped it open. “Hello? No, Hon, we didn’t sight him. We’ll stay out another hour yet. Keep the home fires burning. Love ya. See you soon. Bye.” He flipped the phone shut and stuck it back in his pocket.

“Dad, where are we going to look next? I’m hungry,” Skye said.

“You’re hungry?” Mr. Chambers joked, pointing his thumb over his shoulder. “I’m hungry enough to chew on that wagon wheel. But, let’s give our search one more go. We’ll ride over the ridge to Garsides’ farm and see if we can spot Rebel in any of the open fields. If not, we’ll head
back and start again tomorrow after church. There’s not much more we can do now. It would be super if he’d wander back home and save us a lot of time and trouble.”

“He is
some
horse,” Chad said. “Somehow I don’t think he’ll come home on his own.”

Mr. Chambers glanced at his watch. “We’ll only stay out another hour and then head back. It’ll be almost dark when we get home.”

Skye pulled a long strand of wild grass, stuck it between her lips and giggled again. “Maybe I’ll try some of this wild stuff too. That should hold me over.” She chewed a couple of times and then deadpanned, “Hey, what do you know? I’m feeling full already.”

The other two laughed as Mr. Chambers stood. “Well, we need to get moving.”

“Dad?” Skye said.

“Yes, Skye. What is it?”

“Could we pray about this whole mess? I’ve been doing some thinking, and have you noticed how Rebel and Wanda are so much alike?”

“Why, they’re almost twins,” Chad joked. “Except for their hairdos.”

“I think I’ve been trying too hard to help the both of them,” Skye said, “and it’s not working.”

Mr. Chambers sat down, leaned his elbows on his knees, and folded his hands. “Sure we can pray about finding Rebel—and helping Wanda. But what do you mean that you’re trying too hard?”

“I keep thinking of the horse training camp that Chad and I went to last summer. Our mentor kept telling us that, before we win the horse over to our side, we have to let him decide to accept us as the leader of his ‘herd.’ We can’t force him to bond with us. We can only give him the choice. I don’t think I’ve been giving Rebel enough time to make up his mind.”

“And what about Wanda?” Chad asked.

Skye folded her arms and stared off into the blue sky dotted with whipped-cream clouds. “I think I’m going to try something new with my foster sister.”

“Which is—” Chad said.

“Girl whispering,” Skye said.

“Hmm,” Mr. Chambers said. “Interesting concept. When we get back to the house, I’d like to hear more of your idea. Well, let’s pray and we’ll get moving.”

The three bowed their heads as Mr. Chambers led in a heartfelt prayer about Wanda, Rebel, and the overall Keystone Stables ministry. When the prayer had finished, Skye looked straight ahead and froze at what she saw near the tree line about a half football field’s length away.

“Sh-h,” she whispered, “and don’t even blink.”

I
t’s Rebel,” Skye whispered. “He just walked out of the woods and is feasting on the field grass. I’m not sure he sees us.”

“He
has
to see the other horses,” Mr. Chambers whispered as both he and Chad slowly turned to look. “But he might not have connected them with us. It’s my guess that he’ll mosey on over this way to see if he knows any of them personally.”

“What should we do, Mr. C.?” Chad whispered.

“First I need to get my rope off my saddle.” Mr. Chambers paused. “Chad, I want you to sneak around the back of the chuck wagon and make your way across the left side of the field. Crawl if you have to and try to get about thirty feet from him. Skye, you go to the right along the tree line and try to get about the same distance from him on that side.”

“What if he sees me?” Skye whispered.

“That’s okay, because if he decides to move, I think it will be in this direction toward the other horses. Just walk real slow. Now wait until I get my rope before you both move. I’m going to hide behind those trees.” He pointed
to a cluster of pines near the horses. “Chad, when Skye gets even with you on the other side of the field, stand up. Then both of you take turns talking softly to him. Slowly start walking toward him and try to coax him this way. If nothing spooks him back into the woods, he should come close enough for me to lasso him. I think his urge to join with our horses will be in our favor.”

Skye and Chad waited until Mr. Chambers carefully retrieved his rope and crept behind the trees. Then they separated and made their way at a slug’s pace along the perimeter of the field, sandwiching Rebel in between.

When Skye had advanced about half way, Rebel suddenly lifted his head. He arched his neck, pitched his ears toward Skye, and let out a series of snorts. His gorgeous black-and-white mane and tail whisked in a gentle breeze. Skye froze on the spot. Rebel stared straight at her, pranced forward a few steps and snorted again. After one loud whinny, he appeared to decide that Skye was no threat. He lowered his head and went back to his graze.

On the left side of the field, Chad snuck to his destination and waited for Skye. As she moved to her spot, Rebel again arched his neck and watched every move Skye made.

“Hey, Rebel,” Skye said softly. “Easy, boy. It’s time to go home now.”

“Easy, fella.” Chad stood and started moving in on Rebel’s other side. “No one’s going to hurt you.”

Rebel turned sharply toward Chad and let out another snorting blast. Skye could see every muscle in the pinto’s powerful body tense and ripple as he stared in Chad’s direction.

Skye took a few steps forward. “Easy, boy.”

The horse shifted his body back toward Skye. With another loud neigh, he pranced several steps toward the pines where Mr. Chambers had hidden. Again, Skye and
Chad moved forward on each of Rebel’s flanks, forcing him in the direction of the trees.

All of a sudden, Rebel reared up on his hind legs, released another loud whinny, and charged across the field.

“Dad,” Skye yelled, backtracking a few yards, “here he comes!”

“Get him, Mr. C.!” Chad yelled.

Skye watched as Mr. Chambers moved just a short distance away from the trees and prepped his lasso. As far as she could tell, he was completely hidden from Rebel’s view.

Mr. Chambers started to whirl his rope and waited.

Rebel tore across the field, oblivious to what was straight ahead.

Chad came running to Skye’s side. “Man, that horse is fast,” he said. “Look at him go!”

“And Dad’s got only one chance to rope him. If he misses, Rebel will be long gone into the woods, probably into the next county.”

Rebel galloped full speed ahead, right toward the trees.

Mr. Chambers firmly planted both feet and patiently whirled the lasso.

“Rebel doesn’t see him yet, does, he?” Chad puffed.

“Nope,” Skye answered.

Rebel ran like he was heading for a finish line, still unaware of Mr. Chambers and his trap.

“So far so good,” Skye said.

Closer, even closer, Rebel ran.

Closer…

“Now!” Chad and Skye yelled in unison.

Skye gnawed her lip as she watched Mr. Chambers launch his rope and release a large loop into the air. The lasso floated for a few seconds. Then, almost as if guided by an invisible hand, the loop slipped over the head of the
charging horse. The rope tightened around Rebel’s neck, and the horse came to an abrupt skidding stop.

“He got him!” Skye yelled.

Mr. Chambers dug his heels into the ground and pulled with all his strength. While he ran around one of the pines and tightened his tether, Rebel threw an absolute wild-horse fit! He bucked and reared and squealed, but the more he bucked and reared, the tighter and shorter his tether became. The sturdy pine would not give an inch.

As Skye and Chad ran toward Mr. Chambers, she shifted her glance to Champ and the other two horses, still tied to the rail. Aroused by the commotion, they started to whinny, sidestep and stomp, doing their best to join the action. But their reins held secure.

“Way to go, Dad!” Skye cried, focusing on Rebel.

“Nice going, Mr. C.!” Chad said. “That was some lasso demonstration!”

Mr. Chambers was still clutching his end of the rope near the tree while Rebel pulled and squealed. Mr. Chambers took off his Stetson and wiped his forehead with his arm. “I think I had some divine intervention!” He wound the rope around the tree again and knotted the rope. “It’s been ten years since I lassoed a bronco as fast as this one.” He stepped in front of Rebel and raised his hand. “Easy, Reb,” he said. “Calm down now. It’s all over.”

Skye studied the wild Mustang’s antics, and it seemed to her as though the horse actually understood that his plight was in vain. With one quick whinny he stopped pulling, stood firm, snorted at his audience, and went back to grazing as if not a thing had happened. In the early evening sun, his black-and-white body almost sparkled from the oozing sweat.

“Wow, he is one gorgeous hunk,” Skye said then turned toward Champ and the other horses, who were still spooked. She ran to Champ and grabbed his halter,
calming him down. In seconds, the other horses followed suit. “Okay, guys, the show is over,” she said, stroking Champ’s neck. “You’ll soon be back in your stalls with a double portion of oats.”

“I hope I get a double portion of chow too,” Chad said as he joined her.

Mr. Chambers walked to his horse and patted its neck. “We all get double portions tonight,” he said.

“Hay or oats?” Chad joked.

“Burgers,” Mr. Chambers said.

“And hold the field grass, please,” Skye said, giggling.

A
fter Skye and her posse brought Rebel back to Keystone Stables, the three gorged themselves on Mrs. Chambers’ and Morgan’s gourmet picnic food. Chad stayed for several more hours, and the “new” Wanda tried her best to grab his attention, to no avail. Still grounded from pool table action, she decided to play “boring” dominoes with the rest of the family while staring holes through Chad.

When Chad left at ten o’clock, Wanda declared with a string of obnoxious yawns that she wanted to go to bed. After family devotions that Wanda managed to tolerate, she went downstairs to sleep on the futon. Mr. and Mrs. Chambers sat at the dining room table with Skye and Morgan. They discussed school matters, the recent barn fire, and Rebel and his latest antics. Finally, the conversation led to Wanda and how they all could help her.

“Mom,” Skye said, “are you going to let her go to church looking like she did today? I know most of the kids will just shrug her off, but there are a few girls that could really be nasty and say something to hurt her.”

“I’ll do my best to tone down her appearance,” Mrs. Chambers said. “I’m hoping she’ll listen. She really is quite an attractive young lady. She just needs to learn how to look and act like one. We’ll work on it.”

“I hope she listens to you, Mrs. C.,” Morgan said. “Some of those girls in the youth group can be mean. Wanda doesn’t need any of that dumped on her yet.”

“I think I’ll call George and his wife tomorrow morning,” Mr. Chambers said. “Depending on how Wanda looks, it might be a good idea to warn them ahead of time. Maybe they can ward off any potential trouble in the Youth for Truth class.”

“Good idea,” Mrs. Chambers said. “And I’ll try to do my part on this end of things.”

“Mom, do you know that Wanda has terrible nightmares?” Skye asked. “Because she sleeps right beneath my room, I can hear her yelling right through the floor!”

“I know about her bad dreams, honey,” Mrs. Chambers said. “We heard her after she first moved in. I look for her to soon open up in her counseling sessions at Maranatha so we can get to the root of her troubles. She’d feel better about a lot of things if she’d just talk them out.”

“I know when she starts trusting us, she’ll start talking,” Skye said.

“So, Skye,” Mr. Chambers said, “tell me more about your ‘girl whispering’ idea that you shared with me at Piney Hollow today.”

“Girl whispering?” Mrs. Chambers said. “This should be interesting.”

Morgan eased out a warm smile and pushed her hair behind her shoulders. “I would think that Wanda has gotten nothing her whole life but ‘girl yelling.’ ”

“I keep thinking of what Chad and I learned last summer at that horse whispering camp,” Skye said. “Our mentor kept telling us over and over not to force ourselves on the horse. I think that’s what I’ve been doing—not
just with Rebel but with Wanda too. I’d like to be her friend, but she wants to stay a zillion miles away.”

“She’s a totally hard nut to crack.” Morgan nodded, her freckles dancing with her signature smile.

“So, what’s your plan?” Mr. Chambers leaned back in his chair and folded his arms. “I’m all ears.”

Mrs. Chambers grabbed a pretzel from the bowl and took a bite. “At this point in time, we need God’s wisdom to help Wanda. What’s on your mind, Skye?”

“I remember how I was when I first came here,” Skye said. “I didn’t trust anyone because so many people had broken promises to me or they had just let me down. I wanted to have friends, but I didn’t want to risk being hurt all over again like I had been in the past. I think that’s what’s going on with Wanda.”

“I think you’re absolutely right,” Mrs. Chambers said. “We have to win her confidence, but it’ll take time. And she has to be willing to try, as well. So far, she’s not done anything but buck the system.”

“Just like Rebel,” Morgan said. “Always
bucking
the system.”

Everyone chuckled while Mr. Chambers said, “That’s a good one, Morgan. Very good.”

“Anyway,” Skye continued, “I’ve been thinking about how Morgan treated me when I first moved in. In a way, she was ‘girl whispering’ with me, and we didn’t know it.”

“What do you mean?” Morgan’s freckled face lit up with another big smile.

“Well, do you remember how you offered to help me with my homework, and you said you wanted to be my friend, but then you backed away and didn’t push it? You went on with your life, enjoying every minute, and you weren’t going to let me ruin it. After awhile, I couldn’t stand it anymore. I wanted to find out what made you click and enjoy things like you did, so I started coming around. Remember?”

“Kinda,” Morgan said. “I do remember you asking me how I could enjoy life in this wheelchair. That blew your mind. Another thing I remember is that you were also a totally tough nut to crack.”

“Ahem,” Mrs. Chambers teased, looking Morgan straight in the eye. “Speaking of totally tough nuts to crack…”

“Maybe we should be playing ‘The Nutcracker Suite’ on a CD,” Mr. Chambers joked, and everyone laughed. Then his tone changed. “Seriously, Skye, what do you have in mind for Wanda?”

“It’s simple,” Skye said. “I don’t want to be nasty to her, and I’m not going to ignore her, but I’m just going to be polite and go about my business. Maybe when she stands back and takes a good look at how happy I am—really, how happy we all are—she’ll want to be part of it. What do you think?” Skye looked around the table.

“Anything’s worth a try,” Mr. Chambers said.

“Just let me know if there’s any progress between you two,” Mrs. Chambers said.

“Go for it,” Morgan said. “We might just begin to see another nut getting totally cracked!”

Sunday morning, the Chambers family attended church. Although Mrs. Chambers tried to tone down Wanda’s looks, Skye thought Wanda still managed to look like a scared porcupine. Fortunately, Hannah Gilbert and Betty Feaster weren’t in class, so as far as Skye could tell, all Wanda got were a few quizzical looks from the other kids.

After the Chambers family enjoyed a roast beef dinner at Keystone Stables, Skye waited for Chad to arrive. At one o’clock, the two headed to the training corral with Rebel while Mr. and Mrs. Chambers read the paper in
the living room and Morgan and Wanda did schoolwork at the dining room table.

From the start, as Skye led Rebel out of the barn, she sensed something different.
Is it with Rebel or me?
she pondered.
Maybe it’s my confidence in my new plan!

“Chad,” Skye said as she released Rebel into the corral, “I was thinking that maybe I should try the same technique on Rebel that I’ve been planning for Wanda. I have to take my time and not be so forceful—with either of them.”

“Sounds like a plan, Skye. Go for it,” Chad said, closing the gate behind Skye. He then stood back and watched.

Rebel, as usual, had already trotted to the opposite side of the corral and had reached his head out over the fence, his whisking tail facing Skye.

“Here we go, Rebel, boy,” Skye said softly, walking to the center of the corral. Carefully she started twirling her rope, forcing the horse to trot around the perimeter of the pen. After a few laps, Skye reversed Rebel’s direction, running him a few more minutes before allowing him to stop. “Okay, Rebel,” Skye said coiling her rope in her hands, “that was real good.”

For a moment, Rebel stood in place, staring at Skye while he puffed to catch his breath. Then, as expected, he pivoted and resumed his normal pose, head over the rail, tail toward Skye.

“What a rascal!” Skye said as she spun around and walked toward the fence on her side of the corral, turning her back toward the horse. “Chad,” she said softly, “I’m going to stay here as long as it takes until he moves. Let me know what he’s doing.”

“You bet,” Chad said. They both stood and waited.

And waited…

Rebel seemed perfectly content gazing at the horses far down in the pasture and completely ignoring Skye. But then, after about ten minutes…

“He just looked at you, Skye,” Chad said. “Be cool.”

Skye stared at the back of the house. Inside at the sliding door, Wanda was looking out.

“He’s turning toward you,” Chad said as Rebel pivoted his body and faced Skye. Skye nonchalantly glanced to her side, watching Rebel’s every move out of the corner of her eye.

Skye watched Rebel as he released a loud whinny and nodded, his long, flowing mane bobbing with every move. Practically begging for attention, he whinnied again and pawed the ground.

Skye stood firm.

“Here he comes,” Chad whispered.

Skye listened as one hoof beat at a time, Rebel came toward her. She inched her way to the fence, leaned her arms on the rail, and looked the other way.

Slowly, Rebel came closer…

And closer…

Rebel stopped, pawed the ground again, and let out a string of anxious snorts. He was so close now that Skye felt his steamy breath billowing against the back of her neck.

“He’s about three feet away,” Chad whispered. “Don’t move.”