Spirit Horses

by Alan S Evans

  “I told her to keep quiet,” said Mr. Jensen, “but she enjoyed bragging about your clinics to Tigee.”

  “That’s okay,” Shane said, “I wasn’t trying to hide anything. It just never came up.”

  “Well, I think they should know how lucky they are to have you here helping with their horses,” she said.

  “All right woman, that’s enough,” Mr. Jensen scolded. “Why don’t you sit and talk with Mr. Tigee, while Shane and I unsaddle the mustang?” The old Indian motioned for her to sit next to him on the porch.

  Mr. Jensen walked to the barn with Shane and looked around to make sure they were alone. “I drove out here because I wanted to tell you in person what I’ve found out.”

  “Thanks for coming. I was going to call you Monday if I hadn’t heard from you.”

  “Well, son, I talked to my cousin and learned something that might interest you. He told me that there was a permit pulled to do some preliminary testing on some private land adjacent to the Indian’s Wind River Valley.”

  Shane, puzzled, asked, “Testing for what?”

  “Oil,” Mr. Jensen answered. “Vince Nethers owns a lot of land that borders the reservation and has a long-term lease on a bunch more property beyond what he owns. I told you about him before. Vince is the largest cattleman in the area and for years has used all that land to graze his cows. I always figured he had his eye on a bigger prize in those hills. I heard he’d spent a fortune a couple of years ago testing around that whole area.”

  “Did he find anything?”

  “They did find some oil, but apparently it wasn’t a big enough reserve to pay for pumping it out. My cousin said there was a rumor going around the office back then that the geologists believed there could be a real mother lode a bit farther to the southeast. That would put a lot of oil in the area of the valley where those mustangs live. Nethers tried to put an end to these rumors two years ago. He claimed the tests had been a big waste of money. He whined all over town about how it almost bankrupted him.”

  “It sounds like you don’t believe him,” Shane replied.

  Mr. Jensen shrugged his shoulders. “I know I’m just guessing here, but what if he’s been buying time, you know, waiting till the rumors die down while he tries to confirm the bigger deposit. Then all he has to do is figure out how to hoodwink the Indians into some kind of a deal to give him control over that particular part of their land. If he could get a lease done before the Indians figure out what’s going on, he could make millions.”

  Shane rubbed the back of his neck, thought for a few moments before he asked, “If Nethers is trying to keep this possible mother lode a secret, why is he bothering to get a permit to look for it?”

  “Well, there’s no way he could bring the specialized equipment along with that many people into this area without it being noticed. He would also need fuel, supplies, and lodging for the crew. Besides, I don’t think the oil companies would come in and do this kind of thing if they didn’t believe it was legal.”

  Mr. Jensen paused to clear his throat, “Maybe he can’t hide what he is doing, but he can sure mislead everyone about where he’s testing. What if the testing on his land is just a smoke screen so he can sneak the equipment over his property line onto the reservation? If he can prove the oil is where he thinks it is, he’ll probably wait a while longer, until the rumors die down again, and then try to con the Indians into a lease. This is all speculation now, but I know ole Vince. He is pretty smart. I think he may have a long drawn-out plan to make all this happen. If I am guessing right, he is just trying to make sure the oil is really there, and then he’ll start to put his scheme into motion.”

  Shane listened intently as Mr. Jensen went on, “Vince is a very influential man with a lot of money and political connections. If my theory is correct, he is the one man in the area who could pull this off. If he can’t trick or force the Indians to sign a lease, he’ll probably try to buy his way into it. One way or another, this guy will stop at nothing to get to that oil if it’s there.”

  Shane thought for a minute, “Okay, if this guy is as smart as you say he is, he must realize how important the herd and their grazing land is to the Shoshone. He would know the first thing he has to do is to get rid of those mustangs. Once they’re out of the way, he probably figures the Indians would be more willing to lease him the valley.” Mr. Jensen winked and nodded in agreement.

  Shane took a deep breath and rolled his eyes. “If you’re right, I’ve really stepped into a hornet’s nest.”

  Both men stood quietly, looking down at the ground, contemplating the situation. A minute later Shane looked up. “We’re really assuming an awful lot, so it would probably be best if we sit on this information for now and not say anything until we have a chance to look into it further. What we need is some proof.”

  “I agree.” Mr. Jensen complied. “If it’s true, with the kind of money that’s involved, it might be hard to know who you can trust. I’ve seen Vince Nethers operate before, and he would have no qualms about stepping hard on a few toes to get what he wants.” Shane bit his lip and nodded his head in agreement.

  “Sir, thank you for all the information, but I think I’d feel better if you didn’t go nosing around anymore. The last thing I want to do is cause you and your wife any trouble.”

  “Well, I won’t pry into it unless you ask for my help. But I want you to understand, I’m not scared of that SOB Nethers. If I see anything unusual going on around town, I’ll let you know.” Shane smiled at the old man’s candor as they left the barn and walked over to Tigee’s.

  The two men were almost there when they noticed Tara riding through the compound gate returning from her swim. She saw her grandfather and Mrs. Jensen sitting on the porch and waved to them as she rode by. Then, she gave Shane and Mr. Jensen a smile and rode toward the barn.

  The old man slapped Shane on the back, “That is one pretty lady, right there. If I was about a hundred years younger, she’d be in trouble.” Both of them laughed as they got to the porch steps.

  “I hope my wife hasn’t bent your ear too much,” he motioned to Tigee.

  “No, we had a nice talk.”

  Mr. Jensen then suggested they should start for home. The two said their good-byes and left. Shane smiled and nodded at Tigee, as he turned to leave. He was still feeling a little embarrassed about what happened at the pool and wanted to go before Tara walked up.

  “Wait, Shane!” the old Indian called. “I want to invite you to a party my friends are having for me at Fort Washakie tomorrow night. It’s my eighty-sixth birthday. I’d like you to come.”

  Shane really didn’t want to go, but he felt obligated to accept. He figured he’d make a quick appearance and then come back to the ranch as soon as he could slip away.

  “Good, then you can go along with Tara and me. We’ll head out around six.”

  Again, Shane was on the spot, so he reluctantly agreed. As he turned to leave, he realized Tara was standing only a couple feet away. “Hi, Shane, nice day for a ride, wasn’t it?”

  “Yes, ma’am, it sure was.”

  Then she looked at him with her deep blue eyes and said, “Did you see anything interesting out there?”

  His face turned a light shade of red, “I always see interesting things when I ride through this country.” Tara grinned, patted him on his shoulder, and went inside. Shane closed his eyes and thought, I sure hope she didn’t see me at that pool. The idea made him blush again, so he quickly walked home before anyone noticed. He went inside and cleaned up then ambled out to sit on his porch. Jessie and Butch were resting comfortably next to his chair.

  Most of the Indians who worked on the ranch were participating in a roundup in a large field next to the compound. They were separating calves from their mothers for weaning. Once they were separated, they’d move them up the road to another field.

  It was a nice afternoon, and Shane began to doze. The last thing he heard was the distant bellow of cows, calling each ot
her as the Indians moved the calves away from their mothers. The sounds lulled him into a deep sleep. When he woke an hour later, he slowly peeked out from under the baseball cap he’d tilted over his face and noticed eight sets of little eyes peering at him through the rail. Next he heard a giggle followed by a whispered, “Shut up!” The dogs must have left the porch when the children arrived. Since Butch and Jessie were familiar with the kids, they didn’t bother to alert Shane before slipping away.

  Shane sat there a little longer, still feigning sleep, then he said in a deep low voice, “I’ve been known to eat little people when I’m really hungry.” The eight stood up tall and froze, their eyes wide open. He could see they were thinking about running away, so he opened his eyes and smiled. The group included six boys and two girls between the ages of about five to nine years, with the two little girls appearing to be the youngest. Shane looked them over and seeing the worry in their eyes, spoke to them. “Does anybody here like chocolate chip cookies? I’ve got a whole bag inside.” All but one of the little girls nodded their heads, yes, and grinned from ear to ear. “Well, come up on the porch. I’ll go get the cookies.”

  When he came out, they were all eagerly waiting with their hands out, except for the youngest girl who was still standing in the yard. Shane looked down from the porch and offered her one of the treats. She avoided eye contact and didn’t respond. “She’s real shy,” one of the older boys said.

  “Here take this to her.” She smiled as the boy handed her a cookie and in no time she ate it, as had the others.

  “You know, we have enough people here to play a game of touch football if you guys want. All nodded yes, except the shy little girl. When he left home, he decided to bring one thing from each of his family members. This included Jacob’s football, Tina’s favorite doll, and one of Jen’s old pillows, which he used to sleep on every night. Playing with these kids would make good use of Jacob’s football.

  For the next hour Shane played hard with the kids, he even got the shy little girl to join in. With the others pretending to miss her, she made a touchdown while laughing all the way to the makeshift end zone. The last play of the game, Shane was the quarterback. He halfheartedly attempted an escape as all the kids, even the ones on his own team, ended up tackling him in a roar of screams and laughter. As he got up and brushed himself off, he noticed Tara and her grandfather standing on their porch laughing and cheering the kids on. He gave the two a grin and then high-fived all the children before he picked up Jacob’s football and walked back to his house.

  Chapter 13

  It was Saturday, the day of the big party. Although Shane wasn’t into crowds these days, he didn’t want to let Tigee down. After taking it easy that afternoon, he was ready at six. As they climbed into the truck, Tara remarked, “Since my grandfather is a tribal leader, most of the tribe will be at Fort Washakie for the event. My two brothers are already in town setting up for the party. There will be plenty of food, drink, and even a live band. Most of the tribe pitched in money for it.” She looked at Shane with a mischievous glint in her eye. “There will even be a few other white people from town, so you won’t stand out too much.”

  Shane grinned back at her, “Where have your brothers been? I haven’t seen them.”

  “My grandfather sent them on a two-week hunting trip. He told them to go because they got into a fight with those same guys you and I had trouble with. He decided the best way to cool things down would be to send them away. You’ll be seeing them at the ranch now. They both have houses in the compound. My oldest brother is married, and two of the kids you were playing ball with yesterday are his.”

  As they drove, Tara spoke again, “I hope you don’t mind, but my grandfather wants to go to a place we call Red Moon Ridge. It’s a tradition for him on his birthday.”

  Tigee explained, “My father was also the shaman of our tribe. He would take me to this place often, and always on the day of my first day. I have some good memories of those times I spent with him watching the sun go down.” Shane felt a little awkward being part of this family tradition, but the old man seemed to want him along.

  Tara drove down a dirt road Shane had never seen before. When they arrived, it was easy to see why this spot was so revered by Tigee. It was another slice of paradise. The cliff sat high above the valley. Below you could see for miles. The ridge faced northwest and on the horizon were the now familiar Owl Creek Mountains. “Wow,” was all Shane could say, as he approached the edge and looked at the view.

  “The sun will be setting soon,” Tigee said. “You and my granddaughter will stay here.” Then he turned and walked down a narrow trail heading toward a specific place only he knew.

  Tara leaned back against a tree and began to speak. “As a younger man he came up here often. Now it is very important to him that either I or one of my brothers bring him here on his birthday. He prays and says he seeks advice from our ancestors. He must think a lot of you to want to show you this.”

  Shane took a deep breath and looked across the valley below.

  “This is the kind of view most people only get to see in pictures or movies, myself included, until I came on this trip.” The two sat quietly and enjoyed the brilliant colors of the sunset, then Shane looked at her inquisitively. “I’ve noticed you spend a lot of time at work.”

  “Yeah, I guess I do.”

  “What is it that consumes so much of your life?”

  “I’m a teacher and administrator for our schools.”

  “You must really like it.”

  “Yes, it’s my purpose. Educating our kids is the only way our people can better themselves. The Shoshone nation has many bright capable people, but for so long they have been held back because the lack of resources has not allowed them to get a quality education. The funding that most schools in this area get seems to dwindle down to almost nothing before it makes it out here. Because of this, the opportunities for our children to make it to college are not very good.”

  “You seem to have earned a degree.”

  “I was fortunate enough to have a mother who had gone to college to become a nurse. She came back to help our people in the old clinic that’s still on the reservation. She had been awarded a government scholarship given out to the Indians in the 1960s. Most of the Indians given the opportunity to go to college do not have the foundation of learning skills it takes to succeed at a university.

  “I have goals to upgrade our schools at the elementary and high-school levels so our children are more prepared for college. In return, they will be able to send their own children to a good university.”

  Shane was impressed with the depth of Tara’s commitment and purpose in her life. He was gaining a new respect for her and her people’s struggle. Unfortunately, many of the Indians still lived here in poverty, but with the efforts of tribal members like Tara, things were bound to improve. In fact he felt a little guilty about how self-serving his own life had become lately.

  Right now, he was focused on seeing through his promise to his son. But maybe, when all this was over, he would take some time in his life and get involved with a worthwhile cause of some kind. The more he found out about Tara, the more intriguing she became, and the more he realized she was an intelligent, strong, selfless woman with much to offer.

  Shane’s growing admiration for her left him feeling a bit uneasy. Adding to his concern was the notion that she also seemed to be showing more interest in him. Tara still didn’t know about his family, or much else about him for that matter. The last thing he wanted from her or any of the Shoshone was for them to feel sorry for him. But most of all he did not want to lead Tara on. Even while Jen was still alive, he often looked at and appreciated other women, just like any man does. But, in their many years of marriage, he never seriously considered crossing that vital line of trust and commitment. He figured it was normal for a person who had survived a long-time spouse to struggle with moving past this kind of strong devotion to them. In one sense, taking this enor
mous step some day would mean having to let go of his old life and the powerful loyalties he still carried deep inside. He hoped in the future he would be able to move beyond all this. For now, it just seemed too difficult and complicated to even consider.

  After all, his plan was only to be out here until he could set his mare free, then he and Tory would be heading back to Tennessee. He knew Tara’s life was very busy and full of purpose, so he reasoned that their attraction toward each other was probably no more than an innocent flirtation that he was making more of than he should. “Hell, all this is probably just in my own head anyway,” he said quietly to himself.

  Tara was well aware that the men here on the reservation had all but given up on pursuing her. Many of the young men in the tribe wondered if she thought she was too good for them. On the contrary, she was committed to them in a way they could not comprehend, and because of this, her personal life had been pushed aside.

  It was not a carefree thing for Tara to finally admit to herself that she did have an attraction to Shane. It embarrassed her as she realized he was the first man in a long time that could inadvertently bring out the mild flirtatious side of her personality. She could not ignore the fact that her mood seemed to be uplifted when she was around him. But she would listen more to her practical side, which told her that this was someone who would never fit into her world. Even so, she couldn’t help but admire him as the brave man who had stood up for her that day in town. Although she wondered about his guarded past, she believed he was a man of honor and integrity. She also held him in high regard for his strong commitment to keep a promise he had made to someone involving setting his mustang free.

  It still seemed a little strange that he had sacrificed so much time and energy to accomplish this. Perhaps, someday, they’d become close enough friends for him to tell her his secret, along with why, at times, he seems so lost and faraway in his thoughts. For now, she would respect his privacy and not ask any personal questions.