A Horse for Kate (Horses and Friends Book 1)

by Miralee Ferrell

  “What do you mean?” Kate frowned.

  “I mean, you didn’t tell your mom or call Mr. Miller before you came to school. Isn’t that gonna seem kinda weird?”

  Kate squirmed, not liking where this conversation seemed to be headed. “She’s safe in our barn. I even found some hay to feed her, and she’s in a clean stall.”

  Tori stared at her. “You are going to tell Mr. Miller, right?”

  Kate sighed. “Yeah. I mean, it’s not like I have a choice. But …”

  “But what?” Tori tapped the toe of her shoe while she waited for an answer.

  “I was thinking maybe I could wait a day or two, and then it would be too late to take her to the auction.” As soon as the words left her mouth, she almost cringed. Swiftly she held up her palm to shut out Tori’s wide eyes. “All right, all right, I didn’t mean it.” She paused. “Well, I guess I did mean it, but I won’t do it. I’d like to, ’cause it might save her life, but I know it’s wrong. I suppose I’ll tell Mom as soon as I get home, and then I’ll call Mr. Miller. At least I got to see her again before she gets sold.”

  Tori nodded, her eyes soft and sympathetic. “Yeah. It is wrong to keep it a secret. You’re doing the right thing, Kate, even if it’s hard.”

  Kate hung up the phone and tried to be strong. Mr. Miller would be over in an hour or so to pick up Capri. She thought she’d talked herself into accepting the fact that the mare had to leave, but this was harder than she’d expected.

  Her mom stepped close and hugged Kate. “I’m proud of you, honey.”

  Kate pressed her face into her mother’s shoulder. “I thought you’d be so mad at me for not telling you sooner. I’m sorry, Mom.” She pulled away. “I wanted to tell you this morning, and then I started thinking that maybe I could keep her hidden for a couple of days, and no one would know. I could tell you guys after the auction was over, and it would save Capri’s life.”

  Mom ran her fingers through Kate’s long curls. “But you knew it was wrong.”

  “Yeah. And then I saw the look on Tori’s face when I hinted at it, and I knew I couldn’t do it. I wanted to, something fierce, but you and Dad would have been upset and disappointed, and I didn’t want that either.”

  “Why don’t you go to the barn and spend some time with Capri before Mr. Miller comes? Dad or I will come get you when it’s time.” She opened the refrigerator and withdrew an apple. “Here, she’d probably like this.”

  “Thanks, Mom.” Kate gave her mother a quick squeeze, then stepped toward the kitchen door, suddenly anxious to get out of the house and be with the horse she’d come to think of as her own. Now it would never happen, but there was nothing wrong with dreaming for this one last hour, was there?

  A soft nicker greeted Kate as she walked down the alleyway toward the end stall where she’d put Capri. She slid open the door and stepped inside, then shut it behind her. The mare nuzzled her arm, then stretched toward the apple clutched in Kate’s hand. She laughed and held it out. “All right, greedy girl. Take a bite.” She gripped the apple so Capri could take a chunk out of it, then held it out again. “One piece left.” Kate held it on the flat of her palm.

  “I sure hope you’ll get apples at your new home, girl.” She slid her arms around the mare’s neck and hugged her. Capri dropped her head and didn’t move, seeming to sense Kate’s distress. “I wish you could be mine. I tried to save you from the auction, really I did. I’m going to pray that you get a good home where the people will love you as much as I do.”

  The minutes raced by, and sooner than Kate expected, she heard the outer door open and footsteps in the alleyway. “Dad? Mom? Is Mr. Miller here?”

  Both of her parents appeared at the door of Capri’s stall, their expressions serious. “Can you come out, Kate? We need to talk to you.”

  She slid open the door and slipped out, then closed it behind her, dread hitting her hard. “He wants to take her now, doesn’t he? It’s okay, I’m ready.” Kate worked to keep her voice steady, but the last couple of words wavered.

  Dad placed his hands on her shoulders and looked into her eyes. “First, I wish you had told your mother that you found Capri this morning or called me on my cell. That would’ve been better than waiting until after school.”

  Kate hung her head. “I know.”

  “Second,” he said as he lifted her chin, “I told you not to wake your mom, so you aren’t really to blame. And after talking to your mother, I understand a little better what you were going through. Now, we have something to tell you about Mr. Miller.”

  Kate almost forgot to breathe as she stared at her father. “What?”

  “He was very grateful you found Capri. We talked for a long time, and he’s feeling pretty bad about taking her to the auction. He said it’s not what his wife would have wanted to have happen to her favorite horse. When she got sick, she told him to find a good home for Capri—to make sure she went to someone who would love and care for her. He’d forgotten that promise in his grief over his wife’s passing.”

  “So he’s not going to take her to the auction? He’s going to try to find a home for her instead?” She gripped her hands in front of her.

  “Yes, he is. In fact, he already has.” Dad released Kate’s chin and smiled. “And she’s not going anywhere. He decided that she belongs with you, along with the ton of hay he paid for that’s sitting at the house of the man who was supposed to feed her. He’s also going to send a farrier over to trim her feet and have the vet make sure she’s wormed and up on all her shots for the year.”

  Kate gaped at him, but her brain felt as though it had fallen into an ice-cold lake and wouldn’t work. “I don’t understand. Why me?”

  “He saw how much you love Capri when you and Tori were visiting her, and how you insisted she needed proper care and a good home. Plus, he was very impressed that you could have waited to tell him the truth about finding her until the auction had passed, but you called him instead.”

  Warmth rushed into Kate’s cheeks. “I thought about not telling him. I wanted to wait and hide her until it was too late, so that’s not something to be proud of.”

  Dad shook his head. “But you didn’t. Mom told me you decided it was wrong. I told Mr. Miller about that. He said that’s the kind of person his wife would have approved of and would want him to give Capri to. And I agree.”

  Kate looked from her father to her mother, barely able to hope. “Seriously? But you said it was too soon for me to have a horse—that they cost too much money, and I need to wait.”

  “I know what I said, but with Mr. Miller’s offer of the hay, the farrier, and the vet to start things off, I think we can handle it. My probation period at work is finished, and my boss told me I’ll be getting a raise. I can’t think of a better way to celebrate than for my girl to have her dream. One more thing.” He held up his hand. “There won’t be much in the way of a Christmas present the end of this year, other than the things we need to care for Capri. Are you good with that?”

  Kate threw her arms around him. “Way good! I can’t believe it! Thank you both! Oh, wow, I want to call Tori!” Something else hit her. “Where’s Pete? He needs to know what’s going on. He’s going to be so happy that I got my horse. Can I teach him to ride, Mom?”

  Mom shook her head. “One thing at a time. I think you should take a few lessons on Capri first and make sure you can handle her properly. You won’t be riding her without supervision for a while, but I think eventually we might let Pete sit on her, with me or your dad close by.” She hugged Kate. “And we wanted to tell you without Pete being here, so the excitement wouldn’t be too much for him. We left him watching his Pete’s Dragon DVD. How about we all go inside and tell him? Mr. Miller’s having his son drop off the ton of hay this evening, as he wants to be sure Capri is properly fed.”

  “Whoopee!” Kate pumped her fist in the air. She couldn’t wa
it to tell Pete and then call Tori.

  Her dream had finally come true. God had answered her prayer and given her a horse of her own, at last.

  … a little more …

  When a rockin’ concert comes to an end,

  the audience might cheer for an encore.

  When a tasty meal comes to an end,

  it’s always nice to savor a bit of dessert.

  When a great story comes to an end,

  we think you may want to linger.

  And so we offer …

  P.S.—just a little something more after

  you have finished a David C Cook novel.

  We invite you to stay awhile in the story.

  Thanks for reading!

  Turn the page for …

  • Secrets for Your Diary

  • A Fun Cake for Horse Lovers

  • Author’s Note

  • Acknowledgments

  • About the Author

  • Sneak Peek at Book Two: Silver Spurs

  • Books by Miralee Ferrell

  Secrets for Your Diary

  Secret #1

  It was hard for Kate to move to a new town and attend a new school.

  Have you ever felt “different” from most of the other kids at school, or been nervous about attending a new school? What did you do to get through that time? Were you able to talk to your parents, a friend, or someone else you trusted about how you felt? If so, what advice did they give you that helped?

  Note from Kate

  God can help you through any and all hard times, if you’re willing to trust Him. He’s always ready to listen, so tell Him how you feel. If people in your life are being unkind to you, talk to an adult you trust and ask for help.

  Secret #2

  Kate was afraid that her friend Tori didn’t want to work at the barn. At times that fear made her act or think in ways that she later regretted.

  Have you ever misjudged a friend or jumped to conclusions about what a friend might do before you gave him or her a chance to explain? And when have you worried about something before it happened? Write about what eventually happened. If those same situations happened again now, what could you do differently?

  Note from Kate

  Sometimes we don’t think about talking to the person we’re upset with and telling him or her how we feel before we get angry. Next time that happens, why not pray first? It will help you stay calm when you talk to your friend. Then ask your friend what he or she meant. It’s likely you may have misunderstood his or her actions. Talking about what happened can get you both smiling again.

  Secret #3

  What Kate wanted more than anything was to have a horse of her own. She thought it would have to come through her parents buying it or her getting a job to pay for it. Instead, the way she got Capri was an unexpected gift.

  What would be a dream come true for you? How might you start researching that dream and preparing for it? What steps might you take along the way to keep your dream alive in the meantime?

  Note from Kate

  Dreams are a wonderful thing, but sometimes they don’t come true … or at least not all at once. I went through a lot of ups and downs before I got a horse of my own. And it didn’t come in the way I expected or in the timing I wanted. God knows the desires of our hearts, and He knows about your dreams too. Putting Him first is the right thing to do (Matthew 6:33), because He always has in mind what’s best for you.

  A Fun Cake for Horse Lovers

  Kate’s mom baked a horse-head cake for her birthday. You can do the same thing. Be creative. Color your horse the way you want to. And most of all, have fun! I’d never made a horse-head cake before, and mine turned out just fine. If I can do it, so can you!

  What you’ll need:

  *1 package cake mix (any flavor you like)

  *Vegetable oil (liquid, as noted on cake package)

  *Eggs (as noted on cake package)

  *Water (as noted on cake package)

  *Ready-made chocolate, white, or cream frosting (in tubs, color to your liking)

  *12" x 12" (or 9.5" x 9.5") cake pan

  Extras, as desired:

  *1 Hershey’s chocolate bar (to cut for ear)

  *Toothpicks

  *1 Oreo cookie or one square dark chocolate (to shape for eye)

  *Black licorice (for mane, eyelashes, halter)

  1. Spray cake pan with nonstick spray or grease the pan with oil and then lightly dust with flour, so the cake will come out more easily, without crumbling or breaking.

  2. Prepare cake mix according to directions on box. Pour into greased/floured cake pan.

  3. Follow directions on cake box for baking and properly cooling the cake.

  4. When cake is completely cool, place it on a cookie sheet or large cutting board.

  5. Once cake is on cutting board, use the tip of a sharp knife to lightly draw the outline of the horse head in the top of the cake, making sure you don’t cut deep. Once you’re pleased with the basic shape, proceed to next step.

  6. Trim cake into a very basic horse head shape, using square cuts if you’re unsure. After shaping the neck and face into basic blocks, go back and round the corners. Your horse head doesn’t have to be perfect or shaped like anyone else’s. All horses are different, and yours will be unique and wonderful!

  7. Once you have your horse head cut out, remove any extra pieces of cake (you can nibble on those as you work!). Frost with your choice of frosting—white or chocolate, or if you want a light brown, mix white and chocolate together. You can also make the horse a pinto by frosting patches of white and patches of brown. Frost the sides first, and spread the frosting on thick. Place dollops of icing on the top edge and smooth down over the cut sides, connecting the frosting. It’s hard not to get crumbs in your frosting, but don’t let it worry you if you do. Clean your knife by scraping it on the edge of a bowl occasionally to clear off the crumbs.

  8. After your horse head is frosted, it’s time to decorate it.

  *For the ear, use a piece of chocolate bar, cut into a triangle shape. I had to place several stout toothpicks into the cake behind the ear to hold the ear on. Then I covered the toothpicks with chocolate.

  *For the eye: You can use part of an Oreo cookie or a piece of dark chocolate.

  *For the eyelashes, mane, forelock, and halter: You can slice tiny pieces of licorice into eyelashes and use full pieces of black licorice for the mane. I didn’t have any black licorice on hand, so I chose to darken the chocolate using a melted piece of semisweet chocolate added to my already-chocolate frosting. I dribbled it along the top edge of the neck and the forehead, creating a wispy mane and a forelock. I simply used more frosting and made it stand up higher than the rest. The nostril can be created by making an indentation with the tip of a spoon. You can also use pieces of black licorice to create a halter, if you’d like.

  Author’s Note

  I’ve been an avid horse lover all of my life. I can’t remember a time when I wasn’t fascinated with the idea of owning a horse, although it didn’t happen until after I married. My family lived in a small town on a couple of acres that were mostly steep hillside, so other than our lawn and garden area, there was no room for a horse. I lived out my dreams by reading every book I could find that had anything to do with horses.

  My first horse was a two-year-old Arabian gelding named Nicky, who taught me so much and caused me to fall deeply in love with the Arabian breed. Over the years we’ve owned a stallion, a number of mares, a handful of foals, and a couple of geldings. It didn’t take too many years to discover I couldn’t make money in breeding. After losing a mare and baby due to a reaction to penicillin, and having another mare reject her baby at birth, we decided it was time to leave that part of the horse industry and simply enjoy owning a riding horse or two.

&nbs
p; Our daughter, Marnee, brought loving horses to a whole new level. She was begging to ride when she was two to three years old and was riding her own pony alone at age five. Within a few years, she requested lessons, as she wanted to switch from Western trail riding to showing English, both in flat work and hunt-seat, and later, in basic dressage. I learned so much listening to her instructor and watching that I decided to take lessons myself.

  We spent a couple of years in the show world, but Marnee soon discovered she wanted to learn for the sake of improving her own skills more than competing, and she became a first-rate horsewoman.

  We still ride together, as she and her husband, Brian, own property next to ours. My old Arabian mare, Khaila, was my faithful trail horse for over seventeen years and lived with Marnee’s horses on their property, so she wouldn’t be lonely. At the age of twenty-six, she began having serious age-related problems and went on to horse heaven in late July of 2013. Now I ride Brian’s Arabian mare, Sagar, when Marnee and I trail-ride. I am so blessed to have a daughter who shares the same love as me and to have had so many wonderful years exploring the countryside with my faithful horse Khaila.

  If you don’t own your own horse yet, don’t give up. It might not happen while you still live at home, and you might have to live out your dreams in books, or even by taking a lesson at a local barn, but that’s okay. God knows your desire and will help fulfill it in His perfect way.

  Acknowledgments

  This book has been a brand-new adventure for me—one I never expected, but one I’m so blessed to have experienced. A few years ago I attended a conference in Portland, Oregon, and met Alice Crider, who worked as an editor at a major publishing house. I sat at her table at breakfast, arriving before anyone else, and we started to chat. She asked what I wrote, and I told her my newest book, a historical romance, had released earlier that year. When she heard the title, Love Finds You in Last Chance, California, she said she’d spotted it in the conference bookstore and planned to buy a copy, as the picture of the woman on horseback on the cover intrigued her. As we chatted, I discovered we shared a love of horses and riding, and I felt as though I’d found a new friend.