No Time for Horses

by Shannon Kennedy

  “Yeah,” I said. “I know it, but at least she came up with the money for the kids’ presents and this year, she’s not writing Rick’s names on the gift tags. Her counselor told her that he needs to be a father and Mom needs to let him.”

  “Good point.” Felicia passed around the cups. “Now, let’s go grab Gwen and Porter so we can hit the doorbuster sales. Sierra’s meeting us at the outlet mall.”

  Rick had picked up the kids when we returned to the daycare on Friday. That made it easy for me to smuggle their Christmas presents into the basement bedroom closet. So far, Mom hadn’t rented it, and I still spent a lot of time down there when everyone else was home. That night, I’d gone to Gwen’s.

  We’d hung out watching TV and eating popcorn, debating over who was hotter. Daniel Radcliffe or Josh Hutcherson. Since we couldn’t decide, it meant we had to alternate movies between the Harry Potter series and The Hunger Games. We crashed out on the living room floor, and Gwen’s mom sent us off to bed when she arrived home from work.

  * * * *

  Saturday, November 30th, 10:00 a.m.

  After breakfast, we headed up to Shamrock Stable. Gwen would take a lesson while I worked. I groomed and saddled the horses that lived in the stalls adjacent to the indoor arena. White-haired, stocky in jeans, and a tight-fitting sweatshirt, Meredith, the regular Saturday instructor, scowled when she saw me. She ordered me to clean the stalls and scrub water tubs while she taught her classes.

  Wow. She’d started out on the wrong side of the bed before she ever got to the barn. What was the big deal about horse care? It didn’t bother me to look after the four-legged brigade. Was she one of those instructors who thought that stable management was for flunkies, the way that Mom and Rick figured housework and child care were for me, not them? Well, their crap-fest was good training for life 101.

  I zoomed through the chores before I headed over to deal with Aladdin. I haltered and groomed him, feeding pieces of carrots to him and Summertime. I saw Sierra come into the barn and waved at her. “Over here. Are you looking for me?”

  “Yeah, Mom sent me down to see how you’re doing. Meredith can be a bit hard to work with at times.”

  “Got that right,” I said, switching out the halter for the snaffle bridle. “She reminds me of my mother, and it’s not a compliment. I’ve done the early morning stall pick and watered everyone. I’d like to take Aladdin outside and do some longeing in the round pen if that’s okay.”

  “I think it’s a great idea,” Sierra said. “He needs to learn to work in all sorts of places.”

  I put the reins over Aladdin’s head. Hooking his lead onto the halter, we started for the door. “Can you grab the long lines and the longe rope for me?”

  “You bet.” Sierra stepped into the tack room.

  I led Aladdin down the barn aisle. “Walk on, handsome.”

  Meredith opened the side gate. “Where are you going? I need you to saddle up the horses for the next session.”

  Before I could answer, Sierra did, “That’s your job, Meredith. Mom hired Vicky to train horses. She prepped for your morning group, but she needs to get on-task and do her own work now.”

  I glimpsed Gwen shaking with laughter while she held her horse. Obviously, there was a lot going on here that I didn’t know about. Outside the barn, I asked, “Is Meredith competing with me for the barn manager job? Was that why she had me saddle and do the barn for her?”

  “No, she’s just lazy. She tried to get Autumn to do the work last week, and Mom went ballistic when she found Meredith locked in the bathroom.”

  “I don’t get it. How could she be locked inside?”

  “My little sister doesn’t take kindly to people ordering her around. She even got a time-out for telling Mom not to boss her around. So, Autumn padlocked the door shut when Meredith went to the customer’s restroom instead of tacking up.”

  “Autumn is only seven.” I guided Aladdin to the round pen near the large corral where we did trail rides. “It’s all I can do to get my sisters to pick up their clothes and toys. I’d never turn them loose with ten horses to saddle.”

  “Gosh, do you think that’s why Meredith is on probation?” Sierra opened the gate for me. “Mom would have fired her, but she worries about being fair to people. So, she’s keeping Autumn with her for the duration. As soon as we hire another instructor, Meredith will be history.”

  “Do you think I could teach her classes all the time? I listened to her today and I didn’t hear her say one positive thing to any student.”

  “Don’t overload yourself,” Sierra said. “Training horses takes a lot of patience, and you have an entire string to work. After you do Aladdin, you need to start Gambler and Spirit.”

  I nodded. She had a point, and I couldn’t do everything. It’d be better to focus on one job at a time. With that in mind, I buckled the reins back to the billets so Aladdin would continue to grow accustomed to pressure on the bit. I snapped the longe line to his halter and sent him out to walk around me.

  It took longer to gain his attention since we were outside. I kept him walking, trotting, halting, backing, and changing directions for almost an hour. I added in the canter and counter canters. When he flicked his ears at me, licked, and chewed, I decided it was time to long line drive him. I connected the long reins to the two sides of his halter. I ran them back through the stirrup irons and began working him around the corral for another hour, throwing in some double-line longeing just for the fun of it. Of course, I didn’t forget his carrots.

  Once he’d totally surrendered, it was time to break for lunch, his and mine. I took him back down to the barn and his stall. I unfastened the shorter reins from the saddle and removed them from his bridle. He wasn’t overheated, so it didn’t freak me out when he tanked up on water. I checked his manger. No hay. What was that about?

  He’d worked hard this morning. He deserved his food. I paused by the wheelbarrow parked neatly under the stairs and found two flakes of Eastern Washington orchard grass hay. I picked up the bigger one and took it back to him. Gambler, a bay Morgan filly whinnied at me, but I didn’t believe her. She had hay in her stall. “You can wait, missy.”

  After I fed Aladdin, I stripped off my gloves, vest, and helmet. I didn’t want to have to look for them, and I knew how these games went. Growing up in Mom’s house meant protecting what was mine, so I carried my gear with me to the office. I opened the fridge reserved for staff. My bag wasn’t there.

  Okay, this woman was totally going down. Not feeding the horse was one thing. I’d covered that. But taking my lunch was downright nasty. I poked around but didn’t find my lunch sack. It wasn’t behind the water bottles or bag of carrots. I closed the fridge, backed up, and glanced at the garbage can. Gross, but it had to be done. I pulled off a drink carrier and a couple plastic water bottles, and my empty brown paper bag was there.

  I picked up my vest and slung it over my arm. I tucked my gloves into my helmet and headed for the old two-story farmhouse across the yard. The collie lying on the porch gave a warning bark, then a second and third one.

  Sierra opened the front door. “Hey, Vicky. It’s lunch time. You need to eat.”

  “I would, but somebody beat me to my lunch.”

  “Really.” Sierra held the door wide. “You better come join us. We’re having leftovers from Thanksgiving. Save me from one more turkey sandwich.”

  “Gladly.” I laughed and walked inside with her.

  Rocky sat at the kitchen table taking orders from Autumn about her sandwich. The two of them looked at me as I came in with Sierra. “What’s going on?” Rocky asked me. “You looked like you were doing great with Aladdin.”

  “He’s fine,” I said. “I put him in his stall and fed him lunch. Mine’s gone walkabout from the fridge so I came to bum a sandwich.”

  “No worries,” Rocky said. “We have plenty. I wonder what happened to your lunch.” She shrugged, “Oh well. It doesn’t matter. When you move in once you turn eighte
en, I can save on wages if I provide room and board for you too.”

  “That’s my mom,” Sierra said, “always thinking of how to save a buck.”

  “I have to do something. Between the two and four-legged ones, I have fifty plus kids to look after.”

  I piled my things on the floor near an empty chair and went to wash up at the sink. I came back and sat down. Rocky passed me the loaf of bread and pushed the platter of turkey my way.

  Autumn climbed up on the seat next to mine. She waited until her mom went to the fridge for more mayonnaise. “I know where your lunch went,” she whispered.

  “Really?” I whispered back. “So do I.”

  “Meredith ate some and threw away the rest.” Autumn hissed. “I didn’t see her, but I know she did it.”

  “Me too,” I said. “I was really hungry, so that’s why I came over here.”

  “I’m glad.” Autumn picked up her sandwich. Before she took a bite, she asked, “Will you read me a story tonight? From my Album of Horse book?”

  “I love learning about the breeds of horses. I hoped you’d ask me,” I said. “Thank you for sharing your book with me.”

  I got a big grin from her and a heavy sigh from Sierra. “You do realize she won’t be content with just one story. You’ll have to read at least three.”

  “That’s okay,” I said. “It beats Goodnight Moon.”

  “I like that story,” Autumn told me.

  “Me too,” I said, slathering mayo on my bread. “I read it to my little sister Linda every night when we’re both home.” I eyed Sierra. “Sometimes, I have to read it three more times, once for Lance and for Chrissy and Cathy too. Kevin always picks a different book then.”

  “You have more patience than I do,” Sierra told me.

  “That wouldn’t be difficult.” Rocky sliced turkey into smaller bite-sized pieces. “When you think someone’s a waste of oxygen, you don’t hesitate to say so. After lunch, I want you to pony Vicky on Aladdin before she tries going solo.”

  “You got it,” Sierra said. “I know it seems like you’re training him a lot today, but the hours and miles will make a big difference. He’ll learn how to be a horse in spite of himself.”

  Rocky turned her attention to Autumn. “You stay out of the round pen while the girls train. Aladdin tries to stomp the dog whenever he gets the opportunity. I don’t want that horse going after my baby.”

  “I’m not a baby,” Autumn told her indignantly. “I’m seven.”

  “You’re the youngest,” Rocky said. “You’ll always be my baby.”

  “It’s Sierra’s turn to be the baby.”

  “No, she was my baby for nine years. She gets to be a big girl now.”

  Sierra glanced at her mom. “Does that mean I can buy a car in the spring?”

  “You’re not that big of a girl,” Rocky said. “When you can drive the bulldozer forward as well as you can back-blade, then we’ll go car shopping.”

  I focused on eating my sandwich before I lost control and fell into hysterical laughter. I could just imagine what my mother would say about a girl running a dozer. Still, it sounded like fun. I wondered if I had to wait until I moved here before I learned to operate heavy equipment. When we finished eating, I helped clean up the kitchen. Sierra and I headed back to the lower barn to bring out Aladdin and Summertime.

  Okay, so I was acting paranoid. I went ahead and unsaddled Aladdin. I ran a quick brush over him, checking his blanket and pads. I tacked him up again. I removed his bridle, and made sure it was in the same shape it had been earlier. I put it back on him. He didn’t mind the fussing. It meant more carrots. I added the halter and snapped on the lead, putting the rope up over his neck.

  “What’s up?” Sierra asked. “Did something look goofy?”

  “No,” I said. “I just wanted to be extra careful after what happened when he didn’t get fed and my lunch vanished. Not everybody is my best friend.”

  “You’re thinking all the time, aren’t you?”

  “I try.” I slid my arms into my protective vest, adjusting the fit on my shoulders before I buckled it above my waist. Actually, I didn’t own the vest. It was an old one of Sierra’s. There was nothing wrong with it. She’d just outgrown it. I put on my helmet and drew on my leather gloves. “Okay, I’m ready.”

  Meredith bustled out of the tack room. “I can’t believe you’re going to ride a hungry horse. Haven’t you overworked him enough for one day?”

  “I fed him when you didn’t.” I kept my tone civil while I opened the stall door and gathered up the reins. “I appreciate your concern. He’ll be fine. I know what I’m doing.”

  I led him from the barn, and Sierra followed with Summertime. When we hit the round pen, she held back so I could maneuver Aladdin through the gate. She followed me with the other horse. Once inside, I checked my stirrup leathers. I wouldn’t let anyone distract me from what I was doing with this horse. He trusted me to take care of him, and that was a major improvement.

  Sierra boosted me into the saddle. I slid my feet into the stirrups, collecting up on the reins. “Ready,” I said.

  “Okay. Just wait for me.” She led Summertime a couple steps away to the mounting block. “Aladdin’s doing great.”

  Famous last words. I heard two blasts from a car horn. I saw a cluster of kids running toward me, screaming, “Vicky, Vicky, Vicky!”

  Aladdin didn’t wait to see what came next. He tore off at a dead run around the corral. I sat down hard, pushed on my feet, and pulled back on the reins. He almost stopped. Another shout. He bucked twice. His left shoulder slanted lower. He spun left.

  I went right. I hit the ground rolling. Kids screaming, dog barking, horn honking. The world went black!

  Chapter Sixteen

  Saturday, November 30th, 1:30 p.m.

  As I started to come back, I felt as if I was floating. Water dripped on my face. Had it started to rain? Somehow, I heard Jack’s voice. Did I smell his spicy aftershave? I drifted a bit and just listened.

  “You’re all right, baby. I’ve got you. Baby, it’s okay.”

  I must be dreaming. He never gushed. I forced open my eyes. He was really here, really with me. Not my crazy imagination. He held me tight against him, carrying me. “I fell.”

  “Got thrown,” Jack corrected. He stopped walking. “How do you feel?”

  I saw tears on his cheeks. One slid down splashing onto my face. My head spun. For a minute, I tasted my turkey sandwich again. I gagged. “Put me down.”

  “No.”

  I managed to turn my head when I puked. “Sorry.”

  “It’s okay.” He stepped around the puddle of my sandwich and pumpkin pie. “Robin, go get her a bottle of water. Then find the first aid kit.”

  I closed my eyes. The next time I opened them I was in the office, slumped in a chair. Kevin brought over the wastebasket and put it next to me. “What’s this for?”

  “Jack says if you hurl again, you won’t want to make a mess.” Kevin wiped at his face and sniffled. “I’m sorry, Vicky. Dad said to run and get you.”

  “It was an accident.” I tried to touch him, but my hand felt too heavy to lift. “Remember that you never run on a horse farm or yell. Deal?”

  “Yeah.” Kevin gulped back a sob. “I’m real sorry. He said run when you didn’t come after he honked the horn. I’m sorry.”

  “It’s okay,” I said again. “You didn’t mean it.”

  He walked away, crying. I should go after him, but I didn’t want to move. It seemed like too much trouble.

  Robin came with a bottle of water and knelt by me. She twisted off the cap and held the bottle to my mouth. “Sip. Swish. Spit.”

  I did, rinsing my mouth. “The kids. Are they okay?”

  “Don’t worry about them. Autumn has four of them, and she’s holding a ‘Shamrock Stable way’ meeting. Kevin’s helping us with you.”

  “Is Aladdin okay?”

  “He’s fine. He’s having an intervention with Rocky.
She’s explaining the facts of horsy life here to him. This is a kids’ barn. He’s going to have to deal with beginners and the silly things they do for the next thirty years or he can go to Canada and be meat.”

  “It wasn’t all his fault,” I said.

  “No, but nobody knows what people may do around horses. He needs to wake up and smell the oats if he wants to stay here,” Robin told me. “Only Rocky would feed him for two years and wait for him to get it together. Anyone else would have shipped him a long time ago.”

  She had a point, but it seemed too hard to tell her that. I closed my eyes again.

  I opened them when Jack showed up with the first-aid kit, tucking his phone into his pocket. “I called your mom. She’s meeting us at the hospital. I’m taking off your helmet, and we’re cleaning you up before the paramedics get here.”

  “I don’t need them.”

  “Baby, when you fall like that and lose consciousness, I don’t care what you need. You’re going to the hospital.”

  I looked at Robin when she choked with laughter. “What’s wrong?”

  “Him. We have to drag him to the doctor when he gets hurt. Mr. Macho is right, Vick. You need to get checked out.”

  “I don’t…” I lifted my chin so Jack could unbuckle the strap. Everything spun like my head was on a merry-go-round by itself while my body waited outside. My stomach clenched. I choked and tasted water. I bent over. Kevin held up the wastebasket. I hurled again.

  Jack put my helmet on the table beside me. I saw big cracks running through the plastic. “Oh crap. It’s toast. I’m going to have to buy a new one.”

  “Better the helmet than your head.” Robin told me.

  I leaned back and closed my eyes while Jack wiped my face with a warm cloth. I didn’t wear much makeup to the barn. I heard heavy clumping steps and opened my eyes to see two firefighters, a guy and a gal, carrying a bunch of equipment. “I don’t need you. I’m okay.”