Nickel-Bred

by Patricia Gilkerson

  “What’s his name?” I asked.

  “Name’s Nickel,” said the owner.

  “That’s a good name,” said Addie. “He’s a kinda gray like a nickel.”

  “Well, he was steel gray when he was younger. Actually, my stepfather named him that because he said he was a nickel-bred son of a...gun. Sorry, I forgot you’re just kids.”

  “Huh?” said Addie.

  I had heard the term before from my father. “It means his parents were not expensive horses, and that you are mad at the horse,” I said in a low voice to Addie.

  “His mother was an Arabian that jumped the fence and got in with some cross-bred colts that hadn’t been gelded yet. My stepfather was really PO’d.”

  “Can I go around again by myself?” asked Addie.

  “Sure,” said the man. “Take all the time you need. And so you know, he’s had months of work with a professional trainer.”

  Addie took the lead rope and clicked her tongue at Nickel, who began walking sedately around the little corral. Addie soon got into the rhythm of his gait and smiled.

  “He’s great!” she said, beaming. “This is fun!” She clicked again and touched him with her feet and Nickel started a slow, collected trot. Addie stayed on as they went, her face set as she concentrated on keeping her balance. She pulled on the lead rope to stop him as she came up to us. He put his head down and stopped like a gentleman.

  “He’s great!” she repeated. “We have to have this horse! I don’t want any other one.”

  “Okay, then,” I said, not really knowing what else to say. We still had to convince our parents. “So... we’d better get going.”

  “Piper, I want to keep riding.”

  “Sorry, kids, but I have to get into town and meet a guy,” said the man. Addie scrambled down off of Nickel, who began rubbing his head on her shoulder. She grinned and hugged his neck.

  “So do you want the horse?” asked the man. Addie and I looked at each other with smiles and shining eyes.

  “We want him. But we have to make arrangements,” I said.

  “Well, decide pretty soon. I’d hate to sell him to a slaughterhouse, but my girlfriend is really on my case about it. Call me when you know. And what’s your names?”

  “I’m Piper and this is Addie. And yours is...?”

  “Charles Hyde. Chickie. You’ve got my phone number. Call me in the next few days if you want him.”

  Chapter Four

  ~ Finding Allies ~

  Addie and I were very excited as we left Chickie’s place and could hardly steer our bicycles down the bumpy drive to the highway. As we turned onto the blacktop, an old tan beater car with dents all over it turned in. I got a look at the driver and stopped my bike. The car raised a cloud of dust all the way to Chickie’s house.

  “What are you doing, Piper?” asked Addie.

  “I can’t believe it,” I said. “Remember the creepy guy that hung out with Nasty Jake? When we saved Dotty? The one we thought was one of his drug guys? I’m sure that was him.”

  “He’s going to Chickie’s. Do you think Chickie is a criminal, too?”

  “I don’t know. He does look like one, but he sure has a nice horse.” I took a deep breath. It was time to talk to the grownups and I thought I already knew what they would say. They weren’t usually reasonable. So I called my friend and ally, Miss Julie, first.

  “Piper, hello,” she said on the phone. “I haven’t talked to you for days, I’ve been so busy. Why do you sound out of breath?”

  “Because I’m riding my bike,” I said. “Here’s what I need to know. If Addie and I found another horse...a free one... could we keep it at your place with Dotty, if our parents say it’s okay?”

  “Well, of course, Piper, if it’s okay with your parents,” she said. “Where did you find a free horse?”

  “It was in an ad. I have to talk to my mom and dad, so please don’t say anything until I get them on my side.”

  “My lips are sealed, honey,” she said. “Let me know what happens. Bye!”

  And that was why Miss Julie was such a special friend. She was always there for me. I stuck my phone back in my pocket and smiled at Addie. We had our work cut out for us to persuade our parents, but at least we had one ally. And this ally owned a horse barn.

  Late that afternoon, I detected that Mom was getting ready to go out somewhere. She was bustling around, fixing her hair and fidgeting with a nice blouse she hardly ever wore. “Are you going out, Mom?”

  “I am.”

  “Where are you going?”

  “I’m going to an early dinner with someone.”

  “Who?”

  Mom sighed and turned to look me straight in the eye. “Honey, if I was going out on a date, would you be okay with that?”

  “Sure,” I said. “But who are you going with?”

  “Sam Applegate. I’m meeting him at the Old Springs Inn,” she said, smiling. That was the best and only nice restaurant in Serendipity Springs.

  “Sweet! Get the stuffed pork chops,” I said. “Sam’s really cute. And he’s nice, too. Even though I didn’t think so at first.” Earlier in the summer, I had been sure that Miss Julie’s son, Sam, was a horrible person, but I was wrong. He was a great guy, actually.

  “Piper, are you absolutely sure you’re okay with this? I can wait if you’re not, but I feel like I’m ready to get on with my life. I’d really like to start enjoying things again and having some fun.”

  “Mom, I’m more than okay with it. I was sorta hoping you two would get together.”

  She looked at me like she didn’t know me, shook her head and walked into the kitchen. She opened the refrigerator door and took out a frozen pizza.

  “And, are you okay with this for dinner? I’m in a bit of a hurry and haven’t cooked anything.”

  “I’m fine, Mom. Have a good time and tell me all about it later.”

  “I’m feeling guilty.”

  “Well, quit,” I said.

  “Okay, then. I won’t be late. Call your dad if anything goes wrong. See you.”

  “Oh, hey, Mom!” I called as she walked out the door. “Addie and I found a free horse. Can we keep it out with Dotty?”

  “Sure, whatever,” she sang, closing the door. That wasn’t fair. She wasn’t paying attention to what I said, but it still counted as an okay. I had two adult allies now. Time to talk with Dad.

  I found my dad at his house, getting ready to eat supper. He lived in a small house halfway between the clinic and Mom’s house. He always told me he did this on purpose after the divorce, so he could be near the two things he loves most: his practice and me. He was making baked macaroni and cheese, with tons of cheddar on top. It was ooey-gooey, and both of our favorite dinner.

  “Can I have some of that? There’s only frozen pizza for me at Mom’s.”

  “Where’d your mom go?”

  “She’s having dinner with Sam Applegate,” I said.

  “Really?” said Dad, filling a plate for me. “Interesting.”

  After I ate a few bites of cheesey yumminess, I got down to business.

  “Hey, Dad. Can I talk to you about horses?

  “What about them? Is Dotty all right?”

  “Yeah, she’s great. I’ve been riding her almost every day.”

  “That’s good. That’s what she needed, along with some decent feed.”

  “Yeah, but see, it’s a problem because Adds and I can never go riding together.” I didn’t want to tell him that Addie was scared to ride Dotty-- I would have to explain why and then he would know that she bucked. “So I was thinking, if we could find another horse, a nice, gentle one, then we could both ride together and it would be more fun.”

  “True. It’s fun to go on trail rides with other people. But I know Sandy Davis pretty well, and I can’t see her shelling out the money for a horse.”

  I thought about this. Addie’s mom and dad were divorced, like mine. That was one reason we’d gotten to be such good friends. Ad
die’s dad lived in Wisconsin and she didn’t see him much. She only had one parent to convince.

  “But what if we knew of a horse that was free? What if someone wanted to give it away?”

  “Piper, there are no free horses.”

  “Duh! Yes, there are, Dad! I found an ad for one yesterday!”

  “What I mean is, honey, you end up paying for feed, for training, for saddles and bridles, maybe even for more fences and gates. Every horse costs money, even if you don’t have to pay money up front for it.”

  “But it could go in the paddock with Dotty and eat the grass there. We can use my babysitting money for its feed, if you won’t pay for it. I’ll advertise and babysit more.” Was he going to start being a tightwad now? He hadn’t mentioned the cost of feed before, and we went together every couple of weeks to buy her oats at the feed store.

  “Where is this horse and who is giving it away? Before you get all excited about it, I think I should look at it and make sure it’s sound.”

  This sounded promising, like maybe I was halfway there with my argument. But Dad’s phone jingled his business ringtone, “On the Road Again”.

  “Dr. Jones. Yes, hello, Jerry. Have you got her in where I can look at her? Okay, I’ll be right out.” Dad hung up and stood. “Gotta go. Cow having trouble calving. Look, Piper, let me think about the horse and I’ll call you later when I get done with this farm call.”

  “Okay, Dad, talk to you later.” I let myself out and walked home in the warm summer evening. Honeysuckle scented the air and I smiled to myself. Life was good.

  Chapter Five

  ~ Crooks in Town ~

  I got back to Mom’s and put the pizza back in the fridge because I wasn’t hungry after Dad’s mac and cheese. I curled up on the couch and turned on the TV, looking for something to watch, but it was the same old, same old. We didn’t even have any movies worth watching. I flipped around the channels for a while and was turning it off when my mom walked in the door.

  “Hey, Mom,” I called so she would know I was here. “How was it? Did you have a good time? What did you have to eat?”

  “Oh...yes, sweetie, I had a really good time. Sam is a great guy. We both had beef filets and we split a bread pudding for dessert. It was delicious. I shouldn’t eat again for a week,” Mom sighed as she came in the family room and sat down in our old green recliner. “He asked me to go out again next weekend, maybe Saturday.”

  “You’re going, aren’t you?”

  “I said I would, but I don’t want to rush things. Dating is so new for me and it seems a little odd still. But I have to tell you something!”

  “What?”

  “We saw Harvey Martin at the restaurant. He and Sam go way back, so he came over to our table to warn us to keep our doors locked any time we were gone. There have been a series of break-ins and thefts all over the county, including several right here in town.”

  “Thefts like stolen TV’s or what?” Harvey Martin was our town sheriff and even though I’d had my differences with him when we were rescuing Dotty, he was an okay guy.

  “I guess they’ve taken TV’s and computers, but also some jewelry and silver. Pretty much anything they could walk off with that was worth anything.”

  “Has anybody gotten hurt?”

  “No, they seem to hit houses where no one is home,” said Mom.

  “Do they have any idea who’s doing it?” I asked.

  “I don’t think so,” said Mom. “Harvey didn’t say. So keep the doors locked, even when you’re home, if you’re by yourself. And be sure you have your house key with you when you leave, even for a few minutes.”

  “All right, but Mom? We’ve never had to lock our doors.”

  “I know, honey, but things change. This may be a small town, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t some crooks around. I’m going up to bed now. Oh, did you eat the pizza?”

  “No, I went over to Dad’s and had some supper over there.”

  “What did you have?”

  “He fixed some macaroni and cheese. It was yum and I ate enough that I’m not hungry anymore.”

  “Oh, yuck!” said Mom. “You and he could live on it, but I never did like that stuff. I wouldn’t fix it for him. Well, goodnight. See you tomorrow.”

  “Night, Mom.”

  After Mom went to bed, I turned off the lights and went to my room to read. I pulled out my latest book, a horse story, of course, and flopped on my bed, settling in. It was still warm enough that we had the air conditioner running and I couldn’t hear any of the outside noises. In the summer, I always loved to hear the whippoorwills’ calls-- the best sounds in the world. Feeling one of my commune-with-nature moods, I crept downstairs, stepping softly, and out the back door.

  This was more like it. What a beautiful night! A whippoorwill called to anyone who would listen, the fireflies were thick over the grassy lawn, and honeysuckle breezes kissed my face.

  A siren somewhere broke the stillness. It was sounded like it was right downtown. Probably the sheriff’s office. Another robbery? I went inside and went to bed.

  Chapter Six

  ~ The Exam ~

  The next morning, after my usual breakfast of a piece of toast with peanut butter, I went out to visit Dotty and maybe go for a ride. I rode my bike to get there quicker. Parking outside Miss Julie’s barn, I opened the gate and walked over to my pony. She was grazing the thick grass that grew in her smallest paddock. There were three paddocks that we used for Dotty, taking turns, so the grass could stay thick and not get eaten down.

  “Hi, Dotty, how are you doing today?” I rubbed her neck and shoulder. I found the itchy place on her chest and Dotty nodded in pleasure as I scratched her warm, horse-smelling skin. She made snorty noises in her nose when I turned away to fill her water tank. She followed and nuzzled me, looking for treats, but I didn’t have any today.

  “Hey, Piper!” Addie came through the gate and Dotty turned from me to see if Addie had any goodies. She got lucky and scored a small apple. Apple chunks and horse drool fell on the ground as Dotty crunched.

  “What’s up?” I asked.

  “I was going to ask you that,” Addie said. “You never called and told me what your dad said.”

  “He got a farm call and had to leave. I think he’ll go out and look at Nickel with us, but I can’t be sure. You know how parents change their minds all the time.”

  “I know, right?”

  A rumbling sound broke the stillness. I looked up, and saw my dad’s green Ford rolling down Miss Julie’s long driveway. It pulled into the barnyard and Dad got out. When he saw Addie and me, he walked over to us, at the same time checking out Dotty.

  “She’s looking better, isn’t she? Just needed some good feed for a while,” he said. “Hi, Addie. Piper, I didn’t call you back last night because it was so late when I got home. I knew I’d be out this way this morning and was hoping to catch you here so we could talk.”

  “Did you hear about the break-ins?” Addie asked him. “My mom can’t talk about anything else. She’s really freaked.”

  “Yeah, I heard out at Ben Hurn’s place. His uncle had a television and computer stolen. Piper, I talked to your mother, and you do what she said. Keep the doors locked and your key with you when you’re out of the house.”

  “Got it,” I said, waving the key that was attached to my horsehair bracelet. Miss Julie had made me that bracelet from Dotty’s tail hairs when I was little and I wore it all the time. Well, not swimming or in the shower. I don’t want it to get all wet.

  “Hey, Dad,” I said. This might be a good time to ask. “Can you go look at that horse with us?”

  “I can do that if we hurry,” he said. “Why don’t you two get in my truck while I say hi to Miss Julie, and we’ll run out there. You said it was about three miles? And can you find it again?”

  “I can find it,” chimed in Addie. “I can always remember places and how to get to them.” She was right. It was amazing how she could do that.
>
  So we climbed into my dad’s truck with the veterinary body on the back of it.

  “Wow,” said Addie, squirming to see what was behind the seat. “I’ve never been in your truck before.”

  Dad climbed in and turned the key. “Do you like it?”

  “It smells like...uh, medicine. And animals.” Addie wrinkled her nose, not loving barnyard smells, like I did.

  “Well,” he said, “I have to carry everything I might need with me. Sometimes people tell me what they want me to come out on a farm call for, but then they have a dog that needs a vaccination. Or maybe a cat with an infected eye. I just have to have medicine, bandages, and instruments with me. Have to be prepared.”

  “Cool,” said Addie.

  It only took us a few minutes to drive out to Chickie Hyde’s place, partly because my dad drove fast and partly because it really was only three miles. We talked in the truck about calling to see if he was home, but my dad said he remembered going out there earlier in the spring. He knew who Chickie was and wanted to see the horse without Chickie knowing we were coming.

  As we pulled into the yard, Nickel was in his small paddock watching us. Dad yelled a loud “Hello!” at the house as we walked the other way toward the gray horse. We stood on the far side of the fence from the horse, watching him.

  “What do you want?” yelled a woman’s voice from the house. We all turned and saw a woman walking toward us. She was older than Addie and me, but not as old as Dad. She wore extremely short cutoffs and a low-cut pink tank top. I mean, it was hot out, but she didn’t have to look so trashy. The woman was chunky with a wild mane of blonde hair and dark roots blowing around her head. She checked out the green truck and then she checked out my dad.