by Toni Mari
“But he’s nuts! Not that I would ever say this to anyone but you: he scared the crap out of me.”
“He’s not nuts. Nuts is never giving in. Nuts is bucking hard until your rider falls off. Nuts is behavior that can’t be explained. After his warm-up, he was great for me.”
“That’s you.”
“So, you’re saying no? You didn’t like him at all?”
“When you were riding him, he was great. He can piaffe and passage so easily. He looked like he could go to the Olympics. But I can’t ride like that.” I hoped she would deny it and tell me that I could ride like that. I dreamed of the Olympics someday.
“It takes guts to ride Olympic-level horses. They are not sweet little kittens like Paddy. Yes, you would have to put your big girl pants on to ride this horse. He wouldn’t just have the talent to get you on the team, but if ridden well, he could win the whole damn thing!” Kate pounded the steering wheel in excitement.
Now she was scaring me. Win? I just thought it would be cool to try to qualify. I thought that if I just had a Grand Prix horse, I would sit on it and the high scores would roll in. I remembered the lurching fear that gripped my chest when I mounted Windsong. I never had that feeling on Paddy. I closed my eyes, picturing Windsong doing the piaffe and the flying lead changes at the canter. Could I do this? My heart started beating faster. But the image of Windsong rearing straight up wouldn’t dissolve. “There has to be a quieter horse out there. Don’t you think he was a little extreme?”
“He’s in a badly managed situation. Horses behave the way you expect them to behave. If you act like they will be jumpy, you make them jumpy. He’ll never be a quiet, bombproof horse. You will always be ‘on the alert’ around him. But he’s not dangerous or mean. He’s just electrically alive.” Kate grinned.
“Half of me says, yeah, I’ll do it. And the other half of me wants to just ride Paddy. I know Paddy. I love him. No worries.”
“I guess the real question is: Do you want to do the NAJCs? No point in trying with Paddy.”
We were silent the rest of the two-hour ride home. I wanted to do the NAJCs, but I didn’t want it to be hard. I rode every day; I loved being at the barn more than anywhere else. I had been horse showing for years. Paddy helped me earn my bronze medal in my age category, and we were working on our silver. I had been riding him for five years. It seemed disloyal to dump him because I wanted to get higher scores. But Paddy would actually love to drop back down to first level again or even just to putz around pleasure riding. He did lack the motivation, the fire, to do the upper-level work. Did I want to do NAJCs?
Kate parked the truck, and we both hopped out. My mom was waiting in her car for me in the dirt lot next to the barn. I jogged over.
“Well?” she asked.
I shrugged my shoulders. “I don’t know. He was gorgeous, but a little nuts. I am going to run in and say hi to Paddy.”
I jogged down the barn aisle to Paddy’s stall, passing sliding doors with smooth metal bars on the top half. Horse heads popped up, chewing hay and watching me as I went. I slid Paddy’s door open and he nickered to me. He does love me—me and my treats. I handed him a few crunchy cookies. “What do you think, big guy? Want me to let you off the hook?” I whispered. He nudged my empty hand and turned back to his hay. I thought about our lessons together. I had to wear spurs and carry a whip. Kate sometimes had to chase Paddy with a whip to get him moving. The instant I dropped the reins, he was so happy to just stand there not moving. A stinging started in my eyes. I blinked a few times, swiping at the tears with my sleeve. I knew the right thing for him. I gave him a final pat.
I slid the door shut and leaned on the bars, just watching him eat. His peaceful nature stole over me. I knew in my heart that Paddy wished he didn’t have to work so hard. It wasn’t just his lack of energy; some of the movements were difficult for him to perform. His pirouettes looked like a toddler in dance school instead of the prima ballerina I needed for high scores. I saw how easily Windsong did the movements; he was bred for it. Maybe this wasn’t abandonment, it was growth. I walked down the aisle to the archway into the indoor arena. Light shined through the picture window of the office onto the dirt floor.
I walked past the observation lounge to the office door and poked my head in. Kate sat in front of her computer. “Kate?” It took her a moment to look over at me. “I’m in. I definitely want to do it. NAJCs, I mean. To answer your question, you know, from before.”
Kate grinned. “Okay.”
I grinned too and jogged to the car and my waiting mom.
Chapter 2
The rule about not using our phones during school was just dumb. What if there was an emergency? Or what if I wasn’t supposed to get on the bus because American Idol was picking me up in a limo, but I didn’t know it and rode the lumbering yellow chariot away from the opportunity of a lifetime? When I finally turned my phone on, there were three text messages waiting. One was from Megan, my best friend. “JC just said hi to me J.” She was referring to John Carter, the senior quarterback. Of course he said hi to her. They were destined to be together: quarterback, cheerleader, duh. I texted back, “Way to go.”
The next one was from my mom: I would have to ride my bike to the barn for my lesson, but she would pick me up. Good thing it was a clear, sunny January day, with no wind. Thanks, Mom, for caring if I freeze. And the last was from Kate; it just said to call her. Maybe she was canceling the lesson. I called her cell, but there was no answer. Oh well, if I didn’t have a lesson, I would just ride Paddy on my own.
It took me about twenty minutes to bike to the barn. I coasted down the hill, easing back so that I could turn into the farm driveway. A dented blue pickup truck zoomed past and skidded into the lane, kicking up stones. The driver tooted the horn and gave a whoop out the window. I gagged on the dust he kicked up. He was probably one of those cowboys. There were lots of rodeos in North Carolina. My barn was on a big farm that was split in half. A group of rodeo riders boarded their horses here too, but we had separate barns, separate riding arenas, and separate pastures. We dressage riders and the rodeo riders did not hang out. Completely different worlds. I had never been to an actual rodeo, and I wouldn’t want to. They abused their horses, they picked on cows. Some days, I could hear them whooping and kicking it up in their arena, which wasn’t far from our outdoor ring. And what was with those hats? I was thankful they actually had separate facilities so that we rarely had to interact with any of them.
I brushed the dust off my shirt and rode down the long dirt driveway. On one side, it was wooded and the other side was lined with pastures. White wood fencing crisscrossed the fields, dividing them into smaller paddocks. Horses serenely grazed in small groups on the nubs of last summer’s grass. I loved coasting down the drive, absorbing the farm’s peaceful mood.
“Paddy!” I yelled. He was in his pen, his green and blue plaid blanket smeared with mud, his coppery red head and neck gleaming in the sun. He popped his head up when he heard me shout. After pointing his wide white blaze at me for a minute, he dropped his head back down. I smiled; no point in expecting him to meet me at the gate, lazy ass. I had to walk all the way out to get him.
Even after bringing Paddy in, I still didn’t see Kate. I tried her cell again, with no answer.
I was just coming out of the tack room with my saddle when a horse trailer rolled down the drive in a cloud of dust. It looked like Kate, so I set my saddle aside and walked out to meet her.
Kate stopped the truck in front of the barn, but she didn’t get out. I walked up to her window, which slid down slowly. “Hi, do you want me to open the trailer window for you?”
“No, no. That’s okay,” she said abruptly. I stepped back and looked at her funny. “Do me a favor,” she added. “Go stick Paddy in his stall and then come back and help me with this horse.”
“Okay, but I could open the window real quick,” I said, starting back toward the trailer. Whoever was in there really needed to see out.
The trailer was rocking, the horse making loud thuds by pounding his hooves against the metal walls.
“No!” Kate yelled. “Just go put Paddy away.”
I stopped and looked at her again. Kate had already turned back around and was fiddling with her phone. Geez! I turned slowly. That was weird. Usually when a horse carried on like that Kate was the first one who wanted the window open. Whatever.
When I came back out, the horse still stamped and pawed, rattling the whole rig. Kate sat on the front bumper, totally ignoring him. Kate never sat still, and especially not when there was a horse on the trailer.
“What’s up?” I said to Kate, cocking my head at her. Why weren’t we unloading this horse?
“Nothing.” Kate didn’t look at me; she stared out over the fields.
“Are you okay? Want me to get you something?” A dust cloud coming down the driveway caught my eye. Wait a minute. It looked like my mom’s car.
At the sound of the car, Kate jumped up and headed to the back of the trailer. My mom skidded to a stop in the middle of the drive and leapt out. Whoa, what is going on? My mom grinned at Kate and nodded. Kate turned to me. “Open her up,” she commanded.
That was more like it. “Who’s in there, anyway?” I asked as I jumped up on the running board of the trailer. It was a slant load, allowing the horse to stand sideways. I pulled the latch and dropped the window. A shiny black head popped out and screamed shrilly. I stumbled backward off the trailer.
“Is that …?”
“Windsong!” my mom said, grinning.
I snapped my head around to look at her. “What do you know about Windsong?”
“I bought him for you.”
“What?!” I swung around on Kate. “Didn’t you tell her about him?”
“Oh, yeah.” Kate nodded her head. “Pete called me last night. The owner wants out of this horse. Apparently, she’s scared of him too. They reduced the price, again, a lot. We’d be stupid to pass it up. If he doesn’t work out, we could definitely get our money back.”
“But what good is he? I can’t ride him!” I felt like stamping my foot. I looked up at Windsong. He was staring intently at the horses in the pastures. His face was beautiful, sculpted like a fine piece of art. A glimmer of something started in my chest.
“Honey, you will be able to ride him. I have faith in you, and in him. We will be on his team, between us; we will figure him out. He is awesome. Trust me,” Kate said softly.
I didn’t reply. I didn’t know what to think.
“Don’t you want him, Jane? Kate said you would be excited,” my mom asked gently.
I took a deep breath. Kate’s eyes were sparkling. She was more excited about this than I was. You know what? I did trust her. And what if I can do it? I smiled slowly. “Let’s get the beast off the trailer.”
I ran behind the trailer to drop the gate. A few of the cowboys had shown up, I guess to see the new horse. I smirked at them. Wait until they see my horse. Hope they’re not too jealous. This is a real horse compared to their little western ponies.
I stood on the running board and reached through the window to snap the lead rope onto Windsong’s halter and unclipped the trailer tie.
As soon as Kate swung the divider open, Windsong flew backward, ripping the lead rope out of my hands and scrambling down the ramp in reverse. Kate managed to snatch the lead rope as he passed her and scurried after him. When all four of his feet hit solid ground, he tried to spin and run. His effort lifted Kate off her feet, but she managed to keep hold of the rope. When Windsong pulled Kate around, she landed in front of him. He stopped, bobbing left and right, unwilling to step on her or bump her. She used that moment to plant her feet, gather the lead rope, and swing Windsong around the other way. He yanked the rope and reared. Was he going to get loose? Crap! I didn’t know what to do. How could I help? I was frozen with indecision. Kate was not so frozen. She looked like a warrior princess in a battle with a devil horse.
“Enough!” Kate commanded. “Whoa! Stand. There.” Each word was punctuated by a sharp tug on the lead rope. Windsong put his feet on the ground and stood looking right at Kate, eyes wide, head high. “You will follow me to the barn!” Kate turned and marched to the barn. Unbelievably, Windsong followed her with jigging, dancing steps and one last whinny for the world.
“Nice horse!” someone called in a mocking voice. The cowboys grinned and laughed. One tall dude with black curly hair wasn’t laughing. He pushed his hat back and caught my eye. Shaking his head, he stared in scorn at Windsong. I glared at him stonily and followed Kate into the barn.
Chapter 3
After school the next day, I rode my bike to the barn. I coasted slowly, still trying to decide if I was happy with my new partner. I pulled my knit hat down tighter over my ears. Brrr! At least the sun was shining and there was no wind. A horn blast startled me and I wobbled a bit. That battered blue pickup skidded into the driveway ahead of me. A blonde head popped out the passenger side window. He held a cowboy hat on with his hand. “Howdy, Princess,” he called, laughing.
Choking on the dust, I squeezed the handlebars instead of giving him the finger like I really wanted to. Butthead cowboys.
As I parked my bike, I looked around for Windsong. He was in a small paddock near the barn. He paced and seemed agitated. I went in the barn, giving my eyes a minute to adjust to the lower light. Windsong’s halter hung on the door of the first stall. I grabbed it and slid the door open. The back door had been left open, allowing Windsong access to the stall. I called his name. He ignored me completely. He kept up his pacing back and forth along the fence. He paused occasionally to stare at the other horses. I walked through the stall calling his name softly, but he didn’t even glance toward me.
He was pacing pretty furiously. What should I do? Paddy usually turned and looked at me as I walked up to him in the field. I stepped into Windsong’s path. After he turned at the corner he started toward me but still wasn’t looking. I lifted my arms and waved them slowly to get his attention. He saw me and dashed around, continuing to pace back to the corner. I walked toward him. Maybe I could get him as he turned around and was trapped in the corner.
He reached the corner, turned around, saw me, and zoomed around me again. I turned and jogged toward him. He avoided me, galloping around the small pen. I zigged this way and he zagged that way. He wasn’t giving up. I made a grab at his neck. He threw his head up and ran past me into the stall.
Oh no! I hadn’t closed the door. I never had trouble putting a halter on Paddy, and it didn’t occur to me that Windsong would be hard to catch. Sure enough, I heard the clattering of metal shoes on cement. Then a black streak flew out of the barn and down the driveway. I climbed through the fence, racing after him. It was no use. Windsong was at a dead gallop, heading right for the road. I slowed to a stop, tears streaking down my face.
“I heard pounding hooves. Who’s loose?” Kate asked at the doorway to the barn.
“Windsong,” I answered.
“Shit.”
Windsong was halfway down the drive. The horses in the pastures along the lane raised their heads and pranced toward him. He swerved into the aisle running between the pastures and slowed, lifting his tail straight up in the air and waving it like a flag. If dogs sniffed butts in greeting, horses huffed and stamped their feet.
“Should I go get a bucket of grain?” I asked Kate. I wasn’t sure how we were going to catch him if he didn’t want to be caught.
“Yeah, maybe.” Kate was still considering the situation when thundering hooves sounded from behind us.
“Now what?” Kate said.
A little bay horse flew past us. “I’ll get him!” The rider held his hat on with one hand and gripped the horn of his western saddle with the other.
Without slowing down, the pair skidded around the corner into the dividing aisle. Windsong spun around and stared at them. He blew air hard out his nose, sounding like a hot air balloon.
“Slow down. You’r
e gonna spook him,” I whispered.
As if he had heard, the bay horse abruptly slid to a stop. The rider leaned forward, lying low on his neck. The bay lowered his head and lifted it with his mouth full of grass, chewing contentedly.
“What are you doing? Get him!” I hissed.
Windsong stopped prancing and studied the little horse. He dropped his head, sniffed the grass, but his head bounced back up again. The little horse took a few steps toward Windsong, grabbed another mouthful of grass, and stretched his nose out. Windsong reached toward the bay. Something flashed and Windsong threw his head up and took a step back. The cowboy sat up, reached in his pocket and held his hand out toward Windsong. When Windsong didn’t step forward, he shrugged, and leaned down to give what must have been a treat to his own horse.
The pair turned around. A rope stretched between Windsong and the bay, the end of it in the cowboy’s hand. He lassoed him! As the bay started walking, Windsong gave in easily to the pressure on his neck and followed. I could see Windsong crowding the bay, bumping into him and touching him with his nose. The bay didn’t seem to mind any of it and just proceeded quietly back toward the barn.
As they approached, I recognized the tall cowboy from yesterday with the dark hair. I raised my arm so he could hand me the rope, but he ignored me. I stared into piercing blue eyes. I tried to smile my thanks and wriggled my hand for the rope. He just looked at me stonily and rode past. I whirled around, hands on my hips. Arrogant jerk. “Excuse me?” I asked sharply.
No response. He stopped in front of Kate and waited for me to catch up with the halter. As I reached up to slide the straps over Windsong’s head, he said, “Should she be handling this horse, Kate?”
Kate stepped up and gently took the buckle out of my hands and finished fastening the halter on Windsong. She patted his neck and gathered the lead rope in her hand. “Today was an accident, and the horse doesn’t have the best of manners. Jane’s fine. Thanks for catching him, Cory.” But as she untangled the lasso from around Windsong’s neck, she gave me a look. Shit. She was pissed.