Saddlebags

by Bonnie Bryant

  “You make it look simple,” said Mr. Lake with a smile of admiration, and they followed the steer back toward the herd.

  Mrs. Lake and Colonel Hanson had slowed to a walk and let their horses lag toward the back of the herd.

  Farther in back of them, bringing up the rear, rode Stevie and Stewball. She could hear snippets of their conversation—“loves secrets.”

  Hmm, she thought. What could they possibly be talking about? Then she heard her own name. They were talking about her! She rode a little closer, straining to hear better.

  Colonel Hanson laughed. “Of course I know how well she keeps secrets. Remember when I decided to buy Carole a horse? Not only did Stevie and Lisa help me find Starlight, they kept the whole thing a secret all before Christmas, while I had Judy the vet make sure Starlight was the right choice!”

  Stevie beamed to herself. She did love secrets, and Colonel Hanson’s big Christmas present to Carole had been one of her all-time favorites.

  “But that was a good secret,” Mrs. Lake said.

  Uh-oh. Stevie rode a bit closer.

  Mrs. Lake chuckled. “Once she hid Michael’s pet iguana in her room for a month! Michael was a mess!”

  So was my room, Stevie thought to herself. But it hadn’t been a month, it was much more like a week. She restrained herself from going over and setting her mother straight. She couldn’t—she wanted to hear more.

  Mrs. Lake went on. “But then there was the time she got all our kids to pitch in and make me the most incredible scrapbook for my birthday. They must have worked on it for months without a peep. What a lovely surprise!”

  Her mother was exaggerating again, Stevie thought. It hadn’t taken months. But for the record, Stevie would leave that one alone anyway.

  “Did you ever hear the one about some craziness she got into out here at a rodeo?” the colonel asked.

  “No,” her mother said.

  “Well, maybe you’re not supposed to hear that one.…”

  They were having so much fun swapping stories about her antics, they never noticed Stevie riding closer and closer.

  This is lots more fun than listening to my dad sing, Stevie thought as she rode along.

  The only distraction came from Stevie’s stomach, which had started reminding her that it was lunchtime. Up ahead, at the top of a small hill, she saw Parson’s Rock slicing the sky. Then she noticed Walter pull out from in front of the herd and start heading up to the rock. Stevie rode around the herd to find her friends. She was glad they’d be stopping soon for lunch. It had been the scene of one of her favorite moments on her first trip to the Bar None, her surprise birthday party. And what’s more, she was mighty hungry.

  THE GROUP RODE up to the base of the rock and tethered their horses. While they stretched and rested, Carole and Kate passed out peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and lemonade.

  Stevie wolfed down her sandwich and stood up. “Hey,” she said to her friends, “let’s go up to the top of the rock.”

  “You take your time down here,” Carole said to the parents, “we’ll be back in a bit.”

  “Nooooo problem,” said her father, munching on his sandwich and sitting with his back against the rock.

  The four girls clambered up to the top of the rock, which was flat and had enough room for them to sit in a circle.

  “Perfect time and place for a club meeting,” said Kate.

  “So what do you think?” answered Carole. “How’s it going so far?”

  “You mean for us, or for the Saddlebags?” Lisa asked.

  “Both.”

  “Well, I’m having fun,” Lisa said. “Mostly because I’ve managed to stay far, far away from my mom.”

  “Why? What’s up with your mom?” Carole asked.

  “She’s getting on my nerves. She’s treating John like he’s some kind of servant, and it’s really embarrassing.”

  “Talk about embarrassing,” Stevie answered. “My mom and Carole’s dad spent the entire morning telling stories about me.”

  “How do you know?” Carole asked.

  “They were right in front of me.” She grinned. “I didn’t want to listen, but I couldn’t help myself.”

  “Listen, you guys,” said Kate. “I think the ride’s going very well so far. Every single Saddlebag has done some good work on this drive.”

  “You’re right,” Carole acknowledged. “Lisa, your dad was really getting the hang of things today. He even helped me rescue a stray.” She shook her head and her expression darkened. “But my dad? He spent the whole morning chit-chatting at the back of the herd. Come on! I almost wish something would come up that would teach him a lesson or two. About real riding, and what goes into it.”

  Lisa nodded. “I know what you mean.”

  “Everybody mount up!” Walter’s call came from the bottom of the rock.

  The four girls stood up and looked over the edge of the rock. Everyone was getting ready to go. They hurried down the craggy rock to their horses.

  Carole kept her thoughts to herself as she swung her leg over and sat comfortably in Berry’s saddle. Whatever happens happens, she thought. Why should I need my father to understand so much about riding anyway? After all—it comes down to how I feel about riding, and that part’s just fine. In just a couple of hours, this beautiful ride will be over, and we’ll be back at the Bar None.

  She gave Parson’s Rock a farewell glance and trotted over to catch up with the cattle.

  BY THE EARLY AFTERNOON, the group had reached the arroyo they had come over yesterday. Only now, on the way back with the hundreds of cattle, Carole thought the descent into the streambed seemed much steeper. She watched as Walter led the first few steers down the side of the gully to drink at the narrow stream. The animals directly behind his horse made it down the bank okay, but the others got distracted and started to spread out on the high ground, looking for places to go down the hill.

  Carole immediately saw the problem. The safest place for the cattle to go down the hill was very narrow. Walter and John were guiding the cattle, but they had to funnel them practically one at a time into the narrow spot to take a drink.

  As the other animals wandered off and tried to make their own way down to the water, some of them slipped on the steep embankment. This could lead to trouble, Carole realized.

  “This is a job for Stewball!” she called to Stevie. “You two need to go down there and convince those cows not to spend the whole day drinking. I’ll stay here with Berry and guide these cattle down the bank one at a time.”

  “Gotcha!” Stevie called back to her friend, and she and Kate headed to the front of the line of cattle, which was much farther upstream by now.

  Stewball was a champion cutting horse. He could easily get cattle to go where he wanted, no matter what the situation was. Stevie knew this about Stewball, and she had the technique to take advantage of his skills.

  When they got to the front of the line of cattle, Stevie and Stewball nudged, cajoled, and led the thirsty animals over to where Walter and John were trying to herd them up the bank.

  One by one, and sometimes two by two, Carole let the cattle go down. Lisa backed her up, making sure none of the cows wandered away.

  Once they reached the stream, the animals stopped to drink for a long time. The youngest of them couldn’t decide whether to drink from the stream or from their mothers, so they stood at their mothers’ sides, alternately nursing and drinking the cool clear stream water.

  It was a slow process. All The Saddle Club members stayed intensely focused on the job at hand.

  “These ornery beasts are sure taking their time,” said Colonel Hanson. He had been riding back and forth on the near bank.

  Carole overheard her father. They’re not being ornery, she thought with irritation. They’re just thirsty.

  But all of the Saddlebags were getting restless. Carole heard them continue to complain.

  “What’s going on down there?” Mr. Lake asked his wife and Mrs. Atwo
od, who had been sitting on their horses and chatting.

  “The cows are having their coffee break,” Mrs. Lake replied, “and it’s taking forever.”

  “Sure is,” Colonel Hanson agreed as he rode back up to the group, followed by Mr. Atwood. “You know, Rich and I were thinking, maybe us Saddlebags could do a little exploring up the banks here, while the experts get these cows squared away.”

  “Sounds like a good idea,” said Mrs. Lake. “Let’s clear it with the boss.”

  “Okey-doke,” said her husband, and he rode down the steep bank. “How’s it going?” he called to Walter.

  “Fine.” Walter looked up. “Slow but sure.”

  “Okay if us oldsters go exploring along the arroyo?”

  “Yup,” Walter answered. “Just don’t go too far. Fifteen minutes up and fifteen back ought to bring you back by the time we’ve got all these critters on the other side.”

  “Okay,” answered Mr. Lake. “See you in a few.”

  Walter kept on with his work.

  Mr. Lake rode up to the rest of the grown-ups. “Walter says we’ve got a half hour till they’re done watering the beasts,” he said. “So I say we follow Mitch’s plan and explore the wild expanse!”

  Carole didn’t say anything. But inside she wasn’t so sure about “Mitch’s plan.” What if the parents didn’t get back in time and Walter and John had to wait for them? Would the herd wait? Maybe the wranglers would have to go on ahead, and Carole and the girls would get stuck waiting for the parents.

  They’re not being very considerate, she thought. But she was too busy with her job herding the cattle to stop and argue with her father.

  The Saddlebags trotted off upstream alongside the bank of the arroyo.

  AT THE BOTTOM of the arroyo Stevie and Kate had succeeded in moving dozens of cattle up toward Walter. But there were still quite a few to go. As the cows continued to descend, a calf got separated from his mother and scampered back up the first bank to try to find her.

  “Oh, no, you don’t,” called Stevie as she and Stewball quickly got in front of the little thing and turned him around. “Back to Mama. She’s down here anyway.”

  Sure enough, the mother looked up from her drink and started mooing fiercely for her baby to come back. That made Stevie and Stewball’s job much easier.

  “There you go,” said Stevie as she reunited mother and baby.

  A few minutes later there were only a few more cows waiting to come down. “Looks like we’re almost done,” Stevie called to Carole and Lisa.

  “Finally,” answered Carole. “I could use a drink myself.” She pulled a small canteen off the back of her saddle and took a swig.

  They all watched as Walter and John guided the last of the cows up the far bank.

  “Sure took a while, didn’t it?” said Lisa.

  “Yeah. It’s getting dark already,” said Kate.

  Stevie looked at her watch. “It’s only three-thirty.”

  “That’s weird,” said Carole.

  All four looked up at the sky. Above them was a low ceiling of sinister-looking clouds.

  “Wow,” Carole gasped. “I didn’t see those coming.”

  “Uh-oh. I feel a drop,” Stevie said.

  Quickly, everyone reached for their ponchos.

  Just as the last girl pulled her poncho over her head, the drops started coming down faster. A moment later the heavens opened and the rain clattered down in sheets. Soon it was as if they were standing in a wall of water. The land, which had been dry and parched, was instantly flooded. The rain kept coming down, pelting the girls’ ponchos and horses. The horses just stood there, blinking under the barrage of raindrops.

  “Woohoo!” cried Carole. It was as if she were standing in a waterfall. Berry started prancing nervously around. Carole adjusted her poncho to make sure it covered her saddle as well, and fixed her hood so the water would drain the right way off her visor. “I need a drainpipe,” she called to Lisa.

  Lisa was pulling her pant legs out of her boots. “Me too,” she hollered.

  “Whaaaaaat?” cried Stevie. With the rain pounding down, they could hardly hear each other.

  “I can’t even see Berry’s feet anymore!” Carole shouted.

  Lisa adjusted her poncho so that it covered as much of Chocolate as possible. It was pouring, and she knew if the rain didn’t let up, it would make the rest of the drive treacherous and painstaking.

  The girls rode over to the top of the steepest rise and looked down.

  “Wow!” cried Stevie in awe. “This is incredible!”

  The tiny winding creek where they had watered the cattle was rapidly swelling upward.

  “It’s coming down by the bucketful!” Kate shouted.

  Stevie held cupped hands out over Stewball’s neck. They were instantly filled. “Hey, look at this!” she called. “Too bad we don’t have shampoo!” She made lathering motions in Stewball’s soaked mane.

  Suddenly Lisa’s horse slipped a bit as the earth underneath her gave way. Lisa and Chocolate scrambled up to the flat part of the bank. The other riders moved up too. The stream was rapidly becoming a river, eating away what was left of the steep bank.

  “It’s good we got the cattle out of there before the storm,” called Carole.

  “I hope the Saddlebags get to see this!” Stevie shouted.

  “Where are our parents anyway?” Carole cried, looking around. Walter had told them to ride for about thirty minutes, and it had been nearly an hour since they rode off. Suddenly Carole’s stomach turned over.

  The current below had torn a small tree out of the bank by its roots and sent it floating downstream. Behind it, rushing toward them, was a big black cowboy hat with silver buckles and a leather strap.

  “It’s my father’s hat!” Carole gasped. The hat snagged on the sapling, and white water bubbled and splashed around it.

  “Oh, no,” Stevie cried as she gazed at the colonel’s bobbing hat. “Our parents must be in terrible trouble!”

  IN A PANIC, Stevie looked all around. She had to get to Walter and John. Where were they? There was the herd—upland from the stream. To her relief, a second later, she spotted John heading back in the girls’ direction.

  “We need help!” she shouted as soon as he was within earshot. “Our parents are missing!”

  “Look!” Lisa pointed to the river and Colonel Hanson’s hat.

  John’s face paled. “They haven’t come back yet?”

  “No!” cried Carole.

  “Let’s go,” John stated grimly. He turned and started riding upstream, along the bank.

  Lisa gave Chocolate the signal to trot. He wouldn’t. She squeezed hard with her legs. He kept walking. “Go! Go!” she cried. She signaled him again, but he refused to speed up.

  “Come on!” Stevie was saying to Stewball, but he wasn’t going any faster either.

  “Footing’s too bad,” John called to them. “They can’t go faster.”

  Even walking felt treacherous. With the rain pelting down on them, the riders pressed forward, looking upstream for any signs of the missing parents. Nothing met their eyes but the rushing water and rain.

  Lisa kept her thoughts focused on Chocolate and managing the slippery terrain. She didn’t dare think about what might have happened to her mother and father. Together The Saddle Club and John would find the parents—they just had to.

  Suddenly John stopped Tex and turned to the girls. “Look up there!” he shouted, pointing upstream.

  Just around a curve in the river stood a small island. It was a tiny patch of land jutting out of the rushing water. It held two scraggly trees.

  Also perched on the island, huddled together on their horses, were five terrified adults. And the water surrounding them was rising by the minute.

  “Mom! Dad!” Lisa shouted.

  But the grown-ups didn’t hear Lisa’s call. Mrs. Atwood was struggling to control a frantic Spot. Her hair was plastered to her face by the pouring rain. Yellowbird was b
acking and bucking under Colonel Hanson, and Mr. Lake’s horse, Melody, was nervously pawing the ground.

  The other horses stood with their heads down, ears back, and the whites of their eyes showing. They were as frightened as their riders. Water streamed over their matted forelocks.

  “Mom! Dad!” Lisa hollered again, waving. “Colonel Hanson!”

  Mrs. Atwood finally spotted them and waved her arms frantically. “Help!” she shrieked. Spot was pulling on the reins, trying desperately to get off the tiny patch of land. Mrs. Atwood pulled back, but Spot kept stepping down the bank, slipping, then backing up again.

  “Hold on to the pommel on the saddle, Mom!” Lisa shouted even louder. “Don’t worry! We’re coming to get you!”

  John pulled his lariat out from under his poncho. It was still dry. Instantly he swung the rope over a boulder on a high ledge of the bank, farther upstream.

  “Kate, make sure that end of the rope’s secure,” he called. “I’ll try to get the other end around that tree.” He pointed to one of the trees on the island.

  “Lisa, come with me,” he continued. “We don’t know how deep this water is. The horses may have to swim. We need to start out upstream. Carole and Stevie, wait at the bottom of the bank here in case some of them get pulled by the current. You may have to ride out to catch them.”

  Stevie nodded grimly. Then she and Carole picked their way down the bank of the river.

  John launched the other end of the rope high into the air. It arced up through the rain and came down on the branch of a tree near Mr. Lake.

  Mr. Lake reached up, grabbed the rope, and secured it tightly to the tree.

  “Help!” Mrs. Atwood screamed. Spot’s eyes were wide, and his nostrils flared. His ears lay flat on his head.

  Lisa watched in horror as the frightened horse plunged toward the raging water. “Hang on, Mom,” she cried. “John’s coming!” She didn’t know if her mother heard her words. She only prayed her mother would know what to do.

  In an instant John and Tex slid down the bank. Lisa watched in frozen terror. John leaned back in the saddle, and Tex slid straight down on his haunches. It was like the sliding stops she’d seen them do, only this time it wasn’t for show. It was to save her mother’s life. She tightened her grip on Chocolate’s reins.