Star Gazer

by Chris Platt

  Her mother tried to put on her I-can-handle-this face. “What did you do, Jordan?”

  The chickens clucked and pecked at their cage, filling the silence while Jordan tried to think how to word her story. There was no easy way to put it, so she just blurted it out.

  “Mom, I bought a lame draft horse.”

  Even the chickens stopped clucking. The silence drew out so long that Jordan felt like they were frozen in time.

  Jordan’s mom tilted her head and her brows drew together. “You bought a horse? How did that happen?”

  Jordan shrugged. “There was this big beautiful draft horse at the auction,” she explained. “She was lame and her owner didn’t want her anymore, so he just dumped her at the auction and walked away. I knew just how that poor horse felt.”

  Jordan’s mom sat in silence for a minute. She studied Jordan’s face and brushed away a few more tears, then let out a deep sigh. “This is about your father, isn’t it?” she asked.

  Jordan scrunched her lips and looked down at her feet. “I don’t know—well, maybe.” She felt the tears stinging the backs of her eyes again. She needed to push away the ugly thoughts about her dad. She already felt bad enough about her rash decision to buy a horse they couldn’t afford. “The packer was bidding on her and there wasn’t anybody to save her, so I bought her to keep her from ending up in a dog food can,” Jordan said.

  “Where were the Wilsons in all of this?” Mrs. McKenzie asked, the exasperation leaking into her voice. “They were supposed to be watching you.”

  Jordan frowned. “Please don’t blame Nicole’s parents, Mom,” Jordan begged. “It’s all my fault. I put up the bid card without asking them, then I begged the Wilsons to let me buy her.” She sniffed and brushed away the hair that had stuck to her hot, sticky face. “They said they’d find the horse a good home if we couldn’t keep her. They’re going to call you later to ask about your decision.”

  The hens started clucking again and Jordan’s mother studied them for a moment before speaking. “You’ve put us in a bit of a situation here, Jordan. You bought an animal that we can’t afford to keep. It was nice of the Wilsons to offer to fix this problem for you, but I can’t really ask them to do that. You created this mess, and you are going to be the one to figure it out.” She paused for a moment waiting until Jordan nodded in agreement, then continued. “Will the auction take the horse back?”

  Jordan shook her head. She didn’t want to give Star Gazer back. “The Wilsons already paid for her. I have to pay them back on Monday. That’s when Mr. Yoder and Jacob are supposed to deliver Star Gazer.”

  “I see.” Jordan’s mom folded her hands in her lap and stared out across the soybean fields.

  Jordan knew that look. It pained her to know that she’d caused this much trouble for her mom. “I…I know you’re really upset about this, but—” Her mother fixed her with a stare that cut her off midsentence and made her feel like crawling under the porch.

  “Jordan…” This calm, steady voice worried Jordan a whole lot more than screaming and shouting. “You went to an auction this morning,” her mother continued, “with permission to buy some chickens. You came home with the chickens, and the news that you’ve purchased a draft horse— a lame draft horse. Your savings is now gone, and we’re going to have to figure a way to feed this horse and ourselves. Yes, I am upset.”

  “But, Mom,” Jordan squeaked. “The packer was buying Star Gazer for dog food. Jacob said they like buying the bigger horses because that way they get their money’s worth.” She searched her mother’s face. “I’m sure you would’ve done the same thing if you’d been there.”

  “Maybe I would have,” Mrs. McKenzie admitted. Her shoulders seemed to sag under the weight of the problem Jordan had caused. “But the problem still remains. We’ve got a horse that we really can’t afford, and if she’s lame, there’s no way we can sell her—except to run her back through the auction. And then she’d probably just end up in a can anyway.”

  Jordan gazed into the distance. “I know. I’ve put us in a pretty big mess,” she said. “But if you’ll just meet Star Gazer, you’ll see why I couldn’t let her go to the packers. I’ll work and earn some extra money to help care for her.”

  “All right, Jordan. Here’s what we’re going to do,” her mother said, her tone brooking no argument. “I’ll meet Star Gazer on Monday when Mr. Yoder and his son come to deliver your horse. You can mow lawns and weed flower beds for the neighbors to help pay for the upkeep on this horse. Then you’re going to come home and do a whole list of chores that I have for you. By the time you’re done, you’re going to have calluses on your calluses. And maybe somewhere in there, you will have learned a lesson.”

  Jordan was thrilled that her mother was going to let Star Gazer come home with them. “I’ll work until I drop,” she promised.

  Her mother gave her a don’t-mess-with-me stare. “I’m not finished yet,” she warned. “We’re going to see if we can get this mare healthy again, and then we’re going to try to sell her.”

  Jordan’s moment of victory slipped away. But she knew this was as good as it was going to get for now. Her only hope was that her mom would fall in love with the big draft beauty just as she had. She lifted her eyes to her mother’s face. “I really am sorry, Mom.”

  Her mother let out an exasperated sigh and folded her in a hug. “I know you are, dear. Now you can show me just how sorry you are by taking those chickens out to the barn and feeding them. After that you can grab the hoe and start weeding that big flower bed over there.”

  Her mother picked up her purse and walked into the house, leaving Jordan sitting on the porch steps wondering if she was going to regret her decision to buy Star Gazer.

  The next morning, Jordan was up with the sun. She didn’t want her mom to have to ask her to do chores. Jordan swept the kitchen floor and started a load of laundry. Then she put on her old sweats and headed to the barn to give it a cleaning it probably hadn’t had in a decade.

  The pretty speckled hens clucked and scratched the barnyard dirt, picking at seeds and worms. Jordan had caught her mother smiling last night when they’d turned the hens loose to explore their new home. She just hoped her mom would look as fondly at the new horse.

  Jordan stared at the fences surrounding the pasture where Star would be kept. She had a lot of work to do before the draft mare arrived. All sides of the enclosure had places where boards were missing or broken, and someone had dumped several loads of weeds and garbage that would have to be removed. And her head swam when she thought about everything that needed to be done inside the barn. She wished Nicole was here to help, but her mother had grounded her from seeing Nicole for a week.

  She found a bunch of old lumber and some wire stacked in a corner of the barn. Some of it was still good. She could use it to fix a new stall and rebuild some of the fence. It wouldn’t look all that great, but she didn’t care, as long as it worked to keep Star Gazer in.

  Around ten o’ clock, Jordan looked up from pulling a broken board off the old fence and was surprised to see her mother coming down the hill wearing jeans and work boots. She had a tool belt cinched around her waist. Her dark hair was tucked beneath a blue polka-dot scarf. Despite the work attire, she looked really pretty. The move from L.A. had been a hardship, but Jordan hoped the country air and slower pace of a small town was doing her mom some good.

  Her mother surveyed the work Jordan had done on the fence. She looked impressed. “Not bad. What do you say we start fixing up that stall?”

  “Sure,” Jordan said. “I’m not very good at this. I’ll take all the help I can get.”

  As the day wore on, it grew muggy and they felt lucky to be working in the shade of the barn. There were enough boards to expand the stall and even make improvements to the adjoining outside corral. Jordan thought they’d even have enough to finish up the pasture fence she’d started.

  “We’d better take a break now,” Jordan said. “Mr. Yoder should be her
e with Star Gazer pretty soon.” She stayed behind to check the stall and corral one more time while her mother went to the house to clean up.

  Ten minutes later, her mom hollered down the hill that the trailer was pulling into the driveway.

  Jordan took off at a run, reaching the front yard just as Jacob and his dad hopped out to unload the horse. Her heart banged wildly in her chest—partly from the run, but mostly from excitement. Star Gazer was finally being delivered!

  Mr. Yoder opened the trailer door while Jacob went inside to untie Star and lead her out. There was a lot of banging and clanging as he turned the large mare around and led her out. Star paused at the edge of the trailer, not wanting to take the twelve-inch step to the ground.

  “Is she okay?” asked Jordan.

  “Yeah,” Jacob said. “But her front feet are still pretty sore.”

  “You might want to get the vet out here and have some X-rays taken as soon as possible,” Mr. Yoder added. “You need to make sure there’s nothing cracked or chipped on those bones inside the hoof.”

  Just then, Star Gazer stepped from the trailer, stumbling painfully and almost falling down.

  Jordan hurried over and ran her hands calmly over the mare’s jet-black coat. “Easy, girl, it’s going to be okay.”

  But deep in her heart, Jordan wondered if it really was going to be all right. She’d bought a horse she knew very little about, and it had taken all of her money to do it. How were they going to pay for X-rays? And what if there was something terribly wrong? Star might have to be put down. That would be the saddest thing ever and their rescue would have been for nothing.

  She stood there for a minute with her stomach tied in knots. Tears burned her eyes, but she refused to let them fall. Things will work out, she told herself, reaching a shaky hand for the lead rope that Jacob was holding out for her. This was her big dream coming true. Everything had to be okay.

  But as she attempted to lead Star Gazer down the slight hill to her stall, doubts as big as the draft mare herself settled in Jordan’s heart.

  nine

  “Be careful!” her mother warned as she watched them make their way toward the barn. “I’ll be down to help as soon as I’m done speaking with Mr. Yoder.”

  Jordan took her time leading the Star Gazer down the slight incline. The draft behaved like a trooper, picking her way slowly and carefully down the hill. She touched Jordan gently with her nose several times, and nuzzled her hair.

  “I’m happy you’re here, too,” Jordan told the big mare.

  Walking beside Star Gazer for the first time gave Jordan an idea of just how big and powerful this mare truly was. She felt like a tiny Shetland pony walking in her shadow. She was glad they had reinforced the stall.

  Jacob walked behind, giving Star a push on the rump when she stopped. “I think she likes you,” he said. “She hasn’t really been that friendly with the rest of us.”

  “We’re going to be the best of buds,” Jordan said, placing a comforting hand on Star’s neck as they progressed toward the barn. She kept Star moving at a steady pace, but the mare stumbled several times. “Poor baby,” Jordan crooned. “It’s just a little bit further, then you can rest in your comfy stall. I made the straw really deep.”

  “My dad has some Easy Boots we can loan you,” Jacob offered. “They might help Star. I’ll ask him if he can drop them off to you tonight.”

  Jordan looked over her shoulder as she kept the horse moving forward. “What are those?”

  “They’re hard rubber boots that fit over the hoof. Kind of like tennis shoes for horses,” he explained. “They keep their feet off the ground and can help stop the lameness from getting worse.”

  Jordan sighed. She had a lot to learn about equine medical care. The riding lessons hadn’t provided her with any information on health matters. “We probably can’t afford to get X-rays right now,” she said. “I spent all my money buying Star. What’s the best thing I can do to help her?”

  Jacob shrugged. “If she were mine, and I couldn’t get the X-rays right away, I’d probably pack her feet with some medicine to draw out the soreness. She has heat in her front hooves. That usually means there’s trouble.”

  “Oh,” Jordan said, frowning at the thought. She had definitely taken on a project that might be bigger than she could handle. But she had to try for Star Gazer’s sake.

  “I can bring you some of Brother Fisher’s poultice in a day or two, if you’d like. It smells really bad, but it works really well.”

  “That would be great,” Jordan said. “I’ll do anything that will help Star. I want her to be happy here.”

  When they arrived at the barn, Jordan handed Star’s lead rope to Jacob so she could open the big door. The shade inside felt cool compared to the heat and humidity that brewed outside.

  Jacob waited until Jordan tossed some hay into the manger, then he let Star Gazer loose in her new stall. The mare lowered her head to smell the fresh straw bedding, then went to the manger and grabbed a mouthful of hay. She chewed and watched them between bites.

  Jacob leaned on the stall door, looking in. “I saw your friend Nicole at the feed store yesterday,” he said. “She told me your mom didn’t know you bought this horse. She said you got in a lot of trouble.”

  He fixed her with a stare from his bright blue eyes and Jordan squirmed beneath the scrutiny. “Yeah, my mom gave me a long lecture and a chore list a mile long. I can’t speak to Nicole for a week, either.”

  “I’d say you got off lightly,” Jacob said.

  Jordan felt a bit defensive. “I didn’t buy Star just to defy my mother.”

  Jacob laughed. “Lighten up, girl. I just meant that my parents probably would have punished me a bit harder if I’d done something like that.” He took off his hat and ran a hand through his hair. “Look, Jordan…I know your heart was in the right place and you wanted to save Star. But I hope you realize how serious all this is. These drafts are big, powerful horses. And from what you tell me, you haven’t been around horses that much. I hope you haven’t bitten off more than you can chew. It wouldn’t be good for you or Star Gazer.”

  Jordan wanted to be mad at him for lecturing her, but deep down, she knew he was right. She’d taken on a huge project that she wasn’t really equipped to handle. “I know I kind of went about this the wrong way,” she admitted. “But I really want to help Star, and I’m willing to work hard and learn.”

  “Yeah, I guess that’s the important part.” He placed his hat back on his head. “Did you know the town’s already talking about the new city girl who bought the lame draft mare?”

  “You’re kidding, right?” Jordan was shocked. The national news stations could learn a thing or two about fast reporting from the people in this town.

  Jacob grinned. “They think you’re crazy for buying a horse that was on its way to the packers. Most of them are betting you won’t to be able to pull it off. They think Star will end up right back at the auction within a month.”

  Jordan crossed her arms and glared at him. “Oh, they do, do they?”

  “You can’t blame them, Jordan. People around here have been in the livestock business for most of their lives. Gilbert Sutton is a really good horseman, and he chose to get rid of Star because he couldn’t deal with her anymore.”

  Jordan lifted her chin determinedly. “I’ll show them,” she said. “I’ll help Star get better, and then maybe we’ll enter that pulling contest against Mr. Sutton. It would serve him right for ditching this mare.”

  “Take it easy, Jordan.” Jacob pulled a couple of carrots out of his pocket. “How about for now, you just concentrate on making Star better? You’re going to have your hands full with that.”

  Jordan picked at the straw bits that clung to her T-shirt. Jacob didn’t think she could do it, either. She could tell. And he certainly didn’t offer to help her learn anything about riding draft horses or pulling. That stung.

  Star Gazer walked over and leaned against the door. She st
retched out her neck, asking for a rub. The door creaked under her massive weight and Jordan wondered if the hinges would hold. She was beginning to understand just what Jacob meant about the difference between caring for draft horses and regular horses. She had her work cut out for her.

  Jacob handed her the carrots for Star. “Don’t worry about it, Jordan. I think you’re going to do fine,” he said. “I’ve got a good feeling about this mare. Things are going to work out and you’ll both be happy.” He gave her an encouraging smile.

  Jordan couldn’t help but be pleased when he smiled at her like that. She hoped he was right and that things were going to work out.

  “I better get going,” Jacob said, hanging Star Gazer’s halter on a peg on the wall. “My dad has probably talked your mom’s ears off by now. I’ll bring that poultice for Star’s hooves by in a day or two.” He waved good-bye and walked from the barn.

  Jordan watched him go, then turned her attention back to Star Gazer. She still couldn’t believe the mare was hers. It had really been nice of the Yoders to deliver her. Suddenly she remembered her manners and sprinted up the hill after Jacob. She caught him just as they were about to leave.

  “I want to thank you both for all of your help,” she said, breathing hard from the uphill run. “I don’t know how we would have gotten Star home if you hadn’t volunteered to help.”

  Mrs. McKenzie nodded in agreement. “That’s right. Thank you so much for helping my impetuous daughter out of a jam.”

  Mr. Yoder turned the key in the ignition and the big truck fired up with a rumble. “You’re welcome, ladies. It was our pleasure. Helping each other is what it’s all about. And don’t you worry about that mare, Mrs. McKenzie. I checked her out before I brought her over. She’s kind of shy and hangs back in her stall when people are around, but my son says she’s taken a real shine to your daughter. She’s a mighty big horse, but she’s safe. The only thing you have to worry about is minding where your feet are when you’re around her.”

  Jacob laughed. “Yeah, with hooves almost as big as plates, you don’t want to get your toe caught under them. Been there and done that. Wasn’t much fun.”