Star Gazer

by Chris Platt

  “Ha!” Tommy snorted. “It’s going to be a blow-out this year. Nobody can beat my dad.”

  Mrs. McKenzie took the vitamins and horse cookies from Jordan and gave Tommy and his dad a contemptuous glare. “Oh, and by the way,” she said. “In case you didn’t hear, my daughter will be entering Star Gazer in the beginner’s class. I hope you’ll both be there to cheer them on.” She turned on her heel and walked toward the checkout counter, leaving Tommy and his dad—as well as Jordan—staring after her.

  Jordan came to her senses and hurried after her mother. She could feel Tommy’s eyes burning a hole in her back. They paid for their purchases and left. Jordan waited until they got in the car, then turned to her mother. “Mom…you just told them I was entering that class. I know I said I wanted to do it, but I hadn’t totally made up my mind yet. You know that now I’m going to have to compete, don’t you?”

  Her mother smiled sheepishly and put the car into gear. “I’m really sorry about that, honey, but I couldn’t stand listening to the two of them shooting their mouths off.” She reached over and patted Jordan’s arm. “We’re in this together now. If you truly don’t want to compete, I’m fine with that. You don’t have to enter that competition. But if you’re still game, I’ll back you and Star Gazer one-hundred percent. I’m really proud of everything you’ve done. You deserve this chance to prove yourself.”

  Jordan thought for a moment. Her mother was right. She and Star deserved this chance. She hurried to answer before her mother could change her mind again. “We’ve come this far,” she said. “I guess we might as well just go for it.”

  The week before the fair was a busy one. Nicole came over to help every day, and Jordan’s mom showed up twice to help clean harness and groom horses.

  Jordan’s hard work with Star over the past couple of weeks was beginning to show results. When they got into a battle of wills, Jordan had refused to let Star Gazer bully her like she used to, and her strictness was paying off. They’d only made two trips to the outside fence lately.

  A couple of days before the big contest, Jordan decided to take the day off from the rigors of training and have some fun and relaxation. She joined Nicole for a ride to the lake. They packed sandwiches and sodas and set off for the one-mile ride to the small lake. It was a popular hangout for all the kids—especially now that it wouldn’t be long before they’d all be back in school.

  At the beginning of the summer, someone had put up a couple of small corrals under a large maple tree at the lake. Jordan and Nicole turned their horses loose in one of them. Jordan recognized Kathy and Mary’s horses in the other one.

  “Hurry up!” Nicole said as she ran across the short sandy beach toward the water.

  Jordan placed Star’s bridle and their lunch on a stump near the pen. “I’m coming,” she replied. “Just hold on a minute. I want to make sure the ants don’t get our lunch.”

  When Jordan got to the lake, Nicole had waded in up to her waist. “Come on,” she taunted. “It seems cold at first, but it’s fine after you get in.” Mary and Kathy were sitting on the dock on their beach towels. Jordan ran past them and jumped in, creating a huge splash that totally soaked Nicole.

  Her friend screeched like a banshee and splashed Jordan, and Jordan retaliated by pushing her friend under the water. They both came up sputtering and laughing.

  A familiar voice sounded from the shore. “Hey, McKenzie! You look like a drowned rat!” It was followed by hoots of laughter from several boys Jordan had seen around town.

  “Great,” she muttered under her breath. Tommy Sutton. “I can’t seem to get away from that loser,” she told Nicole.

  “Just ignore him,” Nicole said. “He’ll get bored soon and leave.”

  But the boys had found a beach ball someone had lost in the weeds, and they took up a game of catch, trying to show off for all the girls.

  Nicole brushed her wet hair off her face. “If I didn’t know any better, I’d swear Tommy has a crush on you. Every time he makes a good catch, he looks over to see if you’re watching.”

  “No way,” Jordan said.

  “Don’t be so sure,” Nicole said. “You said you’ve seen him stop by the Miller place to watch you drive Star.”

  Jordan frowned. “Don’t even go there, Nicole,” she warned. “If that’s how Tommy treats someone he likes, I’d really hate to see how he treats his enemies.”

  Kathy was listening from her perch on the dock. “Don’t flatter yourself, girls. Tommy’s showing off for me. Everyone knows he’s had a crush on me since kindergarten.”

  “You’re welcome to him,” Jordan said.

  “What’s all that commotion over at the horse pen?” Nicole asked suddenly.

  Jordan looked up in time to see their horses rushing through the open gate. The boys grabbed the beach ball and jumped out of the way of the charging horses.

  “Oh, no!” Jordan cried, splashing out of the lake. “Whoa!” she yelled at the top of her lungs. But neither of the horses paid any attention. They had their tails in the air and were heading toward home.

  Nicole caught up and stopped beside her, water dripping into the sand under her feet. “How did they get loose?”

  They turned to stare at Tommy. “He did it on purpose,” Jordan said, wondering how anyone could be so rotten. “He knows I’ve got a competition in three days and he’s trying to wreck it for me.” Jordan thought about the paved and gravel roads Star would be traveling over on her way home. With her bad feet…

  “Tommy Sutton!” Nicole hollered. “You’re to blame for this mess!”

  Tommy spread his hands in an I’m-innocent gesture. “I didn’t do anything,” he said. “Honest.” He turned to Jordan. “Really, Jordan. I didn’t do it.”

  Jordan dismissed him with a wave of her hand. “Whatever.” Who knew if he was telling the truth? She turned to Nicole. “Can you call my mom to come get us?”

  Nicole pulled her cell phone from her bag, punched in the number, and waited for the phone to ring. She listened for several seconds. “Your mom’s not picking up. I’ll try my mom, but I think she’s at a doctor’s appointment. Let’s start walking.”

  They put on their shoes and gathered their things, then started up the long winding path to the roadway. Jordan went over things in her mind. Did she forget to latch the gate after they’d put the horses in? With the way Nicole had hurried her, it was possible, but she just didn’t know. Her foot kicked something hard and she looked down to see what it was. “Oh, no,” Jordan said. She bent to pick it up.

  “What is it?” Nicole asked.

  Jordan held up the large horseshoe that Star had torn off when she hightailed it home. The mare was going to run all the way home without one of her shoes. “This isn’t good,” she said, knowing that was the understatement of the year. If Star ran on the pavement and gravel all the way home, she’d be lucky to still be walking by the time she got there.

  Jordan’s mom pulled over to the side of the road, gravel flying and brakes screeching. The car came to a stop and Mrs. McKenzie jumped out of the car. “Are you girls okay?” She grabbed each of them and looked them over to see if they were harmed. “The horses came tearing into the yard with no riders,” she said, panic still in her voice. “I just knew I’d find you lying in a ditch someplace bleeding. What happened?” She herded them into the car and pulled back onto the road. “Nicole, please call your mother and let her know I have you both. I ran off and left my cell phone on the counter.”

  While Nicole called, Jordan told her mom the story and showed her Star Gazer’s shoe. “Was she limping?” she asked, sick at heart to think that all their hard work could go right down the drain from this one incident. Again she thought back to when they first got to the lake and tried to remember if she had latched the gate to the corral. Was all of this her fault? It would be so much easier to blame it on Tommy.

  “I don’t think she was limping,” her mother replied. “Or, at least it wasn’t so bad that I noticed
it, but we better call the shoer, just in case. And maybe the vet.”

  An hour later, Mr. Walter was tacking the shoe back onto Star Gazer’s hoof. “It could have been a lot worse,” he told Jordan. “She must have run most of the way in the grass. Her hoof wall stayed intact, but she’s a little ouchy on the foot right now.”

  “Should I pull her from the competition?” Jordan asked. She didn’t want to hurt Star any more than the race home had already done.

  Mr. Walter tapped in the last nail and set Star Gazer’s foot down. “I think she’ll be fine,” he said. “Just imagine if you ran home with one shoe on and the other barefoot. She might be a little tender for a day or two, so don’t do any work with her over the next few days.”

  “What about pulling a load?” Jordan asked. “I’ve got the competition on Saturday. Won’t pulling put an extra strain on her feet?”

  “It might,” said the shoer. “If you want to be totally safe, take it really easy on her. Maybe do just one class. Any more than that and you might risk laming her up again.”

  “I’m only entered in one class, so we should be okay,” Jordan said. She thanked the shoer then went to the house to call Jacob and let him know she couldn’t work Star Gazer again until the day of the competition.

  twenty-one

  The morning of the fair, Jordan got up extra early and fed and groomed Star. Mr. Miller would be over to pick them up soon. Jordan had butterflies so bad she couldn’t even eat her breakfast, but Star chowed right through hers.

  To make things worse, Mrs. Cannon had dropped by the house last night, letting them know that she planned to make a good offer on Star right after the competition. Jordan guessed the woman wanted to see if Star did well before she decided how much to offer. A poor showing would mean a cheaper deal for the Cannons.

  When the Millers’ big white trailer pulled into their driveway, Jordan and Star were ready to go. Her mother ran out of the house with her lunch and promised to pick up Nicole and meet her at the fairgrounds in an hour. Jordan loaded her horse and hopped into the pickup with Daniel and his dad.

  “Jacob’s going to meet us at the fairgrounds,” Daniel said. “Duke didn’t finish all of his dinner last night and Jacob is a little worried. But I think King’s pulling mate just senses something is up. He’s a little excited, is all. Some horses get real antsy about competition.”

  Mr. Miller looked over his shoulder and grinned. “So do some young men.”

  Jordan’s brows rose. “You mean Daniel?” She looked at her friend. “You get competition jitters?”

  Daniel nodded.

  “But you’re always so calm and steady when you work with the horses,” she said. “Who would have guessed?” When Daniel didn’t answer, Jordan looked out the window, but she didn’t really see the passing scenery. She was too busy worrying. She hoped Duke was okay.

  As soon as they pulled onto the fairgrounds, Jordan’s pulse quickened. It reminded her of the day she went to the auction where she bought Star Gazer. People walked back and forth with their horses, and occasionally someone passed by with a sheep or goat for the 4-H competition. The carnival rides were already in full swing and she could smell cotton candy and popcorn on the air. After no breakfast, the sweet smells made her stomach ache.

  Jacob was already there grooming King and Duke when they arrived at the barn. “How’s Duke?” Jordan asked. “Dan said he didn’t finish his dinner.”

  “I’m not sure,” Jacob said. “He doesn’t want his breakfast, either. I’m going to finish brushing them, then let them settle in. We’ve got another hour before we have to start tacking up. How’s Star Gazer doing after that run from the lake?”

  “She seems to be okay,” Jordan said. “The vet came out yesterday and said her feet look fine. But he agreed with the shoer that I should take it easy with her for a bit. He said I could enter that one class today and that’s it.”

  Jordan went to get Star’s hay net and hung it in the corner of the stall. The mare immediately dug into her food. Jordan laughed. “Nothing wrong with your appetite.” She settled into the straw in the corner and watched her horse eat, listening to the comforting sounds of Star chewing her hay and flicking her tail.

  After a while, Jordan stood and brushed the straw from her jeans. She ran her hand over Star’s sleek neck. “We’ve got to do well today, girl,” she said, feeling her throat tighten with emotion. “This might be our last chance to work as a team.” Star Gazer lowered her head and nuzzled Jordan’s shoulder. Jordan threw her arms around Star Gazer’s neck and buried her face in her mane. She couldn’t keep the image of Mrs. Cannon driving away with Star out of her mind. She pulled back and looked Star in the face. “If we can pull this off and do well, then maybe a miracle will happen and I’ll prove to my mom that we belong together. I can’t lose you, girl.”

  Someone cleared their throat in the aisleway, and Jordan’s head snapped around. Her jaw dropped when she saw Tommy standing there. He had heard every word she’d said.

  “Come on, McKenzie,” he said, shaking his head. “You know that horse can’t understand a word you say.”

  “What are you doing here?” Jordan said, fighting the urge to pick up a brush and hurl it at him.

  “Hey, I come in peace,” Tommy said. “I just wanted to wish you luck. I feel kinda bad about what happened the other day. That was a pretty rotten break.”

  Jordan just stared at him. She still wasn’t sure that she hadn’t left the gate unlocked herself, so there wasn’t much she could say.

  “My dad’s still going to whup your two throwback boyfriends in the main competition,” he said. “But I think you’ll do okay in your beginner’s class. See you around, city girl.”

  Jordan watched him go, not sure what to think about the odd visit. She hugged Star Gazer one more time, then went to wait for her mom and Nicole. They walked around the fair for a bit, but Jordan’s mind was too preoccupied to enjoy the exhibits. She finally told them she was going back to prepare Star for her class. Nicole offered to help, but Jordan said she wanted a little alone time with her horse. It might be her last chance. Nicole understood and gave her a big hug.

  Jordan gathered her brushes and entered Star Gazer’s stall. She began with the rubber curry, running it over Star’s shiny, black coat. The mare cocked a back leg and wiggled her lips to show Jordan how much she appreciated the grooming.

  When she was finished with the brushes, Jordan got out the hoof pick and made sure that Star’s feet didn’t have any stones or packed dirt in them. The shoer and Dr. Smith had cautioned her to enter Star in only one class because of her feet. Jordan wanted to make sure Star didn’t come up lame before they made it to that one class.

  Jacob showed up a few minutes later with the harness and helped her tack Star Gazer. Jordan thought he looked great in his jeans and plain blue shirt with black suspenders. It didn’t matter that other kids made fun of him and Daniel. They’d both been true friends and she was happy she’d met them.

  “This is your big moment,” Jacob said, giving her an encouraging smile. “I’m really glad you decided to enter this class. You’ve earned the right to take your place in that competition arena. Just remember to take your time and go steady. No big moves.”

  Jordan smiled back. She could do this. “Whether we do well or really mess it up…,” she said, hesitating for a second. “I…I just wanted you to know that Star and I appreciate all your help. You’ve really been a good friend.”

  Jacob gave her the same lopsided grin she remembered from the first time she met him. He led Star Gazer out of the stall for her. “My team is already outside,” he said. “Follow me out and we’ll go practice in the warm-up arena. Dan and Mr. Miller are already there.”

  Jordan’s mom and Nicole made it back just as they were moving the horses to the practice arena. Her mother immediately started snapping photos.

  Star whinnied a greeting to King when she saw him. He bobbed his head and nickered back. Duke just plodded along
beside King as they entered the arena. Jordan didn’t like the dullness of his eyes or his listless appearance. The horse was off, and she knew Jacob was wondering how it would affect their overall performance.

  Jacob motioned for Jordan to pull her horse alongside his. “I’m going to make a few rounds of the ring to warm these guys up,” he said. “Then I’m going to put them in their stalls and come back and get you ready for your first time in the competition arena.”

  Jordan’s stomach dropped at the mention of her first competition, and all her doubts came flooding back. Her hands shook on the reins. Sensing her nervousness, Star fussed at the bit and bobbed her head.

  Jordan caught sight of Gilbert Sutton and his team of perfect Percherons warming up. As they approached each other in the ring, Jordan noted that Star looked every bit as good as Sutton’s horses. She saw his eyes widen when he spotted them. He gave her a curt nod as they passed.

  Jordan stood up a little straighter and squared her shoulders. She and Star did belong in the competition arena. They’d earned the right to strut their stuff. This was the day she’d prove to everyone that she and Star Gazer could do this!

  Jacob signaled that he was leaving the practice area and would be right back. But ten minutes later, he still hadn’t come to get her. The time for her class was quickly approaching and her knees were beginning to shake.

  Mrs. Cannon appeared at the side of the practice ring with her husband and their two kids, waving wildly. Jordan forced a smile and waved back. Little Anthony kicked at the dirt, seeing how far he could make the clods and stones fly. Jordan gave him a look that made him stop immediately.

  A small commotion caught Jordan’s attention, and she spied Nicole running across the ring. The look on her friend’s face told her something was wrong. Jordan pulled Star Gazer off to the side and waited.

  “Duke’s got colic and Jacob has to pull his team from the competition,” Nicole said. “He’s really bummed. Daniel will be out in a minute to help you. Jacob has to deal with the vet.”