Pony Dreams
Page 15
“Because why?” I asked. “Did your uncle tell you what happened to my family?”
Horror etched into my bones. I didn't want Cassie feeling sorry for me.
“Did something awful happen to your family?” she asked. “That's probably why he insisted I come when I wanted to hide in my bedroom. My parents died in a train accident while we traveled out here. No one knows how I survived, but I wish I hadn't.”
I tugged a chemise over my head and added petticoats before pulling on my dress.
“Can you help me button up?” I asked. “It's durned hard bending your arms backward.”
“Sure is.” She giggled. “Boys have all the fun.”
While she fastened the buttons, I stared at the wall.
“We had a problem a while back,” I said. “Some folks that hated my family set our ranch house on fire. It killed my parents, and one of my brothers. I guess that's why Pony Bob brought you to us.”
“Makes sense,” she said. “What if we make a picnic lunch tomorrow and explore this old shaft I heard Uncle Bob talking about.”
We grinned at each other.
“Does anyone else know about it?” I asked.
“Sure as shootin', not as far as I know,” she said.
“Yes! We're not gonna let the men have all the fun,” I said. “We need to check the pies. Can't let them burn.”
“What kind?
“Peach and apple.”
“My favorites,” Cassie announced. “Hope there's enough for the men.”
She and I hurried into the kitchen. Uncle Andy and Pony Bob stepped back from the stove, each holding a pie.
“You almost let them burn, Abby,” Uncle Andy said but it didn't sound like a scold.
“Sorry.”
“I caught them in time. Hello, Cassandra, I'm Doctor Weston, Abby's uncle. Welcome to the family.”
“Huh?” I said.
“Your brothers invited us to move in,” Pony Bob said. “You gals won't get away with much, not with all of us watching out for you.”
Cassie and I glanced at each other.
“If you say so,” I said.
After supper, she and I pressed our noses against the large plate glass window. The usual mix of miners, saloon gals, and storekeepers strolled past on the wooden boardwalk.
“Be kind of hard to get away from so many men,” she said.
The rumble of voices from the storeroom brought a smile. I peeked in that direction.
“Not really.” I crept to the door. “Wanna give it a try?”
Naughty giggles slipped out when we made it to the street. A familiar whinny startled me, and I stared in astonishment at my brothers—the same brothers I had just heard in the storeroom—marching out of an alley beside the store. Uncle Andy and Pony Bob brought up the rear, leading two mustangs.
“Mr. Carson wired me last week,” Adam said.
“Seems the Pony wanted us to have the animals.” Mark smiled.
My heart leapt into my throat when I glimpsed a familiar white blaze on one of the horses. He had come back to me. Blaze was back!
“Who are they for?” I whispered, letting a tiny bit of hope creep through me.
“You and Cassie.” Uncle Andy lifted me onto Blaze.
“Pretty girls need fun.” Pony Bob put Cassie onto the other horse.
My brothers cleared the street. She and I glanced at each other.
“Bet I get there first,” she said.
“You're on.” I bent over Blaze's neck and kicked.
“Riders in!”
Adam's bellow reignited an old desire. I urged Blaze forward. Hoots and hollers came from the spectators. My imagination took control, and I visualized another Pony rider waiting for me at the end of the street.
My braids streamed behind me, and my dress flapped around my legs. It only seemed like an instant when the dark desert loomed, and I reined hard, gripping with my knees when Blaze skidded to a stop.
Seconds later, Cassie whooped, “That was great!”
“Wanna do it again?” I asked. “We can use the trail to that old mine tomorrow.”
“Sure.”
We walked the horses back to the store. After dismounting, I took Cassie's hand, and we stood side by side. Stars twinkled in the velvety sky. People resumed their evening enjoyment.
“The Pony isn't finished.” I looked around at the exciting frontier town. “Not so long as I'm around.”
My promise to keep them in my heart, to remember the men like Pony Bob, sustained me as I went inside. Carson City was now my home, but I belonged in the desert training horses for a mission the telegraph took away.
“Someday, something will get rid of the telegraph,” I said to Cassie. “Just like the telegraph got rid of The Pony Express.”
About the Author
K. C. began writing young, with a diary followed by an interest in English. Her first experience with publication came when she placed third in a Freedoms Foundation at Valley Forge contest while she was in the Air Force, but her dedication to writing came after she had her youngest child, now a teen getting ready to enter his senior year of high school. K. C., her husband and son live in Northwest Georgia where she spends her days creating stories about life in the south, and far beyond. More than a dozen of her short stories have appeared in several magazines. Six anthologies feature other short stories, and her teen novel, Softly Say Goodbye, was released in 2012. In 2013 her releases include, Who Am I?, Mama's Advice, Take Chances, The Ghost Catcher, Family Curse ... Times Two, Secret From The Flames, Where U @, The Wrong One, and Grace.
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