Storm Chaser

by Chris Platt

  Jessica pursed her lips. She wanted new friends, but this particular girl was making things difficult. The portable stall was brand new, loaned to them by a rancher down the road. “It’s all we have,” Jessica said.

  Ariel rolled her eyes and Jessica wished she’d been given charge of the other girls. They had to be friendlier than this one.

  Duncan walked up with a wheelbarrow load of hay nets to hang for the horses’ dinners.

  Ariel perked up. “That’s really nice of you to deliver Raven’s dinner. I was just putting him in his pen.” She walked her horse through the gate of the portable and took off his halter.

  Jessica and Marybeth stared at each other, amazed at the transformation Ariel went through when Duncan came around. Jessica watched her brother shuffle into the pen with the hay net slung over his shoulder. Duncan was very shy around girls—especially pretty ones. He didn’t say a word as he hung the hay net, but he gave the new girl a nice smile. Jessica felt like kicking him.

  Ariel stared at Duncan expectantly, the smile still on her face.

  “See ya,” her brother muttered and quickly exited the pen.

  “Thanks again, Duncan.” Ariel continued to smile at his retreating back. “Maybe we can go for a ride later?”

  “I’d like to go for a ride,” Marybeth said.

  Ariel blinked and turned to stare at Marybeth. “You’re kind of young for me to hang around with,” she said. “I used to babysit kids your age.” She gave a quick nod to Jessica and sauntered off in the direction of the bunkhouses.

  “Whoa…” Marybeth said under her breath.

  “Whoa is right.” Jessica shoved her hands deep into her pockets. Ariel was pretty and she had a great horse, but she didn’t seem very nice. She sure did seem to like Duncan, though.

  This might be a very long ten days.

  THIRTEEN

  The first evening at Wild Hawk Ranch, the guests mostly unpacked and settled in. Jessica’s mother had spent the past several hours preparing the meal. Over a dinner of barbequed chicken, mashed potatoes, and corn on the cob, Jessica listened to her parents explain the activities that would be offered while they were there. Everyone seemed excited about the cattle drive and agreed it would be the highlight of the week. Jessica’s parents had given the okay to let Marybeth come, and both girls were eagerly looking forward to the adventure.

  “Raven has never seen a cow,” Ariel said as she picked at her food and stared across the table at Duncan. “Maybe someone can ride with me until I know he won’t act up.”

  “I’ll ride with you,” Marybeth volunteered. “Daisy isn’t afraid of cows. It will be our first cattle drive, too. It would be fun to do it together.”

  Ariel frowned at the young girl and looked straight at Duncan. “Thanks for the offer, but I’d rather be near someone who’s done this before and knows what he’s doing.”

  Duncan helped himself to another piece of chicken. “Actually, it might be better if you did ride with Marybeth and Jess. I’ll be busy making sure the cattle are quiet and heading in the right direction. The last thing we need is a stampede with a bunch of greenhorns out there.”

  “What’s a greenhorn?” Marybeth asked.

  Jessica helped herself to another ear of corn. “That would be us. We’re green as grass and don’t know anything about moving cattle.”

  “None of us has ever been on a cattle drive,” Lainey chimed in, “so we’ll all be pretty unsure of ourselves, Ariel. I think we should just stay together in the back and let the pros move those cows.”

  Sheri and Monica, the two friends who hadn’t said much yet, nodded. “Cows scare me,” Monica said. “They stink and they blow snot on everything.”

  “Yeah,” Sheri agreed. “What if one decides to charge? Or what if my horse spooks?”

  Mark chuckled. “That’s why I’m riding one of the ATVs we brought with us. You girls can have your horses. I’m riding a steel horse.”

  The parents were all at the other end of the large table, but Jessica’s dad must have heard them talking. He chuckled. “It won’t be too difficult for you greenhorns,” he said. “These cows have made the trip several times. They know where they’re going and could probably get there without us. But we’ve got a lot of seasoned cowpokes riding on this drive. The Lightfoot boys will be helping out. They’ll each be stationed at a specific point in the herd to make sure things go smoothly. If you want to learn something about driving cattle, I suggest you pair up with one of our cowboys. They’ll keep you safe and show you the ropes.”

  Jessica perked up at the mention of the Lightfoots. Wyatt would be riding on the drive! She watched Ariel’s eyes swing immediately to Duncan again at her father’s suggestion of pairing up with a cowhand. But her brother kept his head down and continued shoveling food into his mouth. Jessica wasn’t sure what was so attractive about Dunce, but everywhere he went, the girls fawned all over him.

  Sheri, the girl with the short red hair, pushed aside her empty plate and spoke to Jessica. “Monica and I thought it would be really cool if you could show us some of the trails tomorrow.”

  Ariel looked at the girl and frowned. “I’ve already got tomorrow planned out,” she said. “We should all go to the lake in the morning. It’s supposed to be hot. Who wants to go with me?” She looked pointedly at Duncan, who kept his eyes on his plate.

  Sheri and Monica exchanged looks and then shrugged. “Sure, that sounds good,” Monica said. “We can catch some rays and do the trails later.”

  “Okay with me,” Mark said. He turned to Ariel’s brother, Michael. “Want to ride the other ATV?” he asked. “I’ll ask my dad to see if it’s okay.”

  “Sure,” Michael said. “That’d be really cool. Ariel and my parents are the horse fans. I’d rather ride something with an engine in it.” Everyone laughed.

  “I’d like to go to the lake,” Marybeth said with a wave of her hand.

  Ariel raised an eyebrow. “Don’t you want to stick around here and play horseshoes with the grown-ups? Or maybe Jessica could do something with you?”

  Jessica saw Marybeth’s face fall. Why was Ariel being so mean to her? And why did Ariel think she should stay behind? Did that mean the girl thought she was a little kid, too?

  “Marybeth has gone to that lake with me at least a hundred times,” she said, defending her friend. “She’ll be fine.”

  Jessica caught a warning look from her mother and remembered the speech she’d been given about not bothering the guests if they wanted to be left alone. But she really wanted to go to the lake, especially since all the other kids were going, too.

  “Just making a suggestion,” Ariel said with a shrug.

  Duncan didn’t say anything. But Ariel’s brother did.

  “Come on, Ari, lighten up,” Michael said. “Jessica and Marybeth can go with us. Hey, it’s their lake.”

  Jessica gave Michael a grateful smile.

  “Too bad we can’t drive to town,” Ariel said. “I’ll have my driver’s license soon.” She looked to see if Duncan was impressed.

  Jessica finished her meal and folded her napkin. Most of their guests seemed pretty nice, but Ariel was proving to be a real pain.

  The next morning, Jessica got up early and went down to the kitchen to help her mother prepare ham, toast, orange juice, and mounds of scrambled eggs while Duncan and her father went to feed the livestock. Breakfast was a noisy affair held at the long tables in the biggest bunkhouse, with everyone trying to talk at once. The adults chatted about riding out on the desert, while the kids planned their trip to the lake. Jessica volunteered to pack sandwiches for everyone, and Sheri and Lainey offered their help.

  When breakfast was finished, the three girls trooped to the house and Jessica got out jars of peanut butter and jelly. They set up an assembly line and made enough sandwiches for everyone.

  “This is going to be so exciting. I’ve never been on a vacation like this.” Sheri spread a thick layer of peanut butter on the bread and passed i
t down to Lainey, who slapped on the grape jelly. Jessica put the two pieces of bread together and stuffed the sandwiches into a baggie.

  “I think the cattle drive is going to be so awesome!” Lainey said, trying to wipe the hair out of her eyes and managing to leave a line of sticky goo across her cheek.

  “How come you’ve never been on a cattle drive, Jessica?” Sheri asked. “I mean, you live here. And your dad told us they do this drive every year.”

  “My dad didn’t think I was old enough to go.” Jessica shrugged. “He’s a little overprotective sometimes. But at least I’ll get to go this year. It gets pretty lonely out here. Marybeth is the only girl close to my age for miles. It’ll be nice to have all of you along.”

  “Except maybe Ariel,” Sheri said.

  Jessica wanted to agree, but she didn’t dare. She had a feeling her mother wouldn’t approve of her talking about a guest behind her back. So she just smiled and stuffed the last sandwich into a baggie.

  Sheri and Lainey went with the rest of the group to ready their horses while Jessica headed to the shed and retrieved the saddlebags. She brought them back to the kitchen and packed the sandwiches and enough drinks and apples for everyone.

  As she returned from the new tack shed, a prebuilt tool shed they’d purchased with some of the insurance money, Jessica noticed Ariel and Michael standing outside the training pen watching Duncan as he worked the colts. Michael was asking Duncan a lot of questions. Jessica could see the strained look on her brother’s face. But he seemed to be doing his best to answer the questions politely.

  “We’ll be leaving for the lake pretty soon,” Jessica called to Ariel and Michael. “You’d better get your horse and ATV ready to go. Everyone else is saddling up now.”

  Marybeth rode down the driveway on Daisy. She had on a big straw hat and a T-shirt and shorts. The straps of her bathing suit peeked out from under her shirt, and a beach towel lay across the front of her saddle.

  “Great,” Ariel grouched. “Looks like the munchkin is definitely coming.”

  “Don’t worry,” Jessica said to Ariel as she hefted the saddlebags over her shoulder. “There’s a lot of room at the lake. Marybeth and I won’t be under your feet.”

  “Jess!” Mr. Warner hollered from the corrals when she led Grizz out to join Marybeth and Daisy. “Can I see you for a minute? Put your horse back in the pen and unsaddle him.”

  Jessica’s heart sank. Was her father making her stay home? She looked at Marybeth and shrugged. “I’ve got to find out what my dad wants. Do you mind waiting a few minutes? You can put Daisy in the corral next to Rusty if you want. He always enjoys seeing her.”

  “Why would he ask you to unsaddle your horse?” Marybeth said in concern. “You’d better give the sandwiches to Michael to put on the ATV. Gosh, do you think your dad listened to Ariel and he’s going to make us stay here?”

  Jessica shook her head. “I don’t know. I sure hope not.”

  She put the gelding back in his corral and removed his saddle and bridle. She didn’t want to ride Grizz, but if it meant getting to go to the lake with all the other kids, she’d do it.

  When she reached her father, she was surprised to see him standing there holding onto Storm Chaser’s reins. Duncan sat on his borrowed horse with a big smile on his face.

  “I thought you might like to try a new ride to the lake today.” Mr. Warner offered Jessica the reins and cupped his hand to give her a boost into the saddle.

  “B-but…” Jessica stammered. “I can’t ride Chase. You said I wasn’t ready…and she’s not really broke yet. Duncan should be the one riding her.” She said the words out loud, but she was dying to swing up into that saddle and smooch the filly into a ground-eating gallop.

  Mr. Warner put a steadying hand on Jessica’s shoulder. “Like I said, this horse is smart, just like her mama.” He motioned her to step to the mounting side of the horse. “We’re not going to cut you totally loose. Duncan will be ponying you off his horse on a lead line. If there’s any trouble, you two will switch horses. Understood?”

  Jessica nodded.

  “Well, step around here and mount up,” her father said.

  Jessica felt her hands begin to shake. It wasn’t that she was afraid. Not really. But she’d thought about this moment ever since the paint filly had entered the holding pen with the rest of the new horses. But she’d given up all hope of ever getting to ride her.

  And now, here was her big chance. She couldn’t pass that up!

  She accepted the reins and pulled them over Chase’s head so they settled just in front of the saddle horn. Being short made it hard to reach the stirrups, so her father reached out to help boost her into the saddle.

  “Go slow and easy, Jess,” Duncan said as he moved in to hook a lead rope to the halter Chase wore under her bridle. “Come down on her back real easy-like and get your feet in the stirrups as quick as you can.”

  Jessica swung her leg over the filly’s back, just like her father had taught her to do with Rusty when she first learned to ride. She settled her weight gently in the middle of the saddle and quickly found her stirrups. Then Chase shifted her weight and Jessica felt her heartbeat quicken.

  “Relax, Jess.” Duncan moved his horse into position on her left side, keeping Chase’s head at his knee. “We’re just going to pony around the barnyard a bit and make sure you’re both comfortable with each other before we get out on the trails.” He moved his horse forward, and Chase stepped in line beside him.

  Just relax, Jessica told herself. Breathe.

  Chase popped her head up, reminding Jessica that the reins were too tight. Jess let out several inches of rein until she barely had contact with the filly’s mouth. Western horses were taught to go on a loose rein, but Chase wasn’t broke enough to ride that way yet.

  The other horse walked out at a pretty good pace, and Storm Chaser broke into a jig to catch up. Jessica immediately tensed and pulled back on the reins.

  “Easy, Jess. I’ve got you. It’s just a walk in the barnyard,” Duncan said in a low tone, and Jessica felt herself relax. The same tone of voice he used to calm the horses also seemed to work for her. She took another deep breath and sat up straighter in the saddle. She could do this.

  “That’s better, Jess,” Mr. Warner called from across the yard.

  Marybeth came to join them. Jessica had to smile at the way her friend’s mouth dropped open when she saw her riding Chase. Several of the vacationers walked up with their horses to watch, too. Jessica and her brother made another trip around the stable yard, and Mr. Warner pronounced them ready to go.

  “Looks like everyone’s here but Ariel and Michael,” Sheri said. “The other kids are waiting for us by the trailhead.”

  A moment later, the sound of hoofbeats echoed across the way and Ariel galloped in on her beautiful black horse. Lainey and David had to jump back to get out of the way.

  Jessica felt Chase stiffen under her as the big black horse bore down upon them. Duncan held tight to the lead line and turned Chase’s head over his horse’s withers. Jessica gathered a handful of mane and held on for dear life as the paint filly flipped her butt around, trying to get out of the way of the charging horse.

  Ariel expertly pulled her horse down to a trot and stopped ten feet from where they stood, laughing at their reactions.

  “Why did you do that?” Duncan said. He looked disgusted, but Ariel didn’t seem to notice.

  She tucked her long blond hair up under her helmet and smiled. “Oh, I was having a little fun, that’s all. I was just trying to scare you guys.”

  Mr. Warner took hold of the girl’s fancy English reins. “Horse safety and the safety of our guests are of utmost importance,” he said. “I suggest you practice a little restraint in the future, or you won’t be allowed to go on these rides.”

  With that, Mr. Warner turned and walked away. Jessica wanted to applaud him. Ariel’s little stunt could have gotten someone hurt.

  Ariel shrugged. “Yo
ur dad’s awfully touchy today,” she said to Duncan, but he didn’t answer. “Okay, look, I’m sorry,” she added quickly. “I won’t do it again.”

  Duncan turned the horses and headed them toward the trail without saying a word.

  Good, Jessica thought. She’d had enough of Ariel. And she had a feeling everyone else was getting fed up, too.

  FOURTEEN

  They started their morning trip at a walk so the less experienced riders could get used to traveling on horseback and the horses could get used to the ATVs. Halfway through the ride to the lake, Jessica finally relaxed enough to move with the rocking motion of Chase’s steps. They even trotted for a while, and the filly behaved perfectly. Jessica felt confident enough that she began to point out various wildflowers—like bright red Indian paintbrush, big yellow balsamroot, and tiny white phlox—to their guests.

  “I can’t believe that all of this is out here,” Sheri said. “From the road it just looks like a bunch of sagebrush and sand. Who would have thought all this really cool stuff was here?”

  Marybeth turned in the saddle. “Just wait until you see the lake. You’d never know it’s there, either. You come up over the rise in the mountain, and there it is, right in the middle of the desert.”

  Ariel trotted up beside Duncan. His gelding pinned his ears in warning, and Raven sidestepped away. “Whoa, that’s one grouchy horse,” she said.

  He reined in the gelding, allowing Ariel to ride up beside him and Jessica. “Sorry about that.”

  Ariel shrugged. “No problem.” She lifted her hair off her neck. “It sure is hot here. I hope I’ve got enough sunscreen on.” They rode in silence for a bit, until Ariel spoke again. “I wanted to go to Hawaii for vacation, but the rest of my family wanted to come here. I mean…I love horseback riding and all, and this place is okay, I guess. But it’s just a bunch of gnarly old sagebrush and tons of sand with no beach. What’s so great about that?”

  Jessica raised an eyebrow. She didn’t know much about boys, but telling them you didn’t like the things they liked didn’t seem like a very good way to flirt.