The Horse Rescuers

by Patricia Gilkerson

  “Night, Mom.”

  After Mom went to bed, I turned off the lights and went to my room to read. I pulled out my latest book, a horse story, of course, and flopped on my bed, settling in. It was still warm enough that we had the air conditioner running and I couldn’t hear any of the outside noises. In the summer, I always loved to hear the whippoorwills’ calls-- the best sounds in the world. Feeling one of my commune-with-nature moods, I crept downstairs, stepping softly, and out the back door.

  This was more like it. What a beautiful night! A whippoorwill called to anyone who would listen, the fireflies were thick over the grassy lawn, and honeysuckle breezes kissed my face.

  A siren somewhere broke the stillness. It was sounded like it was right downtown. Probably the sheriff’s office. Another robbery? I went inside and went to bed.

  Chapter Six

  ~ The Exam ~

  The next morning, after my usual breakfast of a piece of toast with peanut butter, I went out to visit Dotty and maybe go for a ride. I rode my bike to get there quicker. Parking outside Miss Julie’s barn, I opened the gate and walked over to my pony. She was grazing the thick grass that grew in her smallest paddock. There were three paddocks that we used for Dotty, taking turns, so the grass could stay thick and not get eaten down.

  “Hi, Dotty, how are you doing today?” I rubbed her neck and shoulder. I found the itchy place on her chest and Dotty nodded in pleasure as I scratched her warm, horse-smelling skin. She made snorty noises in her nose when I turned away to fill her water tank. She followed and nuzzled me, looking for treats, but I didn’t have any today.

  “Hey, Piper!” Addie came through the gate and Dotty turned from me to see if Addie had any goodies. She got lucky and scored a small apple. Apple chunks and horse drool fell on the ground as Dotty crunched.

  “What’s up?” I asked.

  “I was going to ask you that,” Addie said. “You never called and told me what your dad said.”

  “He got a farm call and had to leave. I think he’ll go out and look at Nickel with us, but I can’t be sure. You know how parents change their minds all the time.”

  “I know, right?”

  A rumbling sound broke the stillness. I looked up, and saw my dad’s green Ford rolling down Miss Julie’s long driveway. It pulled into the barnyard and Dad got out. When he saw Addie and me, he walked over to us, at the same time checking out Dotty.

  “She’s looking better, isn’t she? Just needed some good feed for a while,” he said. “Hi, Addie. Piper, I didn’t call you back last night because it was so late when I got home. I knew I’d be out this way this morning and was hoping to catch you here so we could talk.”

  “Did you hear about the break-ins?” Addie asked him. “My mom can’t talk about anything else. She’s really freaked.”

  “Yeah, I heard out at Ben Hurn’s place. His uncle had a television and computer stolen. Piper, I talked to your mother, and you do what she said. Keep the doors locked and your key with you when you’re out of the house.”

  “Got it,” I said, waving the key that was attached to my horsehair bracelet. Miss Julie had made me that bracelet from Dotty’s tail hairs when I was little and I wore it all the time. Well, not swimming or in the shower. I don’t want it to get all wet.

  “Hey, Dad,” I said. This might be a good time to ask. “Can you go look at that horse with us?”

  “I can do that if we hurry,” he said. “Why don’t you two get in my truck while I say hi to Miss Julie, and we’ll run out there. You said it was about three miles? And can you find it again?”

  “I can find it,” chimed in Addie. “I can always remember places and how to get to them.” She was right. It was amazing how she could do that.

  So we climbed into my dad’s truck with the veterinary body on the back of it.

  “Wow,” said Addie, squirming to see what was behind the seat. “I’ve never been in your truck before.”

  Dad climbed in and turned the key. “Do you like it?”

  “It smells like...uh, medicine. And animals.” Addie wrinkled her nose, not loving barnyard smells, like I did.

  “Well,” he said, “I have to carry everything I might need with me. Sometimes people tell me what they want me to come out on a farm call for, but then they have a dog that needs a vaccination. Or maybe a cat with an infected eye. I just have to have medicine, bandages, and instruments with me. Have to be prepared.”

  “Cool,” said Addie.

  It only took us a few minutes to drive out to Chickie Hyde’s place, partly because my dad drove fast and partly because it really was only three miles. We talked in the truck about calling to see if he was home, but my dad said he remembered going out there earlier in the spring. He knew who Chickie was and wanted to see the horse without Chickie knowing we were coming.

  As we pulled into the yard, Nickel was in his small paddock watching us. Dad yelled a loud “Hello!” at the house as we walked the other way toward the gray horse. We stood on the far side of the fence from the horse, watching him.

  “What do you want?” yelled a woman’s voice from the house. We all turned and saw a woman walking toward us. She was older than Addie and me, but not as old as Dad. She wore extremely short cutoffs and a low-cut pink tank top. I mean, it was hot out, but she didn’t have to look so trashy. The woman was chunky with a wild mane of blonde hair and dark roots blowing around her head. She checked out the green truck and then she checked out my dad.

  “Is Chickie here?” asked Dad.

  “No, he ain’t here. He’s gone to town and I don’t think he’ll be back till late. What do you want?”

  “We’re interested in this horse he told my daughter she could have free,” said Dad, pointing at Nickel. “I’m Dr. Jones, and I want to check him over before we agree to anything. This is my daughter, Piper, and her friend, Addie.”

  “Well, I’m Angel and it’s nice to meet you, doctor.” Ignoring Addie and me, Angel put out her hand to Dad and, as she did, leaned up close to him. “I was telling Chickie that I hoped some real nice folks would adopt that horse. So go ahead and look all you want.” She smiled as she said that and stuck her hip out so we knew she wanted my dad to look at her, not the horse.

  Dad sometimes forgot to be geeky and acted cool, like he was doing this time. Totally ignoring Angel, he turned around and went through the gate to Nickel. Addie and I smiled at each other and followed. Addie climbed on the fence for a better view. Angel stayed behind the fence, hands on hips, watching. Dad gestured to me to hold the horse’s halter, and took out the stethoscope he carried in his shirt pocket. He listened, he looked, and he walked around Nickel several times. He looked in the horse’s mouth and spoke softly to him, “Easy, son.”

  Addie and I watched and were quiet. Angel paced around, occasionally tossing her mop of hair and sniffing. Dad waved his hands in the horse’s face a few times, looked in its eyes with an instrument.

  “What’s that thing?” Addie asked.

  “This is an ophthalmoscope,” he said, “It gets me inside the eyeball, so I can see what’s going on.”

  He looked a few more minutes and said, “Okay, Piper, you can let go of him.”

  “Well, Dad?” I said.” Dad turned and looked at us for a minute.

  “This horse is healthy, around twelve years old, as advertised. The only thing wrong with him is that he’s blind in one eye.”

  Chapter Seven

  ~ Possibilities ~

  Addie and I stared at each other, seeing our chances of getting this horse going down the drain. How could we ride a blind horse? How could we trust him with Addie, who wasn’t a brave rider?

  “Mom even said she’d help pay for horse feed,” Addie said, her lip quivering. “I had her convinced that it was a good thing for me to have a whole horse for myself.” I patted her on the back, but I felt rotten, too.

  Dad looked at both of us, then he looked at Angel. “Did you know this horse was blind in one eye?”

  “Oh,
...um...I didn’t know. Maybe Chickie knew. It’s really his horse. Hey, I need to get back to the house. So Doc, you call and let us know what you want to do. I mean, I’ll help you with anything you want.” Angel ignored Addie and me, giving my dad a wink and a smirk as she wiggled back to the house.

  “Have you ridden him?” Dad asked us.

  “Yes,” I said. “He went just fine.”

  “I rode him by myself and didn’t want to get off!” said Addie. “He’s fantastic. He’s just the gentlest, sweetest horse.”

  “So how bad do you want this horse?” Dad asked.

  “Can’t you tell?” I said. “Addie loves him. She’s crazy about him. We really did want him. A lot. But if he’s blind in one eye...”

  “That is not a deal-breaker,” Dad said.

  “It’s not?” Addie asked.

  “No, you can ride a horse that’s blind in one eye. You can even ride one that is totally blind, if you know what you’re doing.”

  “No kidding?” I said.

  “When you rode him, he was calm and steady? Didn’t spook or startle?

  “Right,” I said. “He was perfect.”

  “Then I don’t see any reason not to get him,” he said. “Let’s go home and check the barn you have Dotty in to make sure there’s plenty of room for this one. What’s his name?”

  “Nickel” said Addie. “’Cause he’s a nickel-bred son of a...”

  “Addie!” I stopped her. None of our parents like to hear us cussing and I didn’t want to ruin our chances here. “Dad, he’s got an Arabian mother who jumped the fence into a field of cross-bred colts. He’s not a purebred or anything.”

  “He’s very Arabian-looking,” said my dad. “And if you really want to, and if his mother had papers, you could register him as a half-Arab.”

  “You can do that?” Addie asked.

  “Sure,” said Dad. “Although I don’t see any real reason for you to do that. You aren’t planning to show him, right?”

  “Right,” I agreed. “Riding for fun. Trail riding.”

  “Hop in the truck and I’ll take you back. You can check the barn and make sure there’s room for another stall.” So we all piled in the green Ford and headed back to Miss Julie’s farm. I was jumping up and down on the seat of the cab and so was Addie. We started singing a silly, made-up song about having another horse, woo-hoo. Dad smiled at us and turned off his radio. This was definitely one of his cool days.

  “Hey, Dad,” I said. “I think Angel likes you.”

  “Stop it, Piper,” he said. “She looks like trouble with a capital T. Not my type. Besides, isn’t she supposed to be Chickie’s girlfriend?”

  “I think she forgot. But she must like middle-aged men. Chickie has got to be about the same age as you.”

  “Thanks a lot,” said Dad. “But I think she must like pretty much anything wearing pants. It makes me glad you two have some sense about boys.”

  “I have sense about them,” I said. “Some are okay for friends, but some are just weird. Addie thinks they’re all cute.”

  “Not all!” said Addie. “Just some.”

  “Addie likes to giggle and flirt with them. She thinks they’re wonderful!” I said, teasing.

  “I do not! I can’t help it if they say funny things and make me laugh!”

  “You giggle whether it’s funny or not, and you make goofy faces,” I retorted. “Dad, quit laughing!”

  “You two are what’s funny,” he said, pulling into Miss Julie’s driveway. We bounced along and pulled up in front of the barn. As we stopped, Dad’s cell phone rang.

  “Dr. Jones. Yes, what’s the problem? No, I wouldn’t. No, not another time. Okay, goodbye.”

  He hung up and sighed.

  “Who was it?” I asked.

  “That was our friend, Angel.”

  “Is Nickel okay?”

  “Oh, Nickel is fine. She wanted me to come out to see her. Crazy woman! I didn’t do anything to make her think I was interested, did I?”

  “No, you didn’t, Dad. She must be nuts.”

  “Crazy as a loon,” said Addie.

  “Nutty as a fruitcake” I said.

  “Bats in the belfy.”

  “Okay, okay,” said my dad, as his phone rang again. “Dr. Jones. Oh, hi, Joe. Sure I can. I have one other stop, then I’m on my way.” He hung up. “Okay, ladies, hop out. Check the stall space in the barn and then we’ll talk.”

  Chapter Eight

  ~ Involvements ~

  Addie and I spent two hours pacing off the space in the barn for a new stall, examining our pasture space and brushing Dotty. We goofed around so we could stay there longer because we loved our horse and we loved hanging out in the barn, with its smells of dust, hay and horse. Barn swallows zoomed in and out of the big open door and coasted to their nests up in the rafters. Tiny bird babies peeped their heads out of their mud and stick nests, waiting for someone to bring them bugs.

  “Hey, Piper,” said Addie. “Do you think your dad will ever start dating again? Not Angel, but someone nice?”

  “I don’t know,” I said. “Mom went out with Sam Applegate last night. Maybe Dad will be ready soon. What about your mom? Is she dating?”

  “There is someone she likes at work that she stays late to have dinner with sometimes. She hasn’t brought him home to meet me, though, so she’s not crazy about him. When she really, really likes them, she says she wants me to meet them and then tell her my opinion.”

  “That is so cool!” Why didn’t I know this? Addie and I hardly ever talked about our parents’ social lives, but maybe it would be helpful if we did. Parents were tough to understand, and we could figure them out together.

  We said goodbye to Dotty and wandered over to the big white house that Miss Julie lived in. The old place had come back to life since she moved back, with fresh paint, flowers and flowerpots all over. We walked up the gray painted steps to the back porch, admiring Miss Julie’s hanging baskets of purple, red and white petunias. She loves her flowers and she has lots of them. Addie knocked on the backdoor, while I peeked in the window.

  Miss Julie opened her door, blue eyes twinkling as bright as always.

  “Hi girls! I’m so glad you stopped by! I just took some cookies out of the oven and was hoping for company, so I don’t eat them all myself. Come in and sit down.”

  We washed the horsehair off our hands and sat at her big wooden farmhouse table, while she put warm chocolate chip cookies on a plate and poured cold iced tea into tall glasses. The cookies were crisp with gooey chocolate chips and the tea was cold and sweet, all my idea of comfort food.

  “What’s new, Miss Julie?”

  “Oh, Piper, Addie, I’m so excited! I’m going to start interviewing people to rent my spare room. Sam got it all freshly painted and put a television in, we got internet access, and I think we’re ready for boarders. Sam was here all week to take care of things, so I could start renting it out.” Sam is usually only in town on weekends, but he kept a law office on the town square for the occasional consultation.

  “Wow, you really move fast,” said Addie.

  “Well, once you make up your mind to do something, you don’t need to dilly-dally.”

  “That’s what I think, too,” I said. “That’s why we want to get that second horse over here, so we can go riding together.”

  “What did your dad say about it? Before you left, he poked his head in the door, laughing, and said you were all going out to look at a free horse.”

  “He liked it. It’s blind in one eye, but he said that isn’t really a problem.”

  “Is that right? Well, Dan Jones knows a lot about horses and I would trust his opinion anytime. When do you think you can get the horse?”

  “I hope in a few days. We have to build a stall for him, but he won’t need that until winter. Miss Julie, you heard about the break-ins, didn’t you? I mean, you live out here all by yourself most of the time. You should be careful.”

  “It’s sweet of y
ou to worry, Piper, but I’m fine. I’m only alone a few days at a time. Sam is home on long weekends and pretty soon I’ll have boarders living here. You don’t need to worry about me. And I have my phone and I’m thinking about getting a dog.”

  “A dog would be great! Could I help you exercise it?” said Addie, pumping her fists. “I love dogs.”

  “Well, if I get one, I’ll take you up on that. Meanwhile, I will lock up and keep the yard light on.”

  I got up, full of cookies, but knowing my mom would be wondering where I was for lunch. I rinsed my glass in the sink, and thanked Miss Julie for the treats.

  “Why don’t you take some home for your mama? I’ll put them in this plastic bag. Has she had any luck finding a job?” Miss Julie busied herself in the kitchen, packing up some cookies to go.

  “No, she keeps looking, but there aren’t many jobs open right now. It makes her kinda crabby.”

  “Too bad,” said Miss Julie. “You know, Sam’s office girl is quitting to have a baby. I wonder if your mother would want that job.”

  “Wow! Should I tell her about it?” This might be the answer to my mom’s job search. And her grouchiness.

  “Better let me talk to Sam first. He might not want someone he’s involved with working in the office with him,” she said.

  “You think they are that involved? Already? I thought last night was their first date.” I gasped.

  “Honey, I’ve seen the way he looks at her. And she looks right back at him the same way. Yes, I think they are that involved. They won’t want to waste any time. Are you okay with that?”

  This was something I needed to think about. I had been ready for Mom to date again, but was I ready for her to get serious about a guy?

  Chapter Nine

  ~ Angel Calls ~

  Back at Mom’s, I searched the house, but she was gone. I checked the garage and her car was missing. Was she off with Sam Applegate again? I liked him, but I wasn’t sure I wanted him for a stepdad. Or maybe they weren’t planning on getting married, which might be worse. Maybe he would want to just move in. Ick.