Wild Horse Rescue

by Nancy M Bell

  “Leave it, sweetie. I’ll wash them up when we’re all done,” her mom said.

  “Thanks, Mom. I think I’ll go up to bed and read for a while. Night, Mom, Dad.”

  “I’m for bed, too. Night everyone.” Coll followed her out of the kitchen and up the stairs.

  “Midnight,” she whispered when they parted at her bedroom.

  Laurel left her jeans on but slipped into her pyjama top in case Mom decided to check on her before going to bed. The novel on her bedside table was Storm’s Refuge, a romance set in Longview, Alberta. The words couldn’t hold her attention tonight though she pretended to read for a bit. Her parents were still downstairs, the sound of the news program came faintly through her open door. Laurel closed the novel and turned out the light. Turning on her side, she faced the wall and tried to breathe slow and deep as if she were asleep. Shortly after eleven-thirty, her parents padded up the stairs. One of them, probably her mom, paused by Laurel’s door and then pulled it gently almost closed. She released a silent sigh. So far so good.

  She waited until a minute to midnight before sliding out of bed. Peeling off her pyjama top, she pulled on a T-shirt and a flannel shirt. Her phone flashed with an incoming text from Coll.

  :U ready?:

  :meet U at the barn: She texted back.

  Then sent a text to Joey. :leaving in 10 meet U by cave:

  :C U then: He texted back.

  In her stocking feet Laurel slipped out of her room and down the hall, being careful to avoid the places where she knew the floor boards creaked. Reaching the kitchen, she unlocked the back door and left it open for Coll when she went out. In the mud room, she picked up her boots and a jacket. It wasn’t until she was safe outside that she allowed herself a sigh of relief. A few clouds scudded across the moon, throwing the yard into shadow. She scurried across to the barn and waited for Coll to join her. To her surprise he was already there.

  “You scared the life out of me,” she smothered a yelp of surprise.

  “Sorry, I was ready, and the house was quiet, so I snuck out when I had the chance.”

  Laurel looked at the ranch house, it was dark and quiet. “I think we’re good. Looks like they didn’t hear a thing. Let’s get the horses and get out of here.”

  A few handfuls of sweet feed kept the horses quiet. The last thing Laurel wanted was for one of them to whicker or make a fuss. Dad would hear that for sure, no matter how soundly he was sleeping. Her fingers flew, making short work of tacking up. She swung up to Sam’s back and waited for Coll to mount. Keeping to the grassy verge to avoid the crunch of gravel, Laurel led the way onto the moonlit prairie. It wasn’t until they were well out of sight of the house that she relaxed a little. Now they just had to find Joey and Carly. Nodding at Coll, she sent Sam into a lope. They loped side by side until they neared the cliffs by the cave.

  Halting by the bush where they’d tied the horses before, Laurel peered into the shadows. “Joey? Carly? You here?” Her voice echoed oddly off the cliffs. “Do you see them?”

  “No. Are you sure this is where we’re supposed to meet them?” Coll sounded strained.

  Laurel’s heart kicked into double time. What if Carly caved and went home, what if she sold us out. Where are they? Laurel backed Sam up a few paces, ready to whirl and run. What if it’s a trap? Maybe Chance is just toying with me, waiting ’til I’m good and scared before he jumps me. That’d be just like him. “This is where we agreed. Something must have come up…”

  “Laurel! You here yet?” Joey’s harsh whisper came from behind them.

  Laurel pivoted Sam so quick the gelding snorted in surprise and shook his head. “Where’d you come from?” Her voice came out in a gasp.

  “Carly was afraid to wait any longer, so we went on a little reconnaissance mission.” Joey’s teeth flashed white in a grin.

  “I remembered hearing Chance bragging about how there were a couple of new catch pens nobody knew about. But I know where they are. Joey and I just got back from being sure I was right.” Carly emerged from the gloom mounted on a flashy pinto horse, one of the Good Smoke’s.

  “Did you start on them yet?” Laurel nudged Sam closer to her friend.

  Carly shook her head. “No time, we didn’t want to miss you guys.”

  “Okay, let’s roll,” Joey said. “You got a plan, Laurel?”

  She named off the locations she was aware of and motioned for Carly to add her information. “What if we split up. We can cover more ground, and,” she hesitated, “if some of us get caught, the other two will still be able to keep going.”

  “Let’s go. I can’t wait to wipe that smart ass look off Chance’s face.” Carly sounded grim. “Joey and I can take the pens I just found out about, then we can join you guys and help with the rest of them.”

  “If we get separated somehow, we’ll meet here at first light and try to find Coal and his mares. If we can get them hid somewhere and keep them hid, the men will have to give up for today anyway. If any of us have any bars we’ll text back and forth with how many pens we have left to take down,” Laurel announced.

  “Okay, see you in a few.” Carly and Joey loped off into the dark.

  Laurel and Coll took the path down into the coulee and found the first pen. Someone had repaired it since Laurel’s last visit, just like Cory Cullen boasted. She yanked the wire cutters and small axe out of her saddlebags and set to work. Coll moved to the far side, the satisfying sound of falling poles and splintering wood was music to Laurel’s ears. Once the pen was down, they dragged the poles and shoved them into the river. The water was still fast and swollen from the rain the night before and the current carried them downstream.

  “One down, four to go.” Laurel wiped her hands on her jeans.

  “Good work.” Coll pulled her close and kissed her.

  The horses seemed to enter into the spirit of the night, dancing playfully when the teens mounted up. The night wore on with no sign of any one waiting to ambush them. Laurel texted Joey periodically. Sometimes the message got through and other times there was no reply. The readout on her phone said it was 3 a.m. when they arrived at the third pen. Laurel hesitated before letting Sam move down into the small valley. “Something doesn’t feel right,” she whispered to Coll.

  “What do you see?” His breath stirred the hair by her ear.

  “Nothing. But it just feels…wrong. Shit!” She held Sam from bolting. Something big moved in the trees and low bushes by the head of the trap. “Coll…”

  A bull moose burst from the shadows, head up and snorting. “Back up, Coll. Slow and easy. Give him a way out.” Laurel moved Sam back.

  Coll followed, his eyes huge and staring in the light and shadow cast by the fading moonlight. “Bloody hell, that thing is huge! Is that a moose?”

  “A bull moose. Don’t get in its way. Just let it go wherever it wants.”

  The moose turned his beady eyes and shook his head again. He stamped his forefoot and snorted.

  “If it charges, turn and run. Try and get into the trees, get something between you and him,” Laurel kept her voice low and soft.

  “Easy for you to say,” Coll’s voice held an edge of hysteria. His nervous laugh came out sounding strangled.

  The moose gave one last loud snort before he turned and trotted off in the opposite direction. “Thank God.” Laurel let the tension drain out of her. A trickle of sweat ran down her spine and stuck her T-shirt to her back. “Okay, we’re wasting time. Let’s get this thing down before someone decides to get an early start.”

  Anxiety lent speed to their hands. Coll kept casting glances behind him and starting at every noise. Laurel’s nerves were on high alert as well, but she was more worried about the amount of time passing. It was 4 a.m. by the time they finished. Laurel checked the sky, already there was a faint grey cast to the eastern sky. Sunrise was around 5:45 a.m. but the light of false dawn would come around 5 a.m. Not much time left to get done what they needed to do. She pulled out her phone. There w
as finally a text from Joey.

  :Last 1 down. On our way to U:

  :1 left meet by river C any horses: Laurel texted back.

  :No horses:

  “Joey and Carly are gonna meet us at the last trap. They haven’t seen the horses yet either.” Laurel turned Sam’s head toward the south. “The last trap is near the reservation land. I sure hope Coal is over there. If we have to we’ll chase them onto the rez.”

  “Won’t that cause trouble for Joey and his dad?” Coll jogged at her side.

  “Probably. C’mon, we need to hurry. It’s gonna be light soon.” She urged Sam into a gallop, trusting him to avoid any holes or hidden obstacles.

  The sky was definitely getting lighter by the time Laurel she saw Joey and Carly waiting for them. The white markings on Carly’s pinto glowed in the faint light. Laurel pulled Sam up and leaned forward to catch her breath.

  “How’d it go?” Joey asked.

  “Good. Didn’t see a soul,” Laurel replied.

  “Except for a bloody big moose,” Coll exclaimed.

  “Moose?” Carly laughed. “Where’d you find a moose?”

  “By the last trap. Big bull, nice set of antlers on him.” Laurel shook her head. “Scared the crap out of us at first. I thought for sure it was one of the ranchers waiting to grab us.”

  “Let’s get moving. We still need to locate Coal and the mares,” Joey reminded them.

  The group attacked the last pen with a vengeance. Laurel kept glancing to the east as the light strengthened. Finally, the last pole dropped with a thud. She surveyed the mess with a satisfied smile. It wasn’t as complete a job as the others, but it wouldn’t be catching horses any time soon.

  “Way to go,” Carly cheered. “I wish I could see the look on Dad’s face when he sees what we’ve done.”

  “Might be just as well that we can’t,” Joey said. “I don’t want to be anywhere close when those guys discover the mess we’ve made.”

  “Probably right,” Coll agreed.

  “Let’s go find Coal and the mares. And any of the other horses. If we can drive them up into the hills they won’t be able to find them.”

  “What if we can’t get them hid in time?” Carly worried her bottom lip.

  Laurel glanced at Joey. “Your dad hasn’t managed to change the Council’s mind, has he? I was really hoping that would be an option.”

  “Nope. He said he was still gonna try, but…” Joey shrugged.

  “We’ll cross that bridge when we get there, I guess,” Laurel said. “We need to get moving and find Coal before they do.”

  Chapter Fourteen

  It was light enough to see clearly when they left the mangled catch pen. Adrenaline and relief trembled in Laurel’s hands, she flashed Coll a smile as they galloped out of the steep dead-end ravine. The first rays of sun just peeking through a gap in the hills lit his face and reflected in his wild eyes. Once safely out of sight of the destruction they caused, Joey halted and leaned his forearms on his saddle horn. Laurel and the others gathered around him.

  “What a rush!” Joey’s eyes gleamed, his expression alive with excitement. “Even if we catch hell, this morning was worth it.”

  Laurel patted Sam’s sweaty neck. “We still need to find Coal, our job’s only half done.” She paused. “But yeah! That was awesome. I can’t believe we pulled it off.”

  “I can’t believe Dad and Chance weren’t smart enough to have someone watching the pens,” Carly worried. “He’s so paranoid about everything, Dad I mean.”

  “Were there any cameras? I didn’t even think to check.” Joey frowned.

  “There’s no power out here, how would they hook them up?” Coll shifted in his saddle.

  “Trail cams, they have strong batteries. Guys use them to check out where animals hang out so they know where to hunt in the fall,” Joey explained.

  “Damn!” A shock of fear ran through her. Laurel pulled her phone out of her jacket pocket and stared at the caller ID. The ring tone shrilled in the early dawn silence.

  “Who is it?” Carly whispered

  “You gonna answer it?” Coll said at the same time.

  “It’s Dad. Shit.” She let it ring and stuck it back in her jacket. “I’m already in for it, he’ll demand I come home right now and I can’t. We have to find Coal.” She fished the phone back out and powered it off.

  Joey’s phone rang as they turned their horses toward where they hoped Coal and his band were grazing. “It’s my dad.” He looped his reins around the saddle horn. “Hey.” He was silent for a long moment while the horses picked their way across the dew wet prairie.

  “You know where I am. We’re trying to find Coal.”

  More silence.

  “Yeah, she’s with me. We’re all fine.”

  Silence again.

  “You’re right, it was dumb of us not to think about that.” He looked up and mouthed the word ‘cameras.’

  Laurel swore under her breath.

  “Good luck.” Joey ended the call and looked around at his co-conspirators. “We’re in deep shit. There were cameras at two of the catch pens. Cullen has been on the phone ranting to Dad, and to your dad, Laurel. They’ve kept him from calling the RCMP so far, but he’s freaking out big time. Dad wanted to warn us they’re on their way out here, he thinks a few of them have guns with them. He wants us to stay out of their way. Better the horses get shot than us.”

  “No way! Nobody’s shooting Coal or any of those horses.” Laurel’s worry about what her parents were going to do to her shoved to the back of her thoughts. “I bet I know where they are. It’s not far.” She kicked a startled Sam into a gallop.

  “Laurel, wait!” Coll’s voice was lost in the wind and thunder of her pulse. She hadn’t gone far before the other three caught up. “Blind Man’s Coulee,” she shouted. “He’s usually there in the morning.”

  Gunfire echoed across the prairie silencing the early morning chorus of bird song and the normal rustlings of animals looking for breakfast. Laurel met Joey’s startled gaze across the back of their galloping mounts. Coll kept looking over his shoulder and ducking.

  “It’s a long ways away. Sound travels pretty far out here,” Joey reassured him.

  When they neared Blind Man’s Coulee, Laurel slowed Sam and raised her hand. The horses dropped to a trot and then a walk. They stopped before reaching the edge of the deep valley. Laurel slid down from Sam and handed Coll her reins. Joey came up beside her.

  “If anyone shows up, you ride like hell,” he spoke directly to Carly. “Don’t let your dad get his hands on you. Especially right now.”

  Carly nodded, her face white and drawn beneath the brim of her hat.

  Laurel turned to Coll.

  “I’m not leaving without you, so get your arse back here in a hurry if we need to duck and dive.” Coll had the stubborn look on his face she knew so well.

  Joey and Laurel moved quietly to a vantage point where they could see most of the wide grassy area below them. “Do you see anything?” Joey whispered.

  “Maybe in that clump of trees?” Laurel pointed. “They have to be here, they just have to. We’re running out of time.”

  The bottom and far reaches of the coulee were still deep in shadow where the rising sun hadn’t penetrated yet. In the distance the sound of more gun shots and faint shouting carried to them on the morning breeze. Laurel pivoted and looked back the way they’d come. “You don’t think they found them first, do you? Maybe we should go find out where they are?”

  Joey’s phone buzzed, he yanked it out in annoyance before his expression relaxed. “Dad again. He says they haven’t found any horses yet, but Cullen is beyond pissed about his traps. Your dad is with them too.”

  “The traitor! He said he wouldn’t help with the cull,” Laurel seethed.

  “I think it’s you he’s worried about, not catching the horses.” Joey glanced at his screen which lit up with another incoming message. “Interesting.”

  “What?�
� Laurel’s tone was sharp.

  “Mrs. Cullen is with your mom, she packed up and left her husband this morning.”

  “Seriously?”

  “That’s all it says.” Joey shrugged.

  The deep throated bugle of a stallion echoed through the valley and off the steep sides. A black form materialized out of the shadows under the cottonwoods.

  “Coal,” Laurel breathed the word on an expelled breath. “Good boy! I knew he’d be here.”

  “Now what?” Joey leaned against a sandstone boulder, his eyes on the stallion advancing up the coulee, challenge in every stride. The horse’s loud snort sent the horses behind Laurel whickering in excitement.

  “Shut them up,” Laurel hissed at Carly and Coll. “We don’t need Coal any more worked up than he is.”

  “He must have caught their scent,” Joey said. “What do we do now, Laurel? This is your show.”

  “I know a quick way down. We can block the horses in and keep the men out.” She shot Joey a sidelong glance. “My contingency plan was to chase them unto the rez. They can’t follow them there.”

  “It might be okay, but I can’t guarantee the band won’t just round them up and hand them over or send them to auction themselves.” Joey straightened up. “Let’s go see what the others think.”

  Laurel took one last look at Coal who was rousing his herd, mares and babies on spindly legs emerging from the trees. The old chestnut lead mare took them to the water hole. She tore her attention from them and joined her friends.

  “There’s a way down I’ve used before. It’s a bit steep, but just don’t look down.” She grinned. “It’s way quicker than the way the men will take, and we need to get there first.”

  “What’s the plan?” Carly fidgeted with the end of her braid. Joey reached over and covered her hand with his.

  “I thought we’d try to keep the horses in the coulee and block the entrance, not let the men through,” Laurel explained.

  “How long do you think that will last? They’ll just run over top of us,” Carly objected.

  “Maybe. The other plan is to chase them onto the rez. It’s not perfect, but right now it’s the best I’ve got.”