By the time Sierra returned with Max to the crossties, Beverly, Merv, and Ken were in a huddle by the truck. Beverly had pulled out an umbrella which she held over her head with one hand while she waved the other around animatedly. Merv glowered at the ground in front of him, kicking bits of gravel with the toe of his boot. Ken, still with an astonished look on his face, let his eyes wander toward the lane where he had watched River and Cory disappear.
Her heart aching, Sierra hastily ran a brush over Max’s back and saddled him. Before leading him out, she gathered up an extra stable blanket and a rain poncho, folding them into a bundle, and then tied a lead rope around it. She slipped on her own poncho and led Max out, avoiding looking over at the hostile group by the truck.
Reaching the mounting block by the field, she mounted awkwardly, holding her bundle under one arm. “It’s a good thing nothing fazes you,” she said to Max good-naturedly, as all he did was blink as the bundle bumped against his off side. Then she turned his head toward the trail and let him plod at his usual pokey pace, only using her legs when he tried to stop and graze.
River could have taken one of many loops of the trail but she had a pretty good idea where he had gone. She turned Max off the main trail at a junction with a side trail that led out of the woods to a drainage pond and an open grassy area. Almost there, Max emitted a loud whinny, and moments later, an answering call blasted through the air that she recognized as Cory. She rode onto the grass to find River hunching his shoulders and shivering with cold, standing next to Cory while he grazed.
“Hi,” she greeted him, coming up alongside and dismounting.
“Is Tess mad?” he asked through chattering teeth.
“Of course she’s mad, but not at you,” Sierra said softly. Her heart wrenched into pieces at the sight of his miserable appearance and the despair evident on his face. “When that awful woman was making threats to bring a deputy, Tess told me to come after you, but she told me to take Max.”
The corners of River’s mouth curled up slightly at hearing that.
“I think Tess is hoping she’ll give up and go away. Here,” Sierra handed over the blanket and then the poncho.
Gratefully River wrapped the blanket around his shoulders and then slipped the poncho over his head. Cory brought his head up to nuzzle at the strange attire on the boy, assuring himself the scent was still that of River before he dropped his head back to nip at the grass. River stroked his neck and then leaned his forehead against his horse’s warm, damp hair.
Sierra stood quietly waiting, guiding the sagging ends of Max’s bridle reins to keep him from stepping on them as he clipped blades of grass with his teeth. She could think of nothing to say other than, ‘we better go back’, and she just couldn’t say those words.
“I have to load him,” River said bitterly, the words muffled against Cory’s neck. Then with a shudder of his shoulders and the anguish evident in his voice he added, “How can I betray him like that?” He turned his head away from his horse to look at her.
Sierra briefly met his eyes that pleaded for an answer, but she ducked her head, for of course she had none.
“I was the one who loaded Magic when he went off to the show where he broke his leg. I was the one who loaded Diva when she strained her tendon, even though I knew she shouldn’t compete that day. So how can I load Cory to send him away? I just can’t.”
The rain had dissipated to a steady drizzle. Cory at least looked warm and relaxed, with a waterproof blanket on. But River’s clothes had soaked through before Sierra arrived with the blanket and poncho. He shivered again involuntarily and his teeth chattered. He had to clench his jaw before he could continue. “It’s so wrong. How can I ask a horse to trust me and then load him up in a trailer to send him off to a bad home where he’s going to be scared and mistreated?”
“At least that Cormack woman isn’t going to keep him. Maybe the one who bought him will be different. After all, if they’re paying eighty thousand dollars for him they must want him really bad, and I would think they would take good care of him.” Sierra tried to sound hopeful.
“Somehow, I don’t believe anyone is buying him for eighty thousand. I don’t understand what kind of scam is going on, but I am sure it’s a scam.”
“Maybe…I don’t know. I think Tess thinks the same thing. I think she tried all she could to keep Cory.”
“I guess.”
“Tess is really on your side,” Sierra said, and as she made the statement, discovered she believed it to be the truth.
“She recognizes a scam when it’s in her face. Nobody likes to be cheated.”
“Give her a little credit,” Sierra said softly.
He nodded and to her surprise, agreed with her. “I do. I actually give her a lot of credit. Even though we don’t always get along, she has always been on my side.”
“That’s nice of you to admit that.”
He made a soft snorting sound. “When she was engaged to my father, I thought she was trying to be my mother and I really resented her for that. But even after she broke off the engagement, she still did things for me. Tess is the one who bought my school clothes and stuff I needed every year because my aunt sure never would have. She got me on her car insurance so I could drive. My phone is on her account. And you know all she did for me when I was in the hospital; getting stuff together to get me emancipated.” He flashed a meaningful look at Sierra. “She uses me, but I think she does care about me too.”
“Yeah, I think she cares.”
“Even so, I don’t think she would have done so much to keep Cory if he weren’t such a talented horse. Cory’s been good for Pegasus and I know she had hopes of the Olympics for him.”
“I suppose.”
They stood together, shoulder to wet shoulder, moving with the horses as they grazed, listening to the sound of their teeth as they snapped and pulled blades of slippery grass.
“River, we should go back,” Sierra finally said the words when he shivered again ending with another chatter of his teeth.
He nodded, and touched Cory’s neck, speaking softly to him until he raised his head and nuzzled at him. Then he came over to Max’s shoulder and gave Sierra a leg up back into the saddle. He attached the lead rope Sierra had brought to Cory’s halter and led him next to a rock, where he stepped up and slid onto his horse’s blanketed back. “Lead the way,” he called out to Sierra, and they despondently made their way back to the stable.
As they walked the horses back up the hill, Enrique came running down to meet them, slowing to a walk a few feet away so as not to startle the horses. “Pleez, ‘urry,” he beckoned to them, and then burst into a stream of Spanish, his grasp of English not as good as Manuel’s. But Sierra recognized the word policia.
“He says the police are here,” River translated, “and they’re coming after me. The woman wants them to arrest me. Tess sent Enrique to hurry us back.”
“Oh, River,” Sierra gasped. They did pick up the pace slightly once up the hill and then down the lane to the stable yard. She shuddered at the sight of those waiting.
Two deputies stood next to Tess facing Beverly who gesticulated at them with the point of her furled umbrella, frequently jabbing it in the direction of the lane. Merv and Ken stood a few feet behind her. Manuel waited at the top of the lane, watching for the horses. Hearing horses’ hooves, everyone looked up and then turned toward the lane. Merv, the first one to move, broke away and started walking toward them. Corazón snorted and planted his feet.
“Sierra, tell them to stay back and give me some room,” River asked as he turned to Cory to soothe him.
“Please, stay away,” Sierra called out, leading Max ahead with Enrique close behind. “Please, River says he’ll load him. If you stay out of his way, he’ll get it done much quicker.” With a horse in hand and Enrique at her side, they blocked Merv from coming any closer.
“I don’t need some kid…” Merv spat out, but fortunately, Tess spoke to one of the deputies and
he strode forward to place a restraining hand on Merv’s shoulder and steered him back away.
With the lane cleared, River was able to lead Cory on. Murmuring reassurances every few steps, River led his horse to the strange trailer. When Cory stopped up short before the ramp, snorting in loud huffs, River let him paw and smell the ramp, allowing him time to adjust to the sight and smell of the interior. Then River stepped up onto the ramp and without hesitation, Cory followed the boy he trusted into the trailer’s stall.
Merv and Ken quickly came over and closed up the ramp and doors. “Let’s go,” Merv said triumphantly, and as he walked past the side on the trailer, he slapped the palm of his hand loudly against the side, causing a metal clang to ring out. He laughed at the sound of the horse shifting inside the trailer.
Merv slipped in behind the wheel of the truck and started the engine, and Ken got into the back seat. Sierra saw the two deputies talking with Tess and Beverly for a few minutes, but she could not hear any of the conversation. She hoped Beverly was not still trying to get them to arrest River. She took a deep breath of relief when the two officers walked away to their parked car and got in. Beverly strode over to the truck and climbed into the passenger seat. Merv leaned out the window to yell at Sierra, “He better get out of there; I’m leaving!”
River emerged from the escape hatch near the front of the trailer, and then secured the latch. He barely had time to step out of the way before Merv put the truck into gear to move the trailer forward in an arc heading for the driveway. Just as he straightened and pulled onto the drive, Corazón emitted a loud, frightened neigh.
Those watching stood by helplessly as River took a few steps after the receding trailer, interpreting the resounding whinnies of his panicked horse as cries for help. Then he threw his arms up in despair and with a howl of helpless rage, turned and ran, heading off somewhere behind the stable. Sierra caught one brief glance of his face with streaks of moisture running down his cheeks that she did not think came from the rain.
Still holding Max’s reins, Sierra thrust them at Enrique. “Take him, please,” she asked. Enrique obliged, and she took off in a run to follow River.
She followed him to the lower paddock and into the stall where they had kept Corazón when he first came to Pegasus. River paced from one corner to the other, stopping to beat his fists against the wall and cry out angrily before turning to pace back the other way.
‘River, don’t!” she cried out, catching sight of a bloody scrape from where he banged the side of his fist against the rough wall. Storm cowered near the door, too frightened to go any closer. She whined in relief when she saw Sierra and came over to lean against her legs.
“Go away, Sierra,” he shouted at her. “Go away, before I hurt you too.”
Shaking her head no, she stood helplessly, watching him resume his pacing.
“I’m not…” he choked out on a sob, “good for anything. I couldn’t,” he backed against the stall’s wall with his fists raised above his head. “I couldn’t save him…” He slammed his fists against the wall before clutching his head as he slid to the ground. There he dug his fingers into his arms as he hugged himself as tight as he could to keep himself from exploding. But he could not hold tight enough and he doubled over as his body exploded into wrenching, strangled-sounding sobs.
What can I do…what can I do? Sierra stumbled forward through her own tears and slid down next to him. “I’m not leaving you.” With nothing else to say, she stayed silently at his side and waited.
*****
Oh, my poor, poor boy, Tess moaned inwardly watching River run away, even as her face creased into a deep frown with wrinkled brow and her mouth tight; the angry expression the only way Tess knew how to disguise her emotions in front of the hired hands.
“I do not feel good for Reever,” Manuel said, stating simply what they all were feeling.
“No, neither do I,” Tess admitted, her frown contorting into a deeper grimace in order to hold back tears. “Well, let’s leave them alone for awhile. Sierra is the best thing for him right now.” Tess looked at her watch. With the distraction of Corazón’s departure, Tess knew Sierra had not been able to ride her assigned horse. Tess’s scheduled student after Mary had called this morning to cancel since her horse had lost a shoe, and Tess made a sudden decision. “Enrique, which horse was Sierra supposed to ride today?”
“De leetle black one, Fala,” Enrique answered.
It always amazed Tess that Enrique, who could barely speak English and she knew certainly couldn’t read English, always knew which horses were expected to go out on what days. Maybe Manuel read the schedule to him, but even so, he remembered perfectly. “Could you bring her in and tack her up for the trail?”
“Si, claro,” he answered and eagerly turned away, leading Max, glad to have an excuse to escape the thick melancholy air surrounding them all.
It had been a few years since Tess had ridden on trails. She spent her riding time schooling the horses in the arena and over jumps, leaving the conditioning trail rides to the kids. Now on the back of Fala, who willingly walked out at a brisk pace, even breaking into a trot that Tess allowed her to keep up for a short distance; she realized how much she was missing. Trail riding was so much more relaxed for both horse and rider. The rain had subsided to barely a mist that Tess actually found soothing in her present mood. Not having to concentrate on the correctness of Fala’s position and gaits, she could let her mind wander, or even think of nothing at all; just breathe in the fresh smells of wet evergreens and damp vegetation in the surrounding woods.
Manuel and Enrique were bringing in the last of the horses by the time Tess returned from the trail. “River and Sierra haven’t come back yet?”
Manuel shook his head no.
Enrique stepped out of the stable to take Fala’s reins from her. “I take care of dees one, Mees Tess.”
“Thank you.” She gave Fala a pat on the neck, and then steeling her nerves and replacing the stern look on her face, set off on her search.
She found Sierra and River in the old stall by the lower paddock sitting together on the ground and clinging to each other, and his dog lying at their feet. River’s anguished sobs had finally subsided to sniffles but he still could not raise his head.
Oh dear. Tess’s heart contracted in sympathy, but such displays made her very uncomfortable. “River, you can’t sit here any longer in wet clothes.” She walked over to them and placed her hand on his shoulder. Sierra looked up with a tear-streaked face, but River did not move. “Come, get up,” Tess ordered as softly as she could.
“River, let’s get up,” Sierra whispered, relieved that Tess had come to help, for she had been unable to get River to move once he had given in to her presence and had pulled her against his chest, clinging to her.
“You’re going to catch pneumonia,” Tess warned, now grabbing underneath his arm, trying to urge him to his feet. Sierra shifted away, and River let her go, bringing his arm up to his face to wipe away the dampness from his tears and dripping from his nose. He let Tess pull him to his feet and guide him out of the stall with Sierra holding his other arm.
They steered him back up the hill and into the lounge.
“Sierra, go up to his room and find some dry clothes,” Tess commanded, taking charge. “River, get out of those wet things now.” She gently pushed him into the bathroom, turned on the shower to let it start warming up, and then left, closing the door behind her.
Sierra came back downstairs carrying a pair of flannel pajama bottoms and a sweatshirt. She found Tess in the kitchen area opening a can of soup and the electric kettle turned on.
“He has to eat whether he likes it or not,” Tess said, busily spooning soup from the can into a bowl, and then into the microwave to heat.
Sierra nodded in agreement, recognizing Tess’s activity as necessary for her right now. She opened the bathroom door just enough to set the clothes inside on the sink counter and then joined Tess in the kitchen area
.
“Do you know if there are any tea bags in here?” Tess asked.
“I think so.” Sierra went to the cupboard where she knew coffee, coffee filters, and such things were stocked by Rosa for the community coffee pot. She found a basket with an assortment of teas and brought it out.
“Pick out one, something like chamomile.” The microwave dinged and Tess took the soup out, stirred it, and placed it back in for another minute of heating.
“I don’t think I’ve ever seen River drink tea,” Sierra said.
“My mother swore by tea for everything from tragedy to dying. I actually have found it comforting.”
Sierra smiled. She liked this bustling, maternal side of Tess. She selected an herbal peppermint-chamomile blend and dropped the tea bag into the mug Tess had waiting by the electric kettle. She could hear the water hissing and then begin to boil. When the pot automatically shut off, she poured the steaming water over the tea bag and distracted herself with dunking the bag up and down in the water.
They both looked up when they heard the water in the shower turn off. The microwave dinged again and Tess pulled the soup out, stirred it, and satisfied it was hot enough, set it on the table with a spoon and napkin. “Put a little honey in the tea,” she told Sierra.
Searching through the cupboard, Sierra found a bear-shaped container of honey which she took down and squirted a generous amount into the tea. As she carried the mug to the table, River came out of the bathroom, dressed in the clothes Sierra had brought down, and toweling his wet hair. He kept his face hidden with the towel and his question came out muffled. “What are you two doing here?”
“Don’t be rude, River,” Tess said. “You have to eat and I knew you wouldn’t if we don’t make you.”
“I’m not hungry.”
“Of course you’re not. Sit down here.” Tess pulled the chair out in front of the place they had set for him.
For The Love of Horses (Pegasus Equestrian Center) Page 20