Horse Tale (11 page)

Lisa grinned, pleased by the compliment. “Who do you want to see next?”

For the next couple of hours John kept Lisa and Chocolate working hard. By the time he finally seemed satisfied, Lisa’s stomach was growling. “Hey, I know us cowpokes are supposed to be hardy and everything, but does that mean we have to skip lunch?”

John glanced at his watch in surprise. “Wow, I didn’t even notice how late it was getting,” he exclaimed. “Sorry about that! Tell you what, I’ll make it up to you by showing you my favorite picnic spot. Come this way.”

He led her toward the trees. Dismounting, he loosened Peanuts’s girth and led him to the water hole. Lisa did the same with Chocolate. After the horses had had a drink, John and Lisa left them ground-tied nearby while they settled down to eat.

The spot John had selected—a small shady clearing among the trees, with a view of the water hole and the meadow beyond—
was
pretty, Lisa thought, and she told him so. “But I think I’m getting spoiled,” she said, thinking of Christine’s campsite. “There are so many beautiful spots around here.”

“It’s a beautiful land,” John said, biting into a peanut-butter sandwich. “I don’t think I could live anywhere else.”

“That sort of reminds me,” Lisa said with a gulp. “I really do want to apologize for the way I acted the other night—you know, when you said you didn’t think Stevie should buy Stewball.”

John shrugged. “That’s all right,” he said. “You had a right to be upset. It’s really not my business what Frank and Stevie decide to do as far as Stewball’s concerned.”

“I realized later that what you were saying made a lot of sense,” Lisa said. “But when you said it, I just automatically jumped to Stevie’s defense without thinking about it.”

“That just shows you’re a good friend,” he replied. “I understand.”

“Good,” Lisa said, feeling relieved. “So you’re not mad at me for running off like that?”

“Not at all,” John said. “To tell you the truth, I never was mad, just worried. I thought I’d hurt your feelings, or maybe frightened you—after all, I am a couple of years older than you are. I was sure I’d really messed up.”

“I didn’t think of it that way,” Lisa said. “Anyway, people are always telling me how mature I am for my age.”

“Yes, but what they usually mean is that you get good grades and stuff,” John said. “Not that you’re any wiser or more experienced than other people your age.”

Lisa shrugged. “I guess you’re right.” She wondered if that meant he thought she was a baby. To make sure he didn’t, she decided to take the initiative—she leaned over and kissed him.

He seemed surprised but pleased, and he kissed her back. But after a moment they heard noises coming from the herd. John broke away and looked down the hill. “I wonder what’s wrong with the horses?” he said.

“I don’t know,” Lisa replied, a little breathless from the kiss, which had been just as wonderful as the first one.

“They seem edgy,” John said. He frowned. “I really hate to say it, but I think we should get down there and get them away from here. There might be a predator hanging around the water hole.”

He stood up and reached down to help Lisa to her feet. They quickly gathered up the remains of their lunch and hurried to the spot where they had left Chocolate and Peanuts. The two horses were well trained and so were right where they had left them, but they were obviously nervous. Lisa and John tightened the girths on their saddles, mounted, and rode toward the herd.

“It’s a good thing we were here,” John said, glancing back at the stand of trees surrounding the water hole. “From the way the horses are acting, I have a strong feeling there’s a visitor lurking back there that likes horses—for lunch.”

Lisa shuddered at the thought. She wondered if the predator liked people for lunch, too. But she didn’t have long to think about that. She and John had work to do.

L
UCKILY THE HORSES
were nervous enough about whatever they had sensed nearby that they were willing to abandon the water hole and the tasty grass without much prodding. John and Lisa herded them in the direction of the ranch and managed to keep them moving until they were a safe distance from the stand of trees and whatever might be hiding there. By that time the house and barn were within sight.

“I guess we should just head back,” John said, wiping his brow and gazing out over the herd. The horses had already settled down to their grazing again, the danger past. “It’s almost dinnertime, and besides, I’m beat.”

“Me, too,” Lisa agreed quickly, and she meant it. Their kiss seemed like a pleasant but distant memory now after the hard work of herding. “I guess it will be an early night for everyone,” she added.

“I guess so,” John said. He glanced at her. “I hope you’re still planning to come along tomorrow morning to bring in the horses for the auction.”

“I wouldn’t miss it for the world,” Lisa assured him. And she definitely meant that, too.

B
Y DAWN THE
next day everyone at The Bar None was up and busy. Carole and Kate headed into the kitchen to help Phyllis finish the food preparation while Stevie and Lisa rode out with Frank, Walter, and John to bring in the horses.

“Stewball sure is antsy this morning,” Stevie remarked as she mounted. He hadn’t seemed able to hold still while she was saddling him up.

“I guess he didn’t like spending the night in the corral,” John said. To save time, John and Walter had left Stewball and the other four horses in the corral instead of turning them out with the herd as usual.

Stevie laughed as Stewball tossed his head and snorted. “Well, at least he’s got plenty of energy for the work he’s about to do.”

It didn’t take the riders long to find the herd; it was still
more or less where John and Lisa had left it the evening before.

“Good,” Frank commented. “That makes things easier. Once the horses we want are separated, we won’t have far to bring them.”

“Let’s get to work,” Walter said. He squinted at the herd. “You checked them over yesterday, didn’t you, John?”

John nodded and rode over to join the two men. As they discussed which horses would be auctioned off, Stevie and Lisa watched the herd.

“They sure look peaceful, don’t they?” Lisa commented.

Before Stevie could answer, John came riding over. “Time to quit yapping and start working,” he told them.

“Just tell us what to do,” Stevie said.

“Well, for starters you could head off that black gelding who’s trying to sneak away,” John said, pointing. “He must have heard he was going to be sold.”

The girls looked where he was pointing and laughed. “He does look like he’s trying to sneak away without being noticed,” Lisa said. While most of the other horses were grazing calmly, this particular horse, a black quarter horse gelding with three white feet, seemed to be sidling away on the outskirts of the herd.

Frank rode over and noticed where they were looking. He grinned. “That’s Midnight. I don’t know where he thinks he’s going, but I guess someone had better stop him.”

“Leave him to me and Stewball,” Stevie declared. She sent Stewball toward the black gelding.

Stewball’s ears perked forward as they approached the herd, and he seemed to know exactly what was expected of him. The black gelding tried to avoid him, backing away and then quickly dodging behind a nearby mare. Before Stevie could make any sort of signal, Stewball responded. Quick as a wink he was behind Midnight, nudging him forward. Midnight took a few steps in the direction Stewball wanted him to go, then whirled and raced away from the herd in the opposite direction. Stewball followed. A second later he caught, passed, and cut off Midnight. The black gelding continued to resist for a few more minutes; in fact, Stevie would have sworn he was actually having fun doing it. But finally he seemed to realize he was no match for Stewball, and he gave up. Soon he was ambling obediently ahead of Stewball.

“Wasn’t Stewball great?” Stevie exclaimed breathlessly as they approached the others. “He did all the work—all I had to do was hold on!”

“He was terrific,” Lisa said sincerely. If she had thought Chocolate was good the day before, Stewball had just demonstrated that he was even faster and more skilled.

“I have a feeling Midnight here was one of our toughest customers,” John said. “He’s almost as much of a troublemaker as … well, Stewball!”

The others laughed. Then they got back to work. Walter pointed out two more horses, and Stevie and John went to get them. As they brought them over to join Midnight, Lisa
and Walter took over, keeping the new, smaller group of horses separate from the main herd.

Stevie was enjoying herself immensely. It seemed that all she had to do was point Stewball at a horse and he took care of the rest. John had been right; most of the horses put up far less resistance than Midnight had. They were used to being rounded up and didn’t seem to mind it. Still, Stevie estimated that she and Stewball brought them in almost twice as fast as John and Peanuts did.

“That horse is about one-half quarter horse and three-quarters sheepdog,” Walter remarked as Stevie and Stewball brought in a frisky chestnut mare.

Stevie thought that while Walter’s math left something to be desired, he was absolutely right. “He’s some horse, isn’t he?” she commented proudly, giving Stewball a fond pat. Then Frank pointed out a pinto he wanted brought in, and Stewball darted off in pursuit.

When they had finished, they rode back toward the ranch, herding the auction horses before them. As they reached the edge of the pasture, they saw Kate and Carole waiting at the gate. The two girls waved.

“We thought you’d never get back,” Kate called out with a grin.

“Yeah,” Carole added. “We’ve been waiting for ages!”

They swung open the pasture gate, and Kate ran ahead to open the one to the corral. Before long all the horses were inside.

“Guess what job Kate and I just volunteered us all for
next,” Carole said, hurrying over to join Stevie and Lisa as they dismounted.

“We’re supposed to groom all these horses so they’ll look their best for the customers,” Kate answered before Stevie and Lisa could guess.

“Great,” Stevie said. “But first I want to give Stewball a good grooming. He’s been working hard and he deserves it.”

She led him into the barn. Lisa followed with Chocolate. Carole and Kate volunteered to take care of the other three horses so that Frank, Walter, and John could get started on the next of the dozen things they had to do before the customers started arriving.

The four girls chatted as they unsaddled and groomed the horses. Stevie and Lisa described their cutting expedition, and Carole and Kate described all the scrumptious things they had helped Phyllis to prepare.

Carole interrupted her praise of Phyllis’s secret-recipe blueberry cobbler to comment, “Hey, Stevie, Stewball seems a little restless.”

It was true. While the other horses were relaxed and seemed to be enjoying their grooming, Stewball kept impatiently shifting his weight, shaking his head, and generally fussing and fidgeting.

Stevie shrugged. Carole noticed that her friend had a slight frown on her face. But Stevie answered cheerfully enough. “He’s still excited about the roundup,” she explained. “Besides, Stewball isn’t a fussed-over kind of horse.”

Lisa raised her eyebrows and glanced at Stewball over Chocolate’s back. “That’s odd, isn’t it? I thought most horses loved to be groomed.”

“Remember, Max is always telling us that every horse is an individual,” Stevie said. “Stewball just asserts his individuality by not liking to be groomed much. He cares more about how he works than how he looks.”

Lisa raised her eyebrows even higher at that, but didn’t reply.

“I guess he won’t be winning many ribbons in Fitting and Showing back East, will he?” Kate commented quietly. An impeccable grooming was essential to doing well in a Fitting and Showing event in a horse show.

“Don’t be silly,” Stevie replied with a touch of annoyance in her voice. “He’ll stand still to be groomed if he knows it’s important. Besides, Stewball will blow them away in the more exciting events. He’s already proved how naturally talented he is in dressage and jumping, right?”

“Well, all right,” Kate said noncommittally. Stevie didn’t seem to notice that it really wasn’t much of an answer.

Stevie reached into her pocket and found the sugar lump she had put there at breakfast. Stewball crunched on it happily, standing still long enough for Stevie to complete the grooming hurriedly.

When they had all finished, the girls led the horses out of the barn and across the yard to the pasture gate.

“Good job this morning, Stewball,” Stevie told the horse, giving him a quick hug before releasing him into the pasture.
“Now your reward is that you get to play with your friends for the rest of the day.”

As if understanding her words, Stewball raised his head and sniffed the air, apparently trying to locate the herd. Stevie’s eyes were glued to the horse. She was spellbound by how free he looked as he gazed out over his domain, his mane softly ruffled by the slight morning breeze. Finally Stewball found the smell he was looking for. He snorted, shook his head, and broke into a frolicking gallop toward the herd, which was just visible on a rise of land across the pasture. The other four horses followed Stewball’s lead as he let out a whinny.