Morning Star (4 page)

Travers said nothing. The last he'd heard the girl was dying. Rumor had it she had an incurable life threatening disease.

His sons pushed the horses through the open gate. With the last of the group secured, Nate closed and locked the gate. 

"What's your plans with this bunch?" Travers asked once Nate had mounted his horse.

"No plans currently." Nate walked Betsy to the fence line. "Some breeding maybe. Build up the herd. Then some may go on the market."

Travers took a pack of cigarettes from his breast pocket. He showed them to Nate who shook his head.

"Quit three months ago."

"Good for you."

Travers popped one in his mouth. He lit a match the cowboy way, with a flick of his thumb, put it to the tobacco and took a deep drag.

"They say seventy eight's going to be a good year for horse trading."

"Hope so," Nate said. 

"Still interested in the big black. I want a call before he goes to market."

"He's not going to market, Bill." Nate tipped his hat to Travers and his sons and gave Betsy's reins a tug. She knew the rest. 

“Coming, Morning Star?” Nate said as he passed the big horse.

The horse looked back at the fence then rose up on his hind legs and snorted loudly. Travers saw all ten horses in the herd turn toward the sound.

Morning Star hit the ground running. He quickly galloped to the front of the horses and without hesitation the herd followed him toward the ranch.

Bill Travers rose up in his saddle. “You see that boys. There’s a horse that takes command.”

"He's lyin' bout that horse Pa. No way it jumped  that bob wire," Tommy said from behind him.

"It's barbed wire son, and I believe the horse did jump it," his father said without turning around.

"It's bull." Tommy shouted loud enough for Nate to hear before he took off across the open plain leaving his father and brother behind.

"He's high strung Pa," Curtis said in his brother's defense.

Travers said nothing. His mind was on other things.

He stayed high in the saddle until the horses were out of sight. Then turned southward as he pushed his horse into a brisk trot. He didn’t say a word the entire trip back. He was thinking.

12

Dannie wanted to walk but Nurse Edmonton had other ideas, none of which involved Dannie leaving her bed.

"When my dad gets back, he'll let me walk."

"Your dad's not here. So what I say goes." 

The nurse took Dannie's breakfast tray from in front of her. She had hardly touched her scrambled eggs and barely made a dent in her bowl of cereal.

"What's all this commotion about?" Cindy stood in the hallway. She normally worked Saturdays at her veterinary practice in town. Her work schedule had taken a significant hit when Dannie became ill. Another vet made up the hours in her place.

"The little one wants to frolic outdoors. She needs her rest."

The nurse always referred to Dannie as the little one. It seemed impersonal to Cindy, but she let it slide.

"It's a nice morning. I would think that a little fresh air would do her good." Cindy replied.

"I don't think it would," the nurse said in a
this matter's closed
fashion. 

Cindy thought it time to pull rank. "I'm Nathan's fiancé, soon to be the little one's stepmother, and I'm saying a few minutes outdoors won't hurt her."

Dannie sat up in bed. "You and dad are getting married?"

Cindy realized she might have made a mistake. Evidently her father had not yet given her the news.

"Your father asked me to marry him last night. I said yes."

"Whoopee!" Dannie yelled, causing her nurse to flinch. "It's about time."

Cindy didn't know what to say. Dannie's response relieved her greatly. Katy Walker weighed heavily on her mind whenever she was with Dannie. The memories of her mother were cherished treasures, each one a separate shining jewel. She knew she  could never replace a single one. She didn't want to. She wanted Dannie to remember her mother as a loving presence. Someone who had loved her as equally as she loved Dannie and her father now.    

Cindy sat down on the bed and took Dannie's hand.

"Can we have a minute, nurse?" 

The nurse left the room, tray in hand, her lips pursed in annoyance.

"Bad attitude," Dannie said when she was out of earshot.

"She's trying Dannie. She means well."

"I guess," Dannie said.

Their eyes met. "Is it too soon?" Cindy asked.

Dannie knew what she meant. "No," she replied.

Cindy lowered her eyes. They were no longer in the hospital. Crying was allowed.

"My father will need someone when I'm gone," Dannie said. "You can comfort him."

Cindy raised her head. "You're not going anywhere Dannie. I swear you are not going anywhere."

Dannie smiled. She reached up and brushed a tear from Cindy's eye.

"Sorry," Cindy murmured. The child had become the comforter. The adult, the one in need.

"It's okay," Dannie said. The little one. The girl who knew much more than she spoke. She could feel it inside of her. Something awful trying to take her over. She could hold it back now, but it got a little stronger each day. Soon she would not be able to control it. Soon it would control her.

"When are you getting married? Can I call you mom now?"

Cindy had words to say, questions to ask. Suddenly the need for them went away. 

"Soon. We're getting married soon, and yes, you can call me mom now."

"Okay mom, so how about pulling rank and getting me outside."

Nurse Edmonton shook her head but didn't say a word as Cindy carried Dannie out the front door. She lowered her to the ground at the foot of the porch steps. 

They walked slowly, hand in hand, to the corral. All of the horses were out of their stalls and running freely in the spacious enclosure. The corral, unlike the remaining property, had a five foot tall wooden fence. Dannie could see through the slats, however she preferred the view from the top. The previous year she would have scurried up the slats with ease. This morning Cindy lifted her.

She sat on the two by six board. Cindy climbed halfway up the fence and secured Dannie's waist with one hand, the other gripped the fence.

"Where's Morning Star?" Dannie asked.

"He might have gone with your father to see the new arrivals." Cindy looked over the herd and hoped everything was okay.

"There!" Dannie yelled and pointed straight ahead. 

A group of horses galloped toward them in the distance. A large dark blue horse led the way.

"Morning Star," Dannie shouted and the horse's gallop became a sprint. He left the other horses in his wake and made for the corral in record time.

"Do it Morning Star. Do it."

Cindy held the child tightly. The hair on her arms stood on end, a regular occurrence as of late. 

The horse never broke stride as he neared the wooden barrier. When he was several feet from it, he flung himself in the air and took the fence in one magnificent leap. He hit the ground running.

"Show off," Dannie said, and she laughed. 

Cindy tried to speak. "I" was only word that came out.

The horses in the corral moved apart as Morning Star ran through them. He stopped when he reached Dannie.

"Hi Boy," she said and reached forward. She rubbed his forehead. The horse's dark blue coat glistened.

Morning Star whinnied and raised his head to the girl. For a moment no one spoke. Something about the horse's eyes drew Cindy. Something strange and wonderful flashed about in each pupil. She thought of shooting stars high above the earth.

"You see them too?" Dannie asked in a whisper.

"Yes, I see them." Cindy felt a calming peace spread through her. The feeling wrapped around her like a blanket.  

"Don't be afraid." Dannie said and then she said something that Cindy never forgot for the remainder of her days.

"You can sometimes see heaven if you look hard enough and if you know what to look for."

13

"My two favorite girls," Nate said as he drew nearer. The new lot had been secured in the corral. Introductions were now taking place in the form of nudging, whinnying, and running in groups of two or more.

"It was my idea to bring her here," Cindy said.

"Actually it was my idea," Dannie added. "Go on boy, join your friends." She patted the horse's head who then snorted and galloped off. Within seconds he was playing with several of the others.

"It makes no difference who suggested it. It's a good idea."

"Tell that to Nurse Edmonton. She didn't care much for it." Cindy said.

"Nurse Edmonton doesn't care much for anything that involves fun, right Dan?"

"Right dad."

Her father moved Betsy in closer and held out his arms. "Wanna ride?"

Dannie raised her arms and her father plucked her off her perch. He moved back in the saddle. Dannie sat in front of him. His free arm held her tight. He gripped the reins.

"Ready?" he asked.

Dannie nodded and Betsy trotted forward. After a while the mare broke into a slow steady gait. Morning Star trotted beside them and for those moments nothing in the world could have been better.

"I want to ride Morning Star one day soon," she said above the noise of the hoof beats.

"You'll need to get your strength back first." Nate knew that wouldn't happen. He didn't want to get her hopes up but he could not deny her the happiness of the thought. 

Dannie once again lay in her bed under the watchful eye of her nurse. Her morning in the sun had worn her out. She would sleep for a while and smiled as she closed her eyes. The awful thing that had taken root inside of her had fallen asleep. Please don't wake up, she thought to herself. Please don't ever wake up.

14

"I told her we were engaged to be married. I'm sorry. I thought you had already told her."

He
had
told her, first thing that morning. It was Dannie's idea to play dumb about it. "Did she seem happy with the news?"

"She did, Nate. Thank God because I thought she might resent me for trying to take the place of her mother."

"She knows I love you. She loves you too. She's happy for the both of us."

They sat on the front porch of the ranch. Each held a glass of cold iced tea. The pitcher stood on a small table between the two. In front of them the horses socialized in the corral. Morning Star and a few others gathered around the trough. 

"It looks like Morning Star is waiting for you. Maybe you should grab a bar of soap and head down there." Cindy said between sips.

"I'm fine. I showered this morning. I seem to recollect I had company."

"Oops. Forgot. Sorry."

"And here I thought I left an impression."

"Oh you did, the night before."

They had been living together a short while. Cindy moved in not long after Dannie became sick. He wanted her near, needed her near. Cindy was twenty six years old, back from four years at Washington State University with a degree in Veterinary Medicine in her back pocket. She set up shop downtown, taking over the Hillsborough Pet Clinic from a retiring Burt Callahan who had the distinction of being the only animal doctor in Franklin County. 

Later, when the cattle industry boom became too much for her to handle by herself, she hired Peggy Denton, a vet from two counties over. Cindy's mother helped out as a part-time receptionist.

Several months after Katy died, she was summoned to The Rising Sun to help deliver a foal. She remembered Nate being in a panic. The baby had twisted inside the mare and it needed to be brought out by hand.

She was able to save the baby and its mother while both Nate and Dannie stood nearby. Nate spoke softly to Dannie, who had her eyes shut and cried softly. Afterwards, both were all smiles, and she had become the evening's hero.

Nate asked her to stay for a cup of coffee but she politely turned down the offer choosing to go home and take a shower instead. A vase of flowers greeted her when she arrived at the Hillsborough Animal Hospital the next morning. A one word note came with it. The note read
COFFEE?
 

This time she took him up on the offer and one thing led to another. They dated each other in a tentative manner. She knew it would be awkward at first. She and Katy had become friends in the months before she died. Katy would come by the clinic just to  talk. She found that they not only shared a love for animals but also shared a peculiar sense of humor, laughing at things others might find grim.

After Katy became sick, Cindy popped in on her from time to time at The Rising Sun. Katy, so weak and frail near the end, still laughing, still so
alive
.

"You take care of him," Katy said to her on the last visit. "He'll need someone, and I want it to be you."

There was so much to say.
Don't talk like that. You're not going anywhere. You and Nate have years, many years to go.
But in the end, she knew the right answer. She saw it in Katy's eyes.

"I will," she said.   

"You're a good friend Cindy," Katy said in a voice barely above a whisper but she smiled. Cindy remembered Katy smiling and it warmed her heart.