Nickel-Bred (4 page)

“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 you 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.

Addie had gone to swimming lessons and I
really didn’t have anyone else I could talk to about parent issues.
She was pretty much my only friend. I sat on my bed and tried to
read, but I kept thinking about Mom and Sam. And I also thought
about Nickel. My cell phone rang with a number I didn’t
recognize.

“Hello?”

“Is this Piper?”

“Yes, who’s this?”

“This is Angel.”

“Oh, hi.” Why would she call me? “Is
something wrong with Nickel?”

“No, Nickel’s fine.”

“Good, but how did you get my number?” My dad
doesn’t let me give out my number to very many people.

“Oh, I got it off Chickie’s phone,” she said.
“So, Piper, here’s why I called. I was wondering if you could talk
to your dad and see if he would come out here and talk to me? He’s
single isn’t he?”

“Yes, why?”

“Well, I really think he’s cute and I want to
convince him that I’m a lot of fun.”

“But I thought you were going with
Chickie.”

“I’m not his girlfriend!”

“Well, he thinks you are.”

“He’s crazy, and he’s a skinny, deadbeat
loser. I’m only staying with him till I find someone better. Like
your daddy. Now, he’s real smart and I bet he makes a good living,
being a vet and all.”

“Why are you telling me this stuff?”

“So you can put in a good word for me. We
could be best friends. I could help you learn about makeup and how
to dress and what boys like and all that stuff. Wouldn’t that be
fun?”

How creepy! I didn’t care about makeup and
clothes. That was for girly girls. And even if I did, she was the
absolute last person I would ask for advice. But I tried to be
nice-- I wanted that horse.

“Angel, I’m sorry, but I can’t help you with
Dad. You have to do that on your own. And I’m not into all that
stuff you said, makeup and things. And I don’t want a
boyfriend.”

“But what did he say about me? Did he think I
was cute?”

“No, he didn’t say anything.” I couldn’t tell
her what Dad really said and how we made fun of her.

“But I want him to think I’m sexy and cute.
You could tell him that.”

“Look, Angel, this is getting creepy. Please
don’t call me anymore, unless it’s about Nickel.”

“Well, that’s mean. You’re just mean. And
weird!” Angel hung up on me, and I sighed in relief.

Now what to do? Should I tell Dad about
Angel’s call? She had already called him earlier and he said no to
her. Would she cause problems with us getting Nickel? Dad was
working, so it would have to wait.

I tried to read, but eventually quit, put
down my book, and walked back out to the farm. It was the middle of
a hot day and my t-shirt was sopping by the time I got to the barn.
I put a halter on Dotty, tied her to a post in the shady barn and
started brushing. It must’ve felt good because Dotty stood still
with her eyes closed, gently nodding her head.

When I was done with her coat, I brushed her
mane. After brushing and untangling her mane and tail, I still
couldn’t hold still, so I began braiding them. I had finished the
braids when a wet-haired Addie walked in the barn. Her curls went
crazy when they were wet. It was pretty funny.

“So is this a horsey beauty parlor? I’ve got
some old Hello, Kitty barrettes,” she said.

“I was antsy,” I said. “How was
swimming?”

“Agh! Old Adkisson kept us doing laps and
treading water forever!”

“I thought you liked Mrs. Adkisson. Does she
still have all that red hair and those little curls?”

“Afraid so. I used to like her, but she’s
turned into a tyrant. You shouldn’t have dropped out.”

“Oh, so I could suffer, too?”

“So there would be someone to suffer with me.
The other kids are stupid and giggly. Except for Richie-- he’s
cute.”

“You think guys are cute because they’re
guys. You’re going to end up like Angel.”

I told Addie then about Angel’s phone call
and how creepy it was.

“What do you think she’ll do if she’s
mad?”

“I don’t know. It isn’t her horse and she
says she’s not Chickie’s girlfriend, so maybe she can’t make him
sell Nickel. It’s really his decision to make. Hey, Adds, I’ve been
thinking.”

“Uh,oh, everybody stand back!”

“No, really. I think maybe you should try
riding Dotty.” I was determined this time to get her on our
pony.

“I really don’t want to. I told you that. I
can’t help it if she scares me.”

“Seriously, you should try it and get in some
practice. We still need another horse so we can ride together, and
Nickel will be perfect for you. But it’s important for you to
practice.”

“I don’t want to.” Addie put on her stubborn
face and crossed her arms.

“Addie, you have to! She won’t buck, I’ll
make sure.”

“I don’t
have
to,” she said. But then,
“How will you keep her from bucking?”

“I’ll guide her with a lead rope at first.”
Addie got real quiet then and set her jaw. She looked at me with a
hard stare.

“She’d better not buck, that’s all I’ve got
to say.” I could usually talk Addie into doing things, and she’d
give in, even if she didn’t like it. But she still had her arms
crossed tightly in front of her and her mouth pouted.

So I turned around and pulled Dotty’s bridle
off its hook, then lifted the old saddle and saddle blanket down
and threw them over Dotty’s back.