Storm Chaser (16 page)

Ariel looked around the barn, then through the open door to the fields. “Who are those new guys? The ones who were helping your dad yesterday.”

“Wyatt and Gator.” Jessica shoved another bale into place on the stack and sat down with a sigh. Obviously Ariel wasn't going to volunteer to help. She'd probably go right back to the bunkhouse—unless she decided to stick around and flirt with the Lightfoots as well as Jessica's brother when they returned.

“They're kind of cute.” Ariel waved and smiled, then headed out the door. “See you later.”

Jessica sighed. It would have been nice to have someone to help, or at least someone to talk to. But she couldn't really expect a paying guest to do a tough job like putting up hay. Ariel was on vacation.

Jessica stacked the last few bales, then pulled on her rain gear. The rain was steady now. She went to find the wagon with the boys. When she arrived, her father was giving instructions for Duncan to quit baling and help with the loading. It made no sense to bale wet hay. It would mold in the stack. Once it stopped raining, the hay that was still down in the field would have to be turned several times over the next few days so it could dry out enough to be baled again. It wouldn't look pretty and green like the rest of the hay, but it would be edible.

Luckily, Duncan had already baled most of the field, but they needed to get those bales in the barn. Mr. Warner hooked his truck up to a second wagon and they all worked together to save the crop.

Jessica wiped the rain from her eyes. Small bits of hay stuck to her wet clothes and cheeks as she dragged the bales that Gator tossed up onto the wagon. Her hair lay plastered to her head, and she knew she looked a mess. But Wyatt still smiled at her every time she pulled a bale of hay over for him to stack. He probably felt sorry for her.

A horn sounded and Jessica turned to see Marybeth and her father bumping across the hay field. They pulled their truck alongside the wagon, and Marybeth's father rolled down the window. “We thought you folks might need some help,” he said.

“Every spare hand is welcome.” Mr. Warner said, motioning for their neighbor to park his truck and join them.

Jessica grinned broadly at Marybeth as she reached down to pull her friend onto the wagon. It wasn't just that she was glad to have the help. She was genuinely happy to see Marybeth. She still felt bad about leaving her out the night before.

“Hey, check this out!” Duncan pointed to the edge of the field. A crowd of people walked toward them in the rain.

Jessica was surprised to see their guests waving and smiling as they drew closer to the hay wagons. She noticed that Ariel wasn't among the group.

“We're here to help,” Lainey said as she held up a hay hook. “We're not sure what we're doing, but we'll give it a try.”

Michael grabbed a bale from Duncan and tossed it onto the wagon. “We know how important it is that you get this crop in the barn.”

Mr. Warner clapped him on the back. “Thank you, son.” He turned to the rest of the group. “Thank you all. This means a lot to us. Now let's load some hay!”

A few hours later, Jessica gazed at the bales of hay scattered all over the floor of the barn to air dry. Tomorrow, they'd put them in the stack.

It had been a lot of hard work, but it was worth it. They'd had fun, even though everyone eventually got soaked while they joked and picked up the hay. When they were done, everyone voted to take the rest of the day off, even Duncan and Mr. Warner. They needed to be rested for tomorrow when preparations would begin for the cattle drive.

Jessica couldn't wait.

The following morning, Jessica trotted Chase around the training pen, gazing at the beautiful blue sky. Yesterday's hard rain seemed like a dream, except for all the drying bales of hay in the barn. Duncan had gotten up early to turn the hay, but now he was shouting directions to her from the center of the ring. Jessica tried hard to do what he asked.

“If you're going to try to ride this filly on the cattle drive, you better know how to keep her under control,” Duncan called. “She's not a finished horse, Jess. She still doesn't know all the cues and how to respond. You'll need to use a little more rein and a lot more leg on her in the beginning. She's not ‘push-button' like our old horses.”

Jessica saw a flash of blonde hair streak toward the training pen. Ariel.
Great. This was just what she needed…a professionally trained rider to watch her practice riding Chase.
She hoped she wouldn't embarrass herself by making stupid mistakes or getting bucked off.

Ariel stepped up and leaned on the round pen rail. “So, how is Jessica doing?”

She spoke directly to Duncan, but he only responded in short answers, giving most of his attention to Jessica and Chase.

“That sure is a nice paint,” Ariel tried again. “She looks like she comes from good stock.”

Bingo!
That was all it took to get Duncan talking. Jessica saw his impatient look turn to interest, and he rattled off Chase's lineage.

“Wow,” Ariel said. “So she's a papered horse and the Lightfoots turned her out on pasture to run wild?”

“Just while she was growing,” Duncan said. “She's not a mustang. It's a pretty common practice, even with big-time trainers. We don't keep our horses boxed up in stalls all their lives.”

“Hmmm,” Ariel said. “So is she for sale, then? This filly is pretty enough to show. I've been bugging my parents for another horse. I've wanted to try showing western pleasure, and Raven just isn't the horse for that.”

“Yeah, she's for sale,” Duncan said. “You'd have to talk to my dad about price and stuff.”

Jessica wanted to bean her brother with a cow chip. Sure, she knew that Chase would be sold eventually, but she didn't want the filly to go to Ariel. She'd load Storm Chaser into her trailer and take her a zillion miles away.

“All right, Jess, that's enough,” Duncan called. “Walk her for a few minutes to cool her down, then put her away.” He walked to the gate and let himself out. “I think you two will be fine on the cattle drive. Just be sure you stay with one of the better riders. After a few miles, Chase will settle in.”

“Don't worry, I'll keep an eye on her,” Ariel volunteered.

Duncan nodded and walked to the corral to get another horse.

Wonderful,
Jessica thought.
Ariel has everything she could possibly need, and now she's showing an interest in the only horse I want.
She dismounted and led the filly to the hitching post, where she pulled her saddle and bridle and gave her a quick sponge bath. “We're going to do just fine on the cattle drive,” she said to Chase, even though she wasn't sure she believed it. “We're going to have lots of fun, and I'm not going to be nervous at all.”

She pulled an apple from her pocket and fed it to the filly, then turned her loose in the corral with Rusty. “I've got one for you too, buddy.” She gave him the apple and laid her cheek on his neck. “I wouldn't be sweating bullets if it were you I was riding,” she confided to the old gelding. She gave him a hug and headed up to the house to help her mom start packing the chuck wagon. They'd be off on their cattle drive by day after tomorrow. She'd call Marybeth tonight and remind her friend about all the things she'd need for the trip.

“Let's go. We're burnin' daylight!” Mr. Warner shouted, signaling to the riders to move the cattle out of the fields and onto the trail. David and Michael rode their ATVs and stayed well toward the back, but the rest of the vacationers were on horseback and stationed at various spots around the herd.

Jessica sat atop Chase in the early morning light, listening to the sounds of the new day. Cattle lowed and calves bawled as they set hooves to the dusty trail. Scrub jays flitted among the sagebrush, picking at bugs and chattering to each other. Shep barked and heeled cattle, helping to move them along the path.

Jessica put a steadying hand on Chase's neck as the filly danced around, eager to be off with the rest of the horses. She could feel the paint's muscles quiver under her palm. “It's okay, girl. There's nothing to be afraid of.” She felt the rush of adrenaline though her veins and wondered if she was the one who needed the pep talk, not Chase.

“There you are.” Marybeth rode up on Daisy. “Most of the cattle are on the trail. Don't you want to catch up to everyone? ” She looked at Jessica more closely. “Are you okay? You don't look so good.”

Jessica bit her lip. “I'm okay, but I'm a little…”

“Scared?” Marybeth finished.

“Yeah,” Jessica admitted, pulling Chase in a small circle and trying to get her under better control. “A little, anyway,” she added in a shaky voice. “What if Chase really acts up and I can't control her? She's getting a little crazy right now.”

“She'll be okay,” Marybeth assured her, moving Daisy into position beside Chase. “Just walk beside us until you get brave again. Some of the other riders are kind of scared, too, I think. But they're doing fine. All the horses are a little frisky this morning.”

Jessica nodded and walked Chase alongside Daisy. The paint chomped at the bit and wanted to trot, but she paid attention to Jessica's signal for a walk. They joined Lainey, Monica, and Sheri at the back of the herd. The adults rode alongside with Duncan and the Lightfoot boys, asking questions and getting pointers about the cattle.

Most of the people were experienced riders, but they'd never worked with cattle. Jessica knew that the talks her father and Duncan had given them over the last few days had probably helped, but no one could be expected to remember that much information once they were on the move.

Jessica felt like she should know more about cattle drives herself. After all, she lived here on the ranch. But this morning she felt just as green as the dudes from the city.

After a bit, Mr. Warner cantered toward Jessica and the others. He pulled his horse to a walk and motioned for everyone to pay attention. “I want you people to stay here at the back for a while. In another hour or so, we'll move everyone around to a different station so you get to ride on all sides of the herd. Okay? Mrs. Warner went on ahead with the chuck wagon and will be meeting us at the first stop for lunch.”

They all nodded.

“Wyatt is going to be riding back here with you also,” Mr. Warner said. “If you have any questions or problems, he's your go-to man. And if he asks you to do something, I expect you to do it. The object of this drive is to keep the cattle together and keep them from spooking.”

At the mention of Wyatt's name, Marybeth looked over at Jessica and wiggled her eyebrows. Jessica rolled her eyes and tried to pretend she wasn't interested.

“Jess?” Her father said. “Ariel made a special request for you to join her. She's at the front point of the herd with Duncan. I'll ride up there with you since you're on a green horse. If Chase starts acting up, I want you to switch horses with your brother. Understand?”

Jessica nodded. But why did Ariel want her riding with her? She had Duncan all to herself. So why did she need her there, too? In spite of her doubts, Jessica's hopes rose. Maybe Ariel did want to be friends after all.

“I can go, too,” Marybeth volunteered.

“That's okay,” Jessica said. “Why don't you stay here to help the rest of the girls? I'll see what Ariel wants and come right back.” She reined Chase into position behind her father and followed him to the head of the herd.

“There you are!” Ariel said as she waved Jessica to the spot beside her.

A small calf suddenly broke from the herd and gamboled toward them, bucking and playing. Mr. Warner grabbed hold of Chase's reins to stay her. Raven snorted loudly and bolted, giving a small hop along the way. Ariel let out a shriek, but gathered her reins and sat deep in the saddle, bringing the big horse under control.

Jessica was impressed. Except for the scream, Ariel had actually handled the incident well. Jess wondered if she could stay astride if Chase bolted like that.

Ariel brought her mount back alongside Chase and kept him on a tight rein until he settled down. “Good job,” Duncan told her, flashing her an admiring look before he turned his attention back to the herd.

“Gee, he actually said something to me.” Ariel smiled. “About time.”

“There are other people here besides Duncan, you know,” Jessica said, her voice sounding whiny even to her own ears.

“Yes, but none of them are as cute,” Ariel said.

“Whatever,” Jessica said.

Duncan tipped his hat to the girls. “I've got to ride over to the back of the herd and make sure Wyatt's not having trouble with that bossy cow that's always acting up. Chase seems to be doing fine, Jess. If you have problems, Dad's not far away.”

“And there's me,” Ariel added.

“Right.” Duncan put his heels to his mount and cantered off.

Chase jumped around a bit, wanting to go with the other horse, but Jessica balanced herself in the saddle and tightened her reins, bringing the filly back under control. She wanted to show Ariel that she was a decent rider, too.

They rode in silence for several minutes. Laughter floated on the wind from the back of the herd. It sounded like Lainey. “Guess they're having fun,” Jessica said to Ariel. “Do you want to go back there and ride with them?”

Ariel shook her head. “Nope.”

Jessica touched her boot to Chase's side, asking her to move over and give Raven more room. The paint filly flicked her tail, letting Jessica know the cue was too strong, but she did as asked.

“That is such a cute little filly,” Ariel said. “I think I could use her in a Hunter Class. She moves really nicely. And I told Duncan I've been wanting to try Western Pleasure. I talked to my dad about it last night. He said he'd definitely think about buying her.”