Dawn Runner (14 page)

S
am squatted on the path, trying to make herself invisible to the beautiful Appaloosa.

Early morning light sifted through the trees, pooling in a bright circle on Hotspot's back as if she really were the Dawn Runner, bringing daybreak.

Mocha nickered a greeting and Sam saw Ryan's shoulders move. Then his chest swelled as if he were holding his breath. Ryan was only pretending to read.

Amazing, Sam thought. He was actually taking her advice to let the mare come to him.

Ears alert, Hotspot waded across the river. Her bareback pad and bridle were spread out on the riverbank. Ryan had said he'd arrange them that way, to lure Hotspot, but Sam knew the horse had been
drawn by something else.

Hotspot's hooves grated on the sandy river bottom. Ashore and just a few yards away from Ryan, the mare shook like a big brown-and-white dog.

Slowly, moving in millimeters, Ryan lowered his book to the ground beside him, unable to resist watching as Hotspot came to him. Placing her faintly striped hooves with great precision, she picked her way around her bareback pad and then her bridle.

Sam couldn't tell if the Appaloosa remembered her belongings, but it didn't matter if she did. She hadn't crossed the river to check them out; she'd crossed it for Ryan.

Sam swallowed against the lump in her throat, hoping Ryan understood the trust Hotspot was offering.

He waited until the mare nosed his hand, once, twice, then a third time with such energy, she lifted it a foot off the ground. When he rose and faced the mare, Sam couldn't tell if he was smiling. She couldn't hear exactly what his words were, either, but she knew they were sweet. And when Ryan ignored the restless, neighing Mocha to reach for the bridle on the ground, Sam knew exactly what he was going to do.

There'd be no roping, no nooses tightening around the mare's silky brown neck.

Ryan planned to test his horsemanship and Hotspot's trust. After months of running free, Hotspot was going home.

Sam sucked in a breath as Ryan easily bridled Hotspot. Then a slow-motion vault took Ryan onto the Appaloosa's back. For a second, Ryan's hands and face were buried in Hotspot's variegated mane, but he'd pushed upright when she bolted, splashing across the river.

The fence on the other side was closed. Sam remembered hooking the wire loop over the fence post herself, but Hotspot wasn't looking for the opening. She was running alongside the fence, leaving as she'd come in, Sam guessed, because suddenly the mare was running faster, spraying water in a white arc behind her, and then she gathered herself.

Oh, my gosh.
Sam gasped. It was lucky Ryan had ridden jumpers, because Hotspot popped over the fence like a rabbit, and he stayed astride as if he'd been born to ride bareback Appaloosas in wild Western places.

Mocha neighed, begging them to come back, but a quick drumming of hooves told Sam and the Morgan mare that Hotspot and Ryan were gone.

She had to see Hotspot's homecoming at Gold Dust Ranch. More than that, Sam thought, turning to Mocha, she didn't want to miss the reunion of mare and foal.

“Hey pretty, pretty girl,” Sam called to Mocha. “You can come with me, okay?”

Pointing at Sam with cupped ears that were the darkest possible brown, even darker than her gleaming
coat, Mocha considered Sam. She rolled her eyes and swished her tail. She didn't look impressed by her new rider.

“Listen, I was there when Katie Sterling told Rachel all about you.” Sam held her hand out for the mare to sniff. Even though she wanted to hurry, it was probably time well spent. She would not allow herself to be thrown twice in one day. That was for sure. “Katie said you went equally well under English and Western saddles.”

Sam's eyes scanned Ryan's camp for tack. Of course Ryan had ridden Mocha with an English saddle. Why had she expected anything else?

“I could try riding you bareback,” Sam mused, but then she remembered something else Katie Sterling had said about Mocha.
She likes to be in control.
Lifting the unfamiliar trappings from the ground, Sam turned to the horse. “Well so do I, beauty.”

Mocha was everything Katie Sterling had promised the Slocums—smart, mannerly, and well trained. She was also fast, and Sam reached Gold Dust Ranch before Ryan did.

With one braid finished and the rest of her long, blond hair streaming down her back, Jen was on the porch of the foreman's house as Sam rode into the ranch yard.

“What's up?” Jen shouted. “I was looking out the window to see who was coming through the gate so early, and—”

“Can you push a button or something to get the gate to stay open?” Sam interrupted.

“Probably, but—”

“What is it, Sam?” Lila asked. Coming through the door behind Jen, she seemed to crackle with maternal intuition that something was wrong.

Jed was right behind her, pulling on his gray cowboy hat and frowning as he asked, “Ryan got himself in some scrape?”

“No, Ryan's got Hotspot. He's riding her home. I just beat him, but—”

“I'll take care of the gate,” Lila said. “Jen, call up to the house and tell Helen what's going on. Maybe she can reach Linc in town.”

“'
Course
his old man ain't here,” Jed said. “Don't know where he was off to so early, either.”

It took Sam a second to realize Jed was talking about Linc Slocum, and he was right. If Linc had been present to see Ryan's success, it would have been totally out of character.

“You girls take care of that horse,” Jed said as Sam dismounted.

Jen gave her Dad a “Gee, we never would have thought of that” roll of her eyes, but she kept quiet and then tugged at Sam's arm, pulling her close so she could whisper.

“He's been worrying all morning about Hotspot and Princess Kitty.”

“What do you mean?” Sam asked.

“Whether there will be conflict over Shy Boots,” Jen said. “He even called the vet to see how to handle it.”

Sam bit her lip hard. “What did Dr. Scott say?”

“Six of one, half dozen of the other,” Jen quoted the vet. Then, before Sam could demand an explanation, she added, “He said they might share the baby nicely or fight to the death.”

For a minute, Sam felt dizzy. “I don't know why Ryan isn't here yet,” Sam snapped, as if that would make a difference.

Jen drew a deep breath and shook her head. They both knew even the best riders could have accidents. Hotspot hadn't been ridden for months.

While they waited, Jen helped her cool Mocha out. But Sam couldn't help listening, hard, for hoofbeats.

At the sound of a car, Sam and Jen turned. Gram's Buick was coming through the front gates and it was packed with people.

“It's like a clown car,” Jen muttered, as Gram, Pam, Brynna, and Dr. Mora climbed out. “But I don't get it. What are they all doing here?”

“Oh, my gosh, you deserted me!” Pam called.

“I didn't!” Sam yelped.

“I know,” Pam said, grinning. “But I called my mom to come get me, and right after she got there, your dad came in shouting that he'd seen Ryan riding his—let me get this right—‘jugheaded Appy mare,' I think it was, and she was running like—” Pam
stopped and squinted her eyes.

“Like ‘a cat with her tail afire,'” Dr. Mora finished, and she and Brynna were laughing like old friends.

“Yeah, that's it,” Pam agreed. “So we all came, except your dad. Can you believe it?”

“I can believe it,” Sam said. She could imagine him saying he'd skip all the hoopla, or something like that, but she didn't have a chance to ask Brynna or Gram if she was right, because just then, a very tired Hotspot came through the front gates.

The mare's head was high, sniffing familiar smells, but she moved at a flatfooted walk and Sam's heart squeezed in her chest. Anything could happen now.

As he rode past, Ryan glowed with an elation Sam had never seen in him before. She knew he felt he'd earned this pride, and that was great. Even though Linc wasn't here, the others were calling out congratulations.

But Sam couldn't. Not now.

Ryan tightened his reins and Hotspot stopped beside Jen's dad.

“Good job, son,” Jed said. “Now, what do you want to do about reuniting the mare with her colt?”

As if she knew what was coming, Princess Kitty gave a worried neigh from the small pasture she shared with Shy Boots. The colt didn't seem to notice. With forelegs spread wide, he concentrated on nibbling grass.

While Jed explained the vet's uncertainty to Ryan, Sam made fists of worry and impatience.

“Jen,” Sam said. “What's going to happen?”

“I don't know.” Jen shook her head, looking sadder for the horses than she was glad for Ryan.

Sam closed her eyes for a second, and in that flicker of darkness, she thought of a story.

It might be a Bible story she'd heard from Gram a long time ago. In it, two women both told a judge—was it Solomon?—that a child was theirs. Even after lots of questions, neither woman would change her story, and since they couldn't both have given birth to the baby, the judge said, “Fine, somebody go get a sword and I'll give you each half.”

Of course one of the women said, “No, I was lying. Give the baby to her,” and that was how the judge knew
she
was the real mother.

The story had always fascinated her, but maybe because she'd lost her own mother, Sam had never quite felt comfortable with it. Probably the judge had made the right decision, but what about the other mother? Did she love the baby, too?

Who was going to play Solomon for these horses? Or could they both be Shy Boots's mother?

“I don't think we can sneak Kitty outta there without creatin'—” Jed began.

“No more sneaking,” Ryan said.

He slipped to the ground outside the small pasture and gave the Appaloosa a pat on her sweat-dark shoulder.

Suddenly, a joyous, squeaky neigh split the morning.

“He remembers his mama,” Pam said.

Head stretched straight out, nose pointing at Hotspot, Shy Boots whinnied over and over again.

Princess Kitty's eyes widened and her attention fixed on Hotspot.

They'd known each other in Gold Dust's pastures, Sam thought, but today was different.

As if she'd just recognized her foal, Hotspot lifted her front hooves in a rear with Ryan still clinging to her reins.

“Let her go.”

Sam didn't know who said it, maybe she did, but Ryan gave a firm nod of agreement, then turned the Appaloosa into the pasture and closed the gate.

Kitty made loud sniffing sounds, but she didn't interfere as Hotspot went to her foal and began nuzzling him nearly off his hooves. Kitty danced in place, her flaxen mane flowing around her, her neck shining with nervous sweat.

And then, maybe Boots was showing off for Hotspot or something, because he stepped away from the Appaloosa, lifted a hind leg, and tried to use the tip of one hoof to scratch his chin. He fell, and before he could rise, both mares stepped forward with ears flattened, fixing each other with narrowed eyes.

“Oh no,” Jen whispered, and she shot a quick glance toward her own mother.

But it was Brynna who moved toward the corral
with deliberate steps. Sam felt Pam's fingertips sinking into her arm.

“Now, Brynna, let me handle this,” Lila said. “You've got more than yourself to think about, and it could get a little rough.”

And then, as if the drama was all too much for her, Hotspot shuddered, lowered herself to the ground, and started to roll in the soft green grass.

Princess Kitty and Shy Boots just watched, and when the Appaloosa lurched back onto her hooves, Boots lowered his head, raised his tail straight up, and bounded into a joyous run.

“What is that little scamp doing?” Gram asked, chuckling.

Shy Boots didn't go far at first. With rocking-horse moves, he circled the two mares, going ever faster until he blurred in a crazy dash.

His happiness was contagious. Both mares took after him, manes streaming, legs loping so they wouldn't overtake him.

It might be okay,
Sam thought, but she kept her hands pressed tightly against her mouth.

As suddenly as the gallop had started, it stopped.

Pam and Jen both sighed as the mares fell to grazing on each side of the foal. When he lowered himself to the ground for a nap, Hotspot walked closer to Kitty.

“Just—” Ryan began, then broke off. “We can't let them be injured.”

“'Course not,” Jed said, but there was a certainty in his tone that made Sam think he believed the danger had passed.

Lila and Brynna didn't look so sure. Maybe it was because one was a mother and the other was about to be.

“I'm ready,” Lila said quickly to Brynna.

But when Hotspot was within steps of Princess Kitty, she stopped. She reached her neck around to the base of her back, then, openmouthed, she glanced at Kitty and flicked her tail in irritation.

“She's just got an itch that needs scratchin',” Jed said.

“Indeed,” Ryan said tightly.

Hotspot reached her neck out again, but her eyes rolled toward Kitty. Was she asking for a truce?

Princess Kitty must have thought so, because she sighed through loose lips and leaned her head toward the Appaloosa. Then, the sorrel's teeth grated gently on Hotspot's speckled back, easing the itch with teeth that could have drawn blood instead.

Sam sighed as the mares moved so they stood head to tail, grooming each other like sisters.

“And there was no need for deception,” Ryan said, as if the idea were new to him.

“Sometimes human thought just complicates things,” Dr. Mora mused.

Jen flushed and sucked in a breath. She looked proud of Ryan, and Sam guessed she had a reason to be.

Still, Sam's thoughts were far away from this Gold Dust corral.