Silver Spurs (4 page)

Chapter Four

Kate slowed to a halt a few feet inside the barn door, and Tori bumped into her. Kate grunted. While they'd been outside talking, Melissa must have turned her gelding into the indoor arena.

The cat had leaped over the half wall separating the arena from the alleyway that ran along the front of the stalls, and Rufus had followed it inside. Melissa's big Thoroughbred gelding, Mocha, galloped around the enclosed area, bucking and lashing out with his hooves.

Melissa stood in the center, gripping a lead rope and screaming, “Get out of here, you horrid dog. Leave my horse alone!” She lunged at the dog and swung the rope hard as he raced by. Rufus totally ignored the horse but stayed close to the cat's tail. The rope snaked out and caught him hard on the hindquarters, and Rufus let out a yip.

“Hey, stop hitting my dog!” Kate ran through the open half door into the arena. Mocha raced around the corner at the far end, fury making his legs pump faster.

Kate would have liked nothing better than to get her hands on that rope and … She checked her runaway thoughts, suddenly ashamed of the direction they'd taken. She wouldn't like her horse to be chased by a strange dog either, but Mom or she should discipline him, not Melissa. Kate shot up a little prayer.
God, please help me control my temper.

She raised her voice, hoping to be heard above the barking. “Rufus—come here, boy.” Melissa's continued shrieks seemed to upset her horse even more. Kate cupped her hands around her mouth. “Leave that cat alone!”

Mom and Mrs. Tolbert ran down the alleyway from the office at the far end of the barn. Mom arrived at their side first. “Rufus, get over here right now,” she commanded. “Come.”

Something about her voice must have gotten the dog's attention. He slid to a halt only a couple of yards from where Mom stood. He panted and grinned as though he'd won some kind of special doggy award. “I said, come!” She patted her leg, and Rufus trotted over and sat beside her. Grabbing his collar, she led him out into the alleyway. “Kate, tie up your dog. He can't be loose anymore during business hours.”

Kate couldn't believe she'd heard right. This was
not
Rufus's fault—or hers. It was that dumb cat's fault for running in front of him, and Melissa's for chasing him and getting her horse all worked up. “Mom! That's mean. I understand keeping him tied up if someone is here, but not all the time!”

“No, young lady, it's not. We can't have him chasing horses.”

“But he wasn't. He was chasing a stray cat.”

Mrs. Tolbert stepped up and glanced from the dog to her daughter. “Is Mocha all right?”

Melissa stormed across the arena, her mouth pinched in a frown. “You need to discipline that dog and keep him chained. He's dangerous.”

Kate pulled Rufus to her side, her hands shaking. “He didn't hurt your horse, and you know it. He wasn't even looking at Mocha. All he cared about was the cat.”

“It doesn't matter. Mocha could've hurt himself when he kicked the wall, or he could have hurt someone else.” She turned to her mother. “This is what I was afraid of. They don't know what they're doing. I want to take Mocha somewhere else.”

“Yeah, well, he could've ruined our wall too.” Kate tugged on Rufus's collar and headed toward Tori, who stood quietly a short way up the aisle. “Why don't you find another barn if you think we're so horrible?”

“Kate.” Her mother's tone stopped Kate in her tracks. “You need to apologize.”

“Mom! I didn't do anything wrong.”

“Melissa and her mother are our boarders. They have every right to be upset that Rufus frightened their horse, and you shouldn't be rude.”

It was all Kate could do not to glare at her mother, but she knew exactly where that would get her. As it was, she'd probably be grounded for the rest of her life if she didn't follow orders. Even then, she'd bet Mom and Dad would give her a talking to after everyone left. She kicked at a pebble in the dirt, then raised her eyes toward Melissa. “Sorry.”

Her mother took a step toward her, eyebrows raised. “Excuse me?”

Tears of humiliation sprang to Kate's eyes. She stared at the wall and blinked a couple of times, then turned toward the arena. “I apologize for saying you should go somewhere else, Melissa.”

There. She'd said it the way her mother expected, but she didn't mean it. Not a word. In fact, she hoped Melissa wouldn't accept it. Maybe she would demand they take her horse and leave, and her mother would listen. Nothing would make Kate happier.

Melissa's gelding had come to a stop and stood quietly along the nearby rail. The girl snapped the lead line on the halter and led him to the open gate, stopping only feet from Kate. “Fine. I'm sure you'll make it up to me by grooming my horse when I can't come. But I'll have to show you what I expect and how I want it done.”

Kate bit back a moan and curled her fingers into fists. She spun on her heel and glanced at her mother. “I'll take care of Rufus.” She stomped down the alleyway past the stalls, with Rufus trailing on his leash behind her. Poor boy. His tail was tucked between his legs. She understood exactly how he felt. They were both doomed to a life of torture for the rest of the summer. Or at least as long as
that girl
chose to keep her horse at their barn.

Minutes later she returned to rescue Tori. Kate realized she never should have left her friend in the barn when she'd taken Rufus to the house. At least Melissa was putting her horse in the stall, and Kate wouldn't have to talk to her again.

Tori stepped out of a stall farther down the alleyway, and Kate heaved a sigh of relief. It looked like her friend had been smart and kept out of Melissa's way, although the other girl was now exiting the stall a few yards away.

Right then Pete shuffled down the long alleyway toward them, his head bent and eyes gazing at his feet. “Hey, Pete.” Kate moved forward and held out her hand.

He stopped but didn't move to take it. “Pete wants Rufus.”

Kate bent down, not touching her little brother but hoping he'd look up. “Pete, I had to put Rufus in the house. He got loose and scared a horse, and that's not good.”

“No. Pete untied Rufus. He wasn't happy.”

Kate sagged, shooting a glare at Melissa.

The girl's hard expression had softened to one of understanding, and she moved forward. “Hi, Pete. I'm Melissa.”

Pete didn't move, but his chin lifted ever so slightly. Kate was shocked at Melissa's gentle, tender tone. She'd never heard her speak in anything other than a brittle or demanding voice. “Pete's my brother, and he didn't understand about Rufus and the horses.” She said it a little defensively, but she didn't care. One apology to this girl was enough, and no matter how nice Melissa was acting now, Kate bet she'd change her tune when it sank in that Pete had caused the mishap with Mocha. No way would she let Melissa be mean to her brother.

Melissa nodded. “I can see that.” She moved closer to Pete, then knelt in front of him. “Do you like dogs, Pete?”

He nodded but didn't look at her.

“I have a puppy I'm training. He goes with me sometimes, so he'll get used to new places. Would you like it if I brought him to see you? He'd have to stay on his leash, but you could pet him and play with him, if you want to.”

Pete peeked at her, and a tiny smile twitched. “Uh-huh.”

“Good.” Melissa rocked back on her heels and grinned. Then she turned her attention to Kate and Tori, and her expression hardened again. “I get it now why your dog got out, but I still don't think this place is run the way it should be. I certainly hope we won't have more problems in the future.”

Kate gaped at her, totally knocked sideways at the change in Melissa's behavior. “Yeah. Whatever. Come on, Pete. We'll make sure Rufus is okay.” She held out her hand, but the boy walked ahead of her. Of all the rotten things to happen. Sure, she was glad Melissa was nice to Pete. Kate wouldn't want it any other way. But why did her little brother, who didn't respond to anybody, have to respond to a girl who was determined to make life miserable for the rest of them?

Chapter Five

Kate slapped the palms of her hands against her jeans, and a cloud of dust rose. Whew. It looked like she'd been rolling in dirty straw, not merely mucking stalls and putting fresh bedding in them. At least all the horses had been fed and watered, and she could go inside and sit for a while.

Tori was lucky. Her mom had picked her up before the stalls were finished. Kate rinsed her hands under a faucet, loving the feel of cool water running over her newly formed blisters. The barn had been open for over a week, and it felt as if all she did was muck stalls; feed, water, and turn out horses; and run errands. She hadn't even gotten to ride Capri today.

She marched into the house and stopped in the kitchen. Her mother stood at the sink peeling potatoes, and Pete sat in a chair at the dining table, rocking and humming the same tune as always, over and over. Kate ruffled his hair, but he pulled back and didn't look at her. “Hi, Pete. You happy today?”

He kept rocking and humming, staring blankly at a spot on the ceiling.

Kate shrugged. She was glad he wasn't stressed about something and screaming—or banging his head against a wall. “Mom?”

Her mother glanced at her. “Hi, hon. All finished?”

“Yeah.”

“Did you make sure the main doors are locked, and the lights are off?”

“Yeah.” Kate slouched into a chair across from Pete, trying to block out the humming. “I'm tired. It's not fair that I have to do so much of the work. I didn't get to ride Capri at all today.”

Her mother stilled, set the knife on the cutting board next to the sink, then slowly pivoted toward her. “I'm sorry you're tired and you didn't get to ride. But Dad's working late, and I need help setting the table and getting Pete ready for bed.”

“Aw, Mom.” Kate planted her elbows on the table and huffed.

“Don't cop an attitude with me, Kate. I'm tired too.”

“But you spent most of the day with Pete and here in the house.”

Mom pulled out a chair and sat. “I could give you a list of the things I've had to deal with today, but I shouldn't have to do that. Maybe we need to talk about shutting down the barn. It sounds like it's too much for you, and you're already losing interest. Is that the case?”

Kate jerked upright. That was the last thing she wanted. Had her grumbling made Mom think she didn't want to keep the barn open? “No way. I haven't lost interest, and I don't want to quit. I just don't think it's fair that I have to do so much work. Tori and Colt got to go home way early today, and I finished alone.”

“Tell me something, Kate. What has Tori gotten out of helping with the chores?”

Kate opened her mouth, all set to give her mother a list, but nothing came out. She snapped her lips shut and twisted them to the side as she struggled to come up with a good answer.

Her mother nodded. “Exactly. Tori is helping because you're her best friend. And Colt does what he agreed to do for his board. There's no reason he should do more.”

“Yeah, but Tori knows when we get a lesson horse someday, she'll get to ride it.” Kate felt a small degree of triumph. “She'll get free lessons, and we'll even pay for the hay. So that's something.”

Mom sighed. “How many people do you know who would clean up around here and do chores several days a week in the hope they'd get to use a lesson horse ‘someday'?”

Kate slumped in her seat, all the anger oozing out of her. “You're right. Guess I didn't think about it like that.”

“Well, you need to. Tori is kind to help at all. We can't afford to pay her, and she's willing to come so she can hang out with you. That's a pretty generous friend, if you ask me.” She pushed to her feet. “And I promise you won't have to do it alone very often. I know that's too much to ask. Thankfully, two of our boarders chose partial care, but when we get more who want full care, we may have to hire a part-time worker. Now change out of those dirty clothes, wash up, and help me get supper on the table.”

“All right.” Kate stood. “I'm sorry for complaining so much. I really am happy we have the barn, and I'll let Tori know how much I appreciate her.”

Her mother gathered Kate into her arms, giving her a long hug. Usually Kate felt too old for mushy stuff, but right now it felt awfully good. Mom wasn't mad at her. Better yet, complaining about doing so much work hadn't made her mother change her mind about the barn. Kate wrapped her arms around her mother and hugged her back, suddenly thankful for all the good things in her life—even for her little brother and the tune he kept humming.

A couple of days later, Kate, Tori, and Colt leaned on the wooden rail fence in the outdoor arena watching Colt's Quarter horse gelding, Romeo, a stunning bay with white socks, canter around the arena kicking up his heels after being released from the horse trailer.

Colt grinned. “Romeo sure is happy to be here, and I am too. Your barn is going to be a lot more fun than the one I was at when Romeo first arrived from Montana.”

Kate's interest perked. “What was wrong with that one?”

He shook his head. “The owners at Mountain View Equestrian were great, and the people were friendly. But it was a lot more expensive than yours, and I heard the price went up again. That's the main reason I left. The other reason was the trainer who led the Pony Club and a couple of the members were kind of snooty.” He glanced around, then leaned toward them and lowered his voice. “Melissa used to board her horse there.”

Tori straightened. “Why isn't she still there?”

Kate grimaced, wishing yet again that Melissa had chosen anywhere else to go but here. “We should tell her your spot is open at the other place you just left. She sure doesn't want to be here.”

Colt shrugged. “I'm not sure why she isn't happy here. All I know is the place where she used to be is very particular about everything. All the members of the Pony Club have to do a lot of extra stuff with their horses. They're expected to clean their stalls out two or three times a day—well, not totally clean, but strip them once and pick them the other two times when they need it. They scrubbed their water buckets every day, brushed their horses' manes and kept ShowSheen on them so they didn't tangle, kept polish on their horses' hooves, and lots more stuff. I wasn't part of their group, so they didn't make me do it all. A lot of the kids looked down on me because I wasn't taking care of my horse the exact same way they were.

“I cleaned my horse's stall once a day, but he was turned out for several hours in an outside paddock when I couldn't ride, so it wasn't like he was standing around all the time. And his mane is supershort—I keep it pulled—so he didn't need ShowSheen.”

Kate's eyes widened. “Wow! That's crazy! I don't see why they require all of that. I mean, it's your horse, and you should do what you think is best. As long as you're feeding and watering and exercising him, of course. No horse should be neglected, but it sounds like they expected a lot.”

Colt nodded. “That's what I thought. The barn's owners didn't have rules, but they supported the club. I don't imagine it helped that I homeschool, and I'm not one of their crowd either. Not that they were ever mean. I was mostly ignored and treated like I didn't know much or didn't exist.”

Tori rolled her eyes at Kate. “Sounds like how Melissa treats us at school. You suppose it has anything to do with her being part of that crowd?”

Kate gave a slow nod. “I suppose it could. But I still don't get why she's not there if she liked it so much. I thought she'd leave for sure after she got upset about Rufus spooking her horse in the arena the day she came.” She glanced at Colt. “Did Tori tell you about that?”

“Nope. What's the deal with Rufus?” He dug in his pocket and extracted something, then held it out to his horse. The gelding snuffled, his nostrils flaring, and snatched the treat from Colt's open palm. “Greedy, aren't you?” Colt chuckled and pulled out another treat.

“What's that?” Tori asked.

“Homemade horse treats. Mom and I make them, and Romeo loves them.”

Kate peered at the brown treat lying on Colt's palm. “Cool. Give us the recipe.”

He offered the last one to Romeo, then swung around and glanced from Kate to Tori. “What did I miss with Melissa?”

Kate sighed, hating to admit Rufus had been in the wrong, but she had to be fair. “My dog got loose. In fact, we found out Pete untied him, but Pete didn't understand. We're supposed to keep Rufus in the house or tied up while horses are out or boarders are riding in the arena, at least until he learns what's off limits. But he got into the arena while Melissa's horse was there, and she totally came unglued! I mean, she lost it big time. She was running around screaming at Rufus, hitting him with her lead rope, and acting all crazy.” She shook her head. “Rufus was wrong, but I think she overreacted. And Mom made
me
apologize.”

Colt wrinkled his brows. “Why? What did you do wrong?”

Kate's shoulders slumped as the memory returned. “I guess I got a little mouthy. At least Mom thought I did. Okay, I kind of did. Melissa made me mad.”

Tori hitched a little closer to Kate. “I didn't blame Kate for the way she reacted. I mean, Melissa isn't the easiest girl to be around, and she's not a bit friendly. She'd already made it superclear she didn't think this barn was good enough for her horse, and she didn't want to be here.”

Colt turned around, his back to the fence and his elbows propped on either side. “There's something I should probably tell you about Melissa.”