Calico Horses and the Patchwork Trail (23 page)

“Hi, Dad. Is your situation over yet? We really need to talk.”

“No, it’s not over. We have some sick animals here, Milla, and whenever you have one sick horse it means that you have to treat all the animals, even the ones that aren’t sick. Do you understand?” he asked grumpily.

“Oh, I’m sorry, Dad.”

“Me, too. I have to stay here and work. I guess I’ll have to come and get you or maybe Mrs. Adams can watch you tonight.”

“But, Dad!” Milla yelled into the phone.

“No arguing, Milla. I am up to my ears with problems here. I need you to help me out and do as I ask.” There was a pause and Devon thought he heard her beginning to whimper. “Milla, are you still there? Milla, please answer me. I don’t have time for drama right now.”

“I hear you,” she said quietly.

“I’ll have to make arrangements to get you over to Mrs. Adams’ house. I’ll call back in an hour. I’m really sorry, but I have no choice.”

Devon hung up the phone feeling drained. He quickly telephoned Mrs. Adams but no one was home. Like many other families they had probably gone off to do something fun and exciting for the holiday. Lately, holidays seemed to be something for other families. He thought of the years past with his mother and how she would make such a fuss over them. Now they were just memories and he really didn’t know how to celebrate with Milla. It was awkward and he always felt as if something were missing. He decided to call Mrs. Adams back later, hoping he was wrong and that she could take care of Milla. Devon usually didn’t work on Sundays, but this would be the beginning of a very long weekend.

Walt came in the front door and grabbed a cold drink from the kitchen. “I think the vets must have vaccinated well over five hundred horses so far,” he said, slumping into a chair.

“That’s great but we’re not out of the woods yet,” Devon said, looking out at the horses in a distant pen. “Oh, I just remembered, Walt—we need to cancel all volunteer workers this weekend. Can you give me the list of people to call?

“No need,” Walt replied. “They already know all projects are canceled for the holiday.”

“Great, that’s fewer calls to make.”

Walt got up from his quick break and said, “I already told my wife to cancel our holiday plans.” I’ll bet there’ll be some unhappy family members, but it’s out of my hands, thought Devon, watching the wrangler disappear out the door.

He called Mrs. Adams again and got the same corny message with cowboy music playing in the background. He then called Brenda Anderson and quickly filled her in with his dilemma and she happily agreed to keep Milla for the weekend. She mentioned something about an un-holiday but Devon was only half listening. He asked to speak with Milla, but she was out with Carrie. He hung up and decided to put all of the stress of finding childcare out of his mind. The facility’s horse care was more urgent and Milla was in good hands.

The sun began to sink behind the Calico Mountains. Their beauty seemed to go unnoticed by the workers of the Painted Ridge Adoption Center. Some of them made arrangements to have meals brought in as they settled in to work through the night. When Devon eventually signaled them for a much-needed break, the crew sat down together to eat. The work had been grim and although they would rather have been home with their families, no one complained. They shared a potluck meal and some told stories of childhood memories and holiday traditions. Some remembered family get-togethers and neighborhood gatherings. Some spoke of family camping trips, while others said it was just another day. Several spoke of the fireworks they always went to see and how they had passed this along to their children. Devon remained silent. Other than staff meetings, the crew rarely sat down together. Listening to the men and women discuss their personal lives made him take a deeper look at his staff, as well as at his own life. He never spoke to anyone about the grief he carried and kept his personal matters to himself. Raising Milla alone was something he had never anticipated and he wondered how other single parents managed. He had so much work to do and with this new crisis—forget the holiday, sharing a weekend with his daughter was out of the question. She’ll get through this, he thought; let’s hope I can. He glanced at the newspaper someone had dug out of the trash to use as a tablecloth. Mustard and catsup had drizzled over the headline, covering most of the words. But as Devon read it he thought of the laughter and optimism in the room. He smiled as he saw the anger-filled article that was now being used as a table covering for the staff’s holiday meal. The chatter became quieter as someone asked, “Think we’ll dodge this bullet? The docs seem pretty certain we did everything we could.”

“I think so,” Devon said, pointing to the newspaper covered with smeared food and spilled cola. They all smiled as they read part of the headline showing through: “Calico Horses Get Thumbs Up.”

Chapter 40

Brenda picked up the tiny swatch of calico fabric that she found dangling from one of the small horse figurines in her bedroom. That’s odd, she thought. Who put this here? She started to go ask Carrie when she heard the back door slam. She dropped the fabric on her nightstand and went to see what the fuss was about. She entered the kitchen and Carrie gave her a dismal look. Milla was outside sitting on a lounge chair with her head down.

It had been a long day of climbing up and down ladders and painting ceilings. Brenda ached all over and was looking forward to a relaxing evening. The girls had repeatedly interrupted her throughout the day with updates on their weekend excursion. They had gotten overly excited and carried away about camping. Brenda reminded them that Devon had not agreed to anything, but they wouldn’t listen. Now their camping trip dreams were dashed and the girls were miserable. She felt badly that they’d gotten their hopes up, but after speaking with Devon she knew that he had no time for holidays.

“I’m so sorry, Carrie, but…”

“Please don’t say I told you so, Mom. We feel bad enough.” Carrie stared out the window at Milla.

“Well, what can we do?” Brenda asked. “Would you like me to take you to Reno to watch the fireworks tonight?”

“No, I don’t want to pretend to have fun looking at a bunch of fireworks. I miss the ones back home and I miss Dad. I called him but he’s not answering his phone.”

“Sorry,” Brenda said. She wasn’t feeling very festive herself. In addition to being tired, these emotional ups and downs had become part of their daily routine and she wasn’t sure how to make them stop. Carrie went back outside to sit next to Milla. Flannel was lying under the table and looked up at Brenda. Even the dog looks depressed, she thought. All of this dreariness has to end. She sat down at the kitchen table, petting the collie that was stretching to make sure she got all the itchy parts.

Brenda thought of the excitement the girls had shown when they told her all about their plans. They called it an Un-July 4th camping trip. She laughed, thinking how creative the two girls were. The night was early and she had two sulky girls to contend with. She couldn’t make up for the boardwalk and family for Carrie and she couldn’t replace Milla’s grandma or father but she could do something else. She could give the girls exactly what they wanted.

Brenda glanced at the clock and walked outside. “I have an announcement,” she said to the girls, despite their telltale faces of…
we wish you would go away
. “I have just looked at the clock and it’s now officially the beginning of Un-July 4th.”

The girls sat up and blinked.

“I myself have never experienced this holiday so I need you guys to tell me how it works. I think there is probably food involved, but I’m not really sure what kind.”

“Mom, really, its okay. We’re fine,” said Carrie, rolling her eyes.

“Yeah, thanks anyway,” Milla said grumpily.

“I’ll go get the tent while you girls figure out where we should set it up.”

“Here?” they both said at the same time, looking dumbstruck.

“Yes, here.” Brenda replied. “I can’t think of a better place. What are you waiting for? Get moving—don’t you want to get ready?”

The girls squealed in delight as they ran to fetch all of the items they had gathered for the Un holiday. Brenda laughed. She hadn’t expected the girls to move from sorrowful to psyched in a split second. Even Flannel was getting in the mood—she jumped up on Carrie, who held the collie’s paws and did a waltz through the kitchen. Flannel barked as she chased them up the stairs.

“Tap tap” came a little knock on her back door. Uh-oh, thought Brenda. I’m gonna get warned about the noise. She opened the door to find Sam standing there with a grin. “I take it the pity party is over. Does that mean we’re heading to Reno for fireworks tonight?”

“Nope. The girls have decided to create their own blast right here.”

“They aren’t planning on shooting off any rockets, are they?” Sam asked worriedly.

“No,” laughed Brenda. “They’re going to set up a tent in the back and camp here tonight.”

“Oh, perfect. I have a bunch of camping stuff they can use. Wait, are you planning on camping, too?”

“Not sure yet,” Brenda said. “This is their first Un-July 4th and adults may not figure into the plan. But food definitely will because I am starving!”

Sam helped the girls set up the tent. Brenda went to the store and picked out snacks and food for the grill. She hadn’t planned on doing anything special and it felt gratifying to see the girls so joyous. How could I not have realized that a simple holiday could mean so much to all of us, she wondered. She thought of Milla and her unhappiness with holidays. Losing a loved one must be extremely difficult. Brenda remembered her own grandparents who had passed on. Her grandmother attended every family party in her finest clothes, even barbecues. Brenda laughed as she thought of the photos of her grandmother swinging a plastic bat in a dress and wearing pearls. Time has a way of easing the pain and she hoped Milla would be able to remember all the love that she had shared with her own grandmother. I guess this un-holiday is exactly what we all needed today, she thought as she pulled into the driveway.

The evening that had started out so blue turned into a night of adventure. The girls decided to brave the tent alone, keeping Flannel on duty as guard dog. Brenda and Sam enjoyed a quiet evening around the campfire reminiscing about college days. Milla and Carrie kept busy with games, toys, and ghost stories. Every now and then it would become completely silent in the tent and then both girls would shriek with laughter. They even coaxed the women into playing a few games, including a scavenger hunt that sent them all over the B&B looking for zany items. “The food was great, thanks,” Sam said. “I love all the vegetarian recipes you whip up. I usually throw together pasta or a big salad, but
you
, geez—you’re a gourmet cook.”

“Thanks,” said Brenda smiling. “It’s nice to know someone appreciates it. My friends usually make comments like…eew, no meat?”

Carrie popped her head out of the tent. “Mom, are you and Sam going to stay out here much longer?”

The campfire felt cozy and both Sam and Brenda were enjoying their peaceful conversation. The stars looked like jewels and the air was cool and breezy. “Actually,” Brenda replied, “we plan on sitting here and enjoying this beautiful evening, thank you very much.”

“Oh,” Carrie frowned.

“You see,” Brenda said. “This is the beginning of lots of new things for us. Un-July 4th has something that we don’t have in New Jersey.” Milla and Flannel joined Carrie and all three sat there with their heads peeking out the front of the tent flap.

“A beautiful moon over the Calico Mountains?” asked Sam as she reached for a chip.

“Nope—coyotes, mountain lions, and snakes,” Brenda replied. “Zip!” went the tent flap. “Clink” went the ice in Brenda’s and Sam’s glasses as they toasted the un-holiday.

Chapter 41

The drip-dripping of the rain was the first thing Shannon heard when she opened her eyes. Her bed was comfy and the room was still dark. She closed her eyes but didn’t feel sleepy. The house was quiet and she listened closer to the pattern of the falling rain. She could hear it hitting the roof and the tap-tapping of drops against her bedroom window. Thank goodness it was July and she didn’t have to go wait for the school bus. She rolled over, remembering all the good times with Carrie on the bus. They had been friends since they had started school and she couldn’t imagine sitting next to anyone else.

She didn’t want to think of Carrie riding to her new school with someone else either. She decided to think of raindrops instead, hoping maybe it would put her back to sleep. But then she heard the boom-boom of thunder as it shook the house. She heard Kelsie run into her brother’s room and scoot under the bed. Brian started to whimper. Suddenly, her room lit up brightly as lightning streaked across the sky. The pitter-patter of the rain fell harder against the roof and the boom-boom of thunder sounded much closer. Brian ran into her parents’ room crying. Bang! She heard the thump of the door shutting behind him. Flash! The room lit up again and then the house went completely black as her night-light went off and the hum of the air conditioner suddenly stopped. The crackling of lightning seemed to be right over their house and Shannon threw a pillow over her head. Brian’s cries were getting louder and Kelsie wasn’t making a peep. The wind was really gusting hard and she heard trashcans banging into one another. She went deeper under her covers. Then her mom poked her head into the room. “Come get in bed with us,” she whispered.