Moon Shadow (3 page)

Callie smiled. Riding Celah was like riding an elephant. She felt like they could go through anything. But as big as the mare was, she had surprisingly smooth gaits—a good thing since Callie didn't ride with a saddle.

She wondered what it would be like to ride a horse like Cloud Dancer, or her palomino mare, Moonbeam. How would it feel to glide over the ground at the speed of the wind instead of the slow, steady canter of the draft mare?

They pulled the horses back to a walk as they topped the next rise. Celah was blowing hard from the exertion of hauling her large body up the incline. Callie patted the mare and jumped from her back.

“We better tie the horses up here,” Callie said, pointing to a heavy clump of sage. “We've got to crawl to the edge of the rocks. If any mustangs down below see us, they'll bolt.” Callie tied Celah off, then got down on her hands and knees and clambered onto the outcrop, reminding herself not to wreck another one of her mom's handmade shirts.

Billie edged up beside Callie on the flat rock outcropping. “Are they there?” she asked. “What about Moonbeam? You've told me so much, I can't wait to see her. I bet she's beautiful.”

Callie brought a finger to her lips to silence her friend, then pointed to the band of wild horses below. There were eight mares of varying colors. Cloud Dancer seemed to prefer lighter colored mares, like Moonbeam, but there was at least one black in the herd, and one bay. Several of the mares had last season's yearlings tagging along, while a couple of the younger mares nursed new foals.

Callie pointed a finger at the palomino. “That's her,” she said. “I call her Moonbeam because she's such a pale shade of yellow. Look how big her belly is. I bet she doesn't have too much longer to wait before she foals.”

“She
is
beautiful.” Billie's voice held a note of awe.

“I wish she were mine,” Callie said wistfully.

A loud snort from Cloud Dancer jolted the silence. Callie wondered if the stallion had sensed they were there. But a moment later, a loud human shout sounded from the bottom of the valley about a half-mile away.

Cloud Dancer urged the herd into a run. He wanted to get his new foals and pregnant mare away from the danger. After the herd was safely on its way, the stallion turned to face the intruder, assessing the danger. Experience had taught him that it was better to avoid the challenge of a screaming human on horseback. The stallion spun on his heels and galloped after his harem.

“Wh…what's going on?” Billie sputtered as the rider galloped across the valley below. “Isn't that Luke Thompson? What's he doing out here?”

Callie stared in disbelief as she shaded her eyes and watched her young neighbor give chase to the mustang herd. She stood and planted clenched fists on her hips. “Darn his ignorant hide! What does he think he's doing?”

The boy spotted them standing on the hill and pulled his blue-roan quarter horse to a sliding stop, forcing the gelding into a practiced rear. He tipped his hat in the girls' direction before he cantered up the hill toward them.

Billie dusted off her jeans and frowned at the approaching rider. “How'd he know we were here?”

Callie shrugged. “I had a feeling someone was following us, ever since we left the house. It must have been him.”

Luke stopped his horse beside the two mares. He swept his hat from his head and mock-bowed low over his gelding's withers. “Mustanger Luke at your service, ladies.”

“Of all the stupid things…” Callie picked up a handful of pebbles, intending to bounce a few off the boy's thick skull, but she thought better of it. She didn't want to have to haul the fool back to her house if she hurt him. “What do you think you're doing?” she demanded angrily.

Luke opened his mouth to speak, but his answer was lost on the wind as a loud
chop, chop, chop
echoed through the hills. A second later, a small black-and-white helicopter broke over the rise, raising dust and creating a racket.

Luke's gelding jumped out from under him, tossing the arrogant boy into the brush. Callie would have laughed if she hadn't been so busy trying to get hold of Celah. Billie ran to get Star, but the two mares broke their tie ropes at the same time. They turned and cantered toward home with their manes and tails flying on the wind.

The helicopter passed out of range. Luke groaned as he untangled his long legs and rose from the spiky bush, dusting off his pants. The girls watched all three horses disappear over the hill.

“What do we do now?” Billie said in dismay, looking to Callie.

“I guess we have no choice.” Callie glared at Luke. “Unless Mr. Mustanger here has his cell phone so he can call his dad to come pick us up in his four-wheel drive, it looks like we're going to be walking home.” She brushed past Luke and started down the trail. It was going to be a hot, dusty two miles back to her house.

Three

“That was awesome!” Luke said, pulling the hat off his sweaty brow.

Callie ignored him and continued to march homeward. Her boots were pinching her feet and she could feel a blister forming on her heel with each step she took.

Billie kept pace with Callie. “Who do you think that chopper belonged to?” she asked. “I don't remember ever seeing anyone out here when we were riding.”

“I don't know.” Callie kept her voice low so as not to invite a three-way conversation, but Luke pushed between them. Callie glared at him. “I was too busy trying to catch Celah to get much of a look at the copter, but it looked like the ones the Bureau of Land Management uses. Their logo isn't very big, so it's hard to tell.”

Luke grabbed a lock of Callie's unruly hair and gave it a teasing tug. “Oh, come on, why would the BLM be out here?” He reached down to pluck a long stem of wild grass and stuck it between his teeth. “There's nothing here to manage but sagebrush and jackrabbits.”

Callie ignored him and directed her answer to Billie. “They're probably looking over the mustang herds, getting ready to do a roundup. Harvey said he heard them talking in the office back at the adoption center. He's not too keen on helicopter roundups. It's really hard on the horses.”

As they tromped across the sand, a hollow pit opened in the bottom of Callie's stomach.
What if they round up Cloud Dancer's herd?
she thought. It really bothered her that Moonbeam could be gathered in the pens and put up for adoption. Callie knew that she'd saved almost enough from her allowance to cover the $125 adoption fee, but Moonbeam would have her foal soon, and her parents wouldn't be able to pay for the everyday upkeep of two horses.

She took a deep breath and told herself not to worry. Cloud Dancer had been grazing these valleys with his mares for years and he'd always kept his herd safe. He had produced a legacy of beautiful wild foals that would roam the hills for many more years to come.

“I'll call Harvey when we get home and see if he knows anything more,” Callie said. “Hopefully, they're just doing a head count.”

Luke gave Billie a toothy grin. “They haven't done any roundups out here for a long time,” he said, trying to show off his knowledge of horses. “They're not allowed to use the chopper in the spring because it's foaling season. After June, they can use the helicopter to round up the horses and drive them over long distances.”

“But your mustang is still in foal,” Billie said to Callie. “What will happen to Moonbeam if they do a roundup?”

Seeing the warning look on Callie's face, Luke threw an arm over each girl's shoulder, dragging them to a slower pace. “Callie's mustang?” he asked as he looked from one to the other. “Ha! Callie doesn't own a mustang mare. The only thing she's got is that big tank she passes off as a horse. She ought to get herself a real horse, like one of our registered quarter horses.”

Callie shrugged out of his grasp. “Okay, that's it!” she said with a stomp of her foot that she knew probably seemed childish. “You're not fit company for a vulture, Luke. This is where we part ways.”

“I agree,” Billie said, crossing her arms over her chest.

Luke put up a hand. “Hey, two against one isn't fair.” When he saw that his protest didn't faze the girls, he gave up. “All right, I'm leaving. Don't go gettin' yourselves so riled up. I was only joking.”

Callie fought the urge to yell out something mean as Luke stumbled down the side of the hill and picked up the trail that led to his father's ranch.
How dare he insult Celah!
Callie thought. She's a great mare. So what if she's not tiny and sleek like the Thompsons' fancy quarter horses?

“Don't pay any attention to him,” Billie said. “He just likes to get a rise out of you.”

Callie took a deep, stuttering breath and sighed in exasperation. “Well, it worked. What a brat! Why can't he just leave me alone? He always picks on me.”

Billie hooked her arm through Callie's and steered her back up the trail. “My little brother's the same way,” she said. “He just wants attention, and he doesn't care what he has to do to get it. Look at all the trouble Luke gets into at school. Besides…” Billie said hesitantly. “This is going to sound crazy, but I think maybe he likes you.”

Callie rolled her eyes. Who in their right mind would want a boyfriend like that? “Well, somebody better tell him he's got an odd way of showing it. He always makes fun of what I do or say, or the clothes I wear.” She plucked at a ribbon her mother had sewn onto her shirt. “It's not my fault my mother makes weird clothes and expects me to wear them.”

They walked in silence for a few steps. “What about that great warm wheat bread and fresh blackberry jam your mom makes?” Billie said. “I'm kind of jealous. My mother never makes anything by hand.”

Callie felt a little bit better. Who really cared what Luke Thompson thought anyway?

“All the girls at school think he's cute,” Billie said. “I could name a dozen of them who'd love to have Luke ask them to a dance or something.”

“Yuck!” Callie said. “They obviously don't know him like we do. Luke reminds me of that big old roping horse his dad has.”

“How's that?” Billie asked with a curious lift of her brow.

“Well, he's one of the most beautiful horses on the place,” Callie said. “But he's so ornery that nobody can stand to be around him.”

The girls laughed together as they turned down the path that led to Callie's house.

Callie glanced at her watch. “Oh no! Dr. Susan is supposed to pick me up at one o'clock. We're doing sick pen today.”

“I think it's so cool that a real vet is letting you help with the mustangs at the adoption center,” Billie said, picking up the pace. “It's even better that you're getting extra class credit for summer work.”

Callie ignored her sore feet and broke into a jog. She'd always wanted to be a vet, mostly because she loved animals. But it didn't hurt any that veterinarians also made good money. Someday, when she grew up, she planned to own a place where she could have as many horses as she wanted.

“My parents thought that working with Dr. Susan would give me a good idea of what I'm in for if I become a vet,” Callie explained. “Sometimes the work is kind of messy and unpleasant. If I can keep from fainting at the sight of a needle or the sound of scissors cutting into a live animal's hide, I just might make it.”

“Eww,” Billie said. “I just couldn't do it. I don't have a strong enough stomach.”

As they topped the last rise that was directly behind Callie's house, they were surprised to see the McLeans trudging up the incline.

“Thank goodness, you're not hurt!” Callie's mother ran up and threw her arms around the two girls.

Mr. McLean stopped to catch his breath. “When the horses came back alone, we feared the worst. What happened?”

Callie stared at her parents. Her mother's tie-dyed shirts and her father's long, braided hair might make them look different from other parents, but there was one thing Callie could always count on: They loved her. She hugged them both. “A helicopter spooked the horses. We had to walk back.”

“Must be roundup time,” Sarah McLean said as she tucked a lock of her daughter's hair behind her ear and smoothed her bangs. “Better hurry. Susan's waiting for you.”

Callie looked at her friend. She didn't want to just walk out on her, but Billie shooed her on.

“You get going,” she said. “I'll make sure Star and Celah are all right. My dad will be here soon to pick me up, anyway.”

Callie gave Billie and her parents a smile of thanks and ran down the hill toward the house and Dr. Susan.

The veterinarian was sitting in her little white pickup. Dr. Susan had been the family's equine vet ever since Callie could remember. Everything about the petite brunette—from her neat bobbed haircut to the wire-rimmed glasses perched on the end of her nose—was very businesslike.

“Hi, Susan,” Callie said as she grabbed her tennis shoes from the porch and jumped into the pickup. She buckled herself into the passenger seat and waved to her parents and Billie as the vehicle pulled away from the house.

“I see you've got another old tractor out back,” Susan said. She adjusted her rearview mirror and pushed her glasses up further on her nose.

“Yeah, my dad says he's going to use it for parts to fix our good tractor,” Callie said. “I sure hope he can, because if he doesn't get it to work, he'll have to hitch Celah up to the plow, and I won't be able to do much riding this summer.” She stared out the window at the vast Nevada landscape and sighed. “I just wish my parents would figure out what century the rest of us are living in.”

Callie fidgeted in her seat. She could feel Susan's kind brown eyes on her.

“Your parents are good people, Callie. Don't be so hard on them.”