Snowfire (8 page)

Hoku gave a lovely, floating neigh, and for a moment Darby knew it was for her.

But she was wrong. Hoku was staring toward the ridge, where she'd seen Snowfire chasing Black Lava.

“You're not making sense, baby girl,” Darby told her horse, and she strode closer, until she was almost near enough to touch Hoku.

With a disdainful snort, Hoku moved a few more long steps away.

Why hadn't it worked? Had Hoku even been watching when Darby made the ponytail signal?

“This is crazy,” Darby murmured.

She walked to a nearby boulder, climbed onto it, and then, after another whistle, brought her arms up and pulled at her ponytail yet again.

Hoku kept grazing.

Sliding down from the boulder, she set off walking toward Hoku.

“Nothing in my hands,” she said. “No halter and no rope.”

No hay, either,
she thought regretfully. But she couldn't help that now.

When she was within three yards of her horse, Hoku trotted another five or six yards away.

“Very funny,” Darby muttered, hands on hips. “Hoku, come here, girl. Right this minute,” she added, trying to sound stern.

If Darby's feelings were hurt—and they were headed in that direction—she couldn't let Hoku know it. Darby was the boss. Hoku was the horse.

“Nooo,” Darby moaned quietly, because the horse had just broken into a lope and put the length of a football field between them.

Think like a horse,
Darby ordered herself. She took a deep breath. As she slowly let it out, she tried to sink into Hoku's mind. Was the filly sad? Disappointed? Angry?

The last time I was with Hoku…
Darby frowned, because it had been four days ago. Then Hoku had been happy to see her. She'd frolicked like a foal, and they'd leaned together like buddies.

Then Hoku had been heroic, facing down Black Lava to defend Darby. They'd seemed closer, more bonded than ever. What could have changed?

Okay, think, Darby,
she urged herself. What had
happened
after
Hoku drove off Black Lava? Darby realized that the stallion was trying to capture ‘Iolani Ranch mares, and she'd run up the path in order to tell everyone at Sun House.

And how was that different from other times Hoku had stayed loyally beside her?

Dummy!
Darby scolded herself. Every one of those other times, Darby had petted and sweet-talked her horse, rewarding her loyalty, showering her with affection and gratitude.

This time Darby had run away and been gone for days!

“I messed up big-time, didn't I, girl?” Darby said, but she was talking to herself.

 

By the time Kit reached the pasture riding Biscuit, Darby was surrounded by horses munching grass, but none of them was Hoku.

The mustang had moved as far away as she could get, and looked attentively into Pearl Pasture, as if she could see other horses.

“She won't come to ya?” Kit guessed as he halted Biscuit alongside Darby.

Darby shook her head. “I'm not exactly sure what's wrong, but I have an idea.”

Kit didn't ask for the reason. He bumped back the brim of his Stetson and studied Hoku. “She's mad at you, that's sure. And I could ride out, rope her, and drag her back, but that'll only make things
worse. Don't ya think?”

“Yes,” Darby admitted.

“Better call off training for today.”

“What about letting her know who's boss and all that?” Darby questioned.

“That'll wait until you two are friends again.”

“How do I make that happen?” Darby asked, trying not to sound as upset as she felt.

“I reckon she'll come around once she's shown you she's mad.”

“How long do you think it will take?” Darby asked.

Kit shrugged. “Depends on the two of you. Does she want to be stubborn? You willin' to change her mind? It's just like with people.”

“Should I bring her a treat?” Darby asked, trying to think of ways to make up with Hoku. “Jonah hates it when I give treats to the horses. He says I spoil them.”

“I don't think an apple or carrot will hurt, but I'm not sure it will help, either.”

Darby kept staring at Hoku until Kit asked, “Want to jump on behind and I'll take you back up?”

“Thanks, but I'll walk.”

“That's a good plan,” Kit said.

“It is? Why?”

“You're walking away from her this time, letting her miss you and regret her stubbornness. See ya back up there,” Kit said, and Biscuit carried him away.

One more try,
Darby thought as Kit trotted off.

She peered over the heads and backs of the other horses until she found Hoku again.
Just turn,
Darby silently willed the filly.
Then you'll see me tighten my ponytail and you'll come over and I'll show you how much I love you and appreciate that you defended me against Black Lava.

But Hoku didn't turn.

With a lump in her throat, Darby left the pasture.

 

Ann was just climbing out of her mother's car when Darby arrived at Sun House.

“Mal-a-sadas! “Ann shouted, pumping a fist toward the sky.

In the kitchen, Aunty Cathy had already plugged in her electric frying pan and poured vegetable oil into it.

“Be careful with the hot oil,” she told them. “If this stuff splatters, it can give you a nasty burn. In class, don't let anyone sit too close to it.”

“Not even Tyson,” Ann promised, but Darby noticed her friend's fingers were crossed.

“Not even him,” said Aunty Cathy, who had heard plenty of Darby's complaints about Tyson.

While the oil heated, Aunty Cathy set out milk, sugar, salt, eggs, butter, and yeast. They mixed the ingredients into a simple dough.

“Now, being very careful, get some dough on a wooden spoon and plop a lump into the hot oil. Not plop,” she amended. “Ease it into the oil. Here, I'll show
you how to do the first one, and you can do the rest.”

Darby and Ann were both afraid of the sizzling oil, but they teased each other into trying it.

Slowly and carefully, Ann laid a ball of dough into the oil, then jumped back as it spit and hissed. She handed Darby the big spoon.

“Your turn.”

“Do I have to?”

“Yep, the presentation's tomorrow. I think we've cut it about as close to our deadline as we can.”

Darby scooped a ball of dough onto the spoon and stared at the bubbling oil.

“Just lay it down,” Ann encouraged her.

“I'm just waiting for the right moment,” Darby insisted.

“This isn't like catching a wave in bodysurfing. There is no right moment,” Aunty Cathy said.

Darby hovered over the crackling oil, then dropped the dough ball in. Oil splattered up, burning her thumb, but she survived, and the next time her technique was better.

After the malasadas were cooked, they had to cool, and then they were rolled in sugar. After cleaning up, Darby and Ann took a plate of the warm, sweet treats to the living room for Jonah, Megan, and Aunty Cathy.

The girls dished a second plate for themselves and took it out to the lanai.

There they ate and planned their presentation, and once, while Ann was writing and Darby was staring
off the lanai, Darby heard the strumming of a guitar.

Two guitars,
she corrected herself. Cade and Kit were singing to Medusa, and Darby sighed. She remembered her first hours with Hoku and the days that followed. She'd sung Christmas carols to the filly.

Even before she'd adopted the sorrel mustang, Hoku had been hers.

But that seemed like a long time ago.

O
n Friday afternoon, Darby spotted Aunty Cathy waiting by the ‘Iolani Ranch truck in the Lehua High parking lot.

“C'mon,” she said, dragging Ann by the arm.

Finals were over. It was the last day of the school year. In celebration, Aunty Cathy had brought wonderful orchid leis for all three girls.

She placed the delicate strands of flowers around their necks and kissed their cheeks. By the time Ann saw that her camping gear was already stashed in the back of the truck, brought earlier by her mother, and she and Darby had climbed up into the backseat, Megan was already in the front seat talking about a beach party.

As Aunty Cathy pulled away from the school, she asked, “So? Were the malasadas a hit?”

“They were great!” Darby said.

“And the presentation was great,” Ann said.

“And, of course, Ann was great,” Darby joked.

“And Darby, well, there must be a word for her performance,” Ann said, tapping her fingertip against her lips. “Oh, yeah,
great
!”

“So, Darby, was it great?” Megan teased.

“Yeah, it was okay,” Darby played along. “We didn't spill anything or splash anyone with scalding oil.”

“Even those who deserved it,” Ann added.

“My voice didn't shake at all, and I was concentrating so hard on explaining, I forgot to be nervous.” Darby slumped back against the seat, smiling.

“You look smug,” Ann said as she leaned back against her curly red hair.

“Well, just to prove to you that I could have done that other presentation if we'd really had to, I'm going to sing you a song.”

“Nuh-uh,” Megan said, looking back at the younger girls.

Darby sang, “School's out, school's out, teacher let the mules out!”

She had no idea where the rhyme had come from, but it made everyone in the truck laugh, so who cared?

 

They weren't leaving on the camping trip until five o'clock, Jonah said, so the girls raced through lunch.
They wanted to get in their very first practice for the
keiki
rodeo.

“Jonah is counting on the rodeo to bring a lot of attention to the ranch,” Darby said as she and Ann led Navigator and Baxter to the round pen.

Navigator walked behind Darby, never hanging back against the reins or surging ahead. She patted his shoulder in appreciation. She loved the trusty brown-black Quarter Horse.

“Attention's nice, but a little bit of money wouldn't hurt,” Aunty Cathy joked as she joined them with Biscuit and one of the cremellos. “Isn't that right, Cash?”

“Mom, that's Pastel,” Megan corrected as she came up alongside with Conch. The grulla was so excited, he trotted on tiptoe as she led him.

“Well, they should all be named for money,” Aunty Cathy said. “You'd be just as happy as
Peso
, wouldn't you?” she asked the horse. “Because these
free
cremellos Babe gave us are costing us a fortune.”

“Because they eat so much?” Megan asked.

“That, and we had to buy new tack, renovate the pasture, update their shots, and have them shod—you name it!”

“They'll earn their keep this summer,” Darby reminded her.

“Let's hope so,” Aunty Cathy said. “But things will be
great
,” she emphasized, “if we can sell a few horses at the rodeo and Jonah can book Kanaka Luna with
one or two mares. And it would be nice for you kids to win some prize money, too.”

Even though the rodeo's prize money wasn't much, Darby had already been daydreaming about spending it on something nice for Hoku. She had to remind the mustang that she loved her.

She'd been thinking about horse shampoo, for a couple of reasons. It would not only smell nice, but every time Hoku caught a whiff of the scent on her mane, she'd remember Darby's gentle, massaging hands.

Of course, that assumed Darby'd be able to catch her someday.

Besides the fact that it would be fun to win, she wanted to prove to Jonah that she understood the realities of ranch life, and that his beloved ‘Iolani Ranch would be safe with her, if he—

“The rodeo is going to be awesome,” Megan's voice broke into Darby's thoughts, and Darby was glad.

“Too bad Sugarfoot can't compete,” Ann said.

“No?” Aunty Cathy asked as she held the round pen gate open for the girls.

Ann shook her head. “He could use the practice, but he's too unpredictable.”

Darby had heard about Sugarfoot chasing a client in a wheelchair and knocking him over. That wasn't what someone who'd come to the Potters' ranch for a therapeutic riding session expected, but Ann insisted
that Sugarfoot's behavior was “a colt thing.”

When Cade rode up on Lady Wong, Darby realized she hadn't asked him how Honi was doing.

“Is your mom's pony happy to be home?” Darby asked.

“She seems real happy,” he replied. “And so does Mom. Tutu's keeping her busy learning stuff about herbs and all.”

Darby nodded, and would have asked more, but Ann was ready to ride.

“So what are we practicing today?” she asked.

“Jonah's registered us for the ranching events, like trailer loading and sorting and doctoring,” Cade said. “But he told me we could do more.”

“We
have
to do the Gretna Green!” Megan insisted.

“What's the Gretna Green?” Darby asked.

“The real Gretna Green is a place in Scotland,” Aunty Cathy explained, “a spot that's famous because young couples can elope and get married there without their parents' permission.”

“But wait. How can they have a horse race based on that?” Darby turned to Megan, since she was so eager to compete in the event.

“In the race, the teams are made up of a girl and a guy, each on separate horses, and they have to hold hands while they race the other couples,” Megan explained.

Cade shook his head. “They're just going for time.
It's not a free-for-all start.”

“Holding hands!” Ann cried. “That still sounds crazy dangerous!”

“It can be,” Cade put in. “You have to practice, know your horse, your partner, and, uh, what you're doing.”

“I think Darby and I should enter the race,” Megan suggested.

“I thought you said it was a guy-and-a-girl event,” Darby reminded her.

“So what?” Megan countered. “Baxter and Conch look great together.”

“But they're both sort of green,” Darby protested. “I don't know.”

“I'll show you how to do it. You can start on Navigator and I'll take Biscuit, since they're both so reliable.”

“Okay,” Darby agreed warily. She'd first learned to ride on Navigator and knew that, whatever happened, he wouldn't spook or do anything silly.

With Cade and Ann sitting on the top fence rail watching, Megan and Darby lined Biscuit and Navigator up side by side.

“Okay, take my hand and we'll start by walking,” Megan instructed. She held out her left hand.

Darby did, but she felt off balance.

“Am I leaning too far?” she asked.

“No, but you're crushing my hand,” Megan told her.

It was true. She'd been holding so tightly to Megan's hand, her fingers were already stiff.

“Sorry,” she apologized with an embarrassed laugh. Then she loosened her hold, but didn't let go.

“That's better,” said Megan. “You don't have to lean so far over. Our arms can reach.”

Darby adjusted her seat, and she felt a surge of confidence.

“Take it to a jog,” said Megan when she sensed Darby was ready.

Navigator swung into a jog, and so did Biscuit.

Both girls were smiling and soon were loping around the corral hand in hand.

When they came to a halt, Darby realized that her cheeks hurt from smiling so hard. “That was cool,” she said.

Cade and Ann clapped and cheered from the fence.

“Way to go!” Ann yelled.

“Ready to try it on Baxter and Conch?” Megan asked.

“Why don't we just stay with Navigator and Biscuit?” Darby suggested.

“Because they're not the horses Jonah wants us to ride,” Megan reminded her.

“And they're definitely not the horses we want to sell,” Aunty Cathy added.

“That's for sure,” Darby said.

“Baxter and Conch will be perfect for this,” Megan said. “If you look at them, their conformation is a lot alike. They probably have totally matching strides.”

“Okay,” Darby said. She was a little embarrassed at her hesitation, but as Cade adjusted her stirrups, she found out he harbored some doubts, too.

“This is just for fun,” he said, looking up at her. “If things feel wrong, let me know.”

Mounted on Baxter and Conch, Darby and Megan started once more at a walk. Instantly Baxter stepped out, trying to stay ahead of Conch. Darby clung to Megan's hand, but just barely.

“Help,” she whimpered, half laughing as she lost contact with Megan.

Megan urged Conch to keep up, and they tried it again.

This time Darby made a serious slip to the right as Baxter flattened his ears and Conch widened the space between them.

Megan did something to scold the horse, and Conch narrowed his distance from the other gelding. That worked until Baxter began forcing his tongue against his bit, trying to break into a run.

Darby didn't know how she was supposed to shorten the reins using just her right hand. Finally, she was stretched so far to her left, she had to decide whether to let go or be pulled out of the saddle.

Darby let go. When Megan circled back, she said,
“This stunt's going to need some work.”

Darby nodded, but then she said, “Try it with Cade.”

“Why?” Megan looked suspicious.

“Because he's about a zillion times better rider than I am, and if we want to sell these horses, we want someone riding who makes them look good,” Darby insisted.

She and Megan rode over to where Cade and Ann sat on the fence.

“Those two are definitely not in sync,” Ann said when they arrived.

“I'll say,” Megan agreed, rubbing her arm. “At this rate one of us will wind up with a disconnected shoulder. Or dislocated. However you want to say it, one of us will pull the ball out of the socket joint. I saw it on that kinesiology handout.”

“Are you totally set on entering this event?” Darby asked.

“Yeah,” Megan replied. “Sort of. Definitely. Come on; we'll just have to practice.”

Darby didn't want to take the hand Megan offered her, so she asked, “Cade, will you try it? You're a lot more experienced than I am. Maybe I would do better as part of a four-person team. I could ride Baxter in sorting, doctoring, and trailer loading, the kinds of things I'm a little more experienced at. That's what Kimo suggested.”

“But, Darby,” Megan protested.

“I'll just slow you down,” Darby said, then gave Cade a pleading look Megan couldn't see.

“What do you think, Cade?” Megan asked.

“I'll give it a try,” he agreed.

Darby realized that a hint of red had risen on Cade's cheeks, like a sudden sunburn. These cowboys were sure easy to embarrass.