Star Gazer (10 page)

Jordan wasn't sure how she was going to give King a leg cue. His back was so wide, her legs were almost sticking straight out. But she did her best and asked the big horse for a walk. King hesitated for a second, like he wasn't sure he understood what she asked, then he stepped forward, placing one massive hoof in front of the other. She could actually feel the ground quiver on each step.

Jordan rocked with the sway of the Percheron's motion, marveling at the strength and size of the horse. It was like sitting on top of a tank, and it was awesome! She asked the big horse for a trot. King responded immediately and she smiled broadly. Surprisingly, his trot was a lot smoother than she expected it to be.

Jacob watched as Jordan trotted King in a big circle around them. “You have really good balance,” he said. “Not bad for a
city girl
.” He gave her that same lopsided grin she remembered from the day of the accident.

Jordan ignored the city girl taunt and basked in the compliment about her riding skills. She brought King to a halt and walked him back to where her friends stood. After this experience, she was more determined than ever to help Star get better. It would be so much fun if she could take Star riding with Nicole and her friends from the stable.

Jacob grabbed King's bit and held him still. “Do you want some help getting down?” he asked, but Jordan declined. “It's going to feel like you're falling forever when you dismount,” he cautioned her. “Just make sure you land with your knees slightly bent so you don't hurt yourself.”

Jordan thought he might be teasing, but when she swung her leg over and pushed off of King's back, it did feel as if she'd dropped from the roof of her house. She landed with a resounding
thump
that jarred every bone in her body and clacked her teeth. Next time, she promised herself, she'd ask for help.

“If you think riding King is fun, you should try driving him,” Jacob said, giving his horse a good scratch on the neck.

Nicole took out her phone and snapped a photo of Jordan with Jacob and King. “Is that an invitation?” she asked. “Because Jordan would take you up on it in a heartbeat.”

“It would be a dream come true if I could drive Star,” Jordan said wistfully.

Jacob studied her for a moment. “I could teach you how to drive if you're really serious,” he offered. “School is out and I've got some extra time. It would be fun.”

Nicole was standing behind Jacob, and Jordan could see her doing the happy dance and grinning like a fool. She hoped Jacob wouldn't look over his shoulder.

“That'd be really great,” Jordan said, trying to keep her voice calm and level when she really wanted to break out in her own version of the happy dance with Nicole. “While I was grounded, I read as much as I could about draft horse care. I even found a website about driving. But I'm sure reading about it isn't the same as getting a personal lesson.”

“You've got that right,” Jacob said. “A book won't drag you around the field if you get caught up in the driving reins. Or run away with you.”

Nicole's eyebrows rose so high they almost disappeared into her hairline. It made Jordan laugh.

“I'm serious,” Jacob said. “Working with these big horses isn't for the faint of heart. Even though most of them are very gentle, they're still dangerous just because of their size. They might not mean to hurt you, but if they accidentally step on you or bump you into a fence, it's a lot different than if a regular-size horse does the same thing.”

Jordan understood the dangers, but she was willing to take a chance. “I'll do it,” she said, extending her hand to shake on the deal. “I'll be a really good student,” she promised. Maybe once her mother saw how serious she was about working with Star Gazer, she'd consider letting her keep the mare.

It was worth a try. She'd do anything to give Star Gazer a forever home.

eleven

Jordan held Star Gazer's lead rope while Jacob prepared to pack her feet with the poultice. “Easy, big girl,” he said, running his hand gently along Star's thick neck. “I'm just here to help you.” He lifted the mare's leg, took off the boot, and motioned for Nicole to hand him the jar.

As soon as Jacob opened it, Jordan and Nicole wrinkled their noses and took a step back.

“Aw, come on, girls. It's not that bad.” Jacob said as he scooped a handful of the clay concoction. “First you pack it into the hoof, then press it down along the frog—this part in the middle—and smooth it over the sole.” He unfolded a piece of the special paper he'd brought and used it to cover the entire mess. “Okay. Now hand me the boot.”

Jacob slipped the boot onto the hoof and moved to the other side of the horse. He repeated the procedure, then stood back to let the horse get used to the poultice.

Star Gazer shifted uneasily in the boots and bent her head to sniff the strange smell. She blew through her nostrils and lifted her upper lip to show the underside in a big horse laugh.

Jordan and Nicole giggled. “See,” Jordan said. “Star thinks it's stinky, too.”

Star Gazer tugged at her lead rope, wanting to go to her manger to grab a bite of hay. When Jordan didn't comply, the big mare moved anyway, dragging Jordan along with her.

“Hey, wait!” Jordan cried, stumbling along after her horse. “Whoa!”

But Star didn't stop until her head was deep into the feeder and she had pulled out a mouthful of hay.

“Don't let her do that,” Jacob said. “If Star gets the idea she can do whatever she wants, she'll be dragging you all over the place.”

Jordan held onto the lead rope but her hands were shaking. She'd never had any of the horses at her lessons do that. It felt like her rope had been hooked to the bumper of a moving car and she was being dragged along behind it. She was reminded once again of the raw power of a draft horse.

Nicole looked puzzled. “But how can someone Jordan's size control a horse that big?”

“The same way you control your horse,” Jacob said. “You just have to be patient, kind yet firm, and show them who's boss. And you better hope it's not the
horse
,” he teased.

Jacob cleaned the clay off his hands, then took the lead rope from Jordan. He tugged on it, asking Star to raise her head, but the mare ignored him. He shouted Star's name in a firm voice and gave a quick tug on the halter, causing the nose band to tighten briefly across the bridge of her nose. He now had her full attention. Star immediately raised her head and followed Jacob back to the center of the stall.

“There.” He handed the mare back to Jordan. “Make her mind, or you're going to have a real problem on your hands.”

Jordan stared at the big mare, feeling very unsure of herself. “But if I'm mean to her, she won't like me,” Jordan said, her voice trembling.

Jacob sighed. “Jordan, you're not some city girl taking a dog down the sidewalk of L.A. That's a two-thousand-pound animal you've got hold of. Making a horse behave is
not
being mean. If you can't be firm and make her obey, you might as well get rid of her right now. A horse this big that thinks she's the boss? She'll eat your lunch.” Jacob shook his head as if he was having doubts about working with her.

“I'll do it,” Jordan said, tightening her grip on the lead rope and praying that Star wouldn't drag her to the manger again. “I'll learn, Jacob. You'll see.”

He studied her for a moment. “Okay, everything's fine. I just want you to understand how serious this is. Star Gazer is not a toy. She's going to take some real work and you need to be up to the challenge.”

“I am,” Jordan assured him.

“All right, then. That was lesson number one. Make sure you learn it, or there's no sense going any further.”

Jordan swallowed hard. She hoped she was up to it.

Jacob handed the jar and the papers to Nicole since Jordan had her hands full. “Leave that clay on there for a couple of days,” he advised, “and we'll see if it pulls some of the sting out of those feet. In the meantime, I'm going to see if my friend Daniel Miller will let me use his old mare so we can get you started on lessons. If we can get Star's feet fixed, we'll need to make sure you're at a level to be able to help her in her training.”

Jordan took a deep breath and let it out. Jacob was willing to give her another chance. She took off Star's halter before the mare could drag her again and left the stall. “Why can't we use King?” she asked.

Jacob packed his bag and grabbed King's bridle off the hook. “He's a good horse, but he's not the right one for your first lesson. Dan Miller has a really good team of older mares that are perfect for beginners to work with.” He tipped his head toward Star Gazer's stall. “You saw what just happened there…Imagine trying to work with a team of fully harnessed horses and a cart when you don't have any control.”

Jordan got his meaning, along with the not-so-subtle message that she didn't yet know what she was doing. It hurt her feelings, but it made her determined to try harder. She wanted to prove to Jacob and to Star Gazer that she could handle draft horses.

When Jacob led King out of the barn, Star whinnied at King's departure. Jordan laid a steadying hand on her neck to calm her, then went outside, where she found Jacob mounting up from a fence rail.

“Thanks a bunch for your help,” Jordan said. “I'll let you know if Star's feet improve.” She waved good-bye, then turned to Nicole. “My mom is taking me to the feed store later. Do you want to go?”

“Sure. I'll put Dakota in the pen behind the barn.”

“Okay. I'll meet you up at the house.”

While Nicole put her horse away, Jordan slipped back into Star's stall. The mare nickered softly and lipped Jordan's pocket, looking for a treat. She gave her the last carrot tidbit. “I shouldn't be spoiling you like this,” she said with a heavy sigh. “You made me look really bad today in front of Jacob.”

Star lowered her head and Jordan touched her forehead to hers. “We've got to work together as a team, girl. You remember how to do that, don't you? I'm taking lessons so we'll be able to do fun things together. But you've got to help me out, too.” She placed a kiss on the end of Star's nose, then let herself out of the stall.

Nicole caught up with her on the back porch. They did a quick washup in the kitchen sink, then followed Jordan's mom out to the car.

The feed store was a short drive away. They pulled into the parking lot and Jordan immediately recognized the local veterinarian's black truck among the other cars. She hadn't seen Dr. Smith since he helped them with old Ned after the accident. Another truck on the far side of the lot had a big sign painted on its door: Sutton Percherons, Champion Pulling Team Four Years in a Row.

Mrs. McKenzie turned off the motor and lifted her sunglasses to get a better look. “Isn't that the farm Star Gazer came from?”

“Yes,” Jordan said as she got out of the car. She frowned at the vehicle. She felt the urge to kick the tires and toss rocks at the shiny red paint job for the way the man had treated Star Gazer.

Seeming to sense her thoughts, Nicole grabbed Jordan by the arm and pulled her along to the door of the feed store.

As they went in, Dr. Smith smiled and waved to them. “Hey, I hear you're the proud new owners of a draft horse.” At their surprised look, he replied, “Leroy Yoder told me you picked up one of Gilbert's mares at the auction this past weekend.”

Gilbert Sutton laid his purchases down on the counter and turned to see who Dr. Smith was talking to. “You shouldn't have wasted your money,” he said to them. “That mare is useless. I once thought she'd be prime breeding stock and a dynamite pulling mare, but she proved me wrong.”

Useless?
Jordan felt the heat of anger creeping up her cheeks. She wanted nothing more than to scream at Mr. Sutton at the top of her lungs, but she knew she'd be in big trouble if she did. How could the man be so heartless? She wished her father were here to put Sutton in his place. Her dad would have stood up to him.
Or maybe not
…Her dad was pretty good at running away.

Mrs. McKenzie had no problem confronting the arrogant man. “Star Gazer is a lovely horse,” she said. “All except for her feet. The poor thing can hardly walk. Tell me, Mr. Sutton, what happened to those feet?”

Jordan's mouth dropped open. Her mother was defending Star Gazer?

Mr. Sutton glared at Jordan's mom. “I didn't do anything to her feet,” he said. “The mare wasn't pulling, so she wasn't worth keeping shoes on. Maybe she's stone bruised or something. I didn't
do
anything to her.”

“Well, I certainly hope not,” Mrs. McKenzie continued. “There are laws against animal cruelty, aren't there?”

Jordan wanted to jump up and cheer for her mom.

A stocky boy sauntered up to the front of the feed store, and Jordan sucked in her breath. It was Tommy Sutton, one of the boys who had caused the accident. She had hoped that he was in juvenile hall someplace, but here he stood, all cocky and self-assured. He locked eyes with Jordan and let out an undignified snort. “That mare's not worth your efforts,” he said. “You should have just let the packers have her. If my dad and me couldn't do anything with her,
you
certainly won't be able to. You're wasting your time and money on that cull.”

Dr. Smith interrupted the conversation before it got out of hand. “Would you like me to come take a look at that mare for you?”

Jordan's mom smiled her thanks to the vet while giving Gilbert Sutton the hairy eyeball. “Well, thank you, we'd really appreciate that, Dr. Smith. Jordan would like to get some X-rays of Star's hooves, but I told her we'd have to wait until my next paycheck.”

“I understand,” the vet said. “But I hear Jordan is really good at cutting grass and weeding gardens. Why don't we set up an appointment time now? I'd be happy to take the fee for those X-rays out in trade.”