Star Gazer (11 page)

“That would be great!” Jordan breathed a sigh of relief. “Thanks a bunch, Doc. We'll be ready whenever you are.”

Gilbert Sutton paid for his feed. “What do you plan on doing with that old mare, anyway?”

Jordan lifted her chin and stared the man right in the eye. “I plan to enter the log-pulling contest at the fair this year. And I'm going to do my best to win it.”

Jordan heard snickers around them and Tommy outright guffawed. Mr. Sutton, red-faced, didn't even bother replying to her. He just stuffed his receipt in his pocket and left.

Probably for the better,
Jordan thought.
I just issued a challenge I can't possibly live up to
.

Nicole put her arm around Jordan's shoulders. “Don't let Mr. Sutton bother you. He's a mean, nasty man.”

“He's mean
and
rude!” Mrs. McKenzie said. “What grown man would taunt a kid like that and make fun of an injured horse? And that boy…,” she sputtered. “If he were my child, he'd have so many chores heaped on him, he'd never see the light of day!”

The veterinarian set his purchases on the counter. “Just ignore him. Sutton's pretty full of himself, and his son seems to be following in the same footsteps. If you're going to move in the world of draft horses around this area, you better get used to it, because Sutton Farm
is
draft horses. It's not worth getting yourself worked up about.”

Nicole looked at Jordan. “Did you really just tell the four-time log-pulling champion of the county fair that you're going to whup him at this year's event?”

“I believe she did,” the cashier said, and everyone chuckled.

Jordan knew they were laughing
with
her, not
at
her. She managed a smile, but she was sure it came out looking rather sickly. She had challenged the man. And she'd meant it. She remembered the advice her mother had given her several years ago when she'd made a rash promise: “Don't write checks you can't cash, honey.”

With no horse-driving experience, limited riding skills, and a lame mare that was still at risk of being put down, Jordan had written a very large check. And at the moment, she couldn't possibly cash it.

Jordan heaved a sigh and walked to the vitamin section to find the product she'd come for. She should have kept her mouth shut. When her boastful pronouncement got out around town—and in this place it definitely would—she was going to be the laughingstock of North Adams. She could see the headlines of the local paper now: Stupid City Girl with Lame Horse Challenges Champ.

She hoped Jacob would still speak to her after he heard what an idiot she'd been.

twelve

The next morning, Jordan went down to the barn to feed and groom Star Gazer. The chickens came out to greet her, their hopeful clucks reminding her that they needed feeding, too. The moment she pulled open the heavy barn door, Star nickered and bobbed her head. “I'm coming, girl,” she said. “Give me a minute to take care of the chickens and fix your grain.”

She scattered some hen scratch in front of the barn and watched the chickens pick the small bits of feed from the grass. Later, she'd gather the eggs they'd laid.

Star whinnied, urging her to hurry with her breakfast. Jordan mixed the vitamins in with the biotin supplement that was supposed to help Star's feet and added a dash of corn oil to make her coat shiny.

“When you get better and you're exercised regularly, I'll up your ration,” she told the big black mare. “But until then, you're on a restricted diet.”

She opened the stall door and stepped inside. Star Gazer stretched her lips toward the grain can, and Jordan had to dodge her attempts at sneaking a bite out of the can before it was poured into her feed bucket. She knew Jacob would probably scold her for this, but it had become a fun game they played each morning at feeding time. Jordan chuckled and planted a big kiss on the mare's soft, whiskered muzzle.

Jordan couldn't help wondering if Karina Sutton had done the same thing with Star. Did the mare feel better now that there was someone to pay special attention to her again? She sure hoped so. Star Gazer deserved that extra attention no matter what Sutton and his no-good son said.

She wrapped her arms around the mare's thick, muscled neck and breathed in the warm horse scent. Star stretched toward the feed can and tried to get her nose inside.

“Okay, I see where your heart lies.” Jordan teased. “Let's get you fed.” Star followed her to the feeder and Jordan thought it looked like she was walking a little better. “Want to eat outside today?” she asked, taking the grain can and coaxing the draft mare through the door.

Jordan smiled when she realized it wasn't her imagination. Star Gazer actually took a little bigger stride and seemed to put more weight onto her front hooves. “Yes!” she muttered to herself, and Star's ears flicked back and forth to catch the sound.

Jordan dumped the grain in an outside feeder and went to get the brush bucket and the small stepladder she'd borrowed from the house so she could reach the mare's tall back. She climbed onto the top step of the ladder and rested her hand on Star's withers while she moved the rubber curry in a circular motion over the draft's broad back. She daydreamed about throwing her leg over Star's back and riding her around the pen. It would be so easy.

Star Gazer had been trained to pull loads, but Jordan wasn't sure if she had been broken to ride. Maybe Jacob or his dad could find out for her. She sure didn't plan on asking Mr. Sutton or Tommy.

Jordan leaned some of her weight on Star. The mare lifted her head from the feeder and turned to look at her, then went back to eating. That was a good sign. At least she didn't jet out from under her. She leaned over Star Gazer's back again and was thinking about throwing her leg over when her mother called from the doorway.

“Jordan? Are you in here?” Mrs. McKenzie stepped into the barn and spotted her daughter in the corral portion of Star's living quarters. “Silly question. Of course, you're here. There's a horse in the barn.” She walked over to the corral.

“Hi, Mom, what's up?” Jordan climbed down from the step stool and gathered the brushes.

“How's she doing today? Any change in her feet?”

“I think so,” Jordan said, “but I don't want to jinx it.”

“The vet called. He said he's going to stop by tomorrow morning to do the X-rays,” her mother said.

“Excellent!” Jordan smiled, but a piece of her was afraid to find out the results. What if the news was bad?
Really bad?
She put on a brave face for her mother. “It will be good to know for sure what the problem is.”

Her mother entered the pen, still looking a little apprehensive, but she came to stand next to Jordan and Star. She pulled an apple from her pocket and offered it to the big mare.

Star Gazer stretched her neck and took the apple in one big bite, rolling the juicy fruit around in her mouth so she could get it between her teeth and crunch it.

“That wasn't very ladylike.” Jordan's mom admonished the big mare. “I should have cut it into pieces.” She reached out her hand and gave Star Gazer a nervous pat.

Star swallowed the apple, then dropped her head to the grain bucket.

“You had another phone call a few minutes ago…” Jordan's mom gave her a conspiratorial smile. “It was Jacob. He asked me for permission to give you horse-driving lessons. He said Daniel Miller has agreed to let you use his team at their farm, and I'm supposed to drive you over there at noon if you're interested. He even offered to teach me, too, but I think for now, I'll just watch. Are you going to take him up on the offer?”

Jordan bobbed her head enthusiastically. “It's going to be so much fun. I can't wait! Are you sure you don't want to learn, too, Mom?” She crossed the corral and let herself out of the stall, then tossed Star a flake of hay. “Someday we might be able to drive Star in a cart. I think you'd like that.”

Her mother looked at her with a sad smile. “Jordan, you know we can't keep this horse,” she said. “I'm really glad you're enjoying this experience, but we can't keep Star.” She reached out and brushed a lock of Jordan's hair behind her ears. “Look at the bright side, though. You've made some nice friends in Nicole and Jacob, and probably this Daniel, too. They've all got horses and I'm sure they'll let you come ride them anytime you want.”

Jordan busied herself with straightening the hay pile. She didn't want her mother to see the tears in her eyes.

“I spoke to Mrs. Miller after Jacob called,” her mom continued. “She said her husband will be there supervising you kids, and he assured me there's nothing to worry about. I'm going to drop you off, then go to the store and do some stocking while you're taking your lesson.”

“Sounds like a plan,” Jordan said, keeping her head down.

Her mom brushed some bits of hay off the front of her shirt. “You finish here and I'll go up to the house and make us an early lunch.” She turned to leave, then looked back at Star Gazer. “Do you really think Star could beat Sutton in that pulling contest if her feet got better?”

Jordan shrugged. “I don't know,” she answered. “But Jacob said she used to be one of Sutton Farm's top pulling mares. They had big plans for her before something went wrong.”

Jordan's mom nodded and walked away, leaving Jordan to wonder what all that was about. She grabbed the wheelbarrow and a pitchfork and pushed them to Star's stall. Soon, she'd get to trade in her cleaning tools for driving reins. She couldn't wait!

A few hours later, they pulled into the Millers' place. Jordan had always enjoyed looking at it whenever they drove by, but it was even prettier up close.

Like many of the farmhouses in this area, the Millers' two-story brick house was almost a hundred years old and very well kept. The lawns were perfectly manicured, and colorful mums and marigolds overflowed the flower beds. The big red barns and stable yard were immaculate. Horse-drawn farm implements and carriages were parked nearby. In the green pastures beyond the barns, at least a dozen golden Belgian draft horses grazed in the fields. To Jordan, this place was paradise.

Jacob came out of the barn with an armload of harness collars. His hands were too full to wave, but he tipped his head in their direction when he spotted them. Jordan could see Daniel and his dad leading a team of Belgians from the side pasture.

Suddenly, Jordan got a bad case of nerves. She'd been waiting for this moment, but now that it was here, she didn't want to get out of the car. What if she messed up and made a fool of herself? She'd already done that several times since they'd moved here. What if she made a mistake and did something that hurt the horses? Or what if they were just too big and strong for her and she couldn't physically do it?

“Everything okay?” her mom asked.

“Yeah, I guess, “said Jordan. “I'm just feeling kind of out of place. Everyone here is a real pro at driving drafts and I'm going to feel really stupid.”

Her mother reached over and squeezed her hand. “Everyone has to start somewhere, sweetheart. We can't all be professionals at everything. Just do your best and enjoy learning something new. I'm sure Jacob would never make fun of you.”

Jordan smiled at her mother and stepped out of the car. “Thanks, Mom.” She hoped her mother was right. Jacob and Daniel had been driving draft horses for years. Surely they wouldn't make fun of her when she tried to join their ranks.

There was only one way to find out…

Putting one foot in front of the other, Jordan marched toward the barn where the horses were waiting.

thirteen

“Hi, Jordan, glad you could make it,” Jacob said as he waved her over. “Let me introduce you to everyone.” He clapped the farm owner on the back. “This is Mr. Miller. And over there is my best friend, Daniel.”

The Miller boy peeked out from behind a large mare he'd just tied to the post. “Hi, Jacob tells me you were the one who rescued him and Brother Fisher in the buggy accident.”

Jordan just smiled. She felt kind of overwhelmed with so many talented horse people around.

Jacob set down the harness collars. “Hopefully, we won't have any buggy accidents here.” He looked directly at Jordan and smirked.

Mr. Miller tied the other horse next to the one tethered to the post and grabbed a set of brushes to groom them. He gave Jordan a wink. “Don't let these boys give you a bad time, missy. If I'm not mistaken, one of them took out a fence post last week when they were practicing.”

Daniel shoved his hands into his jeans pockets and kicked at the dirt.

Jordan looked up in surprise. “Really?”

The boy shrugged. “The post was rotten. It needed replacing anyway.”

Everyone shared in the laugh.

Mr. Miller pointed toward the house where a middle-aged woman and a teenage girl were sitting on the porch. “That's my wife and daughter up there,” he said. “They're working on some stitching right now. You'll get to meet them later.” He squinted and looked across the field. “Daniel's got a younger brother and sister hiding around here someplace. I'm sure you'll meet them, too. But for now, let me say that we're happy to have a fresh face in town. And it's really nice to see a young lady interested in draft horses. A lot of the girls around here ride them fancy show horses.” He laughed. “They're more like lap dogs than horses.”

Jordan thought he must be talking about Nicole's riding friends from the stable.

Jacob took a brush and started grooming one of the Belgians. “Now, let me introduce you to the horses. This here's Candy,” he said. “She's the right-hand mare. The other one is Suzie. She pulls on the left. They're full sisters, a year apart. Normally, we hook them together and drive them as a team—which you'll do later on after you've mastered one horse. But today, we're going to harness them separately, and you'll take one horse while Dan takes the other,” he said. “I'll walk beside you to make sure you don't get into trouble.”