Wind Dancer (10 page)

If either of their parents noticed Ali and Danny’s tear-stained faces and puffy eyes, neither said a word.

“Mom, Dad, we all need to talk.” Ali pulled out a chair at the kitchen table for Danny, then one for herself. Her heart was hammering in her chest.

“Let me call work and tell them I’m going to be late,” their dad said. He grabbed the coffeepot and set it in the middle of the table.

Danny stared at his hands; clearly he wasn’t going to be any help. Ali cleared her throat. “Danny has decided that it might be time to make a few changes.”

Danny’s eyebrows rose at that one.

“Is that true, son?” their mom asked. “What kind of changes are we talking about?”

Danny stared at his hands a bit longer, then looked up. “Ali helped me realize I’ve been pretty withdrawn here lately. I don’t think I realized how much I’ve disrupted everyone else’s lives.” He picked at his fingers a bit, then continued. “I’m not willing to admit that I have PTSD or anything just
yet, but maybe I
should
talk to someone. Maybe we could all go together.”

Ali’s mom exhaled and reached across the table to take Danny’s hand. “I’m very happy to hear that.”

“That’s very commendable, Danny,” their father said. “I’ll get a hold of the VA today and see what they have to offer in the way of family counseling.”

Danny poured himself a cup of coffee and the family settled in for a long talk.

By the end of an hour, they’d covered a lot of territory. Ali wasn’t sure they’d settled much, but Danny had agreed to consider some ideas, including going back into physical therapy with his new prosthetic and maybe contacting the Wounded Warrior Project. He still wasn’t willing to admit he had PTSD, but he agreed to speak to the Veteran’s Administration about it.

Ali yawned. “It’ll be time to feed the horses again in another hour,” she said. “And Dr. Forrester will be here soon. I’ll wait up for him.”

“Oh no you don’t, young lady.” Her mother pointed her toward the stairs. “I’ll do the feeding and handle the veterinarian. You and Danny get to bed and get some sleep. You’ve both had a long night.”

Danny waved her off. “I’ll help you with this feeding, Mom,” he volunteered. “You can show me what they’re supposed to eat. Ali, you go to bed. Mom can handle the vet. I’ll eat in a bit and go to bed after that.”

Ali was too tired to argue. Wind Dancer would eat better with Danny holding the bucket. This time she didn’t feel
even a bit of jealousy. She kissed her mom and dad, hugged Danny, and trudged up the stairs. Boy, would she have a lot to tell Cara when school got out!

Ali washed up and changed into her pajamas. It felt strange going to bed with the sun shining. She crawled between the clean sheets and hugged her pillow. Her eyelids drooped, but she fought to keep them open. She wondered what the vet would think about the small improvement in the horses. But, try as she might, Ali couldn’t fight sleep.

Ali awoke to the sound of one of the horses whinnying and carrying on. It was still daylight, but she could tell that many hours had passed. Ali heard hoofbeats coming up the driveway and reached for her clothes. Cara had arrived.

The screen door banged as she came down the steps. Danny’s voice rang out. “He’s gone!”

“Who’s gone?” she asked.
The vet? Jamie?

“Wind Dancer!” Danny looked stricken. “Your horse is gone, Ali.”

Misty neighed again. Now Ali knew why the mare had put up such a fuss. Her stablemate was gone! “How can he be gone? He can barely shuffle around his pen. How did he get loose?” Had she forgotten to close the gate?

“I was the last one to feed them.” Danny held the door open for her, and followed her down the steps. “I … I’m so sorry. I think maybe I accidentally left the gate unlocked.”

“Don’t worry,” she reassured Danny. “Wind Dancer couldn’t have gone very far.”

Danny tried to keep up with her, but his prosthetic was slowing him down. “He seemed to be feeling a little better.
He finished off the entire bucket of alfalfa and the doc gave him more of those electrolytes and antibiotics.”

“What’s up?” Cara asked as she swung down from the saddle and looked around the corrals. “Where’s Wind Dancer?”

“We think his gate was accidentally left open.” Ali patted Misty to calm her down. “Easy, girl, we’re going to find your friend.” She looked to Danny. “Where’s Mom?”

“She’s checking the barn and nearby houses to see if he went there,” Danny said.

Ali eyed the open desert behind their house. That was where she would go if she were a horse looking to be free.

Evening was fast approaching. They had to find Wind Dancer before it got dark. Meanwhile, if he filled up on wild desert grass, he’d end up with refeeding syndrome for sure. And what about coyotes? If Wind Dancer fell and didn’t have the strength to get up …

“Cara, can I borrow Dumpling?” Ali asked.

Cara’s brows rose. “I thought you didn’t ride anymore?”

“I’m about to start,” Ali said. “I’ll be back down as soon as I change into my boots. Can you put Wind Dancer’s halter in your saddlebag, please? I’m going to find him and bring him home.”

Danny caught her by the arm as she hurried past. “You can’t go out there, sis. It’ll be dark soon. There’s no way Mom and Dad would let you go.”

“Mom and Dad aren’t here.” She shook off his hand. “I have to go, Danny. I’ve got to find Wind Dancer before something happens!”

Danny pressed his lips into a hard line. “It’s not safe for you to be out in the desert after dark, Ali.”

“You’re not the boss of me!” Ali shouted. “We’re wasting time. And you can’t do it, so just let me go.” She saw the hurt
look on his face and instantly regretted her words. “I … I’m sorry, Danny. I didn’t mean …”

He nodded his head toward the house. “Just get your boots and go.”

Ali hesitated, but she knew there was nothing she could say to make the situation better. She ran to the house. Inside, she grabbed a light windbreaker and some licorice vines, in case she was gone for a while. She hurried back to the corrals. Cara stood alone, shielding her eyes as she stared out into the desert.

“Where’s Dumpling?” Ali asked.

“Out there.” Cara pointed to a small speck in the desert.

“Dumpling ran away too?”

“No, your brother is riding him. He’s gone after Wind Dancer.”

“What?” Ali cried. “Danny can’t ride. He’s going to get hurt. We’ve got to go get him.”

Ali’s mom joined them. “That’s Danny out there on Dumpling?” She put a hand on her daughter’s shoulder and sighed. “Let him go, Ali. Wind Dancer needs to be brought home. And this might be something your brother needs to do.”

Her mother was right. Besides, what could she do? It’s not like she could go after him on foot, and Misty wasn’t strong enough to be ridden yet. “We’ve got to call Dr. Forrester,” Ali said. “Even if Danny finds him, Wind Dancer might be in really bad shape.”

“I’ll call the vet and your father,” her mother said. She started toward the house.

“And I’ll call my mom,” Cara said. “I need to let her know I’m going to be here for a while. I want to make sure Danny and Wind Dancer make it back okay.”

Ali nodded.

“Ali, Dumpling’s a good horse. He’ll get them both home safely. And your brother is stubborn as anything. If anyone can do this, he can.”

Ali starred out across the desert. What in the world made Danny climb on a horse and take off across the desert just before dark? He’d never really ridden before, and he was wearing his prosthetic. She hoped he knew what he was doing.

Ali’s mom returned from the house. “Your dad is almost home, and Doctor Forrester will be here shortly. He’ll give Wind Dancer a complete examination when Danny brings him home.

A few minutes later, Ali’s dad pulled into the driveway and stopped in a cloud of dust. “Any word?” he said as he got out of the car. “How long has he been gone?”

“Almost an hour.” Ali’s mom fiddled with the bracelet on her wrist, spinning it round and round.

“I’ll call Search and Rescue and put them on alert,” her father said as he took out his cell phone.

Misty continued to pace back and forth on the fence line, stopping occasionally to look out over the desert and call to her friend. “Easy, girl,” Ali soothed. “They’ll all come home safe in a bit.”

“Danny’s going to be okay,” Ali’s dad said when he joined them after making the phone call. “That boy’s a survivor.”

They stood in a row, staring out into the desert. Another thirty minutes passed. A small plane flew over, heading into the desert. “That might be the Search and Rescue crew,” Ali’s dad said. “If Danny makes it back okay—and I’m sure he will—Wind Dancer may not have the strength to come with him.”

Ali’s legs grew weak. Did he mean that Wind Dancer might not make it out alive? Of course, that was a distinct possibility. Wind Dancer was in pretty bad shape. How could he have traveled so far from the corral in his condition?

And what about Danny? Her brother struggled to walk across the living room with his new prosthetic. And he wasn’t a horseman. What if Dumpling managed to unseat him? Even if Danny caught up with Wind Dancer, how would he be able to maneuver without his cane or crutches?

Dr. Forrester and Jamie arrived a few minutes later. Jamie gave Ali a quick hug. “It’s going to be okay. Your brother is a pretty tough cookie from what I hear. He’ll be back with that ol’ horse in tow before you know it.”

Ali attempted a smile. “Thanks.”

Dr. Forrester pulled out a couple of folding chairs and offered them to her parents. “I spoke to the Search and Rescue team a few minutes ago. They sent up a plane, but the pilot didn’t see anything from the air.”

Ali’s mom sucked in her breath.

“Now, just a minute, folks,” the veterinarian said. “That doesn’t necessarily mean anything bad. There’s a lot of territory to cover. Your son could have been in one of the canyons or in a long shadow when the pilot went over.”

Ali’s dad ran his hand through his hair. “I think maybe it’s time to get the ground team involved,” he said. “It’s getting close to sunset. We need to get Danny home.” He glanced at Ali. “And Wind Dancer too.”

Misty pawed the ground of her corral and snorted. Ali went to the mare, trying to calm her. Misty put her head over Ali’s shoulder, and the mare’s weight on her felt solid, safe.

Misty let out a loud whinny that nearly pierced Ali’s
eardrum. The cry was answered by another horse out in the desert.

“It’s got to be Danny!” Ali patted Misty, then climbed to the top rail of the corral to look. She couldn’t see them yet, but Misty knew they were coming. They all rushed out from the corrals to the edge of the desert to wait.

Soon Ali could make out the silhouette of a horse and rider, with another horse trailing behind. It was hard to wait patiently while the three of them slowly wound their way through the sagebrush.

At last Danny rode into the yard on Dumpling. He looked tired and strained, but he managed a small smile as he handed the black Appaloosa’s lead off to Ali. “I believe this belongs to you.”

Wind Dancer looked like he was ready to drop, but he seemed somewhat aware of his surroundings. He nickered softly to Misty and she returned the greeting enthusiastically. Ali took the lead rope, her hands shaking. Her mom and dad helped Danny down and Cara led Dumpling to an empty pen to remove his saddle and bridle.

When Danny was steady on the ground again, Ali hugged him with all her might. She gave Wind Dancer’s lead rope back to him. “Danny, I think this horse belongs to
you
.”

“But he’s a perfect replacement for Max,” Danny said. “You loved that pony, and Wind Dancer looks just like him.”

Ali patted the horse affectionately and kissed him on the end of his nose. “There will never be another Max,” she said. Misty leaned over the fence and nuzzled her hair. “But it does seem that there’s a certain white mare that needs a new owner.”

Their mom clapped her hands together.

Ali smiled and scratched Misty on the neck. “Wind Dancer needs you, Danny. And I think you need him too.”

“I had a lot of time to think about things while I was out there by myself,” Danny admitted. He held Wind Dancer while the vet examined him. “I’ve thought through the things we talked about this morning. I think I’m ready to talk to somebody about everything that’s been going on. PTSD included. I want to get my life back in order.”