understand.”
“You don't never talk to me, so how do you
expect me to understand?” Jeb said reasonably.
Her mom sad, “Mel, you're hurting Jeb's
feelings.”
That was how Mel found herself in the cab of
Jeb's pickup an hour before sunset heading down the road to
Jeffries' valley ranch.
“So,” Jeb said as soon as they got started.
“What bad things does Sally say about me that makes you hate
me?”
“Sally doesn't say anything bad about
anybody.”
“So why do you act like you do? Won't even
sit next to me at meals if you can help it. Do I smell bad or
something?” He gave her a sideways grin. His thick brown hair fell
in a wave over his forehead. He even had a dimple.
“Well,” Mel said, letting him have it since
he'd asked her, “you get rid of every horse I care about, so how
should I feel about you?”
“You think I'm picking on you, huh?” he said
earnestly. “Being mean to you? No way, Mel. You're a big help
around the horses, and I'd accommodate you if I could, but I can't.
My job's to cull the mounts that might cause us trouble. We got
dudes coming here to ride that don't know one end of a horse from
the other. They need to be protected.”
Mel knew Jeb was just making excuses. Colby
had been her mount, not meant for any dude to ride. She'd never
been able to argue though, so she stayed silent and stared at a
purple cloud with a frill of crimson sunset lying between the two
mountains ahead of them.
“How about I promise not to mess with the
next horse you pick no matter what? Then can you and me be
friends?”
“Why should you care how I feel about you?”
Mel asked.
“Wow!” he said. “You are one intense little
girl. I care because your mother's my friend, and you're a good kid
when you're not moping around giving everybody a hard time.”
“I don't give everybody a hard time,” she
protested, and threw her last barb at him. “But I hate when you
make fun of Sally.”
He jerked back in his seat in genuine
surprise. “What do you mean? Sally's my buddy. He don't mind my
teasing.”
“Well, I do.”
“I guess I just can't win with you, can I?”
Jeb said, as if that really bothered him.
“Look,” she said, and pointed to the huge owl
with enormous wings aiming itself at a tree branch on the other
side of the road. Mel had never seen an owl so close before.
“Yeah,” Jeb said without interest.
She sat in silence, a little ashamed of
having come on too strong as she usually did when she expressed
herself honestly.
The silence lasted until they arrived at the
field. There were the horses! Immediately Mel forgot Jeb and
focused on the mustangs. The three were scrubby animals, sturdy
with thick necks and powerful hindquarters, not as sleek or pretty
as the horses on the ranch, but wilder and more active. One was
gray with black markings on its head and legs. One was a paint with
a black mask slipping down over his nose. The third mustang was a
mahogany colored horse with an especially long black mane and tail.
The bay had turned to look at them when they got out of the pickup,
and it was still watching them as they walked up to the fence.
“Pretty,” Mel said. Rays of the setting sun
had gilded the reddish-brown horse, which was taller than the
others.
“Yeah, that one's got a little class.” He
gave a high whistle, and the brown horse sidestepped until he was
facing them, head up and ears pricked toward them. “I wonder if
Jeffries plans to break any of them,” Jeb added. “Wouldn't put it
past him to just let them run free in his field and then sell them
to the glue factory when he gets tired of them.”
“He wouldn't do that!” Mel said in alarm.
“Sue says he loves horses, and Mr. Davis said he's a nice man. So
he wouldn't do that.”
“Maybe not.Maybe he'll just keep them around
for decoration. I wish I had his dough.” Judging by the number of
times he'd mentioned being rich, Mel guessed that was his big
dream. It figured he'd care so much about
“You don't never talk to me, so how do you
expect me to understand?” Jeb said reasonably.
Her mom sad, “Mel, you're hurting Jeb's
feelings.”
That was how Mel found herself in the cab of
Jeb's pickup an hour before sunset heading down the road to
Jeffries' valley ranch.
“So,” Jeb said as soon as they got started.
“What bad things does Sally say about me that makes you hate
me?”
“Sally doesn't say anything bad about
anybody.”
“So why do you act like you do? Won't even
sit next to me at meals if you can help it. Do I smell bad or
something?” He gave her a sideways grin. His thick brown hair fell
in a wave over his forehead. He even had a dimple.
“Well,” Mel said, letting him have it since
he'd asked her, “you get rid of every horse I care about, so how
should I feel about you?”
“You think I'm picking on you, huh?” he said
earnestly. “Being mean to you? No way, Mel. You're a big help
around the horses, and I'd accommodate you if I could, but I can't.
My job's to cull the mounts that might cause us trouble. We got
dudes coming here to ride that don't know one end of a horse from
the other. They need to be protected.”
Mel knew Jeb was just making excuses. Colby
had been her mount, not meant for any dude to ride. She'd never
been able to argue though, so she stayed silent and stared at a
purple cloud with a frill of crimson sunset lying between the two
mountains ahead of them.
“How about I promise not to mess with the
next horse you pick no matter what? Then can you and me be
friends?”
“Why should you care how I feel about you?”
Mel asked.
“Wow!” he said. “You are one intense little
girl. I care because your mother's my friend, and you're a good kid
when you're not moping around giving everybody a hard time.”
“I don't give everybody a hard time,” she
protested, and threw her last barb at him. “But I hate when you
make fun of Sally.”
He jerked back in his seat in genuine
surprise. “What do you mean? Sally's my buddy. He don't mind my
teasing.”
“Well, I do.”
“I guess I just can't win with you, can I?”
Jeb said, as if that really bothered him.
“Look,” she said, and pointed to the huge owl
with enormous wings aiming itself at a tree branch on the other
side of the road. Mel had never seen an owl so close before.
“Yeah,” Jeb said without interest.
She sat in silence, a little ashamed of
having come on too strong as she usually did when she expressed
herself honestly.
The silence lasted until they arrived at the
field. There were the horses! Immediately Mel forgot Jeb and
focused on the mustangs. The three were scrubby animals, sturdy
with thick necks and powerful hindquarters, not as sleek or pretty
as the horses on the ranch, but wilder and more active. One was
gray with black markings on its head and legs. One was a paint with
a black mask slipping down over his nose. The third mustang was a
mahogany colored horse with an especially long black mane and tail.
The bay had turned to look at them when they got out of the pickup,
and it was still watching them as they walked up to the fence.
“Pretty,” Mel said. Rays of the setting sun
had gilded the reddish-brown horse, which was taller than the
others.
“Yeah, that one's got a little class.” He
gave a high whistle, and the brown horse sidestepped until he was
facing them, head up and ears pricked toward them. “I wonder if
Jeffries plans to break any of them,” Jeb added. “Wouldn't put it
past him to just let them run free in his field and then sell them
to the glue factory when he gets tired of them.”
“He wouldn't do that!” Mel said in alarm.
“Sue says he loves horses, and Mr. Davis said he's a nice man. So
he wouldn't do that.”
“Maybe not.Maybe he'll just keep them around
for decoration. I wish I had his dough.” Judging by the number of
times he'd mentioned being rich, Mel guessed that was his big
dream. It figured he'd care so much about
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