Chapter 1
"This foal you're carrying had better turn out to be a prize-winning horse, Belle." I waved the vet's bill under my mar's nose. "Just look at those $ $ $ $ $! He—or she—is sure costing me plenty."
Belle sniffed the paper, then snorted.
"I totally agree." I shoved the bill in my pocket and heaved the saddle onto Belle's back. "It's really your fault, you know. If you hadn't run off last winter and hooked up with that wild mustang—"
"Are you talking to yourself again, Crystal Anne Bradley?" Serena said as she came into the barn.
She was my good friend who lived on the ranch just down the mountain from us and we were the same age, going into sixth grade in the fall.
"No, I'm just holding a discussion with Belle." I glanced up and noticed Serena was leading Bumper by the halter rope. "Hey, did you bring him in from the pasture yourself?"
"Yup." She looked real proud, and she had a right to. Only a short time ago she was so afraid of horses she couldn't get near them. Now, here she was, walking out in the middle of seventy or so horses and catching the right one.
"Good for you." I felt like giving her three cheers, but there's no sense in overdoing it. "I thought you didn't have time to ride this afternoon."
"Mom and I finished retiling the bathroom earlier than we thought." Serena rolled her dark Chinese-American eyes, to show he how much she did not enjoy all the repair work the Change had to do after they bought the Lazy B. "They Anna called in a panic, saying the computer ate up the budget figures, so Mom drove up here to the Double Diamond to the rescue and brought me along."
Serena's mom was a computer programmer, and Anna Diamond, who was in charge of all the guests who stayed on our dude ranch, had just bought her first PC to help organize the business.
At least, that was the idea. It seemed like almost every day Anna locked horns with the machine, but that was okay with me. In return for Mrs. Chang's help in sorting out the mess, Serena was free to come riding with me whenever she wanted.
"What were you talking to Belle about?" Serena asked as she fetched her saddle and bridle from the tack room. "Doctor Cooper's bill came today." I pulled it out of my pocket. "I didn"t know how much vets cost. On top of the visits she made to the ranch when Belle got the wrong medicine and scared us all to death, there"s the ultrasound exam that told us the foal was okay."
I pulled out another sheet of paper. "Plus, Belle will need more exams before she delivers this winter. Even if nothing else goes wrong, like another accident, just look at what it all adds up to!"
"Wow!" Serena whistled when she saw the figures I'd worked out with Dad. "do you have to pay it all?"
"Not all, but part of it. If my dad had bred her to the Jenkins' quarter horse like he planned, the ranch would pay the bills. A good fast cow pony like a quarter horse would add to our bloodlines. But since we don't know what kind of runt that mustang, Pirate, will sire, we decided the colt-or filly-would be mine, so I have to carry a share of the cost."
"That doesn't seem fair," Serena said.
"It's no secret that it was my fault Belle got out. I was the one who forgot to bolt her stall door, and I knew well enough that she'll life the latch with her teeth if you turn your back for two seconds."
"Isn't Pirate a palomino?" Serena asked as she slipped the birate a palominos. They're so pretty, with their blond manes and golden coats."
"There's nothing pretty about this mustang. I got a look at him when we finally made it through the snowdrifts last spring to bring Belle home. He's kind of small, not more than sixteen hands, I'd guess, and covered with scars. Besides that, his head is big and blunt, and he's just a bunch of wiry muscles. No elegance to him at all, not like my Belle." I stroked her gleaming chestnut coat, a rich, coppery color.
"Where did the mustang come from?" she asked.
"No one knows. The only wild herds in Colorado are way up in the northwest. Pirate just drifted into the area one day last fall and began helping himself to some of the best mares around. The ranchers would love to get a rope on him, but he's too fast and wily."
Belle was ready so I helped Serena saddle up Bumper, then we set off on our ride. It was my favorite time of day, late afternoon, about the only time I had for myself in the summer. As a junior wrangler, I went along on the trail rides most days, to help with the guests and horses. It was a paying job, and one I enjoyed, but it wouldn't cover all the vet bills we expected. It took me a long time to save up enough to buy Belle with my earnings. I hadn't planned on this extra expense.
Wrangling filled up my days, but my evenings were also pretty busy. I took on the job of coaching Jamie, our newest wrangler, with his homework.
Plus, the owners of the ranch, Anna Diamond and her husband, Andy, expected all of us staff to socialize with the guests after dinner some nights. It's fun, but it means I have little time on my own.
"I'm wondering about something," Serena said as we jogged our horses through the pine trees.
"Ask away," I said.
"You spend most of your days riding the trail with the guests. Why do you saddle up Belle and go out again once you get back?"
"Belle needs the exercise," I said. "I can't take her out on the trail every day-it would be too hard on her. Also, I have to do my share of training the other horses. But Doctor Cooper said it was important for a pregnant mare to stay fit, so I try to give her a good workout whenever she's spent the day lazing around the pasture."
"Owning a horse is a lot of responsibility, isn't it?" Serena said.
"Yup, you'll find out when you get yours. It shouldn't be too long now. You've learned to handle Bumper real well."
"He's much zippier than Sneakers, but he's a good horse. Do you think I might try jumping him soon?"
"Bumper's not a natural-born jumper. A lot of cow ponies don't care for it." I thought a moment. "You ought to try Eagle next. He likes it."
"Which one is he?"
"The blue roan Appaloosa with the spotted rump and the white blaze down his nose. But he can be a handful. I'll have to start you slow on him."
We were riding side by side, and Serena gave me a quick glance. "You know, Chris, I was thinking …now don't take this wrong…"
"Take what wrong?"
"Well, you've been teaching me to ride almost all summer and I haven't paid you back, really…"
"Your mom's given me a couple of good haircuts," I said. "You don't owe me anything."
"Yes, I do. Now, you need money to help with the vet bills and—"
"Serena Chang! Don't you dare say one more word! Taking money from you would be like asking someone to pay me for breathing. Drop that idea down the nearest well and fill in the hole so it never pops out again."
She sighed. "I knew you'd get mad. I'm sorry."
"I've already forgotten you said it." I sounded huffy, but I couldn't help it.
"But when will you find time to earn money another way?" she said. "Between taking the guests out, and teaching me to ride, and helping Jamie, you—" She snapped her fingers. "I just remembered! I went down into town with my brother yesterday to buy lumber, and guess what I saw?"
"Now how am I going to guess? I haven't been off the ranch since we picked up Drew's puppy. For all I know, the town washed away in the last thunderstorm and nobody thought to mention it."
She grinned. "It's still there, and so is the poster I saw. One of the churches is holding a fair in a couple of weeks and on the last day, there's going to be a big horse race-with a prize!" "You mean a money prize?" I sat up real straight in the saddle.
"Five hundred dollars for first place! Is Belle fast? Could you race her?"
"Sure she's fast. But race her? I'm not sure. I'd have to check with Doctor Cooper and see what she says."
Serena glanced down at Belle's flanks. "She doesn't even look pregnant."
"Most mares don't, not until the last couple of months, especially maiden mares like Belle, who are having their first foal."
I was talking about one thing and thinking about another: $ $ $ $ $! Those little signs were flashing in my head, blinking green-green-GREEN. "We can win it! I know we can win it!" I said.
"Wouldn't being pregnant slow Belle down?" Serena asked.
"I don't think so," I said. "I'll ask Dad. He'll know." Besides being foreman of the Double Diamond, my father was also in charge of breeding the ranch horses. Each year we raised about a dozen colts and fillies. Belle was one of them, a few years back.
Up ahead, the trail branched, and I decided to head over to a spot I hadn't been to in a while. It was part of the National Forest, what they called a "Designated Wilderness Area." That meant no machines were allowed, not even a chain saw, so it's always quiet and peaceful, the way nature's supposed to be.
From the top of the ridge, you could see a whole long stretch of the Rocky Mountains, and down below, one of the prettiest meadows, just filled with wildflowers. It was a darn nice piece of scenery.
"Is Belle fast enough to win a race?" Serena followed me on Bumper as Belle and I led the way up the steep climb.
"I've never tried to find out, but I'll bet she is," I said. "Her mother, Sundown, won a lot of races before she went blind. That's one reason Dad rescued her from the owner who was going to put her down. That, and her part-Arabian blood he wanted to add to our stock."
"Wait a minute!" Serena said. "You're already planning to win the five hundred dollars, but you've never raced Belle?"
"Only on the ranch. She's beaten Drew's Steamboat every time, and you know how much bigger he is, but she can whip him."
"Gosh, I'm sorry I mentioned it now," Serena said. "If Belle's never raced before…"
"Heck, that doesn't mean anything. I've got two weeks to get her ready." I began planning her training right then. "I'll ask Dad to let me try her against Midnight. He's a stallion, and fast. If Belle can beat him, I'll bet she can beat anyone."
Serena shook her head. "I don't know, Chris…" She glanced around. "Hey, where are we? I don't recognize this trail."
"We're headed for one of my favorite spots, a wilderness area. I don't come here often, but wait until you see it. It's not far now, and you're in for a real surprise."
But was the one who got the surprise. We came out above the tree line, climbed up over a rocky ridge, then I reined in Belle and gasped in shock.
The entire mountain slope was crisscrossed with ugly scars. The view that always made me want to suck in my breath with wonder was spoiled by tracks that flattened the fragile plants and dug deep ruts in the earth. A huge spiderweb of pure destruction had totally ruined the mountainside and meadow.
"Bikers!" I said. "Bikers did this! Just wait until I get my hands on them!"
Copyright © 1998 by Louise Ladd
