Author's note: I hope I'm getting this right: At the end of the 24th book, Sam is fourteen. So three years later, Sam would be seventeen, but her birthday is in the late spring, so if it's summer, that would make her eighteen. Cody would be three years old—how much fun! And if Jake is three years older than Sam, that would make him Twenty-three at the end September or October? So he would have been in collage for three years. (In my story he's going to collage for four years, because he's getting a business degree, but he had summer classes so he got his degree in three years.) As I see it, the Phantom Stallion series runs for about a year and a half. So tell me what you think about the running time. Also, I have been a fan of P.S. since 2005 and I have read the whole series five times and I'm working on my sixth. I am so in love with wild horses, hence, my user name.
Lightning at Midnight
Chapter One
Sam Forster trotted down the steps of the white ranch house. She stopped and looked up into the sky. A smile appeared on her face; the sky was blue with a few mares' tails floating high in the sky. Perfect day, Sam thought. She continued towards the barn.
Jennifer Kenworthy would soon be riding up on Silly; her palomino mare. They had been planning a ride for the past week, but some how something always got in the way. Like yesterday it was Buddy's first calf being born. Buddy's calf was almost identical to Buddy except that the calf had a white star on his forehead. But the calf, now named Rubin, was still the same gorgeous red brown as his mother.
The day before it was Blaze the Border collie's vet appointment. The seven year old dog had refused to come out from his hiding place under the cowboy's bunkhouse for his yearly shots. It had taken nearly an hour to drag the dog out and hold him down so Dr. Scott could give Blaze his shots.
And during the weekend, Dad had gone to Darton with Brynna and Gram to pick up groceries. Sam had been stuck at home babysitting her little brother, Cody. Who was three years old and acted worse than Ace or Tempest when they hadn't been ridden for a week.
At this rate, Sam thought, that's how long it's been since I've ridden either of them. But now, Sam had to make a choice: would she ride Ace or Tempest? Her eight year old gelding mustang or her three year old hand raised filly? Hard choice, Sam thought as she stood in the dim barn, looking between the two horses.
Just then Sam heard the clip clop of hooves on the bridge. She cocked her head and listened harder. She thought that she could hear two sets of hooves. She jogged to the bard door and looked out to see Jen riding in with Erin on a rose roan filly named Cherry.
Sam smiled and waved to her friends. She walked into the ranch yard to meet her friends half way.
"Hey, what's up?" Sam asked her friends.
"Not much, just enjoying a ride with Jen, and soon with you." Erin smiled before dismounting Cherry.
Cherry thrusted her head forward, making her nose touch Sam's forehead. Sam giggled and rubbed the filly's neck. The roan filly didn't have a single white making. Her mane and tail was just a slight bit darker than her plush pink coat.
Erin had short brown hair with died blonde streaks. Today she wore a brown t-shirt with a pink horse rearing and the words 'cowgirl up' under the horse. Her jeans had small holes in the knees and were so faded they were almost white.
"Are you ready to ride out?" Jen asked, she stayed on top of Silly.
Sam sighed and looked up at Jen. Then moaned, "No. I couldn't decide which horse to ride. They both need some work…" Sam smiled, an idea had just popped into her head, "But now I know that I'm going to ride Tempest. That way, it will be all girls."
She turned back towards the barn to groom Tempest before saddling her filly for the ride.
Jen winced, "Are you sure?"
Sam temporarily forgot the conversation, "Sure about what?"
Erin giggled and Jen rolled her eyes, "Isn't today supposed to be the day Jake comes home for the summer?"
Sam stopped walking and looked over her shoulder at Jen. "Um…" She looked up at the sun to determine what time it was before remembering she had strapped her watch on after taking a shower. It was just after noon and today was Friday, the first Friday of June. "I—Yeah, I think so. But, um, I don't know when he's getting here…"
"The legendary Jake that I've heard so much about is coming home today? From collage?" Erin asked. If she was a horse, her ear would have been so far forward the tips would almost touch.
"Yeah, that's the one." Jen rolled her eyes. She and Jake still didn't get along that entirely well.
"Jen, don't act like you haven't missed him in the littlest way." Sam scolded as she walked towards the barn.
"Well… I haven't. And Erin wouldn't know anything about him if you hadn't been yapping about him every time you thought about him." Jen sighed.
"I haven't yapped about him!" Sam yelped.
Erin giggled. She thought it was funny when Jen made a comment that Sam didn't necessarily agree with.
Sam led Tempest outside to the hitching rail and started grooming her filly. "Have I?"
"Every once in awhile. But not all the time." Jen smiled. She dismounted, dropped Silly's reins, and walked into the barn.
Sam stared after Jen in confusion. Then went back to grooming Tempest.
She dropped the brush back into the bucket full of grooming tools. Sam turned towards the barn, but stopped dead in her tracks. Jen had brought Tempest's tack out for her.
"Thanks Jen." Sam smiled as Jen plopped the gear into her arms.
"You can repay me later. Just hurry, I want to get back to riding."
Sam finished tacking Tempest and climbed into the saddle. "Let's go!" She kicked Tempest into a lope and headed for the bridge.
War Drum Flats was quite and outwardly peaceful. The air was filled with sagebrush and the sent of pine trees carried on the breeze.
After the gallop to War Drums Flats, Tempest had started limping as she walked toward the lake for a drink of muddy water. Sam halted the filly and climbed down. She took her time walking around to Tempest left hind leg. She ran her hand down the filly's leg to pick her leg up.
Wedged between the filly's frog and her horse shoe was a nail. Sam gasped, "Poor baby. No wonder you were limping."
Sam looked over at Jen, "Do you think you can get this out?"
"What is it?" Jen asked after ground tying her golden mare and knelt next to Sam. "Ouch, a nail. Wonder where she picked that up." Jen pinched her fingers together like tweezers. She grabbed the inch long nail and carefully pulled it out from its cramped place in the filly's hoof. "There. Keep an eye on that hoof; if she keeps limping you might have to get Dr. Scott over to look that over."
"Thanks Jen." Sam said hugging her friend. She took the nail and stuck it into her saddle bag, that way she could show Dad—and if need be, Dr. Scott—what had hurt her filly.
As soon as Sam picked up her reins, Tempest nodded her head three times before walking towards the water for a drink. Sam stood at the end of the reins watching, waiting for the filly to limp: she didn't.
Sam halted her filly and climbed back into the saddle before letting the filly take her drink. But because she was on top of the filly and not holding her back, Tempest walked into the muddy water until it reached her knees.
"Careful Sam, remember what happened last time Ace pulled that stunt?" Jen laughed at the memory.
Sam rolled her eyes but couldn't help but laugh along with Jen.
"What happened?" Erin shaded her eyes from the sun as she looked up at Sam.
"She let Ace wade into the lake and he didn't want to come out. Soon enough, Jake comes loping up to 'save the day'." Jen laughed, "He tried to lasso Ace, but the cowpony is too smart for his own good. Ace ducked his head and the loop went over Sam's head. Jake pulled Sam off Ace and into the water."
Erin's eyes opened wide as her mouth dropped open. She covered her mouth, but it didn't smother her laugh or hide her gleaming green eyes.
"Yeah, yeah, I know. It's just the funniest thing in the world." Sam smile as she rolled her eyes. She thought it was funny, but it wasn't that funny.
"Just another Jake story." Jen smiled a gloating smile at Sam.
"Hey! That's not fair, you brought that one up!" Sam yelped. "Besides, Tempest is a good girl. She'll listen to me, won't ya baby?"
"Whatever." Jen said sarcastically.
Erin sighed, she had just stopped laughing. She stuck her foot into Cherry's stirrup and pulled herself back into the saddle. "Alright, I'm ready to go back. How about you?"
"Yeah," Sam smiled as she asked Tempest to walk out of the water, "Let's race!"
"Hey! No fair! You got a head start!" Jen yelled as she kicked Silly into a gallop.
Sam let her now graying filly's mane whip her face. She looked over her shoulder at her friends. She looked up into the sky and laughed. The sun felt so good on her face.