Disclaimer: All character, places or plots you recognized come from and belong to Terri Farley

AN: Wouldn't stay out of my mind! Hope you enjoy!

Running Away with my Heart

Chapter 1

Wild Horses

Sam POV

I was 4 when my mother died. She had left to go to town one day, but never came back. The sheriff Heck Ballard had showed up on our door step that evening, I don't remember much. But I remember my father breaking down, I had never seen this man cry in my life. He had been the strongest man in my life, he still was. But that night was different, that night the house was filled with sound of my fathers sobs. The sounds of his fists on the floor as he came to know his wife was gone. My mother was gone. I cried that night, not because my mom was gone, I still really didn't understand. But I cried because my father was so upset. I knew something was big was going on but not what it was or meant.

It was 3 days later at the funeral when I finally knew what was going on. My mother was gone, forever. She was going to heaven as we laid her in the ground. As my father walked towards the casket and everyone else left us in peace I felt a presence. I turned to see my mother, she was an angel. Dressed in white and floating over the ground she came to me and knelt down in front of me "Sammy girl, don't let this stop you or hold you back. I want you to live your life to the fullest. I loved you and your father very much, and I will continue to love you everyday as I keep watch over you. Always remember Samantha that I will be watching over you. Make me proud baby!" With that she headed towards my father and put a transparent hand on his shoulder. To this day my dad refuses to speak of that day. Whatever if was that she said, lit a fire under my father. He threw himself into raising me and the ranch. He taught me every day out on the ranch. He taught me about riding and working with horses. He started teaching me about fencing and cattle. He taught me how to brand and tag cattle, as well as shots and vaccinations. He bought me book after book about horses and cattle and ranching. I picked up everything I could, even though at this age I was mostly looking at pictures.

I started Kindergarten this last fall, learning about reading and writing. Mrs. K says I'm way ahead for my age, she started putting me in with the 1st graders about a week ago. I have more homework now, but I feel challenged. I have to work at it, it don't come easy like the kindergarten stuff did. Daddy and Gram went in to talk to Mrs. K today, I sat in the hallway reading a Dr. Suess book. He was really funny, I liked his stories. Even if they don't have horses or ponies in them, and sometimes they don't make sense. I was sitting on the bench swinging my legs back and forth waiting for Dad and Gram to come out. When the door opened I jumped off the bench and hurried towards my Dad. He knelt down in front of me and gave me a hug "I'm so proud of you Samantha, Mrs. K says you're already reading, writhing and doing math in the top of the 1st grade class. So from now on, you are no longer a kindergartener, you're gonna be a first grader baby."

I knew a little bit of what was going on. To me this meant I would continue to stay with the class I was with, instead of going back to my old class. I liked this a lot. I had more friends in this class, especially a boy named Jake Ely. It turns out he lived at a ranch called 3 Ponies down the road from our ranch River Bend. Our dad's were even friends. He was a year older than me, but we were a lot alike. Even if he was better in math that I was. We sat next to each other in most of our subjects and played together. I had started to think of him a a sort of unofficial big brother. Gram had even told me that I was going over to ride horses, play and have a sleep over with him this weekend. I went to bed that night excited for tomorrow to come.

I woke up with my alarm the next morning, hopping out of bed a getting dressed for chores. Once I was dressed I hurried downstairs grabbed the basket for eggs, leaving it next to the hen house on my way to feed my pony Daisy. She wasn't really a pony, more like a small horse. Dad says she is a quarter horse that just isn't tall enough. All I know is that she is my very best friend. I tell her everything and I love her. She was dark bay, dark brown with dark legs mane and tail. She had a wide, white blaze down the center of her face, and one blue eye where the blaze went out over her eye. I grabbed the flakes of hay and stood on my tippy toes to get it into the feeder in the corner of her stall. I scurried back to the feed room to grab her grain, if I'm not fast enough with it she fusses at me. With Daisy fed I walked back across the ranch yard to collect the chicken eggs. With my basket nearly full, I waddled up the steps of the porch with the heavy basket between my legs. I managed to get squeezed through the door with my basket and drug it behind me through the kitchen to where Gram was sitting next to the table peeling potatoes for breakfast. She looked down at the basket at her feet "Good lands Samantha, those girls are laying up a storm. Let me put that on the table while you grab another peeler." I turned to the cabinets and grabbed my little peeler to help Gram get breakfast ready for all the ranch hands.

With breakfast all in the hands of Gram, I went back to the barn to brush Daisy. I was standing outside her stall talking to her about this weekend and being in 1st grade when gram banged in the triangle hanging from the porch. "Breakfasts ready!" she shouted and then retreated back to the kitchen. I ran across the yard, wanting to eat while everything was perfect and warm. That and if you waited for all the hands, there normally ain't much food left!

I was shoveling food into my mouth with everyone else when Gram turned to me "Good gracious Samantha, slow down or you'll choke on it" she chastised. Gram was all about manners and acting like a lady, when all I wanted was to be like my father. With breakfast finished, I ran upstairs where gram had packed me an ovrenight backpack and a sleeping bag. I dragged it down the steps to the front porch. Jumping off the steps to race after my father, who would be riding with me to 3 Ponies to talk to Jake's father Luke about Spring round up.

After I had saddled Daisy and walked her across the yard to the hitching post by the front porch, Dad tied my sleeping bag behind my saddle and lifted me onto Daisy. Handing me my back pack he strode to where Banjo was tied and swung into the saddle as I put my backpack on. I watched every step he took and vowed to one day be as good of a cowboy as he was. We took off out of the ranch yard headed towards 3 Ponies, dad pointing out things as we rode across the playa. I tried to commit everything to memory. He pulled Banjo up short and motioned for me to be quiet. He pointed out across the desert at a band of wild horses that you could just barley see against the mountain side. You could pick them out because of the few paints and a pure white horse in the rear.

Dad turned to me, "That's the Phantom Sam. The all white horse at the rear, he is the stallion and that's his band. Rumors say that when one dies that another white one will take his place, there has been a Phantom leading that band of horses since I was a kid." I looked at him in awe and then back to the wild horses. But they were gone, just like that.

I nudged Daisy forward to follow after Banjo and Dad as we continued to 3 Ponies.

AN: Just some background! Hope you all enjoyed. Leave me some loves!