"He's every bit as beautiful as advertised," David Beckett said, "Thank you for retrieving him, Ben."
"Oh well," Ben replied, "My son, Joseph, deserves most of the credit for that, along with Candy."
"About that," David said, "I was told Firebrand was trained, but from what your boy had to say about him now I'm not so sure. I think Firebrand needs to be tested out before I hire a rider for him, but I'm not as young as I used to be, so I was wondering... Joe's a pretty fair hand with horses isn't he?"
"David, you know he is," Ben replied, "But you'll have to ask him yourself."
A few minutes later, David got the chance to do just that, because both Joe and Candy came out to the corral.
"Hey, Mr. Beckett," Joe said, "Hoss said you were out back lookin' at Firebrand."
"He sure is a beauty, Joe," David replied, "And I'm grateful to you for getting him here safe."
"Be grateful to Candy," Joe suggested, "He's the one who did all the work gettin' him here."
"I just did what I was told," Candy said with a mild shrug.
"Well, whichever way it is," David said, "I'm sure happy to finally have this horse. One thing though."
"Oh?" Joe asked, "What's that?"
David proceeded to explain what he had just told Ben. He was concerned that the horse might be a danger to other horses and riders on a track, and potentially to his own rider as well. He wanted to have the horse tested out, to make sure he'd be alright on a track. Since Joe was good with horses and already used to Firebrand, he was the logical person to ask.
"Uh-uh, not me," Joe said, "I wouldn't get up on that horse for all the silver in the Virginia City bank."
David looked disappointed, and Ben appeared disbelieving.
"Candy on the other hand," Joe continued, glancing at the startled ranch hand, "He gets how Firebrand's mind works. I bet he'd be glad to get up on him. We could set up a course and I could ride against him, see how Firebrand goes with another horse galloping alongside him."
Candy looked distinctly uncomfortable with the idea, but he said nothing, merely stared at Joe. Ben's expression relaxed as he realized what Joe was doing.
"That sounds fine," David said, breaking into a relieved smile, "If you think Candy would be a good test rider for Firebrand, I'll take your word for it."
"Are you insane?" Candy demanded after Mr. Beckett and Joe's father had gone inside to have a cup of coffee, "That horse will kill anyone that gets on him, an' you know it too."
"Take it easy, Candy," Joe said using his best voice of reassurance, "I don't know that, and neither do you. In fact, I don't think Firebrand's ever gonna give anybody any trouble again."
"How can you be so sure?" Candy asked.
"You let me worry about that," Joe told him.
"Easy for you to say," Candy retorted, "You're not the one that has to ride him tomorrow."
"No, I'm just the one who'll have to live with it if I'm wrong," Joe said.
"At least you'll be alive to live with it."
"Well, if you're scared-" Joe began, but Candy cut him off.
"You're darn right I'm scared, and not ashamed of it, either. You and I both know that horse is a killer, I'd be a fool not to be scared of him. And I didn't hear you volunteering to ride him."
"Look, Candy, you know Pa wouldn't ask anyone to do something he wouldn't do for himself, don't you?" Joe asked.
"Well yeah, but-"
Joe cut him off, "And you know that I wouldn't do that either, don't you?"
"Well yeah, but-"
"So you know, whatever I said to Mr. Beckett, I'm willing to ride that horse, otherwise I wouldn't have volunteered you for it."
"Well..." Candy hesitated, "Yeah, I guess that makes sense. But-"
"I also know that horse nearly tore you apart once," Joe interrupted, "But I don't think he'll do it again. I'd like you to trust me on that. I'll understand if you can't. And, if you won't ride the horse, I'll do it without another word about it. I was Mr. Beckett's first choice for the job anyway. Can you trust me?"
Candy fell silent. He looked at Joe searchingly, though what he was looking for Joe couldn't begin to guess. What Joe saw was a silent fear, not of the horse, but being unable to do what Joe had asked of him. A fear of what that might mean, not just how he might diminish in the eyes of Joe and his father, but how it might affect his chances of staying. Finally, Joe saw the fear his father had been so worried about. Candy was afraid of losing his home, but he was just as afraid of the horse that had nearly killed him. As he looked at Joe, Candy bore the look of an animal that's been cornered, and has no place to go.
Finally, Candy dropped his gaze and spoke, almost too quietly for Joe to hear.
"I guess we'll see tomorrow, won't we?"
It wasn't the answer Joe had been hoping for, but he decided to take it.
Earlier that morning, Joe had worked with Firebrand from the ground in the corral, and confirmed in his own mind that Firebrand was a changed horse. Candy didn't appear to realize it, but he'd said it himself, the horse had gotten tired of fending for himself. The desert had taught Firebrand some perspective, and he'd found the wilderness not to be much to his liking.
From the horse's behavior, Joe got the impression that, all his life, Firebrand had been cared for and catered to, which had spoiled him. When it came time to train him, whoever had done it had attempted it through force and fear. Firebrand was the sort of horse that just became more vicious the more harshly he was treated, though whether that came from his privileged raising or his fierce personality it was impossible to say for sure from the outside. The combination of being treated harshly, but in the end allowed to get away with whatever he wanted because nobody would risk hurting him or ruining his racing spirit had made him into a spoiled brat of a horse, and one who saw man as his enemy and inferior.
It had taken the desert heat, thirst, the savagery of a mustang and bite of a snake, but Firebrand had finally met his match. He had seen that there were things he could not cope with, and he had returned voluntarily to the world of men, where he knew he would be fed and cared for. He'd learned respect out in that desert and, though Joe wouldn't want to try and train a horse that way on purpose, he got the feeling that, because of his experience, Firebrand would never lash out at a man again, especially not if he was treated fairly.
Maybe the reason Joe had worked out was right, maybe it wasn't. But either way, Firebrand hadn't made a bad move the whole time Joe worked with him, even when he turned his back and walked away, an action that had formerly set Firebrand off without fail.
"Joe, I understand your reasons for wanting Candy to ride Firebrand," Ben said that evening when they sat down to talk it over, "You're worried his fear of that horse may have a detrimental effect on him, and I agree that it's possible."
"I hear a 'but' coming," Joe remarked when Ben paused.
"Have you thought any about what it might mean from his perspective, asking him to ride that horse?"
"How do you mean, Pa?" Joe asked.
"Riding the horse won't prove he trusts you," Ben said, "Not like you want it to. It'll say a lot more if he doesn't ride Firebrand, if he feels like he can say no to that without losing his job over it."
"Aw, Pa, I told him he wouldn't," Joe said.
"Yes, I'm sure you did," Ben said patiently, "But don't you suppose he's been lied to before?"
"I wouldn't lie to him," Joe protested hotly, "I wouldn't fire a man just for not riding one horse any more than you would."
"I know you wouldn't, Joe," Ben replied, "But you've backed him into a corner. He may feel he has to be the bigger man and quit if he can't summon the courage to ride that horse."
"Pa, he's got no reason to do that," Joe said.
"Hasn't he?" Ben inquired pointedly, "Or is that exactly what he would do if he found he couldn't carry out the orders of an employer he respected and liked, saving them the trouble of firing him?"
A worried look came into Joe's eyes, "You don't really think he'd do that, do you?"
Ben sighed and sat back in his chair, "Candy is unpredictable in a lot of ways. At first I had difficulty in trusting him. I doubted his honesty, and his reliability. But he volunteered to ride point with you on that trip, and he did a lot to help Hoss keep Wabuska in line. He could have taken off that first night after he got what he came for. He claimed it was safer in a group, but we both know he travels faster and more efficiently by himself. No, he stayed for our sake, not his own. He knew exactly what he was doing, and most of our group was woefully unprepared for the assignment. It was a big risk, sticking by us, but he did it. I decided any man like that was worth having around, even if I didn't know much about his background," Ben sighed again, "But I honestly don't know what he'll decide to do tomorrow."
Joe frowned and thought it over, then said, "Well, I guess we'll see, won't we?"
The next morning, after a rough night of sleep, Joe had made a decision of his own. He got up early, just as the first gray light of dawn was touching down. He went to the barn first, and found Cochise awake and ready, seeming to know that something was up.
The little black and white pinto nickered a welcome and tried to shove his muzzle in Joe's jacket pocket. Joe laughed and offered the horse a piece of sugar he'd put in his pocket before coming out to the barn. Cochise munched happily while Joe stroked him and checked him over to make sure he was as sound this morning as he'd been the night before.
"Easy, Cooch, you may not have much to do today, or you may have a lot," Joe said, rubbing the horse's neck, "I don't know yet."
After taking care of Cochise, Joe went around back to the corral where Firebrand was staying temporarily. The big bay neighed at sight of him and came cantering over.
Though a little more scarred than when Joe had first seen him, Firebrand was still a magnificent sight to behold. Tall, long and lean, he was a horse built to run, and it showed in his every line; from his high crest to his powerful shoulders and deep chest, down his short back and strong hind limbs, he was a horse built to be one of the fastest things on four legs.
Firebrand stretched his dark head over the top rail of the corral fence, searching for a treat. Joe offered him the other piece of sugar he'd been carrying, and Firebrand took it gently, barely brushing the skin of Joe's hand with his long whiskers. Joe cared for Firebrand, and then went back to saddle Cochise.
He led the pinto out of the barn and tied him to the hitching post, then went to tack up Firebrand. Firebrand stood quietly throughout the process, and allowed himself to be led from the corral. He balked a little at being placed beside Cochise, but a few words from Joe quieted him.
Hearing the door open, Joe looked over his shoulder.
"You're up early," Ben remarked to his son, "Just what are you planning to do?"
"Well, Pa, I intend to ride out to that flat, straight stretch between here and the north pasture, just like we talked about."
"I see," Ben said, "And then what?"
"I guess I'll wait there for Mr. Beckett," Joe replied, "Some of the ranch hands are bound to be out there. I know a few who are always up for seeing a fine horse run. I plan to give them a good show."
"Before breakfast?" Ben inquired.
"I'm not hungry," Joe told him, "And besides, it's not good to gallop a horse on a full stomach anyway."
"I never thought I'd hear one of my boys claim not to be hungry," Ben said, "And I suppose you'll be riding that horse?" he indicated Firebrand with a tilt of his head.
"Well I ought to," Joe answered, "I thought it over, and it's what Mr. Beckett wanted."
"And have you told Candy?" Ben asked.
"He'll be out there, Pa. I'll tell him then."
"I see," Ben repeated.
Joe really wished he'd quit saying that.
Instead of answering, he mounted Cochise and took hold of Firebrand's reins.
"Well, Hoss and I will see you out there," Ben said, "After breakfast."
"Sure thing, Pa," Joe replied.
He turned Cochise away from the hitching post and nudged the horse's sides. The pinto started forward, with the bay following along behind uneasily.
It was a short ride out to the place Joe had mentioned and, like he'd expected, there were about half a dozen men gathered around already. Not all of them were Ponderosa hands, some were men from town who wanted to see the Firebrand that had caused so much trouble. Mr. Beckett had talked about the horse endlessly before ever seeing him, and they wanted to see the animal for themselves.
Next to little Cochise, Firebrand looked like a giant. Cochise's short, jerky strides emphasized the smoothness of Firebrand's. The stallion carried his head high, surveying the crowd with a flicker of his old arrogance. Somehow he sensed that this was a very special day, and that he was the focus of all that attention. He arched his neck and pranced a few paces, showing off.
Looking around, Joe was concerned not to see any sign of Candy. He wondered if he'd asked too much of the man. None of these men knew Candy was meant to be Firebrand's rider, but from Candy's perspective it would be like publicly showing cowardice to come here and tell Joe that he couldn't ride Firebrand. It was probably too much and he'd just stayed home, too embarrassed to even show up. Joe felt guilty about that, but there was nothing to be done about it now.
Pulled to a short stop, Cochise executed a half-rear, tucking his forelegs up under him as he did so in his old way. To Joe's surprise, Firebrand followed suit, mimicking Cochise's movement exactly, though it had to be admitted that he looked a lot more impressive when he did it than Cochise did.
Lifting his muzzle and taking in all the people and horses, Firebrand's nostrils dilated and he rolled his eyes a little. Joe felt the first twinge of doubt about the horse. Possibly this was too much excitement. If he became overstimulated, Firebrand might revert to his former aggressive self. Joe kept a quiet hand on him, and let him look around while more riders showed up, eventually including his father, Hoss and David Beckett on his favorite old roan cow pony.
"Mornin', Joe," Mr. Beckett said, bringing his pony to a stop beside Cochise, "I see Firebrand's all ready to go. What about that ranch hand you wanted to ride him?"
"Well, sir, I thought about it," Joe said slowly, "And I realized maybe you had a good reason for wanting me to ride him. I figured, why not give it a try?"
"Whichever is fine with me," Mr. Beckett replied, "But if something doesn't feel right, I want you to stop immediately. I don't want you being hurt on account of any horse of mine."
"No sir," Joe replied, "I don't intend to be."
Mr. Beckett turned his horse and rode over to where Ben was watching from Buck's back. Ben looked worried.
Having settled Firebrand as much as he thought he could, Joe rode over to where Hoss was and dismounted Cochise while Hoss held Firebrand's reins.
"Hang onto Cochise for me," Joe said, handing his pinto over.
From the ground, Firebrand looked a lot bigger, and especially now he stood beside Chub and Joe saw the finely bred bay was a hand taller than Hoss' dark brown gelding, though not a great deal heavier. Joe had stood beside Firebrand many times before, but only now did it finally come home to roost that he was a big horse, and mostly legs. If Firebrand took off, there would be no one in the world who could catch him, certainly nobody here could. If Joe was knocked off while the horse ran, he'd be dead on impact, no two ways about it.
Firebrand shied a little as a fly buzzed around his eyes, dancing on his toes and tossing his head. Hoss held onto him and he quieted, but in the dark of his eyes Joe saw the spark of fire that had formerly burned bright enough to kill. He felt his courage faltering for a moment and, for the first time in his life, he hesitated to get up on a horse's back.
Then he swallowed his fear, stuck his foot in the stirrup and heaved himself the seemingly endless distance up onto Firebrand's broad back. He'd never been on top of the stallion before. He wondered if anyone had been, despite what David Beckett had been told about the horse being trained.
Firebrand snorted and danced, making a brief attempt to rear.
"Whoa, easy there," Joe said, leaning forward and touching the horse's neck while Hoss continued to hold the reins, "Easy, you're alright. I'm no stranger to you."
Firebrand blew through his nose, shifting his weight back and forth from one pair of feet to another, but his ears turned to catch the sound of his rider's voice.
"Easy," Joe said, "You've seen me up on Cooch a lot of times. This won't be any different," Joe said softly to the horse, at the same time quietly taking the reins from a clearly nervous Hoss.
Hoss and Joe's eyes briefly met. They both knew only too well that Joe's mother had died being thrown from a horse. Joe was the best rider of any of them, but in the back of their minds there was ever the memory of Marie. Even though Joe had been too young to remember, he knew the story. He knew why he saw concern bordering on fear in his father's eyes, and why his father often was nowhere to be found when Joe was trying to break a bronc of bucking. It was too terrible for him to witness, but he knew he should not stand in Joe's way. Joe understood.
Now free from Hoss, Firebrand crab-stepped, lifting his head high and flattening his ears.
"Whoa," Joe continued to croon to the horse, doing nothing to make him feel restricted, letting the horse move easily beneath him, letting his own stillness and calm settle on the stallion, "Easy, big fella."
The sound of hooves on the road distracted Joe and he looked up to see who was coming. It was Candy. Seeing Joe on Firebrand, he reined his chestnut to a stop well away, so as not to upset Firebrand.
Testing his control, Joe turned Firebrand and started him towards where Candy was waiting. The big horse felt massive when he moved, not as light or bouncing as Cochise, and not at all placid like a draft horse would be, but high-strung and ready to go off like a lit stick of dynamite. But he behaved himself, and stopped smoothly alongside Candy's horse.
"I guess I'm a little late," Candy observed, looking warily at Firebrand.
"No, I'd say you're right on time," Joe replied, "Firebrand needs a horse to run against."
"There's not a horse here that could make a race of it," Candy said.
"Maybe not," Joe said, "But I know your horse would sure give it a good try. Better'n Cochise anyway. Cochise doesn't care so much about moving as part of a herd as your horse."
"I suppose that's true," Candy replied, appearing to relax a fraction, "But you wouldn't want to ride him. Not when you've got Cochise around and feeling frisky like he is."
"That's true," Joe said sensibly, "Which is why I'm not riding him. You are."
"Oh?" Candy inquired.
"And I'm riding Firebrand," Joe concluded.
"Really."
"Oh yeah," Joe told him, "Now, starting line's back there apiece. Let's go."
Candy backed his horse up out of Firebrand's way, and then he followed Joe down the road a short distance. The objective wasn't just to test Firebrand out, but to show him off. Joe wanted the bay up to speed by the time he shot past the spectators. He suspected Candy's chestnut wouldn't be able to hold out against Firebrand for more than a couple of strides, but he didn't really need to.
"I'm gonna hold him back if I can," Joe said, "I want to see how he goes alongside another horse at a gallop. Then I'll let him out and see how much speed he's really got to offer with a rider on his back."
It was well known that a horse who could run loose wasn't always good once under a rider. It was possible that Firebrand would refuse to run at all, or that he might buck, or that he might bolt. He could throw his rider, lose his footing in a panic and fall on him, run off the road, anything. Anything could happen, and Joe expected that it would, in the next sixty seconds.
"Try and stay with us as long as you can," Joe said, "But don't hurt your horse doin' it."
Focusing on Firebrand, Joe nonetheless noticed that Cochise had lifted his head, and was watching intently. Joe had raced casually with Cochise before, and also raced for his life from atop the little horse, who was faster than he looked, though he still couldn't hope to match Firebrand in speed. Cochise flared his nostrils and took intense interest in what was going on. He sensed the tension and excitement in the small crowd, and he'd also picked up on his master's nervousness. Cochise whinnied uneasily, but Joe didn't answer him because he was busy with Firebrand, who was shifting around, refusing to stand still.
Candy reached down and caught Firebrand's reins until he quieted again. Then he let go, and sidled his horse away from Firebrand so they wouldn't interfere with each other.
"Ready?" Joe asked.
"No," Candy replied, with a somewhat nervous looking grin.
"Then let's go," Joe said, and gave Firebrand a kick in the sides.
Firebrand reared, striking up at the sky with his forelegs and causing Candy's chestnut to shy. He came down on all fours and Joe felt a great lurch as the stallion surged forward. The black mane flew back from the horse's neck and whipped Joe's face, blinding him as the stallion thundered forward.