Chapter 13 – Home Life.

It had been a long day and I felt utterly exhausted, but the daunting prospect of dinner with the Colonel kept me wide awake as I sat down in Jesse's stall and apologised for not doing much with him. Soon the bugle would sound for dinner so I left Jesse and went to clean myself up in my bunk. I didn't know what to expect, I didn't do formal or dinners, I did jeans and a t-shirt eating bread and cheese out in the barn with my friends. Even when my parents were alive dinner was something we did in our smelliest clothes straight in from the horses and we joked and threw food and had fun. I had an older and younger brother, both who like me broke horses and we never stopped causing trouble together.

Daddy said I was more like a son than a daughter, always covered in muck and pranking young Willy and my older brother Alan.

I wish you were here now Daddy, you'd know if I was doing right by the horses, and myself. I steeled myself and pushed away such thoughts; I was a grown woman and knew I was doing right. Sometimes life asks you to leave everything behind for something greater, he'd always taught me that and always made me feel like I should be doing more than I was. Mama was happy for me to take over the business with my brothers, but Daddy always wanted me to travel the world and learn more about them, if he hadn't of died he wanted to take me to England and Spain where the best horsemen in the world trained.

I got my clean clothes out and lay them on the bed, jeans and a t-shirt it was, I was never one for following rules. As I got changed the light was starting to fade and the bugle sounded, seconds later a knock came on my door. I pulled my shirt together and hastily did up the buttons as I called 'Yes?'

"The Colonel requests you dine with him tonight, when you are ready dinner will be in his quarters."

I called back a thank you without knowing if they were still there, I smoothed down my collar on the chequered shirt and rolled down my sleeves, buttoning the cuffs. Even as the light faded it was stifling in the bunk and I walked outside and stood there for a moment, appreciating the cool breeze. Soldiers milled about me filing into the dining hall and I walked round my bunk to the Colonels.

I knocked on the door 3 times and waited as the door opened, the Colonel stood back and let me in and I let my eyes wander over his quarters. Everything was immaculate and books filled all the spaces on cabinets and stools, that was why his light was always last to go out at night.

"Good evening Miss Chase." I turned to face the Colonel and he took my hand and kissed it. It always felt strange, back home I was treated as 'one of the boys', the only time I was treated different was by new clients or new people in town, they all extended the same courtesy to me as the Colonel did, otherwise, it was a hug, kiss on the cheek or a whack on the shoulder.

I dipped my head and replied. "Good evening sir."

"Please Miss Chase, out of hours call me James."

"Of course, James." I said the word slowly, testing it out like when a child first learns their daddy's name.

He smiled and led me over to a table in the centre of the room, two plates were laid out.

"Still the same food, but at least we can enjoy something different to drink." He kept his smile as my eyes rested upon a half full bottle of wine.

"One of the perks of being high ranking, we can indulge in certain things the others can't, except for special occasions."

"That's mighty kind of you sir, the water here does get a bit dull." I smiled back and let myself laugh a bit.

He laughed too and motioned me to sit, I sat down and he poured me a small glass of wine, then one for himself and sat down opposite me. As we started to eat he asked me.

"So, Miss Chase, tell me more about your life at home and with the Mustangs."

I wanted to tell him to call me Cally, but I wondered if he ever would being so disciplined.

"Well sir, I started riding since before I can remember, I used to sit on my daddy's lap on his horses and we'd go out into the hills, when I was about 7 I started staying on with him on trails and helping him to herd cattle. He'd do odd jobs like that in between breaking but he never had the heart for anything but horses, it's thanks to him that I feel the very same way." The Colonel stared at me intently, taking in every word; it humbled me for a second before I could continue.

"When I was 9, he let me start riding the rodeo ponies that were used to train cowboys to bronc. By the time I was 12 I was helping to break horses for him and riding them for people, when he thought I was ready he let me in that for my 16th birthday he was gonna take me to get a mustang and off we set, me, my daddy and my older brother Alan all went out into the mountain ranges together. We were out there for 2 weeks tracking the herd with our cattle dogs. Finally when the herd were unawares, we set on them and drove them towards Alan who steered them round back to us, as they came flying at us Daddy spun me around and we ran through the herd till we got to the big black stallion I liked so much. Daddy said he was the old lead stallion's colt and set after him for me, roping him onto his big roan crossbred mare, she looked like a cart horse and thoroughbred all mixed into one, she was always used for roping because nothing could pull her about she was so strong. Dandy we called her because she was mighty dandy at everything she did."

"Daddy kept Dandy going slower and slower so that we ran with the herd until they outstripped us, Alan had already got his very same mustang from that herd 2 years ago on his birthday and he had mighty trouble holding her but soon Jesse was caught. We took him home and I started working him then and there, he was only 2 or 3 when I got him so I spent a whole year working him from the ground."

"You didn't break him at 2 like most people do?" He seemed surprised.

"No sir, I mean James, Daddy says their too young at 2 to work right, when we get normal horses in, we get on them and get up to a canter then we turn them away in a pasture till they're 3 and old enough to work."

He looked at me and waited before replying. "I understand your father's thinking, we here don't take anything under 3 because of the hard work required, but I'd never given it a thought before."

"Not many people do sir, it's just the way it is done out here." I paused for a second then continued my story at the Colonel's nod. "Then my daddy died, I was only 17 and me and my brothers decided to keep the business going. Daddy wanted me to travel but I couldn't leave without knowing Mama and my brothers were provided for. Daddy always said he'd take me to England and Spain where the best trainers in the world were, he wanted to get me a Spanish horse to learn on. I always said one day I'd leave home but I never found the time, everything just sorta took its course until your offer."

"How did your father die? If you don't mind me asking."

"Heart attack, Mama always said the horses would kill him, Daddy always said they'd never dare, guess he was right."

I smiled and the Colonel chuckled slightly. "So what about your home life?" He asked.

"We are always a very close family, always laughing and joking. My brothers are the biggest pair of fools alive but they're gentle and kind with the animals, we'd always find a stray calf or an injured pup out in the hay barn with them on cold nights. That was along with the assortment I picked up along the way." I let myself laugh as I remembered all the times my mother had tried to make me get rid of the strays.

"When Daddy died, Mama got quiet but never let anyone see her down, she kept us together and that's why I could never leave, without us she wouldn't have lasted so long. She only died a year ago, Willy lives with my head stable girl Annie and Alan is married and has a daughter so I kept the house and all the stables and barns and land. We had well over a thousand acres but we had to sell some in rough times. Now I have 50 acres and don't want or need any more. I turn my young horses out into the mountains for winter and go and round them up again in the spring."

"So both your brothers are happy, what about you, do you live in that house by yourself?"

"Yes sir, never seem to have time for that sort of thing when there are horses waiting to be loved just as much."

He smirked under his moustache and I got the feeling he knew the feeling, if not for horses but for work. But, still.

"What about you James?"

He looked almost taken aback as if he wasn't expecting a question, but answered it as if it was.

"Well, I don't rightly recall the meaning of spare time and spend all my days with a load of young men shouting orders. Never could settle down, my father always said I had no heart for anything but the military."

I wanted to feel sad for him but he flashed me a dazzling smile and poured me some more wine.

"Don't pay no mind Miss Chase, I don't. I accept my job and my duty and that is my love. If I can make sure the townsfolk can love and feed their wives and family, that's all I need to know to get through each day."

I smiled at his honesty, here was a man who sacrificed everything for the good of his country, it was awe inspiring.

"You said you spent 5 years tracking the Mustang herd? How'd you manage to stay away from home for so long?"

"I didn't, I'd spend the summer out with the Indian tribes or in the wilderness and in the winters I'd go home, though a few times I'd head back early to watch the horses in the snow, I don't think I could think of anything more beautiful."

I saw him stiffen when I mentioned I'd stayed with the Indians, but it passed and I wondered if I had imagined it.

I hadn't. "You stayed with them?" He couldn't quite seem to understand.

"That's right, I came across their tribe one day, a scout on horseback saw me and ran back to fetch reinforcements. I stopped Jesse and waited for them to return in the hopes they'd realise I wasn't a threat, when they saw Jesse they all started squabbling amongst themselves and finally one put a rope over Jesse's neck and led me back to their camp. I was mighty scared but they didn't pay me no harm. They kept touching Jesse and saying things in their language, their chief spoke ours and said Jesse was 'The Dark One' and that to ride him meant I was special and like them, they asked me to stay and watch the herd with them."

He sat there and watched me even more intensely, like I'd just told him I could fly. It was unnerving.

"The showed me their life and their horses, they called Spirit 'Sunka Tanka' or Great Spirit Horse and said he was a creature sent by their gods to protect the wild horses. They taught me their language in exchange for me teaching them mine. They were not the same people who you attacked all those years ago, they were a different tribe who had taken over watching the herd in thanks for what the stallion had done."

"That's incredible." Was all he could say.