Chapter 8
It was a little after dawn that the three very weary travelers pulled up to the ranch of Shasta's childhood days. Her pa was sitting on the front porch watching the sun come up and the cattle roam the plains. His cup of scalding coffee burned his tongue, but he was used to it. His tongue was dry and scratchy anyway from years of being out in the hot sun without any water. When he saw the dust rising on the horizon he knew he had a visitor. He never got them much. His oldest son Frank never was around much, he had moved out east, and Scott had his own ranch to run. Shasta wrote, but the poor dear was up to her ears in debt with her bar and all. No one seemed to have the time to visit their old man. So it had just been him and the farm hands for years now. Brock used to come every once and a while, but that stopped when he realized Shasta had left him for good. Good thing too, his little girl could do so much better.
When the carriage drew closer, his heart skipped a beat. It was indeed his Shasta Mae! Her red curls were outlined by the sun and her reckless driving was known throughout the neighborhood. The smile on his face grew and he stood up to greet his beloved daughter.
Shasta saw her father on the porch, looking out at her. He must've recognized her, and emotions welled up in her belly. She hadn't seen her father for five years and she never realized how old he was looking. His grey hair hung out in strands underneath his cap, and he grasped the railing of the porch with one strong hand while clutching his same cup of coffee in the other. He was still a strong man, as he'd always been. She pulled the carriage to a stop and jumped out and ran to the old man and hugged him.
"Shasta Mae, angel came back to see her old man! What brings this occasion?' He looked back towards the buggy and the two blocks who got out after her. "Don't tell me ya marryin' one o' them."
Shasta threw back her head and laughed, her red hair bouncing over her shoulders. "Nah Pa, they're just friends." He sighed in relief and just laughed.
"I wasn't ready to give ya up that easy. I thought I had lost ya there with Brock." Shasta just grunted and shook her head.
"That's one of the reasons we're out here. They're in a bit of trouble with Mighty Joe and Brock works for him, and he kinda told Joe where they were…"
"So I'm housing refugees huh?" Jack and Trick winced, afraid he was going to be mad but he just laughed. "I like that idea, get some excitement into an old man's life. Well what are my felons names?"
"Oh, that one is Jack and that is Trick. They're Yanks."
"Ahh, not only do I have criminals in my house, but Yanks! I guess that'll have to do. Frank is now a Yank." He shook his head.
"Boys, this is my Pa Gerald McKenzie the third." They all shook hands and then he invited them into the house.
"I don't have any breakfast ready or nothing…"
"Don't worry bout it Pa, I got everythin' taken care of." She whipped through the house like she had never been gone and soon was in the kitchen cooking away. Mr. McKenzie just smiled, it was good to have a female back in the house. Hopefully she'll stay a few.
******
Jack was feeling fine enough, so Mr. McKenzie put him on top of a horse, gave him a canteen of water and a bag of food and set him off to help the hands out in the fields with the cattle. Trick got the dirty work since he was fit and able. He got the lucky job of cleaning out the horses stalls and the barn where the sheep were kept. He also got to feed the horses, pigs and other livestock surrounding the house. Trick watched Jack ride off into the fields, looking just like a real cowboy. His head was filled with pride, for this was after all one of his students back in New York, and he glad to see he had turned out ok.
Jack loved the sensation of being up high on a horse, looking down over the cattle, thousands of Texas Longhorns he was told by one of the other hands who was out with him. The sun was hot, but he didn't mind. This was better than any day at Mighty Joe's. This was a time to relax, to just take it easy. This was what he had come to look for, but who knows how long they were staying here and if this was going to be anything like the work on Shasta's brother's ranch.
Shasta was finishing cleaning up and then headed out to the barn to get her horse and take it out in the fields to see if much had changed. She pulled back the heavy doors of the barn and stepped into the cedar chip laden air that was as familiar to her as her own scent. She had spent every afternoon down here grooming her horse, Luck of the Draw. As she walked towards Luck's stall she heard a big bang and turned the corner to see Trick struggling with Rad, her father's ignorant and bullheaded race horse. Shasta couldn't help herself from the oncoming laughing fit. Rad (short for Radcliff Meyers) had never been easy to handle. Her father had owned him for about 7 years, and in the two years she had tried to train him, he had stomped on her foot, kicked her in the stomach and bit her hands countless times. And it seemed he hadn't changed a bit.
"Pa shoulda warned you about Rad. He's a problem aie. Doesn't like no body. Hey Rad!" She gave him a slap on his rump. "Miss me?" He neighed furiously in response. "Guess not!" She laughed and helped Trick out of the stall. "He bite ya? Kick ya? Step on ya?"
Trick just laughed. "Naw, he jus' cornered me is all. I was scared he was gonna eat me though."
"I wouldn't be surprised if he did. Hey Pa!" Shasta yelled out the doorway at her father walking past. "What you tryin to do? Kill my friends here?!" Gerald gave a quizzical look at his daughter, wondering what she might be talking about then heard the loud braying of his prized fighter horse Rad. He chuckeld
"Guess I forgot to tell him about the beast. Be wary of him, he's sure to not like ya." Trick nodded his thanks after the fact he almost got beat up by the animal. Shasta just laughed and closed the stall door.
"That's one you want to be careful of. Now I'm off to find my horse!" She trodded down into the barn, everyonce and a while stopping to pet a horse and talk to it. Trick just smiled and continued to go on with his work. She was whistling off in the background and it was a good tune to work by. Soon the clip-clop of a horses hooves echoed throughout the barn and the whistling Shasta waved as she passed, leading a beautiful, old black stallion.
Shasta stepped into the sun, and gazed up at her beauty of a horse. He had been the love of her life when she was younger and she couldn't wait to ride him again. She pulled herself up into the saddle, the leather worn and scratched from years of use. The feel of a horse underneath her legs made her pulse with happiness. She rode the horse out into the fields and urged him into a gallop. As she came over the hill she saw a familiar sight: hundreds of Texas Longhorns grazing as far as the eye can see. She smiled, knowing her father was still doing well after all these years.
Shasta picked out Jack from the other hands. She smiled at this too; he looked so happy, content and totally enjoying himself. He was a natural which surprised her some but she figured he had to be. He was a hard worker, that was evident. She rode her horse down among the hands, making her way to Jack. A couple of the older hands waved to her or tipped their hats, but there were a lot of new workers who she didn't recognize. Guess that's what happens when you leave for 5 years; things change. She waved at Jack who smiled and waved back.
"Howdy partner!" Shasta laughed gazing at Jack. He just continued to smile, this life was what he was looking for, and he wouldn't have minded having a pretty girl like Shasta to be by his side. "Looks like you got the easy job huh? Poor Trick is up in the barn fighting Pa's evil horse. That horse that yer ridin' was my Ma's. Her name is Periwinkle McGee…Peri fer short. She's a good horse she is." Shasta looked sad but it soon passed when she shot him a big smile that Jack had figured was one of her trademarks.
"She's a great horse," Jack said looking out over the herd of cattle. "Everything here is great. This was da life in me dreams back in New York." Shasta smiled, she was glad he was happy here. Too bad they couldn't stay. But her brother took after her pa so Jack would probably be happy there too.
"You feelin' any better?"
"Yea, I'se still a little tired out but I got food and water in me and the sun on me back and I'm not haulin' around sacs of feed so I'se all good." And good he did look. Shasta had noticed he was good looking, but seeing him so happy, with good coloring and a smile on his face, he was even more attractive. Shasta laughed to herself inside, she couldn't let herself fall for another guy.
"Well I'm glad ye're good. I'm gonna go see if my friends still live round here…so I'll see you later!" Shasta waved as she headed off past the herd. She hadn't seen the girls since she left. They may be bitter about her departure, like Brock had, but she had to see them anyway. After riding for a while she saw the cluster of small cabins where they lived. Memories of childhood games and her old life crowded around her. She couldn't believe she was back, she just hoped they'd want her back.
The first in the line of houses belonged Harley and her family. Harley had been her best friend since they were about 5 years old. They'd spent every minute of their time together, until Alli and Relic came along. Then all three of them became inseperable and had been until Shasta's disappearance. Now Shasta didn't know what to expect from the three. Would they greet her as friends or as strangers?