Chapter Twelve

Kat woke to the light patter of rain on the roof. The gray light coming through the curtains gave evidence to the fact that the sun would not be up for several more hours yet. The ranch house was silent. Even the animals were still sleeping in the misty pre-dawn.

She crawled silently from beneath her sheets and quietly dressed in her pants and leather coat before tiptoeing carefully down the hall, through the kitchen, and out the door. Once safely on the porch, Kat slipped her boots over her stockings and placed her Stetson on her head.

Dodging raindrops and mud puddles, Kat ran to the side door of the barn and pulled it opened. Inside was silent, broken only by the shuffle of animals moving in their sleep. Kat's dripping form was greeted by half-closed, sleepy eyes and wide, pink yawns belonging to several of the barn cats and Shelby, Zee's collie.

Kat laughed quietly at the bored looks given her by the drowsy mammals. Shelby stood stiffly from his old saddle blanket and stretched out long and lean before following Kat down the rows of stalls. Kat had one thing in mind as she searched for her horse Pegasus. She had been dying to go flying across the velvety green hills. Wind whipping her hair every which way, cooling her face. Watching the sunrise from the highest bluff. Then, riding around for hours at a time while scaring her brothers half to death about where she was.

A low whinny and impatient noise of a hoof pawing at a stall floor brought Kat back from her musings. A finely chiseled heard poked itself out of one of the last stalls and threw an impatient look in Kat's direction.

Pegasus was a beautiful, pure white Lipizzaner, a Spanish horse usually used in the circus ring. He had a gracefully formed head with warm brown eyes and a long wispy mane. His body was broad and finely toned. Beneath his silky white coat flowed powerful muscle telling of speed and agility. His long feathery tail just barely brushed the stall ground.

Kat loved her beauty. She still remembered the day when her dad had come home leading the gangly black foal. A band of gypsies had been passing through and had put Peg up for auction. Amazingly, Kat's father had seen the colt, liked him, and brought him home.

Peg and Kat were inseparable. Kat slept in his stall, took him on walks, played with him in the pasture, and taught him many different tricks while her father trained him to be ridden. Everyone had been rather surprised when the dark colt faded into a pure white stallion. He was one of the best looking horses in town, and he was all hers.

Kat's trot down memory's lane was interrupted by Peg's impatient whinny. He knew why she was here this early, and he wanted to get going! Kat grinned at her steed before dumping a can full of grain into his trough.

While the horse ate, Kat fed and watered the other animals and quickly gathered the tack she needed for riding. She never rode Peg with a saddle and bridle. She always rode bareback and only with a lead rope around his neck. Kat had trained him early on to respond to shifts in weight and voice commands instead of pressure on a bit.

Five minutes later, she led Peg from the barn and left the yard at gentle cantor. The rain falling around them only dulled the sounds of falling hooves as they rode out of sight.

The James boys woke to find all the morning chores finished and Pegasus' stall standing empty. Frank could only shake his head in amazement at the girl. She didn't even care that Cole was going to tan her hide for leaving again. He chuckled at the image in his mind of Cole's reaction to the news.

Then a sobering thought entered his mind. They had to tell her today. Her friends were leaving on the evening train, and she planned to return with them.

Frank gave a long sigh as he felt dread wash over him as he thought of the conversation that was to come when Kat returned.

Kat rode at a gentle lope back into the yard several hours later to find her friends moping about. They were rather put out that she would have gone anywhere without them. They were also bored. So, Kat was welcomed with several grumpy faces and annoyed scowls.

Before anyone could start into the reason for their annoyance, Frank came out on the porch and called Kat inside alone. The boys could see the look of confusion on Kat's face as she put her horse away and doggedly followed her oldest brother inside.

Inside, she found Jesse and Frank the only occupants of the ranch kitchen. Jesse was visibly nervous as he fiddled with his hat and suspenders. Kat knew something was up when Jesse didn't even meet her gaze!

"Sit down, Katty." Frank's voice cut through uncomfortable silence.

Kat dumbly dropped in the nearest chair and gazed at her brothers waiting for one of them to begin.

After another long silence, Frank cleared his throat and looked up at his little sister.

"Kat…Katlin…Jesse and I need to talk to you about something rather important." Frank paused as he searched for an easy way to put what he had to say. He came to horrid conclusion that there was no easy way to say what he was going to say. "Katty, you won't be going back with your friends tonight."

A sharp gasp came from Kat's constricted throat. She opened her mouth to protest when Frank held up his hand.

"No, let me finish. Jesse and I are tired of the city. We are always happier here with the boys, and so are you. But, that isn't what is the change. You see…how can I put this? Cole and I jointly bought a large piece of land in Missouri…"

"Missouri? Missouri!" Kat's voice peaked on a rather high note as she jumped up from her seat so fast that the chair flew backward to the floor with a loud clatter. "You can't do that! You can't just decide this and make me go! It ain't right! You can't…I won't…It ain't right! I won't go! No! You can't and won't make me go!"

With each word, her volume grew till she was screaming so loud that her friends could hear her outside.

"Kat! Be quiet! You don't have a choice in the matter! You are going and that is final!" Frank was on his feet with fire blazing in his usually kind blue eyes.

Kat felt tears pricking the back of her eyelids. She fought for control as she swallowed past the lump that had grown in her throat. The tears would not be held at bay as they filled her blue-violet eyes and spilled down her cheeks.

Frank sat down and dejectedly held his head in his hands as Kat raced passed them and toward her room. The pictures on the walls shook and rattled at the forceful slam of Kat's door.

Jesse sighed in frustration before standing up to go do some chores, anything to get his mind off the guilty growing in the depths of his heavy heart.

"Well, that went well."

Hey there everyone! I hope that you enjoyed this twelfth chappy. I really had fun writing it. The next chappy is going to be really good! I can hardly wait to start writing it! Stay tuned for it! A shout out to my faithful reviewer Hawk! Thanks so much for your support!