Chapter 53

'Hey girl.' Jessie rubbed Cougar's head as the cat purred, nudging her with her wet nose. She chuckled, pushing her away as she wiped her cold cheek. 'Morning to you too.' She yawned, the noise waking the two kittens up that were sleeping against Cougar and they padded up to lick her face. 'Oh, not you two too.' She chuckled again, Miracle headbutting her forehead. She glanced over at her clock, it was almost five in the morning and she yawned again. Not quite the time she usually woke up but there was no way she was getting back to sleep. Hope meowed, pushing her wet nose against her neck. 'Okay, okay. You're hungry. I know.'

The mountain lion and kittens jumped off the girls bedspread as she pushed the covers back and stretched. A smile was on her face as she laid back against her pillow for a moment. The polo match she'd gone to the day before with Lisa was still fresh in her mind, she was so glad that Jack had showed up. She'd seen how happy it had made Lisa, having him there and that in turn made her happy. She breathed in deeply, sighing as she sat up. It was time to get another day started.

She dressed quietly and quickly, glancing at the calendar on the desk as she buttoned up her shirt. It was Saturday, only a week away from the rodeo. A shudder ran up her spine and for a moment she couldn't quite figure out if it was from fear or excitement. After a moment she guessed it was a mix of both as she closed her closet up and gave her bedroom a quick tidy over, trying to make her bed as both kittens insisted on trying to pounce on the covers. 'Hey you two.' She laughed quietly, trying to shake them off her blanket. 'Off. Off.'

Miracle meowed around her ankles as she finished making her bed and she picked the kitten up, rubbing her cheek against her fur. The kitten purred loudly, nudging her with her little pink nose. 'Yes, I know you're hungry.' She giggled, rubbing under the kittens chin. 'Come on, let's go eat.'

Hope was picked up too and she headed downstairs, Cougar following her as the kittens squirmed and wriggled in her grasp. She put them on the floor again once she was in the kitchen, turning the light on so she could feed them. 'One moment guys, it's coming. You're going to wake the whole household.' She grabbed their canned food from the cupboard, the kittens meowing around her ankles as she dished it into their bowls.

'Those kittens of yours are making quite the ruckus.'

Jessie jumped, her heart racing at the voice as she turned around. It was just Jack. 'Jack, you scared me.'

He chuckled, walking into the kitchen. 'Sorry honey.'

'I hope the kittens and I didn't wake you.'

'No, I've been up for ages.' His yawn as he went to the coffee machine gave away to the fact that it wasn't an entire truth. He glanced down at the kittens as they danced around at the girls feet. 'They think their throats have been cut.'

'Yeah, and they still had their bottle during the night.' She placed the bowls down and the kittens calling abruptly stopped as they nosedived into their food. Cougar sat back, watching them as she waited for her food. 'I'm going to be glad when they don't need their bottles anymore.'

'Looking after any bottle animal requires a lot of work.'

'I know, I've looked after a few so far.' The girl grabbed Cougar's food out and fed her then took a seat at the table to finish waking up. She rested her arms on the table, resting her chin on top of her hands as she tried to shrug off the last remaining urges of sleep. 'Had a couple of wild bottle foals for a few weeks when their dam got injured by a hunter and couldn't look after them. I looked after her, and her twins.'

'Twins are rare in horses.'

'Yeah, I was quite surprised too. Both of them were healthy little things, they were gorgeous.' She smiled, thinking of the foals. 'Once their dam was better I slowly reintroduced them to the wild. They still came to me on occasion though, their favorite treats were blueberries. There were a couple blueberry bushes that were Lillian's pride and joy. I used to get stuck into them when I was little.' Her smile was replaced by that far-away looking in her eyes as she turned thoughtful and sober. 'As much as I know of the realities of what that life was like, I do have some good memories, even though they're scattered. That is one of them.'

He nodded, noticing the change in the girls demeanor as he joined her at the table. 'Makes sense where your love of blueberry muffins comes from.'

'Lillian used to make the best muffins.' She looked away from Jack, a single tear trickling down her cheek. 'She would have been so proud that I'm going in this rodeo. She was the only one who believed in me and encouraged me, before I met you and Lisa that is.'

'You miss her, don't you?' Jack asked quietly after a moment and the girl nodded. 'She lives on in the good memories you have of her, don't forget that.'

'I know but it's not the same.' Her eyes were fixed on the floor so he couldn't see her emotions getting the better of her. 'I still wake up sometimes, expecting her to be there. Sometimes I still hear her laugh and I turn around, expecting her to be there-' Her voice trailed off as she looked up at the clock. 'I've got to take Warrior out for his exercise. Would you be able to come and time one of our runs when we get back?'

'Sure honey.' He touched her arm gently as the girl rose from the table. 'I'm here, if you need to talk.'

'Thanks Jack.' She smiled, or at least tried too then turned and headed to the mud room. A sniffle escaped her as she put her boots on and she paused to wipe a tear from her eyes. Why had she suddenly been triggered by mentioning that little story to Jack? She grabbed her coat just in case she needed it then went outside. The sun was already starting to peak over the horizon as she walked into the barn, reminded that the days were getting longer with the coming of summer. She placed her coat aside on a bale that she walked past, it wasn't cold enough to warrant wearing one anymore. The days were getting warmer very quickly, the harsh winter was but a distant memory now.

Warrior nickered loudly, nudging her with his nose as she opened the stall door. 'Morning boy.' She exclaimed, rubbing his neck. He snorted, wrapping his neck around her and she hugged him, resting her head against his mane. 'You know something's up, don't you boy?' He gently lipped her cheek with his muzzle, nuzzling her softly and she smiled as his whiskers tickled her. 'Thanks boy.' She ran a hand down his nose, breathing deeply. 'I feel better now.'

She led him out of the stall, tying him up outside and quickly groomed him over before tacking him up. The stallion nudged her as she did his breastplate and cinch up, sniffing her gently as she rubbed his neck again. 'You ready for a ride?' He nudged her again while she checked to make sure the saddle was secure and she chuckled. 'I guess that's a yes.'

The sun was a quarter up as they trotted out of the ranch yard, headed to the trail for their morning ride to the overlook. Jessie looked around carefully as they entered the forest, her eyes searching for anything that was out of place. She still had her rifle with her, just in case and she'd noticed when she'd grabbed Warrior's saddle this morning that Jack's saddle had his rifle scabbard attached too. Obviously he was concerned, if he was taking his rifle with him on his rides. He always had a pistol kept in his saddlebag but a rifle was preferable if a gun was needed to be used.

They reached the Overlook with no problems, the girl sitting quietly on the stallions back as she watched the sunrise. Everything was so peaceful, quiet, a soft breeze blowing that gently ruffled her hair over her shoulders. She smiled, breathing deeply then sighed. It was hard sometimes, feeling two different things at once. On one hand she had the beauty and splendor of the sunrise taking her attention and on the other she had her thoughts that were constantly wandering back to Lillian. She hadn't thought of her, really, for weeks but then suddenly it had come upon her like a ton of bricks. She sighed again, running her hand down her stallion's shoulder. It was hard sometimes when even happy memories brought sadness.

Jessie watched the sunrise, pondering her thoughts over and over in the peaceful early morning. She went through everything, from thinking about Lillian to the polo match yesterday, her conversation with Scott after the match, Jack and Lisa. Her mind felt as busy as a highway during peak hour traffic.

It was Warrior stirring, starting to head off to the pasture for their gallop that stirred her from her thoughts and brought her back to the present. She chuckled, rubbing his neck as she picked up the reins again. The stallion surged forward, bucking a couple times in excitement then settled down for their gallop across the grassy slopes. The wind in her face, the smell of the fresh morning, the sound of the horses hooves on the grass underneath her. It was the best experience in the world. She was smiling, urging her horse on with a laugh then began to slow him to a canter as they came to the boundary fence. Her cheeks were rosy red as she stroked Warrior's shoulder, exhilarated by the ride. 'Good boy.' She encouraged, turning him around and in the direction of the trail through the forest back to the ranch. 'Good boy.'

She watched carefully all around her as they trotted through the trees, Warrior slowing to a stop again with a snort. 'What is it boy?' She ran her hand down his neck, the stallion sniffing at the path. She looked around, the feeling that something was watching her was strong. She kept searching, urging her horse on as she kept looking. There was something around, but what and why? No one else had this happening, it was almost like whatever it was it was signaling her out.

'Get up boy.' Jessie urged him on into a trot, keeping a close eye on her surroundings but she couldn't see anything. Whatever it was, it was awfully good at hiding. It was a little unnerving to be honest but she forced herself to remain calm and keep going. She just hoped that whatever was following her gave up soon, it was starting to get on her nerves.

Jack was waiting for her at the arena gate as she rode into the ranch yard, a stopwatch in his hand as the girl pulled her horse to a stop to open the gate. 'How was your ride?'

'Good, but there's something out there.' She glanced back at the forest as she opened the gate then urged the horse into the arena. 'I can feel it Jack, something is following me and it's driving me crazy.'

'Did you see anything?'

'No.' Jessie shook her head. 'Whatever it is, it's good at hiding. I just wish it'd show itself and that'll be the end of whatever is going on. Those paw prints were definitely from a canine, just what kind of canine would be nice to know. I don't really want to meet a wolf out there.'

Jack looked up at her, patting Warrior's neck. 'Maybe you shouldn't go riding on your own, just until whatever it is goes away.'

She sighed, looking down as she played with the stallions mane. 'Normally I'd say I can take care of myself but I know how it must worry you. I'll stay close to the ranch from now on, just for the time being.'

'Good idea.' He was thankful the girl hadn't put up a fight with him. 'It won't be forever Jessie, as soon as we find out what's going on and deal with the problem things can go back to normal.'

'I know.'

He smiled at her, Warrior rubbing his head against him. 'Alright, how about you run a couple of barrels now?'

'Okay.' She returned his smile, turning Warrior towards the 'box'. 'Let's have fun boy.'

'You ready?' He asked after the girl had reached the starting place, Warrior fighting at the bit to get moving. Jessie nodded, holding the stallion in and he got his stopwatch ready. 'Three.' Warrior jumped forward, tossing his head. 'Two.' The girl made him back up, trying to keep him calm. 'One.' The girl turned the stallion in a small circle, readying him for their run. 'Go!' He watched as Jessie let Warrior go, the stallion leaping forward as he galloped for the first barrel. The girl turned him around it expertly, holding onto the saddle horn with one hand to steady her as the other held onto the reins. 'Go Jessie! Come on.' They came to the second barrel, going around it so close he could swear they almost touched it but it was still standing as they raced towards the third. 'Come on Jessie!' He encouraged, the girl urging her horse on then slowing him slightly for the turn. 'Bring him home.' Jessie was urging Warrior on as fast as he could go, racing past him back to the start. He stopped the timer, holding it up as the girl halted her horse. 'Eighteen point nine. Good job Jessie.'

Jessie beamed, patting Warrior as the stallion shook his head. 'Good boy.' She cooed, scratching his fur then turned him to Jack. 'Well, that was an improvement.'

'Improvement?' He laughed. 'That was awesome honey. If you're as good as that come rodeo day you'll give the others a run for their money.'

'I don't know.' She chuckled. 'I don't want to get my hopes up just yet.'

'You'll do great.' Jack insisted, placing his stop watch back in his pocket. 'Trust me. And we'll all be there to cheer you on.'

Jessie blushed as she looked down at her horse. 'Thanks Jack.'

'You've got to believe in yourself Jessie, I believe in you.' He glanced over at his tractor. 'I'm going to get back to tinkering with the old girl and see if I can fix her problem. You want to come join me after you finish with Warrior?'

'Sure.'

'Great.'

The girl patted her stallion again as Jack left, scratching his withers. Her eyes shone, her expression radiant. He believed in her. For the first time she could remember she had someone who said they believed in her. He was right though. She needed to believe in herself. 'Let's cool you off now hey?' She turned him around, guiding him around the arena at a trot so he could cool off after his exercise. Just the thought, the knowledge that he believed in her invigorated her. I'm going to make him proud. She resolved, slowing Warrior to a walk. I'm going to give it my all.

She slid off his back at the arena gate after he'd cooled down, leading him back to the barn. Ty was at work mucking out a stall as she walked in and she smiled at him, tying Warrior up. 'Morning.'

Ty looked up, returning her smile. 'Morning. You look awful chipper today.'

She chuckled, patting her horse then started to untack him. 'I enjoyed my ride and we had a really good practice run. Eighteen point nine seconds, it's our best run yet.'

'Good job.'

'Thanks. It's all this guy though.' Jessie ran her hand over his shoulder. She paused for a moment, sobering. 'There was something out in the forest, again. I didn't see it but I know something's out there.'

'You sure there's something out there?'

'Ty, my instincts don't lie. I'm certain that there is something out there and it's following me.' She took the saddle off and carried it over to its place, taking her rifle out to return to the safe in the house. 'I just wish I knew what it was. Those tracks were definitely from a canine, I thought it was a dog but with how well it can stay hidden I'm starting to think it's not a domestic animal.'

'You think it's a wolf?'

'Or a big coyote, I'm not fully certain. I'll be staying close to the ranch though till we find out what it is.'

He nodded, thinking for a moment. 'You don't have any other pets hidden that we don't know about?'

'No.' She laughed, taking Warrior's bridle off him then turned him into his stall. 'No, I don't.'

'Did you look after a wild animal that might have followed you?'

'No.'

'I'm out of guesses.'

Jessie smiled, closing Warrior's stall door behind him. 'I'll try and figure it out later, I've got other things to think about right now.'

'The rodeo?'

'How'd you guess?'

'It's all you've been focused on for the last few months.' He replied, pushing the wheelbarrow out into the aisle to take to the manure pile.

'Yeah, I guess it's not a secret how hard Warrior and I have been training.'

'You'll do great.'

'Thanks Ty.' She grabbed Warrior's feed bucket and headed to the feed room as he left to empty the wheelbarrow. Warrior whinnied loudly, waiting for her to bring him his food. 'Okay boy, okay.' She finished filling his bucket and returned to his stall, patting him as she hung his bucket up. 'Have at it boy.'

Warrior dug in, the girl chuckling as she watched him for a moment then she headed out of the barn to help Jack with the tractor. 'You know Jack, maybe it's time to get a new tractor.'

'This one's still got plenty of work left in her.' He exclaimed while picking up a different sized spanner. 'It might be old but if it still works, it works.'

She rolled her eyes, taking a seat on the milk crate. Obviously that was his thinking about his truck too. 'If you spend more time repairing something then you do using it, its usually a pretty good time to start thinking about replacing it.'

'Well, thank you for your words of wisdom Jessie, I'll keep it in mind.' He glanced up at her, the girl chuckling. 'Hey, did you get to talk to Scott yesterday?'

Jessie nodded. 'For a little bit. I asked him if he'd watch me at the rodeo and he said he'd try to make it.'

'That's good.'

'Yeah, I'm glad he's going to try.' She replied, about to add more when Mallory came over to interrupt. Again.

'You gave me the worst advice.'

'No-' Jack corrected. 'I told you a story. You turned it into advice and sadly, it worked.'

'No, it didn't. I didn't want to get rid of him, rid of him.' She protested. 'I just wanted less of him.'

'That's not how I remember it.'

Jessie chuckled as she listened to them, shaking her head.

'Of course not. Your old.'

'Mallory-' He looked up at her from what he was working on. 'I've got a mind to phone your parents, see if they need an extra roadie.'

'Hey.'

Jessie glanced around as Jake walked up to them. 'Hey Jake.'

'Hi Jessie.'

'What do you want?' Mallory questioned.

'I think I left my swiss army knife here.'

'No you didn't.'

'I think I did.'

'No you didn't. It's on your belt loop.'

'Oh. Okay then. See you later.'

'Oh, for the love of-' Jack gave up trying to work on the tractor with the two of them mucking around. 'Mallory, Jake didn't come here to find his knife. He came here to talk to you. Jake, Mallory misses you.'

Mallory gasped. 'Jack!'

'A lot.' He glanced back at her. 'She won't shut up about it. Now why don't you two just talk it out? And leave me out of it.'

'But-'

'Go on, get out of here!'

'I'm nobody's buckle bunny.'

Jessie chuckled as Mallory and Jake walked off, looking up at Jack with a cheeky grin.

'What?' He asked, seeing the look on her face.

'You and Mallory just like to annoy each other, don't you?'

'It's mostly one sided, as in Mallory likes to annoy me.' He turned back to the tractor. 'Can you pass me that screwdriver?'

'Ain't you glad I'm not like Mallory?' She teased as she handed him the screwdriver.

'One Mallory is more then enough.'

'I'll keep that in mind, oldie.'

'Don't you start.'

'Oh I'm just warming up.' Jessie laughed, dodging the rag he threw at her. 'Missed me.'

He rolled his eyes, turning his attention back to the tractor. 'Are you going to give me a hand?'

She nodded, hopping up to help. 'Just tell me what I have to do.'

'Ugh, I am starving.' Jessie exclaimed as she walked into the kitchen that afternoon, heading to the sink to wash her hands. Lou, Amy and Mallory were preparing dinner and she joined them after she finished wiping her hands dry. 'Anything I can do?'

'There's some potatoes that need peeling.' Lou exclaimed. 'You can do them if you like.'

'Sure.' She took a seat at the table, looking up at Amy. 'How'd it go with the Constable and Venture yesterday?'

'Good. Real good.' Amy replied. 'I think Venture will be okay now.'

'That's good. Venture is a nice horse.'

'He is.' She agreed, snapping some beans. 'How'd your barrel racing practice go this morning?'

'Great. Jack timed our run and we had our fastest time yet.'

'That's brilliant Jessie.' Lou interjected, cutting up some pumpkin. 'You looking forward to the rodeo now?'

'Kinda.' Jessie smiled then turned to Mallory. 'Hey, will you be going to the rodeo with Jake?'

'He did ask me.'

'Will you be going?'

'Maybe.' She put the carrots she'd been working on into the pot. 'I haven't decided yet.'

'Will Scott be there to watch you at the rodeo Jessie?' Amy asked, starting on another bowl of beans.

'I did ask him and he said he'd try. He's the vet on duty for the event but hopefully he'll be able to watch.' She finished peeling the potatoes, placing them aside to start cutting them up. 'It's still weird, finding out that he's my half-brother.'

'I'd say.' Lou exclaimed under her breath then quickly returned back to her job from the look that Amy gave her.

'Evening everyone.' Caleb exclaimed as he walked into the kitchen, waiting for Amy.

Jack appeared from the living room. 'You're seeing a horse, are you?

'Yeah.' He looked back at Amy.

He waited for a moment, Amy looking at him like she were asking permission to go with him, which she was. 'Fine.'

'See you.'

Jessie glanced up as Amy and Caleb left, Ty walking past them into the kitchen. She couldn't help but notice the look that he gave them as they left, wondering just what that look meant. She quickly put it to the back of her mind, turning to Jack. 'Is Lisa coming for dinner?'

'No, I think she said she was working late or something.'

'I might give her a ring later.' She finished cutting up the potatoes and placed them into the pot. 'Am I needed for anything else?'

'I think we've got things under control here.' Lou replied. 'You can go if you want.'

'Thanks, I might go talk to Cindy for a bit.'

'Say hi to her for me.' Mallory called out as the girl left.

'I will.' She agreed, heading up the stairs. She chuckled as she walked into her bedroom, her cougar and her two kittens fast asleep on her bed. Cougar raised her head sleepily as she sat down, her loud purring filling them room as she dialed Cindy's number. She smiled, hearing Cindy's voice on the line. 'Hey sis.'

'Hi Jessie.' Cindy exclaimed. 'How's it going? What are you up to? How is everyone?'

Jessie laughed. 'Woah woah woah there young foal. One thing at a time.' She heard Cindy giggle and her smile widened. 'Things are great, I've been pretty busy getting ready for the rodeo and everyone is great. Mallory said to say hi.'

'That's good. Say hi back to her.'

'I will.' She agreed. 'How's things there?'

'Okay, been busy with school. You know, the usual.'

'How's your grandma?'

'She's doing alright, I think. She doesn't say much, I don't think she wants to worry me.' She sighed, picking at some fluff on the carpet she was sitting on. 'We went shopping today, that was good. She brought me another model horse for my collection, a nice chestnut. I named him Jack.'

The girl laughed again. 'You've completed my family then.'

'Yep.'

'Have you got a model named after you yet?'

'No, I don't.'

'Ah, I might have to fix that.' A little idea came to mind. 'You never know, you might be able to add another model to your collection soon.'

'You don't have to do that Jessie.'

'Hey, that's what big sisters do. They spoil their little sisters.'

'Yeah yeah.' Cindy chuckled. 'You getting excited that the rodeo is only a week away?'

Jessie groaned, leaning against the back of her bed. 'Don't remind me how close it is. I'm excited, nervous, and anxious. All the above.'

'Oh, don't be Jess. You're going to do brilliantly, I just know it. And I'll be there to cheer you on.'

'Thanks Cindy.'

'I mean it Jessie. You and Warrior are a great team, no one can beat you.' She assured her. 'How's Warrior by the way?'

'He's good, probably enjoying some nice grass with Paint and Spartan at the moment. We had a really good practice today.'

'I can't wait to be able to ride him again. I can ride him, after the rodeo, can't I?'

'Of course you can, just don't give him any racehorse pellets beforehand.'

'I won't.' She chuckled, blushing slightly. She must still remember that. 'I promise.'

'Good.'

'And how's Cougar and the girls?'

'Sleeping on my bed with me at the moment. The girls are growing up quick too, I'll have to send you a photo. Jack's declared that they have to start going outside soon, they're getting a little too mischievous.'

'Oh, I bet they're so cute now.'

'I'll send you a photo.'

'That'd be brilliant.' Cindy exclaimed, pausing as she heard her grandmother calling her. 'Hey, I'm going to have to go. Dinner's ready. I'll see you soon.'

'You bet. I'm looking forward to it. Catch you later sis.'

'Bye.'

Jessie sighed, hanging up the call and flopped back onto her pillow. Everyone said that she was going to do great in the rodeo but she didn't really believe them. One, were they just saying that to make her feel better and two; what if she let them down? What if she didn't manage to reach their expectations? She sighed again, staring at the ceiling. With six days to go till competition time, the count down was on.