Chapter 65

'Sorry I'm late.' Jessie apologised as she walked into the dining room with Cindy close behind, taking a seat at the table to eat with the rest of them. 'I was trying to get the mare to drink some more.'

'That's alright Jess. We've kept some dinner aside for both of you.' Jack replied, serving himself some more mashed potatoes. 'What were you going to say Lou?'

'As I was saying, I spoke with the auction house and I've agreed to buy the entire truckload.'

'That's great, Lou.' Amy exclaimed, grabbing another serving of roast.

'And where exactly do you plan on putting all these horses?'

'We'll make room.' She replied. 'Don't look at me like that grandpa. The dude ranch has been picking up and we need more horses for the trail ride.'

'I see.' He nodded, finishing off what was on his plate and got up to get himself another cup of coffee. 'So, it was purely a business decision.'

Brad cleared his throat. 'Well, I think it's great, Lou. That was one delivery I was not looking forward to making.'

Jessie took the last of the lasagna as Lou left the table, looking up at Amy. 'So what's the go with Ashley and that horse?'

'Apollo was Ashley's showjumper, her mother sold him after she started doing rodeo instead. I've got no idea how on earth he ended up on a meat truck though, Ashley's mom paid a ton of money for that horse.'

'Sometimes I guess what a horse is worth doesn't matter they can still end up on that one way truck.' She sighed. 'I've known of too many good horses that have ended up there.'

Silence fell on the table for a moment then Mallory turned to Brad. 'So, Brad, Ty hasn't talked very much about you. All I've heard is you're good at making things disappear.'

'Mallory.' Amy exclaimed.

Brad chuckled, shrugging it off. 'You want to see a trick?'

'It's okay Dad.' Ty interrupted. 'I think everyone's pretty tired.'

'Nah, come on. Come on.'

'I'm not tired. I want to see a trick.' Mallory protested.

'Me too.' Cindy added, pushing an empty plate away. She caught the look Jessie gave her, chuckling. 'What? I was hungry.'

'Did you even taste it at all?'

'Nope.'

She shook her head in amusement. Sometimes Cindy was almost as impossible as Mallory.

'What about you Jessie?'

'Sure. Why not.'

'Allright.' He replied with a smile, taking a handkerchief from his pocket and held it up to show them. 'Your average everyday handkerchief, all right? Ty used to love this trick when he was a kid. He used to think I was some kind of magician. What we do is we stuff that down in there-' He clenched his fist and pushed the handkerchief down into it. 'allright. Now, I need you to blow on that.'

Mallory blew on it and he opened his hand to reveal that the handkerchief was no longer there. She shrugged. 'It's not bad if you're a 5-year-old at a birthday party.'

'Really?' He chuckled then motioned to her jeans. 'Check your pocket.'

'Yeah right.' She frowned but stood up and pulled a handkerchief out. 'No way.'

Cindy's jaw dropped. 'How on earth did you do that?'

'Ah, a magician never gives out his secrets.' He winked at her. 'But I can teach you another trick tomorrow. Right now though-' He stood up. 'It's time for me to head out. I've got some things to take care of.'

'We should probably get back to the mare soon too.' Jessie agreed, picking up her plate and Cindy's and carried them into the kitchen where Jack and Lou were starting on the dishes. 'You should go have a shower though, you'll have to go to bed soon.'

'But I want to help you with the mare-' Cindy protested, grabbing an ice block from the freezer for desert. 'Can't I?'

'There's not much you'll be able to do and one of us needs to sleep. Besides, you're going home tomorrow.'

'Tomorrow?' She groaned and facepalmed. 'I totally forgot! Man, that's bad.'

Jessie chuckled. 'Times flies when you're having fun.'

'I guess so.' She replied glumly, slowly licking her ice block.

'I'll meet you back out at the barn, okay?'

'Alright.'

Jessie grabbed herself an ice block then headed back outside, sighing as she went for a walk in the evening light. It was as hot outside as it was in, her shirt plastered to her back. She hated having to wear long sleeves when it was hot but it was either that or everyone seeing her scars. She knew which one she chose. There was no way she could bear anyone else seeing her scars, she hated seeing them herself every time she saw them. She was slowly dealing with them though, working through it but still it was hard. She stopped at the pond, taking a seat to watch the ducks swim in the sunset light.

Quietly she sat, nibbling away at her ice block as she sorted through her thoughts. She couldn't even put it into words how she was feeling, numb was probably the best word for it. Ever since her cry with Lisa a void had come into her heart, replacing her grief with the feeling of being numb. She couldn't tell which one she disliked worse. At least grief was a feelin, being numb was well, being numb. She didn't feel anything. It kind of made her feel bad, like she'd had her cry then gotten over it and moved on. She sighed, licking the last remaining drops of moisture off the paddle-pop stick. In a way it was the way she'd always dealt with things. Cried, shrugged them off but only to have them come back at a later stage and worse than the first time. Mentaily she made a note to talk about that to her counselor when she saw her again.

The sun was half set by the time she got up and started back to the barn, her ice block long gone. She kind of half wished for another, it was so darn hot. She really hated the heat and having to wear her long-sleeved shirt and jeans just made it worse. Ty and Amy were in the barn as she entered, continuing on past them to the mare with a nod as they checked on Apollo.

'I can't believe she brought them.' Ty exclaimed, watching Amy as she patted Apollo.

She chuckled. 'Deep down, Lou's just a big marshmallow.'

'Who would have ever thought you'd end up owning Ashley Stanton's horse?'

'It's been a weird day.'

'You're telling me. I spent the whole day with my dad.' He shrugged. 'And that's not even the weird part.'

Amy turned to him. 'What was?'

'It was kind of okay.'

'Sometimes people surprise us, even when we've given up on them.'

'You really believe that?'

'Yeah. I really do. I should probably-' She motioned towards the house.

'Yeah, me too.' He agreed as she headed out of the barn. 'Good night.' He gave the gelding a pat then looked over at Jessie as she stood outside the mare's stall, her arms resting on the door and her chin on her hands. 'You doing okay Jess?'

'I guess.' She shrugged with a sigh, watching the mare. 'Managing is probably the best word for it. I've got this one to look after.'

'There's five other horses.' He frowned. 'Why this one?'

'She was Cherry's friend.' The mare shook her head, watching them from where she was standing against the back wall, as far away from them as they could. 'They used to run together with the wildies. Now that Cherry's gone, I guess I want to make sure she'll be okay.' She lifted her head, looking at Ty. 'Enough about me though. How are you?'

'Alright, I mean- I guess.'

'Managing?'

'Yeah.'

'I've been there.' She replied with a knowing look, turning back to the mare. 'I kind of know how you feel. You don't want them in your life yet part of you wishes they'd give you just a little attention. Would I be right?'

'How come you always know what other people are going through?'

Jessie shrugged. 'Intuition. I guess I can figure out a lot of things by just watching people. Not much gets past me.'

'I've noticed.' He chuckled. 'Sometimes you're as bad as Mallory.'

'Hey, I wouldn't go that far.' She laughed. 'I'm no way at all like Mallory.'

'Shall we agree to disagree on that one?'

'Alright. You win.' The girl smiled, that mischievous glint in her eye as she looked at him. 'This time, that is.'

'Fair enough.' He glanced outside, seeing that it was starting to get dark. 'I might as well hit the sack and try to get some sleep. I'll see you in the morning.'

She nodded, turning back to the mare. 'Night Ty.'

The mare watched closely as Ty left, heading upstairs to the loft and the girl sighed. The feed in the bucket was still untouched, the mare had refused to eat it. She wondered how long it had been since the mare had eaten decently, guessing that it was probably while she was still wild. From her experience the people that sent horses to the auctions to go to the slaughterhouse didn't exactly cotten to wasting hay on dog meat. 'What am I going to do with you hey?' The mare looked at her then hung her head again, uninterested and she sighed again. The mare went from being nervous and on edge to being depressed in seconds. She couldn't blame her. She'd been taken from her home and her friends, thrown on a truck to the auction house then on another truck and had ended up here, losing her only friend in the process. No wonder she went from nervous to depressed so quickly. She was angry and sad and she could sympathize with her on both accounts. 'Your looking how I'm feeling girl.'

'You want another iceblock Jessie?' Cindy offered as she walked back into the barn, dressed in her pajamas. 'I've got another one here.'

'Thanks Cindy.' She smiled, taking the treat thankfully. She glanced back at the mare then headed over to a couple of hay bales and sat down, Cindy taking a seat on an overturned bucket. 'You ready to go home tomorrow?'

'No.' She sighed, licking her ice block. 'I like being here with you but I can't wait to see Grandma. I spoke with her not long ago, they're letting her out in the morning.'

'Oh that's good. You can tell her all about the rodeo and show her your video of the barrel racing.'

'And my videos of Cruze.' She added. 'I'm going to miss him, I still can't believe I've got my own horse. I've always wanted one and then Lisa went and brought him for me.'

'Well don't you worry about him while you're away, I'll take good care of him. I promise.'

'Thanks Jessie.'

'Well, you better start heading towards bed.' Jessie glanced down at her watch, surprised to see that it was almost nine already. 'You need your sleep.'

'What about you?'

'I'll be staying here with Crystal. I need to keep and eye on her and try to get her to eat something and have some more water.'

'Can't I stay?'

'No. You need your sleep.'

'So do you.'

As if I'm going to be able to sleep. She thought but didn't voice it outloud. 'Don't you worry about me, I'll get some sleep. Give my girls a hug for me and make sure Cougar has some cold water in my room, she's really feeling the heat.'

'We all are.' Cindy exclaimed, getting up. 'I'll make sure. Night Jessie.'

'Night Cindy.'

The barn fell silent after Cindy left, the only sound that of the horses rustling the hay in the stalls. Amy and Ty had brought in a couple of the other horses, placing them next to Apollo to make sure they were getting enough water since the other horses had been bullying them slightly. Finishing up her ice block she stood up, checking their buckets and refilling all of them then went back to the mare. She was still standing exactly where she'd left her, her food and water both untouched. The girl sighed, standing at the door for a moment then opened it and walked in, cautiously approaching the mare. 'Hey girl.' The mare raised her head, her ears flicking back and forth as she walked closer, water bucket in hand. 'You need to have some water girl, it'll make you feel better.'

The mare backed up a couple steps until she was in the corner, watching the girl warily. 'It's okay, I'm not going to hurt you.' She spoke softly, approaching her slowly and running the water through her fingers with her free hand. 'See? It's just water. Come on, you know you're thirsty.'

Jessie stopped in front of her, holding out the bucket to her and again dribbled the water on her lips. The mare watched her for a moment then sighed, dropping her muzzle into the bucket to drink. 'Good girl. There you go.'

She persisted, offering the mare both food and water until she was satisfied that the mare had taken enough for the time being and turned the lights off, taking a seat on an overturned bucket just inside the mare's stall. The moonlight filtered softly through the window, casting an eerie glow on the mare as she slept. The girl half smiled, reminded of the nights she used to spend watching the herd. She loved camping out in the woods, the wild horses often would come to her at night, unafraid of her like they were during the day. She could watch them for hours, she never tired of it.

'Yeah yeah-'

The girl jumped with a start, rubbing her eyes as she heard someone speaking. She glanced at her watch, it was close to midnight and she stifled a yawn. The mare was tense, looking towards the office where the voice was coming from and she frowned. She thought she'd turned the lights off.

'How'd you get my number anyway?'

Her frown deeped. It was Brad and she could guess he was on the phone. What was he doing up so late? She could hear him walking around in the office, her heart pounding. Obviously he didn't want anyone else to hear him on the call, he thought everyone was in bed. He's going to hear my heart.

'No, I haven't forgotten. I just need a few more days.'

She could hear another set of footsteps as his became louder, obviously walking out of the office. A shiver ran up her spine. What if someone else was coming in? She knew what kind of people Brad would attract, the same kind of people her mother used to hang around. Rough people. She froze, her past experiences dictating her reactions.

'You'll get your money. Yes, all of it. Fine-' Brad ended the call by closing his phone up, walking into Jack standing in the doorway. 'Oh. Jack. Uh, what are you doing up?'

Jack looked at him suspiciously. 'I could ask you the same thing.'

Jessie could have cried with relief hearing Jack's voice. It was only Jack, there was nothing to worry about. She let out a breath she didn't know she'd been holding, thankful that he was there.

'Just work stuff.' He shrugged, hoping he couldn't tell it was an outright lie. 'My boss is a real piece of work. Nothing I can't handle. You know. Night Jack.' He started to go around him but Jack stepped in front, stopping him.

'I hope whatever problems you're having at work don't become Ty's problems.'

'Yeah.' He looked down, getting the drift of what Jack was saying with his tone. 'Look, I understand your concern Jack, but I got everything under control.'

'You better. Cause I've got six hundred acres of land, a shovel and you've already seen my work with a rifle. Believe me, you do not want to get on my bad side.'

Another shiver ran up Jessie's spine. She'd never heard Jack use that kind of tone before. She heard a set of footsteps walking away, guessing that Brad had gotten the gist of the point Jack had been getting across. Part of her was relieved, Jack had taken care of things. It kind of made her safe knowing that he was looking out for those of his household. For the first time she could think of she felt protected, like there was someone who would look after her no matter what.

'I guessed you'd still be out here.' Jack exclaimed, looking over the door at the girl. 'Why don't you go to bed now?'

Jessie shook her head. 'I'm staying here.'

He sighed then motioned at the hay bales across the aisle. 'Come on.'

The girl left the stall, taking a seat beside Jack and rested her head against his shoulder. 'I'm glad you came in when you did. I didn't like the sound of that phone call.'

'Neither did I.' He admitted after a moment. 'I saw the lights on and thought I'd better come have a look.'

'I think he got the message. However I'll be making a note to never get on your bad side either.'

Jack chuckled, his arm around the girl. 'You won't ever have to worry about that, I don't think it would ever happen.'

'Unless I do a Mallory and go stand in front of the fridge for hours at a time.'

'Yeah.' He chuckled again then turned serious. 'Why are you out here Jess? What's wrong?'

Jessie sighed. 'I'm out here because I need to be and I probably wouldn't be able to sleep anyway. That mare is Warrior's dam, Cherry used to run with her. She's Lisa's horse.'

He raised his eyebrow. 'You sure?'

'I ran her brand and tattoo, they both list Lisa as her owner and I'd know Warrior's dam out of a thousand. I'm sure.' She looked back at the mare. 'I saw a photo of her and Lisa, she won the triple crown in nineteen ninety-six. I found news articles on her too, she was stolen not a week after and vanished without a trace, till now.'

'What on earth are the chances of this horse randomly turning up here out of the blue?'

'I know. Same as Cherry and Apollo. There's a reason though I guess.' She shrugged her shoulders, looking at the mare. 'Can I look after her Jack? Can I please?'

'She's been running wild for a long time if your right that it is her-'

'I know Jack but I have to do something. I just lost Cherry, I need something to do.' She glanced at him, her brown eyes watering. 'Please Jack. I need something.'

'Alright sweetheart.' He touched her cheek gently. 'You can look after the mare.'

'Thank you.'

'But I want you to promise me you'll be careful. I don't want you to get hurt honey.'

'I'll be careful, I promise.' Jessie nodded. 'Please, don't tell Lisa though that Crystal is here. Scott said even though she's starting to improve it will be touch and go for a little while and I don't want Lisa knowing just yet until it's certain that she'll pull through.'

'I understand. You know I won't say anything.'

'Thanks.' She rested her head against his shoulder again, watching the mare as she took another drink from the bucket. 'If Crystal pulls through I'm going to buy her off Lou. I want to give her back to Lisa. She belongs with her.'

'That's nice of you honey.'

Jessie chuckled. 'It's more kind of selfish on my part. I want Lisa to be reunited with her horse, they belong together. I mightn't have Cherry any more but if I can bring those two together again I'll be happy. Crystal has had a hard run, she deserves to get some love.'

'You're a very thoughtful girl Jess.'

'Lisa's done so much for me-' She yawned. 'It's the least I can do.'

Jack smiled, feeling the girls head getting heavy. 'Why don't you go to bed honey? I can watch Crystal.'

'No, it's okay. I'll stay out here.'

'How about I go get you the cot out of the office then?'

She nodded sleepingly. 'I won't argue with you there. It'd be more comfortable then sleeping on the floor.'

'I'll go grab it.'

The girl stood up not long after Jack headed to the office, making her way back over to the mare. Crystal snorted as she opened the door, slowly walking in to check on her one last time before she went to sleep. 'Hey girl.' The mare tossed her head as she walked closer, quivering under her touch as she placed her hand on the mare's shoulder. 'You're okay. I'm not going to hurt you.' Gently she patted her then did a pinch test. The skin went back a little quicker then it had been and she smiled as she ran her hand over the mare's neck. 'You'll be feeling better soon girl, I promise.'

'Here you go.'

'Woah, easy girl.' Jessie gently soothed as the mare took fright at Jack walking past, her body quivering anxiously. 'Hey, easy girl. You're okay. He won't hurt you. I promise.' Cautiously she stepped back to give the horse some room, glancing in the water bucket. The mare had drunk a bit more, it was almost half empty and she grabbed it to fill it up again as she left the stall. 'I feel sorry for her. She's so edgy.'

'Yeah.' Jack replied, glancing up at the horse as he unfolded the cot. 'She's pretty traumatized. Kinda reminds me of Spartan when he first arrived.'

'She's been through a lot, I can't blame her.' She remarked back, filling up the bucket at the tap then carried it back to the mare's stall. 'I hope she'll be okay.' The mare was watching her intently as she placed the bucket over the door and hung it on the hook inside. 'She deserves a second chance.'

'Just as long as you don't get hurt in the process.' Jack cautioned. 'Your more important to me than that animal is.'

'I know.' She smiled, climbing onto the cot. 'I'll be careful.'

'Just see that you do.' He chuckled, giving her a kiss on the cheek. 'Try to get some sleep.'

'I will. Night Jack.'

'Night honey.'

Jessie sighed as she rolled over, Jack turning off the rest of the lights as he headed out of the barn. Poor thing. The mare was restless, her body tense in the moonlight filtering through the window. I'm going to help you, I promise. I couldn't save Cherry but I'm sure as heck going to save you.