Chapter 158
"So are you sure you're going to be okay if I go on this ride? You will have Meg and Terry here, and Kate and Russell too. Meg will be in charge," said Tess as she sat smiling on horseback. She had just put herself through a rigorous ride with Claire to test how her body would handle a multi day ride, and was feeling like her old self again.
"Yeah Mom, but I'd rather go with you, and Aunt Jodi and Charlotte."
"No way. This could be dangerous. There is now way I will risk having you with us."
"But I'm a good rider, I could help," argued Claire
"You're a great rider, but the answer is no. I don't even like Charlotte going, but she's an adult now and I'm not her mom. I can't stop her. You are not an adult, and I am your mom, so you are not going." said Tess.
"Okay, but I'm going to miss you. I don't mind doing more chores so much, I'm just worried about being stuck with Meggie and Katie the entire time. I love them, but when the two of them are together, you know how they get. Could you tell Meg this? I know it sounds awful, and I do love them, but I just don't want to have to babysit and referee the fights the whole time. Meggie isn't so bad on her own, she did well on the muster, but when you add Katie to the mix, they just bicker." said Claire "Can you tell Meg not to put me with both of them all the time? I'll take Meggie with me on chores. She is getting pretty good at most of the stuff, and she can keep up, but Katie goes really slow and Meggie tries to boss her around and then Katie gets upset and the whole thing just gets to be too much. Can you just tell Meg to watch for that please?" requested Claire.
"I will speak with Meg before I go. I think Katie just wants to be like her big sister, and then Meggie just wants to be like you, so she tries to show off to you by bossing her little sister around. Cut Meggie a little slack. She looks up to you. Try taking her under your wing a bit. I bet if you hang with just her, you might see something different out of her."
"I know, I know. I'll try it." said Claire.
"That was Tess," Grace said as she hung up the phone. "She's in, and Jodi said she would go if Tess goes, so that gives us Jodi, Tess, Charlotte, You, me and Regan." Grace said as she ate lunch with her sister. "Plus maybe Dylan."
"I don't see Dylan being able to handle this trip. He doesn't have the confidence on horseback, he's never jumped anything, he hasn't had to guide a horse through steep, rocky terrain. I just don't see Regan getting him to that point in a few more hours," Jaz said.
"Yeah, you're right, but I'd feel better with Dylan there from a security standpoint, he's trained in firearms and law enforcement stuff. I've shot a gun plenty ofl times. I've even done some hunting and mounted shooting in the rodeo, but I've been living in Perth for so long, and I haven't needed a firearm in the city, so I'm very rusty." admitted Grace.
"Yeah, some target practice is all I've done. We are all going to need to bring rifles in case there are dingos or wild dogs though, especially if we are forced to leave the horses and continue on foot." Jaz realized as she said it.
"You're right, not to mention if we run into any of the miners. I mean we are going to try to avoid that, but it could happen. I think I want to practice shooting a bit. Do you even have any guns here?" Grace asked.
"No, we're an equestrian training facility, not a farm. I haven't seen a need for firearms," Jaz explained.
"Yeah it's not like you have livestock roaming around you need to protect. I think I might head over to Drovers and see if I can practice there. Do you want to come?" said Grace.
"No, I only had enough time for lunch with you, I've got a very busy afternoon. Have fun and be careful!" Jaz gave his sister a kiss on the cheek and ran out of the room.