The next morning, Sam jumped out of bed despite having barely slept at all. When she went downstairs for breakfast, she found Gram at the stove, pouring oatmeal into a bowl. She turned as she heard Sam enter the kitchen, and offered the bowl with a smile.
"Your father head out early this morning to speak to Chief Soaring Eagle. He said to tell you that you are welcome to take Ace for a ride after your morning chores. But try to be back by noon."
Sam froze with a spoonful of oatmeal halfway to her mouth.
"Dad went to speak with the chief? Already? I thought we were going to talk about this."
Gram hesitated and placed up as Brynna came down the stairs before saying, "Nothing definite had been decided yet. Your father just wants to speak to the chief to get his view on the matter. We thought it would be best to have all of the information before we sat down and came to any conclusions."
Sam watched as Brynna poured herself a cup of coffee then busied herself adding just the right amount of sugar and milk. It appeared to Sam that Brynna was trying too hard to appear neutral on the mater. Although there were no hard feelings between the two women, Sam was certain that Brynna was looking forward to Sam marrying and moving out.
Sam quickly finished her breakfast then rinsed her bowl before excusing herself to go complete her morning chores. She wanted to tack up Ace and head out to the range as soon as she could, so she rushed through collecting the eggs and feeding the horses.
As soon as Ace crossed the bridge over the river and left the ranch yard, Sam let him have his head and run. She didn't let herself think about anything besides the sound of galloping hoof prints and the wind as it tangled her hair.
Ace began to tire and slow as they got closer to Arroyo Azul, so Sam brought him down to a walk. As they walked alongside the river, Sam began to think about the potential marriage. The way Gram and Dad were acting, Sam had a feeling that as long as her safety was ensured she would be married off sooner rather than later.
Sam hoped that her husband would have a kind smile and a good sense of humor, and maybe he would love horses as well. But she tried not to fantasize too much about what type of man she hoped to marry. Although Gram disapproved, Sam loved reading romance novels about maidens being swept away by charming, handsome, princes. Sam, of course, knew that these relationships were highly unlikely, but it was a nice idea.
A twig snapped nearby, startling Sam out of her musings. She felt Ace tense beneath her and he looked up the hillside next to them. Sam followed his gaze and her breath caught at the sight of a herd of wild horses. They were all grazing except for their stallion. He was tall and the color of moonlight, and he was watching her from behind his thick forelock. Ace froze, staring at the horses, and Sam wasn't about to have him walk on.
She didn't want to startle the wild mustangs, so she just sat and watched them, wishing she had thought to bring her sketchpad with her. Although there were plenty of wild horses in the high desert of Nevada, Sam rarely saw them. They kept away from people, and Sam's dad didn't like them near their cattle, eating what their cattle should be getting.
Sam understood why her dad didn't want the wild horses around, but she couldn't help but be in awe whenever she was lucky enough to witness them. They were so beautiful and free, and they appeared as though they didn't have a care in the world.
Sam had always secretly wanted to try and train a wild mustang for herself, but she knew her father would never go for it. But maybe, a voice said in the back of her mind, if she married into the Shoshone tribe, she could train a mustang using their ways.
The more she thought about this marriage, the more accepting she was of it. If anything it would be an adventure.
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Sam got back to the ranch around noon and rushed to untack Ace and put him away before heading into the house to wash up for the midday meal. She ran up the steps to the back door that opened into the kitchen but stopped when she heard her name mentioned.
"Do you think Samantha will oppose the marriage?" Gram was saying.
"I think it could work out quite nicely," her dad replied. "The chief said he has seven sons, and the youngest two are unmarried. He thinks that Sam should meet both of them and decide who she would like to marry."
"That sounds very generous of the chief," Brynna put in. "Have you met his sons?"
"I've only met his eldest son personally. He is the one who trained Blue Wings. Excellent with horses. I would imagine his brothers are good with horses as well. That should please Sam," Sam could hear the smile in her father's voice and figured it was as good a time as any to make her presence known.
As Sam walked into the kitchen, Gram looked up and smiled.
"Hello dear," Gram greeted her. "Wash up then come join us for dinner. Your father just returned from meeting with the chief."
"How did your meeting go?" Sam asked her father as she washed her hands at the kitchen sink then sat down with the family to eat.
"Rather well. You know I have great respect for the Chief Soaring Eagle. He agreed with everything Slocum said at supper last night. He is willing to sell a piece of the tribal lands, but naturally, he wants a way to be assured that this is a one time deal. He says the native people have been taken advantage of too many times. He hopes this marriage will help keep the peace between the townsfolk and the Shoshone."
Sam's dad paused before continuing, "the chief's own wife is a white woman. I mentioned to him that I was worried how you might need to adjust to the change in lifestyle. He said that when he was a little younger than you, Sam, a family was traveling west and passed by close to where the tribe was living at the time. There was a bad storm, and everyone in the family died except for one of the daughters. Soaring Eagle's father found her after the storm and took her back with him. The girl stayed with them and eventually fell in love with and married Soaring Eagle."
For her father, this was a lot of words. But Sam was glad he seemed to be making an effort to tell her every possible detail.
And the story about the chief's wife made her feel a little bit better as well. This meant that she would be the mother of Sam's future husband. Hopefully, she could help Sam adjust to the new lifestyle.
"When will I meet the chief's sons?" Sam asked.
"Tomorrow," her father replied.
"So soon?" Gram asked in surprise.
"As long as Sam doesn't have any strong objections to the marriage, we may as well get this started sooner rather than later. The spring cattle drive is coming up and I'd like for this all to be settled by then." Dad looked at Sam, assuring himself that she was alright with this unfolding of events.
Sam nodded and forced a relaxed smile on her face as she finished her dinner then excused herself to get started on her evening chores. She was nervous. More nervous than she had ever felt before. But who knew what the next day would bring.
A/N: Disclaimer:
Of course, I do not own the Phantom Stallion series or any of these characters.
Fun fact: I actually met Terri Farley a few years ago at a horse expo. I asked her what she imagined would happen with Sam and Jake's relationship. She said that she had always envisioned them growing up and each taking over their family ranches. They wouldn't get together, but there would always be a spark of romance between them. She added that since they have such a special friendship she didn't want to write them as anything more for fear that it might not work out, but readers are free to imagine any outcome they want.
A giant part of me wishes there was a happy, conclusive ending for Sam and Jake. But another part of me is also kind of glad Farley canonically left the details of their relationship open-ended in the novels. Readers can envision any outcome they like and each one has a possibility of being true. I don't think I would still love Sam and Jake as much as I do so many years after first reading the novels if there was a conclusive, cannon, outcome for their relationship.
That being said, I have a pretty good idea of where I want this story to go, and it's very predictable. But feel free to leave a comment or message me if you have any ideas or questions about the story, or even if you just want to gush over Sam and Jake with me lol :)