A Whisper of Rose

Rose reached over to turn down the radio as her phone rang. Looking at the display she grimaced.

"My mom," she said in answer to the questioning look from the young man driving. "Hey, Mom."

"Hi, Rose. You called?" Stevie said.

"Yeah," Rose replied just as the horse in the trailer began to kick. She braced herself on the dashboard as the driver struggled to pull the truck and trailer to the side of the road.

"What was that?" Stevie's voice was confused and concerned at the same time. "Are you alright?"

Rose laughed drily. "I'm fine. That was Cleopatra. I think the sedative has worn off."

"Sedative? Cleopatra? Rose, what are you up to?"

"Umm..." Rose undid her seatbelt and climbed out into the blazing afternoon. "I kinda pulled a Stevie."

"You let your mouth run off on you again?" Rose heard her mother sigh. "What did you do?"

"I said I could train Cleopatra better than one of the other girls and the instructor heard me and told me I'd better put my money where my mouth was. So now I have until Australia Day to work Cleopatra and prove that my methods work."

There was silence on the other end of the line and Rose bit her lip. She hadn't meant for this to happen but Marcie was being so smug she just had to say something. The only good thing was that Marcie had drawn Double Helix, a gelding with the devil in him. With the damage already done to the horse, Rose knew that Marcie would be hard pressed to have the horse ready to run through the obstacle course the instructor was designing.

"So, what does this whole challenge involve?" Stevie finally asked.

"Well, Marcie, the girl I was arguing with, has one horse and I have the other. We have six weeks to get Cleo and Helix ready to work through their paces." Rose sighed. "Mom, if I do it, they'll pass me."

"Alright, bring her home. Are you driving?"

"No, Gabe is," Rose replied, walking to the other side of the trailer where Gabe was peering through a door at the black mare.

"Gabe?" Rose could hear the curiosity in her mother's voice.

"Gabe Dawson. He took the course last year and came back to help this year. He agreed with me and got fired. So now I sort of owe him. Well, doubly because it's his trailer Cleo's kicking to bits."

"Well, get her home and we'll see what we can do," Stevie said. "And Rose, I'm proud of you."

Rose smiled. "Thanks, Mom. I'll see you in a few hours."

"Bye."

Rose pressed the end button and tucked her phone into her pocket. "How does she look?"

"Angry," Gabe replied. "How long until we're at your mom's place?"

"About three hours, maybe more," Rose replied, climbing up on the running board to peer in at the mare. "And Mom only owns part of it."

"Right." Gabe nodded. "You'll have to explain this whole family thing when we aren't driving a demon mare around."

Rose shoved Gabe. "She's just scared. Gabe, you saw her when she came into the course. She was gorgeous and brilliant. She can be that again."

Gabe nodded slowly. "If your mom is as good as you say, yeah, she can."

Rose sighed and dropped back to the road. "I think we'd better just keep moving. She's calmed down enough now."

Gabe rolled his eyes and went back to the truck. Rose followed and settled down for the rest of the drive.

"Let's see if we can make the rest of the trip without stopping," Rose said.

"Talk to Cleo." Gabe took a deep breath and pulled the vehicle onto the road.

Four hours later, Rose clapped her hands. "There it is, Gabe. There's Drovers."

"Thank goodness," Gabe said, pulling into the drive. "I don't think I could have gotten much farther."

The truck shook as Cleopatra once again took up kicking in anger, fear or just plain annoyance; Rose still hadn't figured out what it was.

Gabe muttered something under his breath as he steered the truck towards the sheds.

Rose smiled as she saw the group of people waiting outside the shearing shed. Everyone that lived on the five properties stood or sat, chatting and laughing.

"Do they all live here?" Gabe shoved the truck into park and ran a hand through his blond hair. "I thought you said only girls worked here."

Rose laughed. "They do. Everyone else is spread out over the rest of the properties."

"So why are they all here?"

"Drovers is the centre of them all. Killarney is that way," she said pointing out his window, "and Wilgul is this way. Kinsellas and the La Vise place are on the other side of the stock route and border Drovers. So we all just end up meeting here."

"So who lives where?"

Rose opened her door as Stevie made her way over to the trailer. "I'll tell you later."

"Rose."

Rose smiled and climbed out of the truck into her mother's arms. "Hey, Mom. You look good."

Stevie laughed. "I feel great, especially since you're back."

"Well, you might not feel so great when you see the mess I brought along with me." Rose turned to the trailer where Gabe had opened a door and was contemplating going in. "She's a bit wild."

There was a clattering of hooves and a desperate neigh. Stevie raised her eyebrows. "I'll say."

"Rose, we'd better get her out of here," Gabe called. "She's got a cut and it looks bad."

"Dave!" Stevie called out and the tall, blond haired man separated himself from the group.

"I thought he was going back to Africa," Rose said. "And why are Patrick, Kate and Tayler still here?"

"They're staying here until the new year." Stevie followed Dave as he climbed into the trailer.

"Hello, girl," Dave said quietly. "Rose, what happened to her?"

"What didn't is a better question. I think she's got infections on her back; she won't let me near her to clean her. Can you help her?"

Dave shrugged. "If she'll let me. I'll see if I can get another tranquilizer in her. That should calm her down enough to get her out of there."

He climbed out and went to his Ute. Opening the back he dug around a few boxes and came up with a small gun and a dart.

"I thought you weren't practicing here anymore," Rose quipped.

"Hah." Dave loaded the gun. "I step onto the property and they put me to work."

Rose laughed. "And I thought you did it because you love us."

"There's that too, Rosie girl," Dave said, giving her a hug.

"Rose, maybe you'd better introduce your friend," Stevie said, nudging her.

Rose gasped and hurried to where Gabe stood off to the side. "Gabe, I'm sorry. Come meet everyone."

"It's okay, Rose. You were busy." Gabe allowed her to drag him forward.

"Mom, Dave, this is Gabe Dawson." Rose smiled as Dave and her mother both reached out to shake her friend's hand. "Gabe, my mom, Stevie Hall; Dave Brewer, one of the best vets in the area."

"One of?" Dave frowned. "I thought I was the best."

"Well," Rose said slowly. "Ingrid looks better and Russ doesn't make so many silly jokes, but I guess you are my favourite."

"That's my girl," Dave crowed. "Stevie, this one is all you."

Stevie laughed and wrapped an arm around Rose's waist. "Not all me, there's a whisper of a rose in there. She looks beautiful, but there are thorns somewhere under all the pretty things."

"Mom!" Rose nudged Stevie.

Stevie laughed and hugged Rose. "I love you, Rosie."

"Hey, Mom, where's my brother?" Rose looked around, hoping to see the little scamp racing up to her.

"Sleeping," Stevie said. "At least he'd better be."

Twenty minutes later they managed to unload Cleopatra from the trailer. Even with the sedative it still took both Rose and Gabe holding her to let Dave and Stevie treat the wounds.

"Will she be okay?" Rose stroked Cleopatra's neck. "Easy, pretty girl, easy."

The mare flung her head into the air and snorted. Gabe tightened his grip, his knuckles white with the pressure. Rose rubbed Cleopatra's neck again and murmured softly to the horse.

"She'll look brilliant when she's healed and less crazy," Stevie said.

"You think?" Rose asked. "She was gorgeous when she arrived at the school. She's a mess now."

"Nothing a little TLC won't cure," Dave said. "All done here."

"Let's get her into a pen," Stevie said.

Rose led the mare towards the yards and carefully let her loose into one of the pens. Cleopatra flung her head and nosed the ground.

"Those sedatives don't last very long on this horse," Dave commented. "She's going to give you grief, Rosie girl. Best of luck."

"Thanks." Rose leaned against the fence and watched the mare pace around the pen.

"I have every confidence in you, Rose," Gabe whispered before following Stevie and Dave back to the house.

Rose frowned. They may have all thought she and Stevie could do this, but she wasn't so sure.

"Rose, come on."

Rose hurried towards her mother and wrapped an arm around her waist. Stevie smiled and led Rose up to the house where their family and friends waited.