Dark Days at Saddle Creek. Shelley Peterson

be heard across the room. Sally nodded enthusiastically as Hannah slammed the door behind them.

      As soon as they were outside, Hannah muttered under her breath, “Dexter Pill!” Her voice got louder and louder as they neared the trailer. “Bird, you know how I feel about him. Dexter Pill! You’re to have nothing to do with this, do you hear me?”

      “This is about the horse, not the trainer.”

      “The horse is stabled with the trainer, Bird! You cannot deal with the horse without dealing with the trainer. You know that.”

      “Please don’t be mad.”

      “Don’t you remember how he treated Moonlight Sonata at the show just a couple of months ago?”

      Bird certainly did remember. It had been ugly. “All the more reason to help Sally’s horse. Just think what Tall Sox must be going through!”

      “Dexter won’t even allow you on the property! He hates us for rescuing Moonie and then winning firsts with her. It makes him look bad.”

      “But this isn’t about him!”

      “You’re not listening, Bird! Dexter will not let you help!”

      “And you’re not listening, either! I don’t care about Dexter. I don’t need him!”

      “You need him to allow you in his barn!”

      Bird and Hannah stood face to face, yelling at each other. Bird looked around and realized they were causing a bit of a scene — people were starting to stare. She didn’t care. This was important.

      Hannah’s shoulders slumped and her expression softened. “I’m sorry, Bird,” she said quietly. “I didn’t mean to lose my temper. I’m upset at the thought of Dexter Pill, not at you. No matter how charming people think he is, that man makes my blood boil.”

      Bird was still angry. “I know, but you don’t understand. I’m not like other people. I can help this horse no matter what you or Kelsey Woodall or Dexter Pill say.”

      “I hear you. Nothing I say is going to change your mind.”

      “Finally.” Bird exhaled noisily.

      “Did you say Kelsey Woodall?”

      “Yes. She was the woman talking to Sally when I went over.”

      “About putting the horse down?”

      “Yes.”

      Hannah looked thoughtful. “Interesting.”

      “What are you thinking?”

      “I’m not sure, but I have a funny feeling. I know she’s been looking for a new horse for Candace. Are they trying to sell Sally the old one?”

      Bird looked at her aunt. The Woodalls stabled horses and trained with Dexter Pill. Maybe there was more to this than Bird had first thought. “One thing I know about funny feelings,” she said, “is that we should pay attention to them.”

      Hannah smiled. She put out her right hand for Bird to shake. “Friends again?”

      Bird accepted her handshake. “Friends again.”

      “Then let’s get back to Saddle Creek Farm and look after these horses.” Hannah took Bird’s arm, and together they joined the others at the rig.

      2

       TALL SOX

       In any great undertaking, it is not enough for a man to depend simply on himself.

      — Lone Man, Teton Sioux

      The horses were all outside in the cool evening air, bathed and fed, grazing in their fields. The heavy rain had greened up the grass, and the leaves sparkled with drops of rain. It had been a very successful day. After cleaning the tack and bringing the laundry inside to wash, everybody was ready for dinner and bed.

      Once Bird had helped with the dishes, she went upstairs to shower and change into her pyjamas. She looked around her old room with pleasure — the open window facing Sunny’s field, her cozy bed, the scratched dresser and cracked mirror — she was so happy to be back at Saddle Creek Farm! She and Julia had made a deal with their mother, Eva: they would stay over with Aunt Hannah whenever there were shows. This arrangement worked well for everybody. It gave Eva a chance to be alone with her new husband, Stuart, and it allowed Bird and Julia to concentrate on the horses and the shows.

      For Bird, the chance to stay with her aunt was welcome for an entirely different reason. Ever since her mother had returned from her honeymoon a few months earlier, things had been strained. Lately, they argued about every little thing. Bird sighed. She felt much more relaxed here.

      As she dried her hair with a blue towel, she observed herself in the mirror. Her hair was growing in very nicely. It had been singed in a barn fire in June, and she’d had it all cut off and styled quite short. She liked it much better now that it was a little longer. It felt more like it belonged to her.

      Her body was starting to change, Bird noticed, but not enough to be embarrassing, like her mother, whose large breasts made every outfit look too tight. At fourteen, Bird still had a girlish look. She hoped she’d always stay that way. She didn’t feel ready to be a grown-up.

      She noted the darkness of her skin and eyes. She liked her colouring, especially in the spring, when other girls looked strangely transparent until the sun gave them substance. Eva was blond with blue eyes, as was Julia. Bird had always known she had a different father than her sister; she’d just never met him. She tried not to dwell on it, but now, drying her dark hair in the mirror, questions resurfaced. Did she get her dark eyes and hair from him? She’d always thought so, but the truth was, she had no idea. All she knew was that her father had met her mother at the Calgary Stampede, where he was a broncobuster, and that he’d disappeared shortly thereafter. She desperately wanted to know more. He was her father, after all! But Eva constantly rebuffed her questions. It was always “someday” or “not now” or “later.” Mostly, Eva just lost her temper.

      There were a few other things on Bird’s mind as she dried her hair in the mirror.

      Firstly, Alec. Bird smiled. Her reflection smiled back, happy and content. Alec was away at Camp Kowabi for the summer as a counsellor-in-training, but he was her boyfriend again. Pamela was out of the picture. For good, Bird hoped. She wasn’t going to worry about it. When Alec had gone back to camp last time, he’d left her with his favourite sweater — to keep her warm in his arms, he’d said. Bird shivered with joy and her reflected grin grew even wider.

      Secondly, and amazingly, the strange man who’d spoken telepathically at the show. She felt shivers up her arms. Would he be at the show on Friday? Was there really someone who could speak to animals in the same way she could?

      And most urgently, there was Tall Sox. Bird didn’t care how angry Hannah might be, she would try to get to the bottom of the problem with Sally’s horse. She vowed to do that the very next day, which was Sunday. Bird needed to visit this horse before he could be euthanized. Put to sleep. Killed. Vets usually didn’t work on weekends except for emergencies, so tomorrow would be her best chance.

      Bird girl. Bird’s thoughts were interrupted.

       Cody? Is that you?

       It is.

      Is there a problem? Cody was a small coyote. He always knew what was going on, and he was usually the first to alert her when there was trouble. They’d had many adventures together. How he always knew when she was there was a mystery to Bird.

      Bird released her breath.

       I’m glad to be back, Cody. And I’m glad you came to say hello.

      Bird looked out her window, but the coyote was nowhere