Five Star Ranch
Chapter 1, Part 2
By Adeline HC
Where is she? Saige wondered. Amy was supposed to be back by 2:30, and it was 3:15.
“Ori! Has Amy called you?” Saige called outside. Ori was outside training Ellis, a border collie, to not chase the horses. All Ellis seemed to want to do was herd the horses into a corner -- and keep them there until his heart ‘s content.
When no one answered Saige’s question, she stepped out of the barn. Where was everybody? Did no one work on this ranch anymore? Not even the stable boy, Alex, was around. And he was supposed to be grooming the two yearlings.
Saige got out her phone and called Ori.
Ori picked up after a few rings. “Hello?”
“Where are you? “Saige asked.
“I’m inside. Where are you? “ Ori said.
Saige sighed. “Where’s Alex?”
“I told him he could go home."
“What! Ori, I told him to““ Saige sputtered.
“Don’t worry, he groomed the yearlings as you asked. And after that, Jiggs pushed him in the compost pile. “RI said, and Saige could hear the hint of a smile in her voice.
“Why was Alex over there with Jiggs?”
Ori giggled, “Well, Alex had a full wheelbarrow full of muck, and he decided to save himself a trip by taking it at the same time he took Hunk back to the pasture.”
This time, Saige couldn’t help but chuckle. “Poor Alex. Well, let’s hope he’s learned his lesson.”
Ori laughed. “Yeah. Can we hang up now? It’s getting kind of weird. We’re talking on the phone, and we’re only a couple of yards away.”
“Thirty yards away.”
“Whatever,” Ori sighed. “Okay, bye, sis.”
“Bye – Oh wait! I forgot to ask. Did Amy call you? “Saige asked.
“No, why?”
“She was supposed to be here at two-thirty. I guess I’d better call her. Well, thanks. Bye!” Saige hung up, then hurried to dial Amy’s cell.
“Hello, this is Amy, how may I help you? “Came Amy’s usual response. It sometimes got annoying, since she knew who was calling from the caller ID. She still used the same line, though.
“Hey, Amy. Where are you? You were supposed to be back more than a half-hour ago. “Saige said.
“I’m sorry. David Shepherd pulled me over, and then he fixed my taillights. But, no biggie. Everything’s fine. He let me go with a warning. I’ll remember to plug the trailer next time, though. “Amy said.
Saige rolled her eyes. Pulled over? David Shepherd? Taillights? “Amy, there won’t be the next time if you don’t get here in the next five minutes. You’re late, and the least you could have done was call me and tell me you would be.”
“No problem. I’m turning into the driveway right now. Honest, Saige, I didn’t mean to be late. I’m sorry I didn’t call you. “Amy said over the line.
Saige sighed. “Okay, alright, I believe you. Now get here safe and sound with that horse.”
“Got it, sis. See ya soon!”
Saige hung up and stood to wait for the truck and trailer to appear. The Ranch’s driveway was about a mile long. Finally, Saige saw the truck and trailer rolling smoothly towards her. Amy parked and jumped out.
“I’m back, Saige. Don’t worry, I’m perfectly fine, and so is the horse. Speaking of which, just wait until you’ve seen this beauty. “She said and hurried to the back of the trailer.
Saige watched as Amy open the trailer doors. A gorgeous, streamlined mare stepped lightly out of the trailer, her head held high. Saige had seen pictures of the horse, but the still shots had not done the mare justice.
She was an untrained four-year-old, so she promised to be a handful. Her owners had left her on the backburner for far too long, and that was why they had hired Saige to do the hard work of training the mare.
“They said she is an endurance horse, “Amy announced.
“Is? Well, not quite yet. She’s got a long way to go before they can use her for anything like that. What breed did they say she was?”
“An Arabian cross.”
“Well, she is a beauty, that’s for sure. What’s her name?”
“Lady Jewel. But, I’ve been calling her just Lady.”
“Nice. Well, I’ll get her into a paddock so she can stretch her legs. You, meanwhile, can clean out that trailer.” Saige said.
Amy sighed. “I suppose I was always destined to do the dirty work, “she grumbled.
“Stop complaining. It was all of our dreams to own a ranch one day. Well, now we’re living it. Are you happy or aren’t you? “Saige asked.
Amy nodded. “Ouch. Okay, I get it. Don’t worry. I’m happy. I’m happy. Are you happy?”
“Very. Now, get to cleaning.”
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