A Horse for Kate (Horses and Friends Book 1) Read online

“Yes. She talked to Kate’s mom and understands that everything we do here will be supervised. At first she thought we’d be handling a lot of horses on our own and might get hurt. She’s cool with it now, though.”

  “Today you’ll only be cleaning stalls. I’ll be sending a parental release form home with you when you’re done, and you won’t be allowed around any of the horses until that’s signed. I should have sent it with you on Saturday, and I apologize for forgetting.” She started up the aisle and beckoned for the girls to follow. “I’ll show you where to start and introduce you to our other worker.”

  Kate glanced at Tori and leaned close to whisper, “She didn’t say anything about a release form when we were here last time.”

  Tori lifted a shoulder. “Maybe they’re worried about getting sued.”

  “Yeah, no doubt.”

  Horses stomped and nickered from the stalls as they walked past, and Kate slowed to check each one, her heart rate accelerating. This was a dream come true. She could hardly believe she was actually here, ready to start working toward taking lessons and maybe one day having her own horse.

  Mrs. Wilder paused at the door to the tack room. “There’s something I forgot to mention on Saturday.” She stepped inside and waited for the girls to enter. “We installed security cameras in here a few weeks ago. Someone broke into the barn one night in February and stole two show saddles and matching bridle sets. Our tack is insured, but we don’t want it to happen again.” The woman waved them back out into the aisle. “We ask all of the people who help out to keep a watchful eye open for strangers who appear to be snooping around. If someone looks suspicious, come directly to me and report it. Understood?”

  Both girls nodded. They followed her to the end of the barn and stopped in front of the large, open room that contained a mound of wood shavings that reached halfway up the walls. Two wheelbarrows and three shovels were positioned inside the door.

  A cheery whistle trilled outside the open doorway, and seconds later a slender, redheaded boy about their age swung into sight. He lifted a hand and grinned, the freckles on his cheeks dancing. “Hi, Mrs. Wilder. I hope I’m not late.”

  Tori stared at the boy, but Kate saw no sign of recognition light her friend’s eyes.

  Mrs. Wilder shook her head. “You’re right on time, Colt. These two young ladies were anxious to start and arrived ahead of schedule. Now that you’re here, we’ll get started.” She turned to the girls. “Do you already know Colt Turner?”

  “No.” Both girls spoke at the same time.

  The boy’s grin widened. “We’ve only lived in Odell for a few months, and my mom homeschools me and my little sister, so I haven’t gotten acquainted with very many kids my age yet.”

  Kate smiled. “I’m Kate Ferris, and this is my friend Tori Velasquez. I moved here in March, but Tori’s lived in Odell her whole life.”

  Mrs. Wilder gestured toward the wheelbarrows. “Fill those up. Girls, you’ll take charge of one, and Colt can take the other. He’ll work on one stall by himself, and you girls will do the next one after. You’ll go down the full row of stalls this afternoon. Another employee will turn the horses out in the indoor arena before you start cleaning and put them back in their stalls when you’re done. You’ll go in and strip everything out of the stalls first and dump the contents outside this door in the pile you’ll see. When the stall is stripped to the rubber mats, then bring four full wheelbarrows of clean shavings in and spread them across the floor. Got that?”

  The three nodded. Colt placed a widemouthed shovel in the wheelbarrow and then grabbed the handles. “Ready when you are.”

  Kate grabbed two shovels while Tori pushed the wheelbarrow behind Colt as he headed toward the first stall. She and Tori wheeled on past him to the open door of the second stall, then Tori paused. “Gross. I should have worn rubber boots, not my old sneakers. And it stinks.” She pointed at a large damp spot that covered one entire corner that was also littered with manure.

  Kate shrugged. “Thankfully we won’t have to step in any of it—only slide the shovel in and clean it out from the door to the corners.”

  The boy next door chuckled. “You’ll get used to it. Soon you won’t even notice the smell. I wear my old cowboy boots, but you’re right about not stepping in any of it.”

  Kate backed into the alleyway and peered into his stall. “You’re wearing cowboy boots? Do you ride? You sound like you’ve been around barns before.”

  Colt kept shoveling, tossing each full scoop into his wheelbarrow. “Yes to both, and I ride Western. But if you don’t hurry up, I’ll be done before the two of you are.” He gave a wicked smile. “Boys are naturally better workers.”

  Kate planted her hands on her hips and glared until she saw him struggling to keep his smile from erupting. “Right. We’ll show you who is best, won’t we, Tori?” She spun and bolted into the stall.

  “No kidding!” Tori scooped the first full shovel of dirty shavings from their stall and plopped them into the wheelbarrow. “We’ll be done first.”

  Colt’s laugh echoed through the walls. “You’d better be started on the next one by the time I finish this if you expect to win.”

  The girls went to work with determination, digging into the mess on the floor and filling the wheelbarrow, but Colt was pushing his toward the outdoor refuse pile seconds before they headed that direction.

  Kate rolled her eyes at Tori. “We’re going to have to hurry it up.”

  Tori headed down the aisle at a trot, with Kate close beside. All of a sudden, the top-heavy wheelbarrow started to tip sideways. Tori let out a shriek. “It’s going to spill!”

  Kate tried to grab the edge, but it was too late. Shavings and manure tumbled over the side as the entire contraption hit the floor. Kate jumped back, but not before some of the material scattered over her hands and arms and cascaded down her jeans. “Eww! Totally gross!”

  Chapter Thirteen

  Kate stared at the mess scattered across the full width of the aisle running between the stalls and the indoor arena and groaned. “Mrs. Wilder will fire us if she sees this.” She hoisted the wheelbarrow back into an upright position.

  Tori grabbed the shovel and started scooping. “I guess we got it too heavy, and it overbalanced. I’m so sorry, Kate!”

  “It would’ve happened to either of us, so don’t sweat it. I’ve never pushed anything that full either.” She ran back to the stall and returned with the second shovel. The two girls scrambled to clean the area, praying Mrs. Wilder wouldn’t show up before they finished.

  Footsteps farther along the alleyway made Kate freeze, and she slowly swiveled, then drooped with relief. “Oh, it’s you.”

  Colt pushed his wheelbarrow toward them. “Uh, yeah. You were expecting someone else?” He stopped and thumped the legs of his wheelbarrow down next to theirs, then withdrew his shovel and went to work.

  Tori paused, her mouth hanging open. “Hey, we made the mess, not you. You won the race to get the stall cleaned, and you don’t have to help.”

  He shrugged. “Maybe I want to.”

  Kate stared. “Well, okay then. Thanks.” She pushed her shovel under another mound and scooped it up. “You want to work together after this?”

  His face brightened. “Sure. It’d be more fun that way, if you don’t mind.”

  They collected the last of the pile and wheeled toward the exit. Kate motioned toward Colt. “You didn’t bring any shavings back.”

  “Naw. I didn’t heap mine as full as yours, so I still have more to clean.”

  Kate huffed. “Guess that’s smart.”

  The next minutes passed in silence as the trio finished cleaning one stall and then the other. After they’d returned with full loads of shavings and spread them, Kate surveyed the clean area. “Sure wish we could lead the horses in and out and do more than clean stalls.”

  Tori
shuddered. “I don’t. At least not yet. Look at that thing!” She pointed at the far end of the arena where a tall Thoroughbred raced in a circle, bucking and kicking. “My mom was right. Those things can kill you.”

  Colt edged up beside her. “He’s glad to be out of his stall, is all. Once he has a halter on, he’s probably fine. Besides, that mare out there is practically asleep. He can’t be too dangerous, or she’d be staying clear of him.”

  Kate studied Colt for the first time since they’d been introduced. She guessed he might be about thirteen. He was dressed in dusty jeans, a T-shirt, and worn cowboy boots, and wore his hair short. Good thing, as it looked like he’d probably have some serious curls going on if he let it grow out. He wasn’t what other girls might consider to be hot, but his blue eyes sparkled, and his grin was pretty cute. And he didn’t act a bit stuck-up or rude like some boys she’d met. “You act like you know a lot about horses.”

  “I’ve got one back home.”

  “Isn’t this home?” Tori kicked at a pile of clean shavings, smoothing it out.

  He tossed the shovels over his shoulder. “I suppose it is now. We’d better get to the next stall. Looks like they’re catching the two horses that belong in here.”

  The girls hurried after him and waited for him to slide the next stall door open before they entered and got busy.

  Once they were shoveling again, Kate asked Colt, “Where’s home?”

  “Montana.” His lips twisted to the side. “Only it’s here now. My dad took a job as an accountant with a company in Hood River, so we moved. My horse is still back home at a friend’s. My parents said we can have him trailered out this summer, but we’ve got to find a place to keep him.”

  Kate dumped a scoop of dirty shavings into the wheelbarrow. “How about here?”

  “I talked to Mrs. Wilder about it, but it’s too expensive. I was hoping to work off some of his board, but I can’t put in enough hours to do that and pay for his feed and everything else. I’m not sure what we’re going to do.”

  Tori huffed as she lifted an overly full shovel. “This stuff is heavy when it’s wet.”

  “Yeah.” Kate placed the last shovelful on top of the growing pile. “We’d better stop now, or we’ll have another accident.” She peered out into the alleyway. “That gorgeous horse is coming in, so don’t go out there yet.”

  A young woman wearing riding breeches and a jacket led the gray Thoroughbred toward them. It snorted and pranced for a couple of steps, then settled and followed the girl to his stall.

  Tori moved toward the handler. “What’s his name?”

  “Rocket.” The girl slid the door shut and hung the halter on a horseshoe hook on the outside. “That’s his nickname, not his registered name. He was a racehorse that didn’t live up to his name, but we saved him from slaughter and turned him into a great jumper.” She eyed Kate, Tori, and Colt. “You the new kids who’ll be cleaning stalls?”

  Tori nodded. “Yeah. On Tuesdays and Thursdays after school and Saturday mornings.”

  The girl nodded. “I’m Carissa Spencer. I exercise the horses when their owners aren’t here to ride them.”

  Kate dusted her hands against her jeans, suddenly aware of how dirty they all appeared next to this attractive girl who must have been out of high school. “Are you a trainer?”

  “No, although I hope to be someday, if I can ever afford a horse like Rocket. The trainer is here most mornings, and there’s usually a groom around then. It’s pretty quiet this time of day, but it’ll get busy again in the evening when people are off work and come to use the arena.” She waved and headed back toward the arena. “I’ll bring in Athena and then take the next two horses out so you can keep cleaning.”

  Kate waved toward the empty stall they’d been working on. “Where’s the one that belongs here?”

  “He’s in an outdoor paddock. We turn Athena and Rocket out together because they’re buddies, but most of the horses have to be turned out alone. We don’t need any kicking matches where a boarder’s horse gets a leg broken. You guys be careful around the horses until you know which ones are safe to handle and which ones to stay away from.”

  Tori shuddered and her face paled. “I think I’m gonna be sick. Maybe I made the wrong decision coming to work here, Kate. Can we please finish cleaning and go home?”

  Chapter Fourteen

  Kate had barely slept for the past two nights, and she’d dragged all through the morning classes at school, worried that Tori would stick to her decision to quit working at the barn. If that happened, she supposed she could team up with Colt, but she wanted Tori to continue. It wouldn’t be the same without her new best friend. Most girls her age cared more about boys or makeup or new clothes than horses, but Kate had never wanted anything as much as she wanted these riding lessons. Tori had swung from quitting to working to quitting again but had promised she’d give Kate a final answer at lunch break today.

  Kate waited in the lunchroom and peered toward the entrance, not wanting to miss Tori. Her stomach was tied in knots, and if she tried to eat right now, she’d hurl. A group of girls, whispering and giggling, entered the room, but no sign of Tori.

  Someone tugged on her hair, and Kate whirled. “Tori! How’d you get in here without me seeing you?”

  Tori smirked. “Guess you must have missed me among all the dark-haired girls wandering around.” She sobered and tugged at Kate’s arm. “Come on, I’m starving.”

  Kate shook her head. “No way. I can’t eat until you give me your answer.”

  Tori’s arm fell to her side. “Yeah. Sorry. Guess I should have done that first.”

  Kate’s heart sank at her friend’s serious tone. “I think I can guess.”

  “Think so, huh?” Tori flashed a smile. “Gotcha! I’m sticking it out, Kate. I’m not going to be a quitter. Besides, I don’t want my mom to say, ‘I told you so.’”

  Kate would have hugged Tori if there weren’t so many people around. “You totally had me scared. Let’s grab some food before we both starve. I can’t wait for school to be over so we can head to the barn.”

  Thursday’s time spent at the barn hadn’t brought any more problems, and Saturday had dawned bright and clear. Kate could hardly wait for their two hours of work to be finished so she and Tori could take their first lesson. She hadn’t thought to ask Colt if he was taking lessons, but since he had his own horse, it didn’t seem likely. It had been nice working with Tori and getting to know Colt while cleaning stalls. He seemed like a good guy.

  Tori lightly punched her arm. “Earth to Kate. Wake up. We’re not finished cleaning this stall yet. What are you thinking about, anyway? You have a silly smile on your face.”

  Kate hated to admit she’d been thinking it was nice to have another friend besides Tori, even if he was a boy. Not that boys weren’t okay, but she’d never been interested in having a boyfriend. Not yet. Colt was someone fun to hang around with at work because he had a good sense of humor and teased her, kind of like her dad. The last thing she wanted Tori to think was that she was interested in Colt as more than a friend. “I’m glad we get to take our first lesson today. I can’t wait.”

  Colt pushed his full wheelbarrow to the opening of their stall and set it down. “I’m taking lessons too. I wonder if we’ll all be doing it at the same time.”

  Tori shook her head. “Kate and I are both riding Lulu, so unless Mrs. Wilder has us riding double, I doubt it.”

  Colt motioned down the aisle. “The POA down at the end?”

  Kate nodded. “Yeah. How about you?”

  “I’m not sure, but since I’m taller than either of you, I’m guessing my feet would be close to dragging the ground if I rode her.”

  Kate tossed the final shovelful of manure into the wheelbarrow, thankful this was their last stall. “What kind of horse do you own?”

  “A Quarter horse geld
ing named Romeo.” He scowled. “And no, I didn’t name him. I wanted to change it, but the person who owned him went on and on about how he knows his name and would be confused, so I kept it. He is pretty smart, and he acts like he knows it, so I guess it was the right decision. But it’s still pretty weird.”

  Kate and Tori looked at each other and then broke out in a laugh. Kate covered her mouth with her hand. “Sorry. I’m not making fun. It’s just …” She snorted another laugh through her fingers.

  “I know, I know.” He jerked his chin toward the big outside door. “Come on. Let’s go dump this stuff and get the shavings.”

  Tori grabbed the handles of the wheelbarrow. “Right.”

  They got done in record time, then headed toward Lulu’s stall. They’d cleaned it first thing this morning, but Mrs. Wilder had told them to come back when they finished to groom the mare and clean her feet. She’d already checked Colt out on handling Lulu and had instructed him to show the girls what to do.

  Kate slipped the halter over the pony’s head and buckled it, then led her into the alleyway.

  Colt grabbed a cross tie from a post next to the arena and motioned Tori toward the outer stall wall. “Clip that cross tie on the side ring of her halter, and I’ll do the same on this side. That way she can’t move forward or backward more than a step.”

  “I’ll grab the tack box.” Kate headed to the tack room next to Lulu’s stall, remembering what Mrs. Wilder had said about the security cameras. It felt strange knowing someone might be watching her every move to see if she touched something she shouldn’t. She walked straight to the row of shelves against the back wall and lifted the open carry case full of grooming tools, then hurried back to Tori and Colt. “I think this has all the brushes and hoof picks we need.” She set the case on the floor off to the side of Lulu’s front feet. “I groomed a horse a few times in Spokane, but I’m not sure which brushes to use.”

  Colt picked up a flat, black rubber thing shaped like an oval with short teeth on one side. “This is a currycomb. If the horse has dried mud or sweat, you’d want to use this, or if it’s shedding and you’re trying to loosen the dead hair.” He placed the curry on Lulu’s neck and started stroking, using light pressure. “When you get to her body, you can go in circles and push a little harder. Don’t ever use this on her face or her legs. You only want to use soft brushes there.” They watched as he finished running the curry all over Lulu. “See? She isn’t shedding much yet. Kate, get a stiff brush from the box, and Tori, would you get a soft one?”