CBN.com – Twelve-year-old
Andrea “Andi” Carter attracts trouble the way her
palomino horse, Taffy, attracts flies on a hot summer day. After
running away and encountering even more trouble, she begins to
realize that there really is no place like home. Read an excerpt
below.
Chapter One
It’s Not Fair!
San Joaquin Valley, California, Spring 1880
It’s Saturday at last!” Andi Carter leaped from her
bed and threw
open the doors that led onto the balcony of her family’s
two-story ranch house. She hurried out into the early morning,
leaned far over the railing, and breathed deep the fresh new California
day. “This is going to be a great day,” she announced
in delight, tossing her unruly mass of long dark curls behind
her shoulder. She could not hide her joy at the thought of a whole
day to ride her horse, Taffy, and do as she liked.
She leaned farther over the railing, hoping to catch a glimpse
of her brother Chad’s new stallion. The corral next to the
barn was just beyond sight, but if she climbed over the railing
and balanced on the narrow overhang, she might be able to see
the magnificent animal—if only for a moment. Putting thoughts
into action, she scurried over the top, hampered only slightly
by her long, white nightgown. She could almost hear her mother’s
disapproving voice. “Really, Andrea. Proper young ladies
do not climb balconies in their nightgowns!” She smiled
at the thought and shaded her eyes against the rising sun.
Before she could get a good view of the horse, the sun cleared
the distant peaks of the Sierra Nevada, and she was forced to
narrow her eyes against the brightness that erupted around her.
The ranch house, styled after the lovely and practical Spanish
haciendas of an earlier age, burst into dazzling white against
the bright blue sky.
“I can’t see a thing,” she muttered, disappointed.
“Buenos dÃas, se“orita,” a cheerful
voice hailed her from below. “What are you doing?”
Andi whirled around, slipped, and nearly lost her balance. She
reached out to steady herself against the railing, and looked
down. Diego, one of the hired hands, stood leaning against a rake,
grinning up at her.
“I . . . well . . . I was trying to see Chad’s new
stallion,” came her embarrassed reply. She hastily climbed
back over the railing and onto the safety of the balcony.
Diego glanced in the direction of the corral, then up at the
girl. He shook his head. “Why do you not go and look at
the horse from nearer the corral, like everyone else?”
Andi felt herself turning red and said nothing. Instead, she
spun around and re-entered her bedroom, closing the doors with
a bang. “What a way to start the day,” she mumbled.
But she couldn’t help breaking into a grin at how she must
have looked, hanging onto the balcony and wearing only her nightgown.
No doubt Diego was having a good laugh over it while he tended
the gardens.
She hurried across her room and began to dress, pulling on her
favorite pair of faded overalls and a gingham shirt. How glad
she was that her mother didn’t always force her to wear
what other young ladies going on twelve had to wear—dresses
and tiny slippers and other uncomfortable trappings. On Saturdays,
she was allowed to wear what she pleased, so long as she didn’t
step foot off the ranch.
“After all,” Andi declared, pulling on one of her
riding boots, “this is 1880. There are a lot of new ideas
about what a girl can wear.”
A door slammed loudly. Andi paused in her dressing and listened.
Only Chad slammed doors like that, and then only when he was upset
about something.
“Andi! Get down here!” Chad’s voice traveled
up the stairs and through her bedroom door like the sound of a
gunshot.
Andi winced. Oh, great. I wonder what I’ve done wrong this
time. She quickly pulled on the other boot and made her way to
the vanity. Pouring the tiniest amount of water from the milk-white
pitcher into the washbasin, she splashed the cold liquid onto
her face. A small knot of worry began to form in her stomach as
she hastily braided her thick, dark hair into two long plaits.
What could have upset Chad first thing in the morning?
She stood up, gave a quick glance around her less-than-spotless
room, and frowned. She knew she should take time to straighten
it, but if she didn’t find out what Chad wanted, he’d
start yelling again. “I’ll clean it later,”
she decided, half hoping that Luisa, their housekeeper, might
look in on her room and spare a few minutes to clean it for her.
She made her way from her room but stopped at the top of the
stairs. Reaching out her hand, she ran it along the smooth surface
of the banister. Just this once, she persuaded herself. Determined
not to let Chad ruin her morning, she settled herself onto the
railing. Lifting her feet, she sailed down the banister and landed
on the foyer floor with a loud thump. She grinned as she picked
herself up from the floor. Sliding down the banister was such
fun!
Her cheerful mood instantly restored, Andi entered the dining
room with a spring in her step. She greeted her mother and older
sister, who were finishing their breakfast in companionable silence.
“Good morning, Andrea,” her mother replied with a
smile. “Luisa just brought in a fresh plate of hotcakes.
Sit down and have some before they get cold.”
Andi sat down in the empty seat next to her sister and pretended
not to notice that seventeen-year-old Melinda hadn’t returned
her greeting. She shrugged it off and helped herself to a stack
of still-warm pancakes, smothering them in butter and maple syrup.
She’s probably mad at me, Andi concluded. Somebody’s
always mad at me these days.
“Chad’s looking for you,” Melinda announced,
breaking the silence.
“I know,” Andi replied uneasily. “I heard him.
The whole ranch can hear him when he yells.”
“I wonder what upset him this early in the day,”
her mother remarked with a frown.
Andi didn’t know, but she was certain it wouldn’t
be long before she found out. Her cheerful mood began to dissolve.
“So, here you are.”
Andi looked up. Her twenty-six-year-old brother stood just inside
the doorway. It was easy to see he was irritated about something.
He wasn’t smiling, and his blue eyes were stormy. He lifted
a finger and pointed it at Andi. “I’d like a word
with you.”
“What about?” She speared a forkful of pancake and
swirled it around in the syrup. She hoped Chad wasn’t in
one of his bossy moods. Just because he was in charge of running
the ranch, it certainly didn’t mean he could tell her what
to do all the time. She scowled.
“I’ve just come from the barn,” Chad explained,
“where I discovered about a dozen thirsty horses—yours
included.”
Andi sprang from her chair in sudden panic. Her blue eyes widened
at the awful realization she had neglected her chores. “Oh,
no!” she burst out. “I’m sorry! I forgot. I’ll
do it right away.” She hurried around the table, but Chad
held out his arm to prevent her leaving.
“Never mind. Mitch is taking care of it.” He shook
his head. “You were supposed to do it yesterday after school.”
“I know, but . . .” Her voice faltered. “Some
of the men were breaking those new broncos out in the north corral,
and they said I could watch for a few minutes. I was going to
check the horses after supper, but—” She broke off.
“I’m sorry,” she finished lamely.
Chad folded his arms across his chest and looked down at his
sister. He nodded at her overalls and boots. “I’m
glad to see you’re dressed for work today. You’re
going to muck out every stall in the horse barn.”
“Muck out the stalls?” Andi’s voice rose in
disbelief. “That’s the ranch hands’ job, not
mine.”
“Today it’s your job.”
“It’ll take all day!”
“Good. It’ll keep you out of trouble.”
“Mother!” Andi turned to her mother in a desperate
appeal. “Please don’t make me clean stalls today.
It’s my only free day. I want to go riding.”
Elizabeth Carter’s soft blue eyes were full of understanding,
but her voice was firm. “I’m sorry, Andrea. This is
the third time in two weeks Chad’s had to remind you about
those horses. Checking their water is not a difficult task. Perhaps
cleaning out stalls will help your memory.”
Andi opened her mouth to protest. She closed it when she realized
her mother was not going to budge. Ever since her father’s
death in an accident during spring round-up six years ago, her
mother had turned over the running of the ranch to Andi’s
three older brothers. She rarely went against any decision Chad
made regarding the day-to-day management of the ranch.
“Better get started,” Chad suggested. He poured himself
a cup of coffee and joined his mother and Melinda at the table.
“It’s not fair,” Andi grumbled, reaching across
the table for some sugar for her horse. “One little mistake.”
She pocketed the sugar and turned toward the door. “My whole
day is ruined.”
She left the house and kicked the dust in frustration as she
made her way toward the huge barn that stabled some of the finest
horses in the San Joaquin Valley. Though most of the working horses
were kept outdoors in a large corral, to be lassoed each day for
work, there were always a few stabled in the barn. It was Andi’s
job to feed and water them.
She reached the barn and leaned briefly against the wide double
doors before entering. “Oh, Justin, I wish you were home.
I’m hardly ever in trouble when you’re around.”
She sighed. Her eldest brother had gone to Sacramento—again.
Why couldn’t he stay home and help Chad and Mitch run the
ranch, instead of rushing off to San Francisco or Sacramento every
few months? “I’m sure the governor can run the state
of California without your help,” she muttered angrily.
It was an old story. Justin was often away—doing whatever
it was lawyers do—and no amount of wishing would bring him
home any sooner.
With a sudden, urgent desire to get the miserable stall-cleaning
job done, Andi pushed Justin from her thoughts, shoved the heavy
barn doors open, and slipped inside, adjusting her eyes to the
dim interior. The familiar odors of dusty hay, horses, and old
leather greeted her.
She paused a moment to enjoy the sweet smell of last summer’s
alfalfa, then picked up a pitchfork, found the wheelbarrow, and
made her way to her horse’s stall. The palomino mare whinnied
with eagerness at the sight of her young mistress. She thrust
her golden head over the stall’s half-door and nipped playfully
at Andi’s shoulder. Let me out of here! she seemed to be
saying.
“I know you hate being cooped up, Taffy. I guess I’m
just being selfish. You stay so much cleaner indoors.” She
unlatched the stall’s door and entered, patting the horse
in apology. “I’m sorry, but your troubles are nothing
compared to mine.” She began to clean the stall and unload
her complaints onto her best friend, the one companion who always
listened patiently. “I can’t do anything right these
days,” she complained.
She stopped and leaned on the pitchfork. “Oh, Taffy! How
could I have been so stupid to leave that open jar of spiders
in Melinda’s room last week?” She lunged savagely
at a pile of soiled bedding and tossed it through the open doorway.
The load missed the wheelbarrow and landed in the middle of the
walkway. She sighed. “Nobody believed me when I said it
was an accident. I only wanted to see the new stallion Chad and
Mitch were bringing home. Everybody knows Melinda’s room
has the best view of the corral. I didn’t mean to forget
about the spiders. Really, I didn’t. Everything just happened
so fast when the stallion broke out. Two of the men almost got
trampled, and Jake Barnes got his arm broke!”
Andi gave Taffy a shove to encourage her to move over. “You
should have seen Melinda at breakfast the next morning. She slammed
the empty jar down right in front of me. When I saw those red
bites all over her face and arms, I knew I was in trouble. Guess
what I did the rest of the morning?” She walked around to
face her horse. “Are you listening, Taffy?”
Taffy stamped an impatient foot. Andi took it as a sign that
she should continue her tale. “I spent the entire morning
searching for and killing spiders. Then Mother made me scrub every
crack in Melinda’s floor and wash down the walls. I’ve
decided not to collect spiders anymore.” She shook her head
sadly, remembering her sister’s mood at breakfast. “I
think Melinda’s still mad at me.”
Andi leaned the pitchfork against the wall and turned back to
her horse, giving the animal an affectionate pat. Taffy snorted
and tossed her head, as if eager to hear more.
“If spiders aren’t bad enough, listen to what happened
in school last week.” She grabbed a brush and started grooming
the beautiful golden palomino’s coat. “Remember that
big frog I found near the creek a couple of weeks ago? I took
it to school. Cory and I had a deal. He was going to swap me five
aggies for the frog. But before we could make the trade at recess,
Miss Hall found the frog in my desk.” She cringed at the
memory. “She scolded me in front of the entire class and
sent me to the corner. The corner, Taffy! I was in disgrace the
rest of the day.” Andi sighed. “Now, I’ve got
no frog and no marbles.”
She tossed the brush into a corner and picked up the pitchfork
once more. Spiders, frogs, forgetting her chores, leaving her
room a mess—the list went on and on. She shook her head
sadly. Absolutely nothing had gone right since Justin left for
Sacramento, and here she was on her only free day—stuck
in the barn.
She heard a sudden, distinctive whinny and returned from another
spell of daydreaming. She finished up Taffy’s stall and
leaned the pitchfork against one of the large posts that supported
the loft above. The whinny came again, a call from the corral
next to the barn.
Andi peeked through the open barn door and into the corral. A
rush of longing filled her heart. There he was; Chad’s new
black stallion. He was a monstrous horse—well over sixteen
hands high—with a temper to match his size. He was the most
beautiful horse Andi had ever seen. And the most dangerous.
From the moment the stallion had arrived on the ranch, Andi had
begged to help out with the gentling. Horses trusted her, she
insisted. There wasn’t a horse on the entire ranch she couldn’t
ride.
All her pleading had amounted to nothing. She was allowed to
watch Chad work with the stallion—from a safe distance—but
told never to go near him alone.
“It’s not fair.” Andi scowled and watched the
magnificent horse run along the corral fence. “If only Chad
would give me a chance. I’d show him that horse would like
me.”
She leaned against the doorpost and shoved her hands into her
pockets, ignoring her chores and gazing at the gorgeous black
animal. She felt a few small, hard lumps at the bottom of her
pocket and remembered Taffy had not yet been given her weekly
treat of sugar.
With a sigh, Andi pulled the sugar from her pocket and turned
toward Taffy’s stall. She paused. A tiny flickering of an
idea tickled the back of her mind. She uncurled her fingers and
stared at the small white lumps lying in her palm. Her heart fluttered.
I know I can do it, she decided suddenly. She raised her head
and looked over at the stallion. I’ll show Chad his stallion
isn’t as wild as he thinks. She took a step away from the
barn and into the yard.
Excerpted from Andrea
Carter and the Long Ride Home by Sharon Dunn, Copyright
© 2005, published by Kregel
Publications. Used by permission. Unauthorized duplication prohibited.
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