Wild Horse

Harrison Ranch

I remained seated in the car my eyes fixed on my stepmom, the women my father married just a few years after my mother died. I didn't know who she was nor did I care. I didn't wanna have anything to do with her. Robert suddenly knocked on the glass window, interrupting my thoughts. I gave a start. There was no way I was going go escape this. I didn't wanna talk to her. But it seemed I had no choice.

Clutching my hand bag I sighed and got out of the truck. "Hey Alison come and meet Kate." I looked up to see my stepmom, Alison who was wearing a red night gown, walk down the porch steps. Her sunny blonde hair was tied up in a neat bun. She stopped a few feet in front of me. "Hello Kate I've heard so much about you." "Hi,"'I mumbled. "Come you must be tired." She reached a hand towards me. I instinctively moved away. I saw the disappointment in her eyes, but I didn't care. I turned towards my dad who had watched this exchange quietly. "Dad I'm tired can I go and sleep?" Robert nodded. I turned and followed him into the house. I paused in the doorway. Everything looked exactly the same. The living room was on the left side and a door leading to the kitchen on the right. Down the hall was the dinning room and a bathroom. Robert led me down the hall and up a flight of stairs covered in  brown carpet. The walls leading upstairs were covered in horse portraits. On the landing Robert led me down the hall.

At the end was a door that led to my old room. Robert opened the door and set my luggage down at the foot of my bed. I looked around. My room, like everywhere else in the house looked exactly the same. My bed was in the middle of the room. The empty bookshelf was beside the large window that faced the front of the ranch. The closest was on the other side of the room beside the bathroom. My blue bean bag chair sat under the window. I ran my hand over the horse quilt blanket on my bed. My Mom had made this for me. It had been a gift for my tenth birthday. "Alison washed it for you," said Robert from the doorway. I turned towards him. "Well night dad." Robert walked over to me and hugged me. "Night Kate." I returned the hug. He left and I closed my door.

Instead of sleeping I unpacked my stuff. I placed my clothes in the closet, all my books on the shelf, and I placed the clock Aunt May had gotten me for my 14th birthday on the oak desk beside my bed. With nowhere to put my laptop I just put it at the bottom of my bookshelf. After brushing my teeth and showering I changed into my pajamas, charged my phone and climbed into bed. The quilt was soft, but it smelled like fresh laundry. I clutched my horse teddy bear and fell asleep.

I was sleeping peacefully until I heard a loud rooster crow at exactly 6 am. I sat up, confused. Then I remembered I was in Wyoming. I groaned and pulled the quilt Blanket over my head again. I was sleeping peacefully again when exactly an hour later there was a loud knock on my door. "Kate wake up! You've slept long enough," called Rob. I threw my Blanket off. "Dad it's 7:00!" I cried. "7:02," Robert corrected. How Did he have the energy to wake up so early? In New York I usually slept in till Ten o'clock sometimes eleven. After two wakeup calls I couldn't go back to sleep. So I got out of bed and changed into my jeans, tank top and sneakers. Then I went to the bathroom where I brushed and tied my hair. I slowly walked down the stairs.

The smell of bacon and eggs wafted through the house. I passed Alison who was in the kitchen. She was making the breakfast. I saw her turn as I passed. My dad was sitting in the dinning room, looking at some papers I guessed were bills. I sat down. "Morning Kate." "Morning dad." I stifled a yawn. Robert look over at me. "You're not used to waking up this early?" I shook my head. He grinned. "Well better get used to it." I groaned.

Alison appeared carrying three plates and three cups of orange juice on a tray. She set them down in front of us. She smiled, "Well eat up." There were two pieces of bacon and one large egg on my plate. I picked up fork and begun eating quietly. As I reached for my orange juice I was suddenly aware that both my dad and Alison were watching me. In turn I looked at both of them. Alison smiled. "Kate after you've finished eating I could show you around." I looked up into her smiling face. "I know my way around thank you." Rob frowned at my tone. I drank the rest of my orange juice and stood up. I quickly walked out of the front door and onto the porch.

Now that it was daylight I could see everything properly. The stable was directly in front of the house on the other side, with three connecting corrals beside it. Behind the stable was a large green
pasture full of lush green grass.

I stood still pondering on what to do. Making up my mind I headed for the stables. The stable doors were open. We had at least twenty stalls filled with horses. Each of the stalls were large so horses could have enough space to move around in. The horses always had food and water. Sometime during the day Robert would take them out into the pasture to graze. As I wandered into the stable I saw horses sticking their heads out of the stalls. Looking at me curiously. I stopped in front of quarter horse. I stroked it's muzzle.

"Kate?" I jumped turning around I saw someone standing outside. I looked closer and saw it was Tom our old horse trainer. Well he wasn't old, he was the same age as my dad in his early forties. Tom was the one who had taught me how to ride.  "Kate i'd heard you were back." I walked over to him and hugged him. Like my dad he wore a white cowboy hat on his black hair jeans and boots. "So what are you doing?" I shrugged. "Nothing." I would have loved to ride but I didn't remember how, but I had another idea. "Hey Tom is there any place I can hike?" Tom nodded.

He pointed beyond the stables. "There's a trail we use for hiking. The path is marked but you could still get lost. There are wolves and mountain lions in those woods." I nodded. "I'll be fine." Tom looked at me. "I would come with you but I've got a lot of chores to do." I smiled. "It's okay. I'll be fine. I won't go far." "Alright then," said Tom. I wasn't really planning on going far. I turned and walked back to the house to get ready.