Andi’s Christmas Good-bye
CHAPTER ONE – December 1876
Eight-year-old Andi Carter and her best friend, Riley, sat on the top railing of the corral late one Saturday afternoon in early December.
“You know I can rope better than you,” Andi boasted. She clutched her worn lasso and grinned at Riley. “Leastways, I don’t ever rope calves’ hooves and get dragged around the cow pasture.”
“That was two whole years ago,” Riley said with a huff. “And at least I roped the calf. Why, you could barely rope at all back then.” He grinned “You couldn’t even rope Duke, but I—”
“I don’t want to talk about roping ranch dogs.” Andi frowned and clutched her lasso tighter.
“You started it.” Riley gave her a playful shove.
Andi nearly flew from the top railing. Just in time she threw her arms around one of the tall posts. She hugged it and scowled at Riley.
They’d practiced their roping skills all afternoon. Andi’s aim was nearly always straight and true. Her rope dropped over her pony’s neck “slicker than grease,” as Riley’s Uncle Sid often told her.
Andi had roped Coco eight times this afternoon. She never missed, so long as he wasn’t trotting too fast.
Riley was good at roping too.
But he’s not as good as me. Andi sighed happily.
“All right, all right. I’ll say it.” Riley took a deep breath. “You rope better than I do, but—”
“You always have to add ‘but’ to everything I say.”
“But . . .” Riley laughed. “I can trick ride.”
Andi’s happy thoughts dissolved quicker than a morning mist. Her friend told the truth about that. Why did Riley have to bring up such a sore topic on an otherwise perfectly good Saturday afternoon?
No matter how many times Andi begged Mother and big brother Chad to let her trick ride on Coco, the answer was always, “Trick riding is too dangerous for little girls.”
Hmm, but not too dangerous for little boys? No fair!
Mother didn’t seem to mind if their ranch foreman, Sid, had taught Riley how to trick ride. Ranch boss Chad didn’t seem to care either.
But they both agreed that Andi would not trick ride.
She shivered a little in the sun’s warm rays. Mother and Chad were probably remembering what happened to Father over two years ago. He’d been thrown from his horse and killed. Weren’t they worried that Riley might fall off Midnight and be killed?
Apparently not. Chad never ordered his foreman to stop teaching his young nephew “dangerous” stunts.
“Hey, look!” Riley broke into Andi’s thoughts. He gave a long, low whistle. “That’s a mighty fine horse coming up your driveway. I wonder whose it is.”
Andi twisted around on the railing and shaded her eyes.
Sure enough, a tall rider was trotting up the dusty Circle C driveway. Each step puffed the dust up and around his beautiful tobiano paint horse. The winter storms had not yet arrived to dump rain and turn that pesky dust to mud.
“Hey there!” the rider hollered. “Howdy!”
Chad, who had just strolled out from the barn, hiked himself up on the corral railing and returned the howdy.
The rider nudged his mount into an easy lope the last fifty yards of the driveway. He brought the paint horse to a stop alongside the corral.
Riley’s hazel eyes widened. “Pa!” With a flying leap, the boy hurled himself from the top railing, and straight into his father’s welcoming arms.
Andi watched, openmouthed. Two years ago, Riley’s mother had felt well enough to spend Christmas with Riley, her brother Sid, and Andi’s entire family. She had stayed on the ranch for two months, but Mrs. Carrie Prescott had eventually returned to San Francisco.
Riley had wanted to go with her, but she was still not completely healed from her consumption illness.
“Not yet, Son,” his mother had told him sadly. “It won’t be long, though. You like it here on the Circle C, don’t you?”
“Oh, yes!” Riley answered. “Uncle Sid is good to me, and Andi’s my best friend.”
Mrs. Prescott had smiled. “Your father is so busy with the army these days that he’s barely at the fort. Be patient.”
“Yes, Mama,” Riley promised. He’d waved a cheerful good-bye when she left, clearly happy for her long visit, but just as cheerful to be staying behind on the Circle C.
But now? Andi stared at the tall army captain in his blue uniform. Riley’s father was here. What could this mean?
Maybe Captain Prescott had come for a visit, like Riley’s mother had. Perhaps he was here to check up on Riley before going off on more army duties.
Why, oh why had Riley’s father shown up today?
Andi didn’t have to wait long to hear the answer to her worrisome, unspoken question.
“Why have you come, Pa?” Riley asked, hugging his father tighter.
Captain Prescott chuckled. “Don’t you know, Son? I’ve come to take you home.”