Second Chance Ranch

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“We’re coming,” Sophie replied.

Suddenly Zach knew that his “Jordon” could be divided.

Andy cheerfully waved one last time at Zach as his mother pulled him down the walkway. “I had fun. I’ll see you next time.”

Another child called out Sophie’s name as she rounded the corner. “Miss Sophie. I’m here.” The little girl’s braids bounced as she waved.

“Go put your things in the office.” Each rider had a small cubbyhole on the inside wall of the office for their things. “I need to take Sam back to his stall.” Sophie lightly patted the horse’s withers.

Zach grasped Sam’s leads. “I’ll take care of Sam.”

She hesitated. “You sure? I didn’t expect you to work.”

“I’m sure. I’ve been doing this kind of thing since I could walk.” He paused. “I think before I could walk. I remember my mother talked about taking me out to the barn and something about a pen.” That sounded bad to his ears.

She laughed.

“Take care of your other clients. I’ll take care of Sam.”

Her eyes danced with mirth and the corner of her mouth kicked up. “You’ve got a deal.”

Satisfaction raced through him. As he watched Sophie walk toward her next client, Zach’s heart lightened. He was where he belonged. Sophie somehow touched his heart in a way he didn’t understand.

Sam nudged his arm.

“What? You want a carrot, or are you thinkin’ the same thing I am?” Zach rubbed Sam’s nose. The horse lipped his hand.

“A carrot is what you want?” Zach walked to the barrel where the treats were kept and pulled out a carrot. Sam took the offered treat. Zach glanced at his cane propped in the corner behind the mounting steps and decided he felt strong enough to leave it there.

Over the next hour, Zach plunged into the wonderful pattern of caring for a horse. After removing Sam’s tack, he walked the horse down to the shower stall and hosed him off. Even this early in the spring, the day would be a scorcher and Sam deserved a cooling shower.

Sam also ate up the attention. She was a flirt.

“I see you found the shower,” Ollie said, walking by.

“Sam worked hard and I thought she’d like a little refreshing.”

Ollie pushed the straw hat back on his forehead. “I’m glad to see you here.”

Ollie’s words surprised him. “I couldn’t disappoint Andy.”

“You need a sidewalker, count me in.”

Ollie’s offer touched Zach.

“Thanks.”

“No thanks necessary. It’s my privilege.” He nodded and walked down the row of stalls.

Shock and amazement held Zach motionless. Ollie obviously was a man of few words, but each one held power. Ollie believed in him, which humbled Zach.

Untying Sam’s lead, he said, “C’mon, girl, let’s go.”

Sophie grabbed an apple out of the mini-fridge and walked out of the ranch office. There’d been no time to eat and this would be her lunch. Things had happened so quickly this morning that it reminded her of the mornings in the field hospital in Iraq when she went on autopilot.

Finally, things had settled down and no clients were scheduled for the next hour and she could think. She’d panicked when Andy and his mother had shown up and there was no Zach. Her heart soared when Zach walked out of the breezeway.

Where was he now? She moved down the row of stalls and found him outside, looking at the horses in the corral.

“I was worried that you might have disappeared.”

He turned to her and flashed a wide smile. “No, I haven’t left.”

She noted a hint of satisfaction in his voice. “You were great with Andy.”

He took off his hat and ran his fingers through his hair. “I couldn’t have disappointed him, but I’ll admit I was nervous when I got here today.”

He didn’t know how much prayer went into today. “It did go well. Andy didn’t tire as easily as he did last time. You didn’t, either.”

“You’re right. My leg held up nicely. Of course I took my time with Sam. She didn’t mind if I sat down and caught my breath.” He shook his head. “It was a one-sided talk, but Sam didn’t mind.”

“So, you ready to ride a little today?”

He glanced around. “You’ve got time today?”

“We have an hour, and I have Ollie and another volunteer to be sidewalkers if you’re willing.”

He nodded. “Let’s do it.”

“If you want to get Prince Charming, I’ll get his tack and meet you at the mounting steps.”

Zach walked to Prince Charming’s stall while Sophie grabbed the tack and blanket and walked to the mounting steps.

Ollie and Ethan stood with Zach. Zach held Prince Charming by his halter.

“I see we have a new sidewalker,” Sophie greeted as she walked to the group.

Ollie took the tack, and Sophie threw the blanket over Prince Charming’s back. Quickly they got the horse ready for the ride. This time when Zach mounted the horse, things went smoothly.

Sophie led Prince Charming into the ring. She stopped and glanced over her shoulder at Zach. “When you’re ready, tell Prince Charming.”

He nodded. She could see the excitement in Zach’s face.

Zach patted Prince Charming’s shoulder. “Let’s go.”

Prince Charming started forward.

After their first time around the ring, Zach asked, “Why’d you name him Prince Charming?”

Ollie snorted.

“What’s that mean?” Ethan asked.

“’Cause this guy was an unruly beast when we first got him.”

“So how’d he get the name Prince Charming?” Zach asked.

Sophie shrugged, but didn’t turn around. “Because he reminded me of the horse in the storybook I read as a girl. I thought there was a wonderful horse under all that bad behavior. I was right. I worked with him and earned his trust. Prince Charming is only used with adult patients.” She glanced over at Ethan. “We all have our bad moments. The place where Margaret got Prince Charming was a ranch in southern Colorado. Something happened. I think the owner was some city dude and didn’t know much about horses.”

They worked for close to twenty minutes, making rounds of the corral.

“Let me know when you’re tired.”

“I think a couple more times around, then we can call a halt to it.”

Both Ollie and Ethan nodded in approval.

With a final round of the corral, Sophie guided Prince Charming to the mounting stairs. She held her breath as Zach swung his prosthesis over Prince Charming’s back. His artificial foot rested on the platform.

She held her breath and Ethan tensed, ready to dart forward and help his brother.

Zach continued to hold on to the saddle blanket and slipped his good leg out of the stirrup. He paused for a moment, getting his balance. Slowly he released the saddle blanket and stood.

Tears welled in Sophie’s eyes. Zach took a step back, turned and smiled at her.

“I listened to my body this time.”

“That’s good.” She forced the words around the lump in her throat.

He held on to the railing as he walked down the stairs. Prince Charming nodded his head, as if agreeing with Sophie.

“I think this guy needs a carrot.”

Sophie grabbed a carrot and gave it to Zach. Prince Charming took the offered treat.