Silver Saddle Ranch

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Christa Tudor woke up crying. Why did she keep having dreams about the accident? It happened five years ago. Chris looked at the clock. It was 4:53. She put on a T-shirt, jeans, and boots.

She quietly crept into the attic. She got out her grandfather’s violin and played a few songs. She then went to the kitchen and grabbed an apple. After she took a bite, she went outside. She headed to the stables and stopped at her horses stall. There he was. Golden Legacy. She remembered getting him for her twelfth. birthday. It was the last birthday that her mom was alive to celebrate.

She gave Legacy the rest of her apple and saddled him up. Chris mounted him and headed to the woody part of the ranch.

She lived on this ranch her whole life. She grew up around horses. She knew her father was worried about her becoming a loner, but she wasn’t. As long as she had horses and God, she would never be alone.



Laura Jones awoke and couldn’t wall back to sleep. She lied there thinking about her life before coming to Silver Saddle Ranch. Her father kicked her mom and her out of the house when she was seven. They had an apartment, but got evicted. Her mom didn’t go to college. So, she couldn’t get a very good job. They lived at a Christian homeless shelter for a time. Then they were in the grocery store and heard some women talking about SSR. That’s how they got here. They had been here for three wonderful months.

She looked at her mom sleeping on the bed across the room. Laura knew that her mom was mad at God. Laura recalled the day she went to church with a friend and became a believer in God.

She remembered her mom saying, “If you wanted to believe that stuff, fine! But leave me out of it!”

She prayed for her mom everyday, and Laura would continue to do so until she found God.

Laura heard some noise outside.

Who could be up it’s 5:00 in the morning.

She slipped into some clothes and went outside. In the distance she saw Christa Tudor with her horse, Golden Legacy. Chris mounted to horse and began to ride.

Why is she up this early?

Gabriel stared at the piece of paper uncertainly, then handed it to Brooke. "Uh, would you mind reading it for me while I get the rest of this into the wheelbarrow?"

Laura suddenly realized what she had just done. She just told a guy, she barely knew, her secret. She stood up, "I...gotta go," She began to run. She ran until she reached the stables. She sat down on a stack of hay. She looked at her hand. It stopped bleeding, but it still looked horrible.

Brooke looked up as she heard running footsteps, and saw a rather flushed Laura run up the stairs and into the hay loft. She gave Gabriel a puzzled look, then slowly climbed the narrow stairs to the loft.
"Laura?"

Laura looked up and saw Brooke. What does she want? She managed to smile, "Is something wrong?"

"Hold the phone...." Gabriel saw Laura run past. "I'll be right back" He walked in front of Laura so as to not spook her. "Uh, hey Laura, I'm sorry about earlier. I... I shouldn't have been so hostile to you, you didn't deserve it." He saw her hand, "You okay?"

Laura replied, "All is forgiven. I'm sorry too," She looked at her hand, "It should be fine."

Gabriel took something out of his pocket. It was a clean yet worn looking cloth. "Here, wrap your hand in this. A cut like that could get infected real easy."

She did as Gabriel instructed. She smile, "Thanks...So, what are you two doing?" She waited for their responses.

"We were just finishing up in the stables. Hay, water, food..." he made a face, "Manure."

Brooke smiled.
"And I was just gonna see if there was anything I could do to help," Brooke said.
Yeah! I actually managed to speak a full sentence to someone other than Gabriel, and not stutter like an idiot!

"I was going to take a break for a few minutes and go to the woods. I found this cave that I really like." Gabriel looked over at Brooke, thankful that she had showed it to him in the first place.

Brooke whispered conspiratorially to Laura,smiling slightly, "I think he'd live there if Mr. Tudor let him!"

"Oi! I heard that!" Gabriel said teasingly. "Oh, and Laura? Try to relax okay? YOu look like you've seen Davy Jones himself."

Laura jumped, "You know him!?...I mean...Who is this Davy Jones..." Way to go, Laura. You just made yourself look like a complete fool.

Brooke gave Laura a really odd look.
"What?" she asked, totally confused.

Gabriel was careful to not look like he heard her fumble. "He's a fictional character in a book, really bad guy. You sure you're okay? Nothing is bothering you?"

Ryan was talking with one of his friends, Tom, while grooming some of the horses. They were talking about which team they thought would win in the local football competition. Soon they were in a friendly discussion, but they broke up about it. Ryan then saw Laura, Brooke, and Gabriel talking, so he went over to say hi.

Before Laura could answer, Ryan walked over and said hi. "Hello Ryan, What's up?" Gabriel did his best to look casual, despite the uncomfortable atmosphere between the three of them.

Ryan merely nodded and glanced from Gabriel to Brooke to Laura. Hmm...tense. Something's amiss, he thought. "Did I...interrupt something?"

"No, not at all. Brooke and I were about to go to the woods, that is if she still wants to go. "he looked at brooke and smiled playfully and half-questioningly, "Laura and I just had a little... spat and I was just trying to remedy it."

Brooke gave Ryan a small, timid, 'hello' smile, and nodded silently to Gabriel.

"Anyways, if there isn't anything you need, we'll be goin' now. Come on Brooke!" He touched her arm and jogged backwards a couple feet and then turned around toward the woods.

Brooke waved at Laura and Ryan, then quickly sprinted to her cabin. She grabbed her backpack and slung it over her shoulder, then ran after Gabriel, the charm on her backpack swinging, "ting, ting, ting" off of the zipper.

Gabriel smiled as he heard the sound. He never could resist the sound of metal on metal. "This way Brooke!" Gabriel entered the tree line and dissapeared onto a hidden path.

Brooke gave Gabriel an exassperated look, and before thinking, was her total, usual self.
"Did you just tell me where we're going?!" she exclaimed.

Gabriel gave an enthusiastic "YOW!" before finally coming back out again. "Okay," he said hold his foot, "You lead this time."

"Some people just don't listen," she said, feigning indignance. She then dropped the act. "You're okay though, right?"