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?

"It doesn't matter," Brooke said, shaking her head.
Why shouldn't I tell them about Ashleigh, and how I can actually talk to someone now, for the first time in three years?

Gabriel shook his head. "As you wish." He looked up and saw a nest of Robins. He silently counted the chicks under their mothers wings.

"Laura, how's Melody? Do you know?" Brooke asked tentatively, following Gabriel's gaze the nest she had found earlier in the week, on a morning walk.

Laura replied, "She'll be home tomorrow. I think."

"Oh, I'm glad to hear that. What exactly was wrong with her?" she asked, finally looking at Laura.

Gabriel got up and walked off a bit and sat down out of ear shot. He picked up a stone and tried to skip it over the water.

Laura shrugged, "I forgot. That was a hectic day," In more that one way. Laura looked up and watched Gabriel try to skip a rock.

Ryan had finished some work and was walking around. He passed by Laura and Brooke; he waved and walked on. Then he saw Gabriel skipping stones. He wondered whether or not he should talk to him, so he walked over and just said, "Hey."

Gabriel got up and walked over to Ryan. "Hey, what's up?"

Chris reached the ranch. She parked her dad's car and headed toward the stables. She reached her horse, Golden Legacy. She began to groom him. A lot happened today. She had a pleasant visit with her sister. That had not happened in a while. She stopped where the accident happened. Even though it was still painful, the pain wasn't as storng as before. "Am I going to forget you, Mom?" She whispered.

Ryan grinned and said, "Um...not much." He wondered if he should apologize for what had happened last night. "Hey, sorry about last night..." he said.

"What happened last night?" Gabriel asked innocently, because he really didn't remember.

Brooke was uncomfortable now with Gabriel, Laura, and Ryan there, so she silently slipped back into the woods, following her invisible path.

Since Gabriel seemed to not have remembered, he said, "Um...never mind. It's not important." Inwardly he was happy.

Gabriel really didn't like the fact that Ryan was holding out on him, but he let it drop. "Okay then," he looked up at the sky, then felt his wrist. "Oh man! I knew I forgot something! Sorry, I have to get something real quick!" He was saying this as he ran back through the forest. His watch was one of his only real possessions, and if he lost that, he'd lose it.

Ryan shrugged. He didn't care, Gabriel could go and come back. Absent-mindeldy he picked up a stone and tossed it at the lake.

Laura didn't know what to do with herself. Nearly everyone left. Only Ryan remained.

Ryan had just thrown another stone when he saw that only Laura was there, so he waved and smiled.

Gabriel ran as fast as he could to a spot outside the cabin, and sure enough, there was his watch. "Thank Yahweh..." he sighed and put it on. Then he started to walk back toward the others where he had left them.

Laura smiled back. She walked over to him. She picked up a rocked and skipped it, "I bet you can't skip a rock that good," She said in a teasing voice.

Gabriel walked up behind them and picked up a thin stone, drew his arm back, and skipped the stone five times before it hit the water at an awkward angle and dove into the water. "What I miss?" He said mischievously.

He looked at Gabriel, and said, "Um...nothing much." He picked up another stone and skipped it...6 times. "Hurrah!"

Laura smiled, "Nice one...Hey, Ryan, where is your sister? I haven't seen her around today."

Gabriel glanced at Ryan. "You have a sister?" he picked up a stone and started hitting it up against another stone.

Ryan said, "Yeah, I do." Picking up another stone and tossing it in his palm, he said, "I've tried to keep her under my wing."

"How many siblings do you have?" The stone shattered into thin strips, he took one and was able to skip it almost all the way across. "Wow, that went better than I expected."

Laura kept quiet. She didn't feel like she had anything to say in this conversation. She didn't know why, but she felt like Ryan was uncomfortable speaking about his sister.