17 year old Savannah Fair lives in Opal, Wyoming on her father's ranch, Whisper Creek. After some ranch hands quit and ranch productivity slows down another blow hits the family ranch. Wild mustangs that live on the ranch start disappearing in very...
Savannah was pulling up the driveway of Whisper Creek, the family ranch, when she noticed that yet another hired hand was getting into his vehicle.
"That's two so far this week," she thought to herself as she slowly drove up to the garage.
After parking her black Jeep Wrangler her father had bought her for her 18th birthday, Savannah collected her book bag. Entering the house through the garage, she saw her father at the kitchen bar with his head in his hands and a glass of whiskey by his side which she presumed was either Jack Daniel's or Jim Bean, her father's favorites.
"Daddy?"
"Yes sweetie?" her father said softly.
"I hate to bring this up but what was Alex leaving for?"
"Ah, he quit just after you left this morning. Said he'd be back to pick up his last check on Friday."
"But Dad that's the second hand this week! Why are they leaving?"
"I have no idea hun. Let's just hope that's the last of the quiters and I can find some replacements soon. Lord knows that we can't support this ranch with just me and you and a couple others."
"Maybe I can ask around school and see if any of the boys would like a job. If so they can work on weekends and after school. Besides graduation is in a couple of weeks so we will be done with school."
"Thank you sweetheart. But I don't think anyone would want to come here everyday for only a few hours of work. I know how much gas costs you much less one of the trucks those boys drive."
"Your welcome Dad. I love you," she says hugging her father and ascending the stairs to her bedroom.
Once inside, Savannah drops her book bag on the floor and goes to her closet to change into her riding clothes. After doning a pair of jeans and a tee shirt she runs to the barn to ride her favorite horse, Beretta. Beretta is a beautiful sorrel with a flaxxen mane and tail and white stockings on both back legs. She has a blaze going down the length of her face and gorgeous dapples all over her body. She got her name from Savannah's favorite piece in the gun cabinet, a Beretta 92FS with custom lace grips. Grabbing her Brittany Polozzie saddle and Rock'n Wilson bridle and breast collar. (Picture below)
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After setting the tack outside the stall and gathering Beretta, Savannah brushed the dirt off of her. She needed to be in the arena yesterday but hadn't quite made time. Barrels were everything to her and she could not afford to lose them. The rodeo was a huge part of her family, as her dad had been a Pro team roper and her mom ran barrels for a long time. Savannah saddled up and walked Beretta to the indoor arena her parents had built a few years back. After setting up the pattern, she swung her leg over her horse and began to warm her up with circles. She worked slow at first then worked her way up, gradually working toward the first barrel. She wanted Beretta to be able to focus on her turns but at the same time control her speed. She rocked her way from barrel to barrel making slow turns and slow runs. After about half and hour of slow patterns she pulled her horse to a stop and decided that it was time to step it up. She began at a trot and went around the first, then a canter to the second and a walk to the third. After working for another hour she decided to call it quits for arena work and to head out to the trails to check the horses.
When the business first began to boom they had around 400 head of wild horses, atop their herd of 20. Gradually they decreased to around 250 even with new horses arriving each day. Savanah started going on daily rides to check the herd. She would report to her dad what she found. She rode to the top of the bluff that over looked the pastures the horses sometimes stayed in. She scanned the feild looking for the one. Hers. The only horse she knew out of all the others. Smoke. He was a light black Horse with dapples and a black mane and tail. His only white spot was a swirl in between his ears, his forelock. She had never seen a horse quite like him. He was the leader. The alpha that no one messed with. She spotted him on a hill looking over his family. She watched as the foals he had fathered played around in a small group, their mothers only a stones throw away. She was glad that after all the horses that had disappeared her Smoke was able to remain. Deciding she needed to be getting back to her dad she left the herd and galloped Beretta towards the house. After cooling her down she untacked and put her in her stall. She fed and watered her horse then moved on to her mom's horses. There was Checker-a blue roan, Shooter-a paint, Glassy-a black, Leo-a gray dapple, Zues-a sorrel, Mags-a red roan, and Folly-a palomino. She fed and water all the horses and made sure Folly was extra comfortable as she was due to foal within the next few days. Her dad let Savannah pick a stallion to breed her horse to and she decided Smoke was the perfect match. Folly was turned out with the herd and rounded back up after a month. The vet confirmed that she had taken and Savannah prepared for a foal.
Walking in the house she saw her dad passed out on the couch. She took his boots off, covered him with a blanket, and gave him a pillow then made her way into the kitchen. She pulled out some pizza rolls and heated em up. She grabbed a Gatorade and made her way to her room. She pulled out her binders and started on her homework for biology. After 4 years she still couldn't get the hand of it. She moved on to math then English and finally history. Her favorite. She breezed through that class all her life. She finished and went on to her elective, HSRA. Her most favorite thing about achool. HSRA stands for High school Rodeo Association and is how both Savannah's parents got into rodeos. Her mother was the barrels queen for a while then you ran for state queen. After she ran became queen her senior year, she moved on to college rodeos. She became the nation's rodeo queen and it has been Savannah's goal ever since her mom died to fill her shoes. Her homework for this class involved logging her rides, her rodeos, her wins, and doing research and papers. She finished up her last paper and headed off to her bed.
