Wild and Free #1: Freedom

CHAPTER ONE: THE WILL

It is a bright, sunny spring morning, not a cloud in the gorgeous blue sky. Birds are singing, and animals are playing happily in the fields. To them, there couldn't be a better, brighter day than today.

But today isn't such a great day for Mr. Timmons, a middle-aged man with a graying mustache. He is standing on the front porch of his father's house, looking out at the sixty-acre horse farm before him. He has been standing here most of the day, watching helplessly as his relatives and their friends come and go, with big trucks and horse trailers, taking all of his father's horses with them.

This farm was his father's pride and joy. It meant the world to him. But if he could see the way it is turning out now, he would be heartbroken. All of his amazing, beautiful horses that he loved so much... being sold all over the state of South Dakota, because certain family members decided to be greedy. "He's dead now," they say. "He can't care whether his horses are here or not."

But that doesn't matter to Mr. Timmons. All he knows is that his father would care if he were here. He would not want to see all of his prized horses spread all over the place carelessly, just for the money. And what's next? Are they planning on selling all of the property too? No, Mr. Timmons won't stand for that. He can't let them. He grew up in this house. He has too many memories here. He doesn't know how, but he has got to find a way to stop them.

Finally, only one horse is left... his father's favorite one. "You're not planning on selling her, are you?" He asks one of his greedy cousins.

"Well, yeah," his cousin replies rudely. "I told you already. We've planned on selling all of your old man's horses, and eventually we'll sell the property."

"What?!" Mr. Timmons shouts. "You cannot sell this horse, and you especially cannot sell this property! Do you even have a heart?"

His cousin glares at him. "What do you expect us to do? The guy didn't even leave us a will to read! How are we supposed to know what to do with all his junk?"

"It isn't junk!" Mr. Timmons shouts. "And I know, for a fact, that this is not at all what he would have wanted done to his horse farm. He loved this place, and you know it!"

"Well, it's too late now," his cousin says. "So say goodbye to the last horse. I've already got someone coming to buy her."

"You cannot sell her!" Mr. Timmons argues. "She was my father's favorite horse. I won't let you!"

"But don't you realize how much money I'll get from her?" His cousin replies. "She's a strong, sturdy horse, and she is also pregnant! She's in the early stages; probably won't have the foal for about a year. But this guy I've got coming to buy her is willing to pay a whole lot for her."

Just as his cousin is saying this, a truck pulls up in the long gravel driveway, hauling a horse trailer.

"Looks like my customer has come," the cousin says as a gruff-looking man steps out of the driver's side of the truck.

"No," Mr. Timmons shouts. "I won't let you do this!"

"What are you going to do about it?" His cousin asks. "There isn't anything you can do right now to change my mind."

So once again, Mr. Timmons stands back helplessly and watches as his greedy cousin meets with the gruff-looking man in the driveway, and disappears into the barn for a moment to get the last horse ready to go. But as he is pulling her out of the barn on a lead rope, Mr. Timmons realizes that she is putting up a major fight. It is almost as if she realizes exactly what is going on, and she doesn't want any part of it.

"Would you calm down, you stupid horse?" The cousin shouts, trying to get a firm grip on the lead rope as the horse kicks and neighs and tries to raise up on her hind legs. She continues to toss her head back and forth as the cousin hands the lead rope over to the gruff-looking man. But as soon as this man thinks that he has a good grip on the horse's lead rope, and is about to load her into his horse trailer, she throws her head back violently, and the rope slips out of his hands.

"Oh no," Mr. Timmons says, this time standing outside the barn door. He then is the first one to take off after his father's horse. The greedy cousin and the gruff-looking man immediately follow behind.

"Come on, Livia," Mr. Timmons calls to the horse sweetly. "Come here, girl. Where are you going?"

But Livia doesn't stop. She continues to run until she finally reaches the farmhouse. From there, she runs around to the back of the house. Mr. Timmons continues to follow her.

Behind the house, Livia runs up to a huge oak tree that has been growing there for years. She stops in front of it, and waits. Mr. Timmons is the first to reach her, soon followed by his cousin and the gruff-looking man. Mr. Timmons reaches out to grab Livia's lead rope, but before he can the horse jerks her head away from him, and shoves her muzzle into a large hole in the oak tree.

"What is it, girl?" Mr. Timmons says softly. He gently pulls her head out of the hole, and just out of curiosity reaches his hand inside. His cousin and the gruff-looking man watch on as he finally pulls out a small book from the hole, entitled Farmer's Guide to Horse Care. He raises an eyebrow, and begins to flip through the pages of this book.

Suddenly, a small piece of folded paper falls to the ground out of the pages of the book. He bends down to pick it up, unfolds it, and begins to read it to himself. As he does, a wide smile begins to spread across his face.

"What is it?" His cousin asks.

"It's a will," Mr. Timmons replies. "It's a will from my father."

The greedy cousin scoffs. "Dare I ask what it says?"

"Here, look at it yourself," Mr. Timmons replies, handing the will over to his cousin.

The greedy cousin reads it aloud: "I, Samuel Timmons, would like to leave my horse farm and everything in it, including the house and the horses, to my one and only son..." He stops reading right there.

"So," Mr. Timmons says with a smirk, taking the will back from his cousin. "It appears that you two are standing on my property."

"Can I still buy the horse?" The gruff-looking man asks.

"Nope," Mr. Timmons replies. "She is my horse now!"

The gruff-looking man growls angrily, and then stomps off to his truck and drives away.

"And as for you," Mr. Timmons says, looking at his cousin. "I think it'd be best if you left now."

"But--" His cousin begins.

"I mean it," Mr. Timmons adds. "I want you off of my property!"

The greedy cousin begins to say something else, but then he decides he'd better not. He turns around, and leaves without another word.

Mr. Timmons now turns around to face Livia. He gently takes her lead rope into his hands, and softly strokes her muzzle. "Don't, worry girl," he says, "you're mine now. There's nothing to worry about."