Wounded Legacy Chapter 20

A cold freezing rain came down during the night, covering everything in a sheet of ice. Jericho brought in extra wood from the porch, to give it time to dry inside. "I've checked on everything, Sam. No need for you to go out so early today, just stay in."
Sam smiled up at him, her coffee almost to her lips. "I should be the one to check on things, Jericho. You work too hard, ya know. Although...this sure is nice, looking at it, instead of being out there sliding around in it. What does the weather call for today?" Robbie came in the room and told them, "More of the same. I hope you don't have any mares trying foal today."

Suddenly the door opened and Matt came in, "Oh my gosh! That wind goes straight through you." Robbie took his coat, "Grab some coffee and warm up, hon. Why are you here today, school is even closed." Matt sat beside Sam, "Thought you might need some help. Everything is closed up tight at home, all done there." Robbie and Jericho exchanged glaces, noticing Matt seemed nervous. Sam stood up, "Matt, what's really up?" He shook his head, "I just knew that you two would try to do too much without my help today. So, I "slid" on over."
Jericho laughed, "How bad are the roads?" Matt grimaced, "Snow is much better than this stuff, I'm hoping we can get a coating of snow over it. It's treacherous now, even to walk on."

Robbie hung up her phone, " That was Jake, he said they are getting a lot of tree branches coming down, over their way. He wanted you to be on the look out for it Sam." She went to the window to look out. "It's still coming down, but not as hard, let's keep an eye on it for a while. Can we use the four wheeler in this stuff, Matt?" " Sam asked them. "Hmm, maybe, maybe not. Which one do you think will work best Jericho, the heavy one?" Matt asked, trying to figure the best way to check fences. "Come on, let's go out and try it now. I don't want to take a chance on one of the horses getting hurt." Jericho told him. Sam went to put her coat on, Jericho told to wait, "We'll put chains on the diesel truck now too. Never know what might happen in this kind of mess. We might need you to come get us Sam." She nodded, thinking he was right to plan for the worst, yet hope for the best.
Sam watched them taking the four wheelers out of the barn, sliding, but able to guide them somewhat. When they got out to the fields, there would be more grip under the ice than on the packed barn lot, or driveway.

Robbie and Lily began a big pot of stew, with biscuits and rolls to go with it. If the power went out, they could heat the stew over the fire. Sam smiled, watching Lily work so hard to cut the vegetables, just the right size. Her tiny fingers holding the knife tightly, slicing through a carrot as though their very lives depended on her. Holding her lips tightly together, with her brows wrinkled in concentration, Lily worked like a little tiger on those veggies. Robbie caught Sam's eye, winking at her, telling her to join them. Sam washed up and pulled a butcher knife from the rack, grabbing the potatoes to peel. "Sam! You can't do that with a big knife, here, use my little one." Lily told her. Sam laughed at her ability to know which utensil to use, taking the knife she offered. They continued making enough food to feed several armies, while the guys were out. Robbie smiled, "I hope Tim didn't have to go out in this mess. He will have to make sure that Selena and the baby are taken care of, 'cause I'm not driving anywhere in this!"

Finally, Jericho came in, but Matt had gone home, while he could still get there. "So far so good. Have you heard the forecast for tonight, Sam?" She nodded, "More of the same, no snow." Jericho sat by the fire to warm up, while Lily made him her own hot chocolate. He smiled, telling her how good it was, when he really wanted coffee. She covered him with a blanket and got her favorite book out to read to him. The next time Sam looked in on them, Lily was in Jericho's lap, both of them sound asleep. The daylight was fast leaving, so Sam went out to the barn, to do a check before it was completely dark. None of the mares seemed to be close to delivery, so she went out back to check on the others. Holding her hood as far over her face as she could, to keep the ice that was still falling from stinging her skin, Sam carefully made her way out the gate. All the horses were underneath the barn shelter, some laying in the straw, others nibbling hay, seeming to be quite comfortable.

Sam headed back to the house, but heard a strange noise, stopping to listen. Turning around to look behind her, she saw the cat creeping toward the corral. No horses were there, but the mothers with foals were close by, under the shelter.
Sam stood perfectly still, allowing the misty conditions to hide her presence. When the cat had moved out of her sight, she moved as fast as she could to the house. Almost crashing through the door, she called for Jericho, while she went in the office to get a rifle. It was loaded and ready by the time Jericho realized what was wrong. "Load another one Sam." he told her, while he threw on a jacket and hat. The two of them headed back out to the barn, hearing a horse screaming, just as they reached it. The sound seemed to penetrate every nerve in Sam's body, as she tried to run in the slippery ice beneath her. Jericho reached the barn first, pulling the door open as far as it would go, with the gun raised, ready to shoot. He lowered the gun, waving Sam to stand behind him.
"Now listen Sam, be ready to shoot when I duck. If I miss him, you have to kill him with one shot. I'll shoot first, if he comes flying at me, but be ready." he told her. Sam nodded, not feeling sure at all. She was shaking and afraid of missing, if she had to shoot. They stood in the door, listening for any sound, to tell them where the cat was hiding. There was no loft in the long part of the barn, so that gave them some protection from the cat jumping on them from above.

Stealthily they crept further in, guns ready, but their nerves not so much. A low growl sounded from the last stall, Jericho looked at Sam to see if she knew what he was going to do. She nodded, leaning against the wall to steady her gun, while sighting in on the door of the stall. Jericho crept slowly to the door and shut it with his boot. The cat let out a frightening scream, realizing that he was locked in, the bars on the top of the stall too close together for him to squeeze through. Even though she knew he couldn't get out, Sam hesitated getting near it. Jericho took aim, firing one shot.

It was sad to have to kill the animal under such conditions, but he would have killed more than one animal had his hunt been successful, or one of them. Jericho told Sam to go on to the house, he would take of the carcass, knowing she didn't mind, but also knowing she really didn't have the heart for it. Sam went in, glad to be in the warmth again, trying to hang up the frozen clothes so they would dry in the laundry room. Robbie came in to help, laying towels on the floor under them. "Sam, there is ice still on everything." she said, trying to shake it off in the sink. "Sorry, I couldn't help it. Jericho will be in soon, he's taking care of the..thing." Sam told her, realizing that Lily was standing in the doorway. "I know what happened Sam. The old mean cat got shot! I'm not sad either, but why did it come here for the horses?" Lily asked. "I don't know hon, I really don't. Usually, the cats stay in their territory, hunting higher up in the mountains. I just don't know." Sam tried to explain. Sam wondered the same thing, making a note to call the sheriff and find out if any other ranchers had trouble with them this season.

"Sam, where is Jericho? He should be in here by now." Robbie called out, while she peered out the window looking for him. Sam went to the window too, looking for a sign of a flashlight or something. "If he doesn't show up soon, I'll go look for him." Sam said, dialing his cell phone. No answer. Sam went to the office one more time, loading her rifle and a pistol. Lily and Robbie were still at the window, straining to see any sign of him. Sam took out her dad's old coat and put it on. She couldn't afford to put gloves on both hands, only one, she stuffed the other one in the big pocket. Sam pulled a dry pair of boots on, heading to the door. "Mom, call Matt." was all she said, closing the door behind her.
　
　
　
　
　
　
　
　
　
　

Wounded Legacy Chapter 19

Sam spent the day working as usual around the ranch, but she couldn't stop thinking about the days she had spent with her father, how that time had guided her life in so many ways. Luke had shown her how to approach life, how to work hard, without dreading it. Everyday was a new path to follow for Luke, he taught her how to think the same way. Luke had always taken the time to show her a sunset, to stop and admire it, just for the beauty that it held for a little while. They had ridden many miles together, in silence on many days, neither feeling the need to have conversation on these rides. Taking in all the beauty that surrounded them.

Sam was feeling guilty, because she really didn't want to go through all the hoops it would take, for Lily to race. Lily was so ready to take on new things, the same way that Sam had been, leaving her feeling obligated to be the same kind of parent that her father had been to her. Sam felt as though she had weights on her shoulders today, as she climbed into the tractor. Before she could start it, Jericho came out the barn and waved to her. She went into the barn to find Matt and Jericho with the new bay foal. "Think he's sick Sam, look at the way his head is down, he hasn't moved all day." Sam went over to him and knelt beside him, he turned away, but didn't try to get up. "Better call Ned now." she said. "If he hasn't nursed today, that's a bad sign." She checked the mother, seeing that she still needed nursing.

Ned got there just as they sat down to lunch, "Howdy folks, good I'm just in time." Robbie smiled and reached for a plate, "Now, was that planned Ned?" He laughed, "Well Robbie, I know you almost always have soup for lunch when it gets cold, and I needed some good homemade food. I've been on the road so much this week, I haven't had time to cook." Sam laughed, "Ned! You don't cook, not even eggs. I've seen you live off of sandwiches, remember?"
He tucked his head down, "Sounded good though, didn't it?" Robbie gave him a shove, "You know you are welcome anytime, Ned." Sam leaned over to him, "Your vocabulary seems to have settled right into the area, howdy? City boys don't normally use that term, but I have to admit, I like it on you." Ned didn't even look up, he was enjoying the soup and homemade biscuits. After lunch they went to see the Bay. Ned took some blood and gave him a shot of electrolytes. That would sometimes be all that was needed. "I'll get the results from the blood back as soon as possible, Sam. Keep an eye on him and call me if he gets any worse." Ned told them as he left to go on another call.

Jericho put his arm around Sam's shoulders, "I sure would hate for something to happen to him, just when you are deciding to let Lily have him, to race." Sam pulled away and looked at him, "I never said..ok, maybe I am. She is a natural on a horse..." Jericho smiled and went back to the house, leaving Sam to think a little longer on the racing dilemma. As she headed towards the house, Robbie was waving to her to hurry. "Sam, Selena has gone into labor. I am heading to the hospital now. I'll call you as soon as we know anything." Robbie told her, with a worried look. Sam stood on the porch until her mother was out of sight, thinking about Tim. She hadn't seen him at all lately, or anyone for that matter. She pulled out her phone to call Jake, but thought better of it, her mom would do that. Looking at the clock, she decided to just do some book work until Lily got home from school. Falling behind in that was not on her agenda, so this would give her enough time to catch up.

Two hours later, Lily and Jericho came in the door and Sam put her work away. She needed to spend some time with Lily today, since her mom wasn't home. "Sam! We have to go to the hospital to see the baby!" Lily cried out as soon as she came in. "Whoa there girl! The baby hasn't been born yet, it will be awhile. Besides, Mom will call when there is any news." Sam told her. "Oh darn." Lily pouted. She was ready to go and be a part of everything. "I thought you and I might take a little ride today." Sam told her. Her eyes widened, nodding her head with glee. Jericho joined in with, "Think I might just ride along too." Sam looked at him, a little curiously. "Any particular reason?" He just smiled, "Nope."

As they entered the low grounds through the gate, Sam realized that Jericho had a rifle with him. She hadn't noticed it until his horse turned in her direction. This was unusual, so there must be a reason. Sam nodded toward the gun without saying anything, Jericho shrugged his shoulders, telling her it was just in case. Sam immediately became more aware of their surroundings, on the look out for anything that could cause the horses to spook. "Lily, sometimes the horses will jump out the way of a shadow this time of day, so be ready." she told her calmly. Lily smiled as if Sam was being silly. As they rode side by side, with Jericho in front of them, Sam was nervous. Her horse seemed to be too, but Munch was unaware that there was any reason to be nervous, happy to be with Lily.
Checking the fences and the cows, while they were there, Sam noticed prints in the snow that were still lingering in the pasture. "Jericho?" He nodded to her, that he was aware of the paw prints. Sam looked at them more closely, a big cat was in the area. Sam put her horse closer to Lily, "Sam, move over, you are in our way." Lily said. Sam reached out and took Munch's bridle in her hand, with a tight grip. She could feel something was wrong, watching Jericho take the rifle out of the pouch, at the ready. Keeping a close eye along the woods, that ran down the side of the pasture, they slowly made a turn to go back home. The light was beginning to fade, creating shadows. Jericho held up his hand for them to stop, looking ahead beyond the cattle. Sam followed the direction of his gaze, seeing the cat creeping toward the cows.

Suddenly, two cows felt the presence of an intruder, alerting the others. The ones that were farther away began to come towards the intruder, slowly at first, then they began to run at the cat. The cat turned and began to run directly at Sam. The horses felt the danger and began to prance, wanting to run, Sam holding tight to Munch, "Hold on to the saddle horn Lil." Lily did as she was told, with fear in her eyes. "Sam, what's wrong with Munch?" "Hush!" Sam told her curtly. Munch finally caught sight of the cat, backing into Sam's horse to hide from it. Lily almost slid out of her saddle, as Sam reached over and pulled her over onto her horse and held her with one arm, while trying to keep both horses under control. Lily looked over Sam's shoulder and saw the cat heading straight for them. She held on tighter to Sam, not taking her eyes off the cat.

"Let the horse go Sam!" Jericho shouted to her. "Let him go!" Sam knew that she had to let him go, she was so afraid he would head for the woods, where the cat would have better access to him. She let him go. Munch headed straight for Jericho, dancing behind his horse and getting in the way. Sam's horse was well trained, straining against the desire to run, but obeying every command that Sam's touch gave it. His eyes were wide with his head pulled back, all his senses alerted to the sight of the cat. Sam glanced over at Jericho, aiming the rifle, he had gotten off his horse and was crouched on the ground.
The rifle fired, it's cracking sound sending Jericho's horse in the air, pulling him over to the ground. He quickly rolled over and aimed again, firing three times. Sam's horse was trying to rear while he backed away, but she held him in check, allowing him to back up only a few feet. Munch had taken off toward the barn, with the first shot. Sam saw Jericho stand up and pull his horse to him, then she saw the cat, lying in the snow. The cows, curious creatures that they are, were running toward them, surrounding the cat and sniffing the ground close to it. Sam rode to Jericho, "Nice shooting."
Noticing that Jericho wasn't smiling, she said, "You ok?" He smiled and nodded, "Too close for comfort. I almost lost the shot, I had the reins wrapped around my arm." Sam nodded, "I couldn't see if you did or not, but I thought so when I saw you roll over. Thank you Jericho. You knew he was here, didn't you?" Sam asked him, without judgement. He nodded, "Matt caught sight of him a few days ago. That's why I came with you."

They headed back to the ranch, Lily happily riding with Sam, since Munch had gone straight home. She was standing by the gate when they got back, waiting to be unsaddled and given her oats. Lily could undo the cinch, but she wasn't quite tall enough to heave the saddle down from Munch's back yet. Sam let her hold one side, while they toted it in the barn, making it more difficult for Sam, but making Lily happy to help. Lily ran to the house for hot chocolate, anxious to tell Robbie of their adventure. Sam stood, looking beyond the barn for signs of predators, lurking around. Where there was one cat, there would be two or more. An eerie feeling passed over her, a chill..surrounded her, not from the cold.
　
　
　
　
　
　
　
　
　
　

Wounded Legacy Chapter 18

The night wore on slowly, with Sam the only one awake, when she checked the mare every twenty minutes or so. Finally she had to wake Ned, the mare was close and beginning to prance now. Ned calmed her down with his voice and gentle hand, rubbing along her back. "Ok, she has begun. We give her a little while on her own, before we help." he told Sam. Jericho had gotten up and come to the stall while they were in with the mare. Hearing Ned's words, he made fresh coffee and opened a box of donuts. They listened to the mare for signs of distress, settling dow to wait some more. Matt was still asleep, Ned laughed at his ability to sleep through their conversation, sitting in a chair. It was three o'clock in the morning and Sam was starting to feel weary herself. "I think you should take a turn sleeping for awhile Sam." he told her.

 

"I'll be fine, if I try to sleep now, I might miss something." she laughed, yawning. "Sam, this may not be an easy delivery. Get some rest, I'll be right here." Jericho told her. Finally she agreed, crawling in the tent with little grace, lying down on top of the blankets, so she wouldn't feel too snuggly or sleep too deeply. She wanted to be around when these twins were born. Out side of the tent, Ned began to get his tools ready, with Jericho's help. They placed everything in the stall for easy reach. The mare had laid down now, she had begun to deliver the first of the foals. When she gave a deep shudder, her body showing distress, Ned knew it was time to deliver them himself.

"Jericho, this is bad." Ned had his hand on the first one,"It's big, really big." Together they worked for an hour to deliver the first one, Ned had little hope that the other one would survive, as it waited impatiently, for the first one to take his first breath of air. Sam awoke to the low hum of the men's voices. When she entered the stall, she realized that Ned was having to deliver the foal from the mother. She went to the horse's head and knelt in the straw, stroking the mare's head and talking to her, trying to sooth her from the pain she was enduring. It took all three men to pull the foal. It was alive, but barely, as Ned tired to breath air into it's lungs, helping him gain enough strength to survive in those first moments, outside of the warmth of it's mother. Finally, the foal snorted and Ned stopped helping him, as he wobbled and stood. The mare looked around at her newborn for a moment and then laid her head back down, as the second one began to make it's entrance into the world. The mare had little strength left to help out, but together she and Ned managed to bring the second foal into the chill night air. This one was much smaller than the first, making the delivery quicker and smoother, not nearly as hard on the mother.

Ned pulled both of the foals around to the mother's head, hoping they would give her the encouragement to get up on her feet. She was such a good mother, she immediately struggled to get her head up and her feet underneath her. Her mothering instincts told her to nuzzle and clean the foals, which would revive them from the ordeal of being born. She struggled to get up and finally made it, though she was weak and shaking, she brought the two foals to her and made sure they were properly cleaned to meet the new strangers, standing by them. Ned stayed close by, but made sure he had room to get out of the way if she fell, which was a very real possibility. The others had moved from the stall and stood at the door to admire the two. "Well, a little Roan filly and a massive Bay, like his father." Jericho said. Sam smiled and hugged him, "Oh Jericho, he would make a great racer, look at him." Jericho agreed with her, "Maybe Lily will take to him and turn him into a barrel racer."

As he spoke the words, Lily and Robbie walked up to them, Lily squeezing in between them to see the new foals. "Oh, look! They are so sweet!" she squealed. The mare was unsure what this noise meant, quickly moving around to protect her babies, knocking over the bucket and making more racket to upset her. Ned moved out of the way her, just in time. "Well, I think she is recovering nicely." he laughed as he went out and shut the door. "Lil, maybe we could be a little quieter for a little while. This new mommy had a long night." he told her with a soft voice. She looked up at him and nodded, with her hands squeezed together under her chin. "I just love the red one!" she whispered.
Sam laughed, "Alright Ned, don't go starting something you don't plan to finish!" Meaning, she didn't want him to get Lily started on wanting to race. It was a lot of work and she didn't have the time for it now, that was over for her. Racing was a part of the past that Sam didn't want to begin again. Munch was all the horse Lily needed anyway. Luke had been with Sam the whole way, when she was racing, it just wouldn't be the same without him. "I could help out. I know a little bit about it." Matt piped up. Lily was starting to get interested in what they were talking about and asked Matt about it. "Well, you have to be able to ride really good, and hold on tight, 'cause the horse runs full out, faster than the wind. Think you could hold onto to the saddle when a horse runs that fast?" he asked her, laughing.

Lily was about to tell him she thought she could, when Sam turned her away and told her to get ready for the bus. Lily left with Robbie, while the rest of them cleaned up the barn, before going in for breakfast. Robbie had a huge breakfast ready for them when they came in, brushing the snow off their boots on the porch. "I was surprised at how much snow came down last night, when I looked out earlier." Robbie told them. "I didn't even know it had snowed, until we came out." Sam commented. "Guess we better put out extra hay today and check the forecast for tonight. I hope we don't have another birth today, I need a nap." she laughed. Jericho smiled, "Matt and I are going down to the lower field and check on things, we'll put out another bale or two down there. You get some rest this morning."

Sam came down from a shower to find Jake and Aggie sitting at the table with Robbie. "Well, good morning!" she said to them. Aggie smiled, "We hear you have some new babies this morning. How are they?" Sam got coffee and sat down, "They both look good, it was a hard delivery though." Jake asked her with concern, " Are you going to keep using that sire, Sis? Seems kinda risky to me."
Sam shook her head, "Not after this! He's a great horse, but we don't have the right stock apparently to breed to him. I need to do some research on his progeny though." Jake gave her a quizzical look and she replied, "I'm not sure yet which direction to take the bay. It was suggested that he would make a fine racer."
"Ahh..and you don't want to go down that road, huh?" Jake noted the look on her face. Sam laughed, "Can I really be that selfish?" Aggie looked at them, "Jake, when I raced as a kid, my Dad was right there with me. I can understand how Sam feels. It takes a lot of commitment from a parent to go down that road with a child." Aggie told him. Sam looked at her, "Our Dad was with us too. He had endless patience, day after day." Sam told her quietly. Sitting there at the table, Sam remembered all the days spent practicing, with her father's guidance. He was gentle and kind with his approach and it had paid off for Sam. Whenever she was in the ring, or at the starting gate and felt unsure, all he had to do was smile. Her confidence came from his smile and she rode the race, knowing he would be proud of her, win or lose. She looked up to see Robbie smiling at her, "What?" "You seemed to be off somewhere Sam." Robbie told her.
"I was Mom, I was at a race with Dad." she quietly said.
　

Wounded Legacy Chapter 17

Reaching the top had been hard work and Sam's horse was exhausted, her sides heaving with every breath. Sam was breathing almost as hard, as she got off and loosened the saddle. Tying the horse to a low hanging limb, Sam sat down and leaned against the tree. Her legs were shaking so hard from holding on so tight, she couldn't relax, so she started taking deep long breaths. Finally she relaxed and laid back against the tree and looked around her. Leaning over and peering around the tree, she could look down the mountain and see how far they had come. Everything below her was a carpet of green tree tops. She couldn't even make out the trail they had traveled on. She wished that she hadn't been in such a hurry and had brought some water with them, the horse needed a drink badly and so did she. Trying to see through the densely wooded area, Sam tried to find an animal trail that might lead them to water. Unsure of where it would lead, she started to follow a path that she found, leading her horse through the tangle of brush.

The terrain wasn't as steep as the one they had come up and that gave Sam hope that water would be near. The path ended suddenly and Sam didn't know which direction to move in. The brush was so thick, it was too much work to make her way through it, so she turned around and headed back to the trail. Tired and thirsty, Sam had no choice but start back down the mountain. It was much slower going on foot, sliding in some places to keeping the horse from taking off in a run was hard. Sam had to keep the horse in tow or it could fall and get hurt, dragging her with it. She and the horse kept a slow but steady pace down the mountain, finally reaching the bottom where they had begun. Tears began to fall down her cheeks, when she saw Jericho riding toward her. She sat down and waited for him to come to her, with her head in her hands.

Not saying a word, he helped her onto the four wheeler and tied the horse behind it. He headed towards home, going slow enough so the horse could walk. Once at the barn, Jericho took the horse into the barn, to feed and water it. "I'll do that Jericho." Sam told him, feeling it was her responsibility. He handed her the reins and went into the house to tell Robbie they were back. Robbie was waiting at the door with Lily, "Is she alright, Jericho?" He smiled, "She will be. She's not hurt." Robbie sat across the table from him, "Jericho, what was she doing, I thought you would never get back! She's been gone for hours." Sam walked in before he could answer. "I'm ok, Mom. I just needed to go for a ride." Jericho smiled at her with his head tucked to the side, "A thinking ride?" She nodded, "Sorta." Sam didn't know the whole answer yet, and she was too tired to try and explain it now. Lily had not said a word and had gone back to cutting out her sugar cookies, with her little mouth set in thin line.

"Hi Lil, sorry if I worried all of you. I didn't mean to be gone so long." Sam told her, leaning down to see her face. Lily jerked her head around to Sam, "I was worried! You shouldn't leave me like that." Sam saw the worry and fear in her face and picked her up. "I didn't leave you Lil, I just needed to ride. That's all." Sam told her softly. Lily looked into her eyes and began to understand what Sam meant by, ride. She nodded to her and hugged her. Sam put her down and got a cup of coffee. When she turned around, they were all staring at her, "What? I'm fine! Thank you Jericho, I'm truly grateful you were there for me." she told him quietly. He nodded in a way that told her she needn't explain further, he understood, as though he may have been in her shoes, at some time in his own life. Jericho seemed to be able to read Sam better than her family.

After a shower and lunch, Sam began to feel like her old self again. She found Jericho in the barn, putting a mare in a stall. "What's up?" she asked. Jericho closed the stall door, "She seems a little skittish, think she might be getting ready to foal tonight. Just want to keep an eye on her. Maybe I should lock you in there with her." He grinned and glanced at Sam. "I'm sorry Jericho, I just needed to think..or something. I shouldn't have taken off that way though. I've never been up Lonely Mountain before..I don't even know why I went today." she told him. Jericho put his arm around her shoulder, "You are wondering where you are headed. I think maybe, you need someone in your life now Sam. It's certainly time. You try to be made of solid stone..but you're really all soft..like a woman."
Sam laughed, "I am a woman! Don't I seem like one?" He just shook his head, "You need to answer that one, not me." He left the barn and got in his truck, heading to town, leaving Sam to wonder just what she had been feeling.

Everything she put her hand to for the rest of the day seemed to frustrate her, so she gave up and went in the house. Nobody in the kitchen gave her a strange feeling, as she reached for the coffee. She could hear Lily and Robbie in the family room and went in to see what they were up to. Robbie had Lily in her lap showing her the family album, and telling her about each picture. Sam smiled and wished she had a picture of them, the way they were now. Reaching for her phone, she realized it wasn't in her pocket. She went and checked her jacket, it wasn't there either. Still standing with her hand on her jacket,  her head bent down, she tried to think where she might have left it. Suddenly it dawned on her, it probably fell out of her pocket while she half crawled down the mountain. Darn! She would have make a trip to the mall to get another one. Sam hated the mall and avoided it, if it were at all possible.

Robbie came into the kitchen and asked her if something was wrong, the way she was standing with her hand on her jacket. "Lost my phone." Sam told her. The door opened and she almost got squished into the coats hanging behind it, as Matt came in. "Oh, sorry Sam. I just wanted to tell you, they are calling for a little snow tomorrow, so I put out extra hay today, just in case." "Thanks Matt. Well, if it might snow, I guess I ought to go get a phone tonight." she said, almost to herself. "I'm heading to the mall. You can ride with me if you want." Matt said. Sam was shocked by his offer, "I..ah..ok. What time are you leaving?" He looked at her and said, "Now." Sam got flustered by his answer and just stared at him. "Ok, can you watch Lil, Mom?" "Sure hon, what about dinner?" Robbie asked innocently.

Matt answered, "We'll pick up a pizza and bring it back here, you've fed me enough, it's my turn to do something. We shouldn't be long." Sam shrugged her shoulders and they left, leaving Robbie to wonder how that happened. True to his word, they were back before Lily had time to finish her drawing she had made for Sam. It was a picture of Sam, falling off a horse. Jericho laughed when he saw it. Lily must be just a little put out, that Sam had gone with Matt and not taken her with them, he thought. But when she saw the pizza's and bread sticks, she softened up and ran to get plates for the pizza. "I love pizza!" she said to Matt. "I thought you might like this tonight, Lily." he said to her. It wasn't long until Lily was back to her old self, with sauce on her fingers. Sam looked around the table and admired the way Matt brought Lily out of her tiff.

"Matt, do you have brothers and sisters?" Sam asked. He shook his head no, although a slight shadow seemed to cross over him, Sam noticed. Matt was in a hurry to leave after supper, it seemed to Sam. She couldn't help herself and asked, "Got a late date, Matt?" He turned to her as he put on his coat, "Nope, got some horses to check on at home. Goodnight." After he was gone, Sam couldn't help but wonder what made her say such a thing to him. Before she had time to think about it too much, Jericho came to the door and told her another mare was ready to deliver. She got all her gear and headed to the barn.

Jericho had her in the stall and she seemed nervous, but not in distress. "Do you think she is going to have a problem, Jericho?" she asked him. He rubbed his hand down the mare's roan colored coat, "Twins." Sam felt the mare the same way that he had, "Yea, I think you're right. But she seems pretty calm, considering." Sam said. Jericho nodded, "Better call Ned. She won't be able to have both of them. You told me who the sire was for these foals, and his babies are always large. Two of them will be too much for her." Sam had forgotten who the sire, was and agreed with Jericho, calling Ned. No answer, but she left a message. Jericho had left the stall and was out in the passageway, making a lot of noise. When Sam poked her head out to see what he was doing, she realized that he was putting up a tent. Sam laughed and went out to help him. "What is this for?" she asked.

Jericho looked at her, "A heater and a cot! We are going to take turns sleeping tonight and this will feel good later. Remember the snow they are calling for? Gonna get a lot colder."He said with a grimace. Sam could see now that he was worried, as they worked together to set up the tent. She went in to get some blankets and pillows. Stacking them on the cots, she heard voices and went out to see. Ned and Matt were walking toward her. Surprised, she said, "Where did you two come from?" Ned smiled, "I got your message and just headed on over, I was at Matt's. He has two mares getting close, but they won't deliver tonight. So, he offered to ride over with me, you know Sam.. to help?" She smacked Ned lightly on the arm, "Thanks, both of you. Jericho says it will be twins, I think so too."

Ned went into the stall to checked the mare. He looked over his shoulder at Jericho, "Yep, twins." He didn't look his usual happy self either, and that concerned Sam. "Why the look?" she asked him. Ned smiled, "Gonna be a long night." Sam nodded, "I'll get the extra coffee pot and hook it up out here." She went into the house and Robbie helped her get everything together. She knew what they would need, from years of helping Luke the same way. "Lily went to bed early, she wants to come out to the barn before school, in the morning." Robbie told her.

Jericho had started a kerosene heater and pulled out the lawn chairs when she got back out to the barn. Matt had pulled over a trunk to set up the coffee on. He reached out to help unload her arms, almost dropping the bag of cups. Sam laughed, "Now that would have been a disaster, Mom tried to send styrofoam cups, but I insisted on real ones. She would have spanked me, if I had broken them all." Matt laughed too and helped her get the coffee started. Ned stood up, "I'm gonna stretch out for awhile, ok with you Sam?" She nodded and sat in the chair he had left. "Well, I guess all of us shouldn't lose sleep, why don't you go rack up in the tack room Jericho. I'll wake you when it's my turn." she told him. He nodded and took off as Matt sat in the chair beside Sam, "If I doze off, just hit me." Sam looked over at him and he pulled his cap down over his eyes. "Now wait a minute!" she said as she knocked the cap off his head. "Oops! I didn't mean to do that, sorry." she laughed.

Matt picked up his cap and said, "Fine, I'll stay awake with you. What time is it?" Sam looked at her watch, "Ten." "Aww, long night ahead." Matt moaned as he slid down in the chair and propped his feet on the trunk. "You're gonna have to tell me stories, Sam, to keep me awake." She smiled, "Why don't you tell me one, like about when you were growing up on the ranch." "Nooo, too sad to tell. Don't want to go there." he answered. Sam was silenced by his words, wondering if she really had hit a nerve. Matt glanced over at her, as she frowned down at her hands. "Ok, I lost my little brother when I was twelve and it makes me sad to talk about it. He had leukemia and it wasn't pretty, to watch him shrink into a little skeleton. I was all grown up after that. Both our childhood's died the day he did."

He pulled his cap back down and a thin line replaced the lips that Sam could barely see now. She was so shocked by his admission, she didn't know whether to respond or apologise for asking. She stayed silent and reached for the coffee pot..