Galloping Gold Read online

  Tyson Mookini was a kid in her class. He had called Darby a “haole crab,” had mocked her for caring about her Hawaiian heritage, had made it clear to everyone at Lehua High School that he couldn’t stand her. This small, chubby-cheeked woman with glossy bowl-cut hair must be his mother.

  “I should have put a halter and shank on him,” Ann said.

  A sharp look from her mother hushed Ann, but Darby repeated, “I really am sorry.”

  “It’s okay, you couldn’t see his mood change,” Ann said.

  Darby welcomed her friend’s support, but she could tell Ramona wanted her daughter to quit saying things that were making Mrs. Mookini feel more justified in her anger.

  “Ann, go ahead and put Soda in the empty pasture,” Ramona said, then looked down at Mrs. Mookini’s hands. “You can let go now.”

  Mrs. Mookini released her stiff-fingered grip and let Ann take Soda’s reins. A minute later, the horse had been stripped of his tack and released to explore the empty pasture.

  “What presence of mind you showed—keeping hold of his reins when you fell,” Ramona complimented the other woman.

  “I didn’t fall!” Mrs. Mookini shrugged off the arm Ramona tried to drape over her shoulders. “I didn’t! That horse knocked me off!” She pointed at Sugarfoot, although the gelding hadn’t left his pasture and couldn’t have pushed her off Soda. “And look what he did to her!”

  Me? Darby thought. Is she pointing at me?

  Ann motioned for Darby to wipe her chin. She did, and noticed a smear of blood on her hand.

  “It’s nothing,” Darby said, but the woman didn’t believe her.

  “Why keep a vicious animal like that one here, where you’re supposed to help people?” That demand drained Mrs. Mookini of energy. Her voice faded as she repeated, “Why?”

  “He was just playing,” Ann answered. “I know it didn’t look that way, but Sugarfoot’s like a big, goofy dog. It’s his way of having a good time.”

  Darby admired her friend’s honest reply, and it looked like Mrs. Mookini was thinking it over. Things might have taken a turn for the better if the woman hadn’t wrapped her arms around herself and felt the changed fit of her jacket.

  Frowning, she lifted her shoulders. Then she took the jacket off, looked at its ripped leather, and moaned, “It’s ruined.”

  “What a shame. Of course we’ll replace it,” Ramona said. She reached to take the jacket and examine it, but Mrs. Mookini hugged it closer. “And your entire course of treatment, whatever your doctor advises, will be complimentary.”

  Sugarfoot dawdled on the other side of the fence. Head bobbing, he vied for human attention. He pawed, and then snorted, unable to understand why even Ann ignored him.

  “Well then,” Mrs. Mookini said, but it was hard to tell what she was thinking.

  Just then Ann’s father, Ed, came from the house to see what was happening.

  “Gemma, this is my husband, Ed,” Ramona said, nodding between her husband and their guest, then added, “Gemma handled Soda like a pro when he shied.”

  “How’d that happen?” Ed asked. He turned to Mrs. Mookini. “You fell clean off?”

  He sounded so sympathetic that she nodded.

  “Soda’s darn near bomb-proof,” he said in disbelief, and when Mrs. Mookini looked even more alarmed, he went on, “What I mean is: He’s a good horse, usually.”

  “It wasn’t Soda. It was that horse. He—” Mrs. Mookini pointed at Sugarfoot.

  “—charged the fence,” Ed finished in a disgusted tone.

  “He charged me!” the woman insisted.

  Ed Potter patted Mrs. Mookini’s shoulder, comforting her as gently as he would have one of his small sons. Something about the gesture made her eyes fill with tears.

  But only for an instant.

  Was Mrs. Mookini embarrassed by her teary eyes? Did embarrassment plus fear equal anger? Maybe that’s why she glared at Sugarfoot as, hands shaking, she yanked her car keys from a pocket and started to walk away.

  “Gemma, would you like me to drive you home?” Ramona offered.

  The woman’s sudden flush told them that Gemma Mookini’s tumble was turning into a far larger problem.

  “I’m not a helpless child—or crazy!” Mrs. Mookini snapped.

  “Of course not!” Ramona’s eyebrows arched in surprise.

  “Then don’t act like I am. I’ll drive myself home, and I’ll…”

  Darby looked at Ann’s father just as Mrs. Mookini did. Darby winced, wishing Tyson’s mother hadn’t caught the pity that showed on Ed’s face.

  Mrs. Mookini drew herself up, pinned her shoulders back, and lifted her chin. “On my drive home, I’ll think about what I’m going to tell everyone on this island!”

  Her head snapped in a decisive nod before she headed for the safety of her car.

  Ed, Ramona, Ann, and Darby stared after Gemma Mookini’s car.

  “That never shoulda happened,” Ed said finally. “I don’t know why we haven’t got rid of that crazy horse before now. He contributes nothing but trouble.”

  It sounded just like something Jonah would say, Darby thought. Everyone on a ranch, including animals, was supposed to help out.

  “Dad, you know Mom and I will turn him into a good therapy horse. We’ve really made progress in helping Sugarfoot—”

  “—shake off this bad habit,” Ramona insisted.

  “I can see that.” Sarcasm quaked through Ed’s words.

  Ann and Ramona looked at each other, hoping they could come up with something helpful.

  It wasn’t a good time for Darby to blurt, “She’s a legal secretary,” but that’s exactly what she did.

  “Meaning she could do a lot more than just gossip,” Ramona said. Her hand went to her forehead. Then her fingers gripped her temples.

  “Nothing really happened.” Ann sounded as if she was trying to convince herself, too. “She was fine.”

  “She wasn’t injured,” Ramona corrected her daughter, “but for most people, falling off a horse isn’t an everyday thing.”

  “Cheer up,” Ed Potter said. “She seemed like a nice lady. It’ll probably come to nothing once she settles down, but I’d better make a phone call.”

  As he walked away, Darby noticed that Ed’s shoulders were slightly slumped.

  A nice lady. Darby really hoped so, but Tyson was mean. He didn’t tease, he tormented. She just hoped he hadn’t learned his ugly temperament at home.

  If the Mookini family sued…

  If the Potters lost their ranch…

  If…

  “Darby, honey,” Ramona said kindly. “We can’t climb into Gemma’s mind and change it. All we can do is prepare.”

  “If I’d been able to—”

  “No, it’s not your fault.” Ann shook her head. “If we’d accelerated his training, this wouldn’t have happened. That’s what we’ve got to do.”

  “Now?” Darby asked.

  “Not right this minute. He needs to settle down a little bit,” Ramona said. “But soon.”

  They watched Sugarfoot prowl up and down the fence, ears flicking in all directions.

  “Since school’s out, working Sugarfoot will be my first priority,” Ann promised.

  “Absolutely,” Ramona said. Then she and Ann began brainstorming ways to cure Sugarfoot.

  Normally, Darby would have soaked up every word of new horse knowledge, but guilt pounded in her mind. She couldn’t think of anything except the trouble she’d caused.

  There was no way to undo what she’d done, but maybe she could help with Sugarfoot’s training.

  When Ed came back from the house, he looked resigned.

  “What is it, Dad?” Ann asked.

  Ed shook his head slowly, indicating it was nothing Ann would like.

  “I talked to our insurance man. He said Sugarfoot’s a ‘proven liability’ and we should get rid of him.”

  “No!” Ann shouted.

  “Oh, Ed.”

  “What�
�s that mean—a ‘proven liability’? Usually I can figure things out, but this one’s tricky,” Ann chattered nervously. “Liability…but wait. He said we should get rid of Sugarfoot. That doesn’t mean we have to, right?”

  “If we had a dog that bit people, and we already knew it was dangerous and kept it around, and then it hurt someone…”

  “It would be easy for someone to sue us and win,” Ramona finished for her husband.

  “Yep.” He nodded. “He said it would serve us best—if the Mookinis do sue—to be able to document in court that we’ve removed all threats to ranch visitors.”

  “But why?” Ann demanded. “We just won’t let him do it again.”

  “We thought we could keep him from doing it this time,” Ramona said.

  “You could have them sign something like we have for guest riders,” Darby suggested, “a form that says they ride at their own risk.”

  “We could, but there’s more,” Ed told them. “If we knowingly keep a menace, it could invalidate all of our ranch insurance.”

  Before moving to Hawaii, Darby hadn’t thought about insurance. It was no more than another bill in the stack her mother tried to pay each month. But earthquakes and tsunamis had taught her that adults paid those bills for a reason. If the Potters had no insurance and another earthquake opened zigzag fissures under their house or a storm flattened their riding arena, they’d have to use all their savings to protect Heart of Hawaii.

  What if they ran out of money and moved back to Nevada, just when Darby and her mom were settling here? Darby closed her eyes and wished it was yesterday, and none of this had happened. She couldn’t stand the idea of losing her best friend.

  “But wait,” Ramona said. “What if he was cured?”

  Ed looked puzzled. “There’s no cure for crazy.”

  “Ed Potter, you’ve been around horses as long as I have,” Ramona pretended to scold her husband. “You know something causes a problem like this. We just haven’t figured out what it is yet.”

  “We can’t give up on him, Dad,” Ann added.

  “If she did take us to court—and really, I just don’t see that happening”—Ramona looked thoughtful as she continued—“but if she did, what if we could demonstrate that he was over this…” She searched for a word but only came up with “This thing.”

  “We’ll bring in an expert,” Ann declared.

  “We have pret’ near a century of horse expertise standin’ right here”—Ed gestured at the four of them—“and I’m not payin’ for a horse psychiatrist, Anna Susannah! That’s just the last straw.” Darby was just thinking she’d never heard Ann’s entire name when her best friend put her hands on her hips and faced off with her dad.

  “Why not?” Ann asked.

  Darby took a deep breath as Ann’s glance flashed between her father and Sugarfoot. Ann usually thought before she spoke, but Darby was afraid Ann was getting carried away.

  “Why not?” Ann repeated. “We can afford it!”

  “Well, we won’t be able to for long, if our insurance company cancels us!” Ed’s voice grew louder with each word.

  Darby wanted to cover her ears. She shouldn’t be here in the midst of this family turmoil. Even if she had caused it.

  “It wouldn’t have to be a horse psychiatrist,” Ramona said. Her voice was conversational, as if no one had been shouting, and she was looking at Darby. Then Ann began nodding, too.

  Why? Darby wondered. I’m only a couple months of that century of horse experience Ed mentioned.

  “Darby inherited her grandfather’s touch with horses,” Ann said.

  Ed must’ve figured out what his wife and daughter were thinking before Darby had, because he didn’t give her time to react.

  “Much as I’d appreciate your help, I don’t think that’s our solution,” Ed said firmly, but politely. “No offense, honey, but you’re Ann’s best friend and I don’t see you doing something that would hurt her feelings. And that’s what would happen when you figured out that this horse is just plain loco.”

  Sugarfoot slung his head over the fence and gave a low nicker. He didn’t look a bit crazy, Darby thought as Ramona reached up and let the gelding nuzzle her hand.

  “Ann? Why don’t you take Darby inside and help her clean up that chin. I know it’s no big deal,” Ramona said when Darby started to protest. “You ranch girls are tough, but I’m a mom, and I bet your mom wouldn’t want you to let that ground-in dirt give you some kind of infection.”

  Together Ann and Darby walked toward the house, leaving Ann’s parents to talk.

  “I didn’t want to leave, but when she put it that way…,” Darby said.

  “Don’t apologize any more,” Ann said. “I just had an incredible idea.”

  “Then why didn’t you…?” Darby gestured back toward Ramona and Ed.

  “I’m not sure they’d approve.” Ann’s face turned thoughtful, and then she giggled and said, “I’m not sure I approve. C’mon and I’ll tell you.”

  Darby and Ann had laughed when they’d heard, late last night on the radio, that Petra the animal psychic would be doing a marathon call-in show from noon until nine.

  “It’ll be a distraction while I scrub this sand out of my chin,” Darby said. She faced the mirror while Ann fiddled with the radio. “I hope this heals before the luau.”

  “Fourth of July,” Ann said. “I used to think it was the middle of the summer, but—”

  “There!” Darby said, pointing toward the radio.

  “…cat Tux was a stray, but I kept feeding him and finally he moved in, and he’s totally sweet, but sometimes he just goes wild. He claws his way up the curtains! Nothing else in the house, just the curtains!”

  “Tux doesn’t mean to be destructive.”

  “That’s got to be Petra,” Ann whispered.

  “He has flashbacks.”

  Darby and Ann looked at each other and laughed, but the woman’s dramatic voice kept them listening.

  “His first home was abusive, but he escaped through a window. Now, whenever he hears raised voices, even on television, his mind returns to that stressful time and he feels he must run away.”

  “I think you’re right,” the caller said. “And you know, if I just gently unhook his claws from the curtains, he settles right down.”

  “Your kind touch reminds Tux where he is,” Petra explained.

  A commercial came on next and Darby and Ann discussed Petra’s suggestion.

  “It’s a good guess,” Darby said. “But I don’t believe Petra can read animals’ minds.”

  “Especially over the phone!” Ann said, but then they both sat on Ann’s bed to listen to the next caller.

  “I’m a plumber, and I have a brand-new Doberman puppy. Her name’s Gretel and she’s just driving me nuts. Every time I come home from work, she’s chewed up my shoes. Two or three at a time, and never from the same pair, it seems like.”

  “Then close your closet door,” Ann mumbled, but Petra had a different approach to the man’s problem.

  “Is she pretending to be the dog?” Darby asked as they listened.

  “I think it’s called channeling,” Ann said as Petra’s voice took on a very young tone with what was supposed to be a German accent.

  “I hate when you go to work. Every time you leave the house, you put on shoes, ja? Maybe if you have no shoes, you stay home and play throwing of the ball with me.”

  “Not bad,” Darby said.

  “I say we call,” Ann said.

  “The price is right,” Darby agreed.

  “Totally free!” Ann laughed as she dialed.

  The line was busy, but while Ann kept dialing, they decided that though neither of them believed Petra was reading animals’ minds, she did know a lot about animals.

  “I’m on hold!” Ann said finally.

  “You’d better use a fake name for Sugarfoot, just in case Gemma is listening,” Darby whispered.

  “Forget Gemma. What about my parents!?”
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  “We’ll call him—” Darby began, but then Ann was waving at her to be quiet, and talking to Petra.

  “Echo!” Ann hissed, and Darby rushed to turn off the radio, although she was dying to hear what Petra said.

  Ann got excited and used Sugarfoot’s real name as she explained how he charged people and scared them, even though he hadn’t ever harmed anyone.

  Ann waved wildly for Darby to sit next to her.

  “She’s doing it again,” Ann mouthed, and as Darby put her ear to the phone with Ann, she heard Petra channeling Sugarfoot.

  “Where I grew up, I was the youngest male. If I put on a mean attitude, no one wanted to fight me. Kicks and bites hurt, so I just charged at ’em and they left me alone.”

  “Okay, but—” Ann began.

  “Master liked it when I scared off the big horses and he gave me peppermints. I really like peppermints.”

  “But he doesn’t get peppermints now, when he charges,” Ann said logically. “He gets yelled at.”

  “I know”—Petra’s tone turned pouty—“but new Mistress is smart. She’ll figure it out.”

  “So, wait,” Darby interrupted, speaking into the receiver, “he’s willing to keep trying until someone understands he gets a peppermint for that?”

  As if Darby had broken the “channeling” spell, Petra said in her regular voice, “Since he likes peppermints, reward him when he doesn’t charge. Next caller.”

  Darby and Ann looked at each other.

  “I don’t really believe this,” Darby began.

  “Me neither, but we’ve got to get some peppermint horse treats!” Ann said, and they hurried off to find a ride to the store.

  Chapter Three

  Ann was begging her father to drive her and Darby to the feed store when the phone rang. It stopped before anyone answered it.

  “Mom’s got it in the barn,” Ann said, pointing to a little panel of lights on the phone unit.

  “How cool,” Darby said.

  Ed had agreed to stop by the feed store for peppermint horse treats on the way to ‘Iolani Ranch when Ramona came in.

  “That was Gemma,” she said, peeling off her leather gloves.