Astra (3 page)

“You rode her on the rocks, didn't you?” Lily sighed in exasperation.

Charlie looked away. “Everyone else rides on the rocks. What's your problem?”

“You know Astra needs to be in the soft dirt,” she scolded in a low voice. She didn't want Mr. Henley to hear her overstepping her bounds and acting like Astra's trainer.

“Here.” Charlie handed her the reins. “If you know so much, you take her!”

Mr. Henley looked down from the back of his horse. “Charlie, mind your manners. Take your own horse back to the barn and give her a good brushing. I'm sure she'll be fine by tonight.” He turned to Lily. “I'm afraid Charlie let her eat the old dead grass down by the marsh. I've told him a million times not to do that, but he doesn't listen.”

“I couldn't stop her,” Charlie protested. “She practically dragged me over to it and started pigging out. Now she's got a bellyache and it's her own fault.” He tried handing the reins to Lily again.

“You'll cool this mare out yourself, son,” Mr. Henley said in a stern voice. “Maybe next time you'll do what you're told. Let's go.” He turned his horse toward the barn.

Meloney stepped off Jasper and walked beside Lily. “Charlie's so lazy,” she said. “He didn't want the hassle of fighting with her.”

“You mean, he just let her drop her head and eat?” Lily said, horrified.

“It sure looked like it.” Meloney reined Jasper in a half circle. “Listen, I've got to head home, but I'm a little worried about Astra. That grass in the marsh is really bad. It's growing in stagnant water. I heard some other horses have gotten sick after eating there.”

No
, Lily thought, feeling a bit sick herself.
That can't happen to Astra
.

“They say it's a colic that comes on pretty quickly,” Meloney went on. “I'll call you later to find out how she's doing.”

Lily followed the Henleys back to the barn. In spite of Mr. Henley's warning that Charlie was responsible for cooling out Astra, Lily did all she could to help. While he brushed the mare, she got out the iodine and painted the bottoms of her hooves. Her mother used to do that to take out the sting and toughen them up. She offered Astra one of the mare's favorite molasses treats, but the horse only lipped it.

“I think she's got colic coming on,” Lily told Mr. Henley when he came by to check on the mare. “Maybe we should keep her up in a stall for a few hours so we can check on her? I can call my grandma and tell her I'll be late for dinner.”

“No need for that,” Mr. Henley said. “I'm turning this bunch out in the pasture next to the house. I'll keep an eye on her. I'm sure she'll come out of this in an hour or two. She's got a little bit of indigestion, that's all. She'll be back in her stall tonight.”

Lily had no choice but to stand back. As she watched her favorite horse walk off with her head drooped, she knew something was very wrong.

Three

Lily went back to Whispering Pines Ranch after dinner that night. She found Mr. Henley inside Astra's stall giving her a dose of bute to make her more comfortable.

“Is she any better?” Lily asked.

Mr. Henley put the nozzle of the dosage syringe into Astra's mouth and pushed the plunger, then held her chin high so she wouldn't spit out the bitter, aspirin-like paste. “She's about the same. Maybe a little worse.” He took off her halter and gave her a sympathetic pat. “I've got the vet coming out in the morning to take a look at her. Something is definitely wrong, but she's not sick enough for it to be anything serious. I think she just ate something that didn't agree with her.”

The full hay net and the leftover grain in the feeder told Lily all she needed to know. She tried to convince herself it was just a mild bellyache, but Astra never left food in her feeder—especially grain.

“You go home and get some rest, Lily,” Mr. Henley advised. “Dr. Tison will be here at nine tomorrow morning if you want to come by to watch him examine her. I know this horse means a lot to you. We'll take good care of her, and I'll tell Thomas to check on her during the night.”

“Can I spend a few minutes with her before I go?” Lily asked.

Mr. Henley nodded. He walked out of the enclosure and held the door for Lily to enter. “Just make sure you lock up before you go. You know what an escape artist she is.”

Lily walked quietly to the corner where Astra stood with her head down and her back leg cocked. The horse shifted uncomfortably from one leg to the other. “You okay, girl?” She took Astra's head in her hands, rubbing her large cheekbones and staring into her soft brown eyes. “That medicine will help you. And if you still feel bad in the morning, Dr. Tison will be out to see you.”

If anyone could help Astra get better, it was Dr. Tison, the kind young veterinarian. He'd come to their town after graduating from vet school and had built a thriving practice in only a few years. Then his National Guard unit got called overseas. He'd just recently returned home to his veterinarian job.

Dr. Tison had been the vet on duty when her mother and Astra had the accident. He'd been the one to help the medics with her mother as well as the mare. He knew Lily's story. He didn't think she was weird for being so attached to the gray Arabian mare.
You and your mom both believed in Astra's ability, and maybe you feel closer to your mother through this horse
, Dr. Tison had once told her. After giving it some thought, Lily had decided he was right.

Now she threw her arms around Astra's neck, holding on for several moments, seeking comfort in the horse's warmth and presence. Dr. Tison was totally right. When she spent time with Astra, she did feel a connection with her mom. It was the same way she'd felt the first time she sneaked into her mother's clothes closet after her dad went to work.

Every once in a while, she loved to worm her way between the hanging clothes and breathe in the wonderful scent of horses and wildflowers. It was probably just the lingering perfume of her mother's shampoo, but still, it was something left of
her
—and it smelled wonderful.

Lily always held onto that feeling, treasuring it and soaking out every last bit of warm, fuzzy emotion she could get. What if the day came when she couldn't feel her mother's presence anymore? That thought scared her senseless.

Astra shifted and Lily released her hold. “Get better, pretty. I'll be over to see you in the morning.” Quietly, she let herself out of the stall and closed the door behind her.

Her father's truck was in the driveway by the time she got home. He hadn't made it back before dinner like he'd hoped. Even though it was his day off, he'd put in a full day of work. Before she went up to bed, Gram O'Neil had fixed him a plate of roast beef for supper and left it in the refrigerator for him to reheat when he got home. Lily took it out and popped it in the microwave, then sat down to tell her father about Astra.

“Lily, honey,” Mr. O'Neil said, placing his large, work-calloused hand on top of her own. “I know that's your favorite horse, but she's no concern of mine. You know how I feel about horses, and
that
one in particular.”

The bell on the microwave timer went off, saving Lily from an uncomfortable discussion—or a huge gap of silence. She put her father's dinner in front of him and said good night. She wanted to go to bed so she could get up early and make it to the ranch in time to talk to the vet. She kissed her dad and climbed the old wooden stairs to her room. After brushing her teeth and washing her face, she crawled into her warm bed and thought about the day's events.

It was strange how being around Astra made her feel closer to her mom, and yet the mare just reminded her dad of their loss. How could she make her father understand how much she loved this mare?

Lily woke to the sound of a vehicle coming up the road. She heard it hit the giant pothole in front of their house, bumping hard and grinding tires. She rolled over and looked at the alarm clock. Five thirty? The sun wouldn't be up for another hour at least. She wondered who would be traveling the back roads at this hour, and where the driver was headed. There were only a few more ranches on this road.

She tossed the covers back, noting that the house was much warmer than it had been yesterday morning. She peeked out the window and followed the receding taillights as they approached Whispering Pines Ranch. Her heart beat a little faster when she noticed several lights on in the barn. The Henleys usually didn't feed their horses until about eight o'clock. With a sinking feeling, Lily realized that the vehicle belonged to Dr. Tison.

Astra!

She scrambled into her clothing, almost tripping and falling when she couldn't get her foot into her pant leg. It could only mean one thing if the vet had been called at this hour of the morning…Astra had taken a turn for the worse.

She opened her bedroom door and tiptoed down the stairs, pausing in the living room to see if anyone was stirring. She thought about waking her dad to tell him where she was going. His room was just next door. But Lily knew he'd probably say she couldn't go. If he woke up to find her gone, he'd be worried and she'd probably be in big trouble when she got home. Maybe she should leave a note? She hesitated, unsure of what to do. All she knew was that Astra was in trouble and needed her.

“Lily?” Her grandmother's voice echoed from the stairwell. “Is everything okay? What are you doing up at this hour?”

“I'm okay, Grams.” Lily could hear her grandmother's slippers pad down the stairs and swish toward her across the hardwood floor. In the darkness Lily could smell the familiar baby-powder scent that was purely Grandma O'Neil.

“The vet just pulled into the Henley place,” Lily said. “He's not supposed to be there until nine. Something's wrong and I think it's Astra. I've got to get over there.”

“Have you asked your father?” Grams pulled her robe tightly about her to ward off the night chill.

“No!” Lily held her breath, hoping the hastily blurted word didn't wake him. She could hear the question in her grandmother's sudden silence. “I'm afraid he'll say no if I ask. You know how he feels about Astra. But I think she's in real trouble, Grams. Why else would the vet be there at this hour?”

“But it's dark outside,” her grandmother said. “You can't ride your bike over there now. What if there's a bear or a mountain lion out there?”

Lily paused. She hadn't thought about that. What were the chances? “It's been a long time since we've seen a bear or mountain lion down around the ranches, Gram. And the Henley place is only a couple of big pastures away.”

Grams snorted in the dark and shuffled toward the kitchen. “You're so much like your mother, Lily-girl.” She lifted the keys to her Pontiac off the peg. They jangled noisily in the quiet of the room. “Come on. I'll drop you off. I'll deal with your father when he wakes up.”

Lily heaved a sigh of relief. She quickly gathered her gloves and jacket and helped her grandmother into her oversized coat. The two of them crept out the back door and down the stairs into the starry night.

The barn lights burned brightly as they pulled up to the stable. “I'll probably stay here until it's light, Grams,” Lily said. “I can walk home then. Thanks for giving me a ride.”

“Well, okay,” Grams said. “Good luck.”

Lily stepped out of the car and waved good-bye.

As she walked toward the barn, she heard the murmur of voices from inside. From what she could tell, it sounded as if Mr. Henley, Dr. Tison, and Thomas were all there. Her heart sank when she slipped inside the barn and saw them gathered outside Astra's stall. As she approached, they looked up in surprise.

Dr. Tison, a big man with broad shoulders and a friendly face, towered over the other two men. She was sure he'd been a good soldier, but she was happy he'd come back to be their veterinarian again. Her mother had been very impressed with him and many of the ranchers in the area used his services.

But Lily didn't like the look on his face right now—like he had a secret he didn't want to tell because he knew how badly it might hurt her. She looked from him to Mr. Henley to Thomas, wishing someone would speak up and break the silence.

“Is she going to be okay?” Lily moved forward. Astra's heavy, labored breathing filled the air.

Dr. Tison stepped in front of Lily, blocking her path. He bent down to her eye level and placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. “Lily, I don't think you want to go in there. Maybe it would be better if you remember her the way she was.”

The way she
was?

Lily's mind did a cartwheel. The vet had spoken about Astra like she was…dead. But that couldn't be true. She could hear the mare's ragged breaths coming from the stall. She gazed about frantically, searching for a clue that would tell her everything would be okay. This was just a bad dream. Her eyes widened at the sight of two large syringes full of pale pink liquid sitting atop the veterinarian's bag.

There was no doubt in Lily's mind what those were. Time moved in slow motion as she looked at each person's face, trying to determine the truth. It was there in all three sympathetic glances. Mr. Henley quickly looked away.

Her gaze cut back to the medical bag. She'd seen those shots before, when some unfortunate horse had broken a leg and had to be euthanized. The first large dose of sedative would be administered in the vein. In just a short amount of time it would slow and then stop the heart. The second shot would be given to make sure the procedure was final.

Astra—her mother's beautiful hope for a national champion—was about to be destroyed!

Four

Lily began to panic. Her own ragged breaths rivaled Astra's.
This can't be happening
, she thought. She felt her knees go all wobbly.