By the following Saturday they still hadn’t heard anything about the adoption. The lawyer was doing his best to get the paperwork through faster, but things like this took time. One good thing though was that the Timmons’ were already approved to be foster parents, so they wouldn’t have to go through as much paperwork. And Mackenzie’s parents were deceased, so there was nothing holding her back from being adopted.
Mackenzie stood out in the yard with Bailey tied to a fence rail. She had been grooming the filly for the past half hour, wanting the blue roan to be perfect for her first show. That and it kept her occupied, so that she didn’t feel as nervous about everything. Although she still had butterflies in her stomach.
The teen and horse quickly looked over when they heard a vehicle. Caleb’s white Toyota soon came into view pulling a horse trailer behind it. He stopped by the pasture and slid out. Fern waved from the truck. Mackenzie quickly returned the wave as Caleb walked toward her.
“All set?” he asked.
“I think so. I just have to get her tack.”
“Why don’t I get Bailey loaded while you get her saddle?” he suggested.
“I’ll be right back then,” Mackenzie said, turning to hurry down to the barn.
Mackenzie slipped into the tack room and grabbed up the saddle and bridle that Cassidy had been letting her use. She loved the feel of the old barrel saddle. Cassidy said it was her first racing saddle and that made Mackenzie feel special. She smiled to herself and hurried out of the barn. Maybe one day she could talk Cassidy into showing her how to barrel race.
By the time she got back up to the truck Caleb already had Bailey loaded. Mackenzie peeked in on her horse and grinned. Bailey and Ranger were nuzzling each other. It appeared that the horses weren’t going to have trouble getting along. She left them and moved around to the side of the trailer where the door was open.
Caleb poked his head out of the trailer. “Got everything?” he asked as he took the saddle from her.
“I hope so.”
“Hey, no worries. I’m sure if you forget anything we have it in this trailer,” he assured her as he lifted the saddle up and secured it to the rack above his big roping saddle.
Mackenzie glanced around the bumper pull trailer. The trailer wasn’t brand new, but it was well taken care of. The white paint was spotless and it looked like the inside had just been cleaned as well. The bridles hung neatly on the wall and two plastic bins set on the floor, holding other little odds and ends that might be needed.
Caleb rechecked everything before stepping out of the trailer. Mackenzie quickly stepped to the side to let him out. He flashed her a smile that made her heart melt, but she wasn’t about to let him know that. Not with Dana’s warning still fresh in her mind. But oh how she could get lost in his hazel eyes. He walked by her and squeezed her shoulder, causing her heart to skip a beat.
She watched numbly as he walked to the driver’s side, probably having no idea what he did to her. Mackenzie shook her head and hurried about Caleb. She slid into the middle once again and gave her friend a smile. Fern returned the smile, but she looked a bit pale that morning.
“Fern?” she asked softly.
The younger teen shook her head. “I’m fine,” she promised. “Just had a bit of a bad night last night.”
Mackenzie squeezed her friend’s hand. She had asked Fern once if there was anything they could do for her legs, but the girl hadn’t been real hopeful. Apparently there was a possible surgery, but it was really expensive and Fern refused to allow her parents to go into debt for an experimental surgery. Mackenzie had never asked about it again after she had seen how upset it had made it her friend.
“Alright all, let’s see if we can bring some ribbons home,” Caleb said cheerily, starting the truck.
Smiles quickly lit up Mackenzie and Fern’s faces as the truck rumbled to life and Caleb did a U turn in the driveway. It was obvious that they were all determined to make this a good and fun day.
“You’ll have to bring the ribbons home yourself,” Mackenzie smiled. “I’ll just be happy to get Bailey through her events without totally messing up.”
“You’ll do fine,” Fern grinned. “Once you’re in the arena you’ll totally forget about the crowd.”
“She’s right,” Caleb agreed. “But if I really must carry us through I will willingly carry the burden,” he said, putting on a southern drawl.
Fern and Mackenzie giggled. Mackenzie had grown to enjoy the easy bantering of the Andrews’ family and she always felt like part of the family. She even found herself joining in on the teasing and joking now. It felt great to be wanted and have friends again.
*~*~*
Caleb pulled into the Fair Grounds about twenty minutes later and parked in a grassy patch close to the stalls where they would be able to hear the loud speaker. There weren’t any campers now since the Fair was over and there weren’t nearly as many trailers either. Although there were already people out working their horses and getting ready for the day.
Caleb pocketed his keys and slid out, followed by Mackenzie. Mackenzie headed back to the trailer to check on the horses while Caleb got Fern situated in her wheelchair. Mackenzie stepped into the trailer and whistled softly. Both horses whinnied and bobbed their heads. The teen hugged Bailey’s neck and scratched Ranger’s velvety nose. She then grabbed two lead ropes and attached them to the horses’ halters.
“All ready?” Caleb called from outside the trailer.
“Yeah, go head,” Mackenzie answered.
Caleb unlatched the back door and swung it open. Mackenzie left Bailey attached to the trailer ties while she backed Ranger off. Once Caleb had a hold of Ranger she moved back up to Bailey. She unclipped the panic snap and backed the filly off. Caleb already had Ranger hooked to the trailer was taking his shipping boots off.
Mackenzie and Caleb worked quickly to get their horses ready. Bailey’s ears twitched as she took everything in. She pawed the ground and whinnied to any of the other horses that would answer. Mackenzie patted her shoulder.
“You exited too, girl?” she asked, receiving a bob of the horse’s head.
“See? You guys will do fine,” Fern smiled.
Caleb turned to his sister. “Fern…”
She held up her hand. “You two go. I know the drill. You guys go get checked in for your events. I can get myself wheeled down to the arena. Don’t worry.”
He kissed her cheek. “We’ll come find you afterward.”
Fern nodded. Caleb moved back to Ranger and swung on. Mackenzie glanced at her friend before mounting. She gently nudged Bailey’s sides and the filly willingly matched paces with Ranger. Caleb headed down to the announcer’s stand to get them both signed up.
“Caleb? Is Fern okay?”
He sighed. “Yeah. Her legs were acting up last night, so she didn’t sleep much.”
“Oh, well, we didn’t have to come today. I would have understood.”
“Are you kidding?” Caleb asked. “Fern wouldn’t hear of it. Trust me, I suggested it.” Mackenzie smiled. It was obvious how much Caleb loved his sister. “And we can always leave early if need be, so don’t worry.”
“Alright. I’ll just get nervous instead.”
He shook his head with a smile, his CAT hat shading his eyes from the morning sun. “Just trust Bailey. She won’t let you down.”
“Yes sir, captain sir,” she said with a salute, doing her best to keep a straight face but failing miserably.
Caleb rolled his eyes, a crooked smile on his lips. He clucked to his horse and the buckskin moved into a smooth trot, Bailey right behind him.
*~*~*
Fern had found a spot close to the bleachers, yet far enough away from the horses to stand without irritating anyone. Horses were moving back and forth behind and around the arena. This time though the bleachers were only half full. Caleb and Mackenzie came trotting up a few seconds later.
“All set?” Fern asked, looking up at them.
“We’re all signed in. Now we just have to make sure that Mac doesn’t bolt before her events,” Caleb teased.
Mackenzie stuck her tongue out at him. “Where would I go? You have the truck keys.”
“And it’s going to stay that way,” he grinned.
Mackenzie just smiled. She didn’t want to leave anyhow. She was with her friends and her parents were going to try to make it there to catch part of the afternoon. She smiled wider as she thought about Cassidy and Jeremy. She already viewed them as her parents.
All the activities started a few minutes later. The first event was the catalog race. It sounded simple enough. You just had to run down to the barrel, rip the page number you were given out, and race back down to the gate. Mackenzie just hoped she could remember to shut the catalog, so she didn’t get disqualified.
Caleb and Mackenzie turned their horses back toward the other end of the arena. Neither really wanted to leave Fern alone, but they didn’t know what order they would be called in, so they needed to be close by. They found a spot on the grass close to the gate to watch. The first three riders were called to get everything started. The first two riders ran it in about fifteen seconds, but the third rider forgot to close the catalog and got disqualified.
Mackenzie glanced over at Caleb. “Don’t worry,” Caleb smiled. “We’re just here to have fun and let Bailey get some practice.”
“I’ll try to remember that,” she said.
Bailey bobbed her head and snorted softly. The filly seemed to be enjoying herself and wasn’t acting up at all. She stood quietly, her ears flicking as she watched everything else going on. That made Mackenzie feel better. At least she wasn’t having fight her horse. Caleb and Ranger were soon called for their run.
“Wish me luck,” he grinned.
“Show them how it’s done,” Mackenzie answered.
He tipped his hat to her before nudging his horse’s sides. Ranger trotted down to the arena. He was an old pro at the gaming scene. Mackenzie moved Bailey closer, to she could watch Caleb. The filly snorted and threw up her head, backing up nervously.
“Bailey?”
“You?!” a voice snarled. “I thought I told you to stay out of my way.” Mackenzie froze in horror. Dana’s eyes suddenly widened. “You little thief. That’s my horse!”
“What?” Mackenzie squeaked.
“You stole my horse! You’re a thief and I’m gonna call the cops!”
Heads turned toward the shouting and Mackenzie’s face reddened. She reefed on Bailey’s reins, causing the filly to jump in shock. The teen urged her horse into a gallop. This was just awful. It Dana really did call the cops her life was ruined. But she knew Dana would never believe her that she hadn’t stolen Bailey.
*~*~*
“Mac? Where are you?”
Mackenzie sat huddled in the front of the trailer, her knees pulled up to her chest. Tears slid down her pale cheeks, but she couldn’t bring herself to answer Caleb despite how worried he sounded. She closed her eyes and wished she had never seen or met Dana. She jumped when the trailer door opened.
“Mac? What happened?” he asked, stepping into the trailer.
She launched herself into his arms. “I want to go home. Please, take me home, Caleb,” she sobbed.
Caleb held her close and did his best to comfort her. Although that was hard to do since he had no idea what had even happened. Mackenzie continued to cry softly, her whole body trembling.
“Mac, talk to me,” Caleb said softly, gently coaxing her to look up.
Her gray eyes shined with tears. “Dana…Bailey,” she sobbed. “Please, I want to…go home,” she whispered.
“Of course, Mac.”
He gently scooped her up and carried her out of the trailer. Mackenzie clung to him as she continued to cry, not caring if Dana saw them together. Her life was already ruined. Fern looked up at her brother worriedly. Caleb shook his head as he carried Mackenzie to the truck and gently sat her down on the seat.
“I’ll be right back,” he promised. “Just let get the horses loaded and help Fern.”
Mackenzie nodded mutely. She curled up on the seat and continued to cry. She knew she was going to owe everyone an apology, but she just couldn’t bring herself to do it. Not yet anyhow.