Andi and Cory: young and old

Kendra wants me to post. So I've scrounged up pictures of Andi and Cory from both their younger days (Circle C Beginnings) and their older days (Circle C Adventures). I know, I know, you want another story, but be patient. It will come . . .

Midnight Surprise (Part 1)

Andi Carter burst into the library of her family’s ranch house with a cry of alarm.  “Mother! Where’s Chad? I need him right away!”

“Settle down, Andrea,” her mother replied with a patient smile. She laid aside the lace collar she was crocheting and gave Andi her attention. “Now, tell me what’s wrong.”

Andi couldn’t settle down. She felt wound up . . . tighter than a spring.

“It’s Taffy!” she explained, tossing her thick, dark braid behind her shoulder. She took a deep breath to quiet her racing heart. “She doesn’t look right.”

“Not again,” Melinda muttered from her place next to a low table, where bits of velvet, lace, and dark blue taffeta lay spread out in front of her. She picked up a half-finished bonnet and frowned at Andi. “We’ve heard about your horse morning, noon, and night for the past three days.” 

Andi turned smoldering blue eyes on her seventeen-year-old sister. “If your horse were acting strange, you’d be worried, too.”

“Perhaps,” Melinda threw back, “but I wouldn’t be racing into the house every ten minutes to yell about it.”

Arguing with Melinda is a waste of time, And decided. She ignored her sister’s remark and turned back to her mother. “Where’s Chad?”

“Chad and Mitch left right after supper for the cattlemen’s association meeting in town,” Elizabeth replied. “They won’t be home until late.”

Andi plunked herself onto the couch beside her mother. “Can’t somebody go into town and get him?”

Elizabeth didn’t answer. But then, Andi didn’t expect her to. She knew it was a dumb question, anyway. Nobody was going to ride an hour into town, based only on Andi’ feeling that something was wrong with her horse. She sighed.

Her oldest brother, twenty-eight-year-old Justin, looked up from reading the Fresno Expositor. His dark blue eyes regarded her warmly. “If you like, I’ll come out and take a look at Taffy.”

Andi considered her brother’s offer. Ever since Father had been killed in that roundup accident a few years back, Justin had quietly taken over as her substitute father. He was especially good at helping her solve most of her problems. But he was a lawyer, not a rancher. She didn’t think he could solve Taffy’s problem.

Justin put down the newspaper and stood up. “I may not be the horseman Chad is, but I’m not exactly inexperienced.” He reached for his hat. “Come on, Andi. Let’s go see your horse.”

Andi raced ahead of her tall, dark-haired brother and into the huge barn that stabled the family’s saddle horses. She unlatched the door to the large box stall set aside for foaling and entered, calling her palomino’s name. “How are you doing, Taffy?  Feeling better?” She gently rubbed the mare’s back.

The golden horse responded with a friendly whinny and reached for another mouthful of hay. She shook her creamy mane, munched the hay, and regarded Andi with large, peaceful eyes.

Justin leaned over the half-door of the stall. “What exactly is it about Taffy that worries you?” He chuckled. “She looks fine to me.”

“No,” Andi insisted. “She’s not acting right.”

Justin shoved his hat back, opened the door, and entered. “A mare only a week or two from foaling isn’t going to look or act right all of the time,” he said. “She does look a bit ungainly—maybe larger than other mares foaling for the first time, but”—he shrugged—“she’s eating. She’s standing.”

“She’s breathing extra hard,” Andi said with a frown. “Earlier this evening, she was pacing the stall. She got up and down a couple of times, too.”

“That’s normal. She’s probably trying to get comfortable,” Justin said. He ran his hand over the mare and examined her closely. Then he turned to Andi. “I don’t see anything out of the ordinary. She looks fine. Let’s go inside.”

“May I stay with her awhile?”

“It’s pretty chilly out here,” Justin said, frowning slightly, “and likely to get colder before long. After all, it is January.” He left the stall and beckoned her to follow.

“Please can I stay, Justin?” Andi pleaded. “I want to watch her, just in case.”

Justin sighed. Then he reached out and snagged a couple of blankets. He tossed them into Taffy’s stall and said, “All right. I’ll tell Mother what you’re up to. But don’t stay out too long.”

Andi grinned. Justin could always be counted on to see things from her point of view. He must know how worried she was about Taffy foaling for the first time.

“Thanks, big brother,” she said, spreading the blankets over the clean, sweet-smelling straw in one corner. She grabbed the lantern and settled herself on a blanket. With a flick of her wrist she turned up the flame.

“You keep a sharp watch on that light, do you hear?” Justin warned with a concerned frown. “You don’t want to burn the barn down.”

“I’m always careful about that,” Andi replied, stung. No one needed to remind her of the dangers of an unattended lantern in the barn! She carefully set the lantern on an overturned metal pail and looked up hopefully. “Do you think Chad will get home in time to take a look at her?”

Justin closed the half-door and leaned over it. “You’re worried about nothing, honey. What do you bet Taffy surprises us with a foal by tomorrow morning?” 

Andi dropped her gaze to the blanket and fingered a handful of straw. “I just feel like something’s wrong.” 

She scooted up against the wall and leaned back with a sigh. “I know Chad and Mitch can’t skip important meetings, but”—she glanced over to where Taffy stood swishing her tail and nibbling daintily at her hay—“Chad knows horses. He knows ’em better than any rancher in the Valley. He can’t help Taffy if he’s at some dumb old meeting about cattle!”

Justin smiled. “He’ll probably be home by midnight. If I hear him come in, I’ll ask him to check on Taffy. Would that make you feel better?”

Andi smiled in relief and nodded. A few minutes later she was alone in the barn with her horse—and her thoughts.

[Click here for Part 2]

Midnight Surprise (Part 2)

Read part 1 HERE

A frightened whinny and the sound of labored breathing jerked Andi from a deep sleep. She sat up with a gasp and turned to the still-lit lantern. Guilt washed over her when she realized she had committed the unpardonable sin on the Circle C ranch—leaving a lantern unattended. Taffy could have kicked it over and the whole barn—including herself and the rest of the horses—would have gone up in flames.

Andi hadn’t planned on falling asleep. She’d only meant to stay with Taffy an hour or two before heading back to the house and her own warm bed. “I can’t even stay awake to watch after my own horse,” she mumbled, disgusted.

But there was no time to kick herself for her inattention. When she saw Taffy down and in obvious distress, she jumped up and hurried over to the mare.

“Taffy!” Andi reached out a shaking hand and tried to calm her friend. There was no doubt the mare was in labor, and having a rough time of it.

Andi grabbed the lantern. “I’ll be right back, Taffy. I promise!”

She fled the barn and broke into a run, holding the light high to find her way through the thick, winter fog that had suddenly blanketed the ranch in a cold, wet mist. The light barely penetrated the black night. 
  As Andi entered the kitchen, she heard the clock strike two. Two o’clock in the morning! Surely Chad is home by now. Why didn’t Justin send him out to the barn?

Andi raced up the back stairs from the kitchen to the second floor. Her feet clattered down the hallway, muffled only slightly by the thick carpeting. 

“Chad!” Andi whispered when she burst into her brother’s room. A wave of relief washed over her when she saw he was home. Setting the lantern on the floor, she approached his bed on tip toes. 
“Chad, wake up.”

There was no answer.

 Andi reached out and shook his shoulder. “Please, Chad. Wake up!”

“Go away,” Chad muttered, half-asleep. He slapped Andi’s hand away as if she were a pesky mosquito. Then he rolled onto his side and ignored her.

“You’ve got to wake up and come out to the barn.” Andi’s voice was a harsh whisper. She shook him again.

Chad rolled over and opened one eye. He glared at Andi. “It’s the middle of the night. Whatever it is, it can wait ’til morning.” He yawned. “Go back to bed.”

“No,” Andi replied, near tears. She was frightened, and shivering with cold from her stay in the barn. Her beloved horse lay in a stall, suffering—perhaps even dying. Taffy’s foal might be in danger too. How could she convince her exhausted brother to help her?     
      “You’ve got to take a look at Taffy, Chad," she pleaded. "She’s in trouble. She’s foaling and—”

“That’s nice,” Chad mumbled. “Let her do it her own way.” He pulled a pillow over his head and promptly fell back to sleep.

    Andi took a deep breath. Then another. She knew Chad might react poorly to what she was about to do, but she had no choice. She was desperate.

Andi reached out, grabbed Chad’s pillow, and gave it a mighty yank. The pillow came readily into her arms. She stumbled backward and fell to the floor with a loud thud.

Chad groaned and sat up, awake at last. He gave Andi a dangerous look. “What time is it?”

“Two o’clock,” Andi whispered. She slowly got to her feet and gripped the pillow in an attempt to protect herself from Chad’s quick temper. It was possible he might grab her and land a few swats to her backside for waking him at such an hour.

But Chad just stared at her, dazed and bleary-eyed.

Andi took a cautious step forward, blinking back tears. “Please, Chad. You’ve got to check on Taffy. She’s bad-off.”

Chad ran his fingers through his thick, black hair and yawned. “I’ve been asleep for a whole hour,” he grumbled. Then he squinted at her. “You’re covered with hay. Have you been out in the barn all evening?”

Andi nodded. “But I fell asleep. When I woke up . . . Oh, never mind. Just come with me.”

“All right, all right,” he finally consented. “Give me a minute to get dressed.” He fixed a stern warning look on Andi. “But if this is a false alarm, little sister, you’re going to be very sorry.”

Chad's words were still ringing in Andi’s ears as she fled her brother’s room and hurried back to the barn.

[CLICK HERE FOR PART 3]

Midnight Surprise (Part 3)

Read Part 1 HERE

Chad came completely awake the minute he stepped into Taffy’s stall. Andi saw the sudden, alert look in his eyes and the furrowing of his brow.

“You’re right,” he admitted, “Taffy’s in trouble. It looks like she should have dropped that foal by now.” He ran his hands down the mare’s quivering flank and spoke softly to her.

Andi watched in helpless terror. “You . . . you can pull her through, can’t you?”

“I don’t know. I’ll do everything I can. But you have to help.”

“I will,” Andi said, nodding. “Just tell me what to do.” She felt stronger now, with her brother in charge. Chad would save Taffy. He must!

“I need soap and water. Never mind if it’s hot. Just bring me a bucket of water from the pump and lots of soap.”

Andi lit a second lantern and hurried to do her brother’s bidding. Please, God!  she prayed breathlessly as she ran to the pump. Show Chad what to do.

      The fog was thicker than before, and the cold night swirled around Andi. She found a bucket near the water trough and started pumping the handle for all she was worth. Icy water gushed from the spout. 

When it was full, Andi picked up the bucket in one hand and snagged the lantern with her free hand.

Hurry, hurry! she commanded herself. But the full bucket kept her at a slow limp. Water sloshed over the lip, splashing her overalls. The freezing liquid soaked through, and Andi felt goose bumps crawling up and down her legs. 

“Here,” she gasped, setting the pail down next to Chad. Then she ran for the lye soap. Thankfully it was on a nearby shelf. She threw it in the bucket of water and waited for more orders.  

Taffy lifted her head and looked at Andi. Then she laid it down as a ripple coursed through her body. She whinnied weakly.

Andi choked back a sob. “Do something. Chad. I don’t want to lose her.”

“Take it easy,” came his quiet warning. “There’s no sense getting upset before we know what's wrong.”

Chad was often impulsive and quick-tempered, but when it came to an emergency, he could be as patient and composed as Justin. Now, he calmly dipped his hands into the bucket of icy water and proceeded to scrub with soap, clear up to his elbows.

Andi shivered, watching all that freezing water drench Chad’s arms, but her brother didn’t bat an eyelash.

 “All right,” he said, shaking his dripping hands in the night air, “Let’s find out what’s going on. The best thing would be if you can get Taffy to stand up. It would make it easier on both of us, but she might not want to. Can you do it?”

“I sure can!” Andi said, more to convince herself than to convince Chad. After all, wasn’t Taffy her very best friend? Surely she would understand that Andi had only her best interest in mind! And hadn’t Chad trained Taffy since she was a foal? Of course, the mare could trust Chad!

With soft words and a gentle but firm tug to the halter, Andi coaxed her mare to stand. Taffy hung her head, and her whole body shuddered. “Good girl,” she praised her, rubbing her nose. "Just take it easy. It’ll all be over soon. Chad’s here. He’ll make everything all right.”

But Andi was trembling on the inside. She waited on pins and needles to hear what Chad would find out when he examined the mare.

A small gasp of surprise made Andi’s heart skip a beat. But she didn’t say anything, for fear of interrupting her brother’s concentration.

“Uh-oh,” Chad muttered a few minutes later. He glanced at Andi in astonishment.

“What is it?” she whispered. “What’s wrong?”

“I think there’s more than one foal in here.”

“Twins?” A feeling of despair washed over Andi. She’d seen twin foals once before—a long time ago. Both had been born dead a month before their time. Her eyes blurred with tears.

This can’t be happening! Andi thought wildly. It’s all a horrible, scary nightmare! Please, God! I want to wake up right now. In my own warm bed, with Taffy safe in her stall and one healthy foal beside her. Not two! Oh, please, not two!

She shook herself free of her thoughts and blinked back tears. “Can you . . . can you save them?”

Chad paused, and Andi knew he was getting ready to tell her a hard truth. He never lied to her, not even to save her feelings.

“I don’t know,” he finally said, “but I’ll do my best. I promise.” He gave Andi an encouraging smile, but she didn’t smile back.

She was too scared. 

[Click here to read PART 4]

Midnight Surprise (Part 4)

Read Part 1 HERE

Chad kept talking. “It’s a bit of a tangle in there. Both foals are trying to make their way out at the same time.”

“What will you do?” Andi asked, wide-eyed.

“Well, I reckon I’ll try to untangle the little fellows and sort things out. Then I can push one back.” He paused as Taffy strained unsuccessfully to push out a foal. “But it’s not going to be easy. And it’s got to be soon. It’s been too long already. We might lose the foals, and Taffy too.”

Andi caught her breath. “No!”

Chad reached out and gripped Andi by her shoulders. His hands felt like two chunks of ice, even through her jacket. “Listen, Andi. I want you to keep Taffy standing quietly. Don’t let her go down until I say so. It’s important. Do you think you can do that?”

Andi nodded. “Taffy trusts you, Chad. She trusts me. I’ll just tell her it’s the only way. She’ll understand. She’ll stay up and quiet if I ask her to.”

“I sure hope so,” Chad muttered. Then he plunged his hands once again into the bucket of icy water. This time he was shivering as he scrubbed. “Ready?”

Andi kept her end of the arrangement. She talked to Taffy and stroked her nose—anything to keep the mare’s attention away from what Chad was doing. It appeared as though Taffy realized her human friends were trying to help. She never moved.

“I think I’ve got one of the foals lined up,” Chad announced at last in a drained voice. “Let her go, so she can lie down.”

Taffy immediately settled down in the straw, clearly exhausted.

“Please, Taffy,” Andi encouraged, “You can do it.” She rubbed Taffy’s nose, which lay flat against the ground.

“Come over by me, Andi,” Chad said from where he was kneeling in the straw. “Things should move pretty fast now.”

Andi rose shakily and stumbled to her brother’s side. He reached out and pulled her close. Then he took one of Andi’s shaking hands and gave it a squeeze.

He grinned. “Calm down, little sister. You’d think you were having the foals instead of the horse.”

Andi couldn’t calm down. She fixed her gaze on the huge golden body in front of her and prayed silently once again. Surely God knew how much she loved Taffy!

A ripple passed over the mare’s body. Two tiny hooves and a little nose appeared.

“Oh, I hope he’s alive,” Andi whispered. She shivered in the cold night air.

A tired smile replaced the look of worry on Chad’s face. “I think we did it.” He reached out to help extract the foal. Two pushes later, a small, chocolate-colored foal lay quietly on the stall floor. Chad wasted no time. He started rubbing the baby with straw.

Without a word, Andi grabbed a handful of straw and set to work helping break the tough sack that enclosed the newborn. She paused only when the little one sneezed and shook his head. 
"Oh, he's alive!" Andi burst out. "He's going to be OK! He's just got to be!"

Taffy showed a brief interest in her baby, then concentrated on delivering the second foal. Once the first foal was out of the way, the second had room to turn on his own. He slid into the world without too much trouble.

    Andi grinned her delight. One chocolate foal and one cream-colored. They were beautiful—two little colts. The second foal took longer to recover from his ordeal, and Chad hovered over the little one for some time.

“See if there’s any hot water left on the cook stove. I think a warm bran mash might perk Taffy up,” Chad suggested. “She’s been through a lot.”

Andi nodded and rushed off to do her brother’s bidding. There was just enough water in the warming tank on the stove to put together a nice mash. Andi stirred in a little molasses as well. She was relieved when Taffy perked up at the smell of the concoction and worked her way through a good portion of it. 
    A few minutes later, the mare shook her head and struggled to get to her feet, breaking the lifeline between herself and her foals.

“Good girl, Taffy,” Andi encouraged her. “You’ve got to get up for your babies. Come on, girl. All the way up.”

Taffy made it to her feet and stood, trembling. She shook out her mane and suddenly seemed to come to herself. Turning around, she approached the foals, sniffing them delicately. Then she began the time-consuming task of washing them down with her rough tongue.

Chad sighed and rose to his feet. “That’s a good sign. She’s showing some interest in the foals. It means she’s over the worst of it. She's going to be fine.”

Andi let out a long, deep breath. Thank you, God!  Then she threw her arms around her brother and hugged him gratefully. “Thanks, Chad.”

“Take a look at that,” Chad said. He turned his sister around and pointed. The foals were trying to stand. Their heads were wobbly, but the chocolate colt had his back legs up. Then he fell over into the soft straw.

“It's amazing,” Chad said with a chuckle, “considering what they’ve been through. I think it would be a good idea to stick around and see if they need help with their first meal.”

Andi nodded eagerly. Wild horses couldn’t pull her away from the barn tonight, no matter how cold and tired she felt! I wonder what time it is, she wondered. It felt like hours had passed, but Andi knew it couldn’t have been more than an hour.

Yawning and shivering, Andi sat back against the wall and watched as the new family became acquainted. Minutes ticked by while she waited for the foals to nurse. It seemed that just as soon as one of the foals stood up, the other tried and crashed into him. Then they both went down.

Andi shivered. Now that the immediate crisis was over, she felt the chill night creeping in on her. Come on, little fellas! Nurse!

Andi rubbed her eyes to stay awake. Worry clutched at her stomach. The foals were so little. And it was so cold! How long would Chad wait before lending a hand? 

[ Click here to read the CONCLUSION]

Midnight Surprise (Part 5)

Read Part 1 HERE

The longer Andi sat in the straw, the colder she became. The lantern gave off a pale yellow light, which made shadows lurk in the corners. She didn’t know how much longer she could stay out here.

If I’m this cold, how much colder must the new babies be?

“Please can we help them nurse?” Andi begged. She had tried to keep her mind off the cold by thinking of names for the colts. But it was hard to think at all, she was shivering so much.

“I’d rather let them do it themselves,” Chad told her. “As long as they’re strong enough to stand, we’ll let them have a go at it. If they start to tire, then we’ll give them a hand.”

Andi reluctantly agreed. She wrapped her arms around herself and tried to get warm. It was no use. She clenched her jaw to keep her teeth from chattering.

“I think you’d better go up to bed,” Chad suggested. “Mother will skin me alive when she learns you’ve been out here most of the night, especially in this weather. I’ll stay and make sure they get their first meal.”

“I’m staying,” Andi insisted. She stifled a yawn. “You’re the one who got soaked tonight. Maybe you should go inside, before you fall asleep standing up.”

It was true. Chad looked exhausted. He was leaning against the stall wall, eyes closed and arms crossed over his chest. He couldn’t be very warm. His jacket had been thrown over the shirt he’d worn while sloshing around in the icy bucket.

“I’m not going to bed, only to be awakened an hour from now for some new emergency,” Chad said. He smiled to take the sting from his words. “If you’re dead set on staying up the rest of the night, we’d better find something warmer than what you have on. No sense catching a chill.”

It was too late for that, Andi knew. She’d caught a chill already, and it wasn’t likely to go away just because Chad threw some old horse blanket around her shoulders.  

But her brother snagged the woolen blankets Andi had used earlier and kneeled beside her. “This will help,” he said, pulling the blanket up to her chin. Then he wrapped an arm around her shoulder. “Warmer?”

“A little,” she replied, leaning against him. It wasn’t exactly true, but it was the only thing she could say to keep from being sent indoors. So she snuggled closer and fixed her gaze on her foals.

Slowly, Andi’s shivering lessened, to be replaced with a feeling of overwhelming weariness. Her eyelids drooped. This won’t do at all! she told herself. I can’t fall asleep!

But a slight shaking told Andi that she had, indeed, drifted off to sleep.

“What’s the matter?” she asked, jerking awake.

“I think it’s time to we gave these little fellas some help,” Chad confessed. 

The chocolate foal, whom Andi decided to name Shasta, had managed to stay up longer than ten seconds. He took three wobbly steps and bumped into his mother. Immediately, his short, curly white tail jerked back and forth, but he was poking around in the wrong place.

Andi tossed the blanket aside and gently pulled Shasta out from between Taffy’s front legs. Giggling, she guided the colt toward the mare’s full udder and watched in satisfaction as he grabbed hold of a teat and started nursing.

Chad brought the smaller colt, Sunny, to Taffy’s other side. “This one’s not quite as strong. He’s worn himself out trying to stand and walk. I’d better make sure he gets a bellyful.”

With a practiced hand, Chad put the cream-colored colt within a nose’s reach of the warm milk. It didn’t take long for Sunny to catch on, and Chad held him up so he could get all he needed.  

Bellies full at last, Andi let Shasta flop down in the hay near her. She stroked the tired foal and talked to him. Soon, Sunny lay next to her as well. Taffy lowered her head and nibbled at Andi’s hair.

Thanks for helping with my babies, she seemed to be saying.

“You’re welcome,” Andi said aloud, reaching up to stroke Taffy’s soft nose. “But don’t forget to thank Chad too.”

Taffy’s head went up, and her ears pricked forward. She whinnied softly.

Chad gave Taffy a friendly slap on the neck. “Hey, it was my pleasure.” Then he turned to Andi. “Come on, Andi. Time to turn in. Taffy can handle things from here.”  

Andi snagged a blanket and scrunched down farther into the soft straw between Shasta and Sunny.  

“Oh, no, Chad! I’m staying here. Please? I’ll be cozy and warm with the foals.” She yawned. “I’m too tired to walk back to the house anyway. And if I do go to bed, I’ll just lie awake the rest of the night worrying. But I bet I fall right to sleep out here.”

Chad let out a long, slow breath. “Well, it’s unlikely I’ll ever get warm, but I’m going back to bed. I’m done in.”

He picked up the lantern and turned for a final word.

“You helped save Taffy and those foals tonight, you know,” he said. “Good job.”

Andi mumbled something, but she hadn’t really heard her brother.

She was fast asleep.

The End