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Second Star to the Right, Chapter 2 and 3

Author - Mctrip7
Fan Fiction Main Page | Stories sorted by title, author, genre, and rating

Second Star to the Right

by Mctrip7

Rating: PG-13
Genre: Suspense, Angst, Romance
For: Connor, as requested
Archive: Trip
Disclaimer: The characters belong to Paramount, but the story is mine
Summary: Anticipation, Realization


Chapter 2


They must have covered two miles before Clay got his breath.

“Take it easy, boy! It’s all I can do to just hold on! We’ll run as long as you like, but you have to slow down.” Clay continued to try to talk to the horse in a soothing manner. After what seemed like an hour, Chiric finally came to a halt near a stock pond.

“I don’t think you would have stopped, except you were thirsty.” Clay managed to get out of his mouth. “We’ve got to get one thing clear. When I pull up on the reins, it means slow down. If I jerk up on the reins, it means STOP. Do you understand?”

The horse pawed the ground, and seemed like he was getting ready to take off again.

“Let’s go home,” Clay said as he guided the reins in the direction of the ranch house. Chiric started to turn but then stood his ground.

“It was a good ride, but now it’s time to head back. We’ll do it again tomorrow if you listen to me,” Clay said in a rather gruff voice. Again, he turned the reins toward the ranch. This time, Chiric allowed himself to be guided in that direction.

“Let me get a good hold on your mane and you can fly as fast as you can. OK. Have at it. GO!”

Chiric took off. He stretched his legs as far as they would go and held his head up to the sky. Clay felt like they really might leave the ground. The ride was so smooth that it seemed like he and Chiric might be one and the same. No matter what the future held, he was sure he would never want to leave this magnificent animal.

As they came over the rise, Clay could see the little group by the corral mounting their horses, peering in his direction. When they saw him, they let out a “whoop”.

As Clay reined up, Larry said “That was some riding. I thought we might have to come scrape you up somewhere.” Sam was just coming out of the house and he seemed upset on seeing the men there.

“How come you aren’t half way to the north forty by now? You’ve got to finish branding that herd before the end of next week, strays and all.”

Larry looked at Clay. When he saw that Clay wasn’t going to say anything, he answered “We’re on our way. I’ll have a report for you tonight.” To the men he said “let’s move out!”

Clay and Chiric took their place near the rear of the group. Clay half expected Chiric to dash out ahead, but he accepted the pace set by Larry and seemed to relax as they headed north. Their path took them over gentle rises in the terrain and through an occasional draw with thick underbrush and usually a stream of some kind. Lefty told him that sometimes when it storms up north, the rains suddenly fill the streams to overflowing.

“They may be as wide as a boxcar and several feet deep.” He continued. Clay asked if the cows ever got caught in the rising water.

“Yeah. It’s usually the young ones. They don’t have sense enough to recognize the sound and head for higher ground.”

Just before noon they reached a small herd. The men began cursing and slapping their hats against their saddles. “Damn!” Do you suppose somethin’ spooked them? It’ll take hours to round ‘em up!” It was Dave this time. He was usually the quiet one.

Clay listened to this exchange but had no idea what they were talking about. The cows seemed pretty content. He didn’t know how many were suppose to be here, but there must have been about fifty that he could count.

Larry yelled “Spread out! You know what has to be done. Clay, you stay with me and I’ll show you how it’s done.”

The men each headed in a different direction as Clay rode toward Larry.

“Look, Clay, we’re each goin’ to ride out a ways and begin a search, riding back and forth between each other. Any strays we find, we’ll get ‘em movin’ back toward the herd. Think you can handle Chiric well enough to do this?”

“I don’t see why not. How do you get them to move if they just stand there?”

“You may have to use your lariat. You did bring it, didn’t you?

Seeing the look on Clay’s face, Larry said “Your rope, you know, so you can throw it over the cow’s head?”

“I didn’t exactly have time to pick up anything before we were heading out.”

“Look, Clay, I’m sorry I didn’t have a chance to cover a few things with you before we left; so I’ll try to cover the basics now. A rider never leaves the ranch without his lariat and a canteen. He never knows what he might encounter out on the range. I know you don’t have a gun, yet. When Sam has time, he’ll teach you to use one; then you’ll be sure you have that with you, too. For now, let’s just see how many of the herd we can find. Follow me.”

Clay wasn’t sure how he was feeling about all this. He’d gone from being the hero to being a dunce. He kept telling himself that this was the only way he was going to learn about the workings on a ranch. Sure was hard to swallow, though!

Larry sensed Clay’s chagrin and said “My telling you is the only way you’re going to learn, Clay. Most of our men grew up in the saddle. Some have spent time fighting the Indians or at least riding shotgun with the new settlers. We’ve even had to deal with rustlers occasionally. So don’t take offense when we call your hand. It’s for your own protection. We all had to learn once.”

Clay looked Larry in the eye as he said “I won’t. Thanks for the instructions. I’ll try to be a quick learner!”

Larry slapped him on the back as he said “You’re OK, Clay. Glad to have you aboard.”

Larry led the way as they began the tedious and boring job of riding back and forth over their quarter mile section. They didn’t find much until the came to a stand of trees near a gully. Larry began slapping his hat against his saddle and yelling at the top of his voice. Clay followed suit and before he caught up with him, four Herefords came bounding out of the bushes. Larry circled around to the other side, continuing his yelling, and here came another three cows, bawling. Clay’s horse seemed to know that the cows were supposed to go forward; so he cut them off when they tried to run the other way. Clay let Chiric have his way and just watched. By the time Larry joined them, all seven “doggies” were headed back to the main herd. Before they arrived, their little group had grown to twelve.

“If all the men had the same luck that we did, there’ll be another sixty cows to add to the herd,” Clay said. “That’ll make over one hundred. How many herds are there on the ranch?”

“At least ten more, some twice the size of this one. We’re running somewhere between fifteen hundred and two thousand head at the present time.”

Clay was overwhelmed. “How can you keep up with so many?”

“We have another ten hands in the bunkhouse, if they’re all here at one time. Right now they’re out on the range getting ready to take the main herd to the railhead. They’ll be shipping by the end of the month. That’s when we’ll move this herd up to the green pasture. We want to fatten them up before they go to market.”

Clay’s respect for his uncle John and his men climbed a few notches as he realized the responsibility they all took for the success of the ranch. This was somewhat like the corporations he had learned about in Law School. Everyone had a responsibility in the outcome of the operation.

As Larry and Clay came over the last rise, there was a sea of Herefords before them. Some of the other men had had even better luck than they had!

A fellow called Curley came up to Larry and said “We’ve only found a handful that aren’t branded. How ‘bout you?”

“There are two in this bunch. Shouldn’t take more than an hour to wind this up,” Larry commented as he rode off to tell the other men.

Curley turned to Clay and said “How you holden’ up, young fella? You tend to any raw spots you got when we get back to the bunkhouse.”

“How’d you know? Guess I’m leaning a little too much. Where’s the first aid box back there?”

“I’ll show you when we get in,” Curley said as he rode off.

Clay thought he had done a pretty good job of hiding his malady; truth was he felt like he was sitting on a hot stove and his legs were beginning to lose any feeling. He couldn’t remember the last time he had sat a horse more than two hours at a time.

They rode up to the bunkhouse just about dusk. Sam was waiting for them. “Where the hell have you been?” he shouted to no one in particular.

Larry rode up saying, “We’ve been rounding up cows, Boss. Somethin’ must have spooked them ‘cause they were scattered over a ten mile area. We only found a dozen or so that hadn’t been branded, though. We’ll move ‘um up north as soon as Beau moves the big herd out. Right now I could eat a whole one!”

Sam took Larry’s report and commented “We may have a family of bobcats livin’ up that way. May have to do a little hunting next week. Maria’ll have dinner on the table in a few minutes. Clay, what’d you think about your first day ‘Out West’?”

“Interesting! Real eye opener! I’ll catch up with you in a few minutes. Got to take care of some business first,” Clay said as he headed for the bunkhouse.

“Is he OK, Larry?” Sam asked turning to his lieutenant.

“He didn’t miss a beat up there. I did notice that he was settin’ a little crocked on his horse just now.” Both men smiled, fully aware of what the problem could be as they had been there before. “He’s one tough kid. He and Chiric make a fine pair.”

“Let me know how he is tomorrow,” Sam said. “I think he can help with the branding.”

Larry gave him a knowing nod as he said “I’ll see that he gets a chance tomorrow.”

After getting “patched up”, Clay told Curley that he was too tired to eat. “I’m goin’ to wash up and hit the sack. Pass it on to Larry, will ya? See ya in the mornin’.”

On seeing his bunk, Clay was sure he’d never make it to the ewer. He cautiously put his knees on the bed and leaned forward. “Oh, God, the pain!” He couldn’t think of a place that didn’t hurt. He eased his legs up on the bed, boots and all. He decided he wouldn’t move at all for the next twelve hours. The last thing he remembered was somebody pullin’ his boots off.

The next morning Clay couldn’t believe how stiff he was. He couldn’t bend his knees or even raise himself up. Looking around, he didn’t see any of the men. What time was it? Panic was beginning to set in.

“Where is everybody? I can’t move. I need help!”

Larry entered the big room. “Hey, cowboy, how’re you feelin’? Sam said you need to know how to brand doggies; so a couple of the boys rode back up to bring ‘em down. He wants the Vet to check ‘em over and be sure they’re not carrying anything contagious. You feel up to takin’ this on?”

Obviously Larry hadn’t heard him yelling. Clay tried rolling over on his side. Maybe he could push himself up.

“Larry, I’m a little stiff this morning. I must’ve slept the wrong way. How about giving me a hand to get on my feet?”

Larry nodded and moved over to grab his arm and give him a quick jerk to a standing position. Clay thought he might faint, but Larry didn’t seem to notice. Walking was going to be another matter altogether!

“Tell me all about this procedure, Larry,” Clay asked. “Will it take long to complete? How many cows need branding?” Maybe Larry wouldn’t notice that he was still standing where he left him.

Larry walked over to him. “You know, I think you’ve had enough ‘range work’ for a few days. There’ll be plenty of time to cover all this. It never stops, and you want to learn to keep yourself in good shape. Later on, if you get down, there won’t be anyone to take your place. You’re doing a good job, Clay. Just slow down. When the Doc comes, let’s let him have a look at those saddle burns. They need to heal before you sit a saddle again.”

“Was it that obvious, Larry? I feel like I let you down, and it hurts like hell to boot! Clay was relieved, but at the same time he felt he had failed his first real test.


Chapter 3


Doc Jensen arrived about 4:00p.m. He and John walked out to the pen where the questionable animals were being held.

“I think they look pretty good, Doc; but the boys said they were falling behind the others when they were rounding the herd up.” John commented. He was always on the look out for hoof & mouth disease, the main killer of cattle on the range.

“First glance, they look OK, John; but I’ll have a closer look at them. I’ll bet that one over there has a rock in his hoof. See how he’s favorin’ his hind leg.”

After an hour of checking each calf out, the Vet pronounced them on the mend – an infected eye, too much loco week, another bruised foot and some with a case of worms.

“Calves are like children, they never know when to quit, John. See that they get these pills in their feed every morning and they’ll be OK.”

“Thanks, Henry. We don’t have to be at the railhead for a couple of weeks; so that’ll work out just fine. By the way, I want you to meet my nephew, Clay. He lives back East, but he’s going to be spending the summer with me, learning how to run a ranch.” Both men had a good chuckle.

“You goin’ to teach him everything you know in a couple of months? That’s a pretty tall order!”

“Well, he’s real eager to learn, but he’s kind of hit a snag. He was in the saddle almost eight hours yesterday . . .”

Before John could finish, Henry said “Where is he?”
“In the bunkhouse. I’ll get him. He needs to be up here ‘till he gets back on his feet.”

It took Clay a while, but he finally made it to the porch of the big house.

“Come on in, Clay. There’s someone I want you to meet. This is Dr. Henry Jensen. He’s the local Vet; but he knows more than most people doctors. I think he ought to take a look at those saddle burns.”

“I’m doing OK, Uncle John. I didn’t plan to get on Chiric for a few days; but I can help with the other chores. Curley gave me some salve, and it takes away the burning feeling. I think I’ll be just fine.” Clay was really trying to sound convincing.

“That’s a good treatment, son; but I still need to take a look at the blisters. They have a tendency to get infected real fast.

Clay could tell that he wasn’t getting anywhere with Doc Jensen. The Medic wasn’t going to be sidetracted. “John, can we go upstairs for a few minutes?” Henry asked.

“Sure. I’ve got to give Sam an update on our order; so I’ll be right back.”

Clay eyed the steps with a feeling of reluctance.

“Think you can make it, Clay?”

“Oh, sure. I’m a little slow, though, Dr. Jensen.”

“Take your time,” the Doctor said as he watched Clay’s struggle. Once in the bedroom, he said “Drop your drawers and lay face down on the bed.”

It took a minute for Clay to realize what he was supposed to do; but a smile tweaked his mouth as he lay across the bed.

“You’re a lucky young man, Clay. There’s no sign of infection. Keep the area as dry as you can. The salve will help the healing as well as soothe the burning; but you need to stay off your feet for a couple of days. Just lay on your stomach. Don’t even try to sit up.”

Clay looked so astounded the Doctor said “It’ll only be for a few days, Clay. If you don’t follow my instructions, you could develop an infection. Had a patient last year that didn’t listen to me, ended up losing a leg. I know you don’t want anything like that to happen. I’ll check back on you in a couple of days. You’ll probably be as good as new. John can have one of the men bring your things up from the bunkhouse. For now, just stay where you are.”

“I guess I don’t have much choice,” the dejected cowboy answered.

“You can use a bit of that salve on your sunburn, too. It’ll cure most everything.” Doc Jensen added. “I’ll give John the news. Just be sure you stay put.”

The next morning Clay was awakened by a knock on the door. Maria came in, not waiting for him to answer. She was carrying a huge breakfast tray.

“Got to keep your strength up,” she announced as she set the tray on the washstand. She retrieved a flat board from the hall and covered it with a cloth. Again, she returned with two oaken buckets which she turned upside down. Then she placed the cloth covered board across them. They were right by the side of Clay’s bed.

“Won’t be the most comfortable for you, but you can make do for a couple of days,” Maria explained. “Would you like a washcloth for your hands and face?”

All Clay could do was nod. He was still in shock. No one had waited on him in years, and he was taken a little aback. “You didn’t have to go to all this trouble, Maria. Surely I can come downstairs for my meals.”

“Absolutely not! Doctor’s orders! You are not to set one foot on the floor for two days, or at least not until he returns! Everything will be provided for you.”

Clay wasn’t sure what that meant and he wasn’t about to ask. “Thanks, Maria. I really appreciate what you’re doing, but I need to move around a little or I’ll get stiff.”

Clay was sure those were the longest two days he had ever spent. When he was allowed to get up, he found that walking and sitting were going to be a major hurdle for him to get over! He really wanted to get back to Chiric, though. He was sure the horse would have forgotten him by now. After walking for short periods of time all day, he was sure he would be able to walk to the horse barn the next day.

The morning was bright and clear. The sun was just breaking in the East. Clay took his time easing out of bed and achieving a standing position. He did better dressing when he was standing. His jeans felt rough but he eased them over the cotton ‘drawers’ Maria had made for him. So far, so good. The shirt was no problem. His sunburned arms were turning brown. Now for he boots! He was debating when there was a tap on the door. It opened just a crack. He had to smile.

“Come on in, Maria. I could use your help. I was wondering how I was going to put my boots on!”

“Mr. Clay. All you had to do was ask. It’s time you tried sitting on the side of the bed. Let’s start with a pillow. Now ease yourself down, holding on to me. There, slowly now. That wasn’t too bad, was it?”

“No, not really. I can feel it, but it doesn’t hurt. Maybe I can do the boots.”

“No, that’s too much turning and twisting. You’re not ready for that just yet.”

“Maria, I think you just like mothering me. You should have lots of little ones running around here.”

“I thought we would have,” Maria replied, her face suddenly becoming sad. But after Margaret got thrown from that horse, she was never quite the same. She never was able to walk right again. John took her to all kinds of faraway places for treatment and things would look favorable for a few months, but they wouldn’t last. Finally, she just refused to go.”

“I didn’t know the whole story. I remember my father telling us that Aunt Margaret had an accident, but he never said what happened. He would say she was getting along fine and then the next time, he would say that she had had another spell and was laid up for a while.”

All this time, Maria was working Clay’s boots on his feet. It was necessary for him to stand to get the last push.

“Done! Now for the stairs. Maybe I can go down them backwards. What do you think?”

“If that seems better to you, try it. Either way, you’re going to feel the pulling, the stiffness.”

Clay held on to the banister and took the first step. “Oh, that smarts! I’ll use my other leg next time.” Another step, another groan! By the time he reached the bottom, he’d stopped groaning and was just holding his breath! “Made it!” he said.

Maria smiled. “You sure did.”

“I want to walk out to the horse barn. I wonder what Chiric is thinking about now. Probably thinks I deserted him. Will you walk out there with me, Maria? I think I can make it just fine, but it’d be nice to know you were there.”

“Of course, Mr. Clay.”

“Please just call me ‘Clay’. I feel like an old man when you add ‘Mr.’ to it.”

Maria laughed and said she’d be glad to call him ‘Clay”. “I’ve always called the boys Paul and Beau, but I didn’t know how you felt about it.”

Having arrived at the barn, Clay strode over to Chiric’s stall and peered in. No Chiric! “Where’s my horse?” he yelled to no one in particular.

The stable boy came flying around the corner. “I was just getting ready to take him out to graze a little. I hate seeing him all cooped up all the time.” The boy named Tim said.

“I hated thinkin’ about it, too, Clay agreed. That’s why I’m here. I still can’t ride, but I’ll walk him out to the pond. Thanks for looking out for him when I couldn’t.”

“It was no trouble. He seemed kind of sad there in the stall, like he was waiting for somethin’ or someone. Maybe he was expecting you.”

“Where is he now? He’s not in his stall.”

“Oh, he’s out here behind the barn. I brought him an apple and he’s eatin’ it.”

Clay followed Tim out the door. “I think I can take it from here, Maria,” he said as he realized she had been standing just behind him all the time. “Thanks for everything.”

“If you’re sure you don’t need me, I need to get back to my kitchen.”

Chiric had heard Clay’s voice and raised his ears, turning in the direction it came from. Clay walked directly toward him saying, “I’ve really missed you.”

The beautiful stallion came toward him, whinnying. “I believe you missed me, too!” Clay reached out to muss up his mane, patting him. The horse stepped back

“What’s wrong, Chiric? You don’t want me to pet you?” Clay took another step forward. Chiric sneezed and turned his head.

“He don’t like the way you smell, Mr Clay,” Tim announced. “That stuff is pretty strong.”

“Look, you two. Doc Jensen says I have to keep this salve on till those blisters are healed. I don’t like it any more than you do. You’ll just have to get used to it!”

The tone of his voice evidently meant something to Chiric because he came over to Clay and pawed the earth in front of him, putting his head down for Clay to scratch his ears. Clay put his arms around his neck. “I really need you now. I’ve got to make this work, but I can’t do it without your help.”

Tim said “Are you OK, Mr. Clay?

“I’m fine, Tim. Thanks again for your help. We’ll be back before long.” Clay and Chiric started walking toward the pond. Chiric stopped when he realized Clay wasn’t keeping up with him. He waited for Clay and then continued at a much slower pace.

“Thanks, fella. Hopefully, I’ll be back in shape by the end of the week. Then we’ll race across the fields like we did before.” Chiric whinnied.

“I’ll swear, I do believe you understand everything I say!

When they reached a clump of trees near the pond, Clay guided the horse over to a fallen tree where he could sit down. He was ready to stop walking. He dropped the reins and Chiric walked over to the water for a drink. When the stallion returned to stand near him, Clay said “Would you like to take a run? Here, let me tie up the reins so you won’t trip on them. Now go! I’ll wait right here.”

Chiric hesitated, but then took off. Clay was amazed at how the horse seemed to understand what he said. He felt a special bond growing between them.

By the time Clay returned to the ranch house, he was pretty well spent! “I think I’ll go upstairs and rest a while before lunch,” Maria.

She smiled. “That’s a good idea, Clay.”

As Clay climbed the stairs, he thought how good his bed would feel about now. He hadn’t felt tired until he headed for the ranch house from the barn. Guess he still hadn’t gotten his strength back. After pulling his boots off, he stretched out on the bed.

“Feels mighty good,” he mused to himself. Lying there his mind began to wander. “Wonder what Theresa is doing about now? She probably has a lot of social events to attend. She may be working a few days at the hospital. She’s determined to complete her studies and become a doctor. It’ll never happen! People will never accept a woman doctor. Can’t ever mention that again, though! She really got furious when I tried to point out the fallacy of her choice. Women are sure funny. They can be so under- standing and yet when you show them the obvious flaw in their thinking, they become vicious. They won’t even listen!”

“I hope Mother will be more receptive to my moving to Philadelphia. I don’t think Father was too surprised or upset by the news. Maybe he’s talked to her about it by now.” Clay continued to ponder his situation. There was no real answer and thinking about it only made his head hurt!

TBC


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