Chapter 4

"So you wanna talk about the big fat elephant sitting in the middle of the room?" Willow and Brad were bouncing along the road, trying to hurry back for the vet.
"Whats that?" Willow knew exactly what he was talking about, but she didn't know if she should say anything yet.
"Somehow, we keep..." Brads eyes were glued to the road. "Look, I kinda..." Brad cleared his throat. "I kinda like you."
He likes me? He likes me!
"Well, I kinda like you too." Willow cut her eyes to the side. He was looking at her. She tucked a whisp of black hair behind her ear.
"Good." Brad smiled, reaching his hand across and sqeezed hers.
"So theres a summer dance that they planned at school, kind of a fund raiser thing." Willow had seen the flyers before.
There was a moment of stiff silence.
"So you wanna go with me?"
Willow beamed at him, he looked back. "Yes, I'd love to."
"Ok, its this saturday. I can pick you up at 6:30." Brad gave a light sqeeze to her hands and let his slip off.
"Ok." Most of the ride back home was silent. Willow could only think about what she'd wear to the dance.
Something red and simple. I dont think I have something like that. Flouncy. Lacey. I don't know! Willow groaned inwardly.
Brad and Willow unloaded the stuff and Willow grabbed the halter.
"3:30." She had thirty minutes to try join up again.
"Well, I should go soon." Brad nudged some dirt with the tip of his boot.
"Can you come over tomorrow?" Willow came over to him.
"Yeah, sure."
"Ok...Would you mind if I borrowed a saddle from you?"
"Sure, no problem."
Willow smiled. "I had alot of fun today, and I can't wait til Saturday."
"Yeah, me either. It'll be fun."
Brad turned to go.
"Wait." Willow grabbed his arm.
"Is this a just friends or..." Willows throat tightened and a lump formed.
"Does it have to be?"
"No, I'd kinda rather have it...more than friends?" Willow fidgeted in place and let her eyes wander.
"I'd like that."
They said goodbye and Willow went to work with Ghost.
Willow threw a loop of the lead rope into the air and Ghost sped to a good trot. She stepped infront of his shoulder and he turned the other way. His hooves thudded agaisnt the damp ground. His eyes had relaxed and his head began to lower again. His outside ear pricked forward suddenly, and the other one fell limp to the inside, listening to Willows commands.
"Whoa boy." Willow turned around and caught her breath. She heard soft hoof steps behind her.
Hot breath ran down her neck. Willow slowly turned and placed a hand on his muzzle. "Ohh..." Willow put her nose against his and breathed out. He smelled her and she smelled him. They were a team now. It wouldn't be long until she could do anything with him.
Just then the vet pulled up. Willow climbed the fence and retrieved the halter.
She slipped it onto Ghost slowly, with the lead clipped to it.
"How long have you had him?" Dr. Jim Hiens called softly from the other side of the fence.
"Since yesterday. He's very high spirited. I can't wait to gallop him."
"Whoa there, that won't be for a long while now, he's a stallion, so you'll want to get him gelded and-"
"I'm not planning on taking that away from him. He's going to stay a stallion."
"I see. Well lets get to work." Dr.Hiens climbed the fence and approached. Ghost threw his head in the air.
"Whoa boy. He's ok. He's my friend. He won't hurt you. Nobody will." Willow stroaked his forehead. Ghosts' eyes closed halfway and he leaned his head into her hand.
Dr.Hiens peeled back his lips and checked his teeth.
"Their in good condition, he looks to be about four years old." Dr. Hiens reported.
Dr. Hiens ran his aged fingers over the horses rough hide.
"You did a good job with these wounds." He said with no particular tone of voice.
He unraveled the bandages and put some more ointment on the somewhat healed wounds.
After checking his teeth, feet ,muscles, fertility and taking some blood, Dr. Hiens was leaving.
"I'll get those results to you by tomorrow." The test was to see if Ghost was a true mustang.
Willow was confident that he was.
"Willow, phone for you!" It was Willows mom calling her from the back door.
"Coming." Willow picked up the phone in her bedroom.
"Hello?"
"Hi, whats up?" It was Kendala Livesay.
"Oh..Hey Ken."
"You sound disapointed. Any reason?"
"Well, I was hoping it was Brad..."
"Brad? So I'm not good enough?" Kendala laughed.
"Of course you are! I was just hoping." Willow bit her lip.
"You sound...On cloud nine?"
"Thats cause I am! You know this saturdays dance?"
"He didnt?!" Kendala gasped.
"He did! And he told me he liked me. He's so sweet."
"Oh thats so cool. But I thought we were gonna go since we never have anyone ask us."
"Sorry...But I finally had somebody ask me, and I don't wanna give him up. Maybe somebody will ask you too." Willow took a breath. "Oh, I forgot to tell you about Ghost. He's my new horse."
Willow explained everything to Kendala.
"Oh, I have an incoming call, maybe its somebody important. See you saturday." Willow took the other call before Kendala had enough time to say as much as goodbye. It was one for her mom.
Sitting down the reciever she went back outside and fed Ghost.
                                                                                        ***

Crawling into bed that night never felt so good. Willow clicked out the light and tried to sleep. It was early still and she wanted to sleep, but everything going on inside her head didnt let her.
Willow tossed and turned, unable to relax.
Ok. I'm going to go shopping tomorrow. Then its dance time! Willow finally slept soundly until morning.
                                                                                       ***


Willow blinked the sleep out of her eyes and sat up. It was Thursday morning and she had to find a dress to wear to the dance tomorrow.
The house was quiet as she crept down the stairs into the kitchen. She often missed mornings with her dad. Waiting for him to wake up and sometimes, she would get off the bus and almost forget what had happened, that her father was gone. Forever. That the feeling of his embrace, his love for her was ever out of reach, it broke her heart to feel this guilty.
Willow was the only child at the time of her fathers death. So her life was quite lonely, what with her mom always at work.
She never spoke of his death to anyone. Maybe it was the guilt that had weighed heavy on her heartstrings, and quite often she felt she was going to break.
Her mother was never the understanding, loving mother Willow had always wanted, even after the accident. Willow always wished her Mom would come to her shows with Dad, and cheer her on, and give her a hug and a kiss on the cheek and say something like, "You gave it your best shot, baby girl!" Just like dad always had.
Willow polished off a bowl of cereal and then went out to feed Ghost.
"Hello boy." Ghost sounded a nicker through the air and came to his feed bucket.
Willow dumped the corn and sweet feed into a feeder, and the flakes of hay into a hay net.

Willow finally grabbed her wallet and got into her truck and started for town.
The beat up Ford was her dads. He called it a classic, but Willow always referred to it as a heap of junk. It was a classic when he bought it in 1980.
She remembered when she would ride in it, and her father would say as it chugged to a start, "Purrs like a kitten!"
"More like a kitten with Emphysema!" They both laughed.
Everytime she heard the engine blare to a start, her fathers face popped into her head. Etched with age and experience and always positive.
Willows face creased a smile as she bumped along the road into Cody.

There were only several dress stores in Cody, so she started with the smaller one-knowing it would be cheapest-and worked her way onto the big ones.
There was a pale pink one that caught her eye in one of the dress shops, but it being three sizes too big was a set back.
Finally, she rounded the street corner to the last store, and in the window was a beautiful black  dress.
It was just knee length and was sleek silk, impire waist imbended with small, sparkley sequins.
Willow held her breath as she tugged at the zipper up in the back, making sure the wide straps were in place.
She turned around, and was sure this was the perfect dress for the dance.
Smiling at the store clerk she paid for it and was out the door hapily.
Now for shoes! Yes!! Willow carried the dress box back to the truck and started for the shoe store.
A pair of black thick pumps stood out to her, and when she pictured them with the dress, it just didn't work out.
Instead she picked up a pair of strappy ones, a thin tall heel and they even had little sequins.
"These would be perfect for the dance!" She said quietly to herself.
So she bought those and started home.
When she pulled the green truck into the front circle drive and shut it off she was supprised to see Brad sitting in front of the round pen.
"He's looking good." Brad called from his seat on top the fence.
"You bet." Willow gave a grin.
"Whats with the big cheesy smile?" Brad laughed.
Willow just sighed as she took a seat beside Brad.
They had only really started hanging out recently, and she didn't really know all about Brad, but he didn't know much about her either.
"So...I wanna know sometime secret about you." Brad said matter-of-factly.
Willow tensed slightly, but tried to relax.
"You first." Willow gave a wanly smile.
"No, no, no Miss Slick! I asked you first."
Willows eyes wavered. "Well..I used to be a top barrel racer."
"Yeah? Any good?"
"Eh, I won a few times. Went to state and won..."
"Dude. Yeah, you're 'a little good'. Did you compete in anything else?"
"Breakaway roping, team roping, hazing for bulldogging. Cutting, used to have an awesome cutting mare." Willow shifted in her seat. "Now you."
"Ok, well I won All Around Cowboy two years running. I've done a few rodeos. I've trained two horses that went to the olympics. When I can get to a rodeo I do about as much as I can. But I'm not gonna say I'm good at them all. This summer I should get enough points to get my pro rodeo card."
"Then will you go on the circut?"
"Yeah, I should go all around the states, maybe even some in Canada. But either way I'll have to card, and it's good for life."
"Thats good. But what about school?"
"Well, I'm going to finish out next year, and just do the circut in the summer, and then I'll be graduated so I won't need to worry about it."
"Did you ever get Sparks back? I had forgotten all about that." Willow laughed.
"Yep, she came sauntering back over with the stallion attached to her side." Brad laughed. "I called the vet and he said seeings how she was with him so long, she's probably in foal."
"Is that a good thing or a bad thing?"
"Uhm..I don't know yet." Brad chuckled and hopped down from the fence. You ready for the dance saturday?"
"Yes, I can't wait." Willow stretched.
"I think we should go for a ride sometime." Brad faced Ghost.
"I want my first ride to be with Ghost. Ok?"
"That just means your going to have to get Ghost gentled as soon as possible."
"No doubt." Willow was happy just exactly where she was.



                                                                                       ***


Ghost snorted softly and shook the flies from his ears. Willow placed her hands on his cheeks and laid her forehead on his.
She breathed in softly and let it out slowly.
"When can I ride you? Huh? I miss riding. Since dad's not here. He would have loved you." She whispered as she slid her hands down his neck and over his back and let them relax.
Ghost reached his head around and sniffed her warily, then let his head drop to a relaxed position.
"Your such a good boy." Willow slid her hands off his back and kissed him on the pink velvety part of his nose. "I love you." She breathed into his nose.