Shellshocked

“What the ?!?” It could not be.

“No…” moaned Joanne.

In the middle of the cattle herd was a miniature horse with one of the mother cows licking its face to a near glowing white.

“How the hhe…?!?” No one around our ranch had miniature horses.

My little sister, Macy, giggles, leaning her head to the side. “I think she's cute.”

“Well…” this sounds like Joanne is as speechless as I am.

The cow continued to lick the horse while her calf nursed. Nothing was off for them but for my sisters and I there was a mystery horse in our herd. Where had it come from?

“Okay, then. I see it is a bay mare, with a big blaze on her face. Looks young. But where has she come from?” Scoffing Joanne climbs into the rusty old red farm truck.

I had no idea how we got an extra animal, a miniature horse no less, in with our cattle. Very puzzling. The ranch is fairly remote, and the nearest ranch is eight kilometres away and does not own anything smaller than the regular saddle horse.

The horse saunters over to another nursing cow, bowing her head down to the cow.  Then the cow starts licking the demanding horse as if they've been doing this all their lives.

“Are you kidding me,” Macy laughed.

“Oh, my…” I could not fathom any cow licking a horse and here are two cows cleaning the strange mare up. What are the chances of this happening a third time?

“Guess we'd better find where she got in,” Joanne called out.

“Right you are,” I counted the cows to make sure none were missing. When all were accounted for, we setoff to locate a possible hole in the pasture fence.

“What do you mean we have a miniature horse in with the cows and there isn't a hole in the fence for it to have gotten in?” At least Dad was as confused as his daughters were.

“I have no idea where she got in,” I replied.

“Where is Mom?” Macy asked.

“Oh, she is on the phone with your brother,” Dad answered. “I’d best call George. Must be his horse.” He lifted his cap and scratched his balding head; he does this every time he is puzzled and studying something deeply.

“What are you looking for, Dad?” He shook his head and shifted papers to and fro, glanced under them. 

“I thought the phone was right here,” he answered, continued to search the kitchen countertops.

“Dad,” rarely without something something to say, Joanne looked in my direction silently seeking help.

“Dad. Mom has the phone.”

“Right. Brad. Dang horse,” he muttered as headed out the back door.

The three of us looked at one another. A miniature horse sure had Dad flustered then again it had done the same to us.

No sooner than he exited he was pulled back through the door as Mom tugged him along by his wrist. Dad, Mom’s puppy, followed her faithfully. 

“Oh, good you're all here.  Good, good. Oh, this is so exciting,” Mom gasped, clapped her hands while she bounced on her feet.

What the heck is going on now? Couldn’t be about the strange horse. Mom gets excited easily but not like that.

“I can't believe it's true, you will never guess.” Mom pretty much squealed.

“We have a miniature horse?” Joanne piped up.

“Horse? No one’s talking about a horse.” She shook her greying head at us. Glanced at Dad to note he gazed at her with a slightly perplexed expression. Poor Dad, when Mom gets going, he stares and retreats into the shadows.

“We don’t have miniature horses,” She turned to Dad, grabbed his hand and bounced again. “This is something real. Oh dear,” then kissed his cheek. “We are to be grandparents. Brad is having a baby.”

“Pardon me, Mom. Brad cannot have a baby,” Macy frowned. Leave it to an eight-year-old to state the obvious. Boy, that girl can catch more than the rest of us.

“Right you are, honey,” Mom beamed, “but he is becoming a daddy and that makes all of you, aunties.”

“Oh,” Joanne and I said together.

“That’s so cool.” Macy bounced like Mom.

It was wonderful news. It was very apparent that Mom was excited to be a grandmother. Our older brother and wife, Ashley, were looking forward to being parents as soon as they married. 

With all the excitement and confusion of the day we started to feel a little shellshocked. Normally we might have been bouncing like Mom, but we still had a stray that needed to be returned home.

“Umm, okay. I’m happy for them,” Dad recovered first. Gently he laughed as he kissed Mom’s flushed cheek, “don’t forget it does take a few months before the wonderful event.”

“I have waited since he was born to become a grandmother.”  Dad just laughed as he grabbed the phone, winked in our direction he headed into the den.

Once more we share a look, then faced Mom, and listened. 

“I love being a mom and having the lot of you only made me firmly believe in being a grandmother to be just as wonderful.”

“Aww, Mom,” Macy gave her a big hug.

Mom beamed. Her gazed locked on me and twinkled, “one of these days, Sadie, it’ll be you and the one giving me more grandbabies.”

“What is this about a horse?” The switch of subjects was very welcomed.

“We have a miniature horse with the cattle. We checked the fence, no holes. She is just there, being one of the cows.”

“How…?!? Really?!?” At last Mom has joined the rest of us with the puzzle.

“Yes.” All of her daughters replied as one.

“Dad is calling neighbours to see if it’s theirs. As far as I know no one owns one,” I said, and kept an eye on the den’s doorway.

“Sadie, I think the new place down the valley might have some. One of the coffee girls mentioned something along those lines.”

That place was twenty kilometres away, with five ranches and hayfields in between, but it may have simply followed the main road to our place. 

“Well, the newcomers have a small herd of miniature horses,” Dad called from the den, then stuck his head out, “wanna take a ride, Grandmomma?”

Mom stared at her husband, waited, then gasped and burst out laughing. “You got me there. Of course, Grandpops. Girls, could you please get a start on supper.”

“Yes, Mom.”

As I finished rinsing the garden vegetables, lights flashed in my eyes. The pickup was bright yellow and shined or glittered; no one I knew had such expensive taste. We were all ranchers in this neck of the woods.

Macy raced into the kitchen and bumped into me. “Sorry. Someone is here.”

“I see.”

Joanne placed the roast in the oven, tossed the oven mitts on the table then hooked her thumb towards the door. Macy took that as her cue to race for the door. She takes after Mom with her enthusiasm and reached the door first. 

A rap banged on the wooden plank door that made the hinges rattled. The loud, quick sound startled us. I took a deep breath then nodded to Macy. She opened the door and greeted the stranger before I could breathe in. 

“Hi there. Sorry to disturb you ladies. I’m Mark. I’m looking for a miniature horse.”

The man was tall, maybe in his early thirties. Dressed in a Stetson, new jeans and a sports jersey with snakeskin cowboy boots.  

“Well, you have found the right place,” Joanne stated.

“Oh, thank goodness. Have been looking for her for two days. Lost her trail right away but decided to comb the countryside and meet the neighbours”.

“Nice to meet you, Mark.  I'm Sadie. These are my sisters, Joanna and Macy. Your mare is in the pasture with our cattle. Please come in. Our parents are out trying to find your horse’s owners.”

“The parents are home. They’re the ones who own Mousy. I’m just here to help them settle in.”

“Mousy? That’s a cool name.”

He chuckled and turned to Macy. “I know it's a bit odd of a name but when she was born, she was the colour of a mouse that happened to run past her in the hay and Mom named her then and there.”

“I think it suits her.”

“Of course you would, Macy,” I laughed.

Joann observed the stranger for a moment, “coffee or tea?”

“If you have some coffee, please. Don’t make any on my account, been drinking it all day from my thermos while searching. She traveled a fair bit.”

“Fresh pot is waiting for Mom and Dad.”

“Thank you. Fresh sounds great. Black.”

“She sure did get far but we didn't find any place she could have gotten in.”

“I saw you have wire fencing, and that trickster is famous for slipping right on through between the barbed wires. Log fences keep her in, not much else.”

“Are there log fences at your place?”

“Yes. And when I take her home, that’s the pasture she is going in. Can’t have her running around pestering the neighbours.”

“Surprisingly, she acts like one of the cows.” 

Macy jumped up so fast and dashed to the door. “They’re back.”

“Ahh…Macy! Please don’t yell. Gosh you scared me.” 

“Phew. She’s fast.” Mark chuckled, then turned to me. “I have the small horse trailer on and wondering if I can load Mousy from the pasture?” 

“You bet you can. Come meet Mom and Dad, then we can head over and load her up.”

“Could you…would you consider having lunch one of these days, Sadie?”

All I heard after that was a buzz in my ears. I could see him but my mind was utterly blank. Joanne broke the silence with a snort, “she will.”

I ended up choking, my tongue had headed backwards down my throat, I think. I could not believe she had said that! 

“Sure,” was as far as I got when Mom called a greeting to the newcomer. 

How had a miniature horse led to this? The turn of events was mind-numbing. It led to Mousy.