Page 49 of Protecting Silver
“I did, but I didn’t want to say anything.”
“She has an identical set on her outer thigh. It was a mountain lion that attacked her. He tried to go after the horses, that’s why they kicked out, and one blow landed here.” Finn laid his hand over his upper chest to indicate where Ronnie had been kicked. “She still has the hoof-mark scar. Anyway, once the horses were settled, we saw gouges on Sarge, where he had been attacked by the cat. Amos was here, and once he realized I’d only been out of the military for a month, he deferred to me. He’s not a bad guy, and I later asked him why he didn’t take over the investigation of trying to find Veronica. He admitted that he didn’t have the experience that I had. Besides, I had Major with me. But, Amos is a great people person, and he knows his priorities and to outsource when necessary.” Finn nodded, then looked at Hector.
“Don’t get me wrong, he’s a great guy, and he always gets the job done. If I know Amos, he’ll take that report back to his office, study it with a fine-toothed comb, then if he has any questions, he’ll contact Tex, the man who wrote the report up, and then when the Feds arrive, he’ll clue them into what’s happening.”
“Oh, so he doesn’t have a problem with me going up to the Meadow?”
“Apparently not,” Finn said as he shook his head. “I’m sure if he had taken offense to it, he would have told you not to go. I know you’re no shrinking violet, but I can’t stress it to you how important it is for you to remain safe.”
“I know, that’s why I’m getting out of Dodge, sort of.” Silver laughed. “So, what can Douglas and I do to help?”
“I’ve got everything ready to go on the pack horses—” Hector spoke then. “—except for the food.”
“I’ve got that in the house,” Finn said as he turned on his heel to go in the opposite direction. He paused long enough to say, “Why don’t you guys help Hector?” Then, he walked away.
Over the next hour, the four of them loaded two pack horses with enough camping gear and food to last at least a week. After they were done, they decided who would be riding which horse, and when Patch went to help Silver saddle Paige, she shook her head at him.
“I’ve got this, it’s not my first rodeo.” Then, she proceeded to put the saddle blanket on, then the saddle. In no time she was mounted and walking Paige around the pasture to get a feel for her. She looked at the others with a grin. “All set.” Shaking their heads, the others mounted their own horses, and it was Hector who led the way while leading one of the pack horses behind him. Silver followed them, while Patch followed Silver, and Finn brought up the rear. It was a quiet ride up the trail.
Hours later, Silver broke through the trees and paused at the sight before her. “Wow.” She shook her head and used her knees to push Paige forward, so the others could finish coming up the trail. When Paige started to lower her head, she looked over at Hector, and he nodded, and Silver allowed Paige to munch on the grass. As she dismounted, Hector said, “They’re rein trained.”
“Okay,” Silver said, and dropped Paige’s reins, hoping Hector knew what he was talking about. Since he was the foreman of Ronnie’s Meadow farm, she took him at his word. The others dismounted and stretched, and she caught Patch’s first look at the meadow spread out before them.
“Holy shit, this is where Ronnie comes to get lost?”
“It is,” Finn said as he went to his pack horse, and started loosening the items stored there. “This is also where she gets all her horses from.”
“How?” Silver asked in confusion. “I thought rounding up wild mustangs was illegal.”
“In some states, but here in Montana, you can round them up, however, you have to pay the state money to keep them, and you’re not allowed to sell them until you’ve had them for a year.”
“How much do you have to pay?” Silver asked in confusion, then held up her hand. “Sorry, not any of my business.”
“That’s okay, but so far Veronica’s only had to pay a dollar a head, but we make sure we make a hefty donation to the Wild Rescue Foundation every year. That foundation does more than work with the mustangs. They’ve been known to capture and treat all sorts of wild animals. Once they’re deemed healthy, they’re released back into their habitat, but they’re equipped with a chip, so they can be monitored. This last winter they were able to capture a pack of wolves, study them, then tag them. However, they released them further away from the ranches here.”
“Wow, have we ever done a fundraiser for them? I think that would be so cool to do. I could get my head around something like that.”
“I never thought of it, I could always look into it. I know that because Veronica takes the horses home with her, we’ve donated every year, so have her grandparents.” The entire conversation everyone had been working on unloading the pack horses, and in no time everything was ready to be set up. Finn, Hector, and Patch worked tirelessly to get the tent erected, and once it was done, Silver set up the inside with the sleeping bags, and other items. Before Finn left, he handed a black bag to Patch with a grin.
“Because Veronica won’t be up here for another couple of months, could you do me a favor?”
“Sure, what’s that?”
“This is our camera. If you see any wild mustangs, could you please take their photos. I’m not telling you what to do, but I’ve seen Veronica in the past sit down, and wait for them to come to her, that is if there are some already in the area. I’ve packed extra provisions in case some do show up. Also, I know I don’t have to remind you, but please be mindful of any fires you light, it’s been a very dry year and we don’t need Ronnie’s Meadow to go up in flames. I’ve packed some extra water for you and the horses. You’ll have to explore, but if you follow the tree line here, and go until you find the second burned-out flare area, several yards in is a natural spring where you can refill your water. There’s a marked trail.”
“With what?” Silver asked.
“Red flags tied to tree limbs.”
“Good to know. Are you leaving Paige and Lou here?”
“No, Paige and Sarge. Lou’s my horse and he’s funny about others riding him.” They all looked at the horses and saw Lou standing off to the side at the entrance of the trail. It was almost like he was waiting for Finn to hurry up and join them. Finn shook his head, then looked at the sky.
“It’s not showing here, but by the time Hector and I get back down the trial, it’ll be almost full-on dark. I hate to leave you with the rest of the setting up, but I’m sure you can handle what’s left to do.”
“We can, go,” Patch said, then held out his hand and shook Finn’s while slapping him on the back. “Call us if there are any new developments, otherwise we’ll see you bright and early Saturday morning.”
“Someone will be here to help you pack up. Please, don’t forget to take photos of any mustangs you see. I don’t want to disappoint Ronnie.”
