Chapter Five

Soon another Vet Volunteer, Brenna Lake, shows up with her younger brother, Jayvee. You’d think Jayvee wouldn’t be very excited about boring ponies. He gets to hang out with all kinds of wild critters because his family runs a nature preserve and wild animal rehab center. But Jayvee is as horse-crazy as all the other kids, leaning forward to hug Buster and wave at Brenna, who is watching outside the corral with Edgar Allan Poe Crow on her shoulder.

Yup, a crow. A real, live crow. I didn’t believe it the first time I saw it.

Brenna gives Jules a hug. “This is so cool you have ponies here in the middle of town! I haven’t seen Jayvee this excited since winter vacation.”

Jules grins and hugs her back. I’m glad my sister is finally making friends. We moved here in the middle of the school year, and things were bumpy for her, especially with Maggie. Life got a lot better once we joined the Vet Volunteers, although Jules has had an easier time fitting in with the group than me.

“How often do these ponies get a break?” Brenna asks as I help Jayvee off Buster. “And when was the last time they had any food or water?”

Brenna has strong opinions about how animals should be treated, and she isn’t shy about sharing them.

“They’ve only been here a couple hours,” I explain. “Do they really need a break? We still have kids waiting for a ride.”

“Brenna’s right,” David says, “though I hate to admit it. I should have been paying more attention. They need a water break now.”

“Did they eat before you started working them?” Brenna asks, staring at me as intensely as her crow does.

David glances at Gus, snoring in the shade. “Wouldn’t surprise me if they’re hungry, too,” he admits.

Jayvee tugs on Brenna’s arm. “I’m hungry,” he says.

“My mom has sandwiches and juice inside for anyone under ten,” I say.

“Perfect,” Brenna says. She turns to the parents and kids waiting in the line. “The ponies need a short break, folks.”

“We have snacks in the store for you. And lots of stuff on sale, too,” I add lamely. “Be sure to check out the hammer display.”

•  •  •  •  •

While David shows me how to loosen the saddle cinch under the ponies’ bellies, I ask him what they normally eat.

“Fresh hay two or three times a day,” he says, “plus plenty of water, as long as they’re not hot from running around.” He ties Buster’s lead to the corral with a fancy knot. “Depending on the horse, it might get grain or special food. You need a salt lick, too, for the minerals.”

I try to tie Babe’s lead rope in the same kind of knot that David did. “How much hay?”

“About four tons a year.”

“What? That’s eight thousand pounds!” I say.

“Wow, you’re good at math,” David says.

“Do they poop four tons a year, too?” I ask, eyeing the growing manure pile by the Dumpster.

“Sure seems like it sometimes. No, don’t take the saddle off, this is just a break.”

Babe flicks her ears, trying to shoo away the fly buzzing above her head.

“What do we do now?” I ask.

David gestures toward Gus. “I hate to do it, but we have to wake up Sleeping Beauty.”

I groan, but we don’t have a choice. I lead the way across the parking lot to where the pony handler is snoozing. “Excuse me,” I say. “Um, Gus? Hello?”

Gus just snores.

“Wake up!” shouts David.

Gus snorts, jerks, and flings his hat to the ground. “What’s wrong with you two, hollering at a fella like that?”

Sleeping Grumpy is more like it.

“Sorry,” I say sheepishly. “Where can we find your water bucket and the hay for the ponies?”

“Isn’t this a hardware store?” Gus stretches and stands. “Get a bucket in there.”

“What about the hay?” I ask. “What are we supposed to feed them?”

“Those old ponies ain’t hungry yet,” Gus says. “They’re used to working all day without food.”

“That’s not good for them,” David says.

“Let them nibble on that grass back there.” Gus points his chin at the narrow patch of green beyond the back of the parking lot. “Stay with them, though. Don’t want to go chasing after them. I’m going in search of a hot lunch and a drink.”

And with that, he ambles off toward Main Street.

“What a jerk,” David says. “Now what?”

“I’ll get a water bucket from the store,” I say. “Mom and Dad won’t mind, I hope. Do you believe what he said about the ponies not needing to eat anything?”

“No,” David says. “Any chance you have hay bales or horse feed in the store?”

My imagination gallops away for a second. I picture Wrenches & Roses expanding with a barn built in this lot filled with feed, saddles, and anything else a horse might want.

“Josh? Did you hear me?” David asks, waving his hand in front of my eyes. “We need to feed these guys. Me, too. I’m starving.”

I blink and snap out of it. “I hope they like carrots.”

•  •  •  •  •

A few minutes later I stagger back out to the parking lot carrying two heavy buckets of water, with a plastic bag of carrots dangling from my mouth. David is upstairs in our kitchen raiding the refrigerator with Jules. I’m hungry, too, but this might be my only chance to see if I can be a Vet Volunteer without David showing me how to do everything.

Buster shakes his head, whinnying loudly, when he sees me.

I stop, shocked, and the bag of carrots falls to the ground. Buster is the only pony in the corral!

Babe is back at Mom’s planter boxes, calmly munching marigolds. I must have messed up the knot on her lead. Or maybe that pony is a magician. No, I messed up the knot. I’ll get David to help me convince her to head back to the corral.

Buster whinnies again and crosses the corral, staring at the water buckets and the bag of treats. He’s definitely hungry. And thirsty. So Babe must be feeling the same way . . .

I set one bucket inside the corral. Buster slurps so loudly that Babe stops chewing to watch him.

“That’s it, girl.” I hold out the second bucket. “This one is just for you. Come and get it.”

She ignores me and goes back to demolishing the marigolds. I can’t carry the water and grab for her lead, so I put the bucket down and walk toward her slowly. Just when I’m almost close enough to reach her lead rope, she trots away to the farthest planter, filled with red, white, and blue petunias.

“Argh!” I know I should use a gentle but firm voice, like David did to coax Buster out of the trailer, but I just want to stomp my foot and scream. Babe looks at me, blue petunias dangling from her mouth. I swear she’s laughing at me.

“Come on, Babe.” If David and Jules walk out and see me making a fool of myself like this, I’ll never hear the end of it. “Please, I’m begging you!”

Babe sighs, turns, and heads toward the corral, trotting faster than she’s moved all morning.

Yes! I did it!

Just then Jules come out the back door carrying a couple of huge plastic bags, followed by David, who is balancing two paper plates loaded with sandwiches and potato chips. The door slams closed behind him. The sudden noise startles Babe so much that she swerves and bolts for the busy traffic on Main Street.

“No!” I scream.