5- Andi's Lonely Little Foal

It's time for Taffy to grow up. But that means leaving her mama. And staying by herself at night. Won't Taffy be lonely? Then a mean boy tells Andi that foals can get hurt or sick when they're away from their mothers. What if Johnny is right? How can Andi keep her little horse safe and happy?

------------------

Chapter 1

The Not-So-Good-Idea

“A penny for your thoughts, Andi,” Justin said at breakfast one Saturday morning.

Andi looked up. Sometimes big brothers said confusing things.

Like right now.

“A penny?” Andi wrinkled her eyebrows. “For what?”

But she perked up. A penny could buy lemon drops. Or taffy candy.

Yum!

Justin laughed. “I just meant that I want to know what you’re thinking. You’re very quiet this morning.”

Justin was right about that. Andi always tried to be quiet at the table.

That was the rule. Grown-ups talked. Children were quiet.

Unless somebody spoke to them first.

Justin was already grown up. So was Chad. And Mitch nearly was. They always had lots to talk about, so Andi had lots of practice being quiet.

No talking at the table made it easy for Andi to daydream.

Andi liked to daydream about riding Taffy . . . someday. When her baby horse grew up. She dreamed about riding her in a real race.

Taffy would win, of course! Then everybody would clap.

And Andi would win a blue ribbon.

Hooray for Taffy!

Only right now, Andi’s daydreams were not so enjoyable. A boy named Johnny was picking on her at school.

Andi could not get thoughts of  that mean bully out of her head.

“A penny for your thoughts,” Justin said again.

He laid a penny next to Andi’s plate of pancakes.

 

Andi looked around the breakfast table. Her mother and sister and brothers were all waiting. And smiling.

Even bossy Chad was smiling.

“I was thinking about Johnny,” Andi said at last. “He’s the meanest boy in the whole entire school. He’s only eight, but he’s meaner than the big boys.”

“Johnny is a bully,” Andi’s big sister Melinda said.

“He’s got a slingshot,” Andi said in a rush. She didn’t want Melinda to tell everything. “At recess he finds acorns and tries to hit birds. And he chews paper and—”

Andi made a face. “He shoots disgusting spitballs with that thing.”

Johnny was mean in other ways too. He chased the girls with snakes. He put frogs in the water bucket. He pushed children down.

He even pushed Andi down once.

But Andi pulled his hair after that. Now Johnny left her alone.

Some of the time.

Andi knew Mother would not like to hear about the hair-pulling. It was not ladylike to pull hair. Not even a bully’s hair.

So Andi didn’t say that part out loud.

Instead, she picked up the penny and said, “I’m not scared of that mean Johnny. Not even a teensy bit.”

“Then why are you thinking about him?” Chad asked.

Andi shrugged. “I don’t know. I can’t stop.”

Chad grinned. “I know what will help you stop thinking about mean boys.”

“What?” Andi asked.

“I have something important to do,” he said. “And I need your help.”

Andi didn’t answer.

Sometimes Chad needed help with chores. Like cleaning out her pony’s stall. Or picking weeds from Mother’s flower garden. Or filling the wood box.

Andi did not want to do chores this morning. She wanted to play with Taffy.

So she just looked at Chad. She didn’t even smile.

“You can help me take Taffy away from Snowflake,” Chad told her. “It’s time she grew up.”

Andi’s mouth fell open. Take Taffy away from her mama?

“No!” she hollered, jumping up from her chair. “Taffy’s too little!”

“Andrea,” Mother said, “please do not shout at the table.”

Andi slumped back into her seat. “Sorry, Mother.”

“Taffy is big and strong,” Chad said. “She doesn’t need her mother’s milk anymore.”

Andi scowled when she heard that.

Chad kept talking. “Taffy’s been away from Snowflake before. Don’t you remember? You and Riley got lost and ended up with the Indians.”

“But that was just for one night,” Andi said. “And when we got home, Taffy wouldn’t leave Snowflake. She didn’t even want me to lead her around. Not for a long time.”

Andi took a deep breath. “So I don’t think she wants to try that idea again.”

“She’s ready to do this,” Chad said. He was not smiling now.

“Taffy is my very own horse,” Andi huffed. “I get to decide when she’s ready to do things.”

“No, little sister,” Chad said. “I decide when she’s ready.”

Andi felt all shivery inside. Poor Taffy! She would be lonely for her mother.

“Please wait a little bit longer,” Andi begged.

Chad shook his head. “I have time this weekend. It will only take a few days.”

“But—” A big lump was sticking in Andi’s throat.

Chad stood up. He dropped his napkin on the table.

“You can help me, Andi,” he said. “Or you can stay out of my way. It’s your choice.”

I don’t like that choice! Andi thought.

But she kept the talking back to herself.

Chapter 2

Taffy

Chad left the dining room.

Andi knew where her big brother was going. He was going to the barn. He would take Snowflake outside, far away from Taffy.

Taffy would be left all alone in her stall.

The lump in Andi’s throat grew bigger. Her eyes started to sting.

No crying!

“Eat your breakfast, Andrea,” Mother said.

Andi took a bite of her half-eaten pancakes. They were cold. And squishy. And sticky with syrup.

Yuck!

Andi wasn’t hungry anymore. Bossy Chad had spoiled her breakfast.

Melinda finished eating and asked to be excused. Then Justin left the table.

Finally, Andi’s brother Mitch ate the last pancake. He took his dishes to the kitchen.

Mother and Andi were left sitting at the table.

“Why can’t Taffy stay with Snowflake a little bit longer?” Andi asked. “It wouldn’t hurt anything.”

“Taffy is old enough to leave Snowflake,” Mother said. “There is no reason to wait.”

“But she’ll cry for her mama,” Andi said.

She picked up a napkin and wiped the syrup off her chin. Then she wiped away the tears that had sneaked out of her eyes.

She hoped Mother didn’t see those drippy tears.

“Chad knows a lot more about horses than you do,” Mother said. “You need to trust him. He knows what’s best for Taffy.”

Andi stared at her soggy pancakes. Mother was not on her side. Not today.

She wasn’t on Taffy’s side either.

Mother pushed back her chair and stood up.

That meant the talking was over.

“I think Chad would still like your help,” Mother said. “Take your dishes to the kitchen and run find him. Melinda can gather the eggs today.”

Andi felt a little better when she heard that. For once she didn’t have to tiptoe past that mean old rooster to get the eggs.

Today, Henry the Eighth would be Melinda’s problem.

She smiled a little. “Yes, Mother.”

Andi left her dishes in the kitchen and ran out the back door. 

Halfway to the barn, she saw her friend Riley. He was dumping a pan of water off the cookhouse porch. The water splashed onto the dusty ground.

“Hey, Andi!” Riley yelled.

He set the pan down and ran over. “Let’s get our lassos and find the dogs. We can practice roping them.”

Andi gave Riley a big smile. She suddenly had an idea.

An excellent idea.

And it was not about roping the dogs with a lasso.

Riley could talk to Chad about Taffy and Snowflake!

Riley was eight years old. Two whole years older than Andi. He was smart too. He knew a lot about horses.

Riley would know just what to say to Chad.

But Riley’s eyes got big when Andi told him about Taffy.

His eyes got even bigger when she asked him to talk to Chad.

“Are you crazy?” Riley said. “Cook already got after me this morning. I don’t want your brother mad at me too.”

That’s when Andi remembered that Riley was a little bit scared of Chad.

“Sorry, Riley,” she said.

It was no fun to be scolded by the grumpy ranch cook. It was no fun to be scolded by Chad either.

Just then, Chad poked his head out the barn door.

“Taffy and I sure could use your help, Andi,” he said. “What did you decide?”

Andi scowled. She wanted to tell Chad to leave Taffy and Snowflake alone. She wanted to stomp her foot and tell him he was not the boss.

But Andi did not say those rude words to her brother. Not this time.

She didn’t want Chad to carry her back to the house upside down. She didn’t want Mother to scold her for talking back.

Andi let out a big breath. It was hard to say the right words.

Very hard.

But she walked over to Chad and made those words come out. “I want to help.”

Chad smiled at her. “Good. I’ll take Snowflake out to the pasture. You and Riley stay inside and keep Taffy company.”

Taffy gave a happy nicker when she saw Andi. She swished her creamy white tail. She nuzzled Andi’s shoulder. She nibbled Andi’s hair.

She didn’t seem to care that her mama was gone.

Then Andi brushed Taffy. She had to stand on an upside-down bucket to do it. Her foal was getting so tall!

Taffy stood very still. She liked to be brushed.

“Taffy thinks today is the same as every day,” Andi told Riley. “Maybe she won’t care that Snowflake’s not coming back.”

Riley rubbed Taffy’s nose.

“I think Taffy is in for a big surprise,” he said.

Back to Circle C Sample Chapters ➡️