CHAPTER THREE
Donner Summit was breathtaking. There were
no other words for it, thought Amanda as she looked all around her.
stood at the scenic lookout on old Donner Pass Road looking down at
sparkling Donner Lake. It sat in a bowl surrounded by tall pines,
juniper and mountains with a steep approach from the east and a
gradual approach from the west. People said the lake glimmered from
the gold flakes and mica in it. Shimmering, cold mountain lake…
She had visited the State Park Museum and
learned more about the doomed Donner party who had tried to get
over the mountains before the winter snows, but were too late. As a
counselor, she could empathize with those who lost loved ones, but
she could only wonder what last hours were like for those who
perished. What extraordinary measures some took to stay alive…
Amanda shuddered. Frightening thoughts…
Climbing onto a rocky shelf to get a
different perspective, she caught sight of people on horseback and
knew she had to get back up on a horse. She had been hollowed out
in Sacramento. What was that expression? She was as far from
herself as a hawk from the moon. That seemed appropriate. Too
much city life, maybe… Too much smothering from a clingy mother and
too little attention from an ungrateful boyfriend. She took a deep
breath. Maybe she could figure a few things out up here. It was a
good place to start.
Amanda took several shots of Donner Lake and
its surroundings before climbing down and getting back into her
car. She had been out exploring her new environs before the new job
started on Monday. Being a counselor at a camp for troubled kids
would certainly bring challenges, so she found a small wooden cabin
on the west end of Donner Lake. It was only about five miles from
her job, but would give her the much-needed distance to get away
from it too. The cabin fit her—a small, one bedroom log cabin with
an A-frame roof, stone fireplace and bits and pieces of furniture.
Amanda wasn’t that picky about furniture anyway. As long as the
place was clean and had a decent bed, it would be fine. The front
window was almost as high as the roofline and had a window seat by
it. She envisioned snowy nights by the fire, reading a good book.
She sighed and pulled her car up beside it. Tomorrow she would find
a place to rent a horse. Amanda needed to get back in the saddle
and was ready to do just that.
* * *
The first week in Sonoma, Colt helped with
the eternal grape harvest. He just had to smile remembering how
many harvests he and his family had helped with over the years. Fun
times with a big, loving family. Miles and Joey would, of course,
throw the grapes they picked at each other. Dad would be trying to
get them to behave. Mother, sisters Meg and Janie were all good
grape-pickers, but Janie would get a stomach ache from eating as
many as she picked. Colt wasn’t that old at twenty-four, but he
recognized the speedy passage of time with his memories. He also
realized what a stable foundation he had with the Johnson family
and felt grateful.
The next few weeks were taken up with horse
training. Sam had acquired a few feral mustangs, the ones that are
wild on the range and asked Colt to see what he could do with them.
Communicating with horses was the equestrian gift Colt had and
people would come around to watch him work. His process didn’t vary
too much. Today Sam brought in a new mustang that was acting
aggressively. It had been caught in a Bureau of Land Management
roundup in Nevada and someone in town had bought it. A few cowboys
stood by the corral to watch and to protect Colt, if needed.
Colt walked into the corral and just looked
the horse over. The horse was skittish if he got too close and ran
around the corral looking for a way out. Colt stood in the middle
of the corral and let the horse run. Crouching down in a submissive
position allowed Colt to check the horse for physical problems.
Finding nothing obvious, he straightened up.
“Throw me that rope,” said Colt quietly to
one of the cowboys. He coiled the rope and then threw up his arms
to get the horse to stop running. Time and patience were the keys.
Colt could wait any horse out. When the horse finally stopped to
stare at him, Colt reached out to pat his head. If the horse reared
up or again acted aggressively, he would start all over getting the
horse used to him. Sometimes this would take a day or two—depending
on the horse. Today the horse let him get close. Colt was able to
get a rope on and lead him to the gate in the corral. Another horse
was saddled for Colt, so he opened the gate, mounted the new horse
and led the mustang out into the meadow out back on Sam’s ranch. He
and the mustang rode around and around. They just continued walking
and trotting in circles, as the mustang came to trust him more.
When the horse began chewing, Colt knew he was getting where he
wanted the horse to go. The next few days he would try to saddle
and ride him.
Sam and some other men watched Colt work and
marveled at his technique. Not many cowboys could do this kind of
horse training and Sam was beginning to get a lot of calls for
Colt’s expertise. Jeanne volunteered to be his manager.
After an hour or so, Colt brought the
mustang back into the corral and took the rope off. The mustang was
much calmer than before and could be led to another area with other
horses. Colt was walking back to the house when Jeanne came up with
his cell phone.
“It’s your mother, sweetie.”
“Mom. How are you?” Colt wiped the sweat off
his forehead with his bandanna.
“We miss you. How’s the horse training
going?”
“I’ve only been here a few weeks, but
Grandma is fielding calls for me to go around the state working
with horses. I’m thinking about it. Is Dad there?”
“Sure, he’s waiting to talk to you.” Colt
heard her pass the phone to Sandy.
“Son, how are things? Got any good
horses?”
Colt smiled. “Dad, I may have a business
brewing. I’ve got several appointments around California and Nevada
to work with problem horses. I’m going to travel for a while and
see how it goes. What do you think?” His father’s opinion was
important to him for lots of reasons. Mostly, his father was an
astute businessman, as well as rancher.
“Do it, son. Get all the experience you can.
When you’re ready, we can talk about giving you some acreage to
start your own business here at our ranch. When you’re tired of
traveling, people can bring their horses to you.”
“Wow. Thanks—I hadn’t thought of that angle,
but it sounds great.” Colt spoke to his mother again and promised
to visit them as soon as he could. He knew it would be a while,
though, before he could get back. Finishing the call, he stuck the
phone in a pocket and looked over at his grandfather.
“Sam, got any beer?” He brushed the dust off
his chaps and kicked the mud off his boots before entering the
house.
* * *
Amanda had been working with a young boy for
about two weeks now. They had been talking quietly, when suddenly
he started shrieking and running around her office. Her job as camp
counselor seemed fraught with peril, as she worked through problems
with various kids. She kept quiet and watched him for a while.
Amanda knew he wasn’t physically hurt, so she held out her hands to
keep him from bumping into furniture. The boy finally plopped
exhausted into one of her comfortable chairs. Like one of Colt’s
horses, she had to give him time to get used to her and begin to
trust her. Patience was the key to where she wanted to go with this
boy.
His breathing became normal again, signaling
he was calm. Amanda quietly suggested that they go for a walk.
Walking around and around her building, the boy let Amanda hold his
hand. While walking, he finally told her a few of his fears—father
beatings, mother abandonment, drug use in the home.
It never failed to amaze her how many bad
parents were out there and continuing to have children. The camp
was trying to straighten out damaged children after their parents
had put the kinks there. They talked a while longer and then she
told him when they could meet again.
Taking him back to the recreation area, she
walked over to the lunchroom to grab a bite. Going into the
bathroom to wash her hands, she glanced at her reflection in the
mirror. A different Amanda looked back at her. Sure, her eyes were
still green and her hair a pretty auburn color, but it was someone
more confident—happier…An improved version of the old Amanda. She
liked what she saw.
Her new friend, another counselor named Kim,
called to her, “Over here, Amanda.” Kim was a petite blonde who
used a lot of physical therapy with her clients. You could
generally find her in the pool with a child or two. She sat down
with Kim and waited for the onslaught. It wasn’t long in
coming.
“So how about that movie tonight? It’s the
new Johnny Depp one where he plays Tonto. I know the critics hated
it, but what do they know? Have they ever tried to make a movie?
No, so we won’t listen to the critics.” She seldom paused for
breath.
“Kim...”
“Or, I know… there’s a cool new bar in
Truckee I’ve been dying to try. How about it? Maybe we’ll meet some
cute cowboys.”
“My turn to talk, Kim. Take a bite of your
sandwich.” Amanda winked at her. Kim happily began to eat.
“I wouldn’t mind going to Truckee some time,
but not after work today. I want to try out that new horse at the
stable in town.”
“That’s all you do anymore, Amanda. You’ve
been here a month and must be an expert horsewoman by now. Or is it
equestrian-person? What is the politically correct term
anyway?”
“I guess ‘cowgirl’ would do.”
“That doesn’t sound politically
correct.”
“Horses and this camp are changing me, Kim.
I feel so much better getting out of the polluted city air.”
“You can’t take a horse to bed, Amanda. I
suppose you could, but I never figured you for a Catherine the
Great type of person.” Kim laughed.
“I’ve read Russian history and I think
Catherine’s reputation has been tarnished by that lie. Don’t
perpetrate it…” Amanda gently closed Kim’s mouth when it dropped
open.
“What were we talking about?”
“I’m going riding after work today, but I
promise to come out with you Friday. How would that be?”
“You’re a boring woman, Amanda, preferring a
horse to a guy.”
“I know I’m hopeless. Finish your sandwich,
Kim.”