Texas to Tennessee

One of the best ways to wake up in the morning was by the radio playing “Wildflower” by the JaneDear girls, that was for certain. I smiled as I sat up and got out of my comfortable bed. Things may not be perfect, and I may still miss Texas, but maybe Tennessee wasn’t so bad. I should thank Jackson Mitchell for that. I walked to my closest and got out a blue tank top and some blue jean shorts. I put them on and looked in the mirror. I decided to just flip my hair into a ponytail and not even bother with makeup. Today I had planned on going out to one of the ranches and looking for a horse. I didn’t really have a certain breed in mind, not really anyways. I was going to keep my mind wide open.
I had thought about asking Jackson to help me. I was sure he’d got an eye for good horses when he saw one, but I had left my phone at the bonfire by accident and I didn’t even have his number so either way I couldn’t contact him. When I went downstairs dad was at the kitchen table eating pancakes. It was the first time since we’d moved here that he hadn’t been in a rush on his way out the door.
“Mornin’ sweet pea.” He said, gazing at me over his black coffee.
“Hey...why are you here?” I asked, grabbing myself a few pancakes and sitting down to eat them.
“I thought I’d go into work late today.” He took another bite of his breakfast.
“How come?”
“We need to talk about your birthday. It’s in two days, and your mom...she always knew just what to get you and I...well, I’m lost.” Dad had sad eyes at the mention of my mother, and it was a sore subject for him to mention.
“Don’t worry about it. I really don’t want anything, or need anything.” I lied. I was telling the truth about not wanting or needing anything, anything material anyways. Because if I could get what I really wanted...then it’d be an incredible miracle. But I’m sure he knew what I was thinking; I wanted my mom back.
Dad put his fork down. “You’re turning sixteen. I need to get you something, or at least do something for you. How about you think on it, and let me know. Okay?” He stood up and cleaned his plate off.
I nodded, my mouth full of a gooey goodness.
“What are your plans for the day?” He asked, toying his keys around his finger.
“I was going to ride my bike out to that ranch up the road.”
“The Keller’s Ranch?”
“Yeah. I wanna check out some horses they have.”
“That place is more than five miles from here. They aren’t even considered ‘in town’. You can’t ride your bike over there.”
“Well, I don’t have a ride.”
Dad was just about to say something when the doorbell rang. “Hold that thought.” he said and he went to answer the door. I could hear him talking with whoever it was and then I hear the door close, and two sets of footsteps walk into the kitchen. “Ali, someone’s here to see you.”
I turned to see who it was, my mouth full of another big bite of pancakes; it was Jackson. He was laughing with his eyes, and holding my phone. “Wh--” there was no way I could talk with so much food in my mouth.
This time he actually laughed out loud. “I found your phone last night. I thought I’d return it to you.” Jackson held it out to me, and I took it, my face reddening to the roots.
Painfully and slowly, I swallowed the bite. “thanks” I stared at my phone, unsure of what to say or how to act.
“I’ve got to go to work darlin’, but remember what I said about the Keller ranch.” dad kissed my forehead, “I love you.” he gave Jackson a stern ‘what-you-do-to-her-I-do-to-you’ look and then clomped out of the kitchen.
I waited until I heard the door slam close before I spoke. “Hey” It was all I could say.
Jackson was suddenly standing close. Very very close. So close in fact that I could feel his body heat. “Howdy” he replied.
He leaned in for a kiss, but I turned away. “I need to get to the Keller’s ranch. Could you take me?”
“Sure thang.” He grinned.
I grabbed my chestnut brown boots, which were near the kitchen door, slipped them on and then nodded to him. “Alright then.”

While in that old truck of his, Jackson had put on the radio. We weren’t really having a big conversation, I mean there were little bits and pieces about how the party was last night but neither one of us said anything about the kiss. I don’t know what his reasoning for not saying anything was, but for me it was because I was still trying to sort out my feelings. I rolled down the window to let some fresh air rush in.
“Who’s Chance?” Jackson asked randomly.
I felt my heart skip a beat or two as it began to pick up the pace. “Umm..just an old friend from Texas. Why?”
Jackson's grip on the steering wheel got tighter; he knew it was more than just a friendship. “Just curious. He called and texted your phone a lot last night.”
“You went through my phone?!?!”
“No! When I found it I picked it up and turned it on, just to see who’s it was. I realized it was yours by the screen picture, but suddenly it was nearly blowing up in my hand with a thousand missed texts and calls by some boy in your contact list named Chance.” Jackson glanced over at me. “I was just askin’.”
I sighed, “Chance was an old boyfriend. He wasn’t a serious boyfriend or anything, he was just there and now he isn’t.” I looked out the window some more. “You shouldn’t worry about any competition.” That was the first relationship thing I had said to Jackson, but he didn’t acknowledge it even if he had caught on.

Not even ten minutes later we were pulling into the Keller’s large and long paved driveway. From what I had heard about the family, they’d raised and sold horses for many generations. They never sold a horse to just anybody and the horses were well taken care of by the farm hands and the family. It seemed just like my old ranch.
Once he’d parked, Jackson spoke. “Let’s go find you a horse.” He got out and ran around to my side to open the door. “I know the Keller’s real well, so I’ll be able to find the best horse they have. Don’t you worry.”
“Okay.” I smiled up at him.
We walked down the paved driveway which eventually turned into red dirt as we got closer to the main stables. I could smell the horses, and it was like they called to me. I longed to just run into the barn and kiss every soft nose in there, but Jackson said we should say “hello” to Mr. Wayne Keller. We went to this smaller building that look very much like a shed. Jackson knocked on the door. Inside, I could hear loud foot steps walk to the door. I was surprised when the man who answered the door wasn’t very large. He was a little heavy set, but definitely had himself a pack of muscles. Mr. Keller was wearing a grey t-shirt and some muddy overalls, with the dirtiest boots I’d ever laid eyes on.
“Jackson! Nice to see you!” Mr. Keller grasped Jacksons hand in a firm, friendly welcome and then he put his eyes on me. “And you brought a girl! Whatta pretty little thing she is.” Mr. Keller was smiling away, not noticing how red Jackson had gotten. I just toed the ground with my boot.
“Wayne, this is Ali Grey. She comes from Texas.” Jackson put his arm around my waist, and pulled me forward.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Keller.” I took the hand he was holding out.
“Now you call me Wayne, little darlin’, you hear?” Wayne’s toothy grin was enough to make anyone smile.
“Yes sir.” I giggled.
Jackson spoke up again, “She’s looking for a horse.”
Wayne and Jackson began to talk business, and I just kept looking over my shoulder at the barn behind me. Oh how I longed to go inside. Wayne must’ve recognized my type because he sent me out there to go check them out. As I was walking away I heard Mr. Keller say, “She looks like a keeper.” and then Jackson replied with a “She is.” I smiled bigger than I ever had. After that, I went into a jog.
The barn smelled just like any other barn, and I took three deep breaths of that air. Both walls were lined with stalls, each with a horse inside. I went to each one and stroked them, kissing and cooing to each of them. They all seemed to take a liking to me, but I had more of this acreage to explore before choosing a horse. I went out the back way and down the the pasture, the one that was holding all the horses in with a white fence. Glancing around, I saw no one. So I climbed between to rails and got inside that green area. In only seconds of me being there four horses at least 15hh had come up to me, and were begging for love. I must’ve looked like a child at a toy store. I knew I probably shouldn’t be in that pasture, so I started to make my way out but just as I was halfway through the fence I heard a loud whinning noise. I looked to see who it was coming from. It was coming from the horse in the far left hand corner. I ran out to see what was the trouble. As I got closer the horse back further and further away from me, which was a first. I stopped in my tracks, squatted down and stayed there.
“Hey...” I cooed. “I wont hurt you.” I held my hand out. I kept repeating comforting words at a whisper in hopes to make the horse realize that I wasn’t trying to harm it. I was there for ten minutes, at least. I was beginning to give up hope, since the only thing that chestnut horse had done was continued to walk backwards. But then she shook her mane, and lazily walked up to me, dropping each shoulder with a beat. I stayed perfectly still, afraid that any sudden movement would scare her off. The horse nudged me twice and then another time. So slowly I held my hand out and waited for her to put her nose in it. She did.
I was overwhelmed by what had just happened. I didn’t know a single thing about this horse, except for the fact that I got this amazing sensation when she was next to me.
I smiled. “Hey darlin” She shook her head and nudged me, snorting. I knew it wasn’t a bad sign though. I glanced up along the fence and saw Wayne and Jackson standing there. Wayne’s face looked so surprised, and then he said some words and Jackson looked shocked too. “How ‘bout we go see what they’re talking about, okay?” I asked the shy horse, who had seemed to over come her fear of me in a matter of minutes. I started to walk slowly towards the gate, looking over my right shoulder to see if the horse would follow. She did. We walked slowly towards the boys, and as we got closer it seemed the slower she wanted to go. But finally, we did get there, but she kept her distance from the fence.
“Hey y’all.” I said, smiling at their still shocked faces.
“Ali...how did you even get near that mare?” Wayne asked, his eyes transfixed on the horse two feet behind me.
I looked at her, and then back at Wayne. “I just sat there and she eventually came to me.” I hadn’t thought it was a big deal, but obviously it was an accomplishment; I could tell that by the next look on his face. “Why?”
Jackson spoke up this time. “Wayne was telling me how she’s a rescue horse and the second she came out of that trailer no ones been able to touch her, except the vet, who had to sedate her.”
Wayne took over from there. “She’s a spooked horse, I was thinking that she was a lost cause. I mean, we get scared horses all the time, but eventually they lighten up.” Wayne went from gazing at the horse to gazing at me. “She chose you.”
“What do you mean?” I frowned, glancing at her and then at Jackson, then back to Wayne.
“She has chosen you. She trusts you. You’re her voice. Her whisperer.”