Gentling Whirlwind

by Naomi B. 

“TWO WEEKS?”

Chad’s bellow could be heard all the way outside where twelve-year old Andi was saddling up her golden palomino, Taffy. Working on the Circle C could be dangerous. Normally Chad was shouting orders around the ranch; this yell was only for the doctor. Chad had broken his leg in a cattle stampede and was now loudly protesting that his leg was out of commission.

Oh brother, thought Andi. I’m glad I’m outside this time. Nothing gets Chad like missing out on ranch work. After their father died, Chad took over most of the duties as ranch boss. He took them very seriously.

As Andi led Taffy out of the barn, a beautiful dappled gray caught her eye. Whirlwind? Chad had promised to let her help gentle the tall horse. Little chance for that now that he was on crutches. Heaving a long sigh, Andi mounted Taffy and galloped away. Nothing beat a good ride to forget one’s troubles.

When the shadows started lengthening Andi turned around, returning in plenty of time to give Taffy a good rubdown and wash her face for dinner. Arriving at the table on time and presentable caused quite a stir, but soon Chad’s injury and ranch affairs dominated the conversation.

Andi sat quietly, lost in her thoughts until Chad’s voice broke through. “Andi, I’m talking to you,” he repeated impatiently. “I have a job for you tomorrow.”

Andi’s heart sunk. “Just when I thought that there were no more chores,” she muttered. Looking up, she saw Mitch grinning and Chad’s eyes crinkling in laughter.

“Sure Andi; I can get one of the hands to help. I just thought that since I’d promised to let you help with Whirlwind…”

“Help with Whirlwind?!” Andi was so excited that she nearly knocked over her glass of milk.

“Yup. You’ll have to be ready bright and early; there’s a lot to get done. You do know this will take time, right?”

“Of course! But I can do this; you’ll see.” Andi could barely contain her delight. Gentling a wild horse was one of the most thrilling jobs on the ranch, but also a dangerous one. Maybe her family finally realized that twelve was old enough to do some of the more important things around the ranch.

That night she went to bed without complaining. Since Chad was letting her help out, she wasn’t taking any chances. The next morning, Andi was awake when the shadows began to pale in the gray light of dawn. She dressed and got down to the barn before many of the ranch hands had gotten up.

I get to help with Whirlwind! her mind sang as she got her regular chores out of the way. Wouldn’t everyone be impressed? Tiptoeing inside, the smell of coffee and pancakes greeted her. Throughout breakfast, Andi’s smile remained fixed on her face. When the Bible was read and Andi excused, she jumped to follow Chad. He took a while to hobble to Whirlwind’s corral. Andi dragged a chair out for him while she waited.

“The first lesson happens before you enter the corral. Let the horse get to know you. Speak softly and don’t startle him, otherwise, he might spook and you could get hurt or…”

Andi remembered her recent escapade with Virginia. “I know how to act around horses,” she retorted confidently.

Chad raised an eyebrow. “Go ahead,” he invited.

Andi did. She walked over to the fence, smiling at Whirlwind and talking to him. “That’s Chad, back there,” she said softly. “He’s actually letting me near you and we’ll show him that we can do anything together, won’t we? Chad won’t regret letting me help. I’ll have you saddled up and ready to ride in no time.” Andi reached out to stroke Whirlwind’s forehead, but he moved away, tossing his head.

“Trust, Andi. It’s something that you build up, not just get in two seconds. Keep talking to him and he’ll come around. These things take time.” Chad’s voice was an unwelcome sound.

Andi nearly turned around to glare at him, but instead she muttered, “We’ll show him, Whirlwind. I helped with Taffy and I’ll do it with you, too. Bossy old Chad will see, whether he likes it or not.”

Chad was right. Trust didn’t happen in two seconds, not in two minutes, not even in two hours. Whirlwind liked the treats that Andi gave him, but when she reached out to stroke him, he would shy away. Andi was glad when the lunch bell rang and she was excused from her work.

“Leave the chair here, Andi.” Chad shook his head as she moved to bring his seat back to the house. “You aren’t giving up already, are you?”

Andi bristled. “Of course not! Carters don’t quit.” How long will this take? she wondered, but if the morning was any indication, it would take a good long time.

“Are you hungry, Andrea, or should I ask Luisa to come take your plate?” Mother asked. Everyone else had already been excused.

Still, Andi couldn’t tell Mother what was really on her mind. She was just stalling. With a sigh, Andi scooped up a couple of large forkfuls and shoved them into her mouth under a disapproving, but relieved gaze.

“Are you ready to help Chad again?” Mother asked innocently.

“Of course!” Andi tried to sound excited as she plastered a smile on her face and left the dining room. A nice fishing trip sounds a lot more fun than trying to gentle a stubborn horse, Andi thought. Plopping on her felt hat to protect her from the hot California sun, Andi marched over to Whirlwind’s corral.

Chad was already waiting. “What took you so long?” he asked. Not waiting for an answer, he directed Andi to get Taffy out of the stable. Andi hoped that he’d planned a long ride, but Chad had other ideas. “When Whirlwind sees how Taffy acts, he’ll come around,” Chad explained. “It could still take a while, though.”

Andi pampered the two horses all afternoon long, but Whirlwind remained as wild as ever. Chad seemed happy with the progress, so Andi promised to be out bright and early the following morning. This was only the first day, of course it had been hard. She was just being impatient.

“Well, if that’s the lesson you want me to learn, Lord,” Andi prayed that night, “I’ll work on my patience and perseverance.”

It took two more days before Whirlwind stayed when Andi touched him. Though it seemed oddly like an extra chore, Andi worked with Whirlwind hour after hour, week after week. Saddle training, lead training, bit training;

This is taking up all my time, she thought. Since I decided to be responsible, I miss out on everything; I haven’t even taken Taffy on a long ride since I started.

Andi fell into bed each night tired and frustrated but unwilling to admit defeat. Tired and determined to get Whirlwind trained, she rolled out again in the morning.

Some days Chad came out to help. There were mishaps along the way; the first time Andi approached Whirlwind inside the fence he refused to come to her for anything. Andi slowly chased him around the corral. Chad sat smiling in his chair.

“Stop laughing at me, Chad Carter!” Andi snapped, stopping her chase for a moment. Whirlwind nickered softly and came right over. You didn’t have to make a fool of me in front of Chad, Andi thought. Cautiously, she began brushing him.

Thankfully, Andi’s hard work paid off and Whirlwind remained calm despite Chad’s cautions. Finally, the day came when Whirlwind didn’t fight against the saddle on his back. Nobody else was around; still Andi felt a rush of pride.

I’m almost there! she thought happily. With renewed energy, Andi threw herself into her work, determined to finish her task and to do it well. Unfortunately, getting Whirlwind to accept a rider was another challenge. Andi had helped with Taffy, but Taffy began training when she was a foal. Whirlwind, on the other hand, was steeped in his wild ways.

“Have patience,” Mother said.

“Give it some time,” Chad added.

“Time flies when you’re having fun,” Mitch said, trying to cheer Andi up.

One evening, after Andi should have been asleep, she heard her family talking about her. Though they were glad that she was doing chores and staying out of trouble, she had them all worried. None of them could figure out why Andi wasn’t her usual cheerful self, especially since she was getting to do what she had always wanted - helping out on the ranch.

“She’s doing a great job at it,” Chad was saying. “I couldn’t have spent that much time with Whirlwind myself. The rest of the ranch keeps me plenty busy.”

“Be careful, big brother,” Mitch teased. “Andi might put you out of business.”

 He sure won’t have to worry about that. As Andi headed back to her room, she glanced at the calendar hanging on the wall. AUGUST 1881. The bold letters seemed to leap off the page.

Andi breathed in a quick gasp. The summer couldn’t be halfway over already? Could it? Only half the summer left and Whirlwind still needed to be trained. Where would she find the time to do all of the things that she had planned?

Let Chad train Whirlwind, Andi thought. His leg is better and he knows what to do with him. You can’t lose the second half of your summer, too.

Shaking her head in the darkness, Andi told herself: Be responsible. Show Chad that you can finish a task. Andi imagined how proud her family would be when she rode up on Whirlwind’s back. Conflicted, she lit a candle stub and pulled out her Bible. Flipping to where her bookmark lay in Matthew 16, Andi realized that she hadn’t read it in a while.

“I’m sorry, Lord,” she whispered. “Help me to remember You and do what You want me to.” As the candle threatened to flicker out, her eyes fell on verse 24. “Then Jesus said to His disciples, ‘If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.’”

I’ll do it. Andi promised. I’ll do the hard thing and follow You.

Nevertheless, when Sunday rolled around, Andi was miserable. “Hey Andi! Do you want to go fishing and racing with Jack and I tomorrow? It’ll be lots of fun!” Cory promised.

Andi hated to answer that she had to help with Whirlwind.

Cory’s face fell and he turned to go talk with Jack, who made a face at her. Is this the cross you want me to carry, Lord? Andi asked.

Looking for a faithful friend, Andi found none; even Rosa was away with other girls. It was useless to ask why none of them included her; she knew. Time spent with Whirlwind was time away from her friends. Was it worth it? She was learning responsibility and patience, but she might have been losing her best friends.

Gulping away the lump in her throat, Andi waited alone until it was time to leave. She felt awful for disappointing her friends. I could ask Chad! Andi thought eagerly, but she knew that she would never have the courage to make the request. Was responsibility always this hard?

Right after breakfast the next morning, Andi dutifully headed out. She did her old chores first; anything was better than training Whirlwind. Having finished her more enjoyable tasks, Andi turned to give Taffy a sugar lump. What? Another horse stood in Taffy’s stall!

“CHAD!” Andi bellowed. Ranch hands turned, but Andi didn’t care.

Chad hurried over. “What’s wrong, Andi?” he asked.

“Where is Taffy?” Andi demanded furiously.

“Sorry for scaring you little sister. We put her out on the range yesterday. She wasn’t getting enough exercise because you’re always with Whirlwind.”

The buildup of emotion from her month of hard work left Andi with two options: cry or get mad. I will NOT cry in front of Chad. “This is what I get for being responsible?” she exclaimed.

“What are you talking about?” Chad asked, confused.

Finally, Andi was able to explain that gentling Whirlwind had sounded fun, but it had been hard and time consuming. She poured out how she had wanted to go riding, fishing and racing, but she’d needed to be responsible so that her family wouldn’t think she was a quitter.

Then she repeated to Chad her conversation with Cory and that now she had no friends, not even a horse. “…And now I’ve wasted half my summer!” she wailed.

“You know, responsibility doesn’t mean only doing chores all day,” he said.

Andi looked up, surprised. “Sometimes you need to be responsible in other ways; taking care of your friendships and horses,” he paused. “And sometimes you have to do some things for yourself. God doesn’t want you to be miserable.”

What Chad said made a lot of sense. “What do I do now?” Andi moaned. “I’ve messed up everything!”

“Get your saddle,” Chad answered in his no-nonsense tone.

Andi quickly obeyed.

Chad led her to Whirlwind’s pen. “I’ve been watching, and he’s ready,” he stated. “Go ahead.”

Andi hesitated. “Really?” she asked, entering before Chad could answer.

Whirlwind wasn’t fazed when Andi threw the saddle on his back and accepted both the bit and bridle. Andi stood, ready to mount. “Let’s do this, Whirlwind,” she told the magnificent horse. “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me,” she whispered as she mounted up.

Whirlwind sidestepped, unaccustomed to the weight on his back, but there was no attempt to throw her. Squeezing his sides, Andi clucked, “Giddy-up!”

The horse responded perfectly, so different from the wild, untamable stallion that had arrived a few months earlier. Together, Chad and Andi rode out to the range.

“Why don’t you unsaddle Whirlwind?” Chad suggested. “Get Taffy ready and take her into town. Ask Cory if you can still come along. An apology might help.”

“You mean, I’m free?” Andi asked.

“Of course! That was a great first ride! Whirlwind might need a little more training, but you have gentled him. You spent more time with him than I would have. It’s too bad you didn’t realize that sooner. If you keep up this standard, I might hire you full-time,” Chad responded.

“I’ll definitely be keeping my responsibilities straight,” Andi smiled. “Thanks, Chad. I’m glad you trusted me to train Whirlwind.”

“You’re welcome… Now go work on your other responsibilities.”

“Yes Boss! See you!” As Andi rode towards town, she thought about the last month. It hadn’t been wasted, but she couldn’t wait to spend the next one having fun. Whirlwind would always be special, but family, friends, and Taffy came first.

Thanks Lord, for teaching me that, Andi prayed as she rode away. Chad and Whirlwind faded to specks on the horizon. And now, will you please help me with my friends?

Smiling, Andi galloped. She knew that the Lord would answer.

VOTE OR READ MORE ENTRIES >>