Forgiving Johnny

by Jaylee

Chapter 1

“Andi,” yelled Chad.

That wasn’t his normal yell, I wonder way. Andi ran down stairs at the tone of his second call.

“Andi.”

At least he wasn't mad about something, cause when he yells the whole ranch can hear him.

“I'm here,” answered Andi.

 “Andi I just got news that Aunt Rebecca is coming.”

“Okay, I need to go ride Shasta, I might not get to while she's here,” Andi ran towards the door but Chad stopped her.

”That's not all, she's bringing her friend’s granddaughter.”

 “Okay?” Why is that important? Andi pushed the door but Chad blocked her way,

“Wait, there is more,” a crooked smile crept onto his face,” She is sixteen years old.”

“Oh no, I'm going to ride Shasta.” How am I going to survive?

    ***

   “Come on Shasta, I might not be able to ride you for a while. I hope this girl isn't stuck up.” Andi rode Shasta to her favorite spot be the creek. Since it was mid July the creek felt cool in the California sun. Andi took off her boots and waded in the creek.

“Ouch,” cried Andi as she looked to see what she stepped on. She picked up a dirty, gold and silver locket with a picture of a two teenage girls. One of the girls looked familiar, but she couldn’t tell who. Andi sat under a tree to study the locket but quickly fell asleep.

Chapter 2

      “ Okay, okay, I’ll get up,” laughed Andi as Shasta nudged her with her nose. “ What time is it?” Andi look into the sky. “Oh no, Shasta we better hurry.” Andi pulled up her boats and mounted Shasta. “If I don’t hurry I’ll miss the dinner.” Andi trotted Shasta into the sunset.

   “ Andi,” said Melinda, “ Hurry up and get dressed, we have company.” Already thought Andi as she raced upstairs. Aunt Rebecca never gives us much of a notice. Andi pulled off her riding outfit and tossed them on the floor. I gonna have to clean my room. She pulled on her dress, brushed her hair, and threw it up. I’m gonna try my best to please Aunt Rebecca.

“ Andrea, hurry down stairs, we can’t leave our guests waiting.”

Andi hopped on the banister and slide down with a thud.

“ Andi you’re sixteen.”  Andi looked up at Justin and jumped into his arms.

 “You’re home!”

 “Let’s not keep our guests waiting.” They walked into the dining room then sat down.

 “ Hello Andrea,” said Aunt Rebecca. 

    “How do you do?”

    “ I’m fine. Andrea this is Addison Johnson. Addison this is Andrea Carter.”

    “ You can call me Andi for short.”

    “You should be called Andrea. It is a really pretty name. Do not waste it for a boy name like Andy.”

    “ Yes ma’am.” 

Aunt Rebecca talked the whole time.

I hope Addison keeps to herself so I don’t have a city slicker bugging me all afternoon.

    “ Andrea please show Addison around, She will be staying here for a few weeks.”

A few weeks! I can’t do that.

   “Yes ma’am.” When they had left the dining room Andi said, “So Addison.”

   “You can call me Addy If you like.”

   “ Okay, Addy where do you want to see first?”

   “ How about the barn, I hear Circle C Ranch has the best and most beautiful horses in California.”

   “ It’s true, my mare had twins about two or three years ago.”

  “ Twins! You have to show me. I love horses.”

  “So do I.” Maybe it won't be so bad after all. “This is Shasta, he’s the one of the colts. Taffy died last year and my friend owns Sunny.”

Addy couldn't say anything else as she stared at the beautiful chocolate palomino colt.

 “So do you want to go riding someday?” Andi asked. I hope she knows how to ride.

  “Sure, do you think we can go riding tomorrow?”

  “Of course,” answered Andi hoping they could get away long enough to ride.

Chapter 3

After breakfast the next morning the girls headed straight to the barn.

“Howdy Andi.” Andi swung around to see Riley Prescott standing there.

“Howdy Riley, this is Addy, she is going to be staying here for a few weeks.”

Riley tipped his hat. “How do you do Miss Addy.”

   “Good, thank you.”

   “Addy this is Patches, you can ride him if you want.”

   “Sure.”

   “I just came to get Prince Loco Jr for training, bye.” Riley walked out leading Shasta.

When the girls had groomed and saddled their horses they mounted and rode towards the creek. “Addy, I want to show you something I found in the creek.” Andi pulled out the locket a showed it to Addy.

   “Wow, the girl in this picture looks familiar to me,” said Addy.

  “Really, I think the  other girl looks familiar.”

  “I wonder who they are?”

  “Wait, let's go to the house, I want to show you something,” said Addy as she mounted Patches. They rode all the way home without saying anything. “Here,” Addy handed her a picture of one of the girls. “It's my grandmother.”

 “Take out the picture in the locket, then we can see it better,” said Andi.

 “It’s definitely the same person.”

 “Who's the other girl.”

 “Don't know.”

 “Andrea, we are going to look thru some photos later for Melinda’s wedding, okay,” said her mother as she walked through the door.

 “ Okay, can Addison look thru them with me?”

  “Of course, I'm so glad you and Addison are getting along.” Andi and Addison decided to ride into town with Justin. They were walking down the street when They bumped into none other than Johnny Wilson.

  “Howdy Andi.”

  “Howdy Johnny, we must be going.”

  “Andi I'm really sorry.”

  “Okay, I got to go.”

  “You don't believe me do you?”

  “You're right, I don't.”

   “Okay,” sighed Johnny.

   “Come on Addy, let's go find Cory.”

   “I heard about your cousin Andi.”

   “Johnny, you don't have to follow me.”

   “Okay, I just thought if you can't forgive me, maybe we can just be friends.”

  “Maybe, see you later Johnny.”

  “Bye.”

  “Andi.”

  “Johnny stop, oh hi Cory, this is Addy.”

  “Johnny huh, you thought I was him?”

  “Nothing.”

  “I heard about you cousin.”

  “Cory Blake, I have a friend with me.”

  “Oh, howdy.” Cory’s manners sure are rusty.

   “How do you do?”

   “Fine, thanks. So Andi it is true?”

  “Do you want to come over and ride with me and Addy?”

   “Sure.”

Chapter 4

 When they all got back to the ranch they saddled their horses and headed to the creek.

   “So Cory me and Addy want to tell you something.”

    “Andi was at the creek and stepped on a locket…”

   “It had two pictures of teenage girls…”

   “Andi showed it to me and it has another picture of one if the girls…”

   “It's her grandmother, and I think the other picture is familiar.”

   “Wow, can I see the locket?”

   “Sure, here.” Cory looked it over. He gave it back and then they had a surprise.

   “Howdy.”

   “Johnny Wilson, why are you here?”

   “I thought we were friends.”

   “I said maybe…meaning no.”

   “But…”

   “Howdy, Andi.” It can’t be.

   “Andi, who is this?” asked Addy.

Chapter 5

“Why does my head hurt so much?” asked Andi.

 “How else am I gonna get you to come quietly cuz.”

 “Daniel, but you’re in…”

 “Broke out.”

 “Daniel?” asked Johnny confused.

 “John Wilson.”

 “Why do you want us?”

 “Why not? Kidnapping a bunch of kids and holding a ransom is a good enough reason for me. Besides Andi owes me for squawkin.”

 “ You can't hold me captive.”

 “Andi, I told you not to tell but you did.”

 “Daniel, let's make a deal,” said Johnny.

 “What kind of deal?”

 “You let Andi and her friends go and can keep me.”

 “Why would I do that? I ain’t no fool, everybody knows that the Carters have a lot of money.”

  “My pa has more than they do.”

  “I get your idea, tell me more.”

 “ Not until you let them go.”

  “Okay,  I see how you’re play’n. Put on these blindfolds if you want to go home.” He must really be sorry then. Andi and her friends slipped on the blindfolds and let Daniel tie them up.

Chapter 6

 “Andi Carter, why are you tied up and blindfolded?” yelled Chad.

 “It's a long story.”

 “Then you better start talking.”

Andi told Chad about Daniel and Johnny as Chad untied them.

  “Johnny was telling the truth and now he's with Daniel till Mr. Wilson pays him a lot of money.”

  “Do you know where they are?”

  “South from here that all I could tell with the blindfold.”

  “How could you even tell that?” asked Addy.

  “I slid my blindfold up.”

  “Oh, smart.”

  “I'm going into town to get a posse together, I might not be back for a few days.”

  “Let me go,” begged Cory.

  “No.”

  “I'm not a boy anymore, I'm almost eighteen years old.”

  “Okay, let's see what your pa says.”

  “Yes sir.”

Chapter 7

 It has been two days. No sign of any of them. Maybe they're lost. Aunt Rebecca says that they probably just have not found them yet. I'm so worried.

  “Andrea.”

  “Yes Mother.”

  “Go outside.” Most of the time she tells me to stay inside.

  “Okay. Chad! Did you find him?”

 “Yes.”

 “That's so good and your home just in time to go thru the photos with us.”

 “I think I'm gonna get me some food and get to bed.”

 “Okay.”

  “Andi, come here,” yelled Addy.

 “Coming.”

 “Look what I found when we were going thru the pictures.”

 “It looks just like the pictures from the locket.”

 “Better, I asked your mother about it she said it was her mother.”

 “Cool.”

 “Mother, Mother, Mother.”

 “Andrea Rose, what is the meaning of this outburst.”

 “Sorry Aunt Rebecca, but Mother, Addy told me about the picture and it is the same one in a locket I found in the creek a few weeks ago…”

 “A locket?”

 “Yes and Addy has a picture of her grandmother and it is the same person as one in the locket,!”

 “Wow, can I look at this locket Andrea?”

 “Of course, here.”

 “It can't be.”

 “What is it Mother.”

 “This is the locket my mother gave to me with her best friend, her sister-in-law, that I lost on a cattle drive years ago.”

 “Wow.”

“Addy, we're cousins!”

***

A week after Addy left Andi's mother sent her to town to pick up some flour.

 “Andi.”

 “Johnny, look I'm very sorry I didn't believe you.”

 “I don't know what made me think you would.”

 “I guess we can be friends now.”

 “Okay.”

 “Johnny Wilson, what are you doing in Fresco?” They turned around to see Jack Goodwin walking toward them.

 “Jack I'm sorry.”

 “Yeah right, why would I believe that?”

 “Cause it’s true,” Andi said.

 “Andi? You believe him.”

 “He proved it.”

 “I guess it's true then.”

 “I'm glad you think so Jack, can we be friends?”

 “Of course.”

I never thought I'd ever be friends with Johnny. I always thought of him as my enemy. I glad that's over. Thank you God. I still need a little help trusting him though.

                             The End