Mysteries, Thieves, and a Horse

 by Trinity Santoro

Memory Creek Ranch, California, Late Fall, 1886

When Riley Prescott turned from adjusting his horse’s saddle, he wasn’t prepared for what he saw. “Whoa!” he exclaimed. “Whose horse is that?”

The strange gold-and-white pinto, its eyes wide and frightened, skidded to a halt in front of Riley. When it calmed, Riley stepped closer. The thin horse whinnied uneasily, but soon realized from Riley’s soothing voice that he meant no harm.

“Easy, boy,” murmured Riley. His mind was racing. Whose horse is this? Why is it here? Riley knew that, whatever the case, he needed to help this lost stallion.

********

Riley and his wife, Andi, fed, watered, and bathed the scrawny stallion by noon. The weary pinto was now resting in a stall. Riley had sent a cowhand to Fresno to buy the supplies he’d needed, but now Riley decided to go himself to see if anyone knew who owned the mysterious horse.

He and Andi asked around town if anyone was missing a male palomino pinto roughly five years old with the Line R brand—Riley himself didn’t recognize the brand. No one had. After an hour of inquiry, Riley and Andi returned home in thoughtful silence.

As they trotted into their yard, Jo, their cowhand, jogged up to them. “Hey, Boss,” he called. “That brand belongs to my friend, Carl Stevens. His ranch is near Sacramento. I’m going there soon to visit relatives—do you think I could take him his horse?”

Riley hesitated. “I don’t know,” he replied. “Let me think about it.”

Later, Riley moaned to Andi, “What do I do? I don’t trust Jo enough to be sure the horse is Carl’s, but… what if it is?”

After much consideration, Riley agreed to let Jo take the horse to Carl’s ranch. When Jo had gone, Riley couldn’t shake the feeling that something wasn’t right.

*******

The following week, after Jo had returned from his vacation, Riley and Andi met a new family visiting their church. Bryan and Baylee Pruitt greeted them and introduced their three children: Macy, Dillon, and Kole. Dillon and Kole smiled and spoke to them politely, but Macy stared away, eyes brimming in tears.

When Riley asked about her, Bryan sighed. “Her horse disappeared a couple weeks ago when we were in Fresno Flats.”

Riley froze. “What did it look like?”

“A palomino pinto named Gold Dancer,” Bryan replied. “He’s six years old, and—”

Riley’s heart sank in horror. Oh, no—the horse wasn’t Carl’s! “Andi, we’ve got to get back to the ranch! I need to talk to Jo.”

*******

On the road home, Riley urged the horses into a lope. “Why did I ever trust Jo?” Riley muttered. “I should’ve known better. Now Macy might never see her horse again.”

“Riley,” Andi interrupted. “You had no idea Jo was going to lie. Maybe it was an honest mistake; we won’t know until we ask him.”

“He’s going to pick up his pay!” Riley promised.

But Riley didn’t need to fire Jo. When they arrived home, they found no trace of him except the note on his bunk:

Sorry I had to leave so suddenly. Something urgent came up. -Jo

Andi groaned. “Now how will we find Macy’s horse?”

*******

When Riley told Sheriff Matthew Cooper, the reply was: “It’s possible you’ll never see this horse again.”

“But now we know they’re nearby,” Riley insisted. “Isn’t that reason enough to go after them?”

Sheriff Cooper shook his head. “They could be anywhere by now—up to San Francisco to sell the horses, or even down to Mexico. When they’re nearby, we’ll—”

“Sheriff!” a voice bawled. “Someone stole two of my horses!” Sam Blake, the owner of the livery, burst into Sheriff Cooper’s office. “Luke Anderson rented two horses from me, and while he was in the store, someone untied them from the hitching post and stole them!”

Riley glanced over at Sheriff Cooper. “Now will you go after the thieves?”

Sheriff Cooper was already up. “Sam, get horses ready for me and some deputies.”

Sam whirled and dashed off. Riley leapt up. “I’m coming, too.”

In minutes, Sheriff Cooper, Riley, and three other recruited deputies were mounted and galloping off towards the Sierra Nevada Mountains. Three witnesses had claimed they saw a black-clad rider leading another horse gallop in that direction.

“No doubt they have a hide-out up there,” Sheriff Cooper had mused.

They rode hard for an hour and a half, looking for tracks and discussing the large horse-thieving ring. Riley had a suspicion of where the thief was headed, but before he could suggest the idea, Sheriff Cooper yanked his horse to a halt.

“Look, men!” he exclaimed, pointing. “A horseshoe. One of the stolen horses must’ve dropped it. Hopefully, this can help us catch up.”

Riley inspected the shoe and nodded. “This was dropped recently.” He nudged his horse, Dakota, after the sheriff. “Sheriff Cooper!” he called. “I know this area—it’s part of my land. I think I know where the thieves are headed.”

Sheriff Cooper slowed his horse to a lope. “I’m listening.”

“Well, up by the Sierras, there’s a big formation of striated rocks. Andi and I have gone there a few times, and it looks like a perfect hiding place for thieves.”

“It’s worth a shot,” Sheriff Cooper grunted. “If I were a thief trying to hide from the law, I’d pick a spot like that. Let’s check it out.”

Riley described the Banded Rocks for Sheriff Cooper, explaining how it was practically a maze of boulders, cliffs, and caves. “They must’ve hidden the horses elsewhere,” Riley mused. “Horses can’t fit in there.”

“Wait—look!” Sheriff Cooper halted the group, put a finger to his lips, and pointed. They had just ridden over a foothill, and a man with two horses was visible traveling up towards a thin distant line of gray.

So, he is headed for the Banded Rocks, Riley thought.

“C’mon!” Sheriff Cooper yelled. “We’ve got to catch him before he gets away!” He spurred his horse and pursued the escaping man.

Riley urged Dakota forward, caught Sheriff Cooper, and matched his stride. Just as Riley thought they must be catching up, the thief glanced back—and saw them. Then he was gone, hidden by thick woods.

Sheriff Cooper urged his horse faster, but the gelding was tiring. After a few long minutes, Riley and Sheriff Cooper reached the Banded Rocks, but there was no trace of the thief. Riley and Sheriff Cooper halted, waiting for the deputies to catch up.

They didn’t wait long. “Well,” Jake Saint mused when Riley explained their predicament, “if horses can’t fit in the hideout you described, and the thief was mounted, we can expect that he isn’t in there.”

“But,” Riley argued, “we can also expect the thief to not lead us to the rest of the group.”

“Riley has a point,” Sheriff Cooper interrupted. “I think that the rest of the thieves might be hidden in these rock formations.”

After they tied their horses to a tree, Riley led the posse between two boulders. He held a finger to his lips as he glanced around for hidden foes. Seeing none, they proceeded deeper into the maze of rocks. Riley pulled his pistol from its holster. He rounded a corner, froze, and lurched backwards. Plowing into Sheriff Cooper, the two tumbled to the ground. A bullet whizzed over their heads. Riley fired back and heard a yelp, then silence. They retreated behind a boulder.

Riley mentally counted who they had: He, Sheriff Cooper, and three other deputies were about to approach a thief group of—how many? Sheriff Cooper hadn’t said.

Sheriff Cooper made sure all the men were armed before discussing the plan. “I had hoped to use the advantage of surprise, but I think they know we’re here. We can’t all be together—Jake, Eli, and Tim—” he pointed at the three deputies— “you all find somewhere to hide in the rocks and sneak up to their camp. Riley and I will advance from here and—”

Bang! A bullet ricocheted off a rock nearby. “Now!” Sheriff Cooper yelled. “Go!”

Jake, Eli, and Tim scrambled out of sight while Riley and Sheriff Cooper covered them, returning fire on their attackers. Riley caught sight of four men—armed, with guns aimed at the small posse. A shot from Eli dropped the nearest one.

When the four men were gone—two had been shot and the other two retreated—Riley cautiously advanced. Sheriff Cooper followed, his steel gray eyes darting around to spot their next foe.

How did I ever get myself into this mess? Riley wondered. I’m inside a group of rock formations, trying to find a dangerous band of horse thieves—

As Riley rounded the corner, he spotted a nearby cave, from which a bullet erupted. Riley scrambled back into cover, then cautiously peeked out. A bullet whizzed over his shoulder. Riley dove to the ground behind a boulder, then returned fire.

Sheriff Cooper also found cover and sniped into the cave. “Come out with your hands up!” he bellowed. A bullet whizzing by Sheriff Cooper’s ear was their answer.

Many things happened at once. Riley raised his pistol again, but before he could shoot, he heard a deafening roar, saw a bright flash, and felt pain explode in his chest. His shot went wild as he dropped to the ground, clutching at the wound. The stray bullet dislodged a rock high above, and as it crashed down, it loosened many more.

Just before his eyes closed, Riley saw the cave begin to crumble, then more rocks crashed down as the cliffs crumpled. “Rockslide!” Sheriff Cooper yelled.

Riley barely heard him. He felt a great pain in his head as the rock that would send him into unconsciousness crashed into him. His world turned black.

*******

When Riley woke, he was in a strange room. Two unfamiliar men spoke together in gruff voices, and a woman was glancing his way. His vision was too fuzzy to determine her expression.

“What…?” he moaned. “Where … where am I? What happened?”

The men turned, and both came towards him. “Take it easy,” one grunted. “You’ve been shot and hit on the head by a rock. How do you feel?”

Riley fumbled for an answer. “I … hurt. I don’t remember … anything. What happened?”

The woman had come over to his bedside. “Oh, Dr. Weaver, will he be okay?” she whispered, choking on tears.

“He has a severe head injury. There’s no way to tell, but I think—I hope—he’ll recover.”

Riley wanted to shout, “What happened? Who are you?” but he couldn’t get the words out.

“It’s been two weeks,” the woman whispered, crying a little. “Oh, Riley! You have no idea how much we’ve been worried about you. I thought you’d never wake up.” She dissolved into tears.

Dr. Weaver laid a hand on her shoulder. “God has a plan, Andrea,” he assured. “This is part of it.”

Riley lay still wondering about the woman’s words. It was obvious that he was badly injured, and apparently there was something important he didn’t remember. Will I recover? Will memories ever fill the blankness in my mind?

*******

A month later, Riley and Andi trotted up a foothill, showing the Pruitts the beautiful scenery of their ranch. They laughed and talked, but Riley only knew their names. Even though Bryan reminded him of their first conversation, Riley remembered nothing.

Dillon and Kole rode double on the back of a long-legged Thoroughbred named Canyon. Baylee rode Orbea, a piebald, and Bryan sat astride his Morgan, Sparky. And an overjoyed Macy rode on a pretty palomino pinto.

Riley was asking the Pruitts where they were from when they suddenly rode up to a huge cluster of rock formations. Something stirred in his mind, but he couldn’t grasp why he felt like he’d been there before. Andi watched him quietly, then dismounted and instructed the others to do the same. They tied their horses up and followed Andi into the rocky maze.

After a few twists and turns, Riley spotted a huge pile of loose rocks. A bent rifle lay nearby. “Andi,” he breathed. “I … I know this place.” Then, Riley remembered. He knew who he was, where he was, and who stood around him. He gasped and staggered back. “The horse … the thieves,” he exclaimed. “I remember it all! The rockslide, me being knocked unconscious …”

Andi and the Pruitts listened with wide smiles.

“… and,” Riley finished, wrapping his wife in a hug, “I remember you!” He pulled away and frowned. “But … there’s something missing, isn’t there?”

“Now that you’ve regained your memory,” Andi announced, “I think it’s time to tell you what happened after you were knocked unconscious.”

 Riley listened eagerly, silently thanking God for healing him.

“Sheriff Cooper told me what happened,” she replied. “He managed to yank you out of the way before a boulder could crush you. When the rockslide stopped, Sheriff Cooper sent a deputy for help and medical care. The deputy took you lickety-split for the doctor. Eventually, with the assistance of some men from town—including Bryan—they managed to find all the thieves who were buried.”

Riley gazed at the rocks, then glanced up. A huge section of the thick cliff had collapsed, and the cave was gone. “What happened to the thieves?” Riley asked.

“We found five of them where the cave used to be,” Bryan replied. “Two were dead, the other three wounded badly. The rest of the thieves either escaped or were captured.”

Riley let out a breath. “Wow.”

“And,” Macy piped up, “the horses were found hidden behind the Banded Rocks. The thieves had stolen twelve horses!”

A thought suddenly struck Riley. “What about Jo?” he asked earnestly. “Was he with them?”

“Injured, but alive,” Andi replied. “He repented, but … well, the punishment for horse thieving is hanging.”

Riley shook his head, almost wishing Jo could be jailed instead of hung. “I never should’ve trusted him.”

“You didn’t know,” Andi assured. “Besides, most of the thieves have been captured, the horses were found, and we’ve gained some wonderful friends.”

Smiling, Riley gazed around. “We have,” he agreed softly. Then a thought struck him. “But wait—how’d Macy’s horse end up at our house?”

“Jo had lied about going to Sacramento—he was hiding from the law,” Andi informed. “He stole Gold Dancer, but at the hideout he didn’t tie Dancer tight enough. Dancer went missing and ended up at our house.”

Riley shook his head in wonder. “I had no idea the mystery and excitement Macy’s horse would bring us when he galloped up to me. I’m just glad everything turned out okay—according to God’s will.”

And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. -Romans 8:28