The Say Yes Ranch Stories

By Melanie Parker

Each of the nine stories in this collection provide a window into daily life on The SAY YES RANCH,

Mostly, from the point of view of the animals who live there.

Let me introduce you to a few of them:

MOONIE, the miniature horse who acts very tough..but actually is hiding a loving heart.

PADDINGTON, the rabbit who suddenly finds himself having to defend his home from invaders or forever loose it.

BIGGIE, the sleek black cat who everyday has to defend his territory from a scrappy neighbor.

JAMES, the beautiful tall, soft eyed horse who has forgotten how to feel at home anywhere.

And more.....

• Language: English
• Publisher: BookBaby
• Release date: Jul 20, 2018
• ISBN: 9781543929195

Book preview

The Rabbit Who Knew Who He Was

Once upon a time, a great big brown and white rabbit whose name was Paddington, lived just as he liked at The Say Yes Ranch. He was a rescue bunny and, if faced with containment, was the greatest escape artist that ever lived. Finally, after daily chases, and after his escape from every kind of pen known to the world, his people decided to let the rabbit live the way he wanted to—free.

Out and on his own, he quickly befriended the other animals on the ranch. Max and Mollie, the barn dogs, became his protectors, and he had great fun romping and playing with the cats, Naku and Kira.

But Paddington most liked to be with Moonie, the attitude-filled miniature horse gelding, who was never one to suffer fools, ever. To everyone’s surprise, Moonie liked Paddington right back. Sometimes they would be seen touching noses in the paddock, or Paddington would lie dozing on the soft green grass while Moonie grazed nearby.

And if, in the very early morning, you happened to glance out the kitchen window of the ranch house, there would be Paddington in the wide open pasture, leaping joyfully high and doing mid-air somersaults over and over again. Mid-day and night, he escaped the heat and bedded down in his favorite place, which was under the bunkhouse where the soil was cool, sandy, and safe, quite perfect in Paddington’s opinion.

Until the night the wild things arrived.

A pair of black and white skunks.

Paddington awoke to a whiff of a very bad smell, and then he saw the two pairs of eyes in the corner, watching him. Territorial and unafraid, Paddington thumped his back legs loudly on the ground as a warning. Then he faced them with unblinking eye contact. After a few moments of this, the wild skunks hissed at him in unison, then they charged at him.

Paddington escaped out into the night.

Max and Mollie, hearing the ruckus, came to investigate, but getting the scent of skunk, they turned and hurried back to their beds in the barn. They both had learned long ago that skunks are bad business.

Paddington, outraged at being bullied from his den, hopped from bush to bush until he made it to the barn, where he entered Moonie’s stall and settled down beside the sleeping miniature horse on his soft bed of shavings. Blinking, Moonie lifted his head, puzzled by Paddington’s late night visit, but soon he closed his eyes and went back to sleep.

The next morning Paddington tried to do his leaping dance, but his heart just wasn’t in it. After only three somersaults, he hopped over to the bunkhouse. It was quiet; he knew skunks preferred to sleep during the day. He put his head under the bunkhouse and was greeted by a warning whiff.

Paddington thumped his back legs loudly on the ground and suddenly, from out of the dark, far left corner, a skunk came running right at him. When close, it quickly spun around and blasted a spray of skunk at Paddington.

His eyes stung and he pulled back, and quickly ran to his favorite pepper tree next to the paddock that held Hobbit, a caramel-colored Haflinger yearling. Paddington liked Hobbit, but he didn’t enter his paddock because Hobbit was a baby horse with big, drafty hoofs, and Hobbit didn’t always pay attention to where those big hoofs landed.

Hobbit, sensing a serious demeanor about Paddington, lowered his head and blew softly out of his nose, the horse’s way of telling someone, I’ll just stand here and be your friend.

Paddington twitched his ears and looked out over the pastures, wondering if he could bear the humiliation of these invading skunks.

The brooding Paddington was soon spotted by another of his friends, a young, shiny black crow, recently out of the nest. He came down from his observation branch, squawking loudly, tottered over to Paddington,