Miya's Dream

By Cathy Ringler

Fourteen-year-old Miya Skippingbird, aka Mega Miya, knows all about middle school struggles. She wants the perfect horse that will win every time so the rodeo kids will notice her in a good way and maybe even like her. However, Miya’s hope is shattered when her “Dream” turns out to be a stubborn paint mare who has no interest in running, much less winning a barrel race.

“She’s the fattest horse I’ve ever seen. Yeah, she’s stubborn. She wouldn’t move. First, she was so barn-sour she acted like she couldn’t gather up enough strength to leave that end of the arena. Then, no matter how hard I kicked her, she barely trotted. To top it off, when I asked her to lope, she tried to kill me. So, there you have it. She’s not a dream. She’s my worst nightmare.”

Can Miya overcome the viral videos and humiliation?
Can she face her nightmares and stand up?
Can she move forward? Take a chance?

Sometimes you might win something unexpected. . . .

• Language: English
• Publisher: Crystal Publishing LLC
• Release date: May 29, 2019
• ISBN: 9781942624646

Cathy Ringler

Cathy Ringler’s first book, Miya’s Dream, began as a story she told her daughters as they rode their horses home in the evenings. Throughout her teaching career, she continued to write and tell stories to inspire, motivate, and educate. In the summertime, Cathy can be found riding her horse along wilderness trails, camping in the mountains, and jotting down stories in the tent by lantern light. Miya’s Dream is her first book.

Book preview

MIYA’S DREAM

MIYA’S DREAM

Cathy Ringler

Crystal Publishing LLC

Fort Collins, Colorado

MIYA’S DREAM

2019 © COPYRIGHT Cathy Ringler

2019 © COVER COPYRIGHT Crystal Publishing, LLC

Edited by Lindsey Maugham, Keri De Deo, Malory Wood, Claire Shepherd, and Patricia Phillips

Cover design by lotusdesign.biz

Art by Tawni Shuler

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

The publisher does not have any control over and does not assume any responsibility for author or third-party websites or their content.

Smashwords Edition, License Notes

This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to your favorite ebook retailer and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

Published by Crystal Publishing, LLC

Fort Collins, Colorado

ISBN 978-1-942624-58-5 (paperback)

ISBN 978-1-942624-64-6 (eBook)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2019935647

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

Printed in the USA

To Stetson, Denali, and Ryder:

my three favorite cowkids.

Table of Contents

Study Questions

Acknowledgments

About the Author

cathyringler.com

Chapter One

Miya’s dad drove under the iron archway and pulled into the barnyard.

Number 31. This must be the place. The truck clanked to a stop, and grease-stained fingers turned off the ignition. While he unbuckled his seatbelt, he winked at Miya. Today is the day we’ll find your dream horse.

Miya hoped so. This horse, Dragon, had been advertised online. The ad said the owner’s daughter had won several barrel races on him, but now she had new interests. Miya stared at the gleaming white fence and freshly painted red barn. Pretty fancy, especially when compared with the old wooden corrals at Miya’s house.

A man and two girls came out of the barn. Miya watched them approach. She didn’t recognize the man, but she knew the girls: Skylar Peters and Ella Anderson. Everybody knew Skylar and Ella because they were on the volleyball team, dance team, student council, and a bunch of other stuff. You name it, they were in on it.

The pair looked enough alike to be related, rather than just joined at the hip. Thin. Tan. Blond. Rockstar cowgirl jeans with sparkly back pockets. Miya sighed. She would kill for a pair of Rockstars.

She had never actually talked to the two since she rarely crossed paths with the popular kids. But who knew? Maybe they were nice.

The man and the girls came over to the truck. The Carhart coat he wore looked brand new and stiff—not a single stain or barbed wire rip.

As they approached, Dad leaned out the window. Hi, I’m Thomas Skippingbird. This is my daughter, Miya. We’ve come to look at your barrel horse.

The man reached into the truck, and they shook hands. Mike Peters here. This is my daughter, Skylar, and her friend, Ella.

Skylar spoke up, Dad, we know Miya from school.

Oh. Good, then, Mike said. Let’s head out to the barn. The trainer has Dragon saddled.

Dad waited, his hand hovering near the gear shift. Should I pull closer to the barn?

You know . . . Mike paused and studied their trailer. People are coming out later for a clinic. Why don’t you drive your rig around back? That way there will be plenty of room for everyone to park. We’ll jump on the four-wheeler and show you.

Dad put the truck into gear. He smiled at Miya. Let’s go take a look at this horse.

Mike and the girls squeezed onto the four-wheeler, and they roared off. Skylar and Ella twisted around and looked back at the truck, pointing and laughing. Miya and Dad followed more slowly with the trailer. After he parked, Dad joined the group, but Miya hesitated inside the truck.

As everyone else headed inside the barn, Skylar’s and Ella’s pockets glinted in the sunshine. Miya opened the door and paused. The running board on the passenger side had been ripped off last winter when Dad had gotten stuck in a snowdrift. A graceful exit was impossible. Miya slid out and landed with a squelch.

Of course.

Dad had parked in a mud puddle. Miya tried to move her right foot, but the sticky mud gripped her boot. She curled her toes and pulled. Still stuck. If she tried to walk, she’d step right out of her boots and wind up hopping around in her socks. Miya leaned down, grasped the top of her boot, and tugged.

The breeze carried Skylar’s voice. Where did she go?

Miya froze in place.

I don’t know, said Ella. She could be inside with the dads.

Miya didn’t breathe and crouched lower to make sure the truck hid her from view.

I can’t believe they have the nerve to show up here. I’m done with barrel racing, but it’s not like we’re giving Dragon away for nothing.

I’m sure they expect to pay a fair price.

Please. Why do you think Dad made them park their rig in the back? I think they want Dad to feel sorry for them and give them a good deal because they’re Indians.

He doesn’t have to come down in price. Other people are coming to look at Dragon, right?

Yeah. Hopefully, someone who’s not so fat. I feel sorry for the horse when she tries him out.

The girls’ voices faded. Miya started to shake, and she hid her face in her hands. She took deep breaths, in and out.

Just get through it. In. Out. Get through it.

Miya reached down, wrenched her boot free, and jumped back into the truck. She climbed across to the driver’s side and slid out onto dry ground.

Dad called from the barn door. Why are you still over there? This horse is ready to ride.

Keeping her head down, she hurried toward Dad. If only she were five again, she would tell on the girls, and they would get into trouble. Miya would get a hug, and the problem would go away. Except it wouldn’t. She knew from experience that the words fat, poor, and Indian would stay written on her heart in permanent marker.

Miya stepped into the barn while Skylar and Ella sat in the bleachers, scrolling through their phones and giggling. Miya turned away from them and breathed in the familiar smell of horses and hay. The trainer, a middle-aged woman in a black down vest, smiled at her. Hi, I’m Judy. This is Dragon.

For a minute, Miya stared at the horse. If she could choose the perfect barrel prospect, it would be Dragon—a glistening sorrel with a white blaze down his nose and three white socks. Miya took a step forward and rubbed his neck. He turned to look at her with dark chocolate eyes, tossing his head and pawing with nervous energy.

You are gorgeous, Miya whispered to him.

Ready? Judy asked.

She led him out to the arena and over to a mounting block. Miya settled into the saddle, picked up her reins, and the world fell away. She and Dragon walked, trotted, and loped circles. No, they floated in beautiful circles. She couldn’t wipe the grin off her face. Miya rocked gently back and forth with his gait, her braid tapping her back with each stride.

She’d never ridden a horse like Dragon. He responded to her lightest cues. Miya only had to think about telling him to step over before he did it.

The trainer’s voice brought her back to reality. Miya, would you like to take him around the barrels?

Would she ever!

Miya rode Dragon into the alley and stopped to settle him down a bit. She planned to trot the pattern the first time and then lope it. As they headed into the arena, however, Dragon’s muscles bunched with anticipation, and he pulled at the bit.

Miya patted his neck. You want to make a rodeo run, huh? Your best, fastest run? Let’s do it. She loosened the reins, sat forward in the saddle, and time exploded.

Dragon raced to the first barrel, turned perfectly, and came out of the turn hard. Miya gripped the saddle horn to stay in position. He flew to the second barrel, made another tight turn, and before she knew it, he rounded the third. Dragon stretched out as he ran home.

Miya’s heart pounded as she slipped off and loosened his cinch. Wow, they should have named you Pegasus.

Miya didn’t want to let him go. With Dragon prancing beside her, she walked back through the arena sand to where the others waited. The joy she’d felt a moment ago turned cold and hard in her stomach. Her family could never afford him. If only she had a horse like Dragon, she wouldn’t be afraid to enter barrel races. People would be so busy watching him, they’d never notice her fat rolls.

She stopped beside Dad. He glanced at her with a brief smile before he turned back to the registration papers.

He’s a beautiful horse. You can’t fault his bloodlines.

Mike nodded. Yep. He’s well bred.

Miya looked down. Mike’s boots didn’t have a single scuff mark, not even on the toes.

How much are you asking for him?

Miya crossed her fingers, her toes, her eyes.

Please let there be a miracle. Say $3,500. Say $3,500.

Skylar and Ella stood beside Mike, pretending to be engrossed in their cellphones, all the while glancing sideways at Miya and smirking.

Mike shifted in his new boots. We bought him for $20,000, and since my daughter isn’t interested anymore, I could let him go for that.

Miya felt like she’d been punched in the stomach. 20,000. Dollars. More than five times what they could afford to pay.

Dad shook his head. I’m afraid that’s out of our price range.

A snort came from Skylar. Told you, she whispered to Ella while smiling at Miya. Skylar stepped closer to her dad as she slipped her phone into her jacket pocket.

Miya handed the reins to the trainer, and both dads walked outside. Skylar and Ella waited a beat before following. Miya couldn’t force herself to leave, so she patted Dragon and scratched his forehead. He nosed her pockets and blew softly on her coat.

Are you looking for a treat? Miya whispered. I wish I’d brought one.

Skylar and Ella stopped at the barn door, looked toward Miya, and giggled. Skylar’s voice floated back as they stepped outside. Can you believe how Mega Miya was all over that horse? It’s a good thing they don’t have the money. She’s not ready for him. She should go to the horse sale and get some cheap old horse she can handle.

Miya swallowed. So much for Dragon. She was too fat for him anyway.

Chapter Two

Miya picked up her phone and then laid it back down on the truck seat. She wanted to scroll through it, but she knew Dad would tell her to stop staring at her phone and talk to him instead. Miya wasn’t quite ready to talk, not this early in the morning. Instead, she gazed out the window. The weak April sun poked its way through the low clouds.

Dad cleared his throat. It’s a beautiful Saturday. We’ll look back and remember it as the day we found your barrel horse.

Miya grunted. That’s what he had said last Saturday about Dragon. Dad, I feel bad that you’re spending so much time and gas money on this wild goose chase. It was a dumb idea from the start.

No, it wasn’t. Dad slowed the truck as three deer crossed the road in front of them. When you start winning, you’ll realize it was a great idea.

Dad, I won’t ever win! Miya shifted in her seat and turned to face him. We can’t afford a horse like Dragon, and that’s the kind of horse you need to get a check.

Not necessarily. Dad turned to her, his eyes serious. I’m not denying he was a nice horse. But the more I thought about it, the more I realized he wasn’t the right one for you, even if we had the money.

Miya’s mouth fell open. You wouldn’t say that if you had ridden him.

Sure, I would. You don’t need a finished barrel horse. You need a horse that’s been started, but one you train so the two of you will build a bond. You’ll trust each other, and it will pay off in a lot of places, including the rodeo arena.

Bond with my horse, Miya muttered. Maybe my new horse won’t call me Mega Miya.

What did you say? Dad drove on to the next road.

I was just talking to myself. Miya slid back down into the seat and turned back to the window.

He didn’t understand. She didn’t have years to spend training a horse. She needed to win right away. If she had an awesome horse that won every time, the rodeo kids would notice the good things about her, and maybe next year when she started high school, the other kids would notice those good things, too. They might even begin to like her.

A hawk flew from its perch on a fence post. Dad hummed along with Mommas Don’t Let Your Babies Grow Up to Be Cowboys, a golden-oldies song on the radio. He smiled, reached across the seat, and gripped her hand for a minute. Slowing the truck, he said, I hope we didn’t pass the turnoff.

She pointed. This could be it. I see a barn back there.

Me, too. Dad swung the truck wide to avoid hitting the mailbox with the trailer. So what did you say just now?

Nothing important.

Dad stepped on the brake and turned to look at her. Are you sure it’s nothing important?

Miya nodded. I’m sure.

Telling Dad wouldn’t change how the other kids treated her. It would just make him feel bad. She’d have to figure it out herself.

Dad tugged gently on her braid. Okay. Let’s go find us a barrel horse.

The truck turned into a narrower lane. As the trailer rattled by, prairie dogs disappeared with a quick flip of their tails. Miya and Dad pulled to a stop in the barnyard. A screen door slammed, and a girl emerged from the back of the house.

Good. Miya didn’t know this girl.

The girl hopped a step or two while she pulled on a second pink Muck boot, and then she straightened and jumped across the puddles dotting the barnyard.

I can feel it in my bones. Today is the day we’ll find your dream horse, Dad said.

Miya shrugged. If you say so.

They climbed out of the truck.

The girl, showing off perfectly straight, white teeth with a welcoming smile, held out her hand. Hi, I’m Julia.

Dad shook Julia’s hand. I’m Thomas Skippingbird. This is Miya.

Miya nodded. She went around to the back of the truck, leaving Dad to talk to Julia. After last weekend, she’d had enough of perky blondes with white teeth. Lowering the tailgate, she leaned forward to pull her saddle toward her. The saddle had shifted to the front of the bed, just out of reach. Miya stood on tiptoes and strained to touch the pad. The edge of the tailgate cut into her stomach, making her wince.

Dad came around the truck. I’ll get it. Julia was saying that she is home from college for spring break.

Miya plastered on a fake smile and turned. That’s nice. Where do you go to school?

Bozeman.

Cool. Don’t they have a rodeo team there?

Yeah, and I went out freshman year, but since I’m working my way through pre-vet classes, I don’t have enough time for both school and rodeo. Julia pulled on her gloves. Where do you want to go to college?

Miya looked down at her jacket and brushed some dog hair off the front. I’d like to start at a small college with a rodeo team and then go to UW in Laramie.

Good plan. Julia nodded.

Miya glanced toward the barn where a horse stood at the hitching rail. From this distance, she couldn’t tell too much about the horse, except it was a paint.

Julia played with a locket around her neck. Let me tell you about Dream. I’m trying to graduate early, so I’m spending my summers at school. That means Dream hasn’t even been saddled for the past couple of years.

Miya shifted her attention away from the horse and back to the older girl. That’s okay.

We just missed a national championship in goat tying my last year in Junior Rodeo. Julia touched her left earring—a tiny, silver horse. Wow! I guess that’s almost three years ago now.

Goat tying. Yuck.

Miya tried goat tying before. It was ridiculous. Miya had to run her horse, Ace, down the arena to the goat, jump off while still loping, get her balance, run a few steps, tie the goat in a crazy knot with wraps and some loop thing called a hooey. Miya had dismounted, alright—flat on her face. It took days to get the dirt out of her braces.

Miya missed Ace. He had been her dad’s horse for years. When he got too old to be ridden hard, Ace had become Miya’s horse. They had made a great team. Ace was lame from arthritis now, so he mostly stood in his favorite sunny spot out in the field, swishing flies and dozing.

Miya?

Miya brought her attention back to Julia. Sorry. I was just thinking about my old horse, Ace.

I know how it feels to have a bond with a good horse. Julia looked toward the horse at the hitching rail. "I hope that will happen if you buy Dream. We ran barrels and roped