by BonnieBee
Disclaimer: The characters and situations of the TV program
"Big Valley" are the creations of Four Star/Republic Pictures and
have been used without permission. No
copyright infringement is intended by the author. The ideas expressed in this story are copyrighted to the author.
This takes place the year before the episode "Run of
the Cat". I got the idea from the scene where Jarrod finds out Nick has
gone after the cat that attacked him. He can’t understand why Nick feels
determined to do this until Victoria and Audra remind him of an incident with a
horse and a midnight ride Jarrod took.
Jarrod lay on the bed, his leg
throbbing. The break was clean and Dr. Merar assured Jarrod it would heal
quickly.
As Jarrod thought back on his
accident, he grew frustrated. He had been admiring the new horses that Nick and
Heath had brought in to break for the army. There was one in particular that
had caught his interest. It was a big bay. Jarrod admired the shiny black mane
and the dark brown of the horse. It was a spur of the moment decision, but
Jarrod wanted to be the one to break this horse.
Nick and Heath stared at him as
though he were crazy, but Jarrod was insistent. He had done it before, though
it had been years. One couldn’t grow up on a ranch and not break a horse or
two. Even if he was a lawyer! When the two cowboys knew Jarrod wouldn’t be put
off, they helped him mount the horse.
Things went well for the first
few seconds. Jarrod thought he would actually succeed. However, the horse had
different ideas. Jarrod was bucked off and barely missed the fence post. He
landed wrong on his right leg and heard a sickening snap.
As Nick and Heath helped Jarrod
into the house, Jarrod tried to make them promise not to break that horse until
he could have another go at him. Nick snorted and said, "Haven’t you had
enough lawyer? Do you want to break the other leg too?"
Jarrod knew Nick didn’t intend
his comment as a challenge, but that was how he took it. He was bound and
determined to break that horse. He would not get the best of him.
A week later, Jarrod had overheard
Nick and Heath talking about the big bay. They were planning on breaking him
the next day and Jarrod knew if he didn’t act, he would miss his chance.
It was close to midnight when he
made his way from his bedroom to the corral. He had gone into the barn first to
grab a saddle and the rope he would need. It took him several tries, but he
managed to rope the brown beauty and was able to secure the saddle. Jarrod
carefully opened the gate and led the horse out. The other horses didn’t seem
too concerned about where their friend was going, just glad they were not asked
to be a part of it.
Jarrod took a deep breath and
again was thankful his right leg had been broken instead of his left or he
wouldn’t have been able to mount. He sat atop the horse and then was in for the
ride of his life. The horse bucked at the burden on his back. Jarrod held on,
determined to win this battle of wills.
He rode off into the hills, the
horse doing his best to throw him. Jarrod felt the sweat pouring off of him,
even though the temperatures were cold. The horse seemed to sense he would not
win and eventually gave up, taking Jarrod on a smooth ride. Jarrod smiled,
feeling a sense of accomplishment.
He rode back to the corral and
unsaddled the horse. After rubbing him down and giving him some oats, Jarrod
limped away, smiling. His leg ached something fierce, but it had been worth it.
As he quietly entered the house,
he heard a noise coming from the parlor. His mother, Audra, Nick and Heath were
waiting for him.
"And just what do you think
you were doing out there?" Nick asked, his arms folded across his chest.
Jarrod smiled to each family
member and said simply, "Just taking care of some unfinished business.
Good night, all!"
* * * * * * * *
The next morning, Nick and Heath
just shook their heads as the big bay was saddled and ridden as if he had been
doing it all his life.
"For having those lily
white hands, he sure knows how to break a horse!" Nick said admiringly.
"Yep," Heath said,
wondering if he would ever cease to be surprised by his oldest brother.
THE END