Rain Forest Rose by Terri Farley

roan, Cade’s Appaloosa Joker, and some smaller animal with split hooves.
    Maybe a fawn, she thought, smiling.
    Holding the lead rope tightly, Darby knelt a few feet upstream from her horse. Once they’d finished drinking, Darby stood up to watch Hoku.
    The filly surveyed this new place. Darby couldtell Hoku felt better with a little open space around her, but the filly’s ears flashed in all directions, then pointed toward the corral.
    Despite the comforting aroma of hay, Hoku didn’t like the look of those fences.
    â€œHey, Hoku girl, let’s see if I can lead you, carry hay, and open that gate, all at the same time,” Darby said.
    It didn’t seem likely, so Darby decided to put Hoku in the corral first. Darby fumbled with the gate’s lock, trying to peel off the tendrils of morning-glory vines that held it closed. Once the gate opened, Hoku shied, almost jerking the rope from Darby’s hand.
    â€œNo problem, beauty,” Darby said. With dusk closing in, she couldn’t take the chance that the filly would break away. “Let’s go get some food first.”
    Once they were close enough, Hoku nosed Darby out of the way, trying to grab a mouthful of hay.
    â€œDon’t be rude,” Darby ordered the filly. Hoku blinked as if she had no idea what Darby was talking about, but she let Darby grab a flake of hay and hold it against her chest.
    Sweet rumbling came from the filly as they returned to the corral. She walked fast now that she knew the hay was hers. Standing on tiptoe, Darby thrust the flake up, balanced it for a second on the top rail, and blinked against the hay dust sifting into her eyes, then tipped it over and inside the corral.
    Hoku lowered her head, flattened her cheek to the ground, and slid her nose under the bottom rail. Darby laughed as the filly extended her tongue, tried to catch a stem of hay, and failed.
    â€œReady to go inside for some dinner?” Darby asked. Sighing, the sorrel followed Darby into the corral.
    â€œGood girl,” Darby said. She unclipped the lead rope to let the filly eat.
    While Hoku ate, Darby returned to the lean-to and made the most of the remaining daylight. First, she shook out her sleeping bag, just as Megan had suggested. Next, she pumped fuel into a lantern as Jonah had taught her. Once she had the lantern glowing in the twilight, Darby sorted through the food Auntie Cathy had packed.
    Since Darby hadn’t trusted herself to use a camp stove—she had visions of burning down the forest—most of her food was snack stuff. Besides the fresh ham and cheese sandwich for dinner, there were six coconut cookies, a big packet of jerky, a smaller one of macadamia nuts, crunchy granola, three apples, a freeze-dried fruit-and-cinnamon-crumb mixture called Peach Pie Pak, and envelopes of powdered drink mix that she’d add to water.
    Under it all, she found a huge bar of milk chocolate. The slab of candy was as thick as her hand and about twice as long.
    â€œOh, yeah. Thank you, Auntie Cathy,” Darbysaid, but she decided to save the candy for an emergency boost of energy, and hid it from herself.
    â€œI’m set,” Darby said with a nod.
    Even though she was sure Auntie Cathy would send more food with the first person who came to check on her, she felt prepared to stay here alone. In fact, looking around the clearing, Darby felt a little territorial.
    For company, she had Hoku and that other horse. Tutu was only fifteen minutes away. Maybe less, if she crossed on that log over the lava field.
    Darby felt almost at home. She could live off her few provisions and never miss the company of other people.
    Before she started thinking like her great-grandmother, Darby decided she wouldn’t mind a visit from Megan, or Heather. Or Samantha Forster.
    â€œYes!” Darby said, and Hoku’s head jerked up. “It’s okay, girl.”
    She’d love for the Nevada cowgirl to see that the