Free Silver Spurs by Miralee Ferrell

sharpen the chain and get the saw running first. I haven’t used it since we moved here.”
    â€œOkay.” Kate stroked Rufus’s head as he pressed close, seeming to sense her emotions. “Come on, boy. Let’s get you fed and help Mom.”
    Twenty minutes later the saw roared to life, and Kate ran to the window. Dad stood shaking his head in the middle of the arena where the top of the tree lay. Kate’s heart sank. It must be worse than they’d thought.

    After breakfast Kate, Pete, and her parents walked outside and headed for the tree, equipped with rakes, gloves, and the chain saw. Kate wished she could grab that stupid tree and yank it off the fence with her bare hands, but that was silly. From the look of the mess, this could take all day to clean up—or longer. She hadn’t stopped praying all through breakfast that somehow the jumps would be fine.
    A car turned off the road into their driveway, and Kate let out a whoop. “Tori’s here!”
    Her mother smiled. “Since Tori isn’t old enough to drive, I assume one of her parents is with her. I hope it’s her mother. I haven’t seen her in a while.”
    The car rolled to a stop, and three people emerged—Tori, her father, and her mother. Tori’s father carried a chain saw, and all of them had leather gloves.
    Kate gaped at the family, then ran forward and hugged Tori. She pulled away a couple of inches but retained her hold on her friend. “What are you guys doing? How did you know we needed help?”
    Tori slipped out of Kate’s hold. “One of Mom and Dad’s friends lives on the property that is next to yours.” She waved at a white two-story, the Ferrises’ nearest neighbor, only about a hundred feet from the far end of the arena. “They heard a loud crash last night and got up early to see what it was. When they heard your dad’s saw this morning, they drove by and saw the tree. They know we’re friends, so Mrs. Jiménez called Mom and told her what happened. Mr. and Mrs. Jiménez said to tell you they’ll be over to help soon.”
    Dad reached out to Mr. Velasquez and shook hands. “I would never have called you and imposed, but I’m grateful you came. Thank you.”
    Mom’s eyes brimmed with tears, and she sniffed. “I don’t know what to say.”
    Tori’s mother gave Kate’s mom a quick hug. “You’d do the same if we needed help.”
    Dad grinned. “Nan, how about you put on a big pot of coffee and bring out a plate of those cinnamon rolls you baked yesterday? Then you ladies can sit and visit or move a few branches, whatever you prefer.”
    Tori’s mom laughed. “I didn’t come to eat and visit. I came to work.”
    Kate’s dad pointed to two bare spots in the field not far away. “José and I will cut anything into firewood that’s big enough, and the rest of you can take what’s left to the proper pile.”
    A middle-aged Hispanic man and woman ducked through the fence and headed across the short section of pasture bordering the arena. He nodded to Tori’s father and extended his hand to Kate’s dad. “Samuel Jiménez, and this is my wife, Mary.”
    â€œPleased to meet you, and I’m sorry we haven’t met before. I’m John Ferris, and this is my wife, Nan, and my daughter, Kate. Our son, Pete, is inside watching a video.”
    Kate’s father started his saw, and Tori’s dad did the same, making any further conversation impossible.
    Tori grabbed Kate’s hand and drew her off to the side. “What does your dad think about the fence? I saw part of a broken jump under the branches. Do you know if that’s the only one?” A frown puckered her forehead.
    Kate shook her head, feeling sick all over again. “A bunch of the jumps were near that fence. We put them out there a few days ago so we’d have them