Mama was the first to reach me. She was out of her saddle and by my side in a flash.

“Darlin’, are you hurt?’’ She reached up to squeeze my knee. “I thought you and that horse were done for.’’

“I’m fine, Mama. Just shaken up.’’

Marty shuddered. “I’ve never been so scared in my life, Mace.’’

Tell me about it, I thought.

“I am so, so sorry.’’ Tears spilled from Austin’s eyes. “I was just fooling around, learning how to snap the whip. I never thought I’d get it to work.’’

“Looked like it worked just fine,’’ I said. “You hit my horse. Were you trying for her, or for me?’’

“Ohmigod, Mace!’’ The hand with the whip flew to her mouth. The tears really started flowing now. “I never, never, meant to hit you.’’ She stared, her wide eyes lingering on each of us. “Y’all have got to believe me!’’

The outrider was silent, working the tobacco in his jaw. Mama glared at Austin, her hands on her hips. Marty looked like she was about to cry, too.

“Right now, I’m worried about Val,’’ I said. “I just want to make sure she’s okay.’’

I climbed down. Mama flung both arms around my waist. She hung on as I stepped to Val’s side and ran a hand over her coat. I gently touched her right flank.

“It’s starting to welt, but the skin’s not broken,’’ I said. “So that’s good.’’

I leaned down, checking the horse’s legs and feet. Mama, still hanging on, leaned with me.

“Mama, let go.’’ I unwound her fingers from my waist. “I’m fine.’’ I kissed her on the forehead. “I promise.’’

The outrider had been watching all of this—tears, kissing, emotion—with a pained look. He spit a stream of tobacco juice, raising a tiny puff of dust where it hit the ground.

“This is what we’re gonna do,’’ he finally said. “I was thinking about banning you from the ride, Miss.’’ He pointed at Austin, who lowered her eyes to the ground. Her shoulders shook with sobs.

“I’m not gonna do that. But I am gonna take away that cow whip of yours. You’ll get it back when you show me you can behave. Now, I don’t know what’s between the two of you gals, and I don’t want to know.’’ He looked at me. “You say one thing; she says another. I don’t have the time to try to straighten it out.’’ He glanced at his watch. “We should be making our lunch stop about now with the rest of the ride. All of this has put us behind.’’

“Sorry if my almost getting squashed by a semi-truck screwed up your schedule.’’

“Hush, Mace!’’ Mama said. “Nobody likes a smart aleck.’’

He held out his hand to Austin. “Give it over.’’

She coiled the whip and laid it into his open palm, tears still streaming down her cheeks.

“I am so sorry. I never, ever meant to do her or that horse any harm.’’

“So you’ve said.’’ He spit again and narrowed his eyes. “I’m watching you, Miss. Another careless stunt like that and you’re off of this ride for good.’’

The outrider started back across the road, and Mama and I followed him. We were almost to the other side before I noticed that Marty and Austin weren’t with us. I shifted sideways so I wouldn’t have to turn my head to see what was holding them up.

Marty had moved her borrowed horse to block Austin’s path. She leaned out from her saddle, her little face just inches from Austin’s. As Marty’s lips moved, Austin’s eyes got wide again. Her face went pale. Then, she spun her little Arabian and high-tailed it away from my little sister.

Marty trotted across the road. Her usual sweet smile had returned.

“What in the world did you just say?’’ I asked, watching Austin’s horse kicking up dust as they raced away. “She looks like she’s not gonna stop ’til she gets to the ocean inlet at Fort Pierce.’’

Marty’s gaze followed the fleeing Austin. Under the brim of her hat, my little sister’s eyes were colder than I’d ever seen them.

“I just told her we’re watching, too. I said if she harms you in any way, she won’t have to worry about getting banned from the Cracker Trail. I told her that before that happened, Maddie and I’d break both her legs so bad she’d never ride a horse again.’’

And with that, Marty tucked some stray hair under her hat and turned her horse to the trail.

The scent of pulled pork rose into the air as we turned off the trail and into a sprawling pasture set up for lunch. I pointed to a line of trees in the distance. It’d be a good place to tie up the horses out of the sun. Due to the delay of me almost getting killed, most of the other riders had already taken care of their horses. We had the water troughs nearly to ourselves. Val had just lowered her muzzle into the tub to drink when Maddie and Sal ran up.

“Where in the blazes have you three been?’’ Maddie asked.

“We wuz starting to get worried.’’ Sal’s furrowed brow revealed he was well past “starting’’ to worry.

“We had a little accident, but everybody’s fine,’’ I said.

“An accident?’’ Maddie’s voice caught in her throat.

“Rosie, get down off that animal so I can see for myself you’re okay.’’

Sal stood about ten feet from Mama’s horse, his hands clasped behind his back. His anxious gaze moved from her face to the horse’s hindquarters. He’d take a step forward, and then step right back again like someone had drawn a line he couldn’t cross in the grass.

I couldn’t believe it! Big Sal was afraid of horses. Mama was riding a tiny Paso Fino, hardly bigger than a pony. If her horse and Sal were in a tug-of-war, I’d put my money on Sal. Yet, he was eyeing the horse like it was as big as a Clydesdale but crazy, ready to turn and trample him at any moment.

“I’m fine, Sally,’’ Mama said, waving her ring hand at him. “It was Mace. She nearly got hit by a tractor-trailer hauling grapefruit.’’

“Oranges, Mama,’’ I said.

We filled them in on Austin’s whip-cracking “practice’’ and my close call.

“The only good thing about the whole incident was Marty,’’ I said. “You should have seen her, Maddie. She’d have made you proud. She got right up in Austin’s face and gave her what-for.’’

Marty blushed. “And I’m feeling really guilty about that. I was so angry and scared, I threatened that girl. You know, Buddhism teaches us to never harm a living thing.’’

One of Marty’s college boyfriends had been a Buddhist. The boy was long gone, but the religion stuck—a perfect match for our normally gentle sister.

“Don’t worry about it, honey. I’m sure you can get at least one of your gods to forgive you.’’

Mama had mostly come to accept Marty’s beliefs, but she’d still get in a dig where she could over no meat and multiple gods.

I was about to stick up for Marty and freedom of religion, but a scene unfolding under the canopy of trees captured my attention. Belle Bramble sat on a log, her horse tied to an oak branch. She was crying. Carlos was crouched in front of her. I watched as he took the bandana from his neck. Holding her chin in one hand, he dabbed ever so gently at her wet face. When she gave him a brave smile, I felt the sting of unshed tears behind my own eyes.

“Mace! Mama’s on about false gods again. Marty could use your help here. What is so darned interesting in the woods?’’ Maddie’s gaze followed mine. “Well, crap,’’ she said. “Looks like Carlos has found him someone who doesn’t mind being taken care of.’’

I blinked hard.

Mama said, “If he’s so fired up about saving somebody, where was he when Mace was about to get squashed like a gopher turtle on the highway?’’