Becky Citra - Sams Ride

Sam's Ride

BECKY CITRA
Illustrated by AMY MEISSNER

ORCA BOOK PUBLISHERS

Text copyright 2009 Becky Citra
Illustrations copyright 2009 Amy Meissner

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in
any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying,
recording or by any information storage and retrieval system now known or to be
invented, without permission in writing from the publisher.

Library and Archives Canada Cataloguing in Publication

Citra, Becky
Sams ride / Becky Citra ; illustrated by Amy Meissner.

(Orca echoes)

ISBN 978-1-55469-160-9

I. Meissner, Amy II. Title. III. Series: Orca echoes

PS8555.I87S24 2009 jC813.54 C2009-904581-8

First published in the United States, 2009
Library of Congress Control Number: 2009932874

Summary: Sam overcomes his fear of horseback riding and comes to appreciate
both his grandfather and life on the ranch.

Orca Book Publishers gratefully acknowledges the support for its publishing programs
provided by the following agencies: the Government of Canada through the Book
Publishing Industry Development Program and the Canada Council for the Arts, and the
Province of British Columbia through the BC Arts Council
and the Book Publishing Tax Credit.

Typesetting by Teresa Bubela
Cover artwork and interior illustrations by Amy Meissner

www.orcabook.com
Printed and bound in Canada.

12 11 10 09 4 3 2 1

To my brother John,
for his great enthusiasm about my books.

Contents

CHAPTER ONE
SAM 'S SURPRISE

Pleaseplease, Mom, dont make me stay here, said Sam.

Sam and Mom were sitting at the table in Grandpas kitchen. Grandpa had made grilled-cheese sandwiches on the wood cookstove for supper, but Sam couldnt eat a bite.

Mom glanced at the kitchen door. Quiet. Grandpa will hear you. Its only for two weeks. Two weeks out of the whole summer wont hurt you.

Sam slumped in his chair. Two weeks felt like forever. I dont see why he wants to get to know me now. He never did before.

Grandpa isnt good with little kids, said Mom. But now that youre big, the two of you will get along.

Big? Sam was the shortest boy in his grade three class. And the skinniest. Youre no bigger than a tadpole, Grandpa had said when Sam and Mom had arrived at the ranch that afternoon.

Just follow Grandpas rules, said Mom, and youll be okay.

Sam sighed. Grandpa had explained his rules when he gave Mom and Sam a tour of the ranch.

Stay away from the machinery, he had said gruffly. Dont swim in the creek by yourself. Dont feed my dog table scraps. Apart from that, you can do what you want.

What Sam wanted to do was go home.

Grandpa came into the kitchen with an armful of wood for the stove. He was the tallest man Sam had ever seen. He wore blue jeans, dusty cowboy boots and a belt with a huge silver buckle. Have you got time to see Sams surprise before you go, Mary? he said.

Sams throat felt dry. Mom was leaving right after supper to drive back to the city. She had to be at the airport the next morning to catch a plane to a science conference.

Mom stood up. A surprise for Sam, she said brightly. Of course I have time.

I thought Sam needed a way to get around the ranch, said Grandpa. He stuck a big black cowboy hat on his head. Come on outside.

Its going to be a bike, thought Sam. Mom must have told Grandpa he had been begging for a new one. Sam perked up as he followed Grandpa and Mom behind the barn.

He gazed around for the bike. A few chickens scratched in the dirt. Grandpas border collie, Tip, pounced on a mouse in the grass. An enormous white horse in the middle of the corral swished his tail.

No bike.

The horse stretched out his neck and drew back his lips. He had huge yellow teeth.

His name is Lightning Bolt, said Grandpa. But I call him Bolt for short.

Bolt was his surprise? Sams heart plummeted to his feet. Mom said weakly, Hes awfully big.

Fast too, said Grandpa. Hes old, but hes still got lots of get-up-and-go.

Maybe a pony would have been better, said Mom.

Nonsense, said Grandpa. I hate ponies. Jimmy rode a proper horse from the time he was four years old.

Grandpa was talking about Sams dad. He died when Sam was a baby. Mom had explained to Sam that Dad had grown up on Grandpas ranch.

Grandpa chuckled. Jimmy used to stand on the porch to get on his horse.

Sam shivered. You would need a ladder to get on this horse.

This was the worst surprise he had ever had in his life.

Mom looked at her watch. She said, I have to go now.

She squeezed Sam tight, but Sam refused to hug her back. He stared at the ground until her car disappeared down the road.

He was alone nowalone with Grandpa and Bolt.

CHAPTER TWO
A REAL COWBOY

The next morning, Sam lay on the bed in the little bedroom that had belonged to Dad. He had woken in the middle of the night because he missed Mom. He felt tired and empty inside. He wished he could have Tip with him, but Grandpa said Tip was a working dog. When Tip was in the house, he had to stay on his blanket in the kitchen.

Horse posters decorated the bedroom walls. Above the dresser hung a framed photograph of a boy standing beside a big brown horse. The boy wore a black cowboy hat like Grandpas and held a fancy blue ribbon.

The boy must be Dad, thought Sam. He studied the photograph for a long time. Dad must have liked horses a lot.

Sam rolled over on his side. Grandpa had made pancakes for breakfast. Sam had eaten one, but Grandpa had devoured a huge stack with puddles of maple syrup. Then Grandpa and Tip had gone outside, and Sam had gone back to his room.

Grandpa had said as long as he followed the rules, he could do whatever he wanted. If he couldnt go home, Sam decided that what he wanted to do was read. He would read for two whole weeks, and then Mom would be back.

Sam had just dug a book out of his duffel bag when Grandpa appeared in the doorway. He was holding a pair of worn cowboy boots and a black cowboy hat. These boots belonged to your dad when he was about your size. He called them his lucky boots. And this was his hat. Try them on, and then well saddle up that bronc of yours.

Sam felt sick. He had been hoping Grandpa had forgotten all about Bolt. While Grandpa watched, he tugged the boots over his socks. They fit perfectly. He put the hat on. It slid down over his eyes and made him feel mysterious.

You look like a real cowboy, said Grandpa. Ill meet you out at the corral in five minutes.