It was for that reason when the dark box stopped moving and back door of the trailer swung open, he instinctively bolted. Once outside, however, he found he was only slightly better off than he had been in the box. Without thinking, he had simply jumped headlong into another enclosure, and frantically looking for a way out, he ran for all he was worth, only to find the fence of the corral kept turning him in one circle after another. He had gone in circles so fast he didn’t even notice that the opening to the box he’d come in had closed, and in it’s place was just another part of the fence. Unlike his pen next to the old gelding, in this one there didn’t appear to be any way out, or any way in.

Jessie climbed to the top rail of the fence and lifting first one leg, then the other over it, she sat down and watched as the colt galloped around the inside of the pen. Tom, tired after a long day on the road, also climbed the fence and swinging one leg over the top rail, took a seat next to her. “Well, here he is, Jess, in all his glory. My wife named him Tico, but I guess he’ll answer to anything.”

“He’s a dandy, Tom,” Jessie said without taking her eyes off the colt. “Do you know anything about him?”

“He came in with our old-timers when we brought them off the hill.” Tom shrugged. “Tug thinks he might be out of that south valley herd that was captured last summer.”

“Might be,” she nodded. “A lot of grays come out of that band. Probably got separated or pushed out during the drought.”

“That’d be my guess, too,” Tom agreed. “He’s been like this for a few weeks now. When he ain’t running in circles, he’s been pacing his pen looking for a way out. He barely takes time to eat and sleep.”

The colt continued to run frantically, blowing hard through his nose and called loudly in every direction.

“He’s definitely a little worked up,” Jessie commented. “We’ll give him a few days to settle in before we try to do anything with him.”

“Whatever you think, Jess.”

Henry, who had been watching everything from his vantage point near the spreader, walked over to have a look at the new horse. As he got to the pen, he tipped his hat to Jessie and peered through the rails.

“Hello, Mr. McBride,” Jessie smiled. “What do you think of our new boarder?” The colt shook his head and bucked while he circled the pen at top speed.

“I believe I’d keep the amateurs off him for another day or two.”

Both Tom and Jessie smiled.

After dinner that night, Jessie skipped her time visiting with guests at their respective tables and walked out in the fading sunlight to the round pen that held the gray colt. He was eating nervously on the pile of hay she had placed in the pen just before Tom left for home, and he quickly raised his head and snorted a warning as she walked up. Jessie smiled at him, but didn’t say a word.