Moon Shadow by Chris Platt Page A

in her arms and tell her that everything was going to be all right.
    But everything wasn’t going to be all right. Moon Shadow’s mother was dead and the other horses didn’t want her. She was an outcast.
    Sam made his way over to where Callie stood, his spurs jingling as his boots hit the packed dirt of the pen. He leaned on the rail and stroked his thick mustache as he stared at Callie. “Well…” he drawled. “Bottle-feeding an orphaned foal is a lot of work and a big responsibility. Are you serious about this?”
    Callie nodded vigorously. At this moment, there was nothing she wanted more than to take care of Moon Shadow.
    The cowboy continued to study her, and Callie fidgeted under his gaze. Did he think she was too young to take on such a task? Or that she didn’t know enough about orphaned foals?
    Justin coiled his rope. “Are you up to bottle-feeding around the clock?” At Callie’s nod he continued, “It’s a good thing you’re on summer break, because you’re going to be busier than a bear on a honey farm. It’s going to be an all-day job until she’s a couple months old and eating hay regularly.”
    Old Harvey spoke up. “You’d better find yourself a good milk goat. You can buy powdered foal milk at the feed store, but I don’t think they do as well on that. Cow’s milk is too rich. When I was on the payroll here, we had several goats on the property.”
    Susan started toward the long wooden building where extra supplies were kept. “I’ll get the bottle.” She turned to Harvey. “There’s still a little bit of mare’s milk left in the refrigerator in the main office. Could you please bring that to me?”
    While Harvey hobbled off to the office, Callie helped Justin herd Moon Shadow into a smaller pen. There were no other orphans—or Leppy foals, as the people who worked with mustangs called them—on the property, so Moon Shadow would be kept separate.
    â€œHere, let me help you catch her,” Justin volunteered as he moved quietly toward the little mustang. “Stretch your arms out so she can’t get past you, and we’ll herd her into the corner.”
    Moon Shadow nickered in concern when she saw she was being approached by two humans in a crouched position. “Easy, baby,” Callie crooned.
    The filly made a sudden bolt, and Justin reached out to capture her in his arms. “Easy, easy,” he spoke in a calming voice, holding on until the foal stopped struggling. He nodded to Callie. “Come on over and pet her. We need her to realize that nobody’s going to hurt her. She’s had a lot of action this morning and she’s a little upset.”
    Callie ran her hands over the soft baby hair of the filly’s trembling body. “You’re going to be okay,” she said. “All we want to do is help you.”
    â€œLet me show you a secret I learned from my grandfather,” Justin said. He moved his face closer to the filly’s head. “Have you ever seen a baby horse chew when an older horse that isn’t its momma comes near?”
    Callie nodded. She knew that when an older horse approached a young one, even if there was a fence between them, the baby would make a chewing motion like it was eating bubble gum with its mouth open. It made a funny, smacking sound and always made her laugh when she heard it.
    â€œThey’re telling that bigger horse, ‘I’m just a baby, don’t hurt me,’” Justin explained. “And the older horse will usually just pin its ears or swish its tail to warn them off. They rarely hurt the baby.”
    Justin put his face next to the foal’s muzzle and made the chewing sound. Moon Shadow instantly showed interest and pricked her little fox ears in his direction. She seemed to relax and even took an eager step forward.
    â€œNow you try it,” Justin said as he gently