Latest from the Janitors, Asps, Other Books, and More Books - Sedona Chip (Janitors Series, Book #9) - Jim gets a new horse.

Today’s excerpt is from Sedona Chip, Book #9 of the nine-book Janitors Series.  On the ground inside Iran, the C-130’s pilot, Wendy, spots a horse wandering around and alerts Jim.  Enjoy and have a fantastic day.

m.j.

 

NOTE:  The portion of this excerpt dealing with a WWII B-17 pilot is a true story.  The pilot was my Dad and I was aboard the flight.  In addition a cousin of mine who is now a retired Air Force Brigadier General helped load the horse on the plane.

 

 

Hector and the others quickly started loading up the empty bags and the ladder in the buggies that Bruce and Harry had pulled out from their hiding place.  After loading everything, the six Janitors headed back to the plane, where Jim was grumbling at Wendy.  Just a bit earlier, she had asked, “Jim, I guess it would ruin your morning if I told you a large force with tanks and such was headed our way, wouldn’t it?”

“Yes, it would.”

“Okay.  I won’t tell you that then.”

“Dammit, Wendy—do you see something or not?”

“No, just wanted to see if you were awake.  Well, actually, there’s a horse wandering around.”

“Hell of a difference between a horse and a tank, Wendy.”

Wendy just laughed as Jim walked toward the horse and talked gently to it.  When the horse came up to him, he petted the animal, then rubbed its nose.  “Somebody open one of the MREs we’ve got on the plane, and bring me crackers or whatever you can find that a horse might like.”

Phil hopped down from his position at the machine gun and went inside the plane to open an MRE.  It didn’t have crackers inside, but did have a piece of wheat bread.  Quickly, he opened three more and found two with crackers and another with wheat bread.  He took those items out to Jim, who had noticed the horse was saddled, and unsaddled it while he waited on the food.

When Phil arrived, he handed Jim one of the sealed pouches of crackers, then started opening the other three pouches.  Jim opened the first and gave it to the horse, who chomped the crackers down without delay.  Soon the horse had eaten the other crackers and the two pieces of bread as well.  Jim handed his empty pouches to Phil.  “Now we need to give this fella some water.”

Phil headed back to the plane, with the four empty pouches in hand.  As he did, Jim gently took up the reins hanging down from the horse’s head and started leading it to the plane.

Wendy asked, “You’re not taking that horse on my plane, are you?”

“You just look for tanks.  I’ll worry about the horse.”

Wendy sighed, then smiled, knowing she was about to fly a horse halfway around the world.

When the two dune buggies from the compound area drove up and into the plane, Holly was the first to spot the horse.  She busted out laughing, even as Phil drove the third buggy into the plane.  Soon everyone was gathered around the horse, with Jim explaining where it had come from. 

When he finished, Holly looked around.  “Must be from the guys we shot up last time.  Poor thing must have been wandering around in the desert for all these months.  Wonder how it survived?”

Jim sighed, “That, darling, we will never know.”

Wendy walked up then.  “Jim, this is nuts.  Oh, I know we’re gonna do it because you want to—but it’s still nuts.  We aren’t set up to fly any damned horse.”

“Neither was the first guy to do it.  After World War II, a former B-17 pilot named Stan Jackson started a small non-scheduled cargo airline out in the Los Angeles area.  His company was National Air Cargo, and they were the first to ever successfully fly a horse.  They had a good deal less to work with than we do.  So we’ll figure something out…right Phil, Chet?”

“Sure, Jim,” both men said in unison.

Wendy grunted, “Fine.  I’m gonna start her up and head for home.  Get that horse secured, pronto.”

Jim grinned, “Yes, ma’am.”

 

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