Firefly by Terri Farley

with dirt. His blue-and-white-checked shirt was so rumpled that Sam suspected he’d pulled it out from under his bed that morning. Still, he looked happy and excited.
    â€œBrynna tells me Mrs. Allen said no problema about the colt staying at her place this week.”
    Sam didn’t pay as much attention to the vet’s fractured Spanish as she did the content. Had Brynna skipped right over that whole midmorning panic? The part where Mrs. Allen had said “no”?
    â€œYeah, but she can’t work with him,” Sam hinted.
    â€œRight, something about her grandson’s accident,” Dr. Scott said distractedly.
    â€œHer grandson’s really serious accident,” Sam repeated, with the emphasis she thought it deserved.
    Then she noticed Dr. Scott’s eyes. Behind his black-framed glasses, the vet focused on Blaze. The dog was wandering back from the river. Once he saw Dr. Scott watching, Blaze lowered his head and stopped. His plumy tail nearly touched the ground asit waved a cautious greeting.
    The vet glanced at Sam, raised his eyebrows, then purposely turned his back to the dog so it could approach unwatched.
    Then, arms folded over his belt, Dr. Scott faced Sam.
    â€œIs anything wrong?” Sam asked suddenly. She looked quickly toward the bridge that led to River Bend.
    â€œNo, I’m just driving over to Deerpath Ranch to see what kind of setup Mrs. Allen has for the colt. Thought I’d stop on my way and tell you about my observations this morning.”
    Why couldn’t she find the words to tell him that she wasn’t going to take care of Pirate? If she did, he might change his mind about evicting the colt from his corral.
    Then Sam wondered if she’d come up with a crack in the vet’s emotional armor.
    The colt . Dr. Scott never called him anything else. If she’d been caring for a young horse for two weeks, she certainly would have named it. Maybe he had, and just wouldn’t admit it.
    â€œWhat’s the colt’s name?” she asked, as if she could catch him off guard.
    â€œHe doesn’t have a name, Samantha,” Dr. Scott said patiently. “He’s a wild horse.”
    Dr. Scott’s tone—which implied she wasn’t too smart—would have been insulting if she hadn’tknown he was underlining the fact, again, that he didn’t get involved with his patients.
    Sam thought about telling him that she called the colt Pirate, but something stopped her.
    â€œAt any rate,” Dr. Scott went on, “this morning, I was out putting on his salve and sunscreen—”
    â€œSunscreen?”
    â€œI’ll tell you all about it when we meet at Blind Faith tomorrow morning.”
    â€œBut, I’m not sure I’m going—”
    Blaze interrupted Sam’s confession by sidling next to the vet. Then the Border collie raised his head under Dr. Scott’s hand, forcing a pat.
    Sam looked at the vet, incredulously, but the surprises weren’t over.
    With a low nicker, Dark Sunshine nudged the small of the vet’s back. He turned and rubbed her neck.
    â€œWhat happened, do you think?” Sam asked.
    â€œI know exactly what happened,” Dr. Scott said. “They noticed I wasn’t carrying my bag—the one with the shots and medicines in it.”
    â€œOf course,” Sam said. The animals were more observant than she was.
    â€œYeah,” he said pointedly, “it turns out, a lot of times, it’s kinda hard to recognize what’s good for you.”
    Sam had a feeling he wasn’t just talking about the animals.

Chapter Six
    â€œI really need to put some time in with Tempest before school starts,” Sam insisted.
    â€œJust listen to what I have to say.” The vet’s calm voice made Tempest look up.
    Drops of river water trembled on her black face as if someone had decorated her with rhinestones. The filly’s beauty tugged at Sam’s heart, but she