Kentucky Home by Sarah Title Page B

go.”
    She was about to throw the stick when she saw Katie come charging out of the barn.
    â€œWho left the damn gate open?” she shouted, sprinting past Mal and Peanut, who gave friendly chase. Mal turned to watch Katie go, an apology on her lips, when she saw the friendly horse. On the other side of the fence. Running toward the road.

Chapter 8
    Mal wasn’t sure she had ever seen any person run as fast as Katie did, heading toward the main gate and the dirt road. She stood there dumbly, not quite taking in what was going on. Katie kept yelling, “Horse loose,” and, sure, there was a part in the back of Mal’s mind that understood that she had left the gate open and that, because of her, a horse was running toward the road and freedom, but that part of her mind was not connected to the part that told her legs to go, to run after Katie and, when she eventually caught up (dang, that girl was fast!), help.
    There was also the part of her mind that was distracted by the sight she caught out of the corner of her eye, of Keith racing out of the barn, swinging up on a saddle, and charging past her. He didn’t pause exactly, but he turned and shouted at her to “Come on!” So she ran after him.
    Miss Libby was standing closest to the front gate, waving a big white sheet. Chase had run up and closed the front gate, and Keith was dismounting, standing a few yards away. The horse charged up, and Mal thought for sure Libby was going to be trampled. But she waved and shouted and the horse turned, first to the right, where Keith was waving his arms, then to the left, where Katie was doing the same thing. Then toward Mal.
    â€œWave your arms and make a lot of noise!” Keith shouted at her. So she did. She felt like an idiot, but it seemed to be doing the trick, because the waving Carsons were coming up behind the horse, closing the circle and slowly moving toward the barn.
    When the horse was back in her stall (Bob was her name. A girl horse named Bob.), Keith went in there with her, toweling off her shivering muscles with a blanket, speaking soothing words. Chase was putting Keith’s horse back in his stall, putting up the saddle. Libby went back to the house to finish hanging the laundry out (which explained the sheet) and told them supper was in ten minutes. Katie just stood at the stall gate, fuming.
    â€œWho the hell left the gate open?” she demanded.
    â€œCool off, Katie,” Chase said softly.
    Katie stomped her foot, and Bob mimicked her. “It was Mal, wasn’t it? What the hell was she doing with the horses anyway? I know she’s from the suburbs, but how stupid do you have to be to miss the basic common sense to close the gate behind you so the damn horses don’t run into the road!”
    â€œKatie!” Keith had raised his voice to a grown-up authority voice. It wasn’t much louder, but it still silenced Katie. “Knock it off. This isn’t the first time Bob got out, and it won’t be the last. So let it go, leave Mal out of this, and go help Libby with dinner.”
    â€œOh, I see, you just want to send the woman back to the kitchen!”
    â€œNo, I want to get you out of this damn barn so you stop spooking Bob.”
    Katie paused at that. She gave Bob a scratch on the nose. She was still a little agitated, but she stomped appreciatively. So did Bob. Katie turned to Keith. “Fine. I’ll go help Libby but only because I’m starving and I want to eat. From now on, you’re in charge of babysitting Luke’s little stray.”
    â€œWatch it, Katie.”
    Katie turned and jumped gracefully over a pile of tack before continuing her storming, petulant exit toward the house.
    Mal was not so graceful. Trying to sneak out of the barn, she tripped over the tack in the stall she had been hiding in. She landed, gracefully, she hoped, on her face. Scrambling up, she looked over to see Keith and Bob, their heads poking out