mind.” Denise tilted
her chin up. “It was my stepfather who bought Lily for me.”
“Wow!” Mel said. “You're lucky.”
“Not as lucky as you. You've got all these
horses every day.”
“Lots of horses, but not one that's my own.”
Mel kissed Lily's nose.
“Well, but you could borrow a horse, couldn't
you? “You could come up the road to my house, and we could ride
around the fields there together. I mean, wouldn't that be fun? Sue
says we'll be going to the same school this fall.” Denise's smile
was eager.
“I'm not much of a rider,” Mel said to put
Denise straight. “I've only had a couple of lessons, and I'm not
very good on horseback.”
“Really?” Denise sounded disbelieving. “But
you're here with horses every day and you sure look as if you're
good with them.”
Mel shrugged. “It's just riding that—I think
my legs are too long or something.”
Denise laughed as if Mel had said something
funny. “But you can stay in the saddle, can't you?”
Mel shrugged. “I guess.” She was so drawn to
the warmth of Denise's big brown eyes that she added on impulse,
“Maybe I could get my mother to drive me over to your house. Where
do you live?”
Denise promptly drew a map in the dirt with
her finger. “Only one turn off Centurion Way. Can you
remember?”
“Sure. ”. Standing on the ground next to
Denise, she felt like a beanpole next to a sprout. Lily would
hardly feel the girl's weight on her back, and Denise rode as
gracefully as Lisa, who'd had hundreds of lessons. Lucky Lily.
“Our mailbox has a coyote painted on it,”
Denise was saying. “My stepfather, Ty, painted it. He's an artist,”
she added proudly.
“He must be a pretty nice stepfather if he
bought Lily for you,” Mel said.
“Yeah, he is. He doesn't get mad and talk big
like—like some men.” Mel had no doubt which man Denise was thinking
of. “Does your father work on the ranch here?” Denise asked.
“No, my mother works in the office. I don't
have a father.”
Denise wrinkled her nose in disbelief.
“Everybody has a father, don't they?”
“Well, I mean, he left my mother when she was
pregnant. So I never knew him. So I never missed him. I mean—”
“Yeah,” Denise said. “I get it.” The sympathy
in her voice made Mel like her even more.
“How about coming over Saturday?” Denise
said. “If you don't want to borrow a horse and ride over, and your
mother can't bring you, maybe I could get my mother to do it,
that's if she's not working that day. She works most weekends in
the restaurant. Ty's home, but I don't like to bother him so
much.”
“I'll figure something out,” Mel said.
“Great! Anytime you want to come is fine.”
Her face was glowing with delight at the promised visit. “I'd
better head back now. This is the longest ride I've ever taken Lily
for. She'll need a good rub down before I put her back in the
pasture.”
“Lily likes to be fussed over,” Mel said.
“Well, I like doing the fussing. Bye, Mel.”
She unhitched Lily and sprang lightly onto her back. The horse set
off the way she'd come without a backward glance at Mel.
“Bye.” Mel watched them go off down the road
with a bittersweet mixture of gladness and regret.
Sighing, she put Colby back on the lunge
line. Half an hour of walking and trotting on command and she told
him, “You're doing good. You've got the idea now.” He pawed the
ground, waiting, and she gave him the carrot strips she'd saved
from last night's salad bar as a treat. “You do love your veggies,
don't you, Colby,” she said, and she asked him, “How would you feel
about being my special horse? Hmm?”
She was thinking about how it would be to go
riding with Denise and Lily, if she had a horse she could ride, a
special horse, one that might be her own someday. “Colby,” she
asked him, “would you like me as much if I were on your back as you
do when I'm feeding you carrots?”
Colby didn't answer, but his ears twitched
attentively
her chin up. “It was my stepfather who bought Lily for me.”
“Wow!” Mel said. “You're lucky.”
“Not as lucky as you. You've got all these
horses every day.”
“Lots of horses, but not one that's my own.”
Mel kissed Lily's nose.
“Well, but you could borrow a horse, couldn't
you? “You could come up the road to my house, and we could ride
around the fields there together. I mean, wouldn't that be fun? Sue
says we'll be going to the same school this fall.” Denise's smile
was eager.
“I'm not much of a rider,” Mel said to put
Denise straight. “I've only had a couple of lessons, and I'm not
very good on horseback.”
“Really?” Denise sounded disbelieving. “But
you're here with horses every day and you sure look as if you're
good with them.”
Mel shrugged. “It's just riding that—I think
my legs are too long or something.”
Denise laughed as if Mel had said something
funny. “But you can stay in the saddle, can't you?”
Mel shrugged. “I guess.” She was so drawn to
the warmth of Denise's big brown eyes that she added on impulse,
“Maybe I could get my mother to drive me over to your house. Where
do you live?”
Denise promptly drew a map in the dirt with
her finger. “Only one turn off Centurion Way. Can you
remember?”
“Sure. ”. Standing on the ground next to
Denise, she felt like a beanpole next to a sprout. Lily would
hardly feel the girl's weight on her back, and Denise rode as
gracefully as Lisa, who'd had hundreds of lessons. Lucky Lily.
“Our mailbox has a coyote painted on it,”
Denise was saying. “My stepfather, Ty, painted it. He's an artist,”
she added proudly.
“He must be a pretty nice stepfather if he
bought Lily for you,” Mel said.
“Yeah, he is. He doesn't get mad and talk big
like—like some men.” Mel had no doubt which man Denise was thinking
of. “Does your father work on the ranch here?” Denise asked.
“No, my mother works in the office. I don't
have a father.”
Denise wrinkled her nose in disbelief.
“Everybody has a father, don't they?”
“Well, I mean, he left my mother when she was
pregnant. So I never knew him. So I never missed him. I mean—”
“Yeah,” Denise said. “I get it.” The sympathy
in her voice made Mel like her even more.
“How about coming over Saturday?” Denise
said. “If you don't want to borrow a horse and ride over, and your
mother can't bring you, maybe I could get my mother to do it,
that's if she's not working that day. She works most weekends in
the restaurant. Ty's home, but I don't like to bother him so
much.”
“I'll figure something out,” Mel said.
“Great! Anytime you want to come is fine.”
Her face was glowing with delight at the promised visit. “I'd
better head back now. This is the longest ride I've ever taken Lily
for. She'll need a good rub down before I put her back in the
pasture.”
“Lily likes to be fussed over,” Mel said.
“Well, I like doing the fussing. Bye, Mel.”
She unhitched Lily and sprang lightly onto her back. The horse set
off the way she'd come without a backward glance at Mel.
“Bye.” Mel watched them go off down the road
with a bittersweet mixture of gladness and regret.
Sighing, she put Colby back on the lunge
line. Half an hour of walking and trotting on command and she told
him, “You're doing good. You've got the idea now.” He pawed the
ground, waiting, and she gave him the carrot strips she'd saved
from last night's salad bar as a treat. “You do love your veggies,
don't you, Colby,” she said, and she asked him, “How would you feel
about being my special horse? Hmm?”
She was thinking about how it would be to go
riding with Denise and Lily, if she had a horse she could ride, a
special horse, one that might be her own someday. “Colby,” she
asked him, “would you like me as much if I were on your back as you
do when I'm feeding you carrots?”
Colby didn't answer, but his ears twitched
attentively
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