grind of the oldest pickup truck Jas had ever ridden in.
Eight hundred and fifty dollars?
Jas had no idea what kind of horse Miss Hahn expected to buy. Not a Thoroughbred, that was for sure.
Jas was sitting in the front seat, squashed between Miss Hahn and Chase, the person who wasn’t supposed to have been coming along. He showed up at the last minute saying he’d decided not to go to the lake with his family after all.
“Since we adopted out Tansey and Gunther, we’ve got two vacancies,” Chase hollered. Behind the truck, the horse trailer creaked and rattled with every twist and bump in the road.
Arms hugging her sides, Jas scrunchedherself into a ball so she wouldn’t touch any of Chase’s body parts.
Oh, why did I wear shorts today?
she thought as she stared at her legs, which looked as white and skinny as noodles.
“And Happy’s ready to adopt out, too.” Chase leaned forward so he could talk to Miss Hahn. His jeans-clad leg pressed into Jas’s thigh. Jas flinched, but continued to stare straight ahead, refusing to look at him—even though he was so close she could smell him.
“We’ll have to see what’s there,” Miss Hahn said. “I just hope it’s not another Goldie.”
“Goldie?” Jas repeated, grateful to turn her attention to something other than Chase’s leg.
“She was a little pony we rescued last month,” Miss Hahn explained. “So cute and sweet that you knew at one time she was a little kid’s treasured pet. But after we bought her, we soon realized that she was so old and sick that she needed to be put down right on the spot.”
Jas wasn’t sure she’d heard right. “You mean you rescued a horse just to put it to sleep?”
“We do it all the time,” Chase said.
“Our mission is to buy horses who aresuffering,” Miss Hahn explained. “That means we often have to put them out of their misery.”
Jas grimaced. What kind of horses were at this auction? She hoped none like Ruffles.
The truck hit a pothole, and Jas clutched her stomach. The swaying and bouncing, the smell of sweat, and the talk about killing horses were beginning to make her carsick.
“Are you all right?” Chase asked. He was tilted forward, his head turned toward her. “You’re as white as a sheet.”
Jas realized he was being nice. Still, she couldn’t forget what a creep he’d been on Monday. “Don’t worry,” she muttered. “I promise I won’t barf again.”
“That’s
not
why I was worrying,” he muttered right back. “But now that you mention it, please don’t.”
Reaching forward, he flipped on the radio and searched for a good song.
Crossing her arms, Jas glared out the windshield as a country singer crooned,
“My baby left me flat, takin’ my heart and my cat.”
Miss Hahn made a noise of disgust, turned down the volume, then switched the station to classical music. Chase protested.
“When you’re old enough to drive, you can pick the station,” she told him.
Fifteen minutes later, they pulled into the county fairgrounds, where the auction was being held. The parking lot was filled with horse trailers, vans, and a half-dozen two-tiered tractor-trailers. “The killer buyers are in full force today,” Miss Hahn said grimly as they passed a tractor-trailer half filled with horses.
“Killer buyers?” Jas repeated.
“That’s right,” said Miss Hahn.
They parked under a lone tree. Jas slid across the seat while Chase held the door. Her stomach was a bit upset from the ride. She didn’t want to be here, and for once it didn’t have anything to do with Miss Hahn or Chase.
After cracking the windows, Miss Hahn locked the truck. “Let’s tour the pens first,” she said to Chase. “And see what we’ve got.”
“Right.” Chase glanced at Jas, who stood woodenly by the truck door. For a second, she met his gaze. His eyes were so blue, they matched the cloudless sky.
Although she didn’t want to, Jas couldn’t help but wonder what Chase was thinking when he
Eight hundred and fifty dollars?
Jas had no idea what kind of horse Miss Hahn expected to buy. Not a Thoroughbred, that was for sure.
Jas was sitting in the front seat, squashed between Miss Hahn and Chase, the person who wasn’t supposed to have been coming along. He showed up at the last minute saying he’d decided not to go to the lake with his family after all.
“Since we adopted out Tansey and Gunther, we’ve got two vacancies,” Chase hollered. Behind the truck, the horse trailer creaked and rattled with every twist and bump in the road.
Arms hugging her sides, Jas scrunchedherself into a ball so she wouldn’t touch any of Chase’s body parts.
Oh, why did I wear shorts today?
she thought as she stared at her legs, which looked as white and skinny as noodles.
“And Happy’s ready to adopt out, too.” Chase leaned forward so he could talk to Miss Hahn. His jeans-clad leg pressed into Jas’s thigh. Jas flinched, but continued to stare straight ahead, refusing to look at him—even though he was so close she could smell him.
“We’ll have to see what’s there,” Miss Hahn said. “I just hope it’s not another Goldie.”
“Goldie?” Jas repeated, grateful to turn her attention to something other than Chase’s leg.
“She was a little pony we rescued last month,” Miss Hahn explained. “So cute and sweet that you knew at one time she was a little kid’s treasured pet. But after we bought her, we soon realized that she was so old and sick that she needed to be put down right on the spot.”
Jas wasn’t sure she’d heard right. “You mean you rescued a horse just to put it to sleep?”
“We do it all the time,” Chase said.
“Our mission is to buy horses who aresuffering,” Miss Hahn explained. “That means we often have to put them out of their misery.”
Jas grimaced. What kind of horses were at this auction? She hoped none like Ruffles.
The truck hit a pothole, and Jas clutched her stomach. The swaying and bouncing, the smell of sweat, and the talk about killing horses were beginning to make her carsick.
“Are you all right?” Chase asked. He was tilted forward, his head turned toward her. “You’re as white as a sheet.”
Jas realized he was being nice. Still, she couldn’t forget what a creep he’d been on Monday. “Don’t worry,” she muttered. “I promise I won’t barf again.”
“That’s
not
why I was worrying,” he muttered right back. “But now that you mention it, please don’t.”
Reaching forward, he flipped on the radio and searched for a good song.
Crossing her arms, Jas glared out the windshield as a country singer crooned,
“My baby left me flat, takin’ my heart and my cat.”
Miss Hahn made a noise of disgust, turned down the volume, then switched the station to classical music. Chase protested.
“When you’re old enough to drive, you can pick the station,” she told him.
Fifteen minutes later, they pulled into the county fairgrounds, where the auction was being held. The parking lot was filled with horse trailers, vans, and a half-dozen two-tiered tractor-trailers. “The killer buyers are in full force today,” Miss Hahn said grimly as they passed a tractor-trailer half filled with horses.
“Killer buyers?” Jas repeated.
“That’s right,” said Miss Hahn.
They parked under a lone tree. Jas slid across the seat while Chase held the door. Her stomach was a bit upset from the ride. She didn’t want to be here, and for once it didn’t have anything to do with Miss Hahn or Chase.
After cracking the windows, Miss Hahn locked the truck. “Let’s tour the pens first,” she said to Chase. “And see what we’ve got.”
“Right.” Chase glanced at Jas, who stood woodenly by the truck door. For a second, she met his gaze. His eyes were so blue, they matched the cloudless sky.
Although she didn’t want to, Jas couldn’t help but wonder what Chase was thinking when he
Similar Books
