Page 32

“No, it’ll be fun. It’s just I’ve never really been on a horse for any length of time.”

“You’ve never–”

“Come on! I’ll show you all you need to know. It's easy!” Mia gives me a breakfast sandwich, grabs my hand, and pulls me toward the stable before Travis can finish his sentence.

“Don’t forget to take a walkie-talkie!” Travis yells to us.

It turns out she’s right. It is easy. Maybe it’s because Mia and Manny put me on Earl, their sweetest, most gentle horse. Or perhaps I’m just a natural. Only time will tell.

Mia leads us to one of the easy trails. It’s peaceful and gorgeous, quiet except for the sound of our horses. To the left is the meadow that appears to go on forever. To the right is a more dense forest. I can’t get over how fresh it smells out here! It’s like flowers mixed with sweetness. It's almost like laundry detergent but without the artificial smell.

As we trot along, the path widens, and Mia slows down to ride next to me.

“So, what do you think?”

“It’s amazing! And you were right–so easy.”

“I know, right?!”

“I get what all you ‘horse people’ are fussing about.”

Mia laughs. “Shadow has been my best friend for as long as I can remember. She’s a great listener. I’ve told her all my secrets. She never betrays me! Even if she could talk, I know she wouldn’t tell.”

“What kind of secrets?” I ask, wanting to make sure nothing serious is going on.

“Oh, nothing bad. I tell her about how I’m going to live here forever, even if Dad doesn’t want me to. And Daniel, my friend at school. I think I might have a crush on him. And now I think he might like me back!”

“Oh really? What makes you think that?”

“Well, a big group of us went to the movies last weekend. When we were walking into the theater, Daniel ran up, grabbed my hand, and held it for a whole minute! Then we sat beside each other for the movie, and his leg kept touching mine!”

“Wow, that does sound promising. What’s Daniel like?”

“He’s gorgeous. He’s got these honey-brown eyes and blondish hair that swoops around like this.” Mia gestures her hand around her head. “I think he's the same height as me. And his skin is so smooth and soft. When you look closely, he’s got a few freckles on his nose. He’s just so cute!”

“Sounds like it!”

“Yeah, and the good thing is that he’s really good at history, and I’m good at math. We made plans to stay after school next week to study together!”

“That’s so sweet!”

“I know. Do you have a crush?”

“No, not at the moment.” I can’t tell her I have a crush on her dad!

“That’s too bad. Maybe you and Dad should hook up? I think a girlfriend would make him happier. Oh, the path narrows here, so Shadow and I are going to get back in front of you,” Mia says, leading Shadow ahead. My heart is pounding; my cheeks are burning–did she say I should get together with her dad?

Mia looks back at me. I can tell she’s looking at something. I look back to see what she sees but don’t notice anything. She looked back again, and I saw concern in her eyes.

“Mia, what’s wrong?”

“Nothing. It’s just–I thought I saw someone. But no one would be out here!”

“You thought you saw someone? Like a person?”

“Yes, a man. Let me go look.” She turns around with Shadow.

“Mia, you’re freaking me out.”