- Unexpected Trouble Chapter 2 -

Chapter 2
Getting To Know Davy

Nicole gasped as her gray mare bolted for the open gate. Thinking quickly, Katy spurred Cleopatra into a quick canter and reached the open section before Twilight did. The other mare veered away, going down on her hocks as she swiveled and slowed, and began running around the ring at top speed, lead line flapping behind her like a banner. Katy headed her off one time and slowed the anxious horse to a fast trot. By this time Nicole had her wits about her again and stepped in front of the runaway, waving her arms over her head. Twilight skidded to a stop, eyes rolling and head back, and allowed Nicole to approach and take hold of her halter. The horse was seemingly calm then, so Nicole decided to continue her saga. The fear left the mare's stance and her muscles softened, relaxing.

Carefully, staying well aware of the potential danger, Nicole placed the pad on the mare's back again and led her forward. When Twilight was satisfied with the feel of it from the walk again, Nicole cautiously moved into a trot. Twilight was perfect this time and followed her young handler along like a professional. It was as if nothing had ever gone wrong. Nicole had a grin that nearly split her face by the time she drew, panting, back to a walk and then a halt. Twilight nuzzled the girl and in response got a pat on the nose and a sugar cube.

I'm going to try my weight on her back now,' Nicole announced confidently, to the utter horror of her sister.

What?! Are you nuts?' Katy cried, worried for her twin's well being. 'What if she tries that little trick again?'

Nicole patted the mare's neck. 'She won't, I'm sure of it. And I'm going to try, no matter what you say. Nothing will happen, so stop worrying.' She flashed a grin over on shoulder.

With this said, Nicole turned Twilight into a good mounting position and placed her arms over the mare's back. She pressed determinedly with her hands and arms all over the firm, hard back and rubbed the pad all around. Getting no negative response, she tentatively hopped up a little to get a little of her upper body over the mare's back. Twilight snorted and stepped forward with a jerk. Nicole quickly slid off and soothed the mare, working hand over hand up the halter, taking hold of the peice with one hand and caressing the horse's ears with her free hand.

After some convincing and a lot more time, Nicole finally got the horse to stand still while she leaned her full weight on the horse's back. Deciding to quit on a good note, Nicole gathered up her supplies and accompanied the mare back to her stall. Finally the girls were ready to leave.

Katy and Nicole informed Karen of their departure and pedaled home side by side on their bicycles, street lamps lighting their way. Nicole headed into her room and Katy to hers once they were inside the house. Katy flipped on her bedside lamp and gathered her pajamas from her dresser.

After straightening her room a bit, Katy took a long, soothing shower and dried her hair with her blow dryer. When her hair was all fluffed out and nearly dry, the teen brushed it carefully and returned to her room. She straightened her room again and flopped down on her bed. Then, settling down comfortably, she opened the drawer of her nightstand and pulled out her journal. Seizing a pencil, she began writing with a passion.

Dear Journal,

I know I already wrote today, but I want to write again. I had a really busy day. Fantasy is doing wonderfully; I began halter breaking him today. He was really good, too. He let me lead him all over the place, and after that I got him into the stall very easily. This, of course, might have had something to do with the fact that he was utterly exhausted. Several of the other foals were troublesome, though.

Nicole worked more on re-training Twilight tonight. I'm worried about her. Twilight became almost out of control several times, but Nikki still insists that everything will be fine. She got the pad on that mare's back, and the bridle and is now working on getting her to accept weight on her back. She thinks she can train that horse all by herself. Well, I don't share that. No matter how many magazine articles or books she's read, she just doesn't have the experience to do the job all by herself. I wish she'd get Karen or Jim to help her, but she won't accept help from anyone. I'm going to pray for her, because I just know she'll get hurt sooner or later.

Well, I'm really tired. I've had a long day. I did everything from building stalls and saddle racks to halter breaking, cleaning, and riding.

-Katy

Katy slid her diary into the drawer again and pulled herself wearily off the bed, reluctant to expose herself to the cold air. She shut the vent on her air conditioner to reduce the coldness in the room and headed for the bathroom, immediately feeling warmer. After brushing her teeth and combing her hair again, she collapsed on the bed once more and barely had the strength to switch out her lamp. After a quick prayer of thanks and a request to be watched over during the night, she fell fast asleep and spent a dreamless night.

She was up early the next morning. Since it was a Saturday now, she was able to go directly to the barn. Katy hurriedly ate and gathered her things. With a promise to complete her chores upon her return, Katy dashed out the door. Nicole hadn't answered the knock Katy had given her door, although it was already nine in the morning. Katy pedaled at a fast pace through the light drizzle to the barn. The rain was off and on, but Katy thought, with a sinking heart, that it would be enough to keep a lot of riders away. She would miss her friends if they weren't around. That was part of the fun of going to the stable!

When she reported to Karen's office for her work detail, she found the owner swamped with paperwork. 'Karen? Is there anything I can do for you?' she asked, almost afraid to interrupt.

Karen glanced up and relief spread over her features when she saw her pupil.  'Katy! I'm so glad you're here. As you can see' she gestured the piles of papers with a sweep of her arm, 'I'm kind of up to my nose in papers. And I've got a lesson teaching some beginners, children, in a half an hour. Could you teach it? I mean, do you think you could manage it?'

Katy was dumbfounded. 'You-you mean it? You'd really let me teach a class?'

Karen nodded. 'I have every confidence in you. The kids should be showing up pretty soon, so you'd better get ready to greet them and help them.  Here's the horses they'll be riding, and their names.' The woman handed Katy a list and turned back to her computer. Katy deduced that the conversation was over by the way Karen's fingers flew over the keyboard and her eyes traveled back and forth from a paper to the computer screen.

Katy shrugged to herself and turned to leave, closing the door quietly behind her. Pretty soon she arrived at the pony barn and busied herself tacking up the ponies on the list. Before she had finished the first one, though, it occurred to her that her charges might enjoy the task. She set the saddle down on its horn and went outside to wait for the kids.

Before long, all five little children had showed up to ready their mounts. Katy got Cleopatra and demonstrated the grooming techniques and saddling. She quickly got Cleopatra ready except for the bridle and assisted the younger riders with their own tack.

Finally all the riders were ready, and Katy watched them carefully as they led their ponies to the indoor arena. One little boy with short blond hair dropped back to Katy's side and began talking. 'Hi. I'm Davy. David,' he quickly corrected. Looking embarrassed, he explained the rectification. 'My foster mom gets mad when I tell people to call me Davy. I don't really like being called David, but that's what she calls me. What's your name?'

Katy smiled. 'I'm Katy. Have you ever ridden before, Davy?' she purposely used the boy's favored name. She hoped the boy's mother wouldn't get angry upon hearing her use it.

The little boy smiled. 'Since I was five. I'm seven now,' he informed her.

Wow. That's a long time. Where do you live? Is it close enough that you get to come ride a lot?'

Davy's face dropped. 'No, not really.' He frowned, a dark look passing over his formerly bright features. 'I live with foster parents, and they never let me do anything or go anywhere. I only get to come ride once a week, if even that. And then only if I've done tons of extra stuff for them around the house.''

Katy detected the note of disgust in the small child's voice and wisely steered clear of the obviously tender subject. 'Have you ever ridden Robin Hood before?' she asked, indicating the black Pindos pony the boy was readying for mounting.

Davy nodded. 'Once. I really like him, so Karen said I could ride him every other week maybe. Is that your horse?' He gestured toward Cleopatra.

Katy patted the mare on the neck and smiled. 'She sure is.'

The small boy in front of her mounted his pony swiftly and settled carefully into the saddle. Katy did the same and rode into the center of the large arena. By now all five of the children, two boys and three girls, were already walking their ponies around the ring to warm up the horses' muscles.

'All right,' Katy called out when they had circled the ring twice, 'Pick up a posting trot, but keep it slow! We don't want them pulling a muscle or anything, we're just warming them up for now.'

She watched with satisfaction as the ponies moved into the faster gait with seemingly no instruction from their riders. Obviously Karen had already given them one lesson, as every rider after the first lesson knew that the top no-no was kicking your horse to get it to go.

After the lesson was over, Katy stood Cleopatra in her stall with her halter over the bridle while helping the younger children untack and groom their mounts. She showed them how to clean their saddles and bridles after turning the ponies out and left them on their own. After bidding goodbye to the exuberant children, she headed for Cleopatra and mounted quickly. She rode out to the large jumping arena and began a posting trot. During the lesson she warmed the mare up with a lot of walking and even a little bit of trotting, but now she wanted to give the horse a good workout. It had been almost a week since the last hard session, and Katy felt bad for abandoning the mare.

There were seven jumps set up in the arena, all of them having varying heights. The highest was about four feet, and the lowest only a foot-high parallel. Katy started cantering her horse and headed for the latter. Just as she reached it the teen rose into two-point and kissed to the mare. Cleopatra drew her front legs into a tight ball and soared over the jump with inches to spare. Katy knew how to regulate the horse's stride so the jump would be right and Cleopatra would not jump too high. She knew that some horses jumped feet over the smaller jumps, and she also knew that allowing them to do it was not a good thing.

By this time she had reached the next jump, a three foot in and out jump, and was uncharacteristically caught off guard. Cleopatra soared over the obstacle with no hesitation, but Katy allowed herself to be left behind and landed back in the saddle with a jolt. This threw Cleo's stride off and she took off awkwardly for the immediate obstacle after it. The top pole came down with a crash as the mare's back feet caught it full force on the way down. Guiltily, Katy pulled the mare down to a walk and dismounted to see if any damage had been done the mare's feet or legs.

There was nothing out of the ordinary besides a little mussed up hair, so Katy circled back around to the pole and settled it back into place. Cleopatra looked as if she felt equally guilty about the mishap, causing Katy to burst out laughing. She patted the horse's dappled neck and caressed the thick mane, massaging deep into the roots. She drew her gloved hand out with a bit of a grimace, noting the grime now coated on her fingertips.

'Cleo, you need a bath. In fact, once we're done here I think I'll give you one. I never was able to groom all that mud from your coat. Yes, a bath is just what you need.' She led the mare over to the fence and mounted for a second time with the help of the boards. She nudged the mare into a canter again and this time thought of nothing but the work at hand as the pair soared over the jumps time after time. After maybe thirty or so leaps, Katy drew the unusually winded mare to a halt. She leaned forward and patted Cleopatra loudly on the neck.

'Good girl, Cleo. That was a good workout, despite that little mishap there at the beginning.' She glanced discretely around and leaned forward to whisper into the mare's ear. 'That'll be our little secret, huh? Don't want anyone to think we're losing our touch.'

Cleopatra tossed her head with a snort, nearly hitting Katy's nose in the process. 'Hey, watch it!' the girl scolded the horse. 'That could have turned out badly! Watch out where you're tossing that pretty head of yours.' She patted the mare's neck affectionately to let Cleopatra know that she wasn't really angry, though.

Katy opened the gate from horseback and walked through it. Instead of heading directly for the barn, though, she decided to go for a short trail ride. Karen okayed riding alone if you stayed on the fringes of the woods and had a walkie-talkie. Katy let her horse walk to the edge of the woods, even though it was a long way in the blazing sun. By the time they got there, Cleopatra's head was up from her formerly tired position and her ears were perked forward.

Once inside the cooling shelter of the woods, Katy halted the mare and leaned forward to feel her chest. It was cool, if a little wet with sweat. Katy thought it was fine, so she moved Cleo into a slow trot. She rose into half-seat position and held it as the mare's flowing gait took them quickly across the uneven ground. The clatters of the horse's metal shoes were softened by the cushy layer of pine needles that covered the ground as the pair moved into a pine grove.

'I can see why this place is called Spruce Valley,' Katy remarked, looking at the fragrant trees and noting that nearly every one was a spruce. The trail began curving up, and Katy knew that they were heading up one of the smaller mountains that were included in the Spruce Ridge property line. She let Cleopatra, who was blowing again, slow to a walk in order to navigate the narrow, twisting path. Despite the time she had invested at the stable, Katy had never been on this particular trail.

She leaned forward, crouching low over the mare's neck as low-hanging branches threatened to sweep her from her lofty height. In a quiet moment in between Cleopatra's huffs, Katy thought she heard another horse's hoof beats. I thought barely anyone ever used this trail, she thought to herself. Guess I was wrong.

Katy stopped to listen, and sure enough, she heard the ringing of horseshoes on the granite rocks. She began Cleopatra trotting again so she could see who was ahead of her on the secluded mountain trail. The mare strained, lurching over larger and larger rocks and curving continually upward on the steep mountainside. As she headed around a tight curve, Katy thought she glimpsed a black tail through the trees. Cleopatra must have seen something, too, because she let out a throaty nicker and pricked her ears forward. An answering whinny sounded, and after the next bend Katy found herself just behind a walking black pony with a familiar-looking rider on its back.

'Davy? What are you doing all the way up here, all by yourself?' Katy asked, incredulous.

The blond haired child turned to face her, and Katy glimpsed the tears glistening in his bright blue eyes. For a moment he didn't answer, and Katy was about to repeat her question when he spoke. 'No one loves me, so I'm running away. Don't try to stop me.' A defiant look crossed his face, daring anyone to beg him out of his act.

Katy held up a hand. 'Oh, I'm not going to. May I ride with you for a little bit, though? I don't really feel like going back yet.'

Davy pondered her question for a moment, then reluctantly nodded. 'I guess. Why do you want to?'

'Well, I'd like some company, and I'd like to get to know you a little better.'

'Why?'

Katy was taken aback. 'Why? What kind of a question is that? I like to talk to people, that's all.'

She was met with silence, so she tried to begin a conversation. 'Why are you running away?'

'I told you, because no one loves me.'

'Ah. Who are you running away from?'

'My foster parents.'

'Did they do something to hurt you?'

'Yeah, I guess they did. They didn't hit me or anything, but they never let me do anything, and they're always making me work. I never get time to do anything, and the only reason they let me ride every week is because the adoption agency suggested that it might help me out of my 'depression'. Huh! A lot they know. They don't even know how to take care of a kid.'

Katy was a little stunned at this long speech. It was the longest she had heard from him yet, and up until this point she had thought he hadn't much to say. 'Okay. Um, where are you going to go?'

'I dunno.'

Back to the kid I know, Katy thought. Aloud, she said, 'You do know, of course, that you can't take Robin. He's not yours; he's still Karen's.'

This got her a reaction. Davy shot her a quick look to see if she was joking. Deciding she wasn't, he spoke hesitantly. 'She wouldn't let me take him, or give him to me, even to get away from here?'

Katy shook her head decisively. 'No, I'm sure she wouldn't. I'm positive. In fact, I'm turning around right here. Since you can't take Robin back yourself, I'll take him back for you.'

Katy halted Cleopatra and held her hand out for the other horse's reins. Davy hesitated, then slowly dismounted and crossed to the other side of Robin to hand his elder the leather pieces. For a moment he stood there, then turned around and began trudging up the hill, hands thrust deep in his pockets. Katy turned both horses around and began walking back the way they came, resisting the urge to see if Davy was still going up the mountain. She needn't have worried. Before they had gone ten feet, Katy heard a childish desperate cry. 'Katy, wait!'

She stopped the horses and looked back. The young boy was charging toward her at full speed. 'Davy, don't run!' she quickly cautioned him, not knowing what Robin would do at the hysterical child.

The boy slowed to a walk but quickened his pace to reach his mount. While Katy hid a smile Davy scrambled up onto the horse's back. Together they started down the trail. After several silent moments, the little boy beside Katy broke the stillness. 'I guess I won't run away on Robin now. I'd have to ask Karen to take him first. Besides, I haven't prepared yet.'

Katy smiled at him and agreed. Then she decided to switch to a safer subject. 'How did you get interested in riding?'

A half hour later, Katy put the finishing touches on Cleopatra's now gleaming coat. She groomed the mare thoroughly before remembering her resolve to bathe the filthy horse. Sighing deeply at having wasted time, she glanced at her watch. She wasn't really annoyed about having to spend more time with the horse, but she had hoped to return early that evening to talk with her parents about beginning Driver's Ed. She thought that now since she was sixteen she should be allowed to start. Katy had once approached her grandparents with the subject and received a noncommittal answer. She hoped to get a positive one this time.

Clipping the lead rope to her mare's halter, Katy leaned into the tack room to fetch her wash bucket. As the pair headed for the wash racks, Katy thought about giving Fantasy a bath, too. She wondered how the colt would react to such an experience.

Focusing her mind on things at present, Katy crosstied the mare and turned the water on, waiting for it to heat. After several minutes of prepping, Katy splashed the hose water over Cleopatra, drenching the mare to the skin. Then she drizzled green shampoo over the mare's back and neck and sides, making loops and shapes.

'Having fun?'

Katy started and almost dropped the shampoo. The jolt made the stream splash through the middle of the horse she was drawing on the mare's side. She looked over at the rack's entrance. Her eyes narrowed. 'You seem to be around a lot. Do you purposely interrupt me during my most embarrassing moments?'

Aaron appeared to be offended. 'Embarrassing? It looked to me like you were having fun, judging by the smile on your face.'

Katy let her mouth quirk into a small smile. 'Since you're just standing there watching me and not doing anything, why don't you come help?' She didn't really expect him to comply, so it surprised her when the boy shrugged and picked up a bathing mitt. He began scrubbing the green liquid into the mare's coat and a muddy film appeared on the surface.

Katy followed his example and soon picked up the hose. 'Watch out,' she warned as she directed the spray at her horse. 'Hose going on.' She sprayed it on the mare's neck first.

'Hey!' Aaron spluttered, ducking as the spray that missed the horse's neck hit him in the face.

'Sorry.' Katy's giggle indicated quite the opposite.

'Oh, I'll bet.'

Katy aimed the stream at Cleopatra and soon dirty rivulets of water coursed down the now clean skin. 'You want me to wash her face, or would you like to do it while I rinse her?' Aaron offered.

'I'll wash her face.' Katy relinquished the hose and searched for the baby shampoo that she always used to wash the mare's face. She kept a wary eye on Aaron but soon deduced that he wouldn't try anything. He was too busy working on his rinsing job to worry about getting back at her, Katy decided. She turned her full attention onto Cleopatra's face.

So absorbed was she in massaging the shampoo into the thin skin of the mare's face that she didn't notice the hose go off and see Aaron sneaking around behind her. She did, though, notice the sound of the hose going on. Cleopatra concentrated on something behind Katy. Katy heard a loud spray and suddenly a constant sprinkling of water settled over her like a cloud, with some larger drops mingled in. 'Hey!' she yelped, whirling around. At her outburst Cleopatra started and jerked her head up. Her feet scrabbled backwards and she almost slipped as her feet went off the rubber wash mat and onto the concrete. Forgetting all about the revenge for the moment, Katy sprang forward and grabbed the mare's halter. The hose did not go off. Cleopatra was fine after that, though, and no harm was no harm was done, save for a knocked-over shampoo bottle. Cleopatra seemed to love the feel of the mist. Katy, however, was nearly soaked. She turned to see Aaron standing behind her with the hose, aiming it at the ceiling. The torrent had not yet stopped, and Katy fought to get away from it.

'That's not fair,' she cried as she circled around to get away from the spray. Aaron directed the hose over her head again, grinning widely.

'Hey, you did it to me,' he laughed.

Katy ducked under Cleopatra's belly, knowing full well that although the horse was mild-mannered and very obedient, she could still startle and hurt her. She prayed a quick prayer as she stopped. 'I did not,' she retorted to Aaron.

'You did so. You purposely sprayed me when you started rinsing your horse down.'

'I did not ' well, I suppose I did. Anyway, I didn'''t soak you like this. Look, all that's wet on you is your hair. You soaked me. Look at my clothes!' Katy gestured her apparel. Her hair hung in wet wisps around her face and her bare arms and legs glistened with water. Her jean shorts and gray t-shirt clung to her wetly.

The water stopped and Aaron tried to suppress his grin. 'Sorry.'

'Oh, I'll bet.'

The two stared at each other for a silent moment, Katy with an angry glare and Aaron with a twisted grimace that was obviously holding back a grin. Katy's eyebrows soon lifted and her mouth began to turn up at the corners. Soon both teens were laughing hysterically. Cleopatra eyed the two of them warily and moved a step away.

When Katy observed this, she stopped laughing immediately. Or at least, she tried to. Snickers still escaped every few seconds. 'Aaron, hush. It's not that funny. Anyway, we're scaring Cleo.'

'Hey, I wasn't the only one laughing.'

Katy shrugged. 'Yeah, but you started it.'

'Did not.'

'Did too.'

'Did not.'

'Did too.'

'Now children, stop bickering.'

Aaron and Katy stopped, surprised, and turned to look at the speaker. Nicole stood in the entrance of the wash rack watching them with an impish smile. 'Come on, Katy, we've got to leave soon.'

'yeah, yeah. Just a second. There's a little bit left I need to rinse out of Cleo's mane.' Katy picked up the hose and noted with pleasure that Aaron suspected not a thing. Patting her mare on the neck, she began rinsing the mane, looking perfectly innocent up until the point when she aimed it over the horse's neck full into Aaron's chest. He leaped back with surprise and bumped into the wall behind him. Katy let up on the handle so the stream wasn't so heavy but kept it trained on the older boy.

When Aaron ducked out of the wash rack into the aisle Katy was forced to stop the water, since no spraying water outside the wash racks was among the barn rules. She couldn't stop laughing, though, and barely kept from collapsing as she wound the hose back up and stored it. The dignified look on Aaron's face as he attempted to not laugh contrasted so sharply with his soaked appearance that even Nicole couldn't help giggling.

Katy snapped a lead onto Cleopatra's halter and unhooked the crossties. Aaron led the way back to the mare's stall and Nicole trailed behind. 'How long before you're ready, Katy? Remember we wanted to talk to Mom and Dad about driving?' Nicole crossed her arms over her chest and waited while Katy secured Cleopatra in the aisle.

Katy sighed. 'I don't know. Even if I towel her off it'll take a while for all this water to dry. I've still got to scrape her, too. I'll be right back.' She hurried down the aisle into the tack room. Soon she was back with a sweat scraper, a tool somewhat like a windshield wiper. It had a handle in the middle and a curved blade that stuck out on either side for the scraping part. To this was attached a rubber piece for swiping the water from the horse's coat.

Setting briskly to work, Katy started at the mare's neck and worked her way over the horse's body, whisking water away and onto the floor. Soon the mare's coat didn't glisten with water, even though it was still wet. The girl stood back to ponder her work. 'I guess we'll just have to stay here until she's dry and I can put her back in her stall,' Katy mused.

'Or you could put her out in one of the grassy paddocks,' Aaron suggested.

Katy glanced at him with a what-a-stupid-idea look. 'Right, and have her roll out there and get covered with little bits of grass and dirt and leaves and who knows what else. We all know for a fact that horses love rolling right after grooming or a bath.'

'I'll stay here with her if you girls need to leave,' Aaron offered gallantly.

After thanking him, Katy and Nicole went to gather their things from the rider's lounge.

Nicole had her things all ready, so she left the room and went to wait for her sister on their bikes. Just as Katy was about to exit the room she heard a small sniffling from the corner. She turned to see what it was but didn't see anything but a large circle of armchairs. Walking closer, she heard the same sound again. She stepped silently nearer and cautiously peered around one of the chairs. Nothing. She stepped to the next one and looked behind it.

She saw a small shoe sticking out from behind the next chair. She reached down and gave it a small tug, having a pretty good idea who it belonged to.

The sniffle turned into a surprised shout. Davy yanked his foot away from her grasp and looked up with a start. His eyes narrowed and he swiped angrily at the tears streaming down his face.

'Davy, what's wrong?' Katy asked, squatting down beside the little boy.

Davy rubbed his eyes with the back of his fist and sat up. 'When I called my foster parents they yelled at me. They're on their way to pick me up right now. My foster mom told me I can't come riding for two weeks.'

'What? Why?' Katy put her arm around the little blond haired boy and hugged him. 'Did you talk to Karen yet?'

'I don't know. They never have a good reason. Maybe I forgot to put Brendan's shoes in his closet. No, I didn't talk to Karen. Why would I?' Davy's face was twisted spitefully.

'She might be able to talk to your foster mom and convince her that you didn't do anything wrong. At least not here, anyway. Neither of us can do a thing about your home situation. Why is she mad at you, anyway?'

'I don't know. They never seem to have a good reason. Everyone thinks I'm more trouble than I'm worth. I don't know why, though. I'm always on my best behavior, and I never backtalk.' He rubbed his eyes with his fists and peered up at her with a soulful lost-puppy-dog look. 'See why I don't think anyone loves me?'

Katy nodded slowly. 'I can see why you feel that way now. Don't worry, though. I know a couple of people who love you, at least.'

'Really? Who?'

'Well, I do, and Karen and Jim do, and Nicole would if you met her, and you and the other kids get along pretty well, don't you? Anyway, let's go tell Karen. She'll give some kind of argument, I'm sure.'

She and Davy got up and left the rider's lounge. Katy quickly explained the situation to her sister and followed Davy to the building in the center of the stable yard.

A short while later, three people exited Karen's office. Katy waved goodbye to Davy and his foster mother from the entrance of the barn. She still had some work to do, so she had to stick around for a little while longer. Karen had asked her to feed all the horses that evening.

Katy set out to find Nicole. She finally found her in the rider's lounge again and brought the subject up.

'Hey, Nicole? How about helping me feed all the horses? You can hay them while I grain them or vice versus. How about it? Mom isn't here yet, anyway.'

Nicole looked up from the couch, where she was reading a mystery paperback. 'Sure,' she agreed, standing up. 'Let's go.'

Katy pulled the grain cart behind her to Barn One while Nicole followed with a large wheelbarrow with two bales of hay in it. With a glance at each nameplate for feeding instructions, Katy and Nicole quickly worked their way through the first eight horses before Nicole ran out of hay. She took the wheelbarrow back to the barn for more while Katy continued doling out the grain to all the horses.

She poured sweet feed and pellets into some of the buckets while others got bran and some got crushed oats. Katy marveled at how each horse's needs were so different. She spotted Nicole then coming back with the other course.

'Let's hurry, okay? This is taking longer than I thought. And I wanted to get home a little early. There's a training show on television I want to catch. It's already starting to get dark.' Nicole plopped three flakes of hay into one stall and headed for the next with another two.

Katy stumbled through the door of her immaculate house, Nicole following close behind her. After depositing their backpacks on the floor of the kitchen, they trudged wearily into the living room. Both of them flopped onto the couch. Their mother came into the room and began scolding. 'You two have been at the barn all day! Get off that nice couch! Off! Off!' she shooed them until they raced up the stairs, laughing.