Gift Horse (12 page)

She opened the kitchen door quietly and stepped inside. Both her parents were there waiting for her. The looks on their faces told Stevie everything she needed to know.

“We lost, didn’t we?” Stevie said, her lip trembling.

“I’m so sorry, honey,” her mother replied. “The judge considered all the evidence and declared that No-Name is the Webbers’ horse. We’ve been ordered to return her this afternoon.”

Stevie had been expecting this news for days and thought she was prepared for it. But hearing it was still like
getting a pair of hooves in the stomach. There was nothing she could say or do. It was over. There was no hope of keeping No-Name any longer. Tears streamed freely down Stevie’s face. Her parents let her cry. Then Mr. Lake spoke up softly.

“Max is letting us borrow one of his trailers. I can take her myself if you’d rather not be there.”

Stevie shook her head. She was still unable to talk.

“No, I want to come with you,” she said finally. “And I’d like to groom her before we go, if there’s time.”

Her father nodded. “Of course there is,” he said gently. “The Webbers aren’t expecting us for an hour or two anyway. Come on, I’ll drive you over to Pine Hollow now.”

A few minutes later Mr. Lake dropped Stevie off by the front gate of Pine Hollow. “I’ll be back in an hour or so, okay?” he said.

Stevie nodded, then hurried inside. She went straight to No-Name’s stall. As she started to slide open the door, Carole poked her head out over the partition of Starlight’s stall next door, where she was preparing for class.

“Hi, Stevie,” she said. “Any news?”

Stevie just nodded. She couldn’t speak, because her eyes were filling up with tears once again and she didn’t trust her voice. Luckily, Carole understood immediately.

“Oh, Stevie!” she whispered, her own dark eyes growing wet. She came out of the stall and gave her friend a hug. “Does Lisa know yet?”

Stevie shook her head and swallowed hard. “No,” she said, her voice only shaking a little. “I just got here. My dad’s coming back in an hour to help me take her over to the Webbers’.”

“Are you sure you want to go along when he—well, when he takes her away?” Carole asked, concern in her voice.

“I’m sure,” Stevie said. “I have to be there to say goodbye.”

“Do you want me and Lisa to come with you?” Carole asked. “I’m sure Max would understand if we skipped class.”

“No,” Stevie said. “Thanks, but I have to say good-bye by myself.”

Carole squeezed Stevie’s hand. “I understand. That’s what I would want to do if it were Starlight. You know where we are if you need us,” she added. “I’ll let Lisa know what’s happening for you if you want.”

“Thanks,” Stevie said again. She let herself into No-Name’s stall. The mare greeted her by snuffling at her hair. Stevie reached out and gave her a big hug.

She felt the mare’s silky coat and breathed deeply to smell her pungent horsey scent. The warmth of the mare’s body gave Stevie the strength to continue.

“Hi, girl,” she whispered. “I hope you’re ready for the grooming of your life, because that’s what you’re about to get.”

Stevie started by rubbing off the last traces of the temporary hair dye from No-Name’s head and legs. The Saddle Club had cleaned up both No-Name and Topside as soon as they’d arrived back at Pine Hollow on Saturday, but a few stubborn flecks of brown had remained on No-Name’s white parts. Now Stevie made sure to remove every last one, using brush, rag, and fingernails. Soon the mare’s markings were gleaming white again.

Then it was time for the serious grooming to begin. Stevie took special care picking out the mare’s hooves, making sure there wasn’t so much as a speck of dust in them. Then she painted all four hooves with hoof oil. She went over No-Name’s deep brown coat with a dandy brush, then a body brush. Next she sponged off the mare’s fine-boned head, taking extra care around the big dark eyes.

Throughout the grooming, No-Name snuffled and sighed, obviously taking great pleasure in being fussed over. Stevie talked softly to the mare, telling her over and over how much she’d loved their short but special time together. “After all,” Stevie murmured as she finished combing out the mare’s mane and tail and started to go over her body once more with a soft brush. “As horrible as it is to lose you, it’s still better than if I never knew you at all.” The mare snorted and half-closed her eyes, enjoying the feel of the brush on her back.

By the time Mr. Lake returned, Stevie was sure No-Name looked as beautiful as she’d ever looked in her life.
While her father and Red O’Malley went to bring out the horse van, Stevie spent a few final moments alone with her horse, feeding her some sweet baby carrots she’d bought the day before and talking to her quietly. Stevie was determined to face this ordeal one minute at a time. She wouldn’t think about what was coming. She’d just try to savor these last few precious minutes with No-Name.

Then it was time to load the mare onto the van. No-Name docilely followed Stevie up the ramp and stood quietly while Stevie tied her in place. Stevie helped her father close the door, and they climbed into the cab of the van. Stevie knew better than to ask to ride in the back with the horse—that could be dangerous to both of them. Instead, she spent the fifteen-minute ride to the Webbers’ house with her nose pressed to the glass window separating the cab from the back. She didn’t say a word the whole way. She was too busy just staring at her beautiful horse. Her father talked to her for the first few miles, telling her some of the legal details. He explained that he would be able to recover the money he’d paid Mr. Baker for No-Name, Mr. Baker could recover the money from the person he’d bought her from, and so on down the line. There was a slight chance somebody might find the person who had stolen her from the Webbers. When Stevie still didn’t say a word, Mr. Lake fell silent as well, concentrating on his driving for the rest of the trip.

Stevie’s stomach contracted as her father slowed down
and turned into a long gravel driveway. He drove slowly over the bumpy surface past a large white farmhouse, until they reached the small barn behind the house. Then he stopped the van and turned to Stevie.

“Well, kid, this is it,” he said softly. “Are you ready?”

She gulped and blinked back the tears that threatened to brim over onto her cheeks. She promised herself she wouldn’t show the Webbers how much she hurt. “As ready as I’ll ever be,” Stevie told her father. She turned and hopped out of the cab. Then she hurried around to the back of the van and started to swing open the door, just as the back door to the house opened and Chelsea hurried out. Her parents and sister were right behind her.

Stevie’s father went to greet them as Stevie entered the van and unhooked No-Name’s lead rope.

“Come on, girl,” Stevie said. “Let’s go. There are some people waiting for you outside.”

She carefully led the mare out of the van. The Webbers watched silently. Then Chelsea stepped forward and gave No-Name a big hug. “Thanks for bringing Punk home, Stevie,” she said, sounding a little tentative. “Do you want to help me put her in her stall?”

Stevie nodded, surprising herself. She hadn’t expected to want to help Chelsea get No-Name settled, but somehow it felt right. She and No-Name followed Chelsea into the small barn, which contained a few large, comfortable stalls.
Stevie noticed the tall gray gelding Chelsea had ridden in the rally peering over the top of one of them.

Chelsea followed her gaze. “That’s the horse my parents rented for me when Punk was stolen. His name is Silverado.” She stopped in front of an empty box stall. “This one’s Punk’s. I’ve got it all clean and ready for her.”

Stevie nodded again. She turned to No-Name and gave her a quick hug. Then she stared down at the lead rope clenched in her hand. She didn’t want to give it up. Instead, she wanted to turn and lead her horse out of this strange barn, back to Pine Hollow where she belonged. Forever. For a split second she almost started to do just that. But then she bit her lip and handed the lead rope to Chelsea. “Here, you can take her in.”

Chelsea accepted the lead and led the horse into the stall. Stevie could hear her talking softly to the mare, who nickered a few times as if in response to her words.

Stevie didn’t even try to hear what Chelsea was saying. She just watched No-Name, memorizing the lines of her head, the look in her eyes, and the way she moved. She let her eyes run down the smooth arch of her mare’s neck, past the stubborn little strand of mane that always flopped over onto the wrong side. And then Stevie’s gaze turned to the markings on No-Name’s face, as unique as the horse herself. The mare reached down and nibbled at Chelsea’s blond hair.

Then Stevie turned away, suddenly unable to watch
anymore. She knew she’d never meet another horse like No-Name, not ever. In a flash of understanding, she realized that that was why Chelsea was so happy to have her back. But understanding it didn’t make it any easier to bear. Stevie had never wanted anything as much as she wanted this horse. She couldn’t imagine how she would manage to go on without her, to wake up every day knowing that her beloved horse belonged to somebody else and that Stevie might never so much as see her again. She felt like screaming out with all the anger and sadness and frustration she felt at this moment, but she knew it wouldn’t do any good. There was nothing she could do to stop her heart from breaking.

A moment later Chelsea let herself out of the stall. No-Name stretched her head out over the half door for one last nibble at her hair. Chelsea laughed and pushed the horse’s head away. “That’s her worst habit,” she said. She glanced at Stevie. “But I guess you probably knew that already,” she added more quietly. Stevie could tell the other girl felt sorry for her. She realized that Chelsea wasn’t a bad person at all. She obviously loved No-Name a lot. But that didn’t make Stevie feel any better. She knew that no matter how much Chelsea loved the mare, Stevie loved her just as much—or more. Nothing would change that.

“Would you like to say good-bye to her?” Chelsea asked. “I could wait outside.”

“Thanks,” Stevie said. She waited until Chelsea left, then let herself into the box stall. “This looks like a nice place to live,” she said to the horse. Then she started scratching all No-Name’s special itchy places while she talked. “You be good for Chelsea, okay? She loves you and she’ll take good care of you. And maybe we’ll see each other at Pony Club rallies and shows, right? It won’t be the same as being together all the time, but …”

Stevie’s voice trailed off as the tears she’d been holding back all afternoon came at last. This was really it. She was losing her horse—forever. She would never ride her again, never groom her again, never feed her special treats or bed her down for the night. She wouldn’t get to feel No-Name’s soft lips nibbling her hair when the mare was in a particularly playful mood, or try to outthink her when No-Name was being stubborn. She wouldn’t even know if the mare was happy, or healthy, asleep, or awake. There would be a million little moments that she would never be able to share with her. There would be a lifetime of good times and companionship she would be missing. And she knew she would miss every second of it. Stevie sobbed inconsolably, burying her face in No-Name’s silky coat, while the mare stood quietly.

But finally No-Name lowered her head and nibbled at Stevie’s hair. Stevie laughed through her tears and stepped back to look at the horse. “You’re one of a kind, No-Name, you know that?” she said. She wiped her face on the sleeve
of her shirt. “I’d better go now, girl. Good-bye.” She gave her one last quick hug, then let herself out of the stall, willing herself not to start crying again.

She glanced back when she reached the barn door. No-Name was staring after her, her head stretched over the stall door. She nickered once.

“Good-bye,” Stevie whispered. For a second that felt like an eternity, she gazed at the horse, making sure the picture of her standing there, her proud head held high, was stamped on her heart so clearly that it could never fade. She knew she would never forget one single second of the time they’d spent together—not if she rode a million other horses. Not ever.

Then Stevie turned away and went outside.

The others were waiting for her. “Come on, honey,” her father said. “Let’s go home.” He shook hands with Mr. and Mrs. Webber and Chelsea, then led Stevie back to the van.

She climbed inside and slumped into the corner of the seat, staring out the window at the rolling Virginia landscape all the way home. But she didn’t see a bit of it. All she could see, as tears streamed down her face, was the picture of her horse watching alertly as Stevie left her behind forever.

A
FTER SCHOOL TWO
days later, Stevie was still moping around the house. She lay facedown on her bed, thinking about No-Name. Stevie hadn’t been to Pine Hollow since the mare had gone back to the Webbers’. She missed No-Name more and more every day. She still could hardly believe that the horse wasn’t hers anymore, and never would be again. She kept reminding herself that Chelsea must have been just as miserable when No-Name was stolen as Stevie herself was now, but that only made her feel worse. It didn’t seem fair that either one of them had to be miserable. But there didn’t seem to be any way around it.