Crow Mountain by Lucy Inglis Read Free Book Online Page A

left, but the only sounds were coming from the stable barn to the right.
    Hope wandered over to it and went in through the gigantic hangar-like doors. Her eyes took a few seconds to adjust to the dimness. Down each side were stalls and some contained horses. One large dark-brown animal had its head hanging over the door. It watched Hope as she approached, its liquid brown eye on her. Its head shifted slightly and Hope held up her hand and very carefully touched the horse’s face. It allowed the caress, so Hope’s fingers slid to its nose. The skin was like velvet and prickled with thick whiskers. She stroked cautiously down its face again. Then, suddenly, it dipped its head and butted her, hard, in the chest, sending her stumbling backwards into something solid. A pair of arms closed around her and she yelped in surprise.
    â€˜Fleet, that’s no way to treat a lady.’ Cal set Hope on her feet.
    The horse nodded wildly, as if laughing, and Cal tutted at his lack of remorse.
    â€˜He’s a joker.’ He ran his hand down the horse’s neck and gave him an affectionate slap. ‘But he’d never hurt you.’
    Hope rubbed her breastbone, over her clattering heart.
    Cal scratched beneath the horse’s mane. ‘I need to apologize, for the fact my dog’s a deviant. It’s a puppy thing. I stuck your, er . . . stuff in with a load of laundry.’
    She nodded, face still flushed.
    â€˜What did your mom say?’
    Hope huffed and folded her arms. ‘She thinks I’ve turned into a raging slut.’
    â€˜Raging, huh?’ He was genuinely amused. His rare smiles were infectious and Hope couldn’t help but smile back. ‘You should talk more,’ he added. ‘Wasn’t sure you could at first.’
    They watched each other.
    â€˜Tired?’
    â€˜A bit. But I need to stay awake.’
    â€˜Then let me show you something.’ He led her over to a stall and pointed over the door. Inside was a beautiful black and white horse and at its feet, folded up on the straw, a tiny white spindle-legged foal with bright blue eyes.
    â€˜This is Zach. Our newest edition. I was up most of the night with Gypsy.’ Cal let himself into the stall. ‘Hey, girl, how y’doing?’ He pulled her pricked ears. ‘Want to come in?’
    Hope crept in cautiously and crouched by the foal with Cal.
    â€˜Hey, little guy.’ Cal stroked the foal’s head. Gypsy looked over Cal’s shoulder, unconcerned. ‘See his eyes? He’s a throwback. They used to say horses with glass eyes were crazy, could never be tamed. Not true, is it, little guy?’
    The tiny foal snorted.
    â€˜Yeah, exactly,’ Cal agreed. ‘Not crazy at all. And every couple of generations the pale eyes come round again.’ Hestood. ‘Want to help me finish up with the hay?’
    â€˜Yes, please. Well, if you like.’
    He looked at her. ‘You want to or not?’
    She nodded.
    At the back of the barn, he had been shaking out clods of packed hay freed from a large bale and pushing them into net bags. About ten already sat on the floor around them. He passed Hope a net, then took another. She copied him, shaking out handfuls and stuffing the hay into the nets. It was a while before he spoke.
    â€˜So you want to be a scientist?’
    â€˜No. I’m rubbish at it . . . I want . . . to be a writer.’ She waited for the usual reaction, a smirk or a joke, but he just nodded and carried on working.
    When they had filled the last hay nets, they went out into the sunshine and Hope watched as Cal dunked them all in a large rain butt standing up against the barn.
    â€˜So the dust doesn’t make them cough.’ Then he hung them over the doors of each stall, speaking to the horses as he went. Done, he came back to Hope and checked his watch. He was covered in hay dust and his face was dirty. ‘OK, it’s after six but you