Gated by Amy Christine Parker Read Free Book Online Page A

and try to process this. This boy is quite possibly stranger than I thought he’d be. But his fear makes me feel better, less nervous.
    I turn toward Indy’s stall and grin.
Wait till I tell Marie about this
. Indy’s already by the door, his neck straining out into the walkway toward me.
    “Hey, big guy, how’s your morning going?” I coo athim, and he puts his head into my shoulder and leaves it there—the closest thing to a hug hello that he can manage.
    I can feel Cody watching me, watching us. My fingers start to tremble in Indy’s mane. Cody’s eyes on me have every part of my body on high alert, but I’m not scared. In fact, I think I like it. I look back at him and try to be calm. “They’re really gentle, you know. And smart. So, so smart.” I run my hand across the top of Indy’s head, let my fingers toy gently with one ear. He moves his head up and down against my shoulder.
    “This is C201entIndy. He’s mine. We kind of grew up together. He’s about the gentlest horse there is. If you come say hello to him, I promise he’ll behave. It’s impossible to be scared by this guy.” I hug his head.
    Cody’s still in the same spot, but his face isn’t as tense. The corners of his mouth are turned up into the beginnings of a smile. “He really loves you, doesn’t he?” he says.
    “Not nearly as much as I love him.” I plant a kiss on the blaze running down the center of Indy’s face. “He’s a better listener than anyone else I know. And he’s easy to please. Give him a carrot and take him for a ride and he’s ecstatic.” I can’t help thinking about target practice yesterday. “He never expects anything more than that.” I realize that I’m not smiling anymore and that Cody’s looking at me strangely all of a sudden. I chew on my lip and try to quickly pull myself together.
    “Come here.” I motion for him to get closer to Indy and me.
    “I don’t know …,” he begins.
    “He’ll be sweet, I promise.”
    Cody still looks skeptical, but he inches toward me anyway. I’m not sure if it’s because I was that convincing or if it’s just that he doesn’t want to seem like a giant wimp. Either way, he ends up next to me. I take his hand and put it to Indy’s nose. I can sense more than see him smiling at me.
    “Feel that. Isn’t it the softest thing ever?”
    Indy doesn’t hesitate. He buries his nose in Cody’s hand, happy to have so much attention. Cody stiffens and I let out a little laugh as Indy moves a little closer to Cody and nuzzles his Ferris shirt, leaving a wide smudge of slobber and dirt across his chest. Cody makes a face and we both burst out laughing at the same time.
    By the time we say goodbye to Indy and leave the stable, I’m feeling less wary. Indy doesn’t warm up to just anybody. He never nuzzles Will. I try not to read anything into that. All I know for sure is that Cody’s funny and nice and I’m having more fun than I’ve had in a while.
    We walk in silence at first, but Cody doesn’t let it last long. He launches into a story about his first time around horses, when his mom put him on the back of one to take a picture and it took off running. He was stuck holding on for dear life until it ran itself out. It was probably terrifying for him, but he makes it sound hilarious instead. I watch him talk, the way his hands move as he does. There’s something almost painful about being around him. He makesme so nervous that I can barely stand still. I’m pretty sure that I’m smiling way too much and laughing way too loud. Still, I can’t stop myself, and even stranger, I don’t want to. I look for the evil that has to be lurking just underneath the surface, but all I see is a boy … and an extremely cute boy at that.
    “How long have you lived here?” he asks.
    “Ten years.”
    “And you’ve been to Culver Creek before? Because I’m sure I’ve never seen you there.”
    “Yes. We all take turns getting some of the supplies we need, like