Heartbreak Bronco by Terri Farley Read Free Book Online

of things HARP expects you to do by the end of the week, including ride your horse.”
    That wasn’t the real problem. If Amelia had said she’d like to work with Tempest, Sam might have suggested she pet and rub the filly, teaching her to trust humans.
    â€œIf you think I can learn to ride a horse after a few days, you’re crazy,” Crystal said.
    â€œYou will.” Brynna’s voice was meant to comfort Crystal. “But I guess that means you’ve never ridden?”
    â€œNever even touched one of them,” Crystal said proudly.
    What was going on? Crystal seemed to be patting herself on the back for duping whoever screened kids for the HARP program.
    A cool breeze signaled evening wasn’t far off.
    Sam stepped out of the barn’s lengthening shadow as if she could escape her sudden dread. If Crystal didn’t like horses, what was she doing here?

Chapter Six
    T he aroma of Gram’s cooking wafted onto the front porch and welcomed them into the kitchen.
    Crystal and Amelia would eat every meal with the family. Both looked uneasy about it, especially when Brynna disappeared upstairs, leaving Sam to introduce them to Gram.
    At first, Sam couldn’t figure out why the girls regarded Gram with such wariness. She wore a bright lilac apron over her jeans and blouse. Her gray hair was coiled into a smooth bun and her lined face glowed with the confidence that any problem could be cured with a good meal.
    Then Sam noticed Crystal and Amelia focusingon the heavy gunmetal-gray object Gram held in her right hand.
    â€œWhat is that?” Crystal asked, nodding at the hammer-shaped implement.
    Gram laughed. “I call it a tenderizer, though it probably has another name in proper cooking circles.” Gram set the utensil aside. “Looks kind of menacing, doesn’t it, but it’s used for pounding meat so that it’s more tender when it’s cooked. We’re having chicken-fried steak for dinner.
    â€œIn fact, once you two have helped Sam put the leaf in the table and washed up, I’ll need you, Crystal, to make sure the gravy’s not lumpy and Amelia, as soon as the bread’s cooled, I’d like you to slice it.”
    Sam showed Amelia and Crystal how to pull each end of the kitchen table to leave a gap in the middle. Then she retrieved the polished wooden piece—Sam hoped neither girl asked why it was called a leaf—which fit between them, making the table that usually seated four big enough to accommodate six.
    Sam pulled a white cloth from a drawer and flapped it over the table. Then she gathered handfuls of silverware and noticed Crystal and Amelia were just standing there, arms crossed, looking out of place.
    When Amelia’s hand dropped to her pocket to retrieve her cell phone, Sam handed her the silverware.
    â€œHere,” she said. “You can set the table with these.And Crystal,” Sam told the dark-haired girl as she took a stack of folded cloth napkins from their drawer, “why don’t you put these out?”
    Crystal stared at the napkins as if Sam had offered her a porcupine.
    Sam tried to understand the girl’s reaction. Was it reluctance to help? Or maybe, since Crystal lived alone with her father, they hadn’t made a big deal of meals like Gram did.
    â€œThey’re napkins,” Sam said.
    â€œI know what they are, cowgirl ,” Crystal snarled. “I don’t live in the backwoods like some people.”
    Silence filled the kitchen.
    It was getting harder to be tolerant of Crystal, but Sam gave it another try.
    â€œI’m sorry—” she began.
    â€œLook, HARP didn’t say anything about being a maid.” Crystal jerked the napkins from Sam’s hand and tossed one at each place setting.
    Amelia rubbed her forearms and made a fretting sound just as Brynna came back into the kitchen with Dad.
    Brynna introduced Dad and snatched a raw carrot stick from those Gram had