Keeping Secrets by Linda Byler Read Free Book Online Page B

absent-mindedly while listening to Leah recount an episode from her day.
    Paris and Cody were at the lower end of the pasture, as far away as possible. Usually when Sadie called, they came trotting to the gate, but not always. Depending on their mood, they stayed where they were, tails swishing, teeth crunching as they went on grazing.
    Sadie climbed up and sat on the gate.
    “Paris! Cody! Come on girls! Come on!”
    The slanted evening sunlight brought out the rich gold of Paris’ coat. She was the color of honey, the good, rich kind that came straight from the hives. Her mane and tail were a lighter shade of gold, almost off-white, the tone of some people’s living room walls.
    Paris whinnied, her nostrils making that funny rollicking noise that sounded like laughter. Sadie watched as she swung her head, then turned to make her way delicately across the pasture. Her head bobbed slightly as she walked up to the gate, prodded on by Sadie’s gentle coaxing.
    Nuzzling her skirt, Paris looked at Sadie as if to ask her how her day was.
    “Hello, girl.”
    Sadie slid off the gate, her arms going around her horse’s neck, and she squeezed tightly.
    “Good, good girl. You’re so beautiful in the springtime, Paris, you know that? You want to go for a ride? Hmm? Let’s get some exercise, and I’ll tell you about my day.”
    Paris’ ears flicked forward, then back. She lowered her head to look for an apple, sniffed Sadie’s palm, and followed her obediently into the barn and through the door of her pen. Her hooves clattered on the concrete as she went to the water trough.
    Sadie lifted her saddle off the rack, then set it back down. She forgot the blanket. It was not on its usual rack, so she went to look for it in the harness cupboard. Turning the wooden latch, she checked the interior. No saddle blanket. Hmm. That was weird.
    Reuben came sliding across the gravel, making the sound of screeching brakes, almost colliding into his big sister.
    “Reuben, where’s my saddle blanket?”
    “How would I know?”
    “Nobody else uses it.”
    “I didn’t use your saddle blanket. I’d never ride with a pink one, you know that.”
    “It’s not pink.”
    Reuben turned his head to one side, then said loudly, “Phone!”
    Sadie listened, heard the insistent ringing, and dashed to the phone shanty.
    The sound of a phone ringing was a bit mysterious. If somebody was fortunate enough to hear the phone in the shanty at all, that person dropped everything and ran to answer it. That’s because you never knew if the ring you heard was the first one or the tenth one, and you wanted to grab it before voicemail kicked on.
    Breathlessly, Sadie lifted the receiver and said, “Hello!”
    “Hey.”
    There was no mistaking that low, gravelly voice. She steadied herself for the usual plummeting of her heart, and the racing pulse that followed, before saying warily, “Mark.”
    “Hey, Sadie. I … should have stayed in the barn down at the ranch today instead of coming out to talk to you. I guess the sight of those children… I don’t know. I overreacted. Now you probably won’t talk to me again.”
    Sadie smiled. “Why wouldn’t I?”
    “Well … I dunno. I guess…”
    There was an awkward silence, then, “What are you doing?”
    “Getting ready to ride. I was actually looking for my saddle blanket, which evidently sprouted legs and ran off.”
    “Can you… Come over to my place?”
    “I can’t.” Sadie said the words automatically, without considering whether she could or not. It was late, but…
    “Why not?”
    “I shouldn’t ride clear over there by myself. It’ll get dark and it might not be safe for me to ride back.”
    “I’ll meet you halfway.”
    Sadie bit down on her lower lip with indecision. She was dirty and unkempt from planting flowers in the sun and relentless wind, her stomach was much too full of pizza, and she had the start of a glaring red pimple on her chin.
    “No.”
    There was a silence, dead and