Saratoga Sunrise by Christine Wenger Read Free Book Online Page A

have my head. He surely would."
    "I'll tell him that I ordered you do take me there. Now, hurry, Johnson. The sun is getting hot in this open carriage." She opened her parasol and held it over her head, waving her hand for him to drive on. She normally wasn't impatient with Johnson, but she just had to insist.
    Johnson shrugged his shoulders, and drove toward the stables. "If you say so, Miss Sara. If you say so."
    Even though her father would be furious if he ever found out that Clara didn't accompany her to the stables, she was proud of herself and her small victory. She was doing what she wanted, not what her father wanted her to do – or what society expected her to do.
    As the carriage rolled down Union Ave, Sara's heart began to do small flips in her chest. She would see Jack Summers in a short time. What was it about the man that intruded on her thoughts every minute since she had met him? She wished that he hadn't run off last night when Clara appeared, so she could have introduced him and they could have gotten acquainted. She could always count on Clara to give her an honest opinion.
    She was also hoping to see first hand how he was doing with Seawind. Seawind was a good judge of character, too.
    She needn't have wondered, because as the carriage turned near her father's stables, she saw Seawind following Jack around like a big puppy. The tall thoroughbred was nudging Jack's back with his nose, and Jack was laughing as he walked.
    "Get away, Seawind, I have work to do. Get back in your stall or I'll put you in front of one of those fancy carriages and you can drag society folk around for the rest of your life."
    Sara laughed, content in the knowledge that Seawind adored Jack.
    And she was beginning to suspect that she did, too.
    # # #
    The horse whinnied and pushed him again, shoving Jack forward. He tripped and landed face down in the dirt, not far from a pile of horse droppings.
    "Why you buzzard bait, I'll–"
    The sound of a woman's laughter stopped him from uttering the litany of profanities he was ready to unleash. He looked up and saw a pale green satin hem with just a flash of white lace underneath. Tiny black shoes were level with his eyes.
    He pushed himself up easily and stood. "Miss Peterson, I didn't expect you this early."
    He wiped his hands on his trousers, then brushed the dirt from the front of his shirt. "Your horse is full of vinegar today. He needs a good run to get rid of some of his energy."
    "Is that true, Seawind?" Sara laughed as the horse nodded.
    She pulled a carrot out of her reticule, and held it out. "It's from Chef Morris. He said he's betting his last dollar on you."
    The horse walked over, smelled the carrot, and took it in his big yellow teeth. It was gone in a flash.
    Jack grinned. "Now get back to your stall, Seawind. I'll saddle you up, and you can show those other horses what you can do." He turned to Sara, and offered her his arm.
    She put her hand in the crook of his arm, then turned back to Johnson. "Johnson, why don't you leave and come back for me after noon?"
    "Humph," he uttered with his nose in the air. "I don't mind stayin' and waitin', Miss Sara."
    "Nonsense, Johnson. You go ahead. Enjoy the day. I insist."
    "I'll take good care of her, Johnson. You can be sure of that," Jack said.
    Johnson scrutinized Jack from the top of his unruly, shiny brown hair to the top of his dirty, dusty work boots. Then he peered into Jack's deep blue eyes for what seemed like an hour. He must have liked what he saw, for he nodded and grinned.
    "See that you do," he ordered.
    Jack smiled in amusement. He liked it that the man took good care of Sara. Sara had a way of bringing out the protective nature in him, too. She was so fragile, so tiny and delicate. But he had to put his feelings for her aside. He had a mission to accomplish and he needed to gain her trust. He intended to do that by letting her ride Seawind in secret.
    He turned back to Seawind with Sara still clutching his arm.