Silver Dream by Angela Dorsey Read Free Book Online Page A

Joanna turned the doorknob and walked inside.
    A girl around her own age, with
wavy, reddish blonde hair, was standing near a huge bay
Thoroughbred. Closer, in fact, than Joanna would have stood. The
big horse looked extremely agitated, and she’d seen how quickly
horses could move or strike out when angry or frightened.
    “Sorry,” she said. “I heard a
noise, so I came out here rather than go to the house.”
    “Who are you?” the girl managed
to stammer.
    “I’m Joanna, from next door. I
heard Mr. Thomas had a girl staying with him, so I thought I’d come
say hi.” Her eyes wandered over the other two horses in the tiny
shed, the first a black mare – a Standardbred? – and the second, a
chestnut gelding, either a Quarter Horse or a Quarter
Horse/Thoroughbred cross.
    Her gaze swept back to the big
bay. He looked familiar. Had she seen him before?
    Yes!
    “That’s Tango,” Joanna said.
Immediately she regretted her words. Maybe she should have thought
them through first. But there was no going back now.
    “What do you mean? This is
Dancer, my Grandpa’s horse.”
    Joanna walked toward the
magnificent bay. “No. I’ve seen him before, and his name is
definitely Tango. I’ve even seen videos of some of his races. He’s
retired now, but he’s like a local celebrity. He was raised on a
farm just a few miles away.”
    The girl stepped between her and
the horse. “This is Grandpa’s horse. You’re wrong.”
    Joanna stopped to stare into the
girl’s narrowed green eyes. “You don’t really believe that, do
you?”
    “I want you to leave now.”
    Behind the girl, the stallion’s
ears flattened further. He kicked the back wall and the girl
flinched, but didn’t take her eyes from Joanna.
    “No, she does not believe this
is her grandfather’s horse.”
    Joanna spun around to see
Angelica in the doorway. Immediately, all three horses perked up.
For the first time, Joanna saw Tango’s ears go forward. He stepped
past the girl and Joanna, completely ignoring the fact that he was
pulling the girl along on the end of his lead rope.
    Angelica laid her cheek against
his nose and closed her eyes. Then she straightened his forelock.
“Do not worry, Tango. I will help you.”
    “His name isn’t Tango. It’s
Dancer.” Though the girl looked terrified, she was still speaking
up. “You better go, or I’ll call Grandpa again.” Even her voice was
shaking.
    “His name is Tango.”
Angelica gestured to the black. “And this is Bonnie.” Her hand
moved on toward the chestnut. “That is Breeze.”
    “No, they’re Rocket Gal and
Wings.” The girl spoke so quietly that Joanna could hardly hear
her. For the first time, she felt a pang of sympathy for the girl.
She looked so frightened, so absolutely miserable.
    “Your name is Kathy? I heard
your grandfather call you that last night,” Angelica asked
gently.
    The girl’s shoulders slumped
forward. “No. My name is Cally.”
    “I thought he had you confused
with someone else.” When Cally looked down at the floorboards,
Angelica added, “I am sorry.”
    “Sorry? Why?” asked Joanna. “And
why does he call you Kathy?” she asked, turning to Cally.
    “His mind is confusing past and
present,” Angelica explained. “It happens sometimes to older
humans. And I am sorry, because, well…” She looked at Cally with
compassionate eyes.
    “It’s okay. I know the truth.”
Cally paused. Swallowed. “I know he probably won’t get better.” She
dropped Tango’s lead rope, sat on bale of hay, and buried her head
in her hands. When she finally looked up, her cheeks were smudged
with tears. “He started calling me Kathy a week after I got here.
At first I thought he was joking, pretending I was really my mom.
Kathy is her name.”
    “He talked to you about the
horses, Wings, Dancer, and Rocket Gal, as well?” encouraged
Angelica.
    “Yes.” She pinched her lips
together.
    “So he really thought these
horses were his?” Joanna asked.
    “He told me