Star Gazer by Chris Platt Read Free Book Online Page A

it seems like a bad thing to a lot of people. But if an animal is too old, or sick, or broken down, there’s not a whole lot you can do. It’s sad, but it’s a fact of life.”
    â€œBut what about the ones that are fine and healthy?” Jordan shoved her hands into her pockets and kicked at the ground, sure that she wasn’t going to like the answer to her question. “They can buy healthy animals, too?”
    â€œYeah,” Jacob nodded. “That’s the part I don’t like. If there’s no one in the audience willing to outbid the packers and buy a healthy horse, then the unlucky animal will go to the same place as the sick or injured ones.” He patted Star on the neck. “Let’s just hope there’s someone here who wants to buy her and take her home to spoil her.”
    Jordan’s shoulders slumped. She wished she could be the one to buy the mare. When she looked into the gentle brown eyes of the beautiful draft horse, she felt like crying. She reached out and straightened the horse’s long forelock. Star Gazer needed rescuing, but there wasn’t a thing she could do to help.

six
    â€œThere you are,” Nicole said, making her way down the barn aisle toward Jordan. “And I see you found Jacob.” She pointed toward a stall at the end of the row, where he stood helping a customer.
    â€œYou knew he worked here and you didn’t tell me?” Jordan squeaked.
    â€œI wanted it to be a surprise.” Nicole tossed her hands in the air and shouted, “Surprise!” She hiked her purse onto her shoulder and smirked. “I hope you two had a nice little conversation.”
    â€œUgh!” Jordan smacked her palm to her forehead. “Jacob caught me in a stall with a horse.”
    â€œWhich stall? Which horse?” Nicole asked, amused at the situation even though Jordan looked like she wanted to crawl into a feed bin.
    Just then, Star poked her head over the stall door and nuzzled Jordan’s hair.
    Nicole jumped. “Oh, my, I didn’t see you!” she told the horse, then turned to Jordan. “You mean this horse? Right here? With the big Do Not Enter sign over its head?”
    Jordan nodded as she stroked the draft horse’s neck. “That would be the one,” she said sheepishly.
    â€œWell, they haven’t booted you out yet, so I guess you’re probably okay,” Nicole said. “And…you got to see Jacob again.”
    Star Gazer nuzzled Jordan once more and she happily turned her attention from the embarrassing encounter with Jacob back to the horse. “Isn’t she beautiful?” Jordan brushed her hair back into place. “Her name is Star Gazer.”
    She waved the flies off the horse’s face. “Jacob said she came from the Sutton farm. Mr. Sutton didn’t want her anymore, so he just threw her away.” She stared into the mare’s eyes, her heart aching for the big black mare. “I wish I could buy her, but Jacob says she’d probably go for around eighteen hundred dollars. I just wish I’d had another year to save up.”
    â€œShe is pretty…in a big, clunky sort of way,” Nicole said. “But what would you do with her? You don’t have any harness or a cart or wagon. If this mare came off the Sutton place, she’s a pulling horse.”
    â€œI could ride her,” Jordan said, looking up at the height of the mare’s back. Dakota would seem like a pony beside her.
    Nicole started to laugh, but changed her mind when she saw that Jordan was serious. She came closer, standing next to the horse. The draft mare towered over them. “That’s a long way up there, pal. Won’t that be scary being so far off the ground?”
    Jordan thought about it. She hadn’t had that many riding lessons, and the horses she’d ridden had all been fairly short. Maybe her friend had a point. “I’d find some good use for