Shadow Horse (20 page)

Jas hesitated when Miss Hahn left the tack room.
Should I tell her she shouldn’t get rid of Shadow?

But Jas knew that when she and Grandfather moved to an apartment, it would be
hard enough to make ends meet. She knew she would have to get a job after school. She knew she wouldn’t have time for a talented but demanding horse.

Bending slowly, Jas picked up the grooming box. With a heavy heart, she followed Miss Hahn out the door.

“
ALL RIGHT, BIG GUY,
”
JAS SAID AS SHE PATTED
Shadow’s neck. “Let’s show Lydia what you can do.”

Eyes focused on the first jump, Jas steered Shadow down the line of fences. He sailed over a three-foot-six fence and then a low spread as if they were not even there. Turning Shadow down the center, Jas bounced him through a tight in and out, then circled right and jumped the last line of fences smoothly.

When she slowed him to a trot, Jas felt like bursting. “You were great,” she exclaimed as her fingers dug into his mane. Although she never wanted to let go, she knew she had to.

Standing by the gate, Lydia and Miss Hahn clapped their approval.

“I love him!” Lydia exclaimed. “I can’t
believe you got him from some killer auction, Diane.”

“All the credit goes to Jas,” Miss Hahn said. “She’s the one who discovered him.”

Jas flushed. Steering Shadow away from the gate, she loosened the reins and let him stretch out into an easy walk to cool off.

Chase vaulted over the fence. He jogged over, and when he fell in step beside Shadow, he gave Jas a funny look. “I thought you were going to knock down all the fences?”

“I changed my mind. Shadow deserves the best, and Lydia can give it to him.”

“But you two are a perfect team,” Chase protested. “You’re the one who can take him to the top.”

Halting Shadow, Jas smiled down at him. “Hey, whatever happened to the person who believed a horse didn’t have to jump a fence or win a race to be worth something?”

He shrugged. “Okay, so I’ve reconsidered. Shadow loves jumping so much that I think he’d be miserable just hanging around a pasture.”

“You’re right. He would,” Jas said as she pulled off her helmet and threw it to him. Swinging her leg over the cantle, she dismounted,
sliding the last few feet to the ground. Chase gently caught her around the waist. Her heart skipped a beat.

“You know Lydia really likes him,” he said as his breath rustled her hair.

She nodded.

“And you’re okay with it?”

“Just okay. So drop it, all right?”

“All right.” He let go of her waist. Pulling the reins over Shadow’s head, Jas ran up his stirrups, then led him out the gate.

Lydia watched as they approached. Jas took a deep breath, knowing that she had to get it over with.

“He’s everything I want in a horse, Diane,” Lydia gushed. “Bold, athletic, handsome, sane. When can I have him?”

“I’m sorry, Lydia,” Miss Hahn said. “I’m afraid I can’t let you have this one. I’ve changed my mind.”

“What do you mean, you changed your mind?” Lydia gasped.

“What do you mean, you changed your mind?” Jas repeated in confused excitement.

Miss Hahn gave Jas a long, thoughtful stare. Then she turned back to face Lydia. “Shadow belongs to Jas. She’s the one who
found him. She’s the one who recognized his potential, and—” her voice broke with emotion. “She’s the one who really loves him.”

Jas’s mouth fell open. “But I won’t be able …”

“We’ll figure something out,” Miss Hahn said firmly. “I promise.”

“Yes!” Chase yelled as he punched the air with his fists.

Lydia put her hands on her hips. “But when you brought the horse over, you implied that if I was interested, I could adopt him,” she said, sounding as imperious as Hugh. “I’ll even throw in a big contribution to the farm. How’s that sound?”

Miss Hahn’s nostrils flared. “I never promised you this horse, Lydia. I’m sorry if you misunderstood me.”

“Well, then.” Fuming and at a loss for words, Lydia stalked off.

“Sore loser,” Chase muttered under his breath.

“She’ll get over it,” Miss Hahn said. “She’s just jealous because she knows that Shadow and Jas have what it takes to be champions.”

Chase grinned proudly. “That’s what I just said to Jas.”

Jas was still frozen to the spot, her lips parted in disbelief. She was afraid to say anything for fear she’d misunderstood. “But we already talked about how I won’t have the time or the money to take care of Shadow.”

“I said we’d figure out something,” Miss Hahn repeated, a stubborn look in her eyes.
“I’ll
figure out something. In fact, I’ve been mulling over an idea already.”

Snorting, Shadow butted Jas with his nose as if he was tired of being ignored. Jas turned and flung her arms around his neck. “Don’t worry, no one’s forgotten about you.”

“So what’s your idea?” Chase asked impatiently.

Miss Hahn tapped her lip. “Now, it’s just an idea, and I haven’t thought it all through, but … how would you and your grandfather like to live at the farm?”

Jas’s brows shot up. “What?”

“I don’t mean in the house with me,” Miss Hahn explained quickly. “I’d get someone to donate a house trailer. The place desperately needs a caretaker. The volunteers can do only
so much, and when Chase goes back to school this fall I’ll be overwhelmed. I know how handy your grandfather is, and of course I know what a hard worker you are.”

“Yee-hah!” Chase whooped. “I think that’s a terrific idea.”

“Are you serious?” Jas couldn’t believe her ears. Miss Hahn’s idea sounded too good to be true. “I mean, I don’t know how strong Grandfather will be, and I have to go back to school at the end of August, too.”

“The things I need your grandfather to take care of won’t require a lot of strength.
Something’s
breaking in that madhouse every day.” Miss Hahn’s voice rose in excitement. “And having another responsible person living at the farm means that I could leave once in a while. Maybe even go to a few horse shows.”

“Yes!” Jas screamed deliriously. “I think your idea is wonderful! And I think Grandfather will love it, too. Thank you, Miss Hahn! Thank you!” she exclaimed, throwing her arms around Miss Hahn.

Snorting in fear, Shadow threw up his head, jerking the reins from Jas’s hand. With a shake of his mane, he trotted off, the reins dangling.

“Oh, no!” Jas gasped, taking off after him.

Breaking into a canter, he headed for the other side of the barn. Jas realized where he was going—straight for Lydia’s cow pasture.

“Shadow!” she cried. “Whoa!”

Ignoring her, he cantered right for the four-board fence. After nickering a greeting, Shadow jumped into the pasture.

Jas slid to a halt, Miss Hahn and Chase stopping beside her. She groaned as she watched Shadow gallop toward the cows.

“He’s going to catch his leg in the reins and break it,” she moaned.

“Or run a cow through the fence,” Chase added.

With a sigh, Jas turned toward Miss Hahn. “Are you sure you still like your idea? Grandfather, Shadow, and I might be more trouble than we’re worth.”

“You’ll be worth it.” Miss Hahn patted her shoulder. “I’m sure.”

Chase grinned at the two of them. “I like the idea, too. I like it a loi. But now we better catch that crazy horse. Jas, you stay here and keep an eye on him. I’ll get his halter.”

“And I’ll get the bucket of grain,” Miss Hahn offered.

Jas nodded, too choked up to speak. Walking over to the fence, she propped her arms on the top board and watched Shadow prance through the herd. He looked like a wild stallion, his tail streaming behind him as he scattered the cows across the green pasture.

Jas smiled, happier than she’d ever been. She knew this was only the beginning. Even with Miss Hahn and Danvers on her side, going after Hugh was going to be tough. But she welcomed the challenge.

Her court hearing was also fast approaching. The thought of facing the judge made Jas’s mouth go dry. But at least this time she wouldn’t be alone. Chase, Miss Hahn, and Grandfather would be there to help her get through it all.

After that, she and Grandfather could finally settle into their new life at Second Chance Farm.

Then she could start the search for Whirlwind.

ALISON HART is an avid horse rider who loves a good mystery. She has been reading and writing about animals since she was a kid. She is a Virginia native who has written more than twenty-four novels for children and teens, and her novel
Shadow Horse
, the prequel to
Whirlwind
, was nominated for an Edgar Award. To find out more about Alison, her horses, and her books, visit her Web site at
www.alisonhartbooks.com
.

A sneak peek at
Whirlwind
,
the sequel to
Shadow Horse

Excerpt from
Whirlwind
© 2010 by Alison Hart
Published by Laurel-Leaf, an imprint of Random House
Children’s Books, a division of Random House, Inc. New York.
All rights reserved.

August

“Ow! That hurt!” Jasmine Schuler scolded the huge chestnut horse she was grooming. Shadow pricked his ears gleefully. Quickly Jas curled her fingers into pretend teeth. When Shadow swung around to nip her again, she “bit” him on the side of his mouth.

Throwing up his head, the gelding stared at her in surprise.

Jas stifled a laugh. Shadow was special, because she’d helped rescue him from a killer auction. He’d had an untreated thyroid condition and had been in bad shape. Now that the horse was healthy, he’d turned into a brat who needed to learn proper manners.

Shadow inspected his feed tub, licking it for leftover grain instead of trying to bite her again. “That’s better,” Jas praised.

When Shadow had arrived at Second Chance Farm, an animal rescue facility, Jas had turned him out with Jinx, a quiet quarter horse. Jinx used flattened ears and his teeth to put the bigger gelding in his place. Jas was trying to do the same, and it was starting to work.

As a reward for good behavior, she massaged the crest of his neck.
Horse massage
. Jas had been riding from the time she could walk. Yet, since living at the rescue farm, her foster home, she’d learned so many new things about animals.

While Jas brushed Shadow’s springy mane, she thought about how her life had changed. Less than two months ago, she’d been living at High Meadows, a premier horse farm. Her grandfather, Karl, was the resident caretaker. She had worked there, too, grooming and riding the farm’s top-rated show horses. Then the owner, Hugh Robicheaux, had accused Grandfather of killing Jas’s favorite horse, a beautiful chestnut Thoroughbred named Whirlwind. Grandfather had been so distraught that he’d had a stroke. He’d gone to the hospital, then a nursing home. Jas had been so angry she’d attacked Hugh. She’d ended up in court, then in foster care.

Foster care
. Jas yanked at a tangle in Shadow’s mane. When she’d first arrived at Second Chance Farm, she’d been miserable. Now she loved it here. But soon her grandfather was getting out of the nursing home. Foster care would end. Originally, her social worker had arranged for Jas and Grandfather to live in an apartment, which meant that Jas wouldn’t be able to take care of Shadow. Miss Hahn, her foster mom, had arranged for the big horse to be adopted.