Page 4 (1/2)

I wince then quickly force a smile Like Dad, Mom always called me Strawberry Shortcake because of my hair color, and it annoys s to my parents

"There’s an arcade called the Fun Tunnel that has tons of skee ball lanes I found lots of places to eat I saw the school, Hundred Oaks Looks pretty nice But it’s like five miles from here--I’ll have to take the bus to school I wish I had a bike"

Dad and Cindy glance at each other I can see the gears turning in their heads We can’t afford a bike, and we all know it

"I talked to Jack Goodwin earlier," I say "He seelance at each other again I swear, did they develop ESP or so?

She taps her fork on her plate "Shortcake, I don’t think spending tiood idea"

"Yeah, yeah, I know The Goodwins place a high premium on their privacy"

Cindy shakes her head "It’s not that…he sneaks girls into his rooirl twice You’re too good for hiood for a millionaire horse far I discovered when I got here is that the household staff lives for gossip They exaggerate everything

"I’ door to his bedrooh the cuff "I heard froave Candy Roxanne, that harlot of a country ardens And apparently one thing led to another and he was picking thorns out of his--"

"Yvonne," Dad says, his voice laced arnings He pats my hand "You know Mr and Mrs Goodant us to keep our distance I can’t afford any probleot it, I got it"

Dad takes a bite of chicken salad A piece gets stuck to his mouth, and Cindy leans across the table to sweep it aith her napkin He gives her a quick kiss Oh gag me

Deep doish I had soinia, I dated occasionally and fooled around with this guy Adam sometimes on weekends, but I’ve never had a boyfriend-boyfriend Maybe this’ll be the year I finally get one

I can’t help but think about how Jack treated ht I was here with a senator He flirted, he asked questions, he smiled at me It felt effortless…but he wouldn’t have flirted if he’d knoho I was

After I finish et to know the horse before war past the mud pile where the farmhands burn manure and make it into fertilizer Dad told me Mr Goodwin sells it to soup corow ain

The large wooden doors are wide open as I charge through a flock of birdssht fills the cool barn, war Star He rubs the colt’s nose then uses a soft brush to smooth his face Rory is cute, but not my type He’s taller and lankier than Jack and hasn’t fully filled out his frarin "Hay is for horses"

"Daht be cool But with lines like that…" Rory laughs at room here?" I ask

"Part-ti Hundred Oaks on Monday"

"That’s where I go," he says

Rory steps away fro with, just like the guys in the barn I used to work at Turns out that Whitfield Farht up the road from Cedar Hill He has two parents, three brothers, and a barnyard full of animals Like Cedar Hill, Whitfield Farms has been around since the Civil War, but instead of horses, they raise cows and breed dogs In fact, Jack bought his three hounds froo

"Why do you work here if you got your own farone down, so otta work here if I want cash"

"I get you That’s why I want the exercise boy job"

Rory swivels to grab a different brush, breaking the cardinal rule of Horse 101: never turn your back on a horse Star takes advantage of the situation and nudges Rory’s shoulder, shoving him toward the stall door Then the colt lies down on the floor and rolls back and forth across his straw bed like a puppy What a prankster

I laugh "Good one, Star"

"Come on, boy," Rory says "Get up"

The horse scrambles to his feet then trots around his stall He’s definitely a Thoroughbred: lots of energy with a dash of crazy I love his goofy personality Star walks over toand sleek Not an ounce of fat on hi"

Star rests his chin on my shoulder and I rub his neck He sroo hirabs a shovel, scoops up Star’s es past me to dump it in a wheelbarrow

"You are a handsome boy," I tell Star He sniffs my hands and snorts and tries to bite hbred racehorses aren’t pets They bite like sharks

"No!" I say

Star looks ain The staring contest goes on for over asoh et close to another horse, considering what happened to her Finally Star breaks eye contact, leans forward, and nips athis face He likes that

I help give him a bath and check his shoes, and find out he’s a two-year-old colt Rory confirms that Star is indeed a Ferrari of horses, a descendant of Nasrullah and Man o’ War, super fao, his sire--his father--nearly won the Triple Crown We never saw horses like Star in Charles Town, because those races didn’t have big prize ot the job done okay, but they weren’t flashy or special The only truly special horse I kneas Moonshadow