When the lunch bell rang, Sammy took a moment to put her books in her locker, then followed the crowd to the cafeteria. Since she didn�t know anyone yet, Sammy picked a small table in the corner and sat down with her lunch. However, she wasn�t alone for long.
�Mind if we sit with you?�
Sammy looked up to see a boy and a girl standing next to her. The girl was the one who�d spoken. She was about the same height as Samantha, and had long raven black hair, with dark brown eyes. �No, have a seat.� The two smiled and sat down.
The girl pushed a strand of black hair behind her ear. �I�m Yvonne Ortez, and this is Tor Nelson.�
Tor smiled warmly, and Sammy couldn�t help but smile back. �Samantha McLean. My dad and I just moved here a few weeks ago.�
�Welcome to Lexington, then!� Tor said, still smiling. Sammy felt a little tingle go through her. He had the bluest eyes she�d ever seen, and the light blond hair to match. �What does you dad do?�
�He�s the new assistant trainer at Townsend Acres,� Sammy replied, taking a bite of one of her French fries.
�That�s so cool!� Yvonne exclaimed. �They�ve got some great horses.�
Sammy nodded in agreement. �Are your families involved in racing?�
Tor shook his head. �Not racing, but my dad owns Nelson Stables on the other side of town. It�s a jumper stable.�
�Tor�s an instructor there, and a great jumper himself,� Yvonne added. �My dad�s just an insurance agent. I do ride a lot though.�
The three talked about horses for the rest of the lunch period. Sammy found out that she had most of her classes with Yvonne, and was very glad to have a friend familiar with the school. Tor was a year ahead of the girls, so she would only get to see him at lunch. He didn�t talk all that much, but seemed to enjoy the girls company.
As Sammy and Yvonne walked to their next class, English, Sammy commented on what she�d noticed. �Tor doesn�t talk much, does he?�
�Sometimes he does. His dad�s been sick recently, so he�s got a lot on his mind. He�s been doing pretty much everything at the stables all summer. When he�s not worried about something he�s a lot of fun.�
The two girls sat down at their desks, and were forced to stop talking when the teacher entered the room. The rest of the afternoon passed quickly, and before Sammy knew it, she was back on the bus. With Yvonne�s phone number in her notebook.
After dropping her backpack in the house and changing out of her school clothes, Samantha ate a quick snack and headed for the barns. She found her father in the trainer�s office, going over some papers. �Hey, Dad!�
Ian looked up and smiled. �Hi yourself. How was the first day of school?�
Samantha sat down on the edge of the desk. �Pretty good. I met two people as horse crazy as me.�
Ian laughed. �I didn�t think that was possible.�
Sammy wrinkled her nose at him and stood, then planted a quick kiss on his cheek. �I�m going to go say hello to Pride.�
Pride wasn�t in his stall, so she changed direction to the paddocks. She waved at a few of the grooms, and Hank smiled at her as they passed on the lane. And then she saw him.
Pride was grazing with a few other two-year-olds, but as soon as he saw Samantha he trotted over to the fence. �Hey there, fella,� Sammy greeted him. She scratched his forehead, then fed him the apple she�d brought for him. As soon as he finished it, he nuzzled at her pockets looking for more.
�Sorry, Pride. That�s it.�
He snorted and shook his head, causing Sammy to break into giggles. He was such a character sometimes.
When he figured out that there really were no more apples, he returned to his friends and resumed his grazing. Sammy just sat on the fence, content to watch him.
�I see he�s quite taken with you,� a voice said from behind her.
Sammy jumped a little and turned around. �Mr. Townsend!�
Clay Townsend smiled. �Sorry if I frightened you.� He came up to the fence and rested his elbows on the top rail. He was dressed casually, in dark khaki pants and a button-down shirt. �He�s something to look at though.�
Sammy nodded in agreement as Clay sighed. �Wish he looked that good on the track.�
She turned and stared at him. She had a feeling that he hadn�t meant to say that out loud. �You can�t give up on him, Mr. Townsend,� she said quietly. �He�s too special.�
Clay looked over at the girl. �Samantha right?�
She nodded. Mr. Townsend took a deep breath as he straightened up. �I hope you�re right, Samantha.� Then he turned and began to walk back to the barns.
Samantha stared after him until he was out of sight. Something about his tone made her uneasy. She glanced at Pride, and the uneasy feeling took root and began to grow.
Chapter 4
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Thoroughbred Main
Story Corner Main