Friday at lunch found a dejected Samantha merely picking at her food. Tor had saved a table for them, and he and Yvonne knew something was wrong the moment Samantha sat down.
�Sammy, what�s wrong?� Tor asked gently.
Samantha sighed and laid her fork down. Lunch just didn�t interest her today. �There�s this colt at the farm, Wonder�s Pride.�
Tor and Yvonne nodded in recognition. �The son of Ashleigh�s Wonder,� Tor observed. �I hear he�s been a bit of a disappointment.�
Sammy nodded glumly. �He finally broke his maiden three weeks ago, and was supposed to run in an allowance race Sunday. But Pride kicked one of the grooms this morning while they were trying to load him into the van. The groom is in the hospital with broken ribs, and Mr. Townsend is having second thoughts about Pride.�
Tor reached across the table and squeezed Sammy�s hand.
�He has so much potential, but he�s so messed up.� Sammy quickly wiped a tear from her cheek. �When it�s just him, he�s so sweet. But when he gets near the track he turns into a monster.�
Yvonne leaned over and gave Sammy a one-armed hug. �My mom said I could spend the night. Maybe we can figure something out to help Pride calm down.�
�Yeah,� Tor put in. �I can take you both out there, and we could put our heads together. There�s got to be something we can do.�
Sammy smiled at her friends. �You guys are the greatest! Ashleigh will be there too, so surely we can think of something that might work.�
At that moment, the bell rang signaling the end of lunch. The three quickly made plans to meet at Tor�s locker, then split up for their classes. The afternoon seemed to drag on for Samantha. During algebra class, she could have swore that the clock actually stopped ticking. When the final bell rang, Samantha was the first one out the door.
After getting her backpack from her locker, Sammy jogged down the hall to Tor�s locker. Yvonne wasn�t there yet, so she dropped her backpack next to Tor�s and leaned against the wall.
Tor smiled at her, then squeezed her hand. He could tell she was genuinely upset about what was happening to the colt. Tor was very attached to his gelding, Top Hat, and couldn�t imagine how he�d react if Top Hat were in danger of being sold.
�Tor, could you teach me how to jump?�
Tor looked startled for a moment. �Sure. It�s really easy.� He was about to say more when Yvonne finally joined them.
�Sorry. One of my teacher�s stopped me.� She looked from Tor to Sammy, her dark eyes bright with anticipation. �Ready?�
�Ready!� Sam and Tor chorused. They both picked up their backpacks, then Tor led the way to where his truck was parked.
As they stepped out into the humid August afternoon, Samantha felt sweat beading on her forehead and the back of her neck. She was very glad she�d taken the time to put her hair up that morning. The threesome climbed into the truck, and Sammy directed Tor to Townsend Acres.
The drive was made mostly in silence. The closer they got to the farm, the more Samantha�s bad feeling grew. She just knew that something terrible was going to happen. When they reached the farm, Sammy had Tor park in their driveway. �I�ll show you our house later. We have to get to Pride!�
Yvonne and Tor both heard the urgency in Samantha�s voice, and followed her to the training barn. Sammy caught sight of Ashleigh and Mr. Townsend standing in front of the barn, and Ashleigh did not look happy. The three friends stopped walking, just out of earshot, and waited until Mr. Townsend left. Then Samantha approached Ashleigh.
�How did it go?� she asked.
Ashleigh sighed. �Not good. Mr. Townsend said if Pride doesn�t start running up to his potential, he�ll be sold at the January auction.�
Chapter 5
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Thoroughbred Main
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