This made Samantha very happy. Ashleigh had convinced Clay to postpone all talk of selling Pride until at least February. Both girls knew that with some rest, staying away from Brad, and proper training, Pride could get back on track and have a shot at the Kentucky Derby.
Monday at school, Samantha was bubbling over with happiness, and couldn�t wait until lunch to tell Tor and Yvonne the wonderful news. When the lunch bell rang, she was the first one out the door. After dumping her books in her locker, she practically ran towards the cafeteria.
�You look excited.�
Samantha turned to see Tor standing behind her in the lunch line. She lightly punched him on the arm for making her jump. �I am excited! And don�t scare me like that.�
Tor grinned cheekily. �Gonna spill?�
Samantha shook her head. �Nope. Not until Yvonne gets here anyway. How was the show?� The two moved forward and picked up their trays.
Nelson Stables had hosted a junior level show over the weekend, and Tor had been rather stressed over it. �It went great!� His face became animated as he told Samantha all the details while they waited for Yvonne.
As Tor finished up about the show, Yvonne sat down at the table. �Sorry I�m late.� She shoved a strand of dark hair behind her ear. �How�s Pride?�
Sammy�s face lit up in a huge smile. �That�s what I�m so excited about!� She quickly filled Tor in on what had happened Saturday morning and afternoon.
�Ashleigh talked to Mr. Townsend afterwards and convinced him to do all the things we talked about!�
Tor reached over and hugged Sammy as Yvonne clapped her hands together and squealed. Samantha tingled all over when Tor pulled away a moment later.
�So, what�s next for Pride?� Yvonne asked.
�Lots of rest, trail rides, and then a winter campaign on Florida. And possibly the Derby trail.�
�Congratulations, Sammy.� Tor smiled warmly at her as he spoke, and she felt the tingle start up again.
The rest of the day, whenever she passed Tor in the hall, he smiled at her and waved as usual, but she started tingling all over again and felt her cheeks get warm on a couple of occasions. At the end of the day, he met her at her locker and walked her to the bus.
�Samantha,� he began. He was feeling rather nervous and completely unsure about how she would react to what he was trying to say. And that only made him more nervous. �Uhm, I was wondering if you�d like to go see a movie or something Friday night.�
She looked up at him. His eyes were filled with something that looked akin to uncertainty, as if he was wondering if he�d done the right thing. Samantha smiled. He had asked her out on a date, and she wasn�t about to say no! �I�d love to.� She then stepped onto the bus and waved at him as it pulled away from the curb.
By Friday, Samantha was wondering if she�d made a mistake. What if he had just done it to help her celebrate about Pride? She�d hardly seen him the last four days because his father was sick again and he was so busy at the stable. She wasn�t even sure he�d have the energy to go out that night. Earlier that morning when they had passed each other in the hall, and even though Tor smiled at her, he looked tired.
Tor caught up with her at the end of the day as she took out the books she needed for her homework that weekend. They�d missed each other at lunch. �I�m going to pick you up at six.�
Sammy closed her locker and turned to face him. �Are you sure you don�t want to do it another night?�
Tor raised one eyebrow. �Having second thoughts?�
�No!� she assured him. �You just looked so tired this morning.� She paused a moment, then confessed, �I was worried about you.� She looked up into his clear blue eyes and found him smiling softly.
�I�m fine, Sammy. I�ll pick you up at 6.� He then tapped her nose with his finger, and walked off to his truck, whistling all the way.
Tor arrived at six on the dot. After checking the movie listings it was decided that there was nothing playing that was worth seeing. They decided to stop at a deli, and have an evening picnic in the Horse Park.
It was a perfect evening. The night was cool with a breeze blowing that carried the first hints of the coming autumn. They strolled through the park, talking about anything and everything, and watched the sunset.
All too soon for Samantha, the evening was over and it was time to go. Back at Townsend Acres, Tor escorted Samantha to her front door. �This was the most fun I�ve had in a long time!� Tor told her.
�Me too,� was all Sam could say.
�Could we do it again really soon?�
Samantha nodded, and Tor smiled. His hand came up and softly touched her cheek. She could feel her heart speed up as Tor leaned down, and ever so gently kissed her.
�Good night, Sam.�
Then he turned, and was gone.
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
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