the taking.â
Chapter Eight
âS he could run,â Jake said with conviction. He spoke quietly and never took his eyes from the filly. âWhat do you think? Sheâs about fifteen hands? A little less?â
âYeah,â Sam said, though she didnât know if heâd been addressing her or Mac. She almost thought Jake was talking to himself.
âCompact body, deep through the heart with strong quarters. Boy, look at those muscles. And with those sloping shoulders and pasternsâ¦â
âA smooth ride,â Mac said, nodding. âBig eyes, light bones, and she knows rough terrain and rocky footing already.â
âSo why doesnât she belong to anyone?â Jakeasked. âShe canât be that hard to ride.â
âMaryann Pete owned her mother, a horse called Songbird. Maryann had her grandson living with her and the two of them raised this filly until she was a yearling. Then, the whole family, Maryann and her children and grandchildren, moved to Minnesota.â
Sam couldnât help shivering. Nevada got cold sometimes, but she couldnât imagine living in Minnesota.
âSo they turned her out before they left,â Mac said, âand no oneâs had her until Shan Stonerow the horse breaker. You know him?â
Jake took a deep breath, gave a disapproving sound, then nodded. Mac continued.
âHe had her in for a week last summer. Quick and dirty is the way he breaks horses. Catch on Monday, sell on Friday.â Mac gave a snort. âShe was too smart for him. He hated getting bucked off. He got mad, threw her on the ground and kept her there, tied. Idea was to make her terrified. Show her she was helpless. It didnât work.â
Sam watched the filly move along the shoreline. Her markings were clear-cut, totally black and startling white. Her coat looked so satiny smooth, Sam wanted to touch it.
Macâs story made her admire the fillyâs fierce spirit, but the pintoâs experience with the horse breaker would make her wary.
Horses trusted until you gave them a reason notto, and the pinto had learned that not all humans were kind. How could Jake change the fillyâs mind?
âHow did he catch her?â Jake asked. He was rubbing his palms together lightly, a gesture Sam had never seen him make before.
âWater trap,â Mac said. âEven though sheâs playing in the water now, get her in a confined area and sheâll remember, believe me.â
Jake nodded. He looked hypnotized.
Just then, a car drove by and the Scout shuddered at its passing.
Inside, the car was crowded with men and fishing poles. By the time they reappeared down below, the horses had moved off, trotting single file, around the far side of Monument Lake.
âWhat do you think, Samantha?â Mac asked.
Sam pulled her coat closer. Without the heater running, it had grown cold in the car. Until now, she hadnât even noticed.
Mac turned away from the steering wheel and rested his arm on the seat. âDo you think Jake can tame her?â
âI think,â she said slowly, âif itâs not love at first sight, Jake doesnât have a chance.â
Jake twisted in his seat. His lips were pressed in a hard line and his eyes were resentful.
âWhy did you bring her?â Jake asked. âShe wants to believe animals and humans are the same.â
âI donât think theyâre the same,â Sam protested. âTheyâre just not that different. Sheâs probably notfriendly to humans right now, so you have to convince her youâre not like Shan Stonerow or she wonât give you a chance.â
Mac met her eyes with a nod and Jake noticed. His resentment was easy to see. He didnât like his grandfather siding with her.
âNo offense, Sam,â Jake said, pretending an understanding tone, âbut youâre not the worldâs greatest horsewoman.â
âI know that, Jake