Free Sundancer by Shelley Peterson Page B

clear. Owens’ stable manager called to have me put him down, but when I saw how good he looked, I asked if I could take him. They were happy to get rid of him, no questions asked.”
    â€œAnd you never asked for proof of ownership? You didn’t buy him for a dollar?”
    â€œThat would’ve been too clever. No. I didn’t think of it. We can’t all be perfect, Hannah.”
    â€œIf you’re trying to make me mad, it’s working,” said Hannah. “I need to know who’s paying his bills, who he belongs to, what I can and cannot do with him. If he’s yours, you have the right to instruct me on how you want him fed and maintained, and you’ll pay me the first of each month. Same as any owner.” Hannah took a breath and continued. “If he’s mine, then I’ll buy him for a dollar, and I’ll need a receipt, signed by his former owner.”
    â€œHe’s dead. Samuel Owens passed away.”
    â€œWho inherited his horses?”
    â€œThat’s not clear. It’s probably a company.”
    â€œSo who had the right to give him to you?”
    Paul paused. “I assumed the manager, but I didn’t ask any questions. It seemed like a good idea at the time.”
    Hannah sighed. “You know how the saying goes? When you assume you make an ass of u and me.”
    Paul was thinking about how to respond when both of them saw the same thing. In the paddock, visible through the tack room window, Bird was sitting on Sundancer’s back; no halter, no bridle, no saddle, no nothing. Just a girl and a horse.
    They stopped talking and watched.
    Bird stroked his neck gently, from his ears to his withers. Again and yet again. It seemed as if the horse was hypnotized. He stood quietly with his ears drooped and his lower lip hanging. His eyes were half-closed.
    That feels good. Keep doing that .
    Talk to me, Sundancer. Tell me why you went crazy in the barn this morning. What scared you so much that I couldn’t get through to you?
    Don’t stop patting me. I feel better now .
    Bird felt light and relaxed on his back. Her legs hung loosely, her back slightly hunched. Her eyes were closed.
    I will never hurt you, you know. And I will never let anyone else hurt you. Tell me what happened at the barn .
    I don’t want to think about it .
    Okay. Maybe one day you’ll let me understand why you’re the way you are .
    Suddenly the gelding shuddered violently. Bird, eyes still closed, saw what was in his mind. Was it his imagination or a memory of a real event? She saw a man coming at him with a pitchfork, yelling harshly and waving his arms. A dark stall. No way out. Sundancer reared, striking the man with a front hoof. The man fell and Sundancer ran out of the stall. Out of the barn. Down the road. He ran and ran. He couldn’t stop.
    From the tack room window, this is what Hannah and Paul saw: Sundancer, for no discernable reason, suddenly reared up, struck out, then raced off.
    In an instant, everyone was in motion. Hector started barking in panic, and Hannah ran through the barn. “Paul, get help!” she yelled over her shoulder. “I’ll try to stop him!” Once outside, she climbed the fence and ran for the middle of the field where she’d be closest to Bird if she fell.
    On the horse ran, head down, legs stretched to the limit. Bird’s fingers clutched handfuls of mane and her legs clenched tight.
    It was the yelling that set him off in the barn, she thought. It was a memory; a flashback. When Peter ran in waving his arms and yelling about the coyote, Sundancer just stopped thinking. He’s living in a dream and no one can reach him. She clung to him like a burr.
    Sundancer raced faster. We’re flying, Bird thought. We’re not even touching the earth. I’ve never felt power like this before.
    Hannah caught sight of Bird’s face. She looked calm and determined. But the horse was another story. A