Free Gold Medal Horse by Bonnie Bryant Page A

Lisa whispered.
    “Drew?” Nigel rushed out of the stables. “Are you okay?” He slowed when he saw Drew hugging the gray-white horse, then stopped. He stared at Ghost—or at Prospero.
    “It’s him!” Drew was laughing now. “It’s really him! I’d know him anywhere. And he knew me!”
    Nigel walked forward and looked at the horse from the side. “It’s him, all right,” he said. He stroked Prospero’s neck and ran his hand down one of his scarred legs, then straightened and gave the horse a hearty pat. Even Nigel’s eyes shone with tears.
    Mrs. Harrington took a handkerchief out of her pocket and dabbed her eyes. Then she rummaged in the back of her car and returned with a bag of carrots. “Here,” she said, handing them to Drew. “Who is he?”
    “His name’s Prospero,” Drew said. He fed Prospero carrot after carrot. “He’s the best horse. Oh, look at him, look at his legs. Oh, buddy, what’s happened to you?”
    “He’s all right now,” Dr. Lawrence said. “He’ll never be comfortable running or jumping, but he could be ridden quietly.”
    “He looks so different,” Drew said, “and yet I knew him the instant I saw him. His coat’s gone white, of course, because he’s so much older, and his face is thinner, but it’s still the same face—the same kind, regal face. I knew I’d never forget what he looked like. Look, Nigel”—Drew felt the underside of Prospero’s chin—“remember when that branch cut him and he had to have stitches? Here’s the scar, right under his noseband.”
    “He’s your horse, all right,” Nigel said. “I’ve never forgotten him, either.”
    Drew stepped back from Prospero to look at him fully, and his smile dissolved. “How could I let this happen to him?” he said. “I love him so—how could I let him get like this?” His happy tears had dried, but now he looked ready to cry from sorrow.
    Lisa came forward and gave Prospero a pat. “You told me he was capable of more than you could do,” she said to Drew. “You told me you wanted him to have a rider who could take him to the top.”
    Drew nodded.
    Carole, catching Lisa’s argument, added, “And you sold him to a good person, and a good rider.”
    Drew nodded again.
    “Didn’t you tell us that he hurt himself while he was in his pasture?” Stevie asked.
    “He hurt his tendon,” Drew said. “He was running, and he tripped.”
    “That would have happened no matter who owned him,” Lisa said firmly. “Accidents can happen to any horse anytime, just like they can happen to any person. You sold him to a good home for a good reason. What happened after isn’t your fault.”
    Drew looked at The Saddle Club and smiled. “You’re right, I know,” he said. “Thanks.”
    “Besides,” Nigel said, “you’ll be able to take care of him from now on.”
    Drew’s face shone with gratitude and happiness. “I could never, ever, leave him again,” he said.
    “You won’t have to,” Nigel promised him. “There’s plenty of room for him at our farm. We don’t have any foals to worry about. He can come home in the trailer with Southwood.”
    “Home,” Drew repeated.
    Mrs. Harrington smiled. “Not a ghost after all,” shesaid. “What a lovely day.” She promised to see them all soon at Blue Hill and prepared to get back into her car, but Drew stopped her.
    “Thank you,” he said. “The girls told me you were considering giving him a home.” Drew thanked Dr. Lawrence, too, for rescuing Prospero and nursing him back to health. Then he thanked The Saddle Club.
    “We didn’t do that much,” Carole said. “Of course we couldn’t let him run loose through the horse park. All we did was catch him and take him back to the hospital.”
    “And try to find him a home, and arrange for him to come here,” Drew continued.
    “But that was an accident,” Stevie protested. “That was just luck.”
    “You did a lot, and I’ll always be grateful,” Drew said firmly. He put his arm