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THE PALOMINO |
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Chapter One Jenny
Thomas raced the Palomino stallion up the hill. She rode bareback and without a
bridle, her blond hair tangling with his silver mane as she clung to his golden
neck. At the crest of the hill, she turned him and they stood gazing over the
meadow below. Horse and girl breathed as one, drinking the cool morning air.
Tendrils of steam rose from the stallion’s flared nostrils and trickled away
into the mist Ring … ring … The shrill of the telephone pierced the stillness, jerking Jenny out of her meadow and back into bed. She sat up, staring at her clenched hands, almost expecting to find strands of silvery mane dangling from them. They were empty. Jenny flopped her head back into the downy pillow and squeezed her blue eyes tight, hoping to recapture the elusive horse. It wasn’t going to work. She could hear the sparrows squabbling on her window sill and shower water swooshing through the pipes. Early spring sun pushed through the blinds, spilling shimmery dapples into every corner of her room. Jenny stretched and yawned as she blinked the sleep from her eyes. Twirling a lock of blond hair around her finger, she peered about the room. Her breath caught. There it was. Sometimes, early in the morning, Jenny’s favorite poster caught the sunlight in a wondrous way. It was a Palomino stallion loping across a field. Rippling sunbeams danced on his gold hide as he ran. She could almost see movement. I have got to get hold of my imagination, she thought, blinking hard. Clouds passed over the sun, destroying the illusion. Jenny heaved a sigh as she curled up under her quilt. Then it came back. Horse camp! How many days until horse camp? She flew to her desk. "Today is Friday," she murmured, twisting her hair. "47 days to go." Her hand trembled with excitement as she crossed another day off the calendar. "G’ morning, Mom," Jenny greeted, plunking down on her chair in the tiny kitchen. Jenny’s dad followed close behind, his usually tan face, pale. "Mike, what is it?" Mrs. Thomas gasped. Mr. Thomas clung to the back of a kitchen chair like a drowning man, "That was Josh Moore on the phone." He sank into the chair. "The owner of your construction company?" Mrs. Thomas whispered, hand over her mouth, as if she didn’t want to say the words. Mr. Thomas nodded. "Josh’s partner cleaned him out. Stole all the money. Josh is broke. He owes more than his machinery is worth. He can’t even pay me for the last two weeks." "What’ll we do?" Mrs. Thomas cried. Mr. Thomas buried his blond head in his hands. "I don’t know!" A cold knife of fear stabbed Jenny’s heart. "Dad, what about horse camp?" He looked up and she saw the answer in his eyes. "I knew it," she screamed fleeing the room. She buried her hot face in the cool pillow, "God," she sobbed, "if you didn’t want me to go to horse camp, why did you let me get all excited about it?" Why did Dad have to lose his
job? Why did we have to come here in the first place? We moved because of
Dad’s great job offer. Yeah, great. I miss North Carolina. I miss summers with
Cousin Leah on her horse farm. Nobody even has horses around here. It’s too
expensive. The only good thing that happened here in Virginia was horse camp,
and now that’s gone. Maybe we’ll go back, she thought. The only person she’d miss would be Tessa, and maybe her elderly neighbor Mrs. Grant. Someone knocked softly. "Come in," she grumbled. Mr. Thomas peeked around the door. "Hi, Sweetheart. Are you okay?" "Fine," she huffed. He sat on the edge of her bed and tried to pull her close. She stiffened her shoulders.
This is all your fault, her brain shrieked. "Jenny, I don’t know where to start." "How about, ‘we’re moving back to North Carolina.’" "Jenny, you know we can’t do that." "Why not," she yelled. "I didn’t want to come here in the first place. I’ll never get to ride again." "Look Jen, I’m sorry, really sorry. I didn’t choose to lose my job. I don’t understand why this has happened now, but I do know that God is in charge and that He brought us to Virginia for a reason. I’m scared too, but I believe that He will take care of us. Will you pray with me right now?" "No," she sighed, suddenly feeling exhausted. "I need to get ready for school." She pulled herself upright and began rummaging through her closet. When she turned around, he had slipped out. Her soul felt as empty as her room. The sky had opened and rain cascaded down her windows. The brief moment of sunlight had disappeared as quickly as her happiness. She thought about the day ahead. She still had to go to school. That place where she had no place. Would she ever fit in? She sucked in a deep breath and pulled out her blue dress. Her dad always told her how beautiful her eyes looked when she wore it. "Like cornflowers, Jenny," he would grin, mussing her hair. She could use a compliment from Dad right about now. "Mom, Dad, where are you?" Jen’s voice echoed in the empty kitchen. " Here Jenny, at the back door. Come and wave good-bye to your dad. He’s heading out to talk to Mr. Moore" But he was already backing out of the driveway and didn’t see her raised hand. She had to bite her lip hard to stop the tears. How will I get through this day? She wondered.
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| Last updated: July 6, 2005 |
The Sonrise Farm Series |
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Thanks for riding by! |
Copyright © 2001-2005. Katy Pistole - All Rights Reserved
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