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than anything else I had ever wanted in my entire life.

chapter five
    â€œHoney, I’m really sorry.” Mom stopped peeling potatoes and leaned against the counter. “I know moving up to the next division is really important to you, but Dad and I just can’t handle the cost of leasing a horse. There’s a lot more to it than just the price tag on the animal—and you know that a good jumper isn’t cheap.”
    â€œI know,” I said.
    â€œThere are vet bills and feed and boarding the horse.” Dad put the stack of plates hewas carrying down on the kitchen table. “It’s very expensive.”
    â€œI know,” I repeated miserably. After my disastrous lesson on Boots, I was hoping that I might be able to lease a horse—the stable usually had several horses available, and it would be a way for me to move up a level next season
and
get away from Boots.
    â€œI just don’t see how we could do it,” Mom continued.
    â€œIf I were able to get a horse cheap and board it at Grandpa’s after the competition season, would we be able to afford that?” I asked.
    Mom frowned in thought. “Well, maybe. That would help with some of the expenses, but where are you going to get a trained show jumper for a low cost? That just doesn’t happen, Reese.”
    â€œMaybe not.” I sighed. Laurel had stopped me after the lesson and told me that even though I was having trouble with Boots, she still wanted me to compete on her at the Invitational. I didn’t think that was such a hot idea—after all, she had already tossed meoff once, but Laurel insisted that we’d be fine after a few more lessons.
    Dad rubbed a hand through his thinning gray hair, making it stand out like a wire brush. “Besides, it’s not really a big deal. You’re such a good rider, I’m sure you’ll do great on this new horse once you get used to her.”
    I closed my eyes. Dad knew basically nothing about show jumping. He was much more involved with my two younger brothers’ hockey teams than my riding. I had no doubt that part of the reason we couldn’t afford to lease a horse was because every year we had a whopping bill for hockey fees, skates, equipment, sticks and tournaments. I didn’t resent that—my little brothers were great skaters and they had as much right as I did to want to do something they loved. It’s just that Dad seemed to think horses were a hobby, not something really important. So he didn’t blink when it came to paying for extra ice time for Drew and Liam, but new tack or boots or something always took some persuasion.
    â€œYou don’t understand,” I complained.
    â€œThis isn’t a horse. It’s an old nag! I may as well try jumping with a donkey.”
    â€œWell, a donkey would definitely be less expensive,” Dad tried to joke. Then he saw my face, set in a stubborn frown. “You may as well stop whining, Reese. There’s nothing we can do about it.”
    â€œI know that!” I bit back an angry retort. It would help if my parents shared my passion for riding, but since they didn’t, I would have to figure this problem out on my own.
    â€œI don’t know if we can find them, Reese.” Grandpa bumped the truck along the back-country road. “If the mustangs are deep in the military land, we’ll never spot them from the road.”
    â€œCan’t we drive onto the military base?”
    â€œNo,” Grandpa said. “It’s restricted access.”
    â€œDon’t you know someone who could let us in?” I persisted.
    Grandpa chuckled. “I’m not a magician, you know.” He glanced over at me. “This is really important to you, isn’t it?”
    â€œYes.” I couldn’t explain it. There was just something about that red chestnut mare that I couldn’t forget. Part of me knew logically that buying one of the wild mustangs