Mackenzie Legacy, The Read Online Free Page B

surrounded it with a fierce competitive yellow. Its neck immediately raised up, and its eyes brightened. The horse started tossing its head with anticipation, straining at the bit. The trainer started having a hard time holding him back.
    “Whoa,” Calvin breathed.
    “What if it’s not as fast as that one?” she asked, nodding her head towards a gleaming black stallion that was every bit eager as the gray horse.
    “Can you make that one slower?” he whispered in her ear.
    She nodded, casting a lavender cloud of satisfied sleepiness over the beast as it passed. Its pace slowed, and it turned its head to regard Caledonia with a peaceful stare. Calvin squeezed her hand, his excitement mounting. “Can you make all the rest of them slower?”
    She nodded and got to work.
    When the horses were done parading they were led back out onto the track, and the two Cals staked out a spot on the rail to wait. Caledonia leaned on Calvin, dizzy from the sheer effort it had taken to change so many of the huge animals.
    “Are you okay?” he asked.
    She smiled, “I’m just a little tired.”
    The gates lifted and the horses were off. The crowd behind them started screaming, and Caledonia turned around to regard the people seated in the grandstands. They were all swimming in a thick stew of pea green desperation, pinkish hope and intense red excitement, all blended together with a thin veneer of tart anticipation that made her sick to her stomach.
    The noise reached a crescendo just as the horses passed the finish line. The gray horse won by a nose, and Calvin let out a whoop, picking her up and twirling her around. Caledonia was overwhelmed by Calvin’s excitement; it was much stronger than she imagined it would be.
    “You did it!” he kissed her, vibrating with sweet happiness and overwhelming relief.
    He draped his arm around her proudly as they waited at the window to collect their winnings. He sighed with contentment and pressed his lips onto the top of her head.
    “We should go find a campsite now,” she said, worrying about having enough daylight left to pitch their tent and gather firewood.
    “Are you kidding? We’re gonna be getting a room tonight! The best room in town.”
    “Are you sure we should?” she asked, looking up at him with alarm.
    He laughed, “Oh Yeah. I could use a hot shower and a nice soft bed.”
    Caledonia sighed with longing at the thought, and then frowned. “We shouldn’t spend any more money than we have to.”
    He turned to look at her. “Cali… I bet fifty dollars.”
    “Really?” she was surprised, glad that they won. “Still, that’s only a few tanks of gas…”
    He laughed, “Do you have any idea what twenty to one odds means?”
    “No,” she paused, thinking for a second. “Do you mean like a ratio?”
    He nodded yes. “And I bet fifty dollars… So we win–”
    “A thousand dollars?” she blurted out, her eyes flying open wide.
    He laughed again, picking her up and kissing her.
    ~
    That night, they drove into the heart of town and took a room at the nicest place Calvin could find. Caledonia had always been impressed by little things about motel rooms, like ice machines and coffee makers, but room service menus brought a whole new level of wonder. After a steak and lobster dinner and a couple of long hot showers they snuggled side by side under the warm blankets of a clean bed.
    Calvin twisted a lock of her hair between her fingers. “What’s the horse color for this?” he asked with a smile in his voice.
    She thought for a second, “Palomino.”
    Caledonia sighed luxuriantly, tired after the strain of the long day. She’d never tried to use her powers so much before, and hadn’t realized exactly how much sheer effort it took. She thought about what she’d done, and it made her wonder, “Calvin… Where does the money come from?”
    “Mmm,” he grunted with satisfaction, “What money?”
    “The racetrack money.”
    “I dunno… I guess it comes from all the