The Penny Pony Read Online Free

I yelled at you,” she said.
“I know you feel bad for the pony and you maybe should have stopped
and thought for a minute. But we’ll all try and find it.”
    Dad started talking to Jake and Sheriff
Martin in a low voice. I couldn’t hear what they were saying and
that made me twist my bracelet. I tried to quit crying, but I was
really worked up and kept hiccuping and dripping tears. I wasn’t
faking. I was just crying for a different reason than they all
thought. And Mom being nice was making me cry more.
    I blew my nose loudly as Jake raised his
voice, “I want my horse back, and I’ll be calling Sam Applegate in
Louisville. He’s the sharpest lawyer in the city. He knows how to
get things done. Your girl knows where that nag is and she’d better
tell, or you’re going to have a lawsuit on your hands.” He heaved
himself off the couch and stalked out the front door, slamming it
after him. As he walked down our front walk, I saw him talking on
his cell phone.
    My dad glared at the door and said, “What a
jerk. Harvey, what can we do?”
    Sheriff Martin looked at me. I was still
leaking tears. “Guess someone will have to search for the pony. If
your girl doesn’t know where it is, then it’s probably running
around loose and scared. I’ll see if I can get some guys to drive
around and look for it.”
    After he left, it was just me and my parents.
Mom said, “Piper, you go get yourself some supper. I left a plate
of spaghetti on the table and it’s still warm.” Mom always wanted
to feed me when she thought I was sad. It was a good thing I don’t
eat much.
    Dad said, “Honey, do you have any idea where
the pony might have gone? It would give Harvey a place to start
looking. I know you don’t want Jake to have her, but a pony on its
own can get hurt easily. And maybe if I talk to him the sheriff
will look into the abuse charges.”
    “Dad, is she really worth a lot of money?” I
asked.
    “Well actually, hon, no. Even purebred POA
ponies aren’t bringing much lately. That’s why I don’t get why Jake
is so upset.”
    “It would be great if you’d talk to Sheriff
Martin,” I said. “I think the tracks started going south of town
toward the lake and picnic grounds.” Applegate’s farm and Rosie
were north of town, but I had to stall until all the grown-ups
agreed with me that Jake didn’t deserve to own an animal.
    Later, after Dad went home and Mom said
goodnight, I lay in bed and stared at the twenty-five plastic
Breyer horses that I had collected as a kid. Not one looked like
Rosie. She was one of a kind. I thought about all the fibs I had
told that day and how I would have to keep telling them. It took me
and my conscience a long time to fall asleep.
     

Chapter Six
    ~ Miss Julie ~
     
    I tried to be calm
while eating my cereal and milk the next morning, but I was so
excited about seeing Rosie I could hardly hold my spoon. Mom came
in with a resume to redo and sat down at the table.
    “What are you going to do this morning?” she
asked.
    “Oh, I think I’ll go over to Addie’s and
we’ll try to figure out where the pony might have gone.”
    “Okay, but if you find it, you let me or Dad
know. That Jake character is not someone I want you around.”
    “Yeah, I don’t want to be around him either,”
I said as I snagged an apple and slipped out the garage door.
Easing my way out of the garage, I couldn’t let Mom see the plastic
bucket and purple dog brush I had with me. We used to have a
Sheltie with a really thick coat, so that brush was a good solid
one
    Rosie whinnied when she saw me and came over.
Her limp was gone and she looked much happier today. I rubbed her
forehead and chest while she ate her apple. I whispered what a good
girl she was and led her to the barn for a drink. I checked the
sores on her legs, which had scabbed over. After we came back to
the shed, I brushed Rosie with the dog brush and told her how good
life was going to be for her from now on, away from Jake.