broken.…”
Stevie and Lisa went on, describing the horrible scene that Carole had been reliving in her mind for the past twenty-four hours: Veronica screaming her head off; Cobalt lying quietly, bearing his pain in silence.
Sometimes when horses broke bones, they could be set, like people’s bones, and they could heal and beas good as new. With the horse’s cannon bone, though, it was almost impossible to keep the horse’s weight off the break long enough for it to heal. A million-dollar racehorse might be suspended in a body sling long enough for the bone to knit, but even then, with a broken cannon bone, he’d probably never race again. Although Cobalt was a fine horse with good bloodlines, he was no million-dollar horse, and that kind of treatment was too expensive and not reliable enough. And, even if the bone could have healed, he’d never have been as good as new, and he’d have been in pain all his life.
“If only they could have tried something to save him,” Lisa said.
“No,” Carole told her. “They did the right thing. Cobalt’s life was over. He was born to run with the wind, not limp.”
Stevie got the feeling it was time to change the subject a little. “Say, we just saw Veronica. We visited her at St. Claire’s. She’s got a private room and there are nurses running all over the place.”
“Was she hurt that badly? I thought it was just a broken arm.”
“It was, but you know her parents,” Lisa said. Carole nodded. They all knew her parents. They were the richest people in town and liked to show it off. “You’d think she’d had open-heart surgery from all the attention she was demanding—and the flowers!”
“It looked like a funeral!” Stevie said.
“It was,” Carole told her friends. Stevie and Lisa exchanged looks.
“Well, Veronica was all full of talk about how Max wasn’t a very good teacher and this would never have happened if it hadn’t been for him.”
“That’s outrageous!” Carole said. “We all heard Max tell her a hundred times she was jumping the wrong way. How can she—”
“That’s not even really the worst of it,” Stevie said, full of indignation. “Her father was prancing around the room telling her not to worry—that they were going to get plenty of insurance money for Cobalt and she’d have another horse as soon as her arm healed. Can you believe trying to replace Cobalt?”
Carole shook her head. “That sounds like the diAngelos,” she said. “They think they can solve every problem with money.”
“Oh, he’ll have a new horse for Veronica soon, that’s for sure,” Lisa said.
“Well, he won’t be able to make her ride it,” Carole said.
“She’ll ride it for sure,” Stevie said. “The trick will be to make her ride it
right
.”
“What makes you think she’ll ever get on a horse again?” Carole asked.
Stevie almost laughed. “Of course she will! She said she would and we both believed her. She may not be horse crazy the way we are, but she likes riding and she knows accidents happen. She knows you have to get back on—the same way you do.”
“Not me,” Carole said.
Stevie was startled. Had she heard Carole right? “What?” she asked.
“I said not me. I’m done riding. For good.”
Lisa and Stevie both stared at her. Was it possible? Carole was the best. Her life was riding. She was the one who was going to own a stable, was going to teach, was going to train and breed horses. Horses were everything to her. It couldn’t be true, Stevie was sure.
“Oh, that’s the way you feel now, I know, but you won’t feel that way always. You’ll start riding again. You love it too much.”
“I don’t expect you two to understand,” Carole said. “But Cobalt was more than just a horse to me. There could never be another horse like that. With him gone, there’s no point in riding. Anyway, this is kind of hard to explain, but when I was outside the stable yesterday, knowing that he was gone and he
Stevie and Lisa went on, describing the horrible scene that Carole had been reliving in her mind for the past twenty-four hours: Veronica screaming her head off; Cobalt lying quietly, bearing his pain in silence.
Sometimes when horses broke bones, they could be set, like people’s bones, and they could heal and beas good as new. With the horse’s cannon bone, though, it was almost impossible to keep the horse’s weight off the break long enough for it to heal. A million-dollar racehorse might be suspended in a body sling long enough for the bone to knit, but even then, with a broken cannon bone, he’d probably never race again. Although Cobalt was a fine horse with good bloodlines, he was no million-dollar horse, and that kind of treatment was too expensive and not reliable enough. And, even if the bone could have healed, he’d never have been as good as new, and he’d have been in pain all his life.
“If only they could have tried something to save him,” Lisa said.
“No,” Carole told her. “They did the right thing. Cobalt’s life was over. He was born to run with the wind, not limp.”
Stevie got the feeling it was time to change the subject a little. “Say, we just saw Veronica. We visited her at St. Claire’s. She’s got a private room and there are nurses running all over the place.”
“Was she hurt that badly? I thought it was just a broken arm.”
“It was, but you know her parents,” Lisa said. Carole nodded. They all knew her parents. They were the richest people in town and liked to show it off. “You’d think she’d had open-heart surgery from all the attention she was demanding—and the flowers!”
“It looked like a funeral!” Stevie said.
“It was,” Carole told her friends. Stevie and Lisa exchanged looks.
“Well, Veronica was all full of talk about how Max wasn’t a very good teacher and this would never have happened if it hadn’t been for him.”
“That’s outrageous!” Carole said. “We all heard Max tell her a hundred times she was jumping the wrong way. How can she—”
“That’s not even really the worst of it,” Stevie said, full of indignation. “Her father was prancing around the room telling her not to worry—that they were going to get plenty of insurance money for Cobalt and she’d have another horse as soon as her arm healed. Can you believe trying to replace Cobalt?”
Carole shook her head. “That sounds like the diAngelos,” she said. “They think they can solve every problem with money.”
“Oh, he’ll have a new horse for Veronica soon, that’s for sure,” Lisa said.
“Well, he won’t be able to make her ride it,” Carole said.
“She’ll ride it for sure,” Stevie said. “The trick will be to make her ride it
right
.”
“What makes you think she’ll ever get on a horse again?” Carole asked.
Stevie almost laughed. “Of course she will! She said she would and we both believed her. She may not be horse crazy the way we are, but she likes riding and she knows accidents happen. She knows you have to get back on—the same way you do.”
“Not me,” Carole said.
Stevie was startled. Had she heard Carole right? “What?” she asked.
“I said not me. I’m done riding. For good.”
Lisa and Stevie both stared at her. Was it possible? Carole was the best. Her life was riding. She was the one who was going to own a stable, was going to teach, was going to train and breed horses. Horses were everything to her. It couldn’t be true, Stevie was sure.
“Oh, that’s the way you feel now, I know, but you won’t feel that way always. You’ll start riding again. You love it too much.”
“I don’t expect you two to understand,” Carole said. “But Cobalt was more than just a horse to me. There could never be another horse like that. With him gone, there’s no point in riding. Anyway, this is kind of hard to explain, but when I was outside the stable yesterday, knowing that he was gone and he
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