Read Online Immortal Mine by Cindy C Bennett - Free Book Online Page B

time. This time, I climb up on the top rung of the
fence and watch more closely. Bob jumps up on his hind legs, paws
at me once and whines, as if upset that I didn’t bring him up to
sit with me. I push a palm toward him and he backs down, settling
for sticking his nose through the bottom rung.
    The Irish continues his wild defiance,
though not quite so harshly as previously. Sam just keeps on
clucking and soothing, and while they are both covered in sweat
once again, neither is breathing quite as hard once the stallion
gives in. Sam grins at me, walks closer to the horse, shortening
the line as he goes, continuing to talk in monosyllables as he
nears. The Irish tosses his head and snorts, but allows the
nearness. Sam urges the horse forward, walking next to him.
    “What do you think, Niahm? Thinks he’s ready
for the saddle?”
    It takes me a few seconds to grasp the
question, since he delivers it in the same soothing voice, just
slightly louder than his other words.
    “I think that would be cruel,” I say. “Look
at the poor beast, he’s sweating and exhausted.”
    “Best time to try it,” he says.
    “I think you’d do better to give him a
name.”
    He grins at me again, and I look away,
Stacy’s words ringing in my mind again.
    “Got any ideas?” His words pull my attention
back to him.
    I lean forward, hooking my feet behind the
next log down, leaning my weight on my arms as I consider the
stallion, now walking almost docilely next to Sam.
    “I don’t know. He’s an unusual horse; he
should have an unusual name.”
    “Yeah, that’s why I haven’t named him yet.
Nothing’s come to me that seems right.”
    “Doesn’t your uncle have any say in it?”
    Sam shrugs. “The horses are more of my thing
than his. He likes to ride, occasionally, but he’s not as crazy as
I am about them.”
    “Oh yeah? Why are you so crazy about
them?”
    “I’ve been riding horses for so many years,
that I guess it makes me feel like I’m home.”
    “So, where is that? Home, I mean.”
    Sam glances at me, wariness stealing into
his face. I get the distinct feeling that he doesn’t want to answer
me.
    “Is it a secret or—” I ask, when the silence
lengthens.
    Just then, the Irish gives a kicking buck,
throwing his head.
    “Whoa, there,” Sam’s attention is drawn back
to the horse. “I think he’s had enough for one day,” he calls to
me, struggling with the lead. “Can you get the gate for me,
Niamh?”
    I jump down and swing the gate open,
stepping behind it as he leads the Irish through. I follow him into
the stable and pull the gate open for his stall. Sam removes the
lead, and gives the nervous horse a quick rubdown, before rewarding
him with an apple from the bucket of apples I keep in the barn for
just such things.
    He hangs up the lead on the nail tacked
outside the stall, then follows me back outside. Bob comes bounding
over, bypassing me and waggling his tail enthusiastically for Sam.
I lift my eyebrows at him. He grins, not so innocently.
    “I just used a little bribery on Bob the
couple of times I’ve been here. Wanted to make sure he wouldn’t be
attacking me again.”
    “Bob, you traitor!” I accuse. He glances up
at me, his ears flattening in chagrin for all of about one-tenth of
a millisecond. Sam and I laugh and I glance up at him. Suddenly the
smile drops from Sam’s face and he steps closer to me, alarm on his
face.
    “What?” I ask, my hands immediately going up
to my cheeks, wondering what’s wrong.
    “Your eyes!” he declares, and I relax. I’m
used to the strange reaction when someone really looks at my eyes
for the first time, and realizes that they are clear, only ringed
with gold which gives them the appearance of actually having
color.
    “Yeah,” I smile, “I know my eyes are
different, they’re—”
    “Colorless,” he finishes, still sounding
alarmed. I bristle a little at his summation. I’ve had them called
unique, unusual, exceptional… any number if