Read Online Nickel-Bred by Patricia Gilkerson - Free Book Online

for a nice walk in the rain.” I led him over to the
fence and climbed to the top rung.
    Slam! A door shut over at the house and a
man’s voice yelled something. I froze and crossed my fingers.
Holding the halter with a clenched fist, I crouched on the fence
like a bug. Another voice yelled, a different door slammed, maybe a
car door, and then all was quiet. I counted slowly to thirty and
heard nothing else, until two more doors shut, a car started, and
headlights came on. They pointed at the drive, so I didn’t think
anyone could see me. I stayed in my crouch, hardly breathing as the
car passed Nickel’s pen. I could see several dark shapes in the
beater car, but couldn’t make out who they were. It bounced down
the driveway, turned onto State Highway 5 and headed into town.
    Not wanting to waste time, I flipped the gate
open, swung my foot over Nickel’s back and settled myself on him.
Giving a click and a tap of my feet in the drizzly rain, I steered
our new horse into the driveway and walked carefully down the lane.
Riding with a halter and lead rope wasn’t very safe, but it was all
I had. Nickel was a champ and picked his way in the semi-dark and
rain. He seemed happy to go with me. I gripped his wet sides with
my jeans and held on to his mane and the lead rope. So far, so
good. Only three miles to go.
    Down the rutted dirt drive, up onto the
blacktop. The wind and rain picked up, blowing harder. At least it
was at my back. I hunched down on Nickel, talking to him the whole
time.
    “Good boy. Stay over here on the shoulder,
now. Easy does it.” I think I was calming myself as much as I was
calming Nickel, whose head was down and ears were back as he walked
through the downpour. I patted his wet neck, thinking of all the
times I had wanted a horse when I was little. I didn’t know I would
get Dotty the way I got her, and I sure wouldn’t have known I would
get another one this way.
    Crack! The sky lit up with lightning. Great.
An electrical storm. That was all I needed, out in the open, wet to
the core. Nickel shied and moved sideways into the ditch beside the
road. He couldn’t see the ditch because of his blind eye and
clattered with his hoofs, trying to find better footing.
    “Whoa, son, easy.” I held on tight and
steered him back to the shoulder where the ground was smoother. My
teeth started chattering as the wind and water chilled me through
my sopping cotton t-shirt. Why hadn’t I thought to bring a rain
jacket? But the sky had been clear when I got dressed earlier and
it was hot. Who knew there would be a storm?
    Thunder rumbled, rain hissed on the still hot
blacktop. Nickel and I plodded down the road with our heads down
and rain in our faces. It felt like we had been walking through the
rain for hours, although it only took one. Nickel had a long stride
and walked quickly. He didn’t like the rain, either, and was
probably trusting that we were heading for a nice, dry barn with
plenty of hay and oats.
    As Miss Julie’s house and barn appeared in
the downpour, I turned Nickel’s head into the long tree-lined
driveway. The lights shone in the farmhouse and I saw people
inside. It seemed like there were too many cars, but Nickel slipped
a little in the mud and I was distracted. He found his footing
again easily and I aimed him toward the warm, dry barn.
    Addie stood there with a bunch of towels and
dry clothes. What a friend!
    “Can you take Nickel? He needs to get dried
off and put in a stall with hay and some oats,” I said.
    “I’m on it,” said Addie, taking the lead rope
from me, as I slid off and handed it over. “Are you okay?” She
rubbed Nickel’s dripping head.
    “I think so,” I said. “I’m freezing cold and
sopping wet, but we did it!”
    “No, I meant Nickel. Is he okay?”
    “He’s a jewel. All the way in the storm and
not a single panic attack.”
    I went into a stall and stripped off my wet
clothes, toweling myself dry as I went. Now that the rain and wind
had