Read Online Rain Forest Rose by Terri Farley - Free Book Online

then crowded in front of her and held both sides of her halter. “You know I’d never hurt you.”
    Hoku rolled her eyes until the whites showed, then looked away, trying to duck behind her forelock. But she didn’t struggle or try to shake off Darby’s grip. When Darby didn’t move away, Hoku swished her tail as if she’d been misunderstood.
    â€œLet’s try it again,” Darby said. She released her hold on the halter and began brushing Hoku’s face again. This time, only the skin on Hoku’s neck twitched.
    â€œThat’s better, baby,” she told her horse.
    Jonah had told her to accustom Hoku to a variety of sounds and textures before trying her with a saddle blanket, so she tried rubbing the filly all over with a burlap grain sack Cade had stashed in the hut for just that purpose.
    Hoku didn’t resist the burlap’s scratchiness. In fact, she leaned toward Darby’s hand as if the rough texture felt good.
    â€œHow about this?” Darby asked, trailing a piece of plastic bubble wrap over her horse. At first Hokujumped away, but then she nudged the thing.
    Hoku found no danger in it, but when the beautiful sorrel let her ears sag to each side, Darby laughed.
    Hoku clearly thought bubble wrap was a really dumb idea, and she wanted Darby to know she was only tolerating it because Darby had asked her to do it.
    â€œGood girl. I think you’re ready for a test,” Darby said.
    She offered Hoku a clump of feathers to sniff.
    It was the remains of an orange feather boa. Megan said her dog Pip had “played with it to death,” in protest over being left home alone.
    Now, Hoku nosed the feathers, licked them, then shook her head.
    â€œWell, you’re not supposed to eat them,” Darby said.
    Hoku didn’t like the feathers tickling her flank, but she only kicked out once, straight behind, to tell Darby.
    A few seconds later, Darby dangled the feathers in front of Hoku, then drew them gently over the mustang’s face.
    Hoku’s tongue thrust from her mouth as she watched Darby.
    Hmm. Kit had told her to watch the filly for “mouthing.” If she licked her lips, it meant she was giving in, like a foal to its mother. But Hoku wasn’t licking, she was just trying to clean bits of fluff from her lips.
    Finally, the horse sighed and her muscles looked looser, less tense.
    That’s trust, Darby thought.
    â€œAnd it’s good enough for me,” she told Hoku.
    Then she gave her horse a hug.
    Darby’s arms had just joined around Hoku’s neck when a voice spoke from the forest.
    â€œMake her into a pet, and you’re going to be sorry.”
    Darby whirled toward the sound.
    It had to be Jonah, but what was he doing here?
    The filly didn’t bolt or buck. Far less spooked than Darby, she simply sidestepped a few yards away.
    â€œPretty good,” Darby told Hoku, trying to keep her voice from shaking. Then she marched over to the gate, leaving the corral to go tell Jonah what she thought of his surprise.
    She would have, that is, if she knew where he was hiding.
    The birds had stopped flitting around and calling, so they’d heard him, too, but that didn’t help.
    Too stubborn to ask where he was, Darby stood with her hands on her hips until Jonah said, “I don’t want her to see me. Keep her focused on you.”
    She followed the voice and found her grandfather. He stood beside a stone so bearded with lichen, it looked like an old man.
    Jonah seemed relieved that she’d made it throughthe night and Darby longed to tell him about the owl in Tutu’s cottage, the log over the gully, and the pig in the night, but all that came out was, “I’m not making Hoku into a pet.”
    â€œIf she just stands around waiting for food like a poodle…”
    Darby had nothing against poodles. She liked poodles. What she didn’t like was Jonah’s tone.
    â€œâ€¦it’ll be