Read Online Wild Thing by Dandi Daley Mackall - Free Book Online Page B

it look run-down. But inside Mr. Haven had built a solid, horse-friendly barn, with large stalls that opened to pasture.
    I’d finished sweeping the last stall when raindrops plunked on the roof. The smell of hay and rain set off a slide show in my head of our Wyoming ranch.
    I heard the grinding gears of our old truck.
    This is it, I thought. God, if you’re still listening, please help. I knew God had to be listening all the time. But I felt so far away, it was hard to carry on a conversation.
    It was like that with Dad too, as if we’d given up on talking to each other. The first few months after the accident, Lizzy had tried everything to get us to talk, to make things the way they used to be. But after a while, even Lizzy could see it wasn’t going to happen.
    I’d have to cut through all of that—for one night at least. Wild Thing’s life depended on it.
    I dodged raindrops as I dashed to the house. Dad ran up the steps, his jacket over his head. I tried to open the door for him, and he tried to hold it open for me. That was the other thing that had changed since the accident—politeness. Dad and I had become too polite with each other, as if that made up for everything else that wasn’t right between us.
    Lizzy served dinner with candles and plates that matched. But Dad didn’t seem to notice. My stomach felt like colts were playing in it.
    Dad reached for another slice of peanut-butter ham. “Found out today those bike parts I need cost a bundle.”
    Lizzy kicked me under the table. I tried to remember what Catman said about leading a cat to water.
    “Dad,” I said, forking my potatoes, “I wish I could bring in some cash around here. I mean, Lizzy’s doing her part babysitting and cooking most of the meals.”
    “Well, it will all work out one way or the other,” Dad said. “Pass the salt, please?”
    I passed it. “If only I could help in some way. But all I know is horses. Of course, a lot of people make good money from horses.”
    Dad stared at his napkin. I knew he was thinking about Mom. Dad hadn’t taken any part in the ranch. He didn’t even ride.
    Quickly I asked, “Have you seen the auction barn out on Baney Road?”
    “I have seen that barn,” Dad replied. “I drove by there last Saturday. Most traffic I’ve seen in Ashland.”
    “I hear lots of people make money from that auction,” Lizzy said. “Hundreds and hundreds . . . even thousands of dollars, maybe even—”
    I interrupted her before she went too far. “If you know what you’re looking for, you can get a great bargain there. Then you’d sell the horse somewhere else for a lot more money.”
    Please, God, lead my dad to water.
    Dad took a sip of water and leaned back in his chair. “Where do people sell horses around here? The newspaper? Can’t imagine there’s much of a market in the classifieds.” He downed another bite of ham and wiped the peanut butter from his lips.
    “Stable-Mart has a fall sale next Saturday,” I put in casually, trying not to look at Lizzy. Her hand reached under the table and grabbed mine.
    “So,” Dad said, “say someone bought an auction horse as an investment. What next?”
    Lizzy squeezed my hand so hard, my fingers tingled. “Then you gentle the horse and show it off at a real sale, like Stable-Mart’s,” I explained.
    “How long would it take to get a return on the investment?” Dad asked, sounding like his old business self. “You know, to tame the horse and then resell at a profit?”
    I faked a yawn. “We used to gentle our horses in a few days. Some took longer. But most came around by the end of a week.”
    Dad leaned forward, elbows on the table. “Tell me everything you know about that Stable-Mart sale.”
    I told him everything Hawk had told me.
    “Perfect!” Dad exclaimed when I’d finished. “Winnie, I’ve got a proposition for you!”
    Thank you, Catman! . . . And thank you, God!
    Dad and I worked out the details. He’d drive Lizzy and me to the