Purebred (12 page)

C
AROLE WOKE UP
when she heard a car door slam. Bright sunlight was streaming in through the open curtains of the guest room windows.

Carole jumped up, then looked down at herself and laughed. She was still wearing the sweater and jeans she had worn to the party last night. She had been so tired from her adventure that right now she could hardly remember walking into the bedroom, much less climbing into bed. She did remember seeing Spice safely into his stall—and Kismet, too, who had come home on her own—with lots of hay and an extra helping of oats. She also recalled watching Uncle John bundle Jessie into the truck to take her to the hospital, and sitting, sleepy-eyed, at the kitchen table with Louise while Aunt Lily made them hot
chocolate and fussed over them. After that, nothing. She had slept a long time.

Carole looked out the window. Uncle John had come back from the hospital, and he had brought Aunt Jessie back with him. Carole watched him walk around the front of the truck, open the passenger door, and gently help Jessie out. Jessie had a large white cast from her fingertips to just past her elbow, but otherwise she looked fine. Carole felt a rush of relief. She flew down the hall to greet them.

Aunt Lily opened the door. “Well, well,” she said softly. “Jessie, you look a sight better this morning than you did last night.”

“That’s right,” Jessie said with a small smile as she walked in the door. “I feel a sight better too.”

Carole stopped before she had quite reached them. She wasn’t sure what to say to Jessie. Jessie turned and saw Carole, and her smile faded. “Good morning, Carole,” she said. Her voice was deep and serious.

“Good morning,” Carole said.

“I have a lot I want to say to you. Can we talk now? It’s important.”

“Sure.” Carole followed Jessie into the living room and sat down on the sofa beside her. She felt a little unsure of herself. This Jessie—this serious, quiet Jessie—was unlike the Jessie she was used to.

“I owe you a big apology, and a big thank-you too,”
Jessie began. “I’m very embarrassed by what happened last night.”

“Anyone can fall off a horse,” said Carole politely. “I’ve done it myself lots—”

“That’s not what I mean, and you know it,” Jessie said, with a hint of her usual sharpness. “Carole, if all I had done last night was fall off Kismet, I wouldn’t be sorry. But I fell off because I had ridden my horse onto ice and rocks at night—I fell off because I made my horse take me somewhere that was dangerous for both me and her. I did something foolish and reckless—and what’s worse, I endangered you and Louise too.

“You have to believe me when I say that it never occurred to me that Louise would try to follow me, or that you would either. I definitely did not mean to involve the two of you. But I’m old enough now that I should have known better—and I’m very, very sorry.”

“It’s okay,” Carole said. “I never thought you meant to hurt anyone.”

“If I recall, you said that you didn’t think I was thinking at all,” Jessie said with a grin. She shifted her heavy cast so that the weight of it rested on her knee.

“Oh, that …” Carole blushed, recalling their argument at the party. “I should never have said what I said.”

“No, no, you were at least correct,” Jessie said. “If I recall, I was a whole lot ruder to you, and with less reason.
I tend to fly off the handle about some things, and I’m sorry about that too. And if I implied that you were a Southern softie—well, that was a total lie. You’re a very capable person, Carole, and it’s lucky for me that you are. You’re an excellent horsewoman too.” Aunt Jessie laughed. “Anyone tells you different, send ’em to me and I’ll lick ’em for you. I promise. After last night, I owe you one.”

“I’m just glad you aren’t badly hurt,” Carole said. Remembering how terrified she had been last night, she couldn’t feel that a broken arm was much to worry about.

Aunt Jessie seemed to agree. “This is nothing,” she said, gesturing to her cast. “It’s even on my left arm, so I can still take pictures. I’ve got bruises you wouldn’t believe, but on the whole I’m remarkably sound. Not even frostbitten. How about you?”

“Tired,” Carole said. “Just tired, and … glad it’s over, I guess.”

“Me too,” Jessie said. “But Carole, tell me one thing. I seem to remember hearing some horrible knock-knock joke in the middle of the storm last night. Was that you?”

“No, that was Stevie,” Carole said, with a straight face and an inward laugh. Aunt Jessie looked puzzled, but Carole didn’t explain. She didn’t mind if Jessie thought she had some mystery about her too. “But Aunt Jessie,” she continued, “I first went looking for you last night because I wanted to apologize. I’m sorry I went snooping into your life where I didn’t belong. I didn’t mean to hurt you—I
didn’t know that I would. I’m just learning to respect that people have to do things their own way.”

Jessie leaned against the back of the sofa. “Your way is a good way too,” she said. “I admire you for having the strength to remember what you’ve lost. Maybe someday I’ll be able to think the way you do.”

A sudden tear came to Jessie’s eye. “Oh, Carole, I miss your momma so much,” she whispered. “You remind me so much of her—she was my big sister, and I always looked up to her. I know she’d be proud of what a lovely and courageous young woman you’ve become.” She reached out to hug Carole, and Carole felt herself held tight against Jessie’s chest. It was a good feeling. “I have so many stories to tell you about your mother,” Jessie said.

Carole sat up and wiped her eyes where a few quick tears had started to form. “I’d like that,” she said. “I’d really like that. Anytime you want to talk, I want to listen.”

Jessie smiled, and this time Carole could see in her smile a combination of the brash, sometimes rude aunt she had first met and the thoughtful, solemn one who had just come home from the hospital. Different sides of the same person, she thought to herself. She hadn’t realized how wonderfully complex people—and life—could be.

“I’ll talk to you soon,” Jessie promised. “I’ll start today, and I’ll call you down in Virginia whenever I think of something good. But right now, Niece, I need a nap. They
don’t let you sleep much in the emergency room.” With another smile, she got up and walked stiffly down the hall.

Carole found her father, Aunt Lily, and Louise in the kitchen talking to Uncle John. Aunt Lily had started to fry a pan of sausages and potatoes for Uncle John, and when she saw Carole she added more food to the pan. Carole was content to eat breakfast and listen to them talk. She felt too content—and too tired—to speak.

Louise got up from the table. “Um … Carole? I was going to go to the photo lab—I got a camera for Christmas and Jessie’s teaching me to develop my own pictures. There’s some work I wanted to do. Do you want to come? I could tell you all about it,” she said. She gave Carole a tentative, but very real, smile.

Carole appreciated the offer. “I would,” she said, “but I really wanted to go check on the horses. Spice was wonderful last night, and I’d like to thank him.”

Louise understood. “I’ve already been out to feed them,” she said, “but I know Spice would enjoy the attention. You’re right—he deserves it!”

Carole waded through the hip-high snow to the barn, following the trail Louise had broken. Inside, the horses’ breath made the air warm and humid and sunlight shone through the barred windows. The air smelled like horse. Carole breathed in deeply and happily. “Hello, everyone,”
she said. “Hello, Spice.” She opened his stall and offered him a sugar lump. Her pockets were bulging with carrots and apples.

Spice perked his ears and lipped the sugar from her palm. Carole gave him a big hug, then settled herself on the huge pile of hay in the corner of his stall. “We need to talk,” she said. Spice nodded his head—probably to ask for more sugar, but Carole chose to think he was agreeing with her. She gave him a carrot.

“Exactly. Because you were super last night. And I have to apologize,” she said. “I didn’t think that you were as good a horse as the Morgan or the Arabian. I was wrong.” She gave him an apple, which he ate in dainty bites, his huge nose nestled in her hand. “Bloodlines can tell you some things about horses—I don’t think you’re as fast as Secretariat, no matter what—but they can’t tell you about a horse’s heart. Your heart, Spice, is pure champion Thoroughbred.”

Spice looked at her calmly. He seemed to be waiting for her to continue. She gave him another carrot. Suddenly she remembered the birthday party Stevie and Lisa had planned for Prancer. New Year’s Day was the Thoroughbreds’ birthday, and this was New Year’s Day!

“You’ve got a Thoroughbred’s heart,” she repeated. She gave Spice another apple, and while he ate it she sang “Happy Birthday” to him. It seemed appropriate.

After that she gave treats to the other three horses and sang “Happy Birthday” to them too. After all, Jiminy and Kismet had shared the ordeal, too, and each had done well. Carole knew better than to blame Kismet for slipping on the ice, or for being frightened when Jessie fell And Sugar, she was sure, would have been just as willing to go out as Spice was. “I love you all,” Carole assured them.

Back in the house Jessie had moved to the living room sofa with an afghan and a pillow. Louise was sitting on the sofa’s end, showing Jessie the pictures she’d just finished developing. Carole knelt beside them to look. To her surprise, some of the pictures were of her—taken unawares as she hugged Uncle John in the airport and drove the snowmobile with Christina behind her.

“Some of these are very good,” Aunt Jessie said approvingly. “I bet Carole would like to see more. Why don’t you get some of the stuff from my files, Louise?” Louise ran to get them. “Would you like that?” Aunt Jessie demanded of Carole.

“Definitely,” she answered. “I want to see all the interesting, confusing angles.” Aunt Jessie grinned.

They were deeply engrossed in photographs when Colonel Hanson came in. “I don’t want to bother you,” he said. “I enjoy seeing the three of you together like this, and you look like you’re having fun. But Carole, if you want Aunt Lily and me to wash any of your clothes before we go back,
give them to me now. We’ll have to pack tonight—we leave for home pretty early tomorrow.”

Carole nodded, but a sudden thought made her pause.

“What is it?” her father asked.

“Just for a minute,” she said, “this felt like it was home.”

“H
EY
, S
TARLIGHT
,
DID
you miss me?” Carole held up her hand. Starlight lowered his head and blew into it gently. To Carole, it seemed as if he were saying yes. It was early in the morning, the day after they’d flown back to Pine Hollow. Her dad had dropped her off at the stable on his way to work. She couldn’t wait to see Starlight again. “I sure missed you,” she told him.

“So did we,” said Lisa, coming around the corner with Stevie close behind. “Miss
you
, I mean, not Starlight. We couldn’t have missed him—we took good care of him for you.”

“The best,” Stevie confirmed. They hugged Carole, and she hugged them back.

“You’re here early,” Carole told them.

“We wanted to see you. We knew you’d get here early,” Lisa said. “How was your trip?”

“I’m glad I went, and I had a great time, but it’s good to be home,” Carole said. “Tell me everything—what happened while I was gone?”

“Saddle Club meeting?” suggested Lisa.

“Of course!” They sat down on some hay bales in the aisle and Stevie passed around the last of her Christmas candy. There wasn’t much—her brothers had gotten into it—but it was better than nothing.

“Not much happened with us,” said Stevie, crunching a candy cane. “Except, of course, Karenna came to visit. I don’t know about her, Carole. We liked her well enough, but we kept expecting her to be more like you. She was into malls, and makeup, and Meg and Betsy—all things that you’re not into, and that we’re not into. I never felt like we had much in common.”

“We tried hard to be friends with her,” Lisa said, “and I think she wanted to be our friend, but it never seemed to happen.” Lisa shook her head and took another bite of peanut brittle.

“I understand,” Carole assured them. She picked through the small bag of candy and found a piece of pink ribbon candy. “I’m glad you were here to make her feel welcome even if she wasn’t exactly your cup of tea. I know what you mean about the mall and stuff, but I’m just kind
of used to her. We were good friends when we lived on the same base—there wasn’t much to do there except ride.

“And just as you were there for me with Karenna, you were also there for me at Lover’s Point,” she said. Stevie and Lisa leaned forward, interested.

“Lover’s Point?” asked Stevie. “Sounds like a romance novel. What did it look like? Maybe we should name someplace around here—”

“Tell us what happened,” Lisa said.

Carole told them the whole story of Aunt Jessie’s accident and rescue. “I tried to think of what the two of you would do,” she said. She explained how she had used Stevie’s joke to get Jessie’s attention, and Lisa’s logic to free her from the rocks.

“What joke did you tell her?” Stevie wanted to know.