Chapter Five

Lucky watched Oliver climb into the truck and slam the door. He galloped up and down the corral fence, whinnying. He didn’t want to be left alone.

As the back of the horse trailer disappeared around a bend in the driveway, Lucky heard one of the horses calling to him. Then everything was silent.

Lucky had seen the horse trailer take horses away before. But three or four horses had always stayed home with him. He had never been left all by himself.

After a long time, he stopped running.
His sides heaved in and out. His neck was slick with sweat. He stood very still, his ears pricked forward, and watched the bend in the driveway, waiting for someone to come back.

But no one did.

With a grunt, the pony flopped down on his side and rolled and rolled in the dirt. He wanted to get the sweat out of his coat and the smell of smoke out of his nostrils. Then he stood up and gave a great shake, making a huge cloud of dust. He could still smell the smoke. It burned his eyes and made it hard to breathe.

Lucky took a long drink from the old bathtub that Oliver had left full of water. For a second he thought he heard the sound of the truck. He stood still, water dripping from his muzzle. Then he sighed and took another drink. He pushed some hay around with his nose, but he didn’t feel hungry.

For a long time, he stood by the corral fence and watched the driveway. The smoke became thicker. In the distance, on top of the hillside, red and orange flames glowed against the sky.

Lucky waited and waited.

No one came.

In the truck, Julia peppered her father with questions. “Are we going to Springton? Can we stay overnight in a hotel? What if the fire gets that far?”

“The fire is nowhere near Springton,” Oliver said confidently. “And we’re going to stay with the Mathesons. The other horses are already there.”

Tory had never been to the Mathesons’ house but she knew they lived a little ways past the other side of Springton. The daughter, Deanna, was one of Julia’s friends. Julia talked about her all the time.

Springton was an hour’s drive away. Tory sometimes went there with Cathy to get groceries.
Usually they stopped to see Linda, the social worker, who had an office in the town. One time, Cathy drove Tory past the brown house where Tory had lived with her last foster family. Tory stared out the window at the slide and swing set in the front yard, remembering all the times she had played there.

Oliver turned off the rough farm road onto a smooth highway. After a few minutes, he stopped at the small general store, where he and Cathy got their mail and odds and ends like milk and bread. Pickup trucks and vans packed with belongings were lined up at the gas pump. People stood around in small groups, talking.

Oliver waited his turn for gas and then went inside the store to pay. When he came back out he said, “They’re closing up in a couple of hours. They’re leaving too. Just to be on the safe side.”

He flipped on the radio and they listened to reports about the fire for the rest of the way.
It was hot, but the windows in the truck were shut to keep the smoke out. A trickle of sweat crawled down Tory’s back.

The radio announcer interviewed some of the families fleeing the fire. Then a man from the forestry department said, “Fifty more firefighters and three water bombers are expected in the next few hours.”

“Thank goodness,” sighed Oliver.

Oliver made one more stop when they got to Springton, at the community center. Cathy pulled up beside him in the car. Oliver checked on the horses in the trailer while Cathy and the girls went inside. The room was packed with people and there was a buzz of voices, some worried, some excited. Tables were set up with coffee and boxes of donuts. Volunteers at other tables were writing down the names of all the people who had been evacuated. It was like a party.

For a few seconds, Tory forgot about Lucky. While Cathy registered their names, Tory helped herself to a donut covered with chocolate icing and red and yellow sprinkles. But as soon as she took one bite, she felt her tummy tighten. She couldn’t swallow. She wrapped the donut in a napkin and left it on the edge of a table.

Tory followed Cathy and Julia back out to the truck. She slumped against the window and blinked back sudden tears. What was going to happen to Lucky? Would she ever see him again?