Chapter Twenty

Kate burst through the door of her house and raced to the kitchen. “Capri is gone, Mom! Mr. Miller must have picked her up early to take her to the auction. I’m sick. She’s going to be sold for meat, I just know it.” She clenched her jaws to keep from saying something she shouldn’t or, worse yet, bursting into tears. But if there were ever a time when she didn’t care if she was a sissy and cried, this was it.

Mom leaned against the counter by the sink, where she’d been scrubbing a skillet, and faced Kate. “I’m so sorry, honey. You didn’t get to see her before she left?”

“No. And it’s not fair.”

Her mother came over and wrapped her arms around Kate’s shoulders, pulling her close. “Sweetie, lots of things in life aren’t fair, but I understand why this hurts.”

Kate absorbed the love of her mom’s embrace for a minute, then shifted. “Thanks, Mom. Do you think Dad would be willing to let me attend the auction?”

“I don’t think that’s a wise idea. It will only make losing her that much harder.”

“You mean because I might find out she didn’t go to a good home? But maybe she’d go really cheap, and we could buy her.” She gazed at her mom and tried to put all the pleading she could into her gaze. “Please? Talk to Dad?”

Mom sighed. “You need to let it go, Kate.”

Dad came to the doorway. “Let what go?”

Kate ran to him and poured out the entire story again. “So can we go to the auction, Dad? Please?”

He started to answer, but the phone rang in the living room, cutting him off. “Just a sec.” He walked into the other room and returned a short while later. “That was a Mr. Miller. He says he met Kate and Tori a few days ago when he stopped to check on his mare. He wanted to know if the girls came to visit Capri earlier today.” He looked at Kate with a questioning gaze. “You said you did, right?”

“Yeah. But I told you, she was gone.” Kate saw her dad shoot Mom a concerned look. “What’s going on? Why did he call to see if we came over? Mr. Miller said he didn’t mind if we fed her carrots, but we didn’t even get a chance to do that today.”

Dad placed two fingers under Kate’s chin and lifted her face until she was gazing right into his eyes. “So you two girls didn’t go over on your way to the barn to pet her or feed her?”

“No way, Dad. We went right to work and stopped there on our way home. Why?”

“Because he stopped there late this afternoon to check on her. The gate was open, and she was gone. You’re the only people he knows, other than the man who was supposed to care for her, who’s ever shown an interest in Capri, so he thought you might have gotten spooked that he was selling her and let her out.”

“John! I hope you told him what Kate said, and that she and Tori would never do something like that.”

Gratitude welled in Kate’s heart. Her mother believed her. Did Dad? She studied his calm face and waited for his response.

“Of course I did, Nan. In fact, I told him that Kate came home quite upset and disappointed that the mare was gone and assumed Mr. Miller had already picked her up for transport to the auction. He was relieved and disappointed at the same time, as the girls were his only lead.”

Kate clenched her hands into fists. “So where is she if he didn’t pick her up? Did someone steal her? I can’t believe this is happening. We’ve got to help find her!”

 

Kate woke early the next morning with a stomachache. She didn’t think she’d slept more than three hours, since she’d worried about Capri most of the night. It had been dark thirty minutes or so after Mr. Miller called, and there had been nothing her family could do to help find her. Kate wanted to drive around the entire area and shine their car’s headlights into every pasture, but Dad said no.

She kicked off her blankets and bolted from bed. It was only six o’clock, and she had a full hour before she needed to get ready for school—more if she hurried. She threw on her clothes and headed for the stairs. If Mom and Dad weren’t up yet, maybe she could leave them a note that she planned to ride her bike and search for Capri. Surely they wouldn’t mind her doing that!

She tiptoed down the stairs. Rufus needed to go outside, and if nothing else, she could look around while taking him for a short walk.

She stepped into the kitchen. Dad was snapping the leash on Rufus, who stood there with a big doggy grin, his tail thumping against the cupboard doors. “Hi, Dad.”

His brows rose in surprise. “What are you doing up so early? Don’t you have another hour or so before you get ready for school?”

“Yeah, but I couldn’t sleep.”

“Worried about Capri, huh?” Dad gave her a sad smile.

“Uh-huh. Can I take Rufus for his walk?”

Dad hesitated for a second. “I suppose, but I have time before I leave for work. You sure you want to do it?”

She nodded. “I want to look for Capri.”

“Honey, it’s not likely you’ll find her. She could be anywhere. I’d hate to see you get your hopes up.” He kept a firm grip on Rufus’s leash.

“I know, but I have to try. Please?” She held out her hand and waited.

Finally he gave her the lead. “I need to go to work early, so I might be gone by the time you get back. Your mom had a bad headache last night, so don’t wake her when you get home if she’s not up, okay?”

“Sure, Dad. Thanks.” Kate lifted her hand in farewell and headed to the door. She had no idea what she’d do if she didn’t find Capri. It made her sick thinking about the mare wandering around lost, but another part of her rejoiced that the horse had gotten loose. Maybe somehow she’d escape going to the auction this way, and Kate would still have a chance to make Capri her own.

 

Thirty minutes later, Kate checked her watch again, wishing for the hundredth time that she didn’t have to go to school today. She’d seen plenty of horses on the mile or so of road she’d covered, but not the chestnut mare she longed to find.

“Come on, Rufus. Time to turn around.” She tugged on the dog’s leash, pulling him away from sniffing along the side of the road. “We’ll take a shortcut across this field and come out at the back of our barn.” She shivered and tugged her collar up to protect her neck from the early morning chill, wishing she’d grabbed a stocking hat.

Rufus resisted the tug for several seconds, then finally gave in and followed as she struck out across the field, covered by ankle-high grass and weeds. Dad would be gone by now, and she’d need to hurry to get ready for school. Maybe she’d ride her bike to give herself a few more minutes. It was a good thing she didn’t wear much makeup—only a little lip gloss and a touch of mascara—or it would take her twice as long.

Rufus trotted ahead of her, straining at the leash. He hadn’t been fed yet this morning, and he probably wanted to get back to the kitchen and his food dish.

Kate increased her pace to keep up. “I’m coming. Calm down, okay?”

He gave a short yip and pulled harder.

The back of their barn was in sight, and Kate thought she saw something move along the far wall. She put her hand above her eyes to block the morning sun. “Do you see something, boy?” She gripped the leash tighter, not liking the idea of running into a stray dog. Rufus was gentle with people, but he had a protective streak when it came to other dogs on his property.

They reached the end of the barn, and Kate slowed her pace, wondering if she should go down the opposite side from where she’d seen the movement. The last thing she wanted was Rufus in a dog fight. A crunch of gravel sounded, and Kate halted, the hair on her arms standing on end. That must be a pretty big dog to make that much noise.

Rufus barked again and strained at his leash. Kate gave a hard yank. “Down, Rufus. Leave it.” The dog relaxed, but only slightly, his body still quivering.

Kate stood still, not sure what to do. She hated to wake Mom if she had a headache, but it sounded like something was trying to get into their barn. Maybe the same people who stole the saddles from Mrs. Wilder’s barn thought there was something worth stealing here. She almost laughed thinking how shocked they’d be at finding nothing but junk inside.

Then she sobered. Someone breaking into their barn wasn’t anything to joke about. She sucked in her breath.

At that instant something struck the corner of the barn behind her with a soft thunk. Kate froze, then slowly pivoted and stared.

Several yards away, Capri munched on a straggle of moldy hay she must have found near the side door. Kate wanted to do a happy dance, but if she did, the mare would probably bolt and run like Rocket had.

Rufus sniffed the air, and his hackles went down. He dropped his head and whined, probably wondering what this large creature was that had invaded his space. Kate patted the dog. “Good boy. Quiet, now.”

She bent over and yanked a handful of grass growing next to the wall; then she eased forward, her hand extended. “Hey there, girl. You remember me, right? Come on, have some grass.” She kept her voice soft and didn’t make any sudden movements, praying the mare would be more interested in eating than running away.

Capri raised her head. She took a step forward and then froze. A shiver ran over her body, and she backed up a couple of steps. Kate scanned the pasture, wondering what could have spooked her, but didn’t see anything nearby. “Easy, girl. It’s just grass. You’re hungry, right?” Keeping her hand extended, she eased ahead inch by inch.

“That’s right. There you go.” Kate wanted to shout for joy as Capri moved toward her and nibbled at the grass, then dropped her head and checked the ground for anything that might have fallen.

Kate unsnapped the leash from Rufus. “Stay, boy. Sit.” The big dog sat and stared at her, tail thumping. “Good boy.”

She stroked the mare’s neck, then slid the leash around her and clipped it. “Whew! I’ve got you! Come on, let’s get in the barn. I’m sure glad I cleaned out a couple of stalls, and there’s some clean hay in the loft, even if it’s old. You’ll be safe here until I can decide what to do.”