Read Silver Dream for Free Online Page A

behind
them. Seeing her was always the hardest part of the dream – the
tired, burdened look in her eyes as she stared at him,
disappointed. Even accusing.
    He didn’t mean to ruin her childhood,
he’d plead. Again and again, he’d apologize and beg her
forgiveness. But she could never seem to hear him, and neither
could the horses. They’d just stare at him with their relentless,
unblinking eyes. Waiting for him to make it right.
    He shuddered as he pulled his jeans
back on. The voiceless accusations weren’t the worst part. The
worst part came next, when the horses slowly parted and Kathy
walked through the herd toward him. She never spoke. Never did
anything other than look at him, but his own guilt beat like a drum
through his skull. He knew she was disappointed in him for good
reason. He was a failure.
    He put his face in his hands, and tried
to clear the horrid images from his mind.
    Thankfully, he didn’t have to
experience the dream tonight. Instead, he’d go get his truck and
tow that car out of the ditch before someone saw it. By the time he
was finished, the night would be gone, and hopefully he’d be able
to sleep during the day without the dream haunting him.
    Then tomorrow night, surely this
torment would end – when Thunder was home. The dream would depart,
his guilt would disappear, and Kathy would be happy. Tomorrow
night, he would find peace.

 
     

     
    Robbie seemed bent on being even more
irritating than usual. First, he gloated because Joanna supposedly
hadn’t cleaned the stalls she was assigned as well as he’d done
his. Next, he harassed her because Silver Sky’s bridle didn’t look
as new as it had the day it was bought. Then he nagged her for not
taking good care of Raven because the pony seemed tired. When he
“accidentally” tipped over her wheelbarrow – after it was full of
manure – she almost lost it, but just then Dad came into the barn.
Instantly, Robbie became perfect again, even acting like he wanted
to help her scoop up the mess.
    Joanna was so stressed by the
time he took Silver Sky out to the ring, that when her mom came
mincing out to the stable to invite her to the mall, Joanna almost
yelled at her. She had to get out to the woods to meet Angelica.
She’d promised.
    She counted to ten in her head,
before she spoke. “I can’t, Mom.”
    “Sure you can, sweetie. I
already talked to your dad. He says you’ve been working like a pro
all morning and you deserve some time off.”
    “But I promised a friend that
I’d go meet her in a few minutes.”
    “Oh?”
    “And you know how important it
is to spend time with friends, Mom. Just like you do with your
friends every second Saturday.” Joanna almost smiled. That last
comment was a masterful stroke. Her mom treated her bi-weekly lunch
with her friends like a religious meeting.
    “Don’t you see your friend in
school?”
    “Uh, no. She doesn’t go to
school.”
    “Who is she then? How did you
meet her?” Mom’s blue eyes were suddenly suspicious.
    Now what could she say? “Uh,
she’s from… next door.”
    “The Mason’s?”
    “No. She’s staying with Mr.
Thomas. Her name’s Kathy.” Thank goodness Mr. Thomas had bellowed
her name last night.
    Joanna kept her gaze steady as
she looked into her mom’s eyes. She wasn’t really lying. She was going to go to Kathy’s house, only it was with Angelica
to find David, not to visit. But Mom hadn’t asked her that.
    “Well…” Her mom sighed. “I’ll
miss you, but I suppose friends are important too. Not as important
as family, but still important.”
    “Thanks, Mom,” said Joanna,
blissfully ignoring her mom’s attempt to make her feel guilty. Even
if she wanted to go to the mall today, she couldn’t. She’d made a
promise. “I knew you’d understand. We’ll go next week, okay?”
    “Next Saturday is my lunch with
my friends. But hey, why don’t you come with me? Becky, Jenny, and
Eva haven’t seen you since forever.”
    “Sure,” said