“That’s where I need to go,” she told Luke.
Luke nodded. “I’ll hold Phantom for you.”
He took the reins from his sister, shifted Corey on his shoulders, and followed Leah.
“I need to sign up for the race,” Leah said excitedly to the men standing on the porch. They suddenly grew quiet and stared at Leah as though she had sprouted another head. One tall young man with broad shoulders stepped forward.
“You can’t be in the race,” he told Leah. “You’re a girl.”
Leah tipped up her nose. “Thomas Wade, you show me the rules—in writing.”
Thomas Wade ran his fingers through his dark red hair. “The rules aren’t written, but we all know them,” he said. “No girls.”
“You don’t want me to enter because you know I’ll win,” Leah said.
Thomas narrowed his black eyes. “No one can beat the Wades,” he said, his voice low.
Luke stepped forward. He knew everyone in town feared the Wade brothers. They were the wealthiest family in the area. They had used their wealth and influence to run more than one family out of town. Luke didn’t like them, but he knew Leah had her heart set on entering the race.
“If no one can beat you,” Luke said, “then it shouldn’t bother you if Leah enters.”
“Luke’s right,” a deep voice agreed.
Everyone turned to see Earl Wade walk toward the town hall, leading two golden stallions with long silver manes. Luke’s gaze roamed over the horses’ powerful builds. He saw their muscles bunching as they followed their master. Luke’s heart sank. He knew Leah’s horse could never outrun them.
“Let her enter,” Earl said.
Leah squealed with delight. “Thanks, Earl. I won’t beat you too badly.”
One man on the porch picked up a large chalkboard and stepped over to Leah. Luke saw that the names of everyone entered in the race were written on the board.
“Write your name under there,” the man grumbled as he handed Leah a piece of chalk.
With quick, neat strokes Leah wrote her name out on the board.
Luke saw Thomas and Earl exchange glances. Then their mouths curved up into grins. He feared what the Wade brothers planned.
Leah brushed the chalk dust off her hands and took the reins from Luke.
“Watch out for the Wade brothers,” he whispered as they strolled away from the store. “I don’t trust them.”
Leah’s eyes darkened. “They’re bullies, but they don’t frighten me.”
Maybe they should, Luke thought. But he didn’t want to worry her too much before the race. He knew she needed to keep her attention focused on riding Phantom. “We’ll go find a place to stand where we can watch the race,” Luke told her.
“Yell for me,” she asked.
“We will,” he promised.
With Corey still perched on his shoulders, Luke pushed his way through the laughing, boisterous crowd. People stood shoulder to shoulder, lining both sides of the dirt road where the horses would race. Luke studied the track as the riders gathered at the far end of the street. He saw that they needed to race to the other end of town, circle a barrel, and return to the starting point. Luke found a spot halfway down the road.
“Good day, Mr. Hammond,” he said as he threaded his way to the front of the crowd.
Mr. Hammond, the owner of the general store, spun around. Although he had closed his store for the day, he still wore his white apron. “Well, hello, young Fier. We don’t see you in town much these days.”
Luke forced himself to smile. “The farm keeps me busy.”
“I imagine it does at that. A sad thing—your parents dying the way they did. A sad thing indeed.”
Mr. Hammond pulled a sarsaparilla stick from his pocket and held the candy toward Corey. Corey grabbed it, nearly tumbling off Luke’s shoulders in his eagerness. Luke righted his brother while Mr. Hammond laughed heartily.
“Thank you for the kindness, Mr. Hammond,” Luke said. “We don’t get many sweets these days.”
“That will change if your sister wins this race, won’t it?” he asked.
“Yes, it will,” Luke replied as he glanced toward the area where the riders and horses waited. He caught sight of Leah standing beside her black horse, stroking his neck. Luke pointed. “Look, Corey. There’s Leah and Phantom.”
Corey clapped and waved.
Leah smiled broadly and waved back.
“Your father told me that Leah has a gift when it comes to animals,” Mr. Hammond said.
Luke felt the pride swell within him. “Yes, sir, she does. Animals seem to sense what she wants them to do.”
“She’ll give the Wade brothers a run for their money,” Mr. Hammond said. “But I don’t imagine she will win. The Wade brothers have their minds set to win this race. They don’t take kindly to losing.”
Luke watched as two boys stretched a rope across the dusty road.
“Mount up!” Mr. Stone yelled. He not only owned the bank, he was also the mayor. He oversaw the races and anything else of importance in town—
Like turning a family out to starve, Luke thought icily. Yesterday he threatened to throw us off our land. Now he stands there, with his big round belly and pudgy cheeks, smiling at everyone like Santa Claus.
How I wish Leah could win.
A dozen horses approached the rope, their riders urging them forward.
Leah was the only girl. Even from a distance Luke could see the excitement in her eyes, the glow in her cheeks.
Luke watched anxiously as the Wade brothers took their places, Thomas on one side of Leah, Earl on the other. He saw them crowd Leah and push Phantom away from the starting line. Leah shoved on Thomas Wade’s arm. Thomas only laughed and nudged his horse against Phantom.
Alarm rippled through Luke when he saw the Wade brothers exchange knowing glances, as though they were more interested in hurting Leah than in winning the race. Leah looked so small and fragile sitting between them.
Mr. Stone raised his arm and fired a pistol into the air. The boys dropped the starting-line rope.
The riders yelled and slapped the reins. With loud whinnies, the horses bolted forward. A thick cloud of dust rose up from under their galloping hooves.
Coughing, Luke closed his eyes and stepped back. The screams and yells of the crowd roared in his ears.
“Go, Wade! Go, Earl!”
Luke knew people were afraid to yell for anyone else. The Wade brothers would take revenge on anyone who shamed them. Especially if they were shown up by someone smaller. Small and weak, like Leah.
Corey’s clapping pounded in Luke’s ears, and he felt Corey’s small feet beat against his chest. Luke steadied his little brother on his shoulders. Then pushed forward in the crowd to get a better view.
He spotted Leah riding hard, the Wade brothers on either side of her horse, crowding her as they had at the starting line. The horses were too close. They kept bumping into one another. Poor Leah had no room to maneuver, no way to surge forward.
Suddenly, Thomas reached out, grabbed Phantom’s bridle, and gave a hard yank.
The horse faltered and began to pitch forward. Leah screamed and pulled back hard on the reins.
“Leah! Hang on!” Luke called out. His stomach churned as he watched Leah struggle to right her horse. If his sister lost her seat on Phantom or the horse fell, they both could be trampled to death.
He spotted the Wade brothers exchange a sly, vicious grin as they galloped on—toward the barrel.
As Leah gained control of Phantom, Luke released a sigh of relief. Almost all the other riders had raced past Leah, but she seemed determined to continue. She rubbed Phantom’s shoulder, then kicked him in the sides.
The horse began to lope and then to gallop. The wind whipped Leah’s braids back over her shoulders as she swiftly gained on the other riders. She leaned low over Phantom’s long, sweat-slick neck.
What is she doing? Luke wondered. He saw her lips move. It almost looks as tho
ugh she’s whispering to the horse.
He watched in amazement as the horse picked up speed when Leah guided it around the barrel. They cut the corner sharply. The horse’s backside hit the barrel. It teetered.
Luke held his breath. He knew Leah would be disqualified if the barrel toppled over. But the barrel remained standing.
Leah and Phantom passed one rider after another. Then the horse broke into a dead run, leaving all the other riders choking on the dusty cloud stirred up in its wake. Unexpectedly, Leah was ahead of everyone.
“Look, Corey! Leah’s winning!” Luke called out excitedly. He hopped up and down and felt Corey happily pat his head.
“If she just makes it past the Wade brothers, she’ll win,” Luke murmured.
Leah ran only a few feet behind both of the Wades, her sleek black horse galloping just outside of their golden stallions.
Luke saw Thomas glance over his shoulder at Leah and start to laugh.
“Oh, no,” Luke said aloud. “If Thomas tries to pull on Leah’s reins again, he’ll break her neck!”
Horrified, Luke watched as Leah’s horse moved up and Thomas reached out for Phantom’s halter. He felt Corey’s fingers twined tightly in his hair and heard his little brother sniffle, as if he might cry.
“No, Corey. Don’t look,” he ordered him. He tried to get Corey down off his shoulders so he wouldn’t see Leah get hurt. But the little boy wouldn’t budge.
Then without warning, while Thomas still leaned out toward Leah, his golden horse reared up on its hind legs. With its lips curled back in a vicious snarl, it turned toward Earl Wade’s horse and buried its large teeth into the other horse’s neck. Blood spurted over both of the brothers. Luke heard Thomas scream as he slipped in his saddle and desperately clung to the side of his mad horse.
Luke heard Earl Wade’s earsplitting cry as he struggled to stay on his wildly prancing horse. Then Luke saw Thomas’s horse lower its head and kick its hind legs. With his arms flailing, Thomas toppled out of his saddle. Luke heard him hit the ground with a thud. He squeezed his eyes shut as Thomas’s horse slammed both hooves down on the fallen rider’s arm.
He heard Thomas scream in agony and saw him rolling on the ground. His horse galloped away. Luke grimaced at the sight of the jagged bone sticking up through Thomas’s torn skin. Dark red blood soaked into the ground.
Luke heard the crowd gasp again and saw people pointing. He tore his gaze from Thomas Wade and looked up just in time to see Leah’s horse gallop across the finish line.
“Wow! She won, Corey! She really won,” Luke yelled up to his little brother. He couldn’t see Corey’s face, but he could feel the little boy jiggling with excitement.
Leah dismounted and dashed toward them. “Luke! Corey! I won! I won! Did you see me?”
Laughing, she wrapped her arms around Luke’s waist, hugging him tightly. “See, I told you I would.”
“Yes, Leah, we saw everything,” Luke replied, patting her hair. “You were wonderful out there,” he added.
Corey slipped down off Luke’s shoulders. He wrapped his arms around Leah’s waist and buried his face against her stomach.
Leah tickled him. “Hey, it was nothing, Corey. I’ll teach you how to ride like that too, someday.” Leah laughed.
As Leah’s laughter faded, Luke suddenly felt an eerie chill. He looked around and noticed how the crowd had made a wide circle around his family.
All around, he heard only hushed murmurs, whispered words. And Thomas’s horrifying groans—over and over. Luke shuddered as he felt people staring at him, staring at Leah.
“Stand clear of that Fier girl,” someone in the crowd called loudly. “She has unholy powers.”
“She can control animals,” someone else added in a low, harsh voice. “Did you see the way she was talking to her horse? The way she was looking at the Wade brothers? She made their horses fight!”
Luke heard other people murmur in agreement, their eyes turning suspicious, their faces scowling.
“She is evil!” someone shouted.
“Yes, evil. Evil!” others yelled, taking up the chant.
Chapter
3
“Stop! Stop right now! Do you hear me?” Luke shouted. “Leah is not evil! I will not have you calling my sister names!”
“Luke, don’t let them say that about me! You know it’s not true!” Leah cried.
Luke glanced at his sister. Her green eyes glimmered with tears. Her skin looked white as snow.
“Of course it’s not true.” Luke put his arm around her and drew her close to his side. He could feel her trembling.
On his other side, he felt Corey clinging to his leg. He patted the little boy’s head with his hand.
How could anyone think Leah was evil? Luke wondered, the anger seething through him.
“She is not evil,” he repeated. “She’s skilled when it comes to handling animals. They trust her. Just as I trust her.”
Earl Wade shoved his way through the crowd until he was standing in front of Luke, breathing heavily. “My brother’s arm is broken. And I nearly got killed when our horses went wild.” He shook a finger at Leah. “She did it!”
Luke could see people bobbing their heads in agreement. He could hear the murmurs of agreement.
“Leah didn’t do anything to those horses,” Luke insisted. He turned to the crowd. “You all saw Thomas reach out and pull on Phantom’s bridle when the race started. He nearly made Leah’s horse fall. And he tried to do it again when Leah caught up to them. That’s why he lost control of his horse,” Luke shouted.
Earl glared at Luke, then at the crowd. They all began to shuffle their feet and lower their gazes. Luke could see that they were afraid to voice the truth, afraid Earl might strike out at them with his large, beefy hands. Luke felt his throat go dry with fear, but he had to protect Leah.
“Are you calling my brother a cheat?” Earl demanded as he took a step closer.
“I’m just telling the truth,” Luke replied in a firm voice.
Earl narrowed his eyes into slits. “The Fiers have always been troublemakers. It’s too bad all of you weren’t in the wagon the day it rolled over onto your parents.”
Leah gasped. Luke felt Corey’s hold on him tighten.
“We weren’t causing any trouble today. You were,” Luke pointed out. “You didn’t want Leah in the race.”
“We don’t want you or your family in Stormy Ridge at all,” Earl Wade spat out. “The orphan train is passing through here in a few days. Maybe you should consider climbing on board.”
Before Luke could respond, Earl Wade had turned and stalked away.
Luke glanced at the people surrounding them. Some looked frightened. Some looked angry. He noticed Mr. Hammond staring at them with a sympathetic expression. He looked to Luke as if he might speak. But then Mrs. Hammond came up beside him. She pulled on his sleeve and led her husband away.
None of them came to our defense, he realized sadly. Do they all feel as Earl Wade does?
“The Wade brothers are poor losers,” Luke said as he released his hold on Leah. “Leah won the fifty dollars.”
Mr. Stone stepped forward. “I’m afraid that, as the judge of this race, I’ll have to declare it a forfeiture. The circumstances under which Leah won are questionable. It wouldn’t be right to give her the money.” He waved his hand in a circle. “Does anyone disagree with me?”
The crowd answered with only silence.
“Leah won,” Luke stated emphatically. “Whether you give her the money or not, she won.”
“Young man, I think you’ve said enough. You and your family better head home. If you know what’s good for you,” Mr. Stone replied sternly.
Luke felt his anger simmer and rise. He felt his hand ball up into a rock-hard fist as he stared into Mr. Stone’s red face.
“Let’s just go, Luke,” Leah pleaded. “I’ll get Phantom. We’ll meet you at the crossroads.”
Luke turned his back on Mr. Stone and too
k Corey’s hand. “Come on, Corey,” he murmured. He walked quickly down the road that led out of town. Corey raced to keep up with his long strides.
“Those people are fools,” he mumbled to Corey. “Our father was skilled with animals. He spent hours and hours teaching Leah. She just has a special way with all creatures. It’s a gift. There’s nothing evil about it.”
He glanced down at Corey. The little boy looked up at him with a solemn expression. “Don’t worry, Corey. They’ll forget all this in a day or two. We’ll stay close to home for a while. It’s just as well.”
They quickly reached the crossroads outside of town and waited. Moments later, Luke spotted Leah leading Phantom behind her. Luke lifted Corey up and put him in the saddle.
“Luke, are you going to put us on the orphan train?” Leah asked in a shaky voice.
Luke stumbled to a halt and met Leah’s gaze. “Don’t be ridiculous. We have the farm, so we aren’t really orphans.”
But how long will we hang on with Mr. Stone threatening to throw us off the land any day now? Luke wondered. What will we do? How will we live?
He quickly smothered the nagging thoughts and turned his attention to Leah. He stopped walking and stared down at her. She acted so fierce and proud. But she still needed his help and protection. Just as much as Corey. Hadn’t he promised his mother that he would take care of both of them?
He had to keep his promise. No matter what happened.
“Whatever happens, we’ll always stay together, Leah. You, me, and Corey. Nothing and no one will separate us,” he promised. “I don’t care what anyone says,” he added emphatically.
He could see the worry linger in Leah’s eyes. Tears shimmered there.
“But do you think I have evil in me?” she asked quietly. “Do you think what they said is true?”
“Of course I don’t, Leah.” He reached out and stroked her hair. “Papa had a gift, and so do you. There’s nothing unnatural or evil about it. Why, it’s something to be proud about, I think. Papa was always proud you had his gift.”