A Dream for Hannah Read Online Free PDF Page B

Mom when I need her?
    “It was dark,” he said, “and I couldn’t see anything. I didn’t mean to do it—especially to someone like you.” He blushed and looked like he regretted what he had just said.
    “It’s okay,” she said again and kept her eyes on Honey’s feet. If she looked up, she just knew Sam’s mouth would drop open. That would be a little too much at the moment.
    “I just had a chance to slip away…between the field work,” he said as an explanation.
    At least he’s conscientious. I guess that’s one point in his favor. Still, he means nothing to me…in that way. Hannah glanced up and decided to at least be polite. She owed him that much.
    “Mom allowed me to ride today. She wasn’t sure if I was well enough, but I am.” She was careful not to look Sam in the eyes.
    A look of grateful surprise crossed Sam’s face, but his mouth didn’t drop open. Hannah almost smiled at the thought.
    “Well, you should be careful,” Sam said. “But it’s plucky of you to be out and about so soon. Why don’t you go for a ride and I’ll just watch since I’m here anyway?” His freckles fairly vibrated on his face with eagerness.
    Oh, great. Now he’s impressed by my good wife qualities of being up and about so soon. Hannah made herself smile, although not in his direction. There seemed no option but to humor him since her mom still hadn’t made an appearance. Hannah turned Honey around, let the reins out, and sped away. The open field of short stubble hay stretched out in front of her.
    At that moment in the house, Kathy had come to the living room window. She glanced at Sam, who caused her to smile. Her hand reached for the living room door as if to open it, but then she paused when Hannah started across the field. She watched for a moment, shook her head in amusement, and left the window to go to the kitchen.
    As Honey crossed the field and increased his speed, Hannah let him have more of the reins. Glad to be out of the stall, Honey laid deep into the gallop. His legs hit the ground in a rapid concussion of sound, and his breath soon came in sharp jerks. Even though she knew Sam was watching them, Hannah threw her head back, laughed deeply with the pleasure of the ride, and nearly lost her kapp in the process. She felt the cloth shift on her head and quickly snapped her head back down. With one hand she pulled the kapp forward and slowly tightened up the reins with the other. The end of the field rapidly approached.
    “Slow, boy,” she said softly. “There we go, Honey. Let’s turn around.”
    Gently she brought the pony around, still at a trot, and then let him have the reins again for the return run to the barn. The wind caused tears to stream from her eyes, but her body felt refreshed right down to her bare toes. The barn came into view much too quickly as Hannah tightened the reins and slowed Honey to a walk by the board fence. Kathy stood at the window again, saw that Hannah completed the run, and stepped outside.
    “Shall we do it again, Honey?” Hannah asked, still out of earshot of Sam. “Maybe you need to rest a little bit first?”
    Hannah concluded that the pony did need a rest and urged him toward the gate. The water tank was there too. She intended to let him catch his breath and get a drink of water.
    But unknown to Hannah, the horse was walking directly toward a hole, which had been dug by a recently deceased groundhog. The pesky critter had finally succumbed to Roy’s .22 Long Rifle. A little dirt had fallen in around the top of the burrow, and a few small tufts of grass had grown across the width of the hole—ready and able to receive Honey’s slim foot.
    Into the hole the hoof dropped. If Honey had been at a run, he would never have been able to extract his hoof in time before the forward motion of his body snapped the leg. Now, however, he somehow sensed the threat and threw himself violently away from the endangered leg—his actions guided purely by his instincts to