Crown Prince Challenged Read Online Free PDF

broken.”
    â€œMaybe that happened when he jumped the tree that’s down across the trail,” Sarah said, running a hand down her horse’s neck.
    Rita’s lips drew back in a thin smile. “Chancellor might have tried to take off, too, when those turkeys flew out of the grass by the trail, but he’s too well trained.” She turned to Sarah with a look that was more gleeful than sympathetic. Her green eyes below thick, dark brows twinkled in amusement. “Do horses you ride always try to run off with you?” she asked.
    â€œPrince was racing down the trail where it takes that sharp turn by the grove of pine trees. I was shortening my reins to use the pulley rein when a branch scraped me off. The wind got knocked out of me when I hit the ground.” Sarah looked to Judson and Mrs. DeWitt. “Did you have any trouble catching him?”
    â€œI was about to bring Medina out of her stall to groom her when I heard the sound of galloping hooves approaching the barn,” Mrs. DeWitt said. “I ran out here just as Prince was coming toward the side door. I think he was headed for his stall. I was able to grab his reins without any trouble. Judson was a saint! He rushed over to help.”
    Just then the burly and slightly bent frame of Gus Kelso, the barn manager, came out of the door leading to his apartment over the barn, his disheveled gray hair topped by his ever-present red baseball cap. He took one look at Crown Prince and then glared at Sarah. “What have you been doing with this horse?” he demanded. “Don’t you know better than ride a horse crazy-like and bring him back to the barn all lathered up?”
    Mrs. DeWitt came to Sarah’s defense. “Sarah didn’t ride her horse hard, Gus. A flock of wild turkeys spooked him out on the trail, and she was thrown,” she said calmly. “Prince ran back to the barn, that’s all. He seems to be all right.”
    Gus paused to take this in, still scowling. “Well, she needs to take care of him proper. He needs to be hosed down and then walked dry. And she better be ready to feed the horses on time!” With that he strode into the barn, grumbling under his breath.
    Sarah hung her head. Just when she thought she was on better terms with Gus, the grumpy man was on her case again. She had no choice but to work for him if she was going to continue to board Prince at Brookmeade—that was part of the deal the DeWitts had offered her months before—but right from the beginning Gus had been difficult. He’d never had a girl work for him, and he was still having a hard time getting used to the idea.
    Sarah took Prince’s reins from Judson. They had been buckled together, but now the reins were in two distinct pieces, one far shorter than the other. “It’s okay, Prince, it’s okay,” she said, reaching up to stroke his neck again.
    â€œIt’s time for me to take off,” Rita said, dismounting. She turned to Judson and handed him her reins. “Untack him and get him ready for loading,” she instructed the hired man as she ran up her irons. Judson obediently walked Chancellor toward the Pyramid Farm van, but Rita stopped when she saw Paige and Tim emerge from the woods trail.
    As they got closer, Paige and Tim noticed that Prince was sweated up and prancing. They picked up trot to hurry over. “What happened?” Tim asked, obviously concerned. Sarah continued walking Prince in a circle while she told them the whole story.
    â€œWow!” Paige exclaimed. “You didn’t get hurt?”
    Sarah reached down to feel the place on her hip where she’d hit the ground. It was sore, and from the looks of some scratches on her arm, a branch must have whipped against her when she went off. Only now did she notice her arm was stinging. Her helmet had stayed secure, thank goodness.
    â€œI’m fine, except for freaking out about what might have