Firefly Read Online Free PDF

between Gabriel walking again, or staying in a wheelchair for life.”

Chapter Four
    S am swallowed hard.
    She’d talked with Gabe once. He’d been lying in a hospital bed, legs paralyzed by an accident that had happened a few days before the fire that had temporarily deafened the Phantom and burned Pirate. For some reason—maybe because Sam had been in an accident, too—Mrs. Allen had encouraged Gabe to call Sam.
    She didn’t remember much of the conversation, except that he’d made a dark joke. When she’d asked “What’s up?”, he’d answered “Not me.”
    She’d told him about the Phantom’s deafness, too, and Gabe had told her he would let the stallion make up his own mind about returning to the wild. At thetime, the suggestion had sounded insane. But that’s just what Sam had done.
    Maybe Gabe had an instinct for horses like she did. If only Mrs. Allen would accept the colt, Gabe might be able to help it recover. After all, they had a few things in common. The yearling had been a strong runner and a leader of other colts before the accident. Gabe was an athlete who’d made the varsity soccer team when he was only a freshman.
    Sam’s mind veered to school. With the beginning of classes just weeks away, Gabe had to be scared. Unless his condition had changed a lot, he might not be able to walk down the halls of his high school again, let alone play soccer.
    â€œTaking care of her grandson’s more important than the colt. Even I know that,” Sam admitted. “But I can’t believe they’re letting him come here. When I got hurt, Dad sent me to San Francisco.”
    Two years ago, medical care in this part of Nevada had been hours away. Any complications could have killed her.
    â€œHe’s told me how awful that was,” Brynna said.
    Awful? Dad sure hadn’t acted like he felt that way. Sam remembered begging to stay home. Dad had refused, looking harsh and stubborn.
    â€œFirst he lost Louise. Then he had to be separated from you. He told me”—Brynna paused and her voice softened—“that ’til then, he hadn’t known a heart could break twice. But the doctors told himhead injuries were risky, and you’d be safer in San Francisco, where you were minutes away from a hospital, instead of hours.”
    Sam didn’t know what to say. She couldn’t imagine Dad saying his heart had broken twice. And yet, he must have.
    Brynna filled the silence with a sigh.
    â€œSo, thinking of that,” Sam said, “aren’t you kind of surprised they’d let Gabriel come here? I know things are better now, with the Angel Flight helicopter and stuff, but Mrs. Allen’s ranch is even farther from town than River Bend.”
    Brynna shrugged. “Apparently the doctors agreed. I don’t know the details, but Trudy said she’d promised him a trip out here before school started, and he wasn’t about to let her back down from their deal.”
    Wait a minute, Sam thought. If the deal was the one she knew about and they still planned to go along with it, they were all crazy.
    When Gabe had lain unconscious in the hospital, Mrs. Allen had flown to Denver to be with him. Sam had filled in as house, dog, and horse sitter and Mrs. Allen had called to check on things. Then, she’d told Sam she wanted to get Gabe up on a horse this summer, “no matter what.”
    Later, Mrs. Allen had amended that statement by saying they had plenty of time to teach Gabe to ride. Could he be holding his grandmother to her earlier promise?
    Maybe, she thought, but why would his doctors go along?
    â€œHas his condition improved a whole lot?” Sam asked.
    â€œI don’t know anything,” Brynna said. She fanned herself with a couple of sheets of paper, probably the fax from HARP. “Except that we’d better get home and have some lunch before I faint.”
    Instantly Sam’s