Racing Savannah Read Online Free PDF

influence whether he gives me the job or not.
    He takes off his hat to reveal disheveled blond hair that curls around his shirt collar. We’re standing so close, I can see a red tint mixed in with the blond.
    “You’re easy to talk to,” he says, turning his cowboy hat over in his tanned hands. They’re strong and calloused, like they’ve hauled plenty of wheelbarrows. His big blue eyes peek up at me.
    “Jack!” a girl yells. He shoves his hat back on as a younger girl who looks to be in middle school comes running up.
    She latches on to his elbow like a barnacle. “I’m coming with you to Kentucky!”
    “You can’t come, sweetheart,” Jack replies, wrapping an arm around her. “Have you met Savannah yet? This is my sister, Shelby.”
    Shelby says hello but goes right back to pestering her big brother. “I want to be with Strawberry.”
    Jack looks at me. “Shelby thinks that Strawberry Fields belongs to her, but Dad would say otherwise.”
    “I’ve been with Strawberry ever since she was a foal!” Shelby says. “And I’m not abandoning her today.”
    “This isn’t something you should see,” Jack says with a soft voice.
    “Come on! I’ve seen cows do it over at Whitfield Farms.”
    Jack’s face hardens. “The Whitfields let you watch that?”
    “Er, well, Trey and I watched one day. His parents didn’t know—”
    “I’ll be having a talk with Trey,” Jack says, setting his hands on his hips.
    “No, don’t!” Shelby whines. “My life would be over!”
    Trey must be one of Rory’s brothers. Jack whispers to me, “Shelby has a crush on him.”
    “I do not.” She pounds Jack on the chest with her fist.
    “There’s no reason to get violent,” Jack says. “We all have crushes from time to time.”
    “Like your crush on Abby Winchester?” Shelby teases.
    “I don’t have a crush on Abby, okay? Shut up about that.” Jack avoids my stare.
    “She’s sooo pretty,” Shelby says to me. “She told me that last year she won Fairest of the Fair in her county.”
    “Of course she did,” I mutter.
    “If I can’t go with you and Strawberry, will you take me to the movies tonight, Jack?”
    “I wish I could, sweetheart, but I already have plans.” He suddenly focuses on his watch. “I need to get going if I’m gonna make it back in time. See you tomorrow, Savannah.”
    He walks away without another word, leading Strawberry and his sister to the trailer. But then he glances back at me, smiles, and waves. I return the wave.
    Who does he have plans with tonight? Does he have a date? And more importantly, why do I care?
    The Goodwin kids are not what I expected…I figured they’d spent all their time taking tea and laughing hoity-toitily or something.
    I open the door to Star’s stall and slowly approach the horse, to continue getting to know him. “So, it’s just me and you…want to tell me why you buck your riders?” He lets out a little snort and nudges my hand then tries to chow down on it.
    “Hey, now!” I shove his face away from me. Sure, he’s being snotty, but I’d take horses over humans any day of the week. Horses never give a damn if I have labels on my clothes.
    Herds are sort of like high school—they definitely have their own social dynamic. There’s always a stallion or gelding who thinks he’s in charge. Out in the pasture, horses bully each other around food and water; lead horses get their fill before others get a bite or a sip, and if a horse that’s low in the pecking order tries to butt in, he’ll get bitten or kicked. And there’s always a troublemaker or two, wallowing in the mud and teasing the fillies.
    Once Star has calmed down and he’s treating me with respect, I pet his ears and let him eat a treat out of my palm. I want him to feel safe with me so he’ll let me ride him. “Good boy. Now, let’s see, what are you scared of? Raccoons, obviously. Are you scared of fillies? What about mud puddles?”
    I rub his head until his breathing slows