Riding on Air Read Online Free PDF Page A

when I got a pain signal like that. I closed my mouth on a very bad word, conscious of the trickle of horses and riders and camp helpers beginning to go past. I was going to have to ask someone to undo the tap for me. If I waited too long there’d be people impatiently queuing to hose down their horses and I didn’t like to do things in a rush as I tended to bang up my hands.
    â€œHey.” As if I’d conjured his presence, William’s voice came from behind me. “Want some help?”
    â€œYes please,” I blurted. I was happy to see him at any time, but right then it felt like he was heaven-sent.
    â€œTap too tight?”
    â€œHow’d you know that?”
    â€œThey drip.”
    â€œWhat?”
    â€œThe taps drip, the seals are gone. That’s why people turn them off so hard.” William handed me the hose, then turned on the tap with one effortless twist. As usual envy and admiration twisted through me. I’d never be able to do that, no matter how many extra pills I swallowed.
    â€œOh, right.” I wondered, did I sound like as much of a moron as I suspected? I probably didn’t want to know the answer to that.
    William grabbed the metal scraper that hung over the rail—a gadget that looks like a gigantic saw blade but is actually used to remove water from a horse’s coat. If you hose a hot horse and leave the water sitting on them, the horse stays hot because the water acts like a big insulating blanket. But remove the water and you remove the heat, cooling the horse. I just love stuff like that. I mean, how did someone ever figure that out? It’s not like it’s obvious or anything.
    â€œYou hose and I’ll scrape,” William offered.
    â€œDeal,” I said and aimed the cold spray onto Jinx’s neck.
    I soaked Jinx thoroughly with the hose, using my free hand (still working almost like normal, amazingly) to carefully scrub at the sweaty scuff marks left by his tack. William followed me around the horse, scraping off all the warmed water from Jinx’s coat. I managed to get a fair bit of water on myself, as usual, not that I minded in this heat. It was crazy hot for autumn.
    Using the back of my wrist to carefully push my sweaty hair out of my eyes, I snuck a glance at William over Jinx’s wet back. Guilt and anxiety twined a knot in my stomach—here was William coming to my rescue again and I’d never even thanked him for last time.
    I ran more water over Jinx, mentally trying out a bunch of different things I could say, but no matter how much I turned the words around in my mind, it all sounded lame, or fake, or flat out desperate. Way too desperate, actually. Keep it simple, stupid.
    â€œHey, thanks,” I eventually squeaked, instantly slaughtering any attempt at seeming ultra-casual. I let my hair fall over my burning face and paid very close attention to hosing Jinx’s shoulder and neck.
    â€œWhat for?”
    â€œHelping with Jinx.”
    â€œI’m not exactly doing much.”
    I glanced at him, accidentally intercepting his dark blue eyes staring straight back at me, and hurriedly returned my attention to wetting Jinx’s mane. With my eyes fixed intently on what I was doing, I swallowed the anxious lump in my throat and made myself speak again.
    â€œI mean for yesterday, too. Putting Jinx away. I really, uh, appreciate it.”
    William didn’t say anything for so long I risked another peek at him.
    â€œYou can owe me a favour,” he said, grinning and I stared at him again, my heart giving a startled jump. I wondered what he meant, or if he meant anything at all.
    William laughed and flicked water off the end of the scraper at me. “Don’t look so worried. I was just joking,” he said. “But seriously, Melissa, any time. Just say the word.”
    â€œOK. Um, thanks.”
    â€œLike I said, no big deal.”
    After that I couldn’t think of anything else to