Secondhand Horses Read Online Free PDF

the window.” She crossed to the window and tugged it up. No screen. It was one of the things on Uncle Dave’s “I’ll have to take a look at it” list. If, of course, he ever wrote that sort of list down. He wasn’t the most organized of people. Vee was a lot better at it.
    Each girl sat on the sill and swung her legs over. “Good thing the ground’s higher back here,” Esther said, the last to swing her shorter legs up and out the window. She pushed off with her hands and landed on the ground.
    Sunny reminded them they would be passing her uncle’s bedroom window. They dashed toward the front as quietly as shoes on crushed stone could. A beat-up red truck with splotchy rust on the fenders parked in the driveway.
    Bang!
A single kick vibrated the side of the dilapidated trailer.
    “I bet that’s the mini,” Esther said.
    The creepy carnival guy stood at the back of the trailer. Without a word, he undid the latches on both sides and let the ramp fall.
Bang!
Four animal voices responded.
    “You scared them,” Aneta said, stepping forward.
    The animals didn’t want help, only out. A second after the ramp landed, the goose flew out low with some serious honking attitude. The pygmy goat followed, bouncing, then a scamper of tiny hooves drummed on the wooden ramp. Both were soon by the right corner of the house where the drive led to the back corral and the—now Sunny realized—
nearly endless forest and meadow
.
    “Wait!” Four voices yelled, and four girls glared at the carnival guy.
    The miniature horse was next, bucking and kicking. It headed the same route as the other escapees. The pig was a little slower, both in coming out and following its zoo mates.
    The carnival guy shrugged. “Your problem now. I told you they was trouble.” Disappearing into the trailer, he reappeared with the roughly made wagon. “Now, where you gonna keep
this
?” If he was trying a friendly smile, he would have to practice. No matter what questions he had asked about the zoo being safe, he was still creepy. “You gotta keep the two of ’em together. That horse just loves this wagon. Understand?”
    Sunny jerked a thumb toward the barn. “Yeah, I
get
it. They’ll be in that barn over there.”
    “C’mon girls,” Vee said, taking off. “We’ve got to catch that zoo!”
    Esther and Aneta joined Vee in darting after the stampede. Amazing how fast a pig could run when motivated by its buddies disappearing out of sight.
    Great. Now the next worst thing would be Uncle Dave seeing the zoo before Sunny had a chance to explain. And get them washed. The quick parade of animals had shown they were even dirtier than last night.

    The dust from the beat-up red truck’s departure settled back onto the driveway while Sunny bounced up and down on her toes, thinking. Good thing Mom always said that her brother could sleep through a tornado. One had just swept through as a runaway zoo. It would be so fun to play with them, she thought, this new idea causing a little spin just thinking about it. If they were going to get them adopted, they would have to make them not grumpy by showing them kindness.
    “The S.A.V.E. Squad shall un-grump them!” She cracked herself up sometimes. Over her hilarity, she heard a pig snort to the left of the house. The problem again descended: Uncle Dave did not yet know he had a secondhand zoo.
    What to do?
    She first heard the groan, then the squeak, then Uncle Dave appeared, squinting on the front porch. Mom said Uncle Dave was the absolute last man to own animals, since getting up at dawn was his least favorite thing to do.
    Sunny no longer wanted to spin. Okay, now what? Another pig grunt then a small bleat that sounded like “Baaahhhhhb.” Goats didn’t talk. Did they?
    “Did I hear a truck horn?” He rubbed both fists back and forth on his head. Despite the crisis, Sunny had to giggle. He wore his blond hair longer than Dad, and one side had a big poof of hair. The other flopped right back to