Small Town Filly (Sandbar Stables Cozy Mystery Book 1) Read Online Free PDF Page A

still feeling startled.
                  "I noticed you hadn't left. I thought maybe your rental wouldn't start."
                  "Oh," she breathed and smiled gratefully at him. "I'm fine. The car's fine. I just got a phone call from the estate attorney. That's all."
                  "Mmm." He started to walk away. "Drive safe," he said.
                  Alex quickly opened the car door again. "Lance," she said, and he stopped and turned around. "The attorney asked if I wanted to keep this property. He kept telling me that I could get a very high price for it I if wanted to sell."
                  "I'm sure you could. And you probably should."
                  "But, I don't want to sell it! I've already decided. I'm staying."
                  She got out of the car and walked towards him. "Lance, first thing tomorrow morning, I'm going to call my job and tell them to cancel my leave of absence. I'm not going back."
                  "You're sure."
                  "I'm sure."
                  He took a step towards her, and she thought she saw him smile just a little. "Well, then. If you're going to keep this place, we'd better get these horses in shape for work so they can earn their keep."
                  Alex felt a surge of excitement. "You're right. And I was thinking, there's no mortgage on this place, since I inherited free and clear, and there's some estate money to help run it, but that lawyer was right about one thing. Horses are expensive to keep."
                  Lance nodded. "There are ongoing bills for hay and rolled oats and vitamin supplements. You'll need to replace and repair the saddles, bridles and halters from time to time. Very soon, they're going to need their feet trimmed. Some, like Swifty, need front shoes because the sand wears their hooves down so fast. And even routine vet care for sixteen horses adds up fast."
                  Alex swallowed. "Well, then," she said softly, "I guess we'd better get an early start tomorrow!"
    ***
                  As Alex drove from her motel to Sandbar Stables early the next morning, her mind raced with plans. One of the first things she wanted to do was turn in the rental car and get a vehicle of her own—maybe a small pickup truck, something more suitable for the owner of a stable.
    She felt like a child who'd come downstairs on Christmas morning to find the living room filled with toys and gifts and candy. She had a barn, a house, and sixteen horses!
    Life had truly become amazing.
    Then a surge of panic shot through her as four horses—actually, one huge black horse, two smaller black-and-white pintos, and one little mouse-gray pony—went trotting across the busy road right in front of her car.
    Alex slammed on the brakes. So did the drivers coming down the other side of the two-lane road. Trying to think fast, she swung the car into her own driveway but then hit the brakes again as Lance came running right towards her.
    "Grab a halter!" he yelled as he raced past. She got the car parked and ran to the barn. She could hear Fanny barking frantically from inside one of the stalls and realized Lance must have closed her up in there so she wouldn't chase after the horses.
    Alex yanked the two nearest halters off the stall doors and tore after Lance and the four horses.
    Directly across the road from the entrance to Sandbar Stables was a large, weed-covered vacant lot. The nearest houses were about a half a block farther back on the edge of the lot.
    Excited by their sudden freedom, the big horse and the three ponies flagged their tails and trotted and galloped around on the lot. It looked to Alex like they couldn't decide whether to be spooked or happy.
    Either way, the animals quickly found themselves surrounded by Lance and Alex—and by several neighbors brought outside by the sound of screeching brakes