Wild Horses Read Online Free PDF Page A

dignity. He had barn work to do, except he had no shoes. He was, however, on a horse ranch and it occurred to him that, maybe, Vermillion might be enticed to give him a ride up the hill. He wanted to ask Mr. Keleman as to the whereabouts of his sneakers, and he wanted to know what work needed to be done.
    I ain’t a freeloader. I can pull my weight. And Mr. Keleman… he’ll see. He won’t regret takin’ me on.
    Buoyed by positive self-talk, Kai’s heart overflowed with a sudden surge of loyalty as his mind flooded with the memory of the man’s soothing voice and gentle helping hands. He thought back to the way his host had sat on the edge of his bed, adjusting his pillows and handing him juice, being so very careful not to touch him. Kai had been disappointed at that. He wanted to feel the caress of those long, smooth fingers again.
    Again?
    Not quite knowing why, he just couldn’t shake off the feeling that those strong, gentle hands had touched him before, and he shivered at the whisper of the memory. It bothered him that he should think of his host that way, and he racked his brain for other things he might have missed. There was the horse, red in the sunset… the apples… there had been water…. There had been another man, but he’d poked him with a needle, so Kai chose to block him out.
    “Mr. Keleman obviously expects his workers to ride, Vermillion. You’ll just have to help me out here.”
    Blocking off any further thoughts of his host, Kai coaxed the curious horse next to a picnic table under a large, spreading tree. He took the other half of the apple and held it out, maneuvering the horse just so. Then he climbed on the table and put his hands on the broad back.
    Vermillion stood still, munching his apple.
    Kai moved more of his weight onto the tall withers, then slung his leg over the broad rump, landing on the horse’s back with a graceless thump.
    Vermillion shied under him and whinnied, almost rearing, and Kai grabbed the red strands of the horse’s long mane by sheer instinct.
    He felt his own hair whip his face as Vermillion took to the hill, cantering up to the familiar paddock. He felt the powerful muscles shift under him in an easy cadence, and made his legs clasp around Vermillion’s barrel as he tried to hold on, barely able to breathe. They passed the barn and the covered arena, but the paddock gate was closed. Vermillion ran along the fence, his hoofs a rolling beat of three-and-one, reminiscent of ancient jungle drums. Kai absorbed it, moved with it, his hands still clinging to the mane, his legs squeezing the heaving barrel for all he was worth. Exhilaration replaced terror as Kai felt his uncommon sense of balance kick in and realized that he was not necessarily slated for an early death. The horse showed no intention of stopping. They reached an outdoor corral with a single rider jumping obstacles within it. With but a corner of his eye, Kai saw two men turn and look his way, and then Vermillion was off, burning excess energy, running free.
     
     
    “ W AS that your guy Kai?” Tibor asked, eyes wide.
    “Apparently.” Attila whistled, and Sen appeared at the paddock fence. Hearing yet a different whistle, the white Lipizzaner took a running start and cleared the fence, trotting up to his rider.
    “I’d better go after him. He doesn’t even have a bridle. Give me a hand.”
    Tibor’s big fingers linked into a step, boosting his brother-in-law onto Sen’s back. The white horse had no saddle, no reins.
    “You have no bridle either,” Tibor said with a note of concern.
    “I don’t need one.”
    Attila felt his gut twist as images of a possible disaster flashed through his mind. He pushed them away and pressed his heel into Sen’s flank. They were off. Sen had been baby-sitting the red horse for long enough to know what was required of him.
     
     
    K AI entered the forest trail. He ducked his head, almost leaning on his steed’s neck in an effort to clear the lowest