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    Just Johnny
    Just Johnny
    Just Johnny
    Ebook153 pages2 hours

    Just Johnny

    By Nancy Castaneda

    ()

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    About this ebook

    When Anna and her best friend, Susie, finally get horses of their own, they enter a new world of horse shows, fox hunting, eventing, responsibility and boys. In this sometimes scary but always exciting environment, Anna learns what true horsemanship is, and makes two new best friends forever: a boy named Jim, and a horse named Johnny.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherNancy Castaneda
    Release dateNov 9, 2014
    ISBN9781311621788
    Just Johnny
    Author

    Nancy Castaneda

    Nancy Castaneda spent most of her athletic years around horses. She now lives a quiet, horseless life in Connecticut with her Colombian husband and their golden retriever, but memories of her horse years are never far from the surface of her thoughts and enrich the fabric of her books.

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      Book preview

      Just Johnny - Nancy Castaneda

      Just Johnny

      Copyright 2014 Nancy Castaneda

      Published by Nancy Castaneda at Smashwords

      Smashwords Edition License Notes

      This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your enjoyment only, then please return to Smashwords.com or your favorite retailer and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

      Table of Contents

      Chapter One

      Chapter Two

      Chapter Three

      Chapter Four

      Chapter Five

      Chapter Six

      Chapter Seven

      Chapter Eight

      Chapter Nine

      Chapter Ten

      Chapter Eleven

      Chapter Twelve

      Chapter Thirteen

      Chapter Fourteen

      Chapter Fifteen

      Chapter Sixteen

      Chapter Seventeen

      Chapter Eighteen

      Chapter Nineteen

      Chapter Twenty

      Chapter Twenty-one

      Chapter Twenty-Two

      Chapter Twenty-Three

      Chapter Twenty-four

      About the Author

      Chapter One

      Anna Hart had wanted a horse for as long as she could remember. She already had a dog, a cat and a constantly changing collection of small animals, but she knew that these were insignificant charges compared to a horse. She had often talked to her parents about getting one. The answer had always been the same. They just could not afford to keep a horse yet. Anna knew they were right but refused to give up hope.

      Every Saturday morning Anna and her next-door neighbor, Susie Riser, were driven to Center Stables for a riding lesson. They had been in the advanced class for three years and often got to lead the group over fences and on rides. Sometimes they would compete against each other in the small stable shows and usually ended up neck and neck for the blue. It didn't matter much to either of them which one won. Anna and Susie were the very best of friends.

      When they were younger, they had always grabbed lunch at Susie's after their riding lesson and disappeared into the old barn behind Anna's house to care for Anna's menagerie and work on their stable. They had begged and borrowed lumber to build two box stalls along one wall of the barn and regularly cut the long grass from the Riser's field to put down as straw. Each girl had fed and groomed her own make-believe horse and then, after carefully tacking it, had ridden it out into the field. Susie had invented a way of trotting with one toe pointed, and the other not, that gave the impression of a rider posting. Anna had been able to neigh impressively. They knew that their friends would laugh at them for doing this now, since they were officially teenagers, but they still always went to the barn after their lessons to talk and dream about horses.

      One Saturday both Mrs. Hart and Mrs. Riser drove with the girls to their lesson and watched with unusual interest as the two girls rode over the difficult fences introduced that day. Afterward, they talked to the instructor, Carol Showman, for a long time. At first Carol seemed to heartily agree with whatever was being proposed and then suddenly looked doubtful. The girls, ordered to wait in the car, could hear nothing.

      What was that all about? Susie said a bit peevishly when their mothers finally got into the car. She was hot from riding and the car was unpleasantly stuffy.

      We'll talk about it later dear, was all her mother would say.

      Anna judged it best to satay silent, although she would have liked to have known what was going on.

      When they got home, Anna's mother asked her to help get lunch on the table. Anna's father, she said, was coming home from work early since they had something to talk to Anna about. Now Anna was really curious about this strange Saturday. She couldn't think of anything she had done wrong lately so she wasn't in for that kind of talk. She had just brought home a straight-A report card so everything was all right there. Perhaps she was going to be allowed to take two lessons a week. She had asked to be allowed to do that and her parents had said they would consider it. But that wouldn't cause all this fuss and she knew Carol would not have been doubtful about that. As she set the table, her mind found and rejected several similar topics for the coming talk.

      When her father came home, he first had a private talk with her mother. Then he ate lunch with them without saying anything out of the ordinary but kept exchanging smiles with Anna's mother. Anna was dying of curiosity. This secret her parents were enjoying so much must have something to do with her, or they wouldn't have asked her to be there. Obviously it wasn't anything unpleasant. She waited for them to share it with her but they didn't seem to be in any hurry to do so. After a while she began to get annoyed. It wasn't fun to be left out of a secret concerning her. Finally, she pushed herself back from the table and announced, If what you two are so happy about concerns me, please tell me, or let me go to Susie's.

      Her mother and father looked at each other in surprise. Honey, I'm sorry, her father apologized. We aren't being fair to you, are we? I guess we've been putting off telling you because we wanted to enjoy the suspense. We didn't really consider how you must feel.

      I'm sorry too, Anna said, seeing her selfishness. I didn't mean to spoil it for you, whatever it is.

      Don't worry, her mother said, smiling broadly, nothing could spoil it for us. She looked at her husband. You tell her. It's your success that makes it possible.

      Something inside Anna turned upside down.

      Well, first of all, I got a big raise at work. Her father looked at Anna for a response but Anna was already listening for the next sentence. Your mother and I are very proud of you for how well you have done in school this year and we would like to get you something in the way of a reward.

      Anna wanted to scream with the suspense but she waited to hear it. She hoped against hope that he would say it. It couldn't be anything else. She had never wanted anything else.

      We've gone over our new finances, her father continued. Your mother says you ride very well now so, if we stop the riding lessons, we feel that we could manage to get you a horse.

      He had said it.

      She wanted to yell, or cry, or laugh, but she could only sit there. She looked at her parents. Her mother was smiling, her eyes twinkling with pleasure. Her father was busily lighting his pipe, trying not to show her how delighted he was to be able to do this. They knew they were granting her greatest wish.

      When? was all she could manage.

      Chapter Two

      The next weekend, the search for horses began. The Risers had decided to get Susie one too. That way, they proposed, the girls could ride together. Since the Harts owned a barn and the Risers, a good grass field, they could easily keep the horses right there at home.

      Anna had heard about a horse that was for sale in the next town. He's broke good, the man had said on the phone. About fifteen hands...good looking too,

      Anna, Susie, and their mothers piled into the riser's car and set off to see the horse. All the way over, the girls tried to imagine what they would find. Anna was certain it was a palomino, Susie a grey. They tried to decide which one of them would get this horse but found they just knew too little about it.

      The man had told them to watch for the place on the right, just past the Texaco station. The girls watched eagerly for the white fences and red barns that would announce the unknown horse farm.

      They almost drove past it. Set back behind some old rusted cars on an overgrown lot was a once-blue mobile home with an American flag flying over its rusted iron porch. Tied to the porch, was a pitifully thin little brown pony stretching its tie rope to reach some uneaten patch of grass.

      Mrs. Riser stopped the car and stared from the road.

      Is that the horse? Susie asked in amazement.

      Poor pony! Anna shook her head.

      A man opened the door and waved them into the driveway. The pony pushed at his flannel shirt with its head and the man absentmindedly scratched its forehead while he watched the big car drive up to the trailer.

      The girls got out automatically and began to pat the pony. It was extremely friendly, obviously finding no cause to complain about its pitiful state. Mrs. Hart got slowly out of the car and looked again at the fifteen hand, good looking horse in bewilderment.

      He's a nice one, he is, the man told the girls. My boy rode him all the time. Tell you the truth, I think the horse misses my boy now that he's gone. The man stood silent then, his worn face expressionless.

      I don't think he's quite what we're looking for, Mrs. Riser finally breathed, from the front seat of the car. I think we had better leave.

      Susie obediently went toward the car but Anna continued to pat the sorry little pony.

      How much do you want for him? she asked.

      Since he likes you, the man brightened, I could let you have him real cheap.

      "Honey, you

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