The Children of Fear Read Free Page A

Luke.
    â€œWatch out for the Wade brothers,” he whispered as they strolled away from the store. “I don’t trust them.”
    Leah’s eyes darkened. “They’re bullies, but they don’t frighten me.”
    Maybe they should, Luke thought. But he didn’t want to worry her too much before the race. He knew she needed to keep her attention focused on riding Phantom. “We’ll go find a place to stand where we can watch the race,” Luke told her.
    â€œYell for me,” she asked.
    â€œWe will,” he promised.
    With Corey still perched on his shoulders, Luke pushed his way through the laughing, boisterous crowd. People stood shoulder to shoulder, lining both sides of the dirt road where the horses would race. Luke studied the track as the riders gathered at the far end of the street. He saw that they needed to race to the other end of town, circle a barrel, and return to the starting point. Luke found a spot halfway down the road.
    â€œGood day, Mr. Hammond,” he said as he threaded his way to the front of the crowd.
    Mr. Hammond, the owner of the general store, spun around. Although he had closed his store for the day, he still wore his white apron. “Well, hello, young Fier. We don’t see you in town much these days.”
    Luke forced himself to smile. “The farm keeps me busy.”
    â€œI imagine it does at that. A sad thing—your parents dying the way they did. A sad thing indeed.”
    Mr. Hammond pulled a sarsaparilla stick from his pocket and held the candy toward Corey. Corey grabbed it, nearly tumbling off Luke’s shoulders in his eagerness. Luke righted his brother while Mr. Hammond laughed heartily.
    â€œThank you for the kindness, Mr. Hammond,” Luke said. “We don’t get many sweets these days.”
    â€œThat will change if your sister wins this race, won’t it?” he asked.
    â€œYes, it will,” Luke replied as he glanced toward the area where the riders and horses waited. He caught sight of Leah standing beside her black horse, stroking his neck. Luke pointed. “Look, Corey. There’s Leah and Phantom.”
    Corey clapped and waved.
    Leah smiled broadly and waved back.
    â€œYour father told me that Leah has a gift when it comes to animals,” Mr. Hammond said.
    Luke felt the pride swell within him. “Yes, sir, she does. Animals seem to sense what she wants them to do.”
    â€œShe’ll give the Wade brothers a run for their money,” Mr. Hammond said. “But I don’t imagine she will win. The Wade brothers have their minds set to win this race. They don’t take kindly to losing.”
    Luke watched as two boys stretched a rope across the dusty road.
    â€œMount up!” Mr. Stone yelled. He not only owned the bank, he was also the mayor. He oversaw the races and anything else of importance in town—
    Like turning a family out to starve, Luke thoughticily. Yesterday he threatened to throw us off our land. Now he stands there, with his big round belly and pudgy cheeks, smiling at everyone like Santa Claus.
    How I wish Leah could win.
    A dozen horses approached the rope, their riders urging them forward.
    Leah was the only girl. Even from a distance Luke could see the excitement in her eyes, the glow in her cheeks.
    Luke watched anxiously as the Wade brothers took their places, Thomas on one side of Leah, Earl on the other. He saw them crowd Leah and push Phantom away from the starting line. Leah shoved on Thomas Wade’s arm. Thomas only laughed and nudged his horse against Phantom.
    Alarm rippled through Luke when he saw the Wade brothers exchange knowing glances, as though they were more interested in hurting Leah than in winning the race. Leah looked so small and fragile sitting between them.
    Mr. Stone raised his arm and fired a pistol into the air. The boys dropped the starting-line rope.
    The riders yelled and slapped the reins. With loud whinnies, the