Wind Dancer Read Free

was she going to get caught up in this bucket of trouble. “You should go home, Cara.” Sheglanced around the darkness, hoping none of the neighbors were out for a late-night walk with their dog.
    Cara crossed her arms. “How can you just walk away from those horses?” she demanded. “I
know
you care about what’s happening to them.” She paused. “Besides, I don’t want to go there alone.”
    An upstairs window slid open and both girls froze.
    “What are you girls up to?” Danny’s suspicious voice cut through the quiet of the night. “Ali, get back in this house!”
    His command echoed in her ears and she felt her hands clench. Who did he think he was, ordering her around like this? Like he suddenly cared about her?
    She gave Danny a snappy salute, then grabbed Cara by the arm and ran off into the night.

Two
    Ali stood at the edge of the Marshall property, uncertainty rooting her to the spot. She was about to commit a felony. Or was trespassing only a misdemeanor? It didn’t matter. Once she crossed onto the Marshall place, she was setting herself up for trouble.
    “What now?” Ali jumped when her voice came out ten times louder than intended. The neighbor’s dogs barked and both girls dropped to a crouch.
    When all grew quiet again, Cara whispered, “I don’t know exactly. This sounded a lot easier when we talked about it on the bus today….”
    “
What
? I thought you had a plan!”
    Cara shrugged.
    “I can’t be out here very long,” Ali said. “What if Danny wakes my mom and dad?”
    “Well then, we’d better go ahead and have a look in the barn.” Cara pulled a small flashlight from her back pocket. “I’ll turn this on once we get inside. It doesn’t put out much light, but I don’t want anyone to be able to see us from the road. For now, be careful where you step. There’s a lot of junk lying around.”
    Ali crept through the shallow ditch. She snagged her foot on an old board hidden in the weeds and fell to her knees, crying out as her teeth clacked together.
    The dogs began barking again and a light came on in a window across the street.
    “Run!” Cara hissed.
    Ali got to her feet and ran, praying that no more surprises hid in the dark. They slipped inside the barn, and she and Cara flattened themselves against the wall. Ali listened for the sound of someone coming after them, but all she could hear was the pounding of her heart and her gasping breath.
    The dogs quieted and Ali could hear the chirp of crickets again. Her breathing slowed and her heartbeat returned to near normal. Then her sense of smell kicked in and she grimaced. The barn stank like it hadn’t been cleaned in ages.
    “Can you smell that?” she whispered. She was surprised to hear the soft nicker of a horse.
    “They’re here!” Cara clicked on her flashlight and a small beam of light cut through the darkness. The girls crept forward toward the large box stall.
    “Oh my gosh!” Ali stared in horror at the two horses, who were pathetically thin and covered in their own filth. Cara’s flashlight revealed empty water tubs standing on their sides. There wasn’t a scrap of food in sight.
    The black gelding was lying down. Was he was too weak to stand? His markings reminded her so much of her pony, Max….
    The white mare took a step toward them and her knees buckled, sending her skittering sideways. She crashed against the side of the stall and leaned there, barely holding herself upright.
    The neighbor’s dogs began barking again.
    Ali stood there, taking it all in, but the terrible sight before her made her want to flee. If things looked this bad in the small beam of light, how much worse would the situation be in the broad light of day?
    “What are we going to do?” Cara asked.
    Ali looked at the darker Appy, seeing the hurt in his body and the pain in his eyes. For a moment, she was transported back to the day her sweet Max was put down and sadness engulfed her.
    Ali took a breath, pushing those