Palomino by Danielle Steel Page A

might that be?
    Samantha whispered the two magic words. Black Beauty.
    For a moment Caroline looked pensive, and then suddenly she looked amused. So that's it, is it! I see.'
    Aunt Caro ' may I?
    May you what? Caroline Lord sat back in her chair with a regal air and a twinkle in her eye.
    But Samantha would not be easily put off. May I ride him?
    There was no answer for a long moment as Caroline grew anxious. Do you think you're up to it yet?
    Samantha nodded slowly, knowing the truth of what Josh had said: If you had it, you never lost it. I do.
    Caroline nodded slowly. She had watched Sam riding into the main compound as she and Bill had stood at her large picture windows. Sam just had horses in her bones. It was a part of her, instinctively, even after not riding for over a year. Why do you want to ride him? She cocked her head to one side, her dinner forgotten.
    When Samantha answered, her voice was gentle and her eyes had a faraway look, her ex-husband's broadcast forgotten, along with the woman to whom he had fled. All she could think of now was the ravishingly beautiful black stallion in the stables and how badly she wanted to feel him beneath her as together they raced into the wind. I don't know why. She looked up at Caroline honestly. And then she smiled. I just feel as though, as though she faltered for a moment, her eyes distant again as though I have to. I can't explain it, Caro. There's something about that horse. She smiled a distant smile, which was instantly reflected in Caroline's eyes.
    I know. I felt it too. That was why I had to have him. Even if it makes no sense for a woman my age to have a horse like him. I had to, just this one last time. Samantha nodded her complete understanding and as the two women looked into each other's eyes they felt the same bond that had always held them together, across the years, across the miles. In some ways they were as one, as though in their souls they were mother and daughter.
    Well? Samantha looked at her hopefully.
    Go ahead. Caroline smiled slowly. Ride him.
    When? Sam almost held her breath.
    Tomorrow. Why not?
    In the morning as Samantha poured her aching body out of bed, she only felt its pain for the first few instants. After that she remembered her conversation with Caroline, and nothing hurt anymore as she ran to the shower and stood there, with the hot water pounding down on her shoulders and her head. This morning she wasn't even going to take the time for breakfast. She didn't care about breakfast. Not today. All she needed was a cup of coffee from Caroline's kitchen, and after that she would sail out to the barn. Just thinking about it made her smile. It was all she could think of this morning. And the smile was still dancing in her eyes as she ran the last steps to the barn. Two of the men were talking quietly in one corner, but other than that there was no one there. It was still much too early for most of them to be there. They were eating breakfast and trying to wake up as they gossiped about the local news and the usual ranch talk in the main dining hall.
    Quietly, almost stealthily, Samantha picked up Black Beauty's saddle and walked toward his stall. But as soon as she had done so she saw the two men eyeing her, one with raised eyebrows. They had both stopped talking and were watching her with a silent question. Just as silently she nodded and slipped into the stall. She made soft murmuring noises to soothe him, running a hand down the long graceful neck and patting the powerful flanks as he eyed her nervously at first, backing and sidling, and then stopping as though to sniff the air near where she stood. She rested the saddle on the stall door, and then slipping the bridle over his head, she led him from the stall.
    Ma'am? The voice surprised her as she looped the reins around a convenient post so she could saddle Black Beauty. She turned around to see who it was. It was one of the two men who had been watching her, and she realized then that he