Water Lily by Terri Farley Page B

hands, pretending to ward off his crankiness, then headed for the round pen.
    Cash, the first cremello Darby picked out, was well mannered enough not to drag Darby off her feet, buthe pranced with excitement as she led him inside the gate of the grassy front pasture, slipped off his halter, and released him.
    He scanned the enclosure, then burst into a run, tail cocked up high and streaming.
    When the girls had moved all six of the cremellos, they leaned against the fence to watch them.
    The pale horses raced over the grass, stopping to give bucks of joy, to roll with legs thrashing, then bolt to their hooves, to shake, and run again.
    Although their coats ranged from stark white to tawny cream, all six horses had the same leggy conformation.
    â€œAren’t they beautiful?” Megan asked.
    â€œLike a flock of Pegasus, uh—”
    â€œPegasus es ?” Megan suggested.
    â€œYeah,” Darby said.
    â€œEven though Babe takes good care of her horses, I bet this is the biggest pasture they’ve had for years,” Megan mused.
    Darby pictured her great-aunt Babe’s Sugar Sands Cove Resort and nodded in agreement. The landscaped acres were designed to be a deluxe getaway for humans, not horses. The cremellos had lived in a well-tended paddock, but there hadn’t been much room for stretching their long, slender legs.
    All at once, Darby thought of Honi the pony, running on short, sturdy legs ahead of Hoku yesterday.
    No matter what Dee wanted, someone should examine Honi.
    Even if tests were expensive, and even if Dee was right that a vet couldn’t “eyeball” the pony and make a diagnosis, someone had to take an interest in the elfin creature.
    Elfin equine, Darby was thinking, when suddenly an idea popped into her mind.
    Aunty Cathy had said they were going to the feed store. Cricket would be there. She’d talk to Cricket and see if the Animal Rescue Society had jurisdiction over animals that were allowed to run free. They might capture and keep the pony for her own good, just until the danger of disease had passed.
    â€œHave fun!” Darby called to the cremellos, and then she tugged Megan’s sleeve. “Let’s go. We can’t let your mom leave without us!”
    The girls stampeded toward their rooms together, but Darby’s face and hands were washed first and she was dressed in a clean yellow T-shirt, good jeans, and brown boots in under five minutes.
    A record, Darby thought as she stood in front of Sun House. She’d taken her long hair out of its ponytail, brushed it briskly, and let it swing loose behind her back. She shifted restlessly, certain her blood was carbonated and fizzing in impatience.
    Darby reminded herself that Honi had looked healthy, even perky, yesterday, but bacteria had a way of hiding inside for a while, didn’t they? For Honi,every minute could count.
    Megan and Aunty Cathy finally hurried down from their upstairs apartment, and they all climbed into the Land Rover.
    â€œI wish you’d lose that hat,” Aunty Cathy said. As she drove slowly out of the ranch yard, she glanced in the rearview mirror at the beloved baseball cap Megan wore, her ponytail poking through the back.
    Megan’s chin rose in stubbornness, but only for a few seconds. Then, she pulled off the cap, took down her hair, and fluffed it with her fingers.
    â€œHey, Mom?” Megan asked. “Do you know if Black Lava’s herd is still on the football field?”
    â€œThey didn’t move them yet, did they? They couldn’t have!” Darby blurted, but Megan reached over and patted her hand in reassurance.
    â€œI don’t think so,” Aunty Cathy said.
    â€œWell, if they’re still there, can we go see them?” Megan asked. “Before they’re gone for good?”
    â€œMaybe on the way home. Let’s see how our time goes,” Aunty Cathy replied.
    They were only a few miles from ‘Iolani Ranch when the