Horse Stolen

4--danger

"So...you ride horses now?" Haley asked after I told her and Ginny about my lesson the next day during lunch.

"Yes!" I said, grinning. "I'm an equestrian now."

"Cool," Ginny said.

We chatted for the rest of lunch, and then it was time to get back to class.

I barely made it through classes, and finally it was time to go home. When I got home, I hurried through my homework, then worked on my latest drawing.

It was a drawing of me and Dakota. I was dressed in my riding attire, and Dakota was wearing her leather halter. I would color it in once I was finished drawing it.

I had finished drawing me, and almost done with Dakota when there was a knock on my door. I put my sketchbook and pencils away as I called, "Come in!"

To my surprise, it was Dad! "Dad!" I exclaimed, and ran up to hug him. He wrapped his arms around me and squeezed me. "What are you doing here?" I asked when we let go.

"Well, you remember the people we had brunch with a while ago, right?" he started. I nodded my head. "They are coming over for dinner tonight, and I wanted to let you know that we would love it if you joined us," he said.

"Okay, I'll come have dinner with you guys," I said, and he smiled.

"Be ready at 5:15, they come at 5:30," he said, and I nodded, then Dad left.

I wasn't looking forward to sitting at the table for hours, but hey, if it meant a few extra hours with my parents, I was game.

* * *

At 5:30 sharp, the doorbell rang and Dad greeted them. They talked for a few minutes, and I heard one of the men comment on our locks. Dad showed them how it worked.

"We have the best security service here," Dad said. "I would be devastated if anything happened to my family." The men just looked at each other.

They walked to our fancy dining room, and we all shook hands, then sat down. Me and Mom suffered silently while the men talked about their plans with the companies. Me and Mom just exchanged looks every few minutes.

Finally, dinner was served, and we dug into our salmon. It was delicious!

After another good hour, dessert was served, and our chocolate/raspberry cheesecake was really good, too.

Soon after, they finally left, and I had the rest of the night to spend with my family. We sat in our TV room and watched TV and played my favorite board game, Monopoly. My parents were very good at this game.

While we played, Mom and Dad asked about my riding lesson.

"It was incredible! It was so much fun, and I learned a lot. I rode a horse named Dakota, and she was a chestnut and white paint. We groomed her and tacked her up, and in our lesson..."

I gave them every single detail of the lesson, and they were probably sick of hearing about Dakota by the time I was finished, but I couldn't help it. I loved riding so much!

I went to bed that night after saying goodbye to my parents. They both had early morning flights to different places, so I wouldn't see them before I went to school. Sigh. At least I got to see them today, and that really made my day.

* * *

On Saturday morning, I was up and in my riding clothes hours before my lesson. My lesson was at noon, and it was only 9:37!

I passed the hours by finishing up my drawing and watching TV. At 11:45, Paul drove me to Chestnut Grove, and when I got out of the car, I ran my hands over my navy blue polo and white breeches to smooth out any wrinkles. Then I strutted to the barn.