don’t know you, and neither do I know your animals.”
“Yes, you do. You have my horse, Star Dancer.”
Ma Etty shook her head. “Sorry,” she said.
“There’s no horse here named Star Dancer.”
Elena took another step into the house. Some-
thing about her made Hanna shrink back from the
doorway. Her face was all sharp angles, no dim-
ples—strange for someone her age. It was like she
had never smiled in her life. “I think you do. In fact,
I know you do.”
“I’m sorry,” Ma Etty repeated, taking a matching
step closer. Mr. Bridle stayed put, as if his wife was
more fit to handle this than he was. “We really don’t
have your horse.”
“But I saw one of your girls riding him around
town today. The big gray Hanoverian—that’s our
Star Dancer!” Elena Baxter clasped her hands in
front of her. “I’ve been looking for him for so long.”
There was only one big gray Hanoverian at
Quartz Creek Ranch. Hanna’s heart dropped. The
woman had to be mistaken.
“I think you’ve made an error,” said Ma Etty
evenly. “That horse—
Shy Guy
—was abandoned on
our property, and we took him in.”
“No, no,” said Elena. “I think you’re the one
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