Crown Prince

by Linda Snow McLoon

  When she heard dishes being stacked in the kitchen, Sarah went to help with the nightly chores. Abby chattered about her day at the Creamery as she cleared the table. Sarah listened halfheartedly, glad to have her sister fill the void as Sarah rinsed the dinner dishes and loaded them in the dishwasher. She was relieved when she could escape back to the den and an article on teaching horses to jump. She had just sat down when suddenly the quiet was broken by the shrill ring of the doorbell.

  Sarah looked out the window facing the driveway. Her heart leaped when she saw Hank Bolton’s Porsche parked in front of their garage. He was here! He was pulling out all the stops to get Crown Prince back, coming right to their house. She bit her lip in anger. What a nerve! What should she do? Her mind was racing. She didn’t know whether to confront him at the door or hide in her bedroom.

  The front doorbell rang once more, and Sarah heard her mother speaking. Then Mr. Bolton’s distinctive voice carried from the front room to the den. “I hope you received the letter I left here earlier.”

  He was so slick. He was probably wearing the same impressive suit and winning smile that had gotten him money and power throughout his life. What if he convinced her parents that she should go along with his plan? Sarah felt her anger rising. At once she knew she had to speak for herself. She rose from the chair and strode into the front room.

  Hank Bolton turned when she entered, smiling broadly as he stretched out his hand. Ignoring the gesture, Sarah struggled to be anything close to civil. The rage she felt consumed her. When she spoke, her words came in short, clipped bursts with an intensity that surprised even her.

  “Mr. Bolton, I listened to you this morning. Then I read your letter. I’m sure you’re here to try to convince my parents and me to accept your offer. But I can tell you my answer. It’s no. Absolutely no.” She heard her voice grow louder, and she struggled to stay in control. But the words came gushing out.

  “No matter how much you try to change my mind, I will never give up Crown Prince.” She paused to catch her breath. Was this really Sarah Wagner speaking? Her parents must be shocked to hear a girl who was usually quiet and even a little shy talking this way to an adult. But she went on, her fists clenched by her sides. “He’s not going to be a racehorse. He’s mine now, and I won’t give him up, not for anything. Not for your money, and not for another horse.”

  Mr. Bolton was clearly taken aback. He looked beyond Sarah to her parents, his eyes pleading, asking them to use their better judgment. Could they possibly agree with their emotional teenage daughter? How could they refuse his offer? Always the skilled negotiator, Mr. Bolton decided to sweeten the deal. “I’m willing to up my proposal to $50,000 a year toward college. Isn’t that more than generous and fair?”

  The Wagners turned from his gaze, and an intense look passed between them. There was a long moment of silence before Sarah’s mother turned back to Hank Bolton. “Mr. Bolton, we appreciate your generous offer, and we are not ignorant of its amazing benefits. We’ve had a chance to discuss it with Sarah, but as you heard, her mind is firmly made up. She wants to keep Crown Prince.” Mrs. Wagner’s eyes met Sarah’s. “And we must respect her wishes.”

  Sarah felt dizzy. Her parents would stand behind her! They were taking her side. She wanted to shriek for joy. Hank Bolton looked away for a moment. He seemed to be absorbing the fact that although he’d done everything he could, he’d lost. When he looked back at them, the smile was gone and there was no warmth in his voice when he spoke. “It’s clear you’re determined to keep Crown Prince, and it doesn’t look like I can change your mind.”

  Her fierce resolve showed on Sarah’s face. Her arms were folded across her chest and her mouth was pressed into a grim determined line as she shook her head unwaveringly.

  Mr. Bolton spoke to Sarah’s parents. “You can’t imagine how sorry I am that you won’t accept my offer. Crown Prince may be one of the best horses I ever bred, but I guess we’ll never know. I suppose I should take comfort knowing that he’s in good hands in my friend Chandler’s barn and cared for by a dedicated young rider.”

  “We certainly appreciate your understanding,” Mr. Wagner said.

  “I’ll be on my way,” Mr. Bolton said, turning to Sarah. “But not before I wish all the best to you and Crown Prince. I only wish I had been as loyal to him as you are.” With that he turned, and with his head slightly bowed, he retreated out the door and down the steps to his car. Moments later they heard the engine start and the car pull out of the driveway.

  Sarah turned to her parents. How could she express the love she felt for them? Her gratefulness knew no bounds. “Mom, Dad, thank you, thank you.” Her eyes were moist as she rushed to hug them both. Mr. Bolton’s money hadn’t swayed them. They had let her make the choice!

  Abby skipped into the room to give Sarah a high five. “You were wicked good, Sis!” she cheered. “You really told him off!”

  Sarah’s parents remained serious. “What a gracious man,” her mother said. “I only hope you won’t come to regret your choice as he has come to regret his.”

  Her father nodded. “Well, he’s gone,” he said, turning to Sarah. “You made your decision, and now you must live with the consequences. But there’s something else we should make clear. You’ve always worked hard to be a good student, and we expect that to continue. If you become so involved with this horse that your grades start to slip, the horse will have to go. You can’t lose sight of the importance of doing your best in school. Wherever it is, you’re going to go to college.”

  “And let’s not forget that Prince is on trial,” Sarah’s mother said. “The verdict will come at the end of a month’s time. Unless Jack can assure us he will be a safe horse for you to ride, Prince will go back to the racetrack faster than you can snap your fingers. We are not going to change our minds on that.”

  Mr. Wagner remained somber. “And now we’re on to the wolf tooth. Isn’t tomorrow the day Prince is scheduled to have it removed?” he asked.

  Sarah nodded. “Jack asked me to have him ready to load at nine. I’m going to see if Kayla can come with us.” She felt for her cell in her jeans pocket and headed up the stairs. Once in the quiet of her room, she sat on her bed, bent over, and buried her face in her hands. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes, thinking about all that had just taken place. Several minutes passed as she waited for the reality of what had happened to sink in. She knew this day was a turning point in her life.

  Sarah got comfortable on her bed with her back resting against the headboard and dialed Kayla’s home number. The phone rang several times, and Sarah was about to click off when Kayla, sounding rushed and out of breath, answered. “I just got in from the barn. What’s up?” she asked. “How did it go?”

  “Ugh, it was crazy!” Sarah said, closing her eyes. “As soon as I got home, I had a terrible argument with my parents. They were afraid turning down Mr. Bolton’s offer would be a terrible mistake I’d regret someday. Mom got pretty upset, and Dad tried to convince me I should think about taking the money. No way!”

  “So did they say you can keep Prince?”

  “There’s more. Mr. Bolton came to our house tonight.”

  “No!” Kayla exclaimed. “He just showed up? You’ve got to be kidding! What a nerve. What happened?”

  Sarah told Kayla about the confrontation. Looking back on it, she was shocked at her own bravado and how she had spoken. Never before had she stood up to an adult like that, especially a powerful man like Hank Bolton.

  When Sarah had finished, Kayla admitted she was amazed. “That’s so awesome” she said. “You sure have guts!”

  “I had to make him know I won’t give Prince up. He’s the horse I’ve been waiting for. He’s the one.”

  “I’m proud of you, kid,” Kayla said. Sarah couldn’t see her face, but she knew her friend was beaming.

  “Listen, Kayla, we have an appointment at Dr. Reynolds’s vet hospital tomorrow morning. He’s going to pull the wolf tooth. Can
you come with us?”

  Kayla thought for a moment. “I think so. I don’t have anything until Jack’s lesson in the afternoon.”

  “Cool. Jack wants me to have him ready to load at nine. Can you bike over?” Sarah asked.

  “Sure. See you there. And for your sake, I hope you never hear from Hank Bolton again!”

  CHAPTER 14

  The Surgery

  SARAH ARRIVED AT THE BARN earlier than usual the next morning. She wanted to allow plenty of time to feed the horses before getting Prince ready for the trip to the vet clinic. As she neared his stall, she was surprised to see a note tacked to the door. Coming closer, she read: Your horse has been fed. Feed the rest. Gus’s name was scrawled on the bottom.

  She went into the stall where Prince was eating from a large pile of hay. His feed tub was still moist, so he’d recently eaten his grain. He raised his head and came to her. “You expect a carrot every morning, don’t you,” she said, as she pulled one out of her pocket and offered it to him.

  She stroked her horse gently as he ate the carrot, thinking about Gus’s note. He had probably learned from Jack that Prince was having the wolf tooth out this morning, and wanted him to have a chance to eat before they left. This was the first time Gus had done something nice for her. Could it mean he’d noticed she was working hard to do a good job? Probably not—he was just doing what was best for the horse.

  She was startled by a voice from outside the stall. “What’s up, kid?” It was Kayla, grinning, her short auburn hair especially curly in the summer humidity.

  “Hey, I didn’t expect you for awhile,” Sarah said.

  “My dad left for work early, and he dropped me off,” Kayla said. She bent closer to read the note. “I guess Prince got a head start on breakfast.” She slid through the opening to come into the stall and extended her hand to Prince, who quickly picked up the two sugar cubes she offered.

  “Want to help me feed the horses?” Sarah said. She stepped out of the stall and slipped the chain with the grain room key over her head.

  “Sure,” Kayla said. “I’ve never been in the grain room or up to the loft.”

  The girls made the rounds, feeding the morning grain and refilling the pails on the pushcart before heading to the loft. As they worked, they rehashed Mr. Bolton’s visit to the Wagner’s the night before.

  “I can’t believe he just showed up at your door,” Kayla said. “I bet he thought your parents would make you go along with his deal. You know what they say—money talks.”

  “I’ll never forget how Dad and Mom let me say no to him. They proved they can’t be bought,” Sarah said as they climbed the steps to the loft. “The DeWitts were on my side too.”

  “So the battle is over for good?”

  Sarah stopped to look at Kayla. “I wish,” she said with a sigh. “But in a way it has just begun. I still have to prove that Prince will be safe for me to ride.”

  After they’d dropped hay to the horses, Sarah grabbed the push broom and began sweeping the loose hay into the opening over McDuff’s stall. When she had finished, she checked the time.

  “We’ve got to hurry,” she said. “Prince needs to be groomed before Jack hooks up the trailer, and I need to put on his shipping boots.”

  They hurried back to Prince’s stall, where he had finished his hay and drunk almost all the water in his bucket. Sarah went to get her grooming caddy and shipping boots from the tack room. When she returned, Kayla had put Prince’s halter on. “Can he be groomed in the aisle?” she asked.

  “I guess so,” Sarah answered. “Jack said Prince ties so well in the stall he could be groomed in the aisle on cross-ties, as long as they’re connected to the rings on the wall with baling twine.”

  “Of course,” Kayla said. “You wouldn’t want this nice halter with his nameplate to be broken if he panicked and pulled back. Fuzzy used to halter-pull. He never ruined a halter, though, thanks to the baling twine. I’m glad Fanny doesn’t pull.”

  Sarah snapped the lead shank onto Prince’s halter, but before she could lead him into the aisle, she saw Gus approaching. When he got closer, she said, “Good morning, Gus. Thanks for feeding Prince early.” The disagreeable man only shoved his red baseball cap lower over his eyes and grunted as he passed. He’s impossible! Sarah thought, frustrated. I don’t know why I try to make friends with that man!

  Kayla noticed Gus’s rude behavior and raised her eyebrows. “That guy sure doesn’t win any personality contests,” she whispered. Sarah just rolled her eyes.

  Once Prince was in the aisle and appeared relaxed on the cross-ties, the girls began grooming him. Sarah picked out his feet, sending bits of packed bedding and manure to the mat below. “I hope the farrier can pull these racing plates when he comes next week,” Sarah said. “Do his feet look long to you?”

  Kayla, who was waiting with a broom, checked out Prince’s hooves. “They’re longer than we ever let Fanny’s get,” she said, as she swept everything into his stall. “We don’t want to give Gus another excuse to be grouchy,” she said in a hushed voice. She started to comb out Prince’s mane and tail while Sarah got busy with a curry comb and brush. When they had finished, they stepped back to admire the horse’s gleaming coat.

  Kayla frowned. “His mane is thick and pretty long,” she said. “Are you going to pull it one of these days?”

  “I got a pulling comb at the tack shop, but you’ll have to show me how to use it. I’ve never pulled a mane before. Do you think he’ll mind?”

  “Mane-pulling doesn’t bother Fanny.” She raised an eyebrow. “And if ever there was a horse who’d have a problem with it, she’d be the one,” Kayla said. “I only pull a few hairs at a time. But you’d better have a tall stool to stand on. Prince’s mane is a long way up!”

  As Sarah bent over to put Prince’s shipping boots on him, she tried to remember everything Jack had told her when she’d done it at the racetrack. Not too tight, but taut so they wouldn’t slip down. When she had finished, Kayla gave a nod of approval.

  “It’s almost nine. I wonder if Jack is here.” Sarah said.

  Kayla walked down the aisle to look out the window. “He’s backing the truck up to the trailer right now. I guess we’re ready just in time.”

  Sarah took a deep breath and ran her hand down Prince’s neck. Having the tooth out was a big deal. It might make all the difference for this horse with his bad racetrack reputation. She attached the shank to his halter, and with Kayla following, led Prince down the aisle toward the main entrance. The horse trailer was waiting with the ramp down. When they walked out into the morning sunshine, Prince’s head shot up, and he stopped, looking warily at the trailer.

  “Just walk him on,” Jack said. “He’s done this before.”

  Sarah stroked Prince’s neck to reassure him. She clucked softly, and they moved toward the trailer. She felt her horse hesitate slightly as they approached the ramp, but she put more pressure on the shank and walked forward onto the ramp. Following her lead, he stepped up after her and walked into the trailer. He’s already learned to trust me, she thought happily as she rewarded him with a carrot.

  “Good job,” Kayla said. “Be thankful he’s not like Fanny used to be.”

  Jack lifted the ramp, latched it shut, and Sarah exited the side door. Soon they were on their way, the trailer riding easily on the now smooth farm road. Kayla sat in the passenger seat, with Sarah in the back, as usual, keeping her eyes on her horse in transit. After a few minutes she turned in the seat to speak to Jack.

  “I just hope that tooth comes out okay. Do you think the roots could be curled around another tooth? Or maybe around his jawbone? The tooth is so big!”

  “There you go, worrying now,” Jack said. “The X-rays will tell Dr. Reynolds everything he needs to know before he goes in there. He’ll not be chancing it.” He looked over at Kayla and changed the subject. “You’ve got a show coming up this weekend. Will you be bringing Fanny for the lesson this afternoon?”

&nbs
p; “You betcha,” Kayla said. “This week is not the time to miss a lesson.” She paused. “I don’t know what to expect at the show. Fanny has never done any jumping except at Brookmeade.”

  “I guess ’tis more than one worrywart we have with us today,” Jack said. “The important thing is to ride Fanny the same, no matter where you are. Use the same aids, remember all the things we’ve drilled on, and take a few deep breaths to clear your head before you go into the ring. Your mare is ready to compete, and you must believe in her.” Sarah glanced at her friend to see how she was taking Jack’s pep talk. If Jack said they could do it, then they could do it.

  The truck slowed as they approached Yardley village, Jack driving cautiously by parked cars in front of the small shops and restaurants. Now that the summer people were here, the otherwise quaint small town bustled with traffic and shoppers doing errands before they headed for the beach. The Ocean Breeze Bed & Breakfast Inn had posted a “No Vacancy” sign, a sure indication that the summer tourist season was in full swing.

  The day was warming up rapidly, and there were already several cars in the beach parking area, but Sarah saw no sign of her father or Abby at The Seaside Creamery as they went by. The truck made a turn by the Yardley House of Pizza onto the road leading to the vet clinic in Winchester, a horsey town that provided many clients for the large animal veterinarians in Dr. Reynolds’s practice.

  After they had driven a few miles, Jack asked, “I think Rita lives somewhere around here, doesn’t she?”

  “We just went by the driveway that leads to their place,” Kayla said. “Her father bought the Mansfield estate and named it Pyramid Farm. It’s on a hill, so there’s a great view of the ocean, and you should see the barn! It’s got a chandelier in the entryway.”