Horse Dreams

By Nancy Stevenson

Horse Dreams is a coming-of-age novel about an eleven year old lonely, latch-key girl, Izzy Carlucci, who dreams of horses and riding lessons forbidden by her mother.
Izzy does small odd jobs for neighbors in her city apartment building, earning money for lessons kept secret from her demanding mother. Running errands, Izzy makes friends, in particular a mysterious old woman. From an aging stallion and this elderly friend, Izzy learns horse skills, people savvy and self reliance. When the stallion develops pneumonia, Izzy cares for him day after day. Her dedication heals the stallion and earns her mothers respect.
As Izzy turns twelve, her horse dreams help her find strength to appreciate her mother, find new dreams and face the death of her wise old friend.

• Language: English
• Publisher: AuthorHouse
• Release date: Aug 25, 2012
• ISBN: 9781477254806

Nancy Stevenson

Nancy Stevenson holds an MA degree in American History from American University and an MFA in Writing for Children from Vermont College (now Vermont College of Fine Arts). She and her husband, Adlai, farm near Galena, Illinois. Their daughter, Lucy, raises Irish Draught horses with her husband, Chris Neher, and two daughters in Montana.

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Horse Dreams

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Nancy Stevenson

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AuthorHouse™

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Bloomington, IN 47403

www.authorhouse.com

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© 2012 Nancy Stevenson. All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means without the written permission of the author.

Published by AuthorHouse 8/17/12

ISBN: 978-1-4772-5481-3 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-4772-5482-0 (dj)

ISBN: 978-1-4772-5480-6 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2012913728

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and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

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This book is printed on acid-free paper.

Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

Contents

Chapter One      The Family Disease

Chapter Two      Jobs

Chapter Three      Growing My In-Gen-Ui-Ty

Chapter Four      Horse Heaven

Chapter Five      Cleaning Stalls

Chapter Six      Horse Savvy

Chapter Seven      Stay Loose

Chapter Eight      Flash In Need

Chapter Nine      Surprises

Chapter Ten      House Arrest Again

Chapter Eleven      Don’t Startle A Horse

Chapter Twelve      Waiting

Chapter Thirteen      Homecoming

Chapter Fourteen      Mr. Atwood’s Anger

Chapter Fifteen      Mrs. Mcpherson’s Secrets

Chapter Sixteen      Conversations

Chapter Seventeen      My Confession To Mrs. Mcpherson

Chapter Eighteen      Celebrating Mrs. Mcpherson

Cover photo by Anna Neher

Huntingfield Proud Tim

Dandelion Farm

www.dandelionfarm.eom

Cover design by

Warwick Stevenson

CHAPTER ONE

The Family Disease

When I saw them, I rode into the fence and fell off my bike. They took my breath away. Two horses galloped in the pasture, one a coppery red like the setting sun, the other dark as molasses. The firey one nickered and came toward me. My face grew hot. My fingers tingled. I flew onto his back and floated away from school and away from our silent apartment. I could feel his muscles ripple as he danced in the bright light.

A shadow caught my eye. My shadow. It spread out onto the field. I had leaned on that fence for an hour, maybe two. Car lights flashed on Collins Road. I peddled like fury to beat Mom and Dad to the fortress, my name for our clunky old apartment building. I didn’t see the bumps in the road or hear horns honking. My bike had become a stallion. If cars and trucks would not stop for us, we would leap them in helium bounds.

I saluted the dark windows that looked out from Two West, our flat. Pure lighter-than-air joy turned the outlines of our fort into a friendly compound. I had my own key. A latch-key child, Miss Jessle, my teacher accused the parents at our last teacher conference. Mom and Dad had explained they didn’t worry. Our building had forty tenants and a janitor, plenty of care takers for a sixth grade child.

They didn’t get it. Miss Jessle was right. I went home every day to stuff my mouth with whatever I could find and mope around the apartment. Mom didn’t allow me to visit any of my classmates after school. You never know about other people’s families. They may not hold to our standards.

Every day all that week, I biked out to Collins Road and hung on the white fence, soaking up the heavy horse hoofbeat, pa-dum, pa-dum, pa-dum, and the tangy smell of fresh manure. At night, I dreamed of my body rocking in rhythm, pa-dum, pa-dum, one form, horse and rider together.

But on Friday night, Mom beat me home. She hardly opened her mouth as she spoke. Her voice squeezed out, low and slow.

Where have you been, Isabella? My name shot out of her mouth like a rocket launch.

Mom can I take riding lessons?

Her voice shrilled at me. Where do you think I’ll get the money for THAT?

At least my question had made her forget to put me in the stockade for being late. Money. Mom talked all the time about money.

Later, before bed, when Dad came in for story time, I tried again.

I want to take riding lessons.

Dad scratched his head, curly red, except for the front where there was no