Thank you guys so much for all the awesome comments, they mean a lot to me, I really appreciate them!
This chapter is dedicated to Opal (I'm doing first person for each chapter)
The next morning at breakfast, Brynna told Sam
"I called the Ely's. He'll bring Ace over this morning."
Sam's stomach flipped in anticipation. Thanking her stepmother, she hurried out to the barn to get Chip ready for Jake. A clopping of hooves on the wooden bridge alerted Sam and Chocolate Chip to the arrival of Ace. Sam brushed herself off and went outside. Ace was waiting in the yard with someone stroking him. Someone wearing a blue shirt and a ponytail holder in his long, black hair. He turned around and to Sam's shock Quinn, not Jake, was facing her. Surprised, Sam waved to Jake's older brother.
"Umm.. Hey Quinn. What are you doing here? Where's Jake?" Quinn's smile faded.
"I'm bringing Ace back, and I don't know where Jake is." He looked a little hurt by the fact that Sam cared more about Jake than him.
"Sorry," Sam apologized. "I was just expecting him, that's all". Ten minutes later, Quinn gave Sam his best smile and rode Chocolate Chip away from River Bend Ranch. Confused, Sam went inside. She found Brynna drinking coffee in the kitchen with Gram.
"When you said he, did you mean Quinn?" Sam asked.
Brynna nodded "Well, isn't that who you were with yesterday? Quinn?"
Sam shook her head. "I was with Jake."
Brynna realized her mistake "Oh! I'm sorry honey, but I saw Chip and assumed... Well, that's all right, isn't it? Not a big deal, he just came to pick up Chip - it is his horse after all."
Sam nodded "It's fine, don't worry about it." Still, she couldn't help feeling disappointed as she put her boots back on. She heard Brynna and Gram start talking again in hushed voices and stopped to listen.
"She seemed unnaturally upset by such an insignificant matter" Brynna was telling Gram.
"Can't you see? She likes him. And he's absolutely head over heels with her!"
"Oh, Grace, you're right. I don't know how I missed it before" Brynna said, laughing at herself.
"Sam being 16 and Jake being 18, I don't know how they haven't started dating yet" Gram said thoughtfully.
"Jake's probably afraid Wyatt would skin him alive if he went near her" Brynna laughed at the mental picture.
Sam had heard enough. She quickly and silently stepped outside. She went in Tempest's stall, heart pounding, hoping to find some comfort in the black filly. Sam hugged Tempest, and in response the filly nuzzled her neck. Jake Ely didn't like her, he couldn't, no matter what happened yesterday. He was a Senior. She was a Sophomore. There was no way anything would ever happen.
'He probably likes Rachel and Daisy better than he likes me' she thought. The school's Winter Dance had been postponed because of snow, and was only a week away.
'What if I go with him? What if I dance with him?' she asked herself. 'He's my best friend! I shouldn't be thinking these things. I shouldn't even like him' Sam moaned. "What am I going to do? I can't just block out my feelings for him" she whispered to Tempest. It was useless thinking about it, so Sam tried to forget about it for the time being. Suddenly, an idea hit her. "Tempest, I'm going to take you to see your Mama!" she told the filly. Sam was curious to see if the ice held melted from the barricade holding the horses prisoner in their secret valley. 'Not that it's all bad' Sam thought. 'It's actually a pretty nice place to live.'
She tacked up Strawberry, and Ace whinnied in protest. "Sorry boy, but Strawberry needs some exercise too!" Sam called to her disgruntled little mustang. She put a lead rope on Tempest, mounted the roan mare, and they were off. Before Sam knew it, they were at the entrance to the Phantom's secret valley. She still couldn't believe they owned it. Sam was pleased to see that the hot day they had yesterday had melted most of the snow covering the opening in the rock. Sam took a deep breath, dismounted, and let Strawberry and Tempest inside. It was just as beautiful as always. The Phantom's herd grazed in the green grass as clear water flowed through a crack in the rock into the stream. Tempest whinnied and ran to her mother when Sam unclipped the lead rope. Dark Sunshine stopped munching on the sweet grass and looked up. She nuzzled her daughter and Sam blinked back tears of happiness. Dark Sunshine looked well. Her butterscotch coat gleamed with health and she looked happier than Sam had ever seen her. Sunny looked through her dark forelock at Sam and her head bobbed as if to thank her. Sam smiled and looked away, her eyes hungry for a glimpse of grey. Finally, she found what she was looking for. The Phantom was drinking, but he watched her.
"Hi boy," Sam said softly. She walked slowly toward him, and stopped on the other side of the stream. She would wait for him to come to her. And he did. As she stayed still, he trotted over to her, his mane bouncing with him, sending tendrils flying around him. He looked like a dream. The Phantom stopped in front of her and shook his head, shifting his forelock to peer at her with his intelligent eyes.
"Zanzibar" Sam whispered, and the silver stallion's skin shivered. She stroked his soft neck and the Phantom's head jerked towards his back, begging her for a ride.
'You didn't last time' he seemed to say. Sam smiled and gave in to temptation. She stepped on a rock and vaulted up. As soon as she was balanced, he took off. They galloped out of the secret valley at breakneck speed. The Phantom seemed to fly over rocks and shrubs, and they raced the wind on the playa, dodging rabbits as they went. The playa stretched out before them, endless, and the Phantom and Sam sprinted across it, Zanzibar's hooves hammering like drums. Sam had a sudden inspiration to try something she had once seen on T.V. with Aunt Sue in San Francisco. It was beautiful. Foolish and dangerous, but beautiful. And so she did it.
