Page 38 - RotalTutor

When Alexander returned, she stood there, innocently smiling. He looked suspiciously at her, so she realized it wasn’t smart of her to be smiling, since she never smiled at him. She tried to transform back to her usual scowl, but it was painfully hard with the secret locked in her heart. Soon they were off. The day was hot, but the trail through the shady forest was quite pleasant. The path snaked steeply upward at times, and the horses strained under their loads. Alexander’s horse, Lady, was a beautiful, silver mare. He liked to talk about her. He had trained her himself from the time she was a young filly. She seemed as fond of him as he was of her, and she would nuzzle him for the treats he always carried for her. Her own horse, Rusty, was a gentle, but strong, roan gelding. Alexander said he had chosen that horse for her because of his steady gate and calm spirit. They plodded silently along. The first few times Alexander had taken her riding, he had attempted to make conversation, but her constant, venomous remarks had soon discouraged him. She had informed him that she wished he was totally out of her life. For a moment the smile was gone from his face, and his eyes betrayed a hurt that made her wish she had never said it. But he still just acted the gentleman, and she kept hating him even more. Strangely, though, the silence nagged at her, and she wished he would talk to her again. As the sun mounted in the sky, the secret she carried 36