If Wishes Were Horses by Robert Barclay

Author:Robert Barclay
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Publisher: HarperCollins US
Published: 2011-06-27T16:00:00+00:00

NINETEEN

WHILE TREVOR TOOK his first barrel-racing lesson, Gabby glanced around the busy game room. Most of the other parents were also there, waiting for their teens to finish so they could take them home.

At first Gabby wasn’t sure about allowing Trevor to participate in the racing instruction. But Wyatt had assured her that it would be all right, and so she had agreed. Despite Wyatt’s promise, she decided not to go and watch because she knew it would be too stressful for her. Just the same, she hoped that Trevor would do well.

In for a penny, in for a pound, she thought.

Gabby relaxed in her chair and took a moment to look around the room. She knew most of the other parents by now. She couldn’t go so far as to say that the ice had truly been broken. But it was at least melting a bit, and she hoped that with time she would be able to count the other parents as friends. Deciding to stretch her legs, she left the game room and headed toward the foyer, the crossroads of the great house.

Gabby had been hugely impressed by this mansion the moment she first saw it, and she was dying to see more of it. She would do some innocent exploring, she decided. She was of course already familiar with the great foyer, the dining room, the kitchen, and the game room. But there remained several hallways leading off from the foyer that she had yet to investigate. Wondering what she might find, she chose one and started on her way.

She soon passed a sitting room, its ornate French doors lying open as if inviting her to come inside. The dark hardwood floor was immaculate, and partly covered with tasteful oriental rugs. The exquisite furniture had certainly been crafted during an earlier, more elegant era. Like in the formal dining room, here, too, hung a lovely oil portrait of Phoebe Blaine.

She passed several more rooms, each of which also boasted French doors. There was a library, a music room, and a room whose walls displayed equestrian antiques and old photos that had presumably been saved from the ranch’s earlier days. After savoring the bygone atmosphere for several moments, she continued her journey.

Soon another door loomed on her left, this one made from solid oak. The door was slightly ajar, but not enough for her to see inside. A brass key protruded from the keyhole.

Her curiosity mounting, Gabby entered the room, leaving the door open. The door hinges squeaked slightly as she let herself in. She had fully expected it to be much like the others. But to her surprise, she had been wrong.

This room was rather dark and somber. A large bay window was in the far wall. Each of the other three walls was nearly covered with black-and-white photographs, all of them encased in matching pewter frames of varying sizes. Her curiosity growing, Gabby ventured farther into the room.

A large desk and a swivel desk chair sat before the bay window.

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