A Hourse to Love

A Horse

to Love

Other Books in the Keystone Stables
Series

On the Victory Trail (Book Two)

Southern Belle’s Special Gift (Book Three)
Summer Camp Adventure (Book Four)
Leading the Way (Book Five)

Blue Ribbon Champ (Book Six)

Whispering Hope (Book Seven)

The Long Ride Home (Book Eight)

ZONDERKIDZ

A Horse to Love

Previously titled
The Trouble with Skye
Copyright © 2004, 2009 by Marsha Hubler All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, down-loaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of Zondervan.

ePub Edition June 2009 ISBN: 0-310-86249-3

Requests for information should be addressed to: Zonderkidz,
Grand Rapids, MI 49530

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Hubler, Marsha, 1947-

[Trouble with Skye]

A horse to love / by Marsha Hubler.

p. cm. -- (Keystone Stables ; bk. 1) Summary: Thirteen-year-old Skye, a troubled foster child, comes to live at Keystone Stables, a Christian home where she discovers her love for horses.

ISBN 978-0-310-71792-8

[1. Horses—Fiction. 2. Foster home care—Fiction. 3. Christian life—Fiction.] I. Title.

PZ7.H86325Tr 2009

[Fic]—dc22

2008045620

All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the
Holy Bible, New International Version
®. NIV®. Copyright

© 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved.

Any Internet addresses (websites, blogs, etc.) and telephone numbers printed in this book are offered as a resource. They are not intended in any way to be or imply an endorsement by Zondervan, nor does Zondervan vouch for the content of these sites and numbers for the life of this book.

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced,

stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means — electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, or any other — except for brief quotations in printed reviews, without the prior permission of the publisher.

Special thanks to the Glupker family for use of their ranch.

Zonderkidz is a trademark of Zondervan.

Cover design: Sarah Molegraaf

09 10 11 12 13 5 4 3 2 1

Content

cover page

title page

copyright

map of the chamber ranch

chapter one

chapter two

chapter three

chapter four

chapter five

chapter six

chapter seven

chapter eight

chapter nine

chapter ten

chapter eleven

chapter twelve

a Letter to my keystone stables Fans are you ready to own your first Horse?

glossary of gates

about the publisher

share your thoughts

This book is dedicated to all children
and horse lovers everywhere.

My deepest appreciation to my first editor,
Barbara Scott, whose expertise and kind
advice were

a constant encouragement to write for God’s
glory.

Map of the Chambers’ Ranch

1. The Chambers’ house

2. Parking lot for Chambers’ Chambers 3. Dirt road

4. Stream

5. Bridge

6. Gazebo

7. Picnic pavilion

8. Wooded area with riding trails

9. Piney Hol ow

10. Barn

11. Smal paddock

12. Large fenced-in field

13. Wal jumps

14. Practice obstacle course

15. Pond

16. Fields

17. Hil with view of Shade Val ey

Y
oung lady — and I use that term loosely — I’m tired of your despicable behavior. You have exhausted this court’s patience. I’m sending you to the Chesterfi eld Detention Center!”

Skye Nicholson looked cold as an ice cube as she slumped in the wooden chair and stared back at Judge Mitchel . Most ordinary thirteen-year-olds would have been scared to death at a hearing with an angry judge yel ing at the top of his lungs. But Skye was no “ordinary” thirteen-year-old. Her anger matched the judge’s. Only Wilma Jones, her court-appointed lawyer, prevented Skye from exploding.

“Cool it,” the lawyer, Wilma, squeezed out of her mouth as she grabbed Skye’s arm.

Skye opened her mouth and yawned deliberately, pul ing her arm from the woman’s grasp. Her brown eyes then pinched into slits as she shoved her fingers through her long dark hair. She folded her arms and slumped down farther, stretching her legs under the table and crossing them with a jolt. Her glare shifted from the judge to the anxious attorney seated next to her.

“Get real,” Skye snapped. Her lips tightened into an unmistakable display of disgust as she once again turned her scowling face to the judge.

“Twenty years on the bench in Pennsylvania, and I have never seen a record like this for a girl your age,” the judge continued. He slid reading glasses onto his face and lifted a paper. “Five foster homes.

Drug and alcohol abuse, vandalism, shoplifting —

and that’s just this past year! This reads like a record for someone at the state penitentiary!”Continuing down the paper, he pointed sharply at the bottom.

“Oh — and this is the best part. You didn’t do any of it! C’mon, Skye,” the judge barked as he yanked off his glasses and glared. “What do you think I am, stupid?”

Skye popped into an upright position, mouth open, more than wil ing to answer. “Now that you ask — ” she said.

Wilma glared and dug five long red fingernails into Skye’s arm. “Knock it off!” she whispered.

Skye wasn’t one to take advice from anyone, even if polished nails were sinking into her flesh. With a yank, she pul ed free and folded her arms. Then down she went into her super slump, staring at a scratch in the table. She glanced up at the judge and then looked down again.

“It’s not a question of
if
you are going, but for how long!” Judge Mitchel declared.

The paneled courtroom, damp and empty except for six people, held an eerie quiet. Al that could be heard was April rain pelting the towering windows on each side. Nothing stirred for what seemed like hours.

Skye glanced at the judge and then at the plump court reporter sitting in front of his bench. Everyone was waiting. Skye leaned forward, resting her right elbow on the table. Placing her head on her open hand, she glanced to the left, past her lawyer who sat with hands folded, to a man in a blue suit. “
Dork”
Dansing
,
prosecuting attorney
, Skye thought, scowling
. He’s always sticking his nose in my
business.
Next to Dansing, pushed back from his table, sat a woman whom Skye had never seen before. Just as Skye’s glance found her, the woman looked over and smiled.

Skye was so amazed that someone would actual y smile at her that she couldn’t help but stare. As silence radiated from the bench, Skye examined this new but interesting enemy.

Not bad for thirty-something
, Skye thought.

The solid-framed woman wore a dark green pantsuit. Two very blue eyes radiated from a pleasant face framed by short, frosted hair.

She looks like Ida Markham
, Skye thought, remembering one of her former foster mothers.

Wonder if they’re related? Could’ve come from the
same litter.

“Skye!” Wilma whispered. “The judge is waiting for some kind of response from you. Act like you’re the least bit sorry and he might go easy. I’m trying to get your sentence shortened.”