Chapter II
Alice opened the door. “Oh, hi Jill! Hi Ashlyn!” She said.

“Hi, Alice. Mom’s waiting for us in the car. Are you ready to go?”

“Yep. Be right back. I’m going to tell mom bye,” Alice said.

“Are you going now, Alice?” Mrs. Gladden asked.

“Um-hm,” Alice said. "Ashlyn and Jill and her mom are out there waiting for me. I was just going to say goodbye to you.”

“Oh? Well, bye, dear. I’ll be seeing you. Do you think you’ll be here for lunch?”

“No, mom. I might be, but I doubt it. Bye, now!”

“Bye, Alice.”

“All ready?” Ashlyn asked.

“Yep. Come on.”

The three friends piled into the front of light blue convertible. “Jill, your father is going to take you to the house, you know, right? I’m just picking them up,” Mrs. Malek said.

“Yes’m. I know,” Jill answered.

“I’m so excited!” Ashlyn said.

Alice nodded and grinned. “Me too!”

A few minutes later, they pulled up to the Malek house, which was on a farm. There was a barn three hundred yards away from the house, and the house itself was three stories high.

“Alright, I’ll tell dad we’re back. If you want, you three can stay in here and wait. I’ll just take a minute,” Mrs. Malek said.

“Fine with me, mom. Bye!”

A minute later, Jills father, Trent Malek, walked towards the car, smiling.

“Hi, Mr. Malek!” Ashlyn and Alice said in unison.

“Hi, dad!” Jill said.

“Hi, girls.” Mr. Malek opened the door and climbed into the drivers seat.

“Dad?” Jill asked.

“Hm?”

“Are we going to Mr. Males home, or will he be in town?”

“We’ll be goin’ to his house,” Mr. Malek replied.

“Oh, neat! Maybe we can see all the other horses he owns!” Ashlyn said.

Mr. Corey Males, a kind and elderly widower, lived on property of about one hundred acres. He had ‘more horses than he could take care of now’days.’ And had kindly offered to sell a horse to Jill for cheap.

They pulled into the driveway, and could see Mr. Males sitting in a rocking chair on the porch. He stood up and walked to the stairs, smiling and waving to his visitors. Mr. Malek waved and grinned in return. Jill and her two friends raced up to him. “Well, Jill,” he said, laughing. “I see you’ve come for your horse.”

Jill nodded enthusiastically and said, “yes, sir!”

He rubbed his hands together and laughed again. “Well, you just come with me.”

The three girls walked beside Mr. Males, with Mr. Malek tailing right behind them. Mr. Males there open the barn door, and walking over to a stable, he opened the door. It was a beautiful horse. It was dark, shiny black, and Jill guessed it was one of the Arabic kind of horses because of its tail. Just like she had said, it had a white star on its forehead.

“It’s gorgeous!” Ashlyn said.

“Why don’t you three take it for a ride while your father and I settle this deal?” Mr. Males asked.

“We’d love to!” Jill said.

He helped the saddle and bridle it, then the three, with a bit of effort, climbed onto the horse one by one.

“This is marvelous!” Alice laughed.

“It is!”

They trotted back up to Mr. Males and Mr. Malek after a few minutes.

“Jill? Mr. Males and I have settled it. He’s going to sell you the bridle and saddle, and all of those things.”

“Oh, yes! Father, can I ride him over to ‘Livey Martins and show him off?”

Mr. Malek nodded, so the three rode off.

“Just wait’ll Olivia sees this!” Ashlyn said. “We’ll have to give her a ride o it.”

Jill, who was right behind her, nodded. A few minutes later, they rode into the Martins yard, being careful not to ruin Mrs. Martins vegetable garden. “Ashlyn, you’re in front, so it will be easier for you to get down and up. Go ring the doorbell, will you?” Jill asked.

Ashlyn nodded, and jumped down. Jill and Alice walked the horse right up to the porch steps. A minute later, Olivia cam to the door. At first, she didn’t see the horse, but merely Ashlyn.
“Oh, hi Ashlyn! What—Good night!” She exclaimed, noticing the horse. “A horse! Why where on earth did it come from?”

Jill and Alice explained, ending with, “would you like a ride?”

“Would I like a ride? Goodness, I would! I’ll be right back! Let me go tell mother what I’m doing.”

“Alright. Ask her if you can come home with us for a while to ride,” Jill ordered.

Olivia nodded, and opened the door.

She came back, and declared the her mother had said it was fine with her.

“You know, we might’ve thought that this horse wouldn’t hold four people!” Alice said, who had been the unfortunate one to get the back seat.

Ashlyn, who was again in the front, looked over her shoulder and said, “you poor Alice. Maybe back at Jills house we should take turns, like ride in twos, if you know what I mean.”

Jill nodded.

At Jills house, they did ride only two at a time, and had such a grand time, that it seemed to speed by, until it was time for each girl to go home.