Valentine Taylor gently pulled back on the reins, slowing the big gray horse from a canter to a trot,
then to a walk. The Gray Ghost knew they were
heading for home, and he was looking forward to
his cozy stall at Animal Inn. He'd have broken into
a gallop if Val hadn't held him back. But she knew
that since The Ghost didn't see very well, it was
dangerous to let him run. He might stumble and fall,
and she loved him too much to risk that.
Even though it was fall, the sun was beaming
down as if it wanted summer to last as long as pos-
sible. Val found it hard to believe that, though she
was riding down a little country lane through the rich
Pennsylvania farmland, the little town of Essex where
the Taylors lived was only a short distance away. She
leaned down and patted The Ghost's glossy dappled
shoulder. He wasn't sweating at all, in spite of the
heat. Val glanced at her watch. It was almost four
o'clock time to take up her duties as her father's
assistant in his veterinary practice. Doc had told her