"Raymond E. Feist - Faerie Tale" - читать интересную книгу автора (Feist Raymond E)

was caught in open admiration of her stepdaughter.
When Gloria and Phil had married, his career was in
high gear, and Gabbie had been with her maternal grand-
mother, attending a private school in Arizona, seeing her
father and his new wife only at Christmas, at Easter, and
for two weeks in the summer. Since her grandmother had
died, Gabbie had come to live with them. Gloria liked
Gabbie, but they had never been able to communicate
easily, and these days Gloria saw a beautiful young
woman taking the place of a moody young girl. Gloria
felt an unexpected stab of guilt and worry that she and
Gabbie might never get closer. She put aside her momen-
tary uneasiness and approached them.

Phil said, "Look, honey, it will only take a week or
two more, then the barn will be fixed and we can see
about leasing some horses. Then you and the boys can go
riding whenever you want."

Gabbie tossed her long dark hair, and her brown eyes
narrowed. Gloria was struck by Gabbie's resemblance to
her mother, Corinne. "I still don't see why we can't ship
Bumper out from home, Father." She said "Father" in
that polysyllabic way young girls have of communicating
hopelessness over ever being understood. "You let the
boys bring that retarded dog and you brought Ernie.
Look, if it's the money, I'll pay for it. Why do we have to
rent some stupid farmer's horses when Bumper's back in
California with no one to ride him?"

Gloria decided to take a hand and entered the conver-
sation as she closed on them. "You know it's not money.
Ned Barlow called and said he had a jumper panic
aboard a flight last week, and they had to put him down
before he could endanger the crew and riders, and he
almost lost a second horse as well. The insurance com-
pany's shut him down until he resolves that mess. And
it's a week into June and Ned also said it would be four
or five weeks before he could get a reliable driver and
good trailer to bring Bumper here, then nearly a week to
move him, with all the stops he'd have to make. By the
time he got here, it would be almost time for you to head
back to UCLA. You'd have to ship him right back so
he'd be there to ride when you're at school. Want me to
go on? Look, Gabbie, Ned'll see Bump's worked and
cared for. He'll be fine and ready for you when you get
back."

"Oooh," answered Gabbie, a raw sound of pure aggra-
vation, "I don't know why you had to drag me out here