“Yes, she did,” he said thoughtfully. “Only six and she thought out the problem and then found a solution.” Suddenly his eyes were twinkling. “Unless one of the horses whispered it to her. What do you think?”

“It’s possible.” She found herself smiling back at him. “But if he did, he should have spent more time making it easier for her. Zeppo let her keep the horses and take over the act but left her pretty much on her own. She not only had to care for the horses and do the performances, but since she had no living relatives, she was always having to find ways of dodging the school truancy officers. She found the easiest way was to just keep ahead of her current grade and have Zeppo write a letter saying she was constantly on tour and was schooled by a qualified teacher. It worked most of the time.”

“And you’re proud of her,” he said softly.

“Every day. Every way.” She lifted her cup to her lips. “Every time she came across an obstacle, she jumped over it.” She chuckled. “And I don’t mean on one of those wonderful horses. I could tell you stories…”

“You have been. And I like to watch your face while you tell them. All that light…” He tilted his head. “But you said you were wary of each other in the beginning. I bet it took you a long time to get her to tell you some of those stories.”

“Of course it did. Anything worth knowing is worth the time it takes to learn. But once you learn, it’s there forever.” She added, “But you know that, and now you’re just probing.”

“Perhaps. But humor me. Tell me a little about how the two of you managed to break through a few of those barriers.”

“Why? You want me to entertain you again? I’m not your personal court jester.” Sasha had always been a very private part of her life that she had never discussed with anyone, yet she found she had enjoyed sharing that intimate connection with Korgan. His intensity as he listened, the way he watched her and responded…She smiled as she had a sudden thought. “I might tell you how I broke through one of those barriers. Probably the most important one. Sasha’s horses. I had to find a way to beg, borrow, or steal those horses away from Alonzo Zeppo.”

“Now, that’s an intriguing way to start a story. How?”