Happily After All
"Rebecca, what do you know about fairy tales?" asked Mr. Jarvis.
It'd be rude not to answer. "Well, a prince rescues a lovely princess and carries her away. Then they go back to his castle and live happily after all."
It was "happily ever after," of course -- Rebecca knew that. But she and Dad had shared a joke about "happily after all," the way they'd shared everything until he'd died. Now Mr. Jarvis was sending her to Vermont to live with Rachel. Rachel was Rebecca's mom, but Rebecca didn't remember her; she'd run away from Dad when Rebecca was only two, and she'd never even written or called. So Rebecca didn't believe it when Mr. Jarvis said this was just the scary part of the story, and she'd live happily after all in Vermont.
And sure enough, Rachel's farm was run-down and dirty; what's more, Rachel didn't seem at all glad to see her. But there was a puppy. And Rachel's five horses. And Patty, who rode really well. And Bill, who had a secret. Things would have been okay, actually, if it hadn't been for Rachel...
"Using the rugged Vermont mountains as her backdrop, Stevenson weaves a rich tapestry, colored with adventure and textured with emotions. Her descriptions are simple and remarkably clear; her characterizations are sharply defined. Although horse lovers in particular will be drawn to this story, others will be touched by its honesty and warmth."
--Publisher's Weekly