Vanessa's POV: 

I leaned back in the truck and let out a groan.  Riding three days away from home had taken it's toll.  

I wanted to a bath with scented soap and epsom salt right now.  The thought made me sigh.  

"Tired?" asked Ms. Festor as she pulled truck door shut and started the engine.  

"Yeah.  Can't wait to get home."  I suddenly felt a spike of envy for Tessa, she only had forty five minutes to go, I had two hours.  

I picked up my phone and opened it.  She'd put her number in my phone instead of the other way around.  Oh well, it gave me the chance to make the first move.  

I clicked on the voice app and started talking into it.  Tessa would want what was best for her precious gelding, so I laid it on thick.  I wanted it to seem like I was doing her a favor by buying her horse.  

I finished talking, looked it over, and hit send.  

Tessa's POV:  

It was mostly silence as we made our way back home.  All of us were too tired and happy to make much conversation.  That is, until dad made the mention of ice cream again.  

We pulled over into a local restaurant , where mom went in to order.  (Taking a four horse pickup and trailer through the drive-thru is not advisable.)  

As Lacy and I started discussing Vanessa's offer to buy Challenger, my phone dinged.  I picked it up and blinked a little sleepily at the screen.  My eyebrows lifted.

It was a text from a unfamiliar number, but I recognized it as Vanessa's.  "Wow, she doesn't waste any time," I mumbled.  

"Who is it?"  Lacy asked.  

"It's that gal Vanessa that wants to buy Challenger.  She just texted me."

"Well, what's she say?" Lacy snatched the phone from me and swiped at the screen.  

"Hey!  Give that back, he's my horse," I said, grabbing my phone back from her. 

I tapped on the text.  "Wow, she wrote a whole essay."  

"Hurry up and read it!"  Demanded Lacy.  

"Read what?" Asked mom as she opened the pick-up door and dumped all that she'd carried inside on the seat.  I have no idea how she can carry so much.  

"That gal that offered to buy Challenger just texted me, I think with an offer."  

I read the text aloud:  

"Hello, as promised, I am texting you with my offer.  I know you are not interested in selling, but I believe I can persuade you."  

Lacy laughed at that.  

"I will divide this offer into three parts:  training, stabling, and of course the money I am prepared to give.

"I have seen Challenger's potential, his confirmation is excellent.  I have some of the finest trainers in the Eventing world, who will work with me to develop him to his full potential.  I am confident that with me, he will go to the top of Eventing."  

I'd be lying if I said I wasn't ready to write a scathing reply right there.  It was too much!  How dare she imply that I wasn't capable of overseeing Challenger's development?  

"Well, if that's not arrogance I don't know what is!"  Lacy exclaimed.  "Who does she think she is anyway?"  

I kept going.  

"As for stabling, he will live in the most prestigious barn in the state, Vantage Point..."  My voice trailed off in shock.  "Vantage Point?  Challenger could live at Vantage Point!"  

"What?" Said mother while Lacy squealed.

Vantage Point was the most prestigious barn in the state, with world class facilities.  One time I'd looked up how much it would cost to board there.  The figures had sent me away from the website with my head spinning.  

I picked up where I left off, still reeling from surprise.  

"In a luxurious stall with vets and farriers available 24/7.  He will be fed the best quality hay and premium grain.  He will be exercised every day on the hot-walker, and rode five to six days a week.  To help with his training, a full jumping set and cross country course is available, along with an indoor arena.  He will be turned out regularly.

"Of course, he will have a Voltaire dressage and jumping saddle custom fitted to him..."  My voice trailed off again shock.  

"Voltaire?"  Murmured Lacy.  

"To make sure he is in maximum comfort during his work.  His personal veterinary needs will be taken care of as needed.  A good farrier will make sure his feet are in the best condition possible.  He will have access to a chiropractor and acupuncturist."   

I lowered the phone.  "She wasn't joking when she said she had the best offer I'd ever hear."  

"No she wasn't.  But surely there's more than that," urged Lacy.  I nodded and continued.  

"So, here is my offer.  I am willing to give a starting offer of ten thousand..."  I couldn't keep reading. 

Lacy was squealing.  "Ten thousand!  Ten thousand!  As a starting bid!"  

I didn't hear the rest.  I was staring ahead, my mind so turned over I didn't know what to do.  "My Challenger...  My nervous, sensitive, temperamental Challenger?  She thinks he's worth ten thousand?"  

And suddenly, I was crying.  

Someone actually thought my horse was worth that.  And before, there was no way they would have thought that.  

Vanessa's POV:  

For the one-hundredth time I looked at my phone.  My text messages remained blank.  No response from Tessa.  

I dropped my hand and gazed mindlessly out the window.  Farmland zoomed by us, then a pasture with cows.  That was all I'd been seeing for the last fifteen minutes.  

With another sign I fished through my purse and pulled out a pair of ear buds.  Plugging them in to my phone, I picked some music and closed my eyes, loosing myself in the lyrics.  

The Ding! of my phone nearly sent me into outer space.  I jumped and yanked out my earphones.  "What?"  

Ms. Festor snorted at my confusion.  

I glared at her, then grabbed my phone and tapped on the messages.  To my disappointment, it was a junk text from some advertising company.  

I deleted it, then decided to do a little research.  I opened up google and typed in,  Tessa Wellen.  

A bunch of facebook profiles popped up, as well as a congratulations to Tessa on the show's website she'd just won at.  But something else did to.  A website for a stable called Star Run.  

I clicked on it.