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Katy laughed. 'That's really neat. Although I'm sure it wasn't luck or bad karma, but God's will that brought him here for you.' She wasn't sure how her new acquaintance would react to the mention of the Lord, but she knew that the subject would have to be approached sooner or later.

Nicole nodded in agreement. 'I know what you mean. I'm a Christian, myself. Are you?'

Katy nodded. 'I sure am. I know that everything good in my life comes from the Lord, and I do my best to be grateful and be a witness for Him.' Changing the subject, Katy started in on a new topic. 'What kind of a rider are you?'

 'I'm a pretty advanced rider. I've been riding since I was nine, and I'm jumping over four feet now,' Nicole replied.

Katy looked impressed. 'I've done quite a bit of jumping myself. I actually trained an Arabian mare to jump and got her to be fairly good at dressage and cross-country. She's absolutely wonderful. I haven't tried this horse yet, but I hope she can jump just as well. I'm a fairly advanced rider, too, and I hope to be in the Olympics someday.

I've been riding since I was eight, but I've moved around so much that I'm only up to jumping four feet even, so I guess you're one up on me at that. I guess that makes us even. You know, you're jumping higher, but I started earlier. Boy, I'm babbling, aren't I,' Katy blushed. 'I'm sorry, I didn't mean to ramble on like that.'

Nicole laughed. 'That's okay. I do it myself sometimes. And I guess you're right about us being even. You're going to be staying here for a while, though, right?' at Katy's positive answer, Nicole went on. 'Although I doubt it's possible, I hope to ride in the Olympics someday too. Hey, see that log over there? Let's both jump it just for fun.'

'Well, I don't know. I'd rather do a little jumping in an arena first to test her, because I just got on this horse for the first time'' Katy began to voice her opinion, but Nicole was already cantering toward the jump. Just as Chromium reached the tree, Nicole rose into jumping position and allowed with her hands. Chrome leaped gracefully into the air and soared over the jump. They landed smoothly and Nicole sat back. Grinning with delight, she turned her mount around and walked him back to Katy and Desert Vixen.

'Your turn,' she urged.

Never one to turn down a challenge, Katy squared her shoulders and turned Desert Vixen to face the log. She trotted quickly toward the jump. Just before she reached the log, she rose into two-point. She gripped with her legs and the mare lifted over the jump just as well as Chromium had. For a split second, Katy got the feeling that she always did over a jump, that momentary sensation of flying. The feeling broke as they hit the ground and Katy sat back gently in the saddle as the pair drew to a halt.

Nicole grinned. 'That was good. You really weren't kidding when you said you were advanced. And that horse looks like a really good jumper. Do you like her?'

At Katy's grin, she said, 'I thought so. She looks fun.'

'Oh, she is. Good girl, Desert Vixen!' Katy patted the mare on the neck. Then she looked up, thoughtful. 'Hey, what's a way to shorten her name so it's more sayable? You know, easier to say?'

'Hmm. How about Desert?' Nicole tactfully suggested a name.

'I don't know. I don't mean to offend you, but Desert sounds kind of strange. What about Vixen, though? It's still part of her name, and that's a good shortened name.'

'That's good. I call this guy Chrome for short. He's so fun.' Nicole leaned forward on the gelding's neck and gave him a big hug.

Katy spoke up again. 'It's great being able to meet someone when I've only been here for a couple of hours. I live about five minutes away from here. Riding my bike, that is. I'm sure it'd only take about a minute by car. Where do you live?'

'I live about five minutes away from here too,' Nicole replied. 'Say, would you by any chance happen to be moving into the big white house with the really green lawn the overlooks the field? Because I live on the same road, right up the street.'

'Yes!' exclaimed Katy. 'I can't believe this! This is great! I finally have someone around my own age to play with! And a horsy friend, too! This is just too good to be true!'

Nicole was ecstatic, too. 'I've never really had very many friends in my neighborhood. It had mostly retired people in it. This is going to be wonderful having someone my own age to do stuff with.' Nicole cocked her head and looked at Katy sideways. 'By the way, what's your last name?'

'Evans. How about yours?'

Nicole was startled. 'That's my last name.'

Suddenly everything grew still. A bird chirped in the trees, and far off they could hear water burbling in a stream. A pine cone off to their left fell with a thump as a squirrel ventured too far out on a branch.

After a few moments of silence, Nicole spoke up in an eerily quiet voice. 'You know, think about it. Is this getting a little weird, or what? I mean, we both have the same last name, I'm sixteen and you're sixteen, and we live right next to each other. Although it's kind of disturbing to say, we may be related in some way. Two things left to determine if we have any relation to each other. When is your birthday, and who do you live with?'

'My birthday is on September 19^th, 1986, and I live with my grandparents, whose names are Christopher and Bethany Carter,' Katy replied with some dignity. Then she remembered something that she ought to clarify. 'I live with my grandparents, and I don't know anything about my parents because Gran and Grampa refuse to tell me anything about them, and I've never seen them, except I guess at birth.' Katy ran her sentences together in an effort to get everything out at once.

Nicole looked uncomfortable and even a little bit frightened. 'My birthday is also on September 19^th, 1986, and I live with my parents, Brian and Jennifer Evans. And what's more, your grandparents' names are my grandparent's names! Although Mom and Dad refused to tell me very much about them, they did tell me their names. And you know what? I've never even seen them!'

'And I remember my grandparents telling me as little as they could about my parents, and as far as I know, my parents' names are the same as yours are!'

Both girls fell silent as realization dawned. The horses, standing forgotten beneath them, snorted and shifted restlessly.

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