The next morning, two things happened that took his mind off Joe Morton and the Mexican for a while. First, while Harlan was out for a morning horseback ride, Viking"s bridle snapped and Harlan thought he was going to be thrown. It took more than a little skill and effort, but he quickly settled himself back into the saddle and was able to dismount without injury. The second distraction that morning came with the morning mail and it was addressed not to Harlan or Noreen Cotton, but to Ms. Carly Machen.
This was the fourth or fifth such envelope to arrive in a week, and for the first time, Harlan began to realize that Carly meant to follow through with her plans to attend art school.
“Where is Vanderbilt, anyway?” Noreen asked, running her fingers over the return address.
“Tennessee,” he
