Working for a school project at a horse rescue facility, Nelson falls for the one horse which can’t be found a new home.
Toscana is beautiful, young chestnut mare whose looks attract prospective adopters before her terrible temper puts them off. Nelson forms a bond with the horse, but then has to leave for college, followed by a job in London.
Several years later, he visits the rescue center to see the mare who stole his heart -- only to find that Toscana is gone.
What does ‘gone’ mean?
At the center, the incoming horses’ miserable condition wrenched Nelson’s heart.
Emaciated and terrified of humans, these ghosts of their former equine selves blossomed under proper care. During his three-year stint, every horse found a new home.
Except one.
Nelson noticed the bad-tempered ginger mare biting and cow-kicking her handlers on his first day. She was an unfortunate introduction to horses and he wondered in horror: did such a creature deserve saving?
“Don’t worry, son.” Bob, the manager, laid a hand on his shoulder. “Toscana isn’t typical. She’s young and still has fight.”
Nelson asked whether this was a good thing? He rather doubted it.
