“
Well Josie,” my dad turned to me suddenly. “I think you and Samuel have earned the right to name the colt. Whaddya think?”
I looked at Samuel expectantly, but he just shrugged, dipping his head in my direction as he deferred to me. “Go ahead, Josie.”
“George Frederic Handel,” I said impulsively.
Jacob and my dad groaned loudly in unison and hooted in laughing protest.
“What the hell kind of name is that, Josie?”
My brother howled.
“He’s a composer!” I cried out, embarrassed and wishing I had taken a minute to think before I blurted out the first thing that came to my head.
A smile played around Samuel’s lips as he joined in the fray. “He wrote the music that Josie played last night at the church service.”
“I just thought the colt should have a Christmas name, and Handel’s Hallelujah Chorus is synonymous with Christmas!” I defended and then cringed as Jacob and my dad burst out laughing again.
My dad wiped tears of mirth from his eyes as he tried to get control of himself.
“We’ll call him Handel,” he choked out. “It’s a very nice name, Josie.” He patted my shoulder, still chuckling. I felt like I was ten years old.
”
”