Ellie's best friend, Colt, is going through a tough time; his actions cause Ellie to question their friendship. Following the theme of the book (a friend sticks closer than a brother), Ellie goes on to try to think of a way to make Colt feel better. She decides he'd love a horse too, and she prays and plans to get him one for his birthday. The action climaxes at Colt's birthday party, where his father and his mother each show up with a beautiful American gaited horse as birthday gifts for Colt. He doesn't want either one horse for several reasons: (1) his parents haven't paid enough attention to him to know that he'd never want a gaited horse; and (2) they are competing against each other because of their pending divorce. Ellie's gift of an old cow horse, which is part quarter horse, shows her true dedication and attentiveness to her friend. The book ends with both of them slowly riding their less-than-beautiful horses around Ellie's backyard--reinforcing the theme of the series, that outward appearances matter far less than what's on the inside.
