Autumn Trail by Bonnie Bryant Page A

in a soft, sweet voice. When she finished, her eyes were filled with tears. She hugged Pepper just as Stevie had done. “You’ve earned your rest, Pepper. Good-bye.”
    As Lisa moved forward, Stevie and Carole stood up and stepped back against the wall of the stall. They wanted to give Lisa one last moment alone with Pepper.
    Lisa would have appreciated the gesture if she’d noticed it, but at that moment all she could think about was Pepper. She sat down beside him and took his head into her lap one last time. She brushed his forelock out of his eye and patted him on the neck, just as she had always done when she was proud of him or pleased with something he’d done or just showing her affection for him. Now that the moment had come, Lisa found that she had no idea what to say to him. As often as she’dbeen told that horses couldn’t understand English, she still felt it was very important to say the right thing.
    But suddenly Lisa understood that she didn’t really have to say much at all. She had said it all many times before, and all that was necessary now was a few words to sum it all up. She leaned down, put both arms around Pepper’s neck for a farewell hug, and spoke right into one of his big pointed gray ears. “I love you, Pepper,” she whispered. “Thank you.” Then she kissed him on the forehead and stood up. She stepped to the door of the stall and looked out at Judy, Red, and Veronica. “We’re ready,” she said, her voice calm and steady.
    Judy nodded and stepped back into the stall. She had prepared an injection while The Saddle Club was saying good-bye to Pepper.
    “Can we pat him while—while you do it?” Lisa asked.
    “Of course,” Judy told her. “I’m sure he’d like that.”
    The three girls knelt down again. Carole was in front of Pepper, where she could stroke his neck, and Stevie was by his back, where she could lay her hand on his side. Lisa sat down by his head, where she could continue to stroke his cheek and comfort him until his pain was gone forever.
    Judy crouched down next to Stevie, gave Pepper a fond pat on the neck, and then administered the injection. It worked swiftly. Within a matter of seconds, the girls felt a shudder pass through Pepper’s body. He closed his eyes, let out one last sigh, and then lay still.

A FTER THEY LEFT Pepper’s stall, The Saddle Club wandered toward the locker area, where the riders stored their extra clothing and equipment. Veronica trailed along behind them. For once in her life she didn’t seem to have anything to say. Judy had stayed behind to wait for the truck to come and remove Pepper’s body. Red had gone to check on the rest of the horses and start the morning feeding, which by this time was late.
    Lisa felt drained. It had been a very long morning; so long, in fact, that she could hardly believe it was only nine o’clock. She also could hardly believe that Pepper was really gone. Most of all, though, she could hardly believe that her stomach was growling. Somehow, it didn’t seem right to be hungry at a time like this, but her stomach didn’t seem to know it.
    “Are you all right?” Stevie asked, putting an arm around her shoulders.
    Lisa nodded and smiled at her friend. Stevie seemed fun-loving and carefree most of the time, but she was proving right now that there was more to her than that. There was also a caring, sympathetic friend, who knew how much Pepper had meant to Lisa. “Thanks. I think I’m going to be okay,” Lisa said. And she meant it. She was sure that later, when what had happened had had a chance to sink in, she would be sad and cry, probably a lot. But she also knew that she had done what was right for Pepper, and that was the most important thing.
    Lisa and Stevie sat down together on one of the benches in the locker area. It was hard for Lisa to believe that it had only been the day before that they had used the very same bench in their Thanksgiving play. It felt to her as if years and years had