fit.”
“Not true,” Stevie corrected quickly. “She’s happy to let Red near him—as long as he’s grooming him or cleaning his stall or feeding him—”
“Okay, okay,” Carole said with a rueful smile. “We get the picture!”
Stevie glanced at Tessa and Veronica again, who were now riding side by side at the other end of the ring. The two girls had their heads tilted close together and seemed to be whispering. As Stevie watched, Tessa let out a loud, delighted giggle. Veronica joined in.
“Did you hear that?” Stevie involuntarily tightened her grip on the reins, causing Belle to toss her head. Forcing her hands to relax, Stevie looked at her friends. “I don’t trust that giggle. It sounds like a boy-crazy giggle to me. And I think I know which boy they’re giggling about.” She had already told her friends about her conversation with Phil’s mother.
“Just ignore them,” Carole suggested lamely. She didn’t know what else to say.
A LITTLE LATER THAT day Lisa was in Prancer’s stall feeding carrot cubes to the sweet Thoroughbred mare. She had ridden Derby in lessons that day, since the point-to-point was only two days away, and he had performed very wellas always. But she was really starting to miss riding Prancer. “Don’t worry, girl,” she murmured as the mare’s soft lips carefully plucked another carrot from her outstretched palm. “We’ll go for a nice long trail ride together after the point-to-point is over. I promise.”
“Talking to yourself again?” a snotty voice asked from just outside the stall.
Lisa turned and saw Veronica smirking at her. “What do you want?” she asked, in no mood to be polite.
“Just an update for you,” Veronica said casually. “I thought I’d let you know so you could call your mother. There’s been a slight change in the program.”
Lisa gasped. “But there can’t be!” she exclaimed. “Mom is supposed to be getting the programs printed up today. It’s too late to change it now!”
Veronica shrugged. “Sorry,” she said, not sounding sorry at all. “But Tessa had a great idea. She wants to move the scurry race to last on the program instead of having it in the middle of the day. I just called my mother to suggest it to her, and she thinks that will be perfect.” She shrugged again. “And she
is
the head of the fund-raising committee …”
“All right, all right,” Lisa grumbled. She gave Prancer one last distracted pat, then headed for the stall door. “I’ll call Mom. Maybe she hasn’t left yet for the printer’s.” She crossed her fingers as she said it.
“That’s the spirit,” Veronica said complacently, stepping back to let her pass. “After all, Tessa’s only trying tohelp. She wants the point-to-point to be as good as it can be. Don’t you?”
Lisa didn’t bother to reply. She was already rushing for the phone.
C AROLE FINISHED ROLLING a bright red bandage into a neat, tight package and dropped it into the bucket by her feet. Then she leaned over and pulled out another bandage—a blue one this time—from the box perched on the trunk beside her. Alone in the tack room, she was starting to feel as though she lived there these days. This time, she had no one to blame but herself. She had volunteered to roll the boxful of bandages that had been sitting on the edge of Mrs. Reg’s desk for almost a week. Even with everything else that was happening around there lately, she hadn’t forgotten that The Saddle Club was on probation until Max decided otherwise. And she knew that nothing made him happier than hearing his riders offer to help out with extra stable chores.
As she finished rolling the blue bandage and dropped it into the bucket, Carole heard voices approaching from outside. She looked up, hoping it was Stevie and Lisa. But she frowned when she recognized Veronica’s voice.
“So I’m positive that Miles really likes me,” she was saying loudly. “He was even hinting around yesterday about my
“Not true,” Stevie corrected quickly. “She’s happy to let Red near him—as long as he’s grooming him or cleaning his stall or feeding him—”
“Okay, okay,” Carole said with a rueful smile. “We get the picture!”
Stevie glanced at Tessa and Veronica again, who were now riding side by side at the other end of the ring. The two girls had their heads tilted close together and seemed to be whispering. As Stevie watched, Tessa let out a loud, delighted giggle. Veronica joined in.
“Did you hear that?” Stevie involuntarily tightened her grip on the reins, causing Belle to toss her head. Forcing her hands to relax, Stevie looked at her friends. “I don’t trust that giggle. It sounds like a boy-crazy giggle to me. And I think I know which boy they’re giggling about.” She had already told her friends about her conversation with Phil’s mother.
“Just ignore them,” Carole suggested lamely. She didn’t know what else to say.
A LITTLE LATER THAT day Lisa was in Prancer’s stall feeding carrot cubes to the sweet Thoroughbred mare. She had ridden Derby in lessons that day, since the point-to-point was only two days away, and he had performed very wellas always. But she was really starting to miss riding Prancer. “Don’t worry, girl,” she murmured as the mare’s soft lips carefully plucked another carrot from her outstretched palm. “We’ll go for a nice long trail ride together after the point-to-point is over. I promise.”
“Talking to yourself again?” a snotty voice asked from just outside the stall.
Lisa turned and saw Veronica smirking at her. “What do you want?” she asked, in no mood to be polite.
“Just an update for you,” Veronica said casually. “I thought I’d let you know so you could call your mother. There’s been a slight change in the program.”
Lisa gasped. “But there can’t be!” she exclaimed. “Mom is supposed to be getting the programs printed up today. It’s too late to change it now!”
Veronica shrugged. “Sorry,” she said, not sounding sorry at all. “But Tessa had a great idea. She wants to move the scurry race to last on the program instead of having it in the middle of the day. I just called my mother to suggest it to her, and she thinks that will be perfect.” She shrugged again. “And she
is
the head of the fund-raising committee …”
“All right, all right,” Lisa grumbled. She gave Prancer one last distracted pat, then headed for the stall door. “I’ll call Mom. Maybe she hasn’t left yet for the printer’s.” She crossed her fingers as she said it.
“That’s the spirit,” Veronica said complacently, stepping back to let her pass. “After all, Tessa’s only trying tohelp. She wants the point-to-point to be as good as it can be. Don’t you?”
Lisa didn’t bother to reply. She was already rushing for the phone.
C AROLE FINISHED ROLLING a bright red bandage into a neat, tight package and dropped it into the bucket by her feet. Then she leaned over and pulled out another bandage—a blue one this time—from the box perched on the trunk beside her. Alone in the tack room, she was starting to feel as though she lived there these days. This time, she had no one to blame but herself. She had volunteered to roll the boxful of bandages that had been sitting on the edge of Mrs. Reg’s desk for almost a week. Even with everything else that was happening around there lately, she hadn’t forgotten that The Saddle Club was on probation until Max decided otherwise. And she knew that nothing made him happier than hearing his riders offer to help out with extra stable chores.
As she finished rolling the blue bandage and dropped it into the bucket, Carole heard voices approaching from outside. She looked up, hoping it was Stevie and Lisa. But she frowned when she recognized Veronica’s voice.
“So I’m positive that Miles really likes me,” she was saying loudly. “He was even hinting around yesterday about my
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