Gift Horse by Bonnie Bryant Page B

you know better than to try anything like that again. You could have gotten yourself, your friends, and me into a lot of trouble.”
    Stevie nodded meekly. “I know. I’m sorry.”
    “What I wanted to say,” Max said, with just the hint of a smile, “is that you’d better make sure to get that mare cleaned up as soon as we get back to Pine Hollow. And Topside, too, if you did something crazy like painting socks onto him.”
    Stevie’s face turned red. She nodded.
    Max broke into a full smile. “I see. Well, then, clean him up, too. If we’re lucky, nobody else will ever have to know a thing about this. Now come on, let’s get to work.” He and Stevie headed toward the area where the Pine Hollow vans were parked. “By the way, Stevie,” Max said as they walked. “You and No-Name were great together today. It’s rare to see a horse and rider so perfectly matched.”
    Stevie turned to look at him. He looked back, his expression somber. Stevie realized that although he might not show it, Max knew what she was going through. “Thanks, Max,” Stevie whispered.
    *   *   *
    L ATER , AS THE GIRLS rode back to Pine Hollow in the Hansons’ station wagon, Carole, Lisa, and Veronica chatted about everything that had happened that day. Stevie sat in the front seat, silently fingering her red ribbon and remembering the important role No-Name had played in their victory.
    She looked ahead at the horse van trundling down the road in front of the car. It was nice to think that No-Name was in that van just ahead of them, and that when they arrived at the stable she’d be waiting for Stevie to take care of her. Even if Stevie had ridden her for the last time, No-Name was still hers for a little while longer.
    Stevie tried to convince herself to be happy about that. But it was all she could do to keep from bursting into tears. No matter how wonderful the rally had been today, it was over now, and Stevie knew that in a few short days No-Name would be taken from her and she would never see her again. She promised herself she would stay away from No-Name because she couldn’t bear the thought of watching Chelsea Webber on her mare. Instead she would face the future bravely, without her very special, very own, wonderful spirited perfect horse. She could almost see that future now, stretching ahead like the wide black road they were driving on, bleak and empty.

O N T UESDAY , S TEVIE went straight home after school instead of heading over to Pine Hollow as usual. Today was the day the judge was supposed to decide officially whether No-Name and Punk were, indeed, one and the same horse.
    She opened the kitchen door quietly and stepped inside. Both her parents were there waiting for her. The looks on their faces told Stevie everything she needed to know.
    “We lost, didn’t we?” Stevie said, her lip trembling.
    “I’m so sorry, honey,” her mother replied. “The judge considered all the evidence and declared that No-Name is the Webbers’ horse. We’ve been ordered to return her this afternoon.”
    Stevie had been expecting this news for days and thought she was prepared for it. But hearing it was still likegetting a pair of hooves in the stomach. There was nothing she could say or do. It was over. There was no hope of keeping No-Name any longer. Tears streamed freely down Stevie’s face. Her parents let her cry. Then Mr. Lake spoke up softly.
    “Max is letting us borrow one of his trailers. I can take her myself if you’d rather not be there.”
    Stevie shook her head. She was still unable to talk.
    “No, I want to come with you,” she said finally. “And I’d like to groom her before we go, if there’s time.”
    Her father nodded. “Of course there is,” he said gently. “The Webbers aren’t expecting us for an hour or two anyway. Come on, I’ll drive you over to Pine Hollow now.”
    A few minutes later Mr. Lake dropped Stevie off by the front gate of Pine Hollow. “I’ll be back in an hour or so,