after dinner!”
Honey-Pie seemed satisfied with the deal. As soon as Lisa was settled in the saddle, the three riders and four horses went where they most wanted to go: home.
W HAT WAS WAITING for them at Pine Hollow was trouble, and it was standing in a row at the edge of the schooling ring. Max was there and Mrs. Reg, as well as Max’s wife, Deborah. Veronica was there, too, along with her parents, and so were Paul and Mr. Stookey.
Max had a pair of field glasses. He was the first one to spot them. As soon as he did, the ranks broke and everybody who had been waiting ran to greet them—some happy to see them, some not so happy.
The first words out of Veronica’s mouth were, “What have you done to Danny?”
The question almost took Stevie’s breath away because it was so utterly
Veronica.
“Rescued him,” she said, but she didn’t offer any details.
Veronica eyed the homemade bandage with disdain.
“Just a little swelling,” Carole said. “He’ll be fine.”
“But the scratches!”
There was no way to satisfy Veronica, ever. None of the girls thought it was worth trying.
“Is she okay?” Ben Stookey asked, looking at the now obviously tired Honey-Pie.
“She’s just wonderful,” Lisa said. “This is one of the world’s greatest horses. As far as we’re concerned, she’s worth every penny of her bank account—and then some. You just wouldn’t believe—”
Carole coughed, shushing Lisa. Lisa looked at her quizzically but kept quiet. They could talk later.
“She’s really okay?” That was Paul speaking. His words might have been intended to convey concern, but the tone of his voice betrayed pure disappointment.
“Really okay,” Stevie confirmed. “Just ready for a rest.”
Paul’s lips tightened into a thin, straight line. He had nothing more to say.
Then Max reached them. He did have something to say. “I think it would be a good idea if we had a little talk in my office,” he said in a very controlled voice. “After you’ve looked after your—and Mr. Stookey’s—horses.” He turned to Veronica. “You can take care of Danny now, can’t you?” he asked. Veronica noddedand took the lead line from Stevie without a word or a sign of thanks.
The girls took as long as they could to groom, water, and feed their horses. They were not looking forward to their meeting with Max.
“I DON ’ T GET you three,” Max began much more calmly than they had thought he might. “Do you have any idea how important it is to Pine Hollow to have a horse like Honey-Pie stabled here? The three of you are perfectly willing to risk my reputation by flouting my specific instructions, and my promise to a misguided owner, by taking that horse out on a trail ride—which was exactly what she needed, every bit as much as she needed to be longed—and to chance annoying the ignorant owners by caring for their horse the way she ought to be cared for?”
The girls exchanged glances. They were hearing this wrong.
“What took you so long?” Max demanded.
“You mean to get back?”
“No!” he bellowed. “To take her out on the trail. The three of you are willing to ignore all kinds of sensible rules and regulations. How come it took you so long to break the silliest order any owner ever gave me about a horse?”
“I don’t get it,” Carole whispered.
“You don’t have to,” Stevie whispered back. “Max isn’t angry at us.”
“I am a little,” said Max. “You should have let me know that Paul was giving you orders.”
“We weren’t paying any attention to his orders,” said Lisa. “Only we didn’t know why he was doing it until last night.”
“You might have told us what was going on with all that fiduciary and trustee stuff. We could have understood it. You could have trusted us,” Stevie said.
“Maybe,” Max said. “Well, look. You did break an order and you did it in a way that let absolutely everybody here know you did it.”
“Yes, we know,” Lisa
Honey-Pie seemed satisfied with the deal. As soon as Lisa was settled in the saddle, the three riders and four horses went where they most wanted to go: home.
W HAT WAS WAITING for them at Pine Hollow was trouble, and it was standing in a row at the edge of the schooling ring. Max was there and Mrs. Reg, as well as Max’s wife, Deborah. Veronica was there, too, along with her parents, and so were Paul and Mr. Stookey.
Max had a pair of field glasses. He was the first one to spot them. As soon as he did, the ranks broke and everybody who had been waiting ran to greet them—some happy to see them, some not so happy.
The first words out of Veronica’s mouth were, “What have you done to Danny?”
The question almost took Stevie’s breath away because it was so utterly
Veronica.
“Rescued him,” she said, but she didn’t offer any details.
Veronica eyed the homemade bandage with disdain.
“Just a little swelling,” Carole said. “He’ll be fine.”
“But the scratches!”
There was no way to satisfy Veronica, ever. None of the girls thought it was worth trying.
“Is she okay?” Ben Stookey asked, looking at the now obviously tired Honey-Pie.
“She’s just wonderful,” Lisa said. “This is one of the world’s greatest horses. As far as we’re concerned, she’s worth every penny of her bank account—and then some. You just wouldn’t believe—”
Carole coughed, shushing Lisa. Lisa looked at her quizzically but kept quiet. They could talk later.
“She’s really okay?” That was Paul speaking. His words might have been intended to convey concern, but the tone of his voice betrayed pure disappointment.
“Really okay,” Stevie confirmed. “Just ready for a rest.”
Paul’s lips tightened into a thin, straight line. He had nothing more to say.
Then Max reached them. He did have something to say. “I think it would be a good idea if we had a little talk in my office,” he said in a very controlled voice. “After you’ve looked after your—and Mr. Stookey’s—horses.” He turned to Veronica. “You can take care of Danny now, can’t you?” he asked. Veronica noddedand took the lead line from Stevie without a word or a sign of thanks.
The girls took as long as they could to groom, water, and feed their horses. They were not looking forward to their meeting with Max.
“I DON ’ T GET you three,” Max began much more calmly than they had thought he might. “Do you have any idea how important it is to Pine Hollow to have a horse like Honey-Pie stabled here? The three of you are perfectly willing to risk my reputation by flouting my specific instructions, and my promise to a misguided owner, by taking that horse out on a trail ride—which was exactly what she needed, every bit as much as she needed to be longed—and to chance annoying the ignorant owners by caring for their horse the way she ought to be cared for?”
The girls exchanged glances. They were hearing this wrong.
“What took you so long?” Max demanded.
“You mean to get back?”
“No!” he bellowed. “To take her out on the trail. The three of you are willing to ignore all kinds of sensible rules and regulations. How come it took you so long to break the silliest order any owner ever gave me about a horse?”
“I don’t get it,” Carole whispered.
“You don’t have to,” Stevie whispered back. “Max isn’t angry at us.”
“I am a little,” said Max. “You should have let me know that Paul was giving you orders.”
“We weren’t paying any attention to his orders,” said Lisa. “Only we didn’t know why he was doing it until last night.”
“You might have told us what was going on with all that fiduciary and trustee stuff. We could have understood it. You could have trusted us,” Stevie said.
“Maybe,” Max said. “Well, look. You did break an order and you did it in a way that let absolutely everybody here know you did it.”
“Yes, we know,” Lisa
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