Riding Lesson by Bonnie Bryant Page A

nowhere in sight.
    “Hey, where’s Marie?” said Stevie, as if reading Carole’s mind.
    “I don’t know,” said Carole. “Maybe she went home.” She couldn’t help hoping she was right. The girls had planned to stay at Pine Hollow all day—Carole’s fatherwas supposed to come back later with their sleeping bags and suitcases for the sleepover. Maybe Marie had forgotten all about their plans. Still, Carole knew that her father would have a fit if she didn’t try to track her down.
    So after Starlight was comfortably settled in his stall, Carole called home. Her father answered.
    “Hi, Dad,” Carole said shyly. She hadn’t really spoken to her father much since Thursday night. It was the longest she’d ever stayed angry with him, and it felt strange and unpleasant.
    “Carole?” Colonel Hanson said. “Is anything wrong?”
    “I don’t think so,” Carole replied. “I just wanted to check to make sure Marie is there with you.”
    “Marie?” repeated Colonel Hanson, obviously confused. “But she’s at Pine Hollow with you.”
    “No, she isn’t,” Carole said. “I thought she went home after the flat class.”
    “She isn’t here,” Colonel Hanson replied. He sounded worried.
    Suddenly Carole was feeling worried, too. If Marie wasn’t at home and she wasn’t at Pine Hollow, where was she?
    “Well, she must be around here someplace,” Carole said, trying to sound reassuring. “I’m sure I just missed her.”
    “Do you think so?” Colonel Hanson didn’t sound convinced. “Well, call me back if you don’t find her soon.”
    “I promise.” Carole hung up and went to find Lisa andStevie. They also seemed to have disappeared, although Carole wasn’t really worried about them. She just wished they were there to help her search for Marie.
    Carole sat down to think. Where would Marie go? She tried to put herself in the other girl’s place.
    As she did, she slowly began to realize why Marie must have disappeared. Carole had spent so much time that day trying to avoid Marie that she hadn’t stopped to think that Marie might also be trying to avoid
her
. After all, she’d been pretty mean to her for the past few days. Why would Marie want to spend her birthday with someone who couldn’t speak to her without snarling?
    Carole had the sinking feeling that Marie had probably disappeared to nurse a set of very hurt feelings. And she also suspected she knew where Marie might have disappeared
to
.
    “Sorry, boy,” she told Starlight as she slipped on his bridle a moment later. “I know you earned your rest for today, but I just need you to take me one more place.” She stuck a lead rope in her pocket, then led the horse to the mounting block and climbed onto his bare back. “I just hope Max doesn’t see us riding out by ourselves,” she muttered, more to herself than to the horse. Then she put that thought out of her mind. She didn’t have time to worry about Max right now. She gave Starlight a nudge with her heel, and he obediently set off across the fields behind Pine Hollow.
    When Carole and Starlight reached the Danas’ house, which was just a few minutes’ ride from the stable, it appeared to be silent and deserted. Carole slid off Starlight’s back and clipped the lead to his bridle. After securing him to a nearby tree branch, she walked up to the house’s front door and tried the handle. Locked.
    She walked around to the back of the house. The back door was locked, too. But as Carole was turning away, she thought she heard a noise coming from the side of the house.
    She walked quietly around the corner of the house and saw a small garden shed in the side yard. The sound seemed to be coming from the shed. And it sounded like someone crying.
    “Marie?” Carole called softly.
    The crying sound stopped immediately.
    “Who is it?” Marie’s voice called suspiciously.
    Carole breathed a sigh of relief. She had been right. Marie had come to the most comforting place she could be