Broken Horse (14 page)

“She definitely does,” Lisa said, not looking up from the brush she was running over Eve’s withers. “I just hope she gets an owner who will really appreciate her. And take good care of her.”

“Oh, I’m sure she will,” Max said. He watched the girls work in silence for another minute or two.

Finally Lisa couldn’t take it anymore. “But what if she doesn’t?” she burst out. “She just decided life is worth living again. What if someone awful adopts her and ruins all that?”

Max took his time answering. “I don’t think that’s going to happen,” he said at last. “Actually, I was just coming to tell you the news. I just spoke to the folks at CARL, and the mare has officially been adopted.”

Lisa’s heart plummeted into her stomach. She knew she was going to have to adjust to Eve’s leaving. She just hadn’t thought it would happen so soon. “She has?” she said, trying to keep her voice steady.

Max nodded. “She has,” he said.

“Is the new owner anybody we know?” Stevie asked, hoping that at least they would still be able to visit the mare.

“Oh, yes,” Max said. “It’s someone you know very well indeed. In fact, it’s me.”

Lisa gasped. “You? You mean you’re Eve’s new owner?” Her heart soared. That meant Eve wouldn’t be leaving Pine Hollow. Lisa could still see her almost every day, maybe even ride her when she was better. It meant that Eve would have her chance to take part in the Starlight Ride next Christmas after all.

“Eve?” Max looked confused for a second. Then his face cleared. “Let me guess. You’ve already named my new mare for me.”

“Oh. I guess we have,” Lisa said. “I was calling her Eve. I thought of it last night. Do you like it?”

“I love it,” Max assured her. “She looks just like an Eve to me.”

“But Max, what made you decide you needed another horse?” Stevie asked.

Max shrugged. “Part of what convinced me was the mare—er, that is, Eve—herself. She’s got good lines under all those cuts and bruises, and she’s still young enough to train if she isn’t fully trained already. And I’ve seen enough to make me think she probably is, and will just need a little reminding. The other thing is that I’ve been thinking it’s almost time to let old Nero have a rest. Eve can be his replacement.” Nero was the oldest horse at Pine Hollow. He was still a gentle, reliable stable mount, but The Saddle Club knew that in horse years he was older than any of their grandparents.

Hearing about Nero’s impending retirement made Lisa think about her one-sided conversation with Eve the night before. It made her a little sad to think that Nero was retiring, just as Pepper had before him, and that his life was drawing to a close. But it also made her happy to think that Eve was going to be there to carry on Nero’s duties. It would be almost as if she were carrying on his spirit, as well as the spirits of Pepper and all the other Pine Hollow horses who had come before her. As Lisa was learning in her ecology project, life almost always found a way to go on, through the
changing seasons and the passing years. Eve would be a part of life; she wouldn’t be doomed to miss it as poor Sal had.

Lisa wasn’t sure how to express all of this to Max in words, so she didn’t try. She just handed the dandy brush to Eve, who grabbed it, and hurried over to give Max a big hug.

He looked surprised but pleased. He hugged her back for a moment, then gently disentangled himself. “All right, that’s enough talking,” he said briskly. “Now I want to see you girls getting back to work. And see that you take good care of my new horse.” With that, he turned on his heel and marched away.

Carole giggled as she watched him go. “I don’t believe it, Lisa,” she said. “I think you actually embarrassed him.”

Lisa giggled, too. “I know. But isn’t it wonderful?”

Carole and Stevie weren’t sure if she was talking about embarrassing Max or about Max adopting Eve. They decided it was both.

“It’s the best pre-Christmas present anyone could ask for,” Stevie answered for both of them. Then the three friends all shared a big, unembarrassed, three-way Saddle Club hug.

B
ONNIE
B
RYANT
is the author of many books for young readers, including novelizations of movie hits such as
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
and
Honey, I Blew Up the Kid
, written under her married name, B. B. Hiller.

Ms. Bryant began writing The Saddle Club in 1986. Although she had done some riding before that, she intensified her studies then and found herself learning right along with her characters Stevie, Carole, and Lisa. She claims that they are all much better riders than she is.

Ms. Bryant was born and raised in New York City. She still lives there, in Greenwich Village, with her two sons.