Horse Love (7 page)

“Sure, but she’d have a better reason to be cheery if she took a nice trail ride.”

“Do you think that would be okay?” Stevie asked.

“I think Belle would be grateful for the opportunity to get out in the fresh air and have a sip of some cool water from Willow Creek.”

“Hmmm. I wonder if I can find her saddle.”

“It’s a very simple system,” Carole said. “If it was on the right-hand side of the tack room, then it’s on the back wall, either on the sawhorse or perched on top of the winter feed, in alphabetical order by the first name of the rider who usually rides the horse or by the horse’s middle initial, if the horse is a predominantly American breed. If the horse is a European breed, then it’s alphabetical by the second letter of the owner’s last name, unless the owner is Pine Hollow, in which case it’s numerical in reverse order by height of the horse with the exception of horses whose manes naturally fall on the right as opposed to the left side of the neck or horses who have leg markings on an even number of legs.”

Stevie giggled. The system they’d worked out wasn’t
exactly
as complicated as Carole was making it sound, but it hadn’t been easy to devise a system that would work for the transition.

“Oh, I remember! The real basis of the system was that our own saddles would be the easiest to reach,” Stevie said, standing up and taking her own tack from the nearest surface. “Now
that’s
a totally logical system!”

“I definitely agree with that!” said Carole, taking her saddle from next to where Stevie’s had been.

“Meet you by the good-luck horseshoe in, um, six minutes,” Stevie said, glancing at her watch.

Six minutes later, the girls mounted their horses and brushed the horseshoe, which was by the stable door. Max’s grandfather had nailed it to that wall many years before, and one of Pine Hollow’s most treasured traditions was that every rider had to touch it before they began any ride. The result was that no rider had ever been seriously injured at Pine Hollow. People liked to think that the horseshoe had magical good-luck qualities. More experienced riders realized that the very act of touching the shoe reminded them to be careful because what they were about to do could be dangerous.

Carole and Stevie were pleased to find that, unlike their impression from the dusty stable, it was really a lovely spring day, fresh and warm, with bright sunshine
gleaming its promise down on the last wintry strains of the season.

Carole took a deep breath, invigorated by the combined scents of fresh air, horses, and leather.

“Wonderful!” she declared, bringing Starlight to a trot.

Stevie and Belle followed suit. Stevie could feel herself healing in every way as they proceeded through the paddock to the woods.

There was no question where they were headed. They were going to the creek—The Saddle Club’s own special spot. It wasn’t as if nobody else knew about it, but they all thought that nobody else got as much fun out of it as they did.

Carole led the way, walking, trotting, and cantering as the paths allowed. They knew exactly where they were going and exactly how to get there. With each step, their horses seemed to awaken from their own winter haze, and their gaits became more lively as they approached the spot by the creek that they all knew so well.

Carole drew Starlight to a halt and dismounted. Stevie did the same with Belle. They let their horses have a drink from the creek and then secured them to a bush where there were some fresh sprouts of spring grass to munch on. Since Belle was allergic to certain kinds of
weeds, Stevie was always super-careful about where she secured her, but she knew that this was a safe spot. The horses immediately began munching—resulting in a sound of utter contentment.

“This way, my friend,” Carole teased, leading Stevie to the rock where the friends always sat.

It wasn’t summer yet, but the girls had both removed their sweaters and tied them around their waists. A cotton shirt was all that anyone needed today. Stevie sat on the rock and then scooted forward, reaching for the water. Willow Creek began in a nearby mountain, and sometimes in spring the water felt more like the ice it might have been not long before than it did water; but today, the water was relatively warm. That was all the invitation Stevie needed. In a matter of seconds, she and Carole had both removed their boots and their socks and were dangling their weary feet in the healing waters of Willow Creek.

“It’s almost summer,” Carole said, wiggling her toes against the chill of the rushing water.

“I agree with the
almost
,” Stevie said, withdrawing her feet for a few seconds. “Except that I’ve got a whole bunch of school left.”

“But now is vacation, so let’s focus on that,” said Carole.

“It’s a working vacation, that’s for sure,” said Stevie.
“And I’m beginning to suspect we’ve bitten off more than we can chew—especially without Phil.”

“And Lisa,” Carole reminded her. “If you aren’t mad at Lisa for going away with her parents, how come you’re so mad at Phil for going away with A.J.?”

“Are you asking me to be logical?” Stevie said.

Carole laughed. “I guess I am making that terrible mistake,” she teased. “But I’ve been thinking. We are trying to do something nice for Max, and if it takes longer than the time he’ll be away, well, then it will. No matter when it gets done, it’ll still be a nice thing we did for Max and a real birthday surprise for him.”

Stevie didn’t answer right away. She dangled her feet again and wiggled her toes. She was still inclined to be angry with Phil. “But everything’s such a mess,” she said.

“So it’s a little disorganized. People will get used to it. They can see what we’re up to and they’ll go along with it.”

“Mrs. Reg is annoyed at us.”

Carole shook her head. “I don’t think so,” she said. “I think she’s pleased that we’re doing the job and that she doesn’t have to do anything for it. I think she wishes it would get done faster, but she knows what we’re up against. Mrs. Reg is never angry when people want to work at Pine Hollow, remember?”

“But we won’t have any time for any fun on our vacation!” Stevie said.

“This is fun, isn’t it?”

Her logic was compelling.

“Look,” Carole said. “We’re doing our best, which is all Max ever asks for.”

“That sounds reasonable,” Stevie conceded. “But I hate to think of the mess those riders from today’s class will leave when they put their saddles back.”

“So, then they’ll have more trouble finding their saddles next time,” Carole said.

“You’re so calm about it all!” Stevie said.

“What choice do we have?” Carole said with the kind of logic that Lisa usually applied to problems.

Stevie laughed. “Okay, okay, I give in,” she said. “We’ll just get as much done as we reasonably can without killing ourselves.”

“Or anybody else,” Carole said.

“Not even Phil?” Stevie asked.

“Not even Phil,” said Carole, and she knew they’d struck a deal.

“You know what I think?” Stevie asked, looking into the clear waters of the creek.

“What?” Carole asked.

“I think loving a boy is complicated,” she said.

“I guess,” said Carole, though she hadn’t had as much
experience with boys as Stevie had. “Loving horses is simpler,” Carole said.

“Definitely,” Stevie agreed. “And besides, they never go skiing.”

Carole and Stevie laughed a little, then sat in contented quiet.

After a while, both girls took their feet out of the water, lay back on the rock, and gazed up at the blue spring sky, visible through the still-bare branches of winter.

“D
ID YOU SEE
that yellow fish?” Lisa asked, removing the snorkel from her mouth.

“I did—and there was a school of blue ones, too. Did you see them?”

“I sure did,” she said. “They almost seem to glow, the blue is so bright!”

“Well, the sight of all that food, pretty as it is, has made me hungry,” Tec said.

“And I have just the cure for that,” Lisa told him.

The two of them were snorkeling at a coral reef off a small beach at the edge of the resort. There were only a few other swimmers and picnickers there, and Lisa felt almost as if they were in a world of their own.

When they’d both awakened from their poolside naps, they’d made a deal: Lisa was in charge of making
a picnic, and Tec was in charge of getting snorkeling equipment. Neither job was hard. The resort was only too happy to have visitors use their facilities, and sandwiches, chips, and sodas were packed into a cooler in a matter of minutes. Tec got their flippers, masks, and snorkels as easily, accompanied by directions to the beach and then to the small coral reef.

They swam back to the beach, removing their snorkeling equipment as the water became shallower. Then they dried off and settled down on towels in the sand to enjoy the lunch and to continue doing what the two of them did so well: talking. It seemed to Lisa that there was nothing she couldn’t say to Tec and nothing he wouldn’t share with her. How could it be that they’d met each other less than twenty-four hours before? Already it felt like a lifetime—a wonderful lifetime.

“Turkey or tuna?” she asked.

“How did you know those were my two favorites?” he asked.

She’d just known.

S
TEVIE AND
C
AROLE
drew their horses to a halt in the ring by the stable’s double doors and dismounted. They were both glad for the break they’d taken. Now they felt ready to continue their job, no matter how long it took, and Carole was convinced that Stevie’s anger had dissolved
a little in Willow Creek. That would definitely make it easier to work with her.

They walked their horses to their stalls, untacked them, and then took the equipment back to the grain storage area.

“What’s this?” Stevie asked, entering first.

Carole was dismayed. She guessed that Stevie had been right about everybody making a super mess when they’d returned their tack after class.

“Bad?” Carole asked.

“I don’t think so,” said Stevie.

“We saved your places over there,” Carole heard Lorraine tell Stevie. She stepped into the room to see what was going on.

What had before been half filled with tack was now completely filled with tack. Anna McWhirter showed up at the door on the other side of the room, holding a large cardboard box.

“That’s the last of it,” she said.

“Good,” said Lorraine. “Because we’re now completely out of space here, unless we want to stop feeding the horses.”

“What’s going on?” Carole asked.

“We’re helping,” said Lorraine.

“I can see that,” said Stevie. “But what inspired you?”

“You didn’t tell us this was a surprise for Max,” said
Anna. “There’s no way it’ll get done before he gets back without help from everybody.”

“Will someone please tell Red where to put my saddle!” Veronica diAngelo demanded, pushing her way into the room.

“Almost everybody,” Anna corrected herself.

Veronica disappeared as quickly as she could.

“Okay, so now the tack room is empty. I figure the next step is the best cleaning it’s ever had,” said Lorraine.

“Just what we had in mind,” Carole agreed.

“I’ve got the broom,” said Anna, holding it high.

“And I’ve got the bucket,” said Betsy.

“I think the mop is in the bathroom,” said April.

Stevie turned to Carole. “Well, what are we waiting for?” she asked.

“I’ll get the cleanser while you find the spackle,” Carole said.

“B
OY
, I’
M READY
for a good long nap now and I bet you are, too,” said Tec, holding Lisa’s hand outside her cabin door.

“I am,” she said, smiling back at him.

“I’ll come knock on your door for dinner at eight tonight, okay?”

“It’s a date,” she said.

“And you get all the rest you can before then, because there’s going to be dancing in the disco tonight and I want to be sure you’re up to it.”

“I will be,” she promised.

He leaned over and gave her a quick kiss. “Sleep tight,” he said.

Lisa was sure she would. It was only the middle of the
afternoon, but she’d already had a trail ride, a swim in the pool, and a snorkeling picnic on the beach with Tec. Rest was something she could definitely use—especially after being up so late the night before!

She unlocked her door and went in, aware that Tec was walking away, toward his own room.

As she stepped in, she noticed a piece of paper on the floor. She leaned over to pick it up. It was a note from Jane.

“Rehearsal 3–5 in theater,” it read.

Lisa had forgotten all about the talent show and the rehearsal schedule that Jane had promised to provide. She hadn’t really thought it possible that the first rehearsal would be that afternoon, but since the show was going to be on Saturday and this was Monday, there wasn’t a lot of time to spare.

The problem was that although she’d mentioned the show to Tec, she’d never told him that Jane had promised a rehearsal schedule, and since she hadn’t known herself what the schedule would be, there was no way he would know to be in the theater at three.