Horse Race (15 page)

It was early evening. The girls and Deborah had just finished dinner. Josh B’s uncle had insisted on taking the whole group out and charging the meal to his expense account. He said it was his way of apologizing on behalf of the entire racetrack for what had happened. Naturally, Garvey was not invited.

Lisa glanced out the car window toward the hotel office. She could see Deborah inside, waiting in line to check out. “I was already tired by the time we got to the restaurant,” Lisa admitted, smothering a yawn of her own. “The only thing that kept me awake was watching the Joshes fight over sitting next to Carole.”

Carole blushed. “That was pretty embarrassing,” she said. “I’m just glad you guys were there to save me.” After watching the shuffling for a few minutes, Stevie and Lisa had decided to come to the rescue. They had taken Carole’s arms and planted her firmly in a chair between the two of them. The boys had had to be content with gazing at her from across the table.

Stevie sat up and opened her eyes again, grinning as she remembered the scene. “For a while there, those guys looked more like The Three Stooges than the good old Win, Place, and Show that we know and love,” she said.

“Don’t forget, we don’t know where we’d be right now without them,” Carole said. “They really did save the day, in a way.”

Stevie raised an eyebrow at her. “Oh?” she teased. “Coming to their defense, huh? Does this mean you’re starting to return their affections?” She winked at Lisa. “Just think how jealous all the girls back home will be when they hear Carole has
three
boyfriends.”

Lisa giggled, and Carole couldn’t help joining in. “Seriously, though,” Carole said a moment later. “I appreciate everything they did—and I let them know it, too.” She had
taken a few minutes after dinner to pull each boy aside and thank him for his part in the plan. “But still, I can’t help being relieved that they all live so far away. I’m not sure I could take that kind of attention full-time.”

Lisa nodded sympathetically. “I understand,” she said. “But this won’t be the last time something like this happens, you know.” She smiled at Carole fondly. “A whole lot of boys are going to fall head over heels for you, and you’d better get used to that idea.”

“I’m trying,” Carole said. “But it’s not easy.” Suddenly she thought of the perfect way to explain to her friends how she felt. “Nobody who knew what they were doing would pick out a horse as soon as they laid eyes on it, would they?” she said. “They’d have to look it over more closely, get to know it a little, have a vet examine it. So why would a boy just pick out a girl at first sight?”

Stevie laughed. “Would you prefer they called their vets to check you out first?” she teased.

Carole smiled. “Well, you know what I mean.”

“Of course we do.” Lisa reached over to give her a hug. “And don’t worry. No matter how strange all the boys around you may act, you can count on us to help you through it.”

“Thanks,” Carole said gratefully, hugging Lisa back.

“Does this mean the Joshes are totally out of the picture?” Stevie asked. “Too bad. They were starting to grow on me.”

“Well, actually …,” Carole began slowly.

Stevie and Lisa turned to look at her. “What?” Stevie
demanded. “They’re
not
out of the picture? You didn’t get engaged to two or three of them and not tell us, did you?”

Carole rolled her eyes and laughed. “Hardly,” she said. “But I did exchange addresses with one of them.”

“Really? Which one?” Lisa asked.

“I know,” Stevie said. “Josh A. Am I right?”

Carole nodded. “He was the only one I thought I had something in common with.”

“Of course,” Lisa said, smacking herself on the forehead. “I should have realized you’d go for the one who spends all his time with horses.”

“That’s not all,” Carole went on. “I also started to like him better when we talked after dinner. He admitted that the first thing he liked about me was that I seemed to know something about the racetrack—he had overheard me talking about C.C.’s legs, remember? So he didn’t just like me for the way I look.” She blushed again. “Although he said he liked that, too,” she added in a murmur.

Stevie and Lisa exchanged grins. “I guess you picked the right name for him, Stevie,” Lisa said. “Win was the winner after all.”

Carole stuck out her tongue at her. “Very funny,” she said. “I didn’t say he’s my boyfriend now or anything. We’re just going to write to each other—you know, about horses and stuff. After all, he lives in Kentucky.” She shrugged. “Anyway, I don’t think I’m ready to have a boyfriend right now.”

Stevie and Lisa nodded. They understood perfectly. For
now, Carole was still more interested in horses than in boys. They all knew that might change someday, but for now it was just fine.

“Anyway,” Stevie said, settling back against the seat once again, “Joshes or no Joshes, this turned out to be a pretty interesting weekend, didn’t it?”

“It sure did.” Lisa looked back out the window at the office. Deborah was still in line, but now there was only one person ahead of her. “What do you think Garvey will do now?”

“Who cares?” Carole said. “The important thing is that he won’t have the chance to endanger any more racehorses with his crazy schemes.”

That afternoon, after he had heard the girls’ story and seen their tape, the track manager had called Mack and the track stewards to his office. Leprechaun’s jockey had confessed to everything as soon as he realized what was happening. The stewards had suspended his jockey’s license for a month and barred Garvey from the track permanently. That meant the big man’s career as a trainer was essentially over, since all other tracks would honor the ban as well. At first he had started blustering at the girls and the room in general, tossing out all kinds of threats. But a few stern words from the head steward had humbled him, and he had remained silent while Deborah called Mr. McLeod and gave him the news.

The girls’ theory turned out to be correct: Garvey admitted that he had been so afraid of looking bad if Cookie
Cutter lost that he had tried to guarantee that she would win. He was afraid that otherwise his career as a trainer would fizzle before it began, just like his boxing career, and he couldn’t stand to go through that humiliation again. The other adults in the room had seemed surprised at the exboxer’s motive, but the girls had already figured out that not every bad deed could be traced directly to money—not even in a money-driven business like horse racing.

“I was really worried that the rest of the Maskee horses weren’t going to be able to run in their races next week after Mr. McLeod fired Garvey,” Stevie commented. Without a trainer at Bluegrass Park to supervise them, Mr. McLeod would have had no choice but to send the horses home.

“Me too,” Carole agreed. “Who would have guessed that Toby had just earned his trainer’s license?”

“We should have.” Lisa yawned again. “That must be why he was so concerned about Garvey’s changing the training schedule. He knew Garvey might be messing up his horses’ chances.”

“Luckily the horses are better at their jobs than Garvey was,” Stevie pointed out. Not only had Cookie Cutter won the second race, but the bay colt had placed a close second in the fourth.

“That is lucky,” Carole said. “And Toby was lucky to be in the right place at the right time.” Mr. McLeod had immediately appointed the jockey, who had joined the others in the office by then, acting assistant trainer for Maskee Farms,
effective immediately, with the strong possibility of a full-time positon once the owner and head trainer returned from California. Toby had accepted on the spot, even though it had meant canceling a few rides he’d had lined up with other trainers for the coming week.

“He seemed really happy,” Lisa said. “He said he’s always wanted to be a trainer, and now he’ll have his chance.”

“I’m sure he’ll do great,” Stevie said, snuggling against the car door, trying to find a comfortable position.

Just then Deborah returned from the office and climbed into the driver’s seat. “All set,” she announced. “Ready to go?”

“We’re ready,” Lisa replied.

Deborah started the car and pulled out of the hotel parking lot. Soon they were tooling down the highway, heading east, away from the setting sun.

The motion of the car was making Stevie sleepier than ever, but she fought to keep her eyes open. There was still so much to talk about. “Can you believe that we’ve solved two mysteries in the two times we’ve been to the track?”

Deborah glanced at her in the rearview mirror. “I sure can’t believe it,” she said, shaking her head. “Even for you three, that’s a pretty amazing streak.”

“It is pretty weird,” Carole said. “I guess there must be more mysterious things happening at the racetrack than most places.”

“I don’t think so,” Deborah replied. “I’ve spent quite a bit
of time at the track lately, working on stories, and the only times anything odd happened there were when you girls were with me.”

“Maybe we’re just better at uncovering the strange stuff than most people,” Stevie suggested.

Deborah signaled and smoothly changed lanes before answering. “I don’t think that’s it,” she said. “Despite what some people think, the racetrack doesn’t really have any more scandals and funny business than anyplace else. I think there’s something else at work here. Something very strange.”

“What are you saying?” Lisa asked, blinking sleepily at the scenery rolling by outside.

Deborah grinned. “I’m saying that you three attract adventure like a magnet,” she declared. “Who else but The Saddle Club could have so many wild and wonderful things happen to them?”

Lisa shrugged. She hadn’t thought of it that way, but she had to admit it was true. The three friends had definitely had more than their share of adventure—and fun. “I guess we’re just lucky.”

“I guess so,” Deborah said. “And I must say, it’s a really interesting kind of luck.”

“Racing luck?” Carole said.

“It’s better than that,” Stevie said with a grin. “It’s Saddle Club luck. We have it, and nobody else in the world does.”

Lisa smiled at her two best friends. “Right. And what are the odds of that?”

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.