Horse Shy (3 page)

Today, Carole saw with a sigh of relief, Barq was no trouble at all. Diablo and Harry gave Max and Red a hard time, but eventually, the horses were loaded. When Carole assured the drivers that all the horse gear was aboard, the vans took off. The bus would follow in a few minutes.

Lisa stowed her bedroll and pack in the bus and came over to chat with Carole while the last items were loaded. She was followed closely by her mother. Mrs. Atwood had originally insisted that Lisa learn to ride. She thought all nice young ladies should know
something about horses. But she never expected Lisa to become horse crazy, and she was very nervous that something terrible would happen to her daughter on the MTO.

She hovered around Lisa. While the girls talked about riding, Mrs. Atwood uttered dire warnings like “Don’t go too close to the edge of the mountain, now, dear,” and “Don’t drink any water that hasn’t been boiled, will you?” Lisa just nodded sweetly, assuring her mother she’d be careful. Carole wondered at Lisa’s patience, but she knew Mrs. Atwood was just being caring, in her own way.

“Mom, I think it’s time for parents to go,” Lisa said gently. She gave her mother a brief hug. “See you Sunday at six o’clock, okay?”

“Okay, dear,” Mrs. Atwood said, backing toward her station wagon. “Have a good time!” Lisa smiled.

Lisa wasn’t the only rider with a mother hanging around. Mrs. diAngelo drove up in her Mercedes and rolled down the window. “Oh, I’m so glad you’re still here, dear,” she said. “I brought this for you.”

Mrs. diAngelo offered Veronica a set of saddlebags. Even from across the parking area, Carole could see they weren’t just saddlebags. They were from Hermès, the exclusive French saddlery. Carole knew she’d probably ridden horses that cost less than that set of saddlebags.

Veronica accepted the offering as if her mother had handed her an old pair of pajamas. “Thanks, Mother,” she said drily.

“Open them up,” her mother said, her voice tinged with excitement. Veronica lifted up the flap and pulled out a sack of expensive Perugina candies. “I thought you’d enjoy sharing those by the campfire,” she said.

Veronica smiled briefly. “Thanks, Mother. I guess it’s time to go now. See you Sunday.”

Mrs. diAngelo raised her push-button window and drove off.

“Isn’t that something?” Stevie said, joining Carole and Lisa. “I didn’t know she cared.”

Carole had to agree. Mrs. diAngelo seemed to be trying very hard to please Veronica. It was too bad that Veronica was such a pain. “Doesn’t matter to me, though,” Carole said. “She’s still a pain.”

“Yeah, but now she’s a pain with some wonderful treats to share at the campfire.”

“You know,” Lisa said, “I think I’d rather have a mother who worries too much than one who brings me five-hundred-dollar saddlebags filled with expensive candies.”

“Me, too,” Stevie agreed.

Carole was quiet for a moment. Her own mother had died after a long illness the previous fall. She hadn’t been like either Mrs. Atwood or Mrs. diAngelo. She’d been just about perfect. Carole really missed her, but she was glad she had her memories.

“Time to board the bus!” Max announced. At once, eleven people jostled over to the minibus, which would carry them to the start of the mountain trail.
Carole stood at the door of the bus. As the riders climbed aboard one by one, Carole asked them all—even Max—if they’d remembered their bedrolls and packs. As they promised they had, Carole put checks by their names on her list.

Then it was time for Carole to climb on board. “Okay, Hanson, did you remember
your
bedroll and backpack?” Stevie teased, trying to sound like a Marine drill instructor.

Carole blushed. She knew then that she’d been impossibly bossy, but there were so many things to do, and Max was really counting on her to help.

“Of course!” she answered. She could envision the two bundles clearly. Right by her front door. Ready to be picked up and put in the car. She gasped. She knew suddenly that they were still there, right by her front door. If she didn’t have her pack and bedroll, there was no way she could go on the trip! Max would probably agree to take a detour past her house to pick them up, but could she ever live it down?

She stood, frozen, on the steps of the bus. Then she heard the sound of a car horn. Startled, she turned around. Her father! He pulled up in front of the bus, then threw open the door and dragged out the two bundles Carole most wanted to see.

“Didn’t think you’d want to go without these, honey,” he said, handing them to Carole. She slung them into the luggage compartment and slammed its door shut.

“Thanks, Daddy,” she said. And then, while everybody
watched and waited, she gave him the great big hug he deserved. “You’re the best.”

“Yeah, I know,” he told her. “You have a good time, hear?” She smiled at him.

“Hey, Colonel Hanson!” Stevie hollered out the bus window. The colonel waved a greeting to her. They were great friends, constantly trading old jokes with each other. “What has four legs and a trunk?” Stevie asked.

“An elephant going on a trip,” he shot back.

“And what do you call Carole when
she
goes on a trip?” Stevie asked.

“Forgetful!” he said. When everybody was done laughing, Carole boarded the bus.

And they were off!

C
AROLE COULDN’T BELIEVE
it, but getting everything
un
loaded at the start of the trail was almost as much trouble as getting it loaded.

Delilah was unusually docile coming off the trailer, but it turned out that Barq hated getting off as much as he hated getting on. Red O’Malley got a nasty kick on his shin. He grimaced, but said it was okay. Carole thought it would be swollen and black-and-blue for a long time. Horses were big animals, and strong. If you were going to spend a lot of time with them, you had to be prepared to get hurt some of the time. Red didn’t complain; he knew that, too.

Finally, the horses were unloaded, and the camping and picnic gear was loaded onto a van that would meet them at the rendezvous for lunch and then the overnight campsite.

“I hope the truck doesn’t get lost,” Carole joked with Lisa and Stevie.

When their horses were all off the van, the riders each fetched tack and began saddling.

“I always hate tacking up—especially when Comanche’s in a bad mood,” Stevie said. “But Comanche’s standing still today. I think he’s as eager to get going as I am!”

“I think you’re right,” Lisa said. “Look at Pepper. He’s so busy sniffing the fresh mountain air that he didn’t even notice when I tightened the girth!” Pepper had a way of taking in a big breath of air when his rider drew the girth tight. Then, after it had been fastened, he’d let out his breath and his saddle would be nice and loose, the way he liked it. From his rider’s point of view, though, it was dangerous. Lisa always had to tighten the girth twice. This time, though, it wasn’t necessary.

“Mount up!” Max called, and the trail ride really began.

M
AX HAD TOLD
the riders that their first day would be relatively easy. They would ride for an hour or so to their picnic lunch rendezvous. Then, after lunch, they would be going uphill most of the way to a meadow about halfway up the mountain. They were supposed to reach the meadow by midafternoon. The horses would spend the night in the meadow, and the campsite was just uphill from it.

Lisa couldn’t believe how lucky she was. Just a month ago, she’d never ridden anything more exciting than a pony in a zoo. Now, here she was on a warm, sparkling day, riding through a beautiful mountain forest just bursting with late-spring flowers. They rode single file on the narrow path, shaded by majestic oak trees. For the first half mile, the way was lined with mountain laurel, covered with pink and white blossoms. Lisa picked a small flower and tucked it behind her ear. It made her feel exotic.

“Can you believe this place?” Stevie asked from behind her.

“No, I can’t,” Lisa said. “It makes me feel like I’m in a dream, or maybe a fairy tale. I sort of expect to see a little gingerbread cottage around the next bend.”

Just then the trail widened in a hemlock grove. The warm sunshine seemed to bake the trees and the carpet of pine needles. There was a wonderful forest smell all around them.

“Doesn’t it smell like Christmas?” Carole called back to her friends. She inhaled deeply, thinking how great the fresh evergreen scent was.

While the trail was wide, Max had the group trot and then canter, one at a time. Pepper was ready. He was frisky and full of excitement. Lisa thought maybe he was as excited as she was. She’d never known him so eager to respond to her signals. When she sat in the trot and then nudged him behind his girth with her left leg, he responded immediately, springing into a
wonderful rocking canter. It had never felt so good. It had never been so much fun. She tucked her head down behind Pepper’s to avoid some low-slung hemlock branches. As she reined him back down to a walk where the path narrowed again, she sighed contentedly.

“Did you like that?” Stevie asked.

“It was
wonderful
,” she replied truthfully. She couldn’t stop grinning, and she felt that in his own way Pepper was grinning, too.

“I’
M SO HUNGRY
, I could eat a—” Stevie paused. “Elephant,” she said, giggling.

Lisa groaned at Stevie’s joke. “I think I’ll make do with the peanut butter sandwiches I saw Mrs. Reg making this morning,” she said, referring to Max’s mother who was well-loved by the girls.

“We’ll eat soon enough,” Carole told her friends. “But we’d better see to the horses first.”

Lisa and Stevie obediently followed Carole to the area where the horses were tied up.

The three girls took their heavy-duty buckets to the creek and scooped the fresh, cool water for their horses.

“Not too much,” Carole warned Lisa.

“That’s right, you never want to give a hot horse a lot of water to drink at once,” Stevie explained. “They can get terrible stomach cramps that way. Same thing can happen to people, you know.”

“Yeah, I know,” Lisa said. “After ballet class they only let us have sips of water, especially on hot days.” Considering how heavy the bucket could be when it was full, Lisa was relieved she only had to fill it a quarter full. Pepper was glad for the water and nuzzled her neck when she brought the bucket. When he’d had a few sips, she gave him a handful of hay from the bale the van had brought. Pepper seemed totally content. Lisa and Stevie returned to the picnic area, promising to save a spot for Carole.

Carole watched Delilah drinking and patted the golden horse’s neck softly. Delilah’s mood seemed changed. The horse was enjoying herself, but she was more reserved than usual. She’d been happy to follow Carole’s directions, but somehow the usual fight in her seemed faded. Carole supposed she should have been happy with that change, but any mood change in a horse could signal trouble. She made a mental note to talk with Max about it.

When Delilah was munching on her hay, Carole knew it was time for her PBJ and fruit punch. She was hungry and ready for them. She returned to the picnic site, grabbed two sandwiches, some carrot sticks, and a mug of juice, and looked around for Lisa and Stevie. They had just sat down under a big old hickory tree, which was surrounded by soft green ferns.

“Having a good time?” Betsy Cavanaugh asked Carole as she passed. Betsy was sitting with Veronica and the rest of her fan club.

“I sure am. How about you?”

“Oh, it’s wonderful,” Betsy said.

Carole smiled in acknowledgment and began to walk on. But something made her look back at Veronica, who was sitting on a rock with an empty plate and mug at her side. She had her boots off and was completely relaxed.

If Veronica was already finished with her lunch, that could only mean that she hadn’t done anything about Cobalt. Carole knew that, once again, Veronica had just assumed that somebody would do her work for her. And once again, she was right.
She doesn’t deserve that horse
, Carole told herself, taking her plate over to the hickory tree.

“Keep the ants out of my lunch for a few minutes, will you?” she asked her friends.

“Sure,” Lisa agreed, tucking a napkin over the sandwiches.

Carole returned to the horse area. It only took a few minutes to give Cobalt some water and hay. She knew she should have made Veronica do it herself, but Carole got tremendous pleasure from everything she did with this majestic horse. She patted his sleek neck after she fed him, and he nickered with pleasure.

When she was sure he was properly fed and watered, she returned for her own lunch.

M
IRACULOUSLY
,
THEY ARRIVED
at their meadowside campsite a full half hour ahead of schedule.

“Can you believe this?” Stevie asked Carole. “We’re actually early!”

“Yeah, it’s great,” Carole agreed. “The horses all practically pranced through the last couple of miles of trails. I guess they’re glad for the chance for a good run.”

“You mean they’re having as much fun as we are!” Stevie teased.

Max told the boys and girls to tie up their horses outside the paddock where the horses would be penned for the night and to keep the saddles on them.