Hayride

by Bonnie Bryant

  Cam let out a long breath of air. “That’s crazy,” he said, sounding so relieved, he almost laughed. He warmed to the conversation right away. “From what I saw of her at the know-down, that sounds just like Veronica—dishonest and nasty. But I still think you’re right to ask her to exercise Starlight. And if you want to spend time with him, you can always work him on the lunge line a little,” he suggested.

  Carole had no idea what she had said to cheer Cam up. In any case, he sounded like his old self. They chatted happily about the hayride. Neither of them could wait to see the Clydesdales. “We have to be very nice to Mr. Toll,” Carole said. “My dad says he seems gruff because he talks less than Dapper and Dan, but actually he’s just shy.”

  “The strong, silent type, huh? Just like me,” Cam joked.

  “That’s not so far from the truth,” Carole said. In fact, it was a part of Cam’s personality she admired the most. He didn’t talk all the time to make people notice him, but when he did, they respected what he said.

  Cam mentioned that he would bring over a few CDs they could listen to at the party.

  “I wish I could dance,” Carole said. Even with games to play, she wasn’t looking forward to sitting down all evening.

  “You might not have to miss all the dancing,” Cam said. “We might figure something out. I mean, you can always lean on me for support.”

  Carole smiled to herself. Cam holding her up beat crutches any day.

  ON THURSDAY AFTERNOON after school Stevie and Lisa met at the mall with renewed determination. They were absolutely positive they could find the perfect gift—or at least a close second to the earrings.

  “Either we find something today, or we buy her a book bag,” Stevie said as they strode through the mall entrance.

  “A book bag?” Lisa queried.

  “My mother’s suggestion. I figured if I mentioned it, it would give you even more incentive to find something here.”

  Lisa laughed. “Better than my mom’s idea. She suggested a gift certificate for a manicure at the beauty shop.” They giggled. The idea of Carole sitting in a salon while someone tried to clean the Pine Hollow dirt from under her nails was truly funny.

  Once inside the main area of the mall, Stevie and Lisa could not decide where to go first. They decided to check the directory to get ideas. A group of kids their age were clustered around the placard that listed all of the shops. They stepped back to let Lisa and Stevie see.

  “Shopping for Carole’s gift?” a familiar voice asked. Stevie and Lisa turned to see Betsy Cavanaugh smiling at them. Once a Veronica-follower, Betsy had gotten nicer since she’d been dating James Spencer, a boy who took an occasional lesson at Pine Hollow. He was with her now, as were Helen and Tom Sanderson.

  Stevie noticed that Betsy and James were holding hands—a good sign. It meant they were still going out and would come to the party together. “We’re looking for a present for Carole, too,” Betsy said.

  “We already got ours,” Helen said, trying to keep the smugness out of her voice but failing.

  “The problem,” Betsy said, “is that everyone knows it’s going to be a great party, so everyone wants to bring the perfect gift instead of just trying to get something nice.”

  “What did you get, Helen?” Lisa asked.

  Helen was happy to describe the present she and her brother were going to give Carole together. “Mom made both of us satin cross-country covers for our hard hats last year. We loved them so much, we asked her to do one for Carole in Pine Hollow colors, green and gray.”

  “So now we’re just buying a card to go with it,” Tom finished.

  Everyone told them what a good idea it was. “I have to admit that it really is a superior present,” Tom joked.

  “So who’s coming?” Helen wanted to know.

  Lisa was about to answer when Stevie cut in. “We were about to ask you that,” Stevie said. She elbowed Lisa. This would be the perfect opportunity to find out who liked whom.

  “I know Adam Levine is coming,” Helen volunteered. Stevie raised her eyebrows.

  “I see,” she said.

  Helen glanced at her brother. “And, ahem, I also know that Meg Durham will be there.”

  “Oh?” Stevie said. Helen nodded.

  Then Betsy shared her gossip. “In case you didn’t know, Jen and Peter Schwartz are a couple again, and she invited him to go.”

  “Hmm …” Stevie said.

  “And of course Polly and John.”

  “Of course,” Stevie said. She was silent for a moment, frowning in concentration. Then she said, “So A.J. is going with Meg Roberts after all.”

  Betsy’s jaw dropped. “Meg told me not to tell anyone. How’d you know?”

  Stevie grinned. “Oh, just putting two and two together,” she replied. “Come on, Lis—let’s hit the shops.”

  The groups parted ways. Betsy and James headed for the pizza place to think. Helen and Tom headed for the stationery store at the end of the mall to look for cards. Stevie and Lisa found themselves walking toward The Saddlery.

  “Are you going where I’m going?” Stevie asked. “Where else are we going to find the perfect gift?” Lisa asked.

  “Oh no!” Lisa exclaimed. She pointed. Just ahead of them Simon Atherton was walking by himself, whistling and swinging a shopping bag. His back was to them, and he hadn’t seen them yet.

  Stevie put a finger to her lips. She motioned for Lisa to turn around. “We can come back later,” she mouthed. Lisa nodded vigorously. They did a swift turnabout.

  “Lisa Atwood! Lisa and Stephanie!”

  They stopped. “Hello, Simon,” they said in unison. He came trotting up.

  “Gosh, what a coincidence! Great to see you!” he said. “I’ll bet you’re shopping for Carole’s present, huh? Well, I just found the perfect gift in The Saddlery. It’s a little kit made of suede with scissors, a comb, a pull-through—everything you need for braiding a mane or tail.”

  As much as she wished they hadn’t run into him, Lisa couldn’t lie to Simon: It was a wonderful gift, and Carole would love it. She told him so.

  “Gee, gosh, I—I—” Simon turned red and stammered. “Hey, maybe I could help you look for your present,” he volunteered eagerly.

  Recalling her own pathetic state in the pizza parlor with Bob, Lisa took pity on Simon. “Okay,” she said. “Thanks.”

  “Actually, we were just heading into The Saddlery,” Stevie said. “But we forgot where it was,” she added hastily when she saw a puzzled look cross Simon’s face.

  “Oh, I see. Well, it’s right up here. Come on, I’ll take you,” Simon said proudly. They followed him into the store.

  “Just our luck,” Stevie murmured under her breath. Lisa followed her eyes to the counter. Veronica diAngelo stood there, paying for something at the cash register.

  “At least she’s buying Carole a present,” Lisa whispered back.

  “We’ll see about that,” Stevie said, sounding unconvinced.

  “Gosh, it’s Veronica! Hey, Veronica!” Simon called. Still completely oblivious to the tension between Veronica and The Saddle Club, he beckoned Lisa and Stevie over. “Can you believe it? Running into three friends in one day! Boy-oh-boy!” Simon grinned with pleasure.

  Veronica gave him a big smile, looking right past Stevie and Lisa.

  “Simon Atherton, fancy meeting you here,” she said.

  “I’ll bet you’re doing what we’re doing,” Simon guessed.

  “Oh? Are you having your riding coat monogrammed, too?” Veronica asked.

  Simon gave her a conspiratorial wink. “Ha, ha—very funny—I—”

  Stevie cut in. “Actually, no. I personally don’t think it’s necessary to put my initials all over everything I own.”

  “Jealousy is so unbecoming,” Veronica retorted.

  Simon grinned. “Gosh, you girls are too funny—always pretending to fight. Now, come on, let’s all look for Carole’s present together.”

  Veronica�
��s face darkened in anger. “Actually, I was just leaving.” She spun on her heel to go and then paused for a moment. “I mean, don’t you want to come with me, Simon? You promised to buy me an ice cream.”

  “I did?” Simon asked.

  Veronica took his arm proprietorially and started to walk him out the door. “I’m so glad you remembered.”

  “So we’ll meet up afterward, right?” he asked.

  Veronica shot Lisa and Stevie a dirty look over her shoulder. “Oh, right,” she said. “Naturally.”

  Before Stevie and Lisa could say anything, they were gone.

  “Ever heard the expression ‘killing two birds with one stone’?” Stevie asked.

  Lisa laughed. “I think I just found out what it meant. Veronica actually thinks she and I are in a war over Simon, doesn’t she?”

  Stevie nodded. “Which is exactly what we’re hoping she thinks.”

  “It’s incredible that she hasn’t realized what a nerd Simon is,” Lisa said.

  “She probably doesn’t stop talking about herself long enough to find out,” Stevie guessed.

  Now, with both Simon and Veronica out of the way, they could finally turn to serious gift shopping. Shelf by shelf, they went over the merchandise in the tack shop.

  “A jumping bat?” Lisa suggested. She picked up the short crop, used especially for stadium jumping.

  “That’s what Phil and A.J. are getting her,” Stevie said. They both sighed.

  “Why does everyone else have all the good ideas?” Lisa asked.

  “I don’t know, but I feel like we should come up with the best gift, because we’re her best friends.”

  Lisa agreed. It felt important that they give Carole something really special. Inevitably, they found themselves wandering over to the counter where the jewelry was.

  “We’re only going to make ourselves miserable,” Lisa said.

  “I know,” Stevie replied glumly. The earrings were in the same place as before, looking just as perfect—and just as expensive.

  The gray-haired saleswoman came bustling over. “Now, what’s that I hear? Why should looking at my nice jewelry make you miserable?” she asked.

  “Because we found the perfect birthday gift for our friend,” Lisa said.

  The woman smiled kindly. “That doesn’t sound miserable,” she said.

  “Yeah, well, it’s those earrings, and we can’t afford them,” Stevie explained. She pointed to the gold horseshoe earrings.

  “They are a lovely pair, aren’t they?” Stevie and Lisa nodded silently. “Now, let me see,” the woman said. “I think I might be able to help.” She opened and closed several tiny drawers underneath the counter. Finally she took out a small white jewelry box. She lifted the lid.

  “Would these do, by any chance?” Stevie and Lisa peered inside the box intently.

  “It’s the same pair!” Stevie exclaimed.

  “Only in silver!” Lisa cried.

  “They’re twenty-four ninety-five with tax,” said the saleswoman.

  Stevie let out a whoop. She hugged Lisa, and they danced around in front of the counter excitedly. “Yippee! The perfect gift! She’ll love them!” Stevie shouted.

  Not wanting to spoil the mood, Lisa asked quietly, “Do we have twenty-four ninety-five?” Stevie stopped dead in her tracks. Lisa whipped out her wallet from the little blue purse she carried. Stevie reached into her jeans pocket and drew out a fistful of bills and change. Lisa neatly stacked her money on the counter. Stevie poured her money on top. She watched as Lisa smoothed out the bills and counted aloud. “Ten, twenty, twenty-one, twenty-two, twenty-three, twenty-three fifty, twenty-three seventy-five, twenty-four—” Stevie looked anxiously at the remaining change. There was a dime and two nickels. They had $24.20.

  “Wait a minute!” Stevie cried. She yanked off her sneaker and shook out a quarter. “Just in case I ever need it,” she explained to the incredulous saleswoman.

  “Twenty-four forty-five,” Lisa said. “We need another fifty cents.”

  “Did I say twenty-four ninety-five?” the saleswoman asked with a twinkle in her eye. “I meant twenty-four forty-five.”

  Once again the girls whooped with delight—this time even more loudly than before. Lisa gathered up the money and presented it to the saleswoman ceremoniously. The woman took the money and the box to the cash register. Lisa felt a wave of gratitude when she noticed her slipping in two quarters from her own purse. Then, in a few neat motions, the woman gift wrapped the earrings in The Saddlery’s distinctive horse-head wrapping paper. After she had been thanked about ten times by each of them, the saleswoman shooed them out the door.

  “Have a nice party!” she called.

  “We will!” Lisa and Stevie yelled. Now there was another reason to look forward to Saturday: They couldn’t wait to see the look on Carole’s face when she opened her present.

  CAROLE SCRATCHED STARLIGHT’S neck as best she could. The only way she could get a hand free was to lean all her weight on her crutches, holding herself up by her underarms. Even after being groomed this way, Starlight was still suspicious of the bright, awkward-looking crutches. Whenever he caught sight of them, he snorted and swiveled his ears back and forth.

  “I know, boy, but you might as well get used to them now,” Carole told him. “Because you’re going to be seeing them for two weeks.” Starlight didn’t seem to understand. He shifted uneasily on the cross-ties. He was all groomed now and ready for his saddle and bridle. But instead of putting them on, his owner was carrying two big sticks around.

  “I can’t ride today, Starlight,” Carole explained. “Doctor’s orders. I’m lame, just like Garnet.” Carole gestured toward the next stall, where she could hear the mare pawing the floor impatiently. Starlight tossed his head in the closest thing to a human shrug Carole could imagine.

  She scratched his neck some more, and when Garnet pawed again, she went over and gave the mare a pat. “This time there’s a reason you’re inside, Garnet. Poor thing—you don’t know that. Probably bored out of your mind. Just like me—I’m grounded and you’re shut in—we’re a perfect pair.” Starlight tossed his head again, this time to get Carole’s attention. “I know, you’re bored, too—only you’re perfectly fine,” she said, going back to him.

  Seeing the two horses together reminded Carole of her idea to ask Veronica to ride Starlight. She knew it was the right thing to do. Here Starlight was getting restless after only his third day off—what would he be like after his second week? She decided to call the diAngelos’ right away. The sooner Veronica could start, the better.

  With a final pat she put Starlight back in his stall and went to use the phone in Mrs. Reg’s office. She let it ring for a long time, but no one picked up. Mrs. Reg came into the room as Carole hung up the receiver. She motioned Carole over to her desk and told her to have a seat. “You look glummer than a cat in the rain. Is the ankle bothering you?” she asked.

  “Not too much, now that I’ve got the bandage and crutches and everything. It’s Starlight I’m worried about,” Carole said.

  “You don’t think he’ll like his two-week holiday?” Mrs. Reg asked.

  “He might enjoy it, but by the time I get back on, he’ll explode,” Carole predicted. She explained her Veronica-Starlight plan to Mrs. Reg. The older woman thought it was a good idea.

  “If I see Veronica, I could ask her for you,” Mrs. Reg offered.

  “Okay, thanks,” Carole said. She thought for a minute. She really didn’t want to rely on Mrs. Reg’s being around when—and if—Veronica chose to make an appearance at Pine Hollow, but there didn’t seem to be another way of getting in touch with her. The diAngelo line was permanently busy or there was no answer. Carole looked around Mrs. Reg’s office idly, deciding what to do. Catching sight of a stack of notepaper on Mrs. Reg’s desk, she remembered her original impulse—to leave a note on Garnet’s stall. Besides, Veronica still hadn’t RSVP’d about the party, despite the message Carole had left with the mai
d. By leaving a note, she could make doubly sure Veronica knew about the party and ask her to ride Starlight at the same time.

  Carole borrowed a piece of paper and a pen from Mrs. Reg. She chewed on the end of the pen for a minute, then scribbled hastily, “Hi, Veronica! Hope to see you Saturday at six for my birthday. Also, I hurt my ankle—any chance of your riding Starlight while Garnet’s off?—Carole.” Taking several strips of masking tape, she stuck the note in an envelope and secured it to the bolt on Garnet’s stall door.

  “HAVE FUN, DEAR!” Mrs. diAngelo waved a red-nailed hand out the Mercedes’s window.

  Veronica put her hands on her hips and sneered in disgust at her mother. “I’m supposed to have fun holding my lame horse while the vet looks at her?” she asked. “Yeah, real fun, Mother.”

  “I’m sure you’ll find a way to enjoy yourself,” said Mrs. diAngelo airily.

  Veronica gave her another dirty look. In response Mrs. diAngelo smiled wanly and drove off. “You’ll regret saying that, Mother!” Veronica muttered. The very thought of having to come to Pine Hollow and not even ride was an outrage. Veronica wanted to punch someone or pull someone’s hair. Instead she kicked some stones on the driveway. “Stupid stones. Stupid, stupid stones.” She repeated the words all the way into the barn, scuffing her imported Italian loafers as hard as she could in the dirt.

  Knowing she wasn’t going to ride, Veronica hadn’t even bothered to change from her school outfit. She was wearing a silk blouse underneath an off-white cashmere sweater with matching cream-colored pants. She carried a leather pocketbook that went with her shoes. They were all things her mother had picked out and given her a few days ago. By the time she reached the barn, they were completely covered in dust and barn grime. She stopped at the doors, yanked off her pale-pink-and-cream hair ribbon and threw it down into a puddle. Then she stepped on it, grinding it into the mud. “Hmph,” she said aloud. “I am enjoying myself, after all.”