A quick glance down the aisle revealed that Judy Barker had already arrived. As she had planned, Veronica was late. There was a good chance that Judy had found someone else to hold Garnet by now. Anyway, it was completely pointless for her to be there at all, Veronica thought. Judy could examine Garnet on cross-ties just as easily. But the vet had insisted that she come.
“What a waste of a day,” Veronica mumbled, coming up to Garnet’s stall. The mare was standing in the aisle while Judy ran a hand down her foreleg.
“Oh, good, you’re just in time to hold your horse,” Judy said. “I’m glad I’m running late, too, or you would’ve missed me.”
With a scowl Veronica took the lead line the vet handed her. “I’ve already checked her hoof, but you can take her out to the driveway and trot her for me,” Judy said. Veronica was about to protest, but the look on Judy’s face made her bite her tongue. She sluggishly walked the mare outside. Judy had her jog Garnet up and down the driveway several times. At least, Veronica noted with pleasure, her clothes were getting even filthier.
Finally Judy called her over. “Okay, put her away,” she said.
“Well?” Veronica demanded.
“Well what?” Judy asked.
“Well, can I ride her or not?”
“Ride her? Oh, no. Definitely two weeks off.”
Veronica glared at her.
“After that we’ll have to see,” Judy said with a smile. “Go ahead and take her in.”
With ill-concealed irritation, Veronica said, “I’ll do that, Judy. Thank you so much for your time.”
As they were walking back in to Garnet’s stall, Simon Atherton appeared at the entrance to the barn.
“Hey, have you seen Lisa anywhere?” he asked. “I’ve been looking all over.”
Veronica glared at him impatiently. She wondered if her afternoon could get any worse. As if it weren’t awful enough to have to deal with a lame horse, now The Saddle Club’s geeky friend was bothering her about the annoying girl he had a crush on. She was almost glad she wasn’t invited to the stupid party—she wouldn’t have to see the two of them together.
Veronica was about to flash him one of her worst looks when all at once her brain caught up with her thoughts. The Saddle Club. A party she wasn’t invited to. Lisa Atwood. Simon Atherton. Nobody at the barn but her. She smiled sweetly at Simon, inwardly congratulating herself on eavesdropping on Stevie’s conversation with Bob Harris. She began surreptitiously to brush her clothes off and straighten her hair. “Simon,” she said, “I hate to break this to you, but Lisa’s probably hanging out with her friends at the mall. Some people just can’t be bothered to take a genuine interest in horsemanship.”
Judy interrupted Veronica’s tirade. “Actually, Simon, I heard Max say something about Lisa and Stevie helping Carole decorate for her birthday party this afternoon.”
Simon gaped. “Oh, wow, the party,” he breathed. “I forgot. Gosh, too bad I missed them. I sure would have loved to help out. It’s going to be a great party. I mean, gosh, this is the first party I’ve ever been—”
“I guess some people will look for any excuse to get out of taking care of their horses,” Veronica commented.
The three of them had reached Garnet’s stall. Judy gave the mare an affectionate pat. Then, chuckling to herself, she hopped into her truck.
“Gosh, Veronica,” Simon said. “I sure feel bad for you, being such a dedicated rider and all, and having your horse go lame.”
“That’s okay,” Veronica said, visibly brightening. Maybe, she thought, the day wouldn’t be such a loss after all. “Any good rider has a horse go lame once in a while. I’ll just have to cope with it. It’s hard, but I’ll get through it. The horse always has to come first.”
Veronica paused for a moment, listening to the sound of Judy’s engine start. Then she said, “Of course, it would help if a person could get a decent veterinarian around here.”
Simon’s eyes widened. “You mean Dr. Barker’s no good?” he asked.
Veronica put her face close up to Simon’s. She whispered, “Just between you and me, she’s been known to make her mistakes.”
“Like what?”
“Oh, it’s not important.”
“Gosh, Carole thinks she’s the greatest,” Simon said, backing away. “You oughta put her straight.”
“Yeah, maybe sometime,” Veronica snapped. She took the lead line off Garnet’s halter and closed the stall door. There was an envelope taped to the bolt. No doubt it was Judy’s bill. “The nerve of that woman! She hardly did anything!” Veronica cried. She ripped the envelope off the door, crumpled it up, and shoved it into her pocketbook.
Simon persisted. “This is serious. What if she messed up on one of the horses here? Maybe you could tell Carole at the party. I’m sure she’d want to talk to Max.”
“I, ah, don’t think that would be a good time to bring it up.”
“Why not? I know it’s her birthday and all, but with Carole—I mean, with Carole and you—horses always come first, right?”
Veronica thought fast. She wasn’t about to admit that she hadn’t been invited to the party everyone was talking about. That would be just what The Saddle Club wanted—for her to humiliate herself in front of Lisa’s date. “Oh, ah—I’m, um, I’m not going to be able to make the party, actually,” she lied.
“Too bad,” Simon said, his face falling. “It sure sounds fun.”
Veronica looked up at him and smiled brightly. “Maybe you’d prefer to spend the evening at my house. My mother and father would love to meet you. I’ve told them so much about you.”
“You have?” Simon asked.
“Well, naturally. I always tell them about the boys I meet—if I like them, that is.” Simon gulped. “Of course you might not want to come over—it’s the cook’s night off, so we’d probably have to ask the maid to make something for us, and it might not be up to your standards.…” She let her voice trail off.
“Gosh, Veronica, I would, but—”
“Oh, I understand. It’s okay.” She sniffed loudly. “It’s just that I—I couldn’t bring myself to go out to a party when I know that poor Garnet is locked up in her stall in pain. I just wouldn’t be able to have a good time, knowing she was hurt. So I told Carole I couldn’t go.” She wiped her eyes and looked forlornly at the ground. “You probably think I’m silly,” she said.
“Not at all,” Simon said fervently. He looked at Veronica with new admiration. He had never known such a devoted rider. All thoughts of Lisa had fled his mind. Veronica seemed to like him as much as he liked her. If only there was something he could do to make her less upset. He had to help her. “Listen, Veronica, it might do you good to go out and forget about Garnet for a while,” Simon suggested.
“Forget about her? My baby? How could I?” Veronica buried her face in Garnet’s mane. The mare laid her ears back.
“Don’t be mad at me,” Simon pleaded. “I just thought you might feel better if you came with me to the party.”
Veronica looked up. “Came with you?” she asked, sniffling.
“Yeah, I mean, well—you could be my date. We could go together. I’ll bet we’d have a lot of fun.”
“But what about—you know …” Veronica decided not to mention Lisa by name. Maybe Simon didn’t realize who he was supposed to be going with.
“Oh, that doesn’t matter! Just because you told Carole to cross you off her list doesn’t mean you can’t go. I heard that there was plenty of room for kids to bring dates. So, see—you can go with me.”
“I suppose I could,” Veronica said, pretending reluctance. “I just don’t know. I should probably sleep here Saturday, move a cot into Garnet’s stall—”
“You don’t have to go with me if you don’t want to. It’s okay,” Simon said hastily.
“—but since you did ask, I’ll go,” Veronica finished.
“Great!” Simon fairly shouted. He could barely contain his excitement. He, Simon Atherton, had con
vinced a girl to forget about her life’s work with horses and go to a party with him. “Let’s shake on it,” he said. He extended a hand.
Veronica took it. She couldn’t explain Lisa’s bad taste in boyfriends. But Lisa’s bad taste was Veronica’s good luck. She was going to show up—uninvited—at Carole’s stupid party, after all, and she’d be coming, not alone, but with Lisa Atwood’s date, the boy the whole Saddle Club had picked out for her.
“SOMEBODY BETTER COME take these pizzas out of the oven!” Colonel Hanson hollered from the kitchen. His voice was barely audible over the din in the family room.
“Carole can’t move right now!” Stevie called back. “But I’ll be right there!”
“I’ll help!” Phil volunteered.
Carole thanked them happily. She was sitting on the couch, wedged between Cam and Lisa, balancing a tray of nachos and salsa on her lap.
It was six-fifteen, and already the party was in full swing. Lisa, Stevie, Cam, Phil, and A.J. had all arrived early to help out with the last-minute preparations, and the doorbell hadn’t stopped ringing since. Colonel Hanson had put everyone to work opening bags of pretzels and chips, bringing up soda from the basement, and retacking streamers that had fallen down.
Thanks to Lisa and Stevie’s help the day before, the family room had been completely transformed. Streamers hung from every available surface. Bunches of balloons were tied to furniture and floating overhead. A huge computer printout tacked to the wall behind the couch read: Happy Birthday, Carole! Two card tables stood against one of the walls, one piled with colorfully wrapped presents, the other groaning with deliciously unhealthy food.
“What a ton of junk food,” Stevie said, eyeing the refreshment table appreciatively. She and Phil added two pepperoni pizzas to the mass of snacks. “My mother would freak.” Mrs. Lake, who believed in good nutrition, didn’t let Stevie and her brothers eat sugar cereal—let alone caramel corn, chips, chocolate kisses, and mini candy bars.
“Oh, c’mon—it’s not all junk food. There’s that one plate of carrot sticks and celery,” Phil pointed out.
“Yeah, and my mother brought them!” Stevie cried, grinning.
“Good thing Colonel Hanson’s keeping her busy in the kitchen. She can’t see what we’re eating in here,” Phil said. Some of the parents—including Mrs. Lake—were lingering in the kitchen to talk with each other. Luckily, Colonel Hanson was making sure they didn’t venture out to the living room and disrupt the festivities.
Carole looked around her. Even with her leg up on a footrest, it was a perfect party. She was completely comfortable. Cam was sitting on her left, chatting easily with Lisa. The Sandersons, John O’Brien, and Meg Durham were playing a “Pin-the-Tail-on-Starlight” game that Stevie and Phil had made as a joke. Betsy Cavanaugh was teaching another group of kids how to untie a human knot. Everyone else was talking or stuffing themselves with junk food—or both. Carole counted heads. The only people they were waiting for were Veronica, Simon Atherton, and Bob Harris. Since Veronica had never answered her invitation, and no one cared if Simon showed up or not, the only person they were really waiting for was Bob.
Carole stole a glance at Lisa. She was wearing the new blue sweater over corduroys with navy flats. Carole prayed that when and if he arrived, Bob would notice how well the sweater set off her fair complexion. Lisa seemed pleased to be talking with Cam, but Carole noticed that she kept glancing toward the door and looking at her watch. From across the room Stevie noticed, too. Carole gave her a meaningful glance.
“Come on, Lisa, why don’t you help me bring up some more soda,” she suggested.
“Good idea,” Lisa said. She sounded relieved to have something to do. The two of them disappeared downstairs.
Cam took the opportunity to give Carole’s hand a squeeze. “It’s a great party, Carole. Everyone’s having a good time—especially me,” he said softly. He pulled her a little closer. “I—” Carole leaned in to catch his next words. “I, um—”
“Cam!” Colonel Hanson’s deep bass boomed across the room. “You look like the man I need!”
“Yes, sir!” Cam said, jumping up.
In spite of herself, Carole burst out laughing. “I guess Dad really has that commanding tone of voice, huh? You jumped up like a private at inspection!”
Cam grinned. “I do aim to please, ma’am,” he said. He gave Carole’s hand another squeeze and went to see what Colonel Hanson wanted in the kitchen. Carole got to her feet, too. She wanted to talk to the rest of the kids for a while since she’d been sitting with Cam for almost half an hour.
The minute she stood up, the doorbell rang. “I’ll get it!” she called, hobbling over to the door. She swung it open eagerly, hoping to see Bob Harris. Instead, Veronica and Simon Atherton stood on the doorstep. Carole was surprised to see the two of them arriving together. Moreover, the look on Veronica’s face was pure gloat, and Carole had no idea why.
“Did you two carpool over?” she asked finally, after welcoming them inside.
Veronica looked offended. “Well, naturally,” she replied. “I mean, since we were coming together, I of course had my chauffeur pick Simon up, too. I suppose you expected Simon to come alone.”
It took Carole a moment to absorb this information. Then she realized that Veronica meant that Simon was her date and vice versa. She could hardly believe her ears. Veronica diAngelo—gloating over bringing the nerdiest, dorkiest guy The Saddle Club knew as her date? Something very strange was going on.
Remembering her duty as a hostess, Carole said, “I’m so glad you could both come.” She wasn’t sure what else to say. Veronica seemed so proud of the fact that she had shown up, one, with Simon, and two, without ever answering Carole’s invitation.
Stevie and Lisa emerged from the basement staircase carrying plastic liters of soda. They set them down by the card tables. Noticing the group at the door, they immediately came over to rescue Carole from what looked like an awkward situation.
Veronica flashed the two of them a superior smile. “Why, Lisa—you decided to come, anyway. Of course, Simon and I didn’t think you should stay home—in fact, I have to say that I admire you for being such a good sport.”
Carole was about to ask Veronica what she meant when the doorbell rang again. She opened the door. This time a cute, blond, red-faced boy stood there. Carole knew it had to be Bob Harris.
She introduced herself and then said kiddingly, “Since I don’t recognize you, you must be Bob Harris!”
“That’s right,” Bob said, “and a very late Bob Harris. I’m really sorry.” While The Saddle Club plus Veronica and Simon listened, Bob explained that he had lost the address and—not wanting to look stupid—had looked up “Hanson” in the phone book. Unfortunately, he had picked the wrong Hanson. “So I ended up across town, knocking on some strangers’ door, and insisting that they had a daughter named Carole who was having a birthday party!” Bob finished. The Saddle Club dissolved into good-natured giggles.
Simon began snorting and chuckling. “Gosh-oh gosh-oh gosh, that is the ultimate story, huh, Veronica?” He reached out and slapped her on the back.
Veronica’s face froze in a pained expression. She was beginning to have a bad feeling about the party. “Hello, Bob. I didn’t know you were going to be here,” she said. Her voice sounded as if it was going to crack.
“Yes, Veronica, I’m here. I guess I’m not too delicate for a birthday party,” Bob answered. Then he turned back to The Saddle Club. “Anyway, pleased to meet you and happy birthday, Carole, and again, I apologize,” Bob said. He looked Lisa directly in the eye and asked, “Forgive me?”
“Anytime,” Lisa said, her heart skipping a beat. She and Bob stared at each other for a minute.
“Ahem,” Stevie said.
Remembering himself, Bob finally broke the silence. “Nice sweater. That color’s great on you.” Lisa blushed beet-red and mumbled thank you.
“Bob, I—” Veronica began.
“Yes?” B
ob asked coldly.
Veronica swallowed. She looked from him to Lisa. Lisa was beaming, her eyes on Bob. “Nothing,” Veronica said. “Absolutely nothing.”
It was all Stevie could do to keep from laughing aloud and giving high fives all around. Her moment of triumph over Veronica had arrived, and she was looking forward to savoring the victory all evening. Deciding it was high time that she get back to the party—and as far away from Veronica as possible—Stevie began to shepherd Bob and Lisa back toward the others. “Come on, Bob,” she said. “We’ve got to introduce you to everyone and get you in on some games.”
Simon, who had been quiet during the exchange, all at once blurted out, “How ’bout a game of Simon Says, Stephanie? I’ll be the leader, heh-heh.” He doubled over with laughter at his own joke. Veronica glared at him with distaste. Everyone else smiled tolerantly.
“Uh, maybe later, Simon,” Stevie said. She, Bob, and Lisa walked over to join the crowd, each of them grinning from ear to ear. Bob and Lisa were grinning at each other. Stevie was grinning at them but also to herself.
Joining Phil, she murmured, “Project Date-for-Lisa just ran head-on into Project Revenge-on-Veronica. And I, for one, like the results.” Phil held out his hand for her to give him five. She did, loudly.
CAROLE TURNED TO Veronica. Simon had draped an arm over her shoulder, which Veronica was trying to shrug off. “What I was going to say was that I didn’t know if you’d make it, since you never answered the invitation,” Carole said.
Whatever was left of the smirk she’d had when she came in completely died on Veronica’s face. She cleared her throat. “Invitation?” she asked faintly.
“Yes, I left the message with the maid because I couldn’t get through on your line,” Carole explained, growing annoyed. Did Veronica have to go on playing dumb? “The night I called everyone else, it was busy for over an hour.”
Veronica attempted a fake smile but failed. “Message? With the maid? I never read anything she gives me,” she said wanly. Veronica thought for a minute. All at once she realized what had happened. “Do you mean to tell me that I went to all this effort to—I mean—I tried to—” Veronica stopped, pouting. Her eyes flashed angrily. There was nothing she could say. She couldn’t exactly complain about having been invited.
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