“Hey, you should be out there dancing,” she said. Cam shook his head.
“Really, I mean it,” Carole said. She was about to tell him that he could go ahead and dance with anyone he wanted—except Veronica; but then she glanced out at the “dance floor.” No one was dancing as pairs, anyway. The Electric Slide had set the tone for the evening. The whole party was dancing as a group and having a blast. They had made a huge circle, and every so often Phil or Stevie would call someone into the middle to do a solo. At the moment, John O’Brien was doing his imitation of a rapper while everyone cheered.
Simon Atherton was the only one who didn’t seem to get it. He kept trying to break out of the circle and dance over to Veronica. She, meanwhile, was holding on to James Spencer and Tom Sanderson as tightly as she possibly could.
Cam and Carole watched the scene together, laughing. Satisfied that he was having a good time with her, Carole turned back to the job of music selection. “Hmmm …” she wondered aloud. “What next?”
Stevie danced over to the stereo. “Carole! Play some fifties music Your dad and I are going to show everyone the Stroll and the Handjive!”
Carole laughed. Trust Stevie—who loved everything about the fifties—even to know the dances. She asked Cam to hand her Colonel Hanson’s “Greatest Hits from the Fifties.” Then they settled back to watch the fun. Stevie was really good. She could match Colonel Hanson motion for motion. Pretty soon everyone tried. Then, to keep them on their toes, Carole switched to “YMCA.” Shouts of recognition and more enthusiastic dancing followed.
After a few more songs, Colonel Hanson interrupted, telling Carole he wanted to say something. He slowly faded the music out. “Okay, boys.” He nodded toward Phil and A.J., who picked up the table of presents. They brought it over to Carole ceremoniously and bowed to her. The other kids gathered in a group around her—all except for Veronica, who excused herself and went to the bathroom.
“I guess I’m supposed to open these, huh?” Carole asked. She began to unwrap the first package Colonel Hanson handed her, gingerly removing the paper from the box.
“Come on, Carole Hanson! You can do better than that!” Stevie yelled.
Carole grinned. “You’re right,” she said. In one motion she tore off all the paper and ribbons. Inside was the satin cross-country hat cover from the Sandersons. “I love it!” Carole breathed. She held it up for everyone to see. For the next twenty minutes Carole said the same thing about every gift she opened—and meant it. Her friends had been so thoughtful in picking things out. For horsey gifts she got the jumping bat from Phil and A.J., the braiding kit from Simon, a pair of silk glove-liners, a calendar of the United States Equestrian Team, a package of premade horse treats, and two posters, one of racing Thoroughbreds, the other of a mare and foal. Her nonhorsey gifts were nice, too. There was some special German chocolate, a bunch of hair scrunchies, a mug with bubble bath in it, and a matching red scarf-and-gloves set. Carole felt as if she had said thank you a hundred million times, and there were still four gifts to go.
One was just an envelope. Carole opened it carefully. Two pieces of paper fell out. The first was a note. It said, “Sorry we couldn’t be there for the party. We’re thinking of you, anyway. Love, Max and Mrs. Reg.”
“It’s from Max and Mrs. Reg,” Carole cried excitedly.
“They wanted to stop by tonight, but Mrs. Reg had to be in the city,” Colonel Hanson explained. “So they dropped that off this morning when you were still asleep.”
“What is it, anyway?” Lisa asked.
Carole looked at the other piece of paper. “It’s a gift certificate for ice-cream sundaes at TD’s!” she said. Then she quickly went on to her next present. Only Lisa, Stevie, and Carole knew exactly how perfect the gift certificate was, and none of them would want anyone else to feel left out.
The third-to-last gift was from Cam. Carole could easily recognize the handwriting on the card. She could also tell what the gift was going to be—it felt unmistakably like a book. She opened it carefully. The paper fell away, and the title jumped out: Training the Young Horse for Pleasure and Show by Gordon Morse. It was the book Cam had been telling her about! Carole opened the cover. Inside Cam had written, “To the smartest rider and trainer I know—and the nicest.” Carole didn’t trust herself to speak. Instead, she just looked at Cam with shining eyes. Cam looked right back, just as intently.
Gently, Colonel Hanson nudged Carole back to reality. “Two more to go,” he whispered. Carole snapped back to attention. Of the two boxes left, one was medium-sized and flat, and the other was tiny and square.
“Go for the bigger one!” Phil urged. Stevie elbowed him. Phil laughed. “Whoops,” he said.
Carole took his advice. She tore off the paper, almost losing the little card attached. Quickly, she read it aloud: “ ‘To Carole, Love, Dad’—typical, gushy Hanson style, huh, Dad?”
Colonel Hanson chuckled, his eyes merry. “It says it all, right?”
Carole opened the box. “It’s me!” she blurted out. Inside was a framed eight-by-ten color picture of her and Starlight soaring over the double oxer on Pine Hollow’s outside course.
Carole reached over to hug her father. “I can’t wait to put it on my dresser,” she said. “But where on earth did you get this, Dad?”
“I took it last summer—one day when I came early to pick you up,” Colonel Hanson explained.
“We want to see!” the two Megs clamored. Carole passed the picture.
“Starlight looks perfect!” A.J. cried.
“So does Carole!” said Meg Durham reprovingly. Carole blushed. Even she knew how great a picture it was. Meg and A.J. were both right: The picture had captured one of those rare moments when both horse and rider were exhibiting near-perfect form. Starlight’s knees were up and even, his ears were pricked, and his back was round, as he easily cleared the fence. Carole had released the reins correctly, and her knuckles were pressed firmly into Starlight’s crest. Her position was tight and workmanlike. They looked as if they could jump six feet, let alone three.
“Want to come take my picture sometime, Colonel Hanson?” A.J. asked playfully.
“Yeah, maybe you should quit the Marines and become a show photographer,” Helen joked.
“Beginner’s luck,” Colonel Hanson confessed.
By this point Lisa and Stevie were going out of their minds. They had watched patiently as Carole opened gift after gift without coming to the little box. Finally there was nothing else left. She had to open it. They looked at each other and crossed their fingers.
“Oh, I almost forgot. This last one,” Carole said. She looked at the box and laughed. It had to be the fourth or fifth box she had received with the special Saddlery wrapping paper on it. Evidently, when it came to shopping for Carole, everyone knew where to go. She unwrapped it and lifted the little lid. The silver horseshoe earrings lay on the tissue, glowing like stars. They were absolutely beautiful. She didn’t even have to ask who had brought them. No one else could have chosen such a perfect gift. She looked up and smiled at Lisa and Stevie.
AFTER THE FINAL crumb of cake had disappeared, it was time for the party to end. Carole picked out a last disc and put on a slow song. She grabbed her crutches and followed Cam out onto the dance floor. Half-leaning on the crutches, and half-leaning on Cam, she could sort of dance. Other couples followed their example. Phil and Stevie, then Lisa and Bob, Betsy and James, and then the rest of the group joined Carole and Cam on the dance floor. Over Cam’s shoulder Carole smiled at the other girls. They all looked as happy as she felt. All of them, that is, except for Veronica. Having finally returned from the bathroom, she had found an all-too-eager Simon, waiting to slow-dance with his date. Veronica kept trying to pull away and pretend it was a fast song, but this time there was no one to help her.
Cam heard Simon say, “Gosh, I know my hands are a little sweaty, but I’ll wipe them on my pants, Veronica, I promise.”
He almost felt a touch of pity
for Veronica—almost. Then he remembered the phone call. It was a good thing Phil had figured out who had called him about Stevie’s “flirting” with Bob. Otherwise Cam might not have figured out his mysterious call. And he’d still be mad at Carole, for no reason other than Veronica’s interference. All thoughts of pity left him. Holding Carole a little tighter, he smiled happily as Simon chased Veronica out into the hall.
Carole sighed as the song came to a close. She didn’t want to lift her head from Cam’s shoulder. His strong arms encircled her protectively, making her feel safe and warm. Dancing with him was one of the very best birthday presents she could have asked for. It was almost as good as watching Veronica get what she deserved. Carole sighed again. She could pretend the song—and her birthday—were still going for a couple more minutes.
COLONEL HANSON RAPPED lightly on Carole’s bedroom door. “Anyone for pancakes?” he whispered. Three bodies in sleeping bags on the floor stirred slightly.
“What time is it?” Stevie asked hoarsely. She, Lisa, and Carole had been up most of the night rehashing the events of the day before.
“Eleven-thirty,” Colonel Hanson said.
“In the morning?” Lisa asked, struggling to sit up.
“That’s right,” Colonel Hanson said with a chuckle. “And I have a feeling it might take you three a little while to make it downstairs, so I’ll keep everything hot.” He closed the door gently.
“Thanks, Dad,” Carole called after him, wondering if she was still dreaming or if that had really been her father. She rubbed her eyes. Beside her Stevie and Lisa had lain back down in their sleeping bags. Then Carole remembered. “I insisted on sleeping on the floor with you guys, didn’t I?”
“Actually,” Lisa said, with her eyes still closed, “you didn’t have much choice, considering that you fell asleep midsentence.”
“Oh, yeah?” Carole countered. “What sentence was that?”
“It was, ‘And the hundredth reason Cam is so perfect is that—’ ”
Carole interrupted her friend by whacking her soundly with a pillow.
“Funny,” Carole said, “I remember hearing about the thousandth reason that Bob Harris is the ideal boyfriend.”
Stevie sat up again. “You’re both wrong. I mean, we all know that there are a million reasons why Phil Marsten is—” Before she could finish, both Lisa and Carole had pounced, and an all-out pillow-sleeping bag-blanket war erupted.
A few minutes later the three girls lay back, happy and winded. “I didn’t know I had that much energy left,” Lisa said.
“Me either. How late did we go to sleep?” Stevie questioned.
Carole grimaced. “Don’t ask. Your parents might have to sue my father if they found out.”
“Oh, Colonel Hanson’s in the clear. He did tell us to stop talking five or six times. It’s just that we outlasted him,” Lisa said.
“I guess that’s why he’s up now, making pancakes for us,” Carole said. “He did say something about pancakes, didn’t he?”
Lisa and Stevie assured her that breakfast was awaiting them. Carole thought back to a week ago when she’d been eating pancakes with her father. It had been one of the fullest weeks she’d had in a long time. First, the sprained ankle—and her silly decision to pretend it didn’t hurt. But then the party had come and simply made her forget about everything else except having a wonderful time. Every moment of it had been special, from decorating with The Saddle Club to dancing with Cam. It was impossible to say what part was the best!
“So are you going to see him again?” Carole heard Stevie ask Lisa as she tuned back in to the conversation.
Lisa nodded. “He’s even nicer than I imagined. He mentioned something about the six of us maybe doing something.”
“Of course!” Stevie cried. “A triple date! And now that Bob, Phil, and Cam are practically best friends, thanks to the party, it’ll be perfect. It sure was a great party, Carole,” she continued. “I guess my favorite part was when Veronica and Simon ran into your father as they were running into the hall. He told them to get right back into the family room. I think he probably thought they were trying to sneak off and make out!”
Lisa giggled. “If he only knew how hard Veronica was trying to escape Simon.”
“You know she didn’t even get me a present?” Carole remarked. “She hid in the bathroom the whole time I was opening them.”
“She probably thought you’d have kicked her out by the time you got to opening the presents,” Lisa guessed.
“But instead she had to spend the whole night with her charming date,” Stevie pointed out cheerfully. “Okay, girls, let’s get up.”
Slowly The Saddle Club rose from the floor of Carole’s bedroom. They looked at themselves in the mirror and laughed. Their hair was going every which way, and they all had circles under their eyes.
“So much for beauty rest,” Lisa said. “We look scarier than Veronica when she found out she was invited.” Laughing, the three of them began to straighten up the room and look for their clothes.
“You know,” Carole said seriously, pulling on an acceptably clean pair of jeans, “we really owe one to Phil for noticing right off who it was who called him. Cam told me last night all about Veronica’s plans to break us up.”
“I guess that’s just one more reason why Phil is the best boyfriend in the world, huh?” Stevie joked.
Carole smiled. “One more comment like that, and we may have to fix you up with Simon Atherton, eh, Lisa?”
“But you wouldn’t want to try to break up him and Veronica,” Stevie pointed out. “Veronica really deserves Simon.”
“I’m sorry I ever invited her,” Carole said. “And I’m even sorrier I ever asked her to exercise Starlight. After all that, Max told Dad that Red’s been hoping I’d let him ride Starlight—he likes him so much. Of course, the reason I didn’t want to ask him in the first place was that I didn’t want to be like Veronica. Anyway, she’ll never lay a finger on him now,” Carole vowed.
“Phew,” Stevie sighed. “I was getting worried for a minute that you’d gone over to her side.”
“Hardly. I just wish I could take back being nice to her,” Carole said.
“Don’t worry about it,” Stevie said. “Almost the worst punishment that Veronica could receive is being treated well by one of us.”
“Stevie’s right,” Lisa chimed in. “It probably made her feel like a worm—and nothing should give us more pleasure than having Veronica diAngelo feel like a worm.”
Carole nodded in agreement with her friends. “True,” she said. She paused a moment. “Unless it’s watching Veronica diAngelo have another date with Simon Atherton,” she added.
“Gosh darn it!” Stevie cried. “You’re right!”
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
BONNIE BRYANT 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.
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