By this time Max had caught and calmed Patch. The gelding looked a little ashamed of himself.
“Tough break, Merrill,” Max said. “Are you in one piece?”
Merrill nodded. “I think so.”
“Patch is pretty calm most of the time, but he has a tendency to shy at loud noises,” Max explained, patting the horse on the neck.
“I know,” Lisa added, her eyes widening as she remembered her very first ride at Pine Hollow. She, too, had been riding Patch when there had been a loud, sudden noise. That time it had been Veronica slamming a door, and it had made Patch take off and jump out of the ring. Lisa hadn’t fallen off, but the incident had scared her.
Still, it was clear that this fall had scared Merrill even more. And that worried Lisa. She was sure that Merrill would have quit the public speaking course if her parents had let her. And she knew that Merrill had once dropped out of a gymnastics class after taking a fall off the balance beam. Now that she’d fallen off, would Merrill want to stop riding altogether?
Max helped Merrill climb back into Patch’s saddle. Merrill looked anxious, but once she was aboard she seemed to regain control. She took Patch around the ring at a walk and then at a trot. As if trying to make up for his bad behavior, Patch behaved perfectly.
“Do you want to try that fence again, Merrill?” Max asked. “It might be good for Patch—and for you.”
“Could I wait for my next turn?” Merrill said. “I think I need a few minutes.”
Max nodded understandingly. “Okay, who’s next?” he asked, seeming satisfied that everything was all right.
But when Merrill took her place in line again, Carole could see that she still looked scared. “Are you okay?” she whispered. “Really?”
When Merrill looked at her, Carole saw tears glistening in the other girl’s eyes. But Merrill kept them under control. “I’m fine,” she replied. “I just hope I don’t have to take another turn jumping today.”
Carole glanced at her watch. “It’s getting pretty late,” she said. “I bet this will be the last round. Max won’t want to overtire the horses—or us.”
She was right. After the last rider had finished the course for the second time, Max announced that it was time to take the horses in. “We had a good class today, everyone,” he added. “More to come tomorrow—don’t be late.”
* * *
A LITTLE LATER, The Saddle Club and Merrill sat together cleaning their tack and talking about the day. Foremost in all their minds was Merrill’s fall.
“Everyone has a ride like that once in a while,” Carole told her again, soaping up Starlight’s saddle. “You just have to learn to get past it and remember it’s all part of the learning process.”
“I know,” Merrill said. “It’s just that I’m not sure anymore how much I want to learn.”
“What do you mean?” Lisa asked, her stomach sinking. “You don’t want to give up riding, do you?”
Merrill shook her head. “No, I definitely don’t want to give up riding. I love it too much.”
“Well, that’s settled,” Stevie said. “Tomorrow is another day. You’ll make up for today then, and before long you’ll be jumping like a pro.”
“I’m not so sure about that,” Merrill said quietly.
“Okay, maybe it will take a little longer than that before you’re really a pro,” Stevie corrected herself. “But it will happen, trust me.”
“It might not happen for me,” Merrill said, “because I’m not sure I want to learn to jump anymore.”
Lisa gasped. “Not learn to jump? But why? Because a bird scared your horse today?”
“It’s not that,” Merrill said, biting her lip. “There’s just so much to remember. It seems a lot harder than other kinds of riding. I’m not sure it’s worth it to me.”
The Saddle Club exchanged a worried glance. They couldn’t let Merrill give up on jumping!
“What about what you were saying earlier?” Lisa said. “About jumping being sort of like flying. You wouldn’t want to miss out on that, would you?”
Merrill shrugged. “Maybe.” But she looked doubtful.
Stevie seized the opportunity. “I for one don’t think you should let one day’s experience decide something that important,” she said. “You’ve got to give it at least one more chance. Otherwise you’ll always wonder whether you made the right choice.”
“Stevie’s right,” Carole urged Merrill. “Try it again tomorrow and see how it goes. Please?”
Merrill looked uncertain. “Well …,” she said. “I really didn’t feel very comfortable even before I fell.”
An idea occurred to Carole. “Maybe you need to try a different horse,” she suggested. “Maybe you and Patch just didn’t click. Anyway, it’s always a good idea for a rider to try out different kinds of horses. I’m sure Max would let you switch.” Carole really didn’t think incompatibility with Patch was the problem. But maybe it would make Merrill feel better to ride a different horse. Desperate times called for desperate measures.
“Do you think he would?” Merrill asked slowly. She thought for a moment. “Well, maybe I should give it one more try—”
“Great!” Stevie interrupted before the other girl could change her mind. She jumped to her feet. “I’ll go ask Max right now!” She hurried out of the room.
THE NEXT MORNING Carole, Stevie, and Lisa arrived at Pine Hollow an hour before the jumping clinic. Merrill was spending the morning with an elderly aunt who lived nearby, and The Saddle Club had decided to take advantage of her absence by having a secret birthday-planning meeting. Of course, since the meeting was taking place at Pine Hollow, that meant the girls had to work while they talked. There was nothing Max and Mrs. Reg hated seeing more than a pair of idle hands—except maybe three pairs of idle hands. So the girls settled down in the tack room with a pile of stirrups and bits that needed polishing.
“Okay,” Stevie said as they all set to work. “The first order of business is coming up with something fun and exciting to do for Merrill on her birthday.”
“Not too exciting, though,” Lisa cautioned. “Remember, Stevie, Merrill doesn’t quite have your taste for, uh, adventure. We don’t want to embarrass her.”
“Also, don’t forget that Saturday is Joe Novick’s birthday, too,” Carole said. “If we do something special for Merrill, we should include him.”
“Especially since it’s obvious to everyone except Merrill that he really likes her,” Lisa added.
Stevie smirked. “It was pretty obvious to Veronica, that’s for sure. And it’s pretty obvious she doesn’t like it. You should have seen her face when Joe jumped down and ran to Merrill’s rescue after she fell yesterday.”
“I know,” Carole said. “And she walked by yesterday when they were talking together after we finished cleaning tack. If looks could kill, Merrill would be a goner. I guess Veronica thought that after Betsy ditched Joe, he would be hers for the picking.”
“Luckily I don’t think Merrill even saw Veronica walk by,” Lisa said.
“No kidding,” Stevie said. “She was too busy gazing at Joe to notice anybody else.”
Lisa laughed. “She may be shy, but she seems to be getting over it a little with Joe, at least. The crazy thing is, she still insists she has no interest in him—and, of course, she also insists that there’s no way he could ever have any interest in her.”
“Oh, he’s interested all right,” Stevie declared. “And so is she. That could be a very good thing. Joe is in the clinic—one more reason for her not to drop out.”
Lisa shook her head. “I don’t think so,” she said. “Merrill isn’t like that. She’s never been boy-crazy, and she can be pretty stubborn. Once she makes up her mind about something, nothing will change it.”
“In that case, I think we should make keeping Merrill in the clinic an official Saddle Club project,” Stevie said.
“That’s a great idea,” Lisa exclaimed. “If anybody can help Merrill through her jumping problem
s, it’s us. Carole started by suggesting that Merrill try a different horse today.”
Carole nodded. “I hope it helps her. As with most riding problems, Merrill’s is really all in her head.”
“Okay, now that that’s settled, let’s get down to some serious party planning,” Stevie said, tossing a polished snaffle bit into the trunk by her feet. “What can we do to turn Max’s party into a birthday bash for Merrill and Joe?”
“Well, we should have a cake for starters,” Carole said.
“That goes without saying,” Stevie said. “Who wants to be in charge of that?”
“I will,” Lisa volunteered. “I’m sure my mother will want to make it.”
“Good. Now what else?” Stevie asked. She thought hard for a minute. “I know. We could ask everyone to bring some kind of funny gag gift for Merrill, and make her open them in front of everyone.”
Lisa looked dubious. “I don’t think she’d like that,” she said. “Remember what she said about being the center of attention? Well, I’d say that definitely qualifies.”
“Besides, everyone would have to bring something for Joe, too,” Carole said, “and that could get expensive.”
“Well, how about if we make Merrill and Joe wear some kind of special birthday costume—maybe a big hat or something,” Stevie said. “Or have a dance contest and make them be the judges. Or both!”
Carole shook her head. “All of these things would be great ideas if it were your birthday. But they don’t seem like anything Merrill would enjoy at all.”
“You’re right,” Lisa said. “And we definitely don’t want to make her miserable. We have to think of something that won’t make her feel embarrassed.”
The three girls thought in silence. Nothing any of them could come up with seemed quite right.
Finally Carole glanced at her watch. “We’re not getting anywhere,” she commented. “What time is Merrill getting here?”
“I’m not sure,” Lisa said. “She said she would definitely be in time for the clinic, but she wasn’t sure of the exact time. I think she went with her aunt to some early-morning swap meet at her church.”
Suddenly Stevie straightened up in her seat. “That’s it!” she cried.
“What?” Carole and Lisa asked in one voice.
“I have the perfect idea for Saturday,” Stevie said. “The swap meet just made me think of it. We’ll have a Yankee Swap!”
Lisa smiled. “That’s perfect!” she exclaimed.
Carole looked confused. “A Yankee what?”
“Swap,” Stevie said. “It’s a fun way to exchange gifts. See, each person who’ll be at the party draws the name of another guest out of a hat. Everyone buys and wraps a gift for the person whose name he or she got.”
“Like a Secret Santa exchange,” Carole said with a shrug.
“But wait, there’s more,” Lisa said.
“Right,” Stevie continued. “At the party, all the gifts go in one big pile. None of them have name tags, so no one knows which gift is meant for who. Or is it ‘whom’? Anyway, someone is chosen to start, and that person picks a gift from the pile and opens it. The next person picks a gift, too. But the thing is, that person can decide either to keep the gift they got or exchange it with the first person’s.”
“It goes that way all down the line,” Lisa explained. “The third person can keep the gift she gets or trade—I mean swap—with either of the people who went before. And so on.”
Carole nodded. “I think I get it,” she said. “I guess the fun part is seeing who ends up with the gifts that were actually intended for them after all that swapping, right?”
“Right,” Stevie confirmed. “It can really be a lot of fun.”
“Let’s do it!” Lisa declared. “It’s completely perfect. It lets us celebrate Merrill’s birthday and Joe’s, without really putting either of them in the spotlight.”
Stevie laughed. “Joe might be a little disappointed by that,” she said. “He likes being in the spotlight.”
“He’ll get over it,” Carole replied. “And anyway, we’ll still have the cake for them. But this way, since Merrill will know about the swap ahead of time, she won’t be embarrassed by any major surprises.”
Lisa’s expression sobered. “I just hope Merrill makes it through the clinic so she’ll be at the party,” she said.
“Don’t worry,” Carole said reassuringly. “She will. The Saddle Club is going to make sure of that, remember?”
MERRILL ARRIVED AT the stable a short time later. The Saddle Club quickly filled her in on their plan.
“A Yankee Swap?” Merrill repeated. “Why do they call it that?”
Stevie shrugged. “I never thought about it,” she said. “But now that you mention it, I guess it’s even more appropriate. A Yankee is someone from up north, right? And that’s where you’re from now.”
“Isn’t it sometimes used in a derogatory way, though?” Lisa commented.
“Translation please,” Stevie said. “What does ‘derogatory’ mean?”
“It means negative, or something like that,” Lisa explained. “I’ve heard the word ‘Yankee’ used as a put-down.”
“Well, if that’s the case, I like Stevie’s definition better,” Carole said. “No matter how some people may use it, I think saying someone’s a Yankee can just be a way of describing where they live.”
“And if you’re using it that way, it’s fine with me,” Merrill said. “I love Maine, so I don’t mind if someone calls me a Yankee.”
“Good,” Stevie said. “That’s settled. So the Yankee Swap is on, right?”
Merrill hesitated. “I’m still not sure about having a birthday party with a bunch of kids I hardly know,” she said.
“Don’t worry,” Stevie replied. “The others will barely even notice the Swap is for you, because this way everyone gets a present. It’s more like a birthday party for everyone.”
“Well … when you put it that way, it does kind of sound like fun,” Merrill said. She smiled tentatively. “Count me in, I guess.”
“COME ON, IT’S almost time for class to start,” Carole said a few minutes later. “Max said Merrill could ride a different horse today. Let’s go ask him which one is available.”
“While we’re at it, we can tell him our idea for the Yankee Swap,” Stevie added. “I’m sure he’ll love it.”
The four girls found Max in the hallway. “Hello, girls,” he greeted them. “All ready for the clinic today?”
“That’s what we wanted to talk to you about,” Stevie said. “You said that Merrill could try a different horse today, remember?”
Max nodded and looked at Merrill. “Didn’t you like Patch, Merrill?”
Merrill shrugged, not meeting his eye. “I don’t think we hit it off that well. You saw how much trouble I was having yesterday.”
“And do you think that was because of Patch?” Max asked.
“Well, no …” Merrill’s face turned red.
Carole could see that the other girl was becoming flustered, so she stepped forward. “It was actually my idea that she try a different horse, Max,” she said. “Merrill had such a bad day yesterday that I thought it might help if she had a fresh start. It’s not that she’s blaming Patch for anything, but we just thought a different horse might give her a different perspective on things.” The explanation sounded a little weak even to Carole, but Max looked thoughtful.
“All right, then,” Max said. “Why don’t you try Chippewa today, Merrill. He’s not being used by anyone else in the class, and he’s a good steady jumper. These girls can show you to his stall.”
“Thanks, Max,” Lisa said gratefully.
“But wait,” Stevie said as Max started to turn away. “We have one more question for you. It has to do with the party on Saturday.” She outlined the plan for the Yankee Swap.
By the time she finished, Max was smiling. “That sounds like a great plan,” he said. “On one condition.”
“What’s that
?” Stevie asked.
“The condition is that Red, Mother, and I get to be a part of it,” Max said, his eyes twinkling. “This sounds like too much fun to waste entirely on you kids.”
“Really?” Stevie asked, grinning. “You want to be in on the Swap, too?”
“Absolutely,” Max declared. “I’m only sorry that Deborah is away on assignment all week and will have to miss out.” Deborah was Max’s wife. She was a newspaper reporter and sometimes had to travel to cover stories. “Stevie, I take it you’ll be in charge of this thing?”
“Of course,” Stevie said. She glanced around at her friends. “If that’s okay with you guys, that is.”
The other three girls exchanged glances. “We wouldn’t have it any other way,” Carole answered for all of them.
“Good,” Max said. “Then, Stevie, why don’t you see if you can get those name slips made up before class today. You can borrow some paper from my mother. After all, we want to give people enough time to shop.” He glanced at his watch. “I’ll see you all in the ring in twenty minutes.”
“Yikes,” Stevie said as Max walked away. “Twenty minutes! How am I supposed to get those name slips done and tack up Belle in twenty measly minutes?”
“With a little help from The Saddle Club, of course,” Carole spoke up. “Go ahead and do the name slips. If Lisa will help Merrill with Chip, I’ll saddle up Belle for you.”
“Thanks a million, you guys,” Stevie said, throwing her friends a grateful look as she dashed away toward Mrs. Reg’s office.
FIFTEEN MINUTES LATER Stevie had finished the name slips and dumped them into a hard hat. Some of the names were a little messy, but she figured people could read them if they tried. Clutching the hatful of names under one arm, she hurried toward Belle’s stall. On the way she passed the stall where Rusty, the horse Joe Novick was riding, was stabled. Joe was standing in front of the stall talking with Veronica diAngelo. Or rather he was talking and she was giggling hysterically, tossing her hair around and fluttering her eyelashes outrageously.
Stevie rolled her eyes. Obviously The Saddle Club had been right about Veronica’s crush on Joe. She only hoped he had more sense than to fall for a snob like her.
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