“I’m ready,” Carole said, giving Starlight one final kiss before letting herself out of the stall. “How’s Belle?”
“Perfect,” Stevie said happily. “She was great today.”
“She sure was,” Carole said sincerely. Belle had had even less trouble with Max’s strange obstacles than Starlight had. If anything, she had almost seemed to be amused by them. Carole shook her head in wonder, thinking again how well matched Stevie and her horse were.
That made Carole think about Merrill and Barq. It would really be a shame if Merrill never got to experience the kind of partnership Stevie had with Belle and Carole had with Starlight. Merrill saw Barq as a wonderful, spirited, obedient horse, but Carole knew that he was that way with almost every rider who climbed on his back. She didn’t think he responded any better or any worse to Merrill than he did to the half dozen or so students at Pine Hollow who rode him, including Lisa, Betsy, and Lorraine. Barq was a terrific school horse, but that didn’t mean he was the best horse for Merrill to own.
“Oh, there you two are,” Lisa said, walking up with Merrill. “My mom just got here. Let’s go—I’m starving.”
“We’re right behind you,” Stevie replied, heading for the door. “There’s a large everything-on-it pizza at that mall calling our names.”
“Everything-but-green-peppers,” Carole corrected, hoping a little food would help them figure out how to convince Merrill to leave Barq at Pine Hollow where he belonged.
“MMM, THIS HITS the spot,” Stevie said, taking another big bite of her gooey slice of everything-but-green-peppers pizza. The four girls were seated in a comfortable booth in the pizza parlor at the mall. A waiter had just brought over their custom-made pie, fresh from the oven, and the girls were digging in with gusto.
“You’re not kidding,” Merrill agreed. “All this riding certainly helps you work up an appetite.”
“Speaking of riding,” Lisa said, wiping a spot of grease from her chin with her napkin, “we kind of wanted to talk to you about something. About Barq, I mean.”
“Oh!” Merrill exclaimed. “Did you tell Stevie and Carole about it?” She turned to them. “My parents and Max have already agreed on a price.”
“That’s exactly what we want to talk to you about,” Stevie said. “Are you really sure about what you’re doing? About buying Barq, that is?”
“Definitely,” Merrill replied. “He’s perfect.”
“No horse is perfect,” Carole said.
“Not even Starlight?” Merrill teased.
Carole smiled. “Well, probably not. He just sometimes seems like it to me.”
“It’s the same thing with me and Barq,” Merrill said, reaching for another slice of pizza. “You know?”
“Still, don’t you think you should think about this a little more?” Stevie persisted.
“Why?” Merrill said. “What would be the point? I already know he’s the most wonderful horse in the world.”
“Well …” Stevie glanced at Carole for help. After all, she had come up with the most logical-sounding reasons.
“Well, don’t take this the wrong way, Merrill,” Carole said, trying to think of the most tactful way to say what she wanted to say. “It’s just that we’re not sure this is the best thing for you or for Barq. You see, you think he’s the most wonderful horse in the world right now. But you haven’t ridden that many other horses yet. If you limit yourself to Barq now, you may miss out on some other horse who’s even better for you.”
Merrill was already shaking her head. “I don’t think so,” she said. “You guys were the ones who told me I’d be able to tell when I found the right horse, right? And you were right. I can do things on Barq that I never thought I’d be able to do. He’s the right horse for me, I know it.”
“But you don’t even know if you can’t do those things on another horse,” Lisa protested. “Not unless you try.”
“I have tried,” Merrill said. “I tried on Patch and Chip. Neither one made me feel the way I feel on Barq.”
“Listen, Merrill,” Carole began slowly. “If you think you can only do well when you’re riding Barq, that’s not good. You have to know you can trust your own abilities on any horse. Otherwise you’ll never be able to advance as a rider.”
“I don’t really care,” Merrill said with a shrug. “I’m not planning to try out for the Olympic Equestrian Team or anything. I have a nice time riding Barq. That’s the most important thing to me.”
Carole was stumped. It was clear that Merrill would be missing out if she thought Barq was the only horse she could ride well. But how could she make her see that? She glanced over at Lisa, who was looking glum. Carole suspected that Lisa was thinking more about how much she would miss Barq than about how to help Merrill, and Carole couldn’t blame her. They would all miss Barq. He was an important part of Pine Hollow.
Just then Stevie finished off the last of her pizza and leaned back with a satisfied sigh. “I’m stuffed,” she said, licking some tomato sauce off her fingers.
Carole ignored her. “Merrill,” she began again earnestly, “I really think you ought to think about this more carefully. It’s a big decision to make so quickly.”
“I have thought about it,” Merrill said. She pulled a pen out of her jacket pocket and started doodling on her paper place mat. “I’ve thought about it a lot. Barq is wonderful in every way. He’s smart, and well-trained, and I like him.”
“But you might like another horse more,” Lisa said.
“And you don’t want to end up like Veronica diAngelo and Danny, do you?” Carole added.
“What do you mean?” Merrill looked surprised. “Veronica’s horse is the best jumper in the whole class. He does everything she asks him to, and more.”
Carole nodded. “But does she look like she’s having fun riding him?” she asked. “Think about it. As beautifully behaved as Danny is, do you think Veronica really enjoys riding him as much as I like riding Starlight, or Stevie likes riding Belle?” Carole knew the answer to that. Veronica had chosen Danny on the basis of his price and bloodlines, not his personality, and it showed.
Merrill shook her head, looking stubborn. “That doesn’t have anything to do with me and Barq,” she said firmly. “Barq is the one I want, and that’s that.”
Carole sighed. She could tell that the discussion was closed, at least for now. But that didn’t mean she was giving up—and she knew her friends wouldn’t, either.
“Speaking of Veronica,” Stevie said darkly, “I can’t believe I still haven’t thought of a way to get back at her for that sugar trick of hers. I swore I’d get revenge, but what with the jumping clinic and everything, I haven’t had time to come up with a plan.”
She frowned, thinking how unlucky she was to have ended up with Veronica’s name for the Yankee Swap. She hated the thought of spending her hard-earned money on a gift for the snobby girl.
“Especially since she already owns everything in the mall,” Stevie muttered.
“What did you say, Stevie?” Lisa asked, watching idly as Merrill sketched a picture of Barq on her place mat.
“Nothing,” Stevie said. “I was just thinking about Veronica.” There was no way she wanted to get something that Veronica would like—even if she could afford to without a platinum credit card. Suddenly Stevie sat up straight. She had just come up with an idea for revenge. “Hey, Merrill, can I borrow your pen?”
“Sure,” Merrill said, passing it over.
Stevie’s friends watched as she grabbed a clean place mat from a nearby table and began writing furiously.
“What are you doing?” Carole asked.
“Getting back at Veronica,” Stevie announced with a grin, holding up the place mat for her friends to see. She had made it into a sign that read:
ATTENTION ALL STORE OWNERS! BEWARE OF A CUSTOMER NAMED VERONICA DIANGELO. DO NOT ACCEPT HER CREDIT CARD IF SHE TRIES TO BUY SOMETHING WITH IT. HER CREDIT IS NO GOOD. TAKE HER CARD AND CUT IT UP IMMEDIATELY, NO MATTER
WHAT SHE SAYS!!
Carole looked perplexed. “What are you doing? Veronica’s credit isn’t bad.”
“I know,” Stevie said. “But can’t you just see the look on her face when some salesclerk cuts up her precious credit card?” She grinned. “Now, that’s what I call revenge!”
“Um, Stevie,” Lisa said. “I’m not sure, but I think what you’re doing might be illegal or something. Even if it’s not, you could get in an awful lot of trouble.”
“Don’t be silly,” Stevie said with a wave of her hand. “What’s illegal about hanging up a sign? Besides, I disguised my handwriting. No one will ever know it was me.”
“Where are you planning to hang it, exactly?” Carole asked.
“On the mall directory,” Stevie replied. “That way everyone will be sure to see it. Now hurry up and finish eating. I can’t wait to hang it up.”
She waited impatiently while her friends finished their pizza. Then she led the way out of the restaurant and down the mall to the courtyard near the entrance, where the main directory was located.
“Okay, you guys stand guard while I hang it up,” Stevie said. Then she paused. “Wait a second—how am I going to hang it? We don’t have any tape …” She glanced around, then suddenly lunged for a nearby garbage can. A large wad of sticky pink gum was stuck to the rim. Stevie began picking at it with her fingernails. “Ah-ha! This will do the trick.”
“Stevie!” Lisa cried in horror. “Don’t touch that! That’s disgusting!”
But Stevie ignored her. She pulled a chunk of the gum free and stuck it to the back of her sign. Then she wiped her hand on her jeans and looked around again. Only a few people were sitting or walking nearby, and none of them was paying any attention to the girls. “Okay, the coast looks clear. Keep a lookout and warn me if anyone’s coming.”
With that, she darted toward the directory, a large plastic-shielded map of the mall. Reaching up as far as she could, she pressed down firmly on the paper above the wad of gum, attaching it to the smooth surface.
“There,” she said, hurrying back to join her friends. “Mission accomplished!”
“Not so fast, young lady,” boomed a deep voice from behind her.
Whirling around, Stevie saw a burly, bearded man wearing a uniform. He paused long enough to rip Stevie’s sign down from the directory, then strode over to the girls.
“What’s this all about?” he asked gruffly. He scanned the sign. “Is this some kind of childish joke?”
“Um,” Stevie thought fast, but for once her inventive mind failed her. She couldn’t think of a single thing to say to talk her way out of this one. “Um …”
“Well, if it’s a joke, I don’t find it very amusing,” the guard growled, crumpling up the sign and tossing it into the same trash can where Stevie had found the gum. “And I’ll tell you at least one other person who won’t think it’s funny—the person who’s going to have to scrape that gum off the directory, that’s who.”
“Oh,” Stevie said meekly, glancing at the pink smear the sign had left on the plastic. “Sorry about that.”
The guard shook his head. “I’m going to let you girls go with a warning—this time,” he said. “But just remember, if you’re old enough to come to the mall by yourselves, you’re old enough to stay out of trouble.”
“We’re very sorry,” Lisa spoke up, trying to sound more mature than she felt at that moment. “It won’t happen again, we promise.”
“It’d better not,” the guard said threateningly. He spun around and strode away without another word.
“Whew,” Stevie said, sinking down onto a nearby bench. “That was close.”
“You’re telling me,” said Lisa, white-faced.
“Sorry,” Stevie said contritely. She frowned. “It’s almost like Veronica got the best of us again, though, isn’t it?”
“No,” said Carole quickly. But she could tell it was too late.
“You know, I’m getting a little sick and tired of Veronica getting the best of me,” Stevie declared heatedly. “It’s about time she had a taste of her own medicine.”
Carole and Lisa exchanged worried glances. They had heard that kind of talk from Stevie before, and it almost always meant trouble.
“She didn’t exactly do anything to you just now, Stevie,” Lisa pointed out.
“That’s not the point,” Stevie grumbled. Before anyone could ask what was the point, she went on, “I’ve just got to think of some way to get back at her. Maybe something like tying all Danny’s leathers in knots.”
“No good,” Carole reminded her. “Veronica would just make Red untie them all.”
“Hmm. Good point,” Stevie said.
“Come on,” Lisa said, trying to change the subject. “We’d better get started on our shopping. The mall closes in less than two hours, and this could be our last chance to look for our Yankee Swap gifts.”
The girls headed back through the mall, glancing into stores on their way. Stevie was still muttering about Veronica, but the others did their best to ignore her, chatting instead about the day’s class.
“Let’s go in here,” Carole suggested, stopping in front of a novelty store. “They have all sorts of crazy things.”
They went inside. Stevie leaned against a rack full of stuffed animals while the others flipped through some posters. “I know,” she said suddenly. “What if I hid Danny’s saddle before class on Saturday? Then she wouldn’t be able to ride, and Max would yell at her.”
“Where exactly were you planning to hide it, Stevie?” Carole asked drily. “In your cubby?”
Stevie shrugged. “I could put it in the grain shed,” she said. “Nobody would think to look for it there.”
“I hate to say it, Stevie, but it’s hardly up to your usual standards,” Lisa said. “It almost sounds like something—well, like something Veronica might do to one of us.”
Stevie glared at her for a moment, but then her shoulders slumped and she sighed. “I guess you’re right,” she said. “This can’t be any ordinary prank. It has to be something super-dramatic—something new and original—a true Stevie Lake extravaganza.”
“Well, the only new and original thing I’d like to hear about right now is a new and original idea for a Yankee Swap gift,” Carole said, wandering over to a shelf of windup toys. “I don’t see anything in here.”
“Me neither,” Lisa said. “Let’s go.”
“I noticed a bookstore next door,” Merrill said. “Maybe you could find something there.”
“That’s not a bad idea,” Carole said thoughtfully. Maybe Joe would like a book on soccer. “Let’s check it out.”
They headed for the bookstore, with Stevie trailing distractedly behind the others. Once inside, Carole headed for the sports section, Merrill began paging through magazines, and Lisa stood indecisively in front of a table full of bargain books.
“So, are you still not telling who you picked?” Stevie asked her with a mischievous smile. “If you tell me, maybe I could help you find something. I’m good at that—right, Merrill?”
“I’ll never tell,” Lisa said, glad that Stevie seemed to be thinking about something other than Veronica.
It didn’t last long. “Well, maybe I’ll go back to the home improvement section,” Stevie said. “I might find a book that tells me how to rig it so the bathroom pipes at Pine Hollow empty into Veronica’s cubby.” She hurried away.
A few minutes later, the four girls reconvened at the front of the store. “Any luck?” Merrill asked the others.
Carole and Lisa shook their heads.
“Me neither,” Stevie said. “I thought I had it when one of those books started talking about setting mousetraps. I thought it would be nice if Veronica stuck her hand into her cubby and snap! But then the book said most of the traps you can buy aren’t strong enough for rats.”
Carole sighed. She knew Stevie was just kidding about the mousetrap idea—at least she certainly hoped she was—but she still wished her frien
d would think about something other than getting even. It was getting late, and none of them was having any luck finding a gift.
“Come on,” said Lisa, echoing Carole’s thoughts. “We’d better keep moving.”
They stepped out of the bookstore into the mall corridor and looked around. “Where to next?” Merrill asked.
Stevie was staring into space. “I wonder what Veronica would do if I switched Danny with Nero,” she mused. Nero was an old stable horse who had been at Pine Hollow longer than any of the others. “Better yet, I could swap Danny for a rabid bull. That would be great, especially if Veronica actually tried to ride it and …” Her voice trailed off and a funny look crossed her face.
“What is it, Stevie?” Lisa demanded. She and Carole had seen that look many times before. It meant that Stevie was up to something.
“Oh, nothing,” Stevie said quickly. “Um, I was just thinking that we haven’t gotten Merrill a birthday present yet. We should find her something special, just from The Saddle Club. You wouldn’t mind if we shopped without you for a while, would you, Merrill?”
“Oh, you don’t have to get me anything,” Merrill protested, blushing. “Really, it’s too much trouble.”
“Don’t be silly,” Carole said. “It’s no trouble at all.” She had the funniest feeling that there was more on Stevie’s mind than a gift for Merrill. But for some reason, it seemed that Stevie wanted Merrill out of the way for a while. “Why don’t you do a little window shopping?” she suggested. “After all, you’ve already found something for the Yankee Swap. We’ll meet you at the entrance in an hour.”
Merrill still looked embarrassed, but she reluctantly agreed. As The Saddle Club walked away down the mall, Lisa turned and saw Merrill heading back into the bookstore.
“Okay, Stevie, she’s gone,” she said. “Now what gives?”
Stevie smiled. “Only the perfect solution to Operation Keep Barq,” she announced.
Yankee Swap Page 7