“Really?” Carole said. “Let’s hear it.”
“Well, as I see it, the main problem is showing Merrill that she can ride and jump just as well on other horses as she can on Barq,” Stevie said. “That way she’ll see that he’s not some kind of magic horse, and she’ll want to shop around a little before she decides to buy.”
“Sure,” Carole said. “We all know that. The problem is that Merrill doesn’t. She has no interest in trying other horses.”
“Right. And like I said before, once Merrill has made up her mind, it’s almost impossible to talk her into changing it,” Lisa said.
Stevie was still smiling. “Right. So the solution is not to talk her into anything,” she said. “And that’s where my great idea comes in.…” Leaning forward, she began outlining her plan to Carole and Lisa.
A few minutes later, The Saddle Club was strolling down the mall again discussing Stevie’s idea.
“I think it’s our only hope at this point,” said Lisa. “And it just might work.”
“Might?” Stevie repeated, pretending to be hurt.
Carole laughed. “It’s unanimous,” she said. “Stevie, you make the calls tonight, and we’ll try it tomorrow after school. I’ll get there a little early and clear it with Max. Lisa, all you have to do is show up with Merrill.”
“Got it,” said Lisa. “All right, now that that’s settled, we still have some shopping to do, and quick.” She paused. “And I’m reconsidering what I said about not telling who I picked. I vote that we all tell each other. That way this shopping project can become a Saddle Club project, and maybe we’ll actually get it done tonight.”
“Agreed,” said Carole. “I picked Joe Novick.”
Lisa sighed. “You’re lucky you got someone normal,” she said ruefully. “I got Simon Atherton.” She glanced at Stevie out of the corner of her eye, expecting her to laugh. But Stevie just looked glum.
“Who do you have, Stevie?” Carole asked.
“Vrmhmma,” Stevie mumbled.
“What?” Lisa said. “Speak up. Who do you have?”
“I said, I have Veronica,” Stevie snapped. “Just go ahead and laugh, okay?”
Carole and Lisa did. “Of all the people for you to have picked!” Carole exclaimed.
“Ha, ha,” Stevie said sarcastically. “Now stop your giggling and help me think of what to do.”
“That could take some thought,” Lisa said, still chuckling. “But I do have some ideas for Joe, Carole. Isn’t he a big soccer fan?”
Carole nodded. “I thought about getting him a soccer book, but the only one they had was a big expensive photo book.”
“Well, there’s just one solution,” Lisa said sensibly. “Let’s try the sporting goods store.”
Moments later The Saddle Club emerged from the sporting goods store. Carole was clutching a bag that contained a World Cup soccer T-shirt. “It’s perfect,” she said happily. “Now let’s work on Simon. What do you think he would want?”
Lisa shrugged. “I don’t know,” she said. “I really don’t know much about what he likes to do outside of Pine Hollow.”
“I don’t either,” Carole admitted. She smiled. “I’m not even sure what he likes to do at Pine Hollow, other than bumble around and make a fool of himself.”
“That’s it!” Stevie exclaimed. “I know what you can get him. Remember the other day when he stumbled over, looking for a currycomb because his sister’s cat chewed on his?”
“You think I should get him a new currycomb?” Lisa asked. She shrugged. “It’s not very exciting, but I guess it could work.”
“Not just a new currycomb,” Stevie corrected with a grin. “You should get him a new currycomb and a cat’s chew toy!”
Carole burst out laughing. “It’s perfect!” she said.
Lisa agreed. “And the best part is, it’s personal without being too personal—if you know what I mean.”
The others did. They headed for the tack shop, The Saddlery, to purchase a currycomb. While Lisa was picking one out, Carole and Stevie wandered around the store, looking at the merchandise.
“Don’t forget, we still have to get something for Merrill, too,” Stevie said. “Maybe we can find her something in here.”
“I was thinking the same thing, actually,” Carole said. “Even if we can convince her not to take Barq, she’s going to have a horse of her own soon enough. We could get her something she’ll need. Since this is her family’s first horse, they won’t have anything.”
“Well, we can’t afford anything like a saddle or bridle, even if we all chip in,” Stevie said. “And grooming tools are okay for Simon, but they’re a little boring as a birthday gift. What else will she need?”
They thought for a minute, still walking around the shop. Carole stopped in front of a stack of stable blankets.
“Of course,” she said, calling Stevie over. “Merrill lives way up north in Maine. Her horse is going to need to keep warm, right?”
“Right,” Stevie said, reaching forward to finger the soft wool. “It’s the perfect gift.” She checked the price and groaned. “Well, who needs an allowance anyway?”
Carole laughed. “It will be worth it,” she said. “I’m sure Merrill will love it. It’s just too bad we don’t know her horse’s name—otherwise we could have it monogrammed.”
“Why don’t we monogram it with her initials?” Stevie suggested. “Then later she can add her horse’s name herself if she wants to.”
“Sounds good,” Carole said.
“What does?” Lisa asked, walking over from the cash register holding a bag.
“We’ve found the perfect gift for Merrill,” Stevie said. She showed Lisa the blankets. “Do you know what her favorite color is?”
“Blue,” Lisa said. She smiled. “What a great idea. She’ll love it. And I’m sure my parents will chip in on the cost.”
“Oh, good,” Stevie said with relief. She had been in the process of figuring out how many more weeks she would have to borrow ice cream money from Red to pay for her share of the blanket.
The girls picked out a blue blanket and carried it to the counter. They asked the cashier about monogramming and learned that it could be sent out and done overnight.
“I’m sure my mother can stop by tomorrow and pick it up for us,” Lisa said. “Do we have to pay now, or can we pay when we pick it up?”
“You need to put down a deposit now,” the cashier said. “Twenty percent.”
Digging deep into their pockets, the girls managed to come up with the necessary amount. Stevie was left with just five dollars.
“I don’t really want to spend any more than that on Veronica anyway,” she said. “This is a much better cause.”
The girls thanked the cashier and left the store.
“Now to Pretty Puppy for the second part of Simon’s gift,” Lisa said. They headed for the pet store across the aisle and found a whole shelf full of cat toys.
“There, that’s settled,” Carole said, once Lisa had paid for the squeaky rubber mouse she had picked out. “The only one left to buy for is Veronica.”
“Let’s not and say we did,” Stevie muttered. “I still have no idea what to get her.”
“Well, let’s start at her favorite store,” Lisa suggested. “Isn’t she always bragging about shopping at Maxwell’s?” Maxwell’s was a small, exclusive boutique.
As the girls headed toward it, Stevie was still grumbling. “I’d much rather try to figure out ways to make Veronica miserable than what gifts to buy her to make her happy,” she said.
“Well, there’s no way around it,” Carole said. “You’ve got to get her something, or the Yankee Swap won’t work. So concentrate on that and worry about revenge later.”
Suddenly Stevie stopped short. “I’ve got it!” she exclaimed triumphantly.
“What?” asked Lisa. “A gift for Veronica?”
“Yup,” Stevie said smugly. “But it’s a surprise.”
“Hey, no fair,�
� Carole protested.
“Yeah, you already know what we’re getting for our people,” said Lisa. “You’ve got to tell us what you’re getting Veronica.”
Stevie shook her head. “It will be better if it’s a surprise to everyone,” she said. She gave her friends a pleading look. “Come on, guys. Please?”
Carole and Lisa sighed. “Oh, all right,” Lisa said grumpily. “If you’re going to be that way about it.”
“Let’s go find Merrill,” Carole added. “We’re obviously not needed here.”
“Thanks, guys,” Stevie called after her friends as they stalked away. She grinned. She could tell they were a little annoyed, but she was sure they’d get over it—especially when they saw her handiwork on Saturday. Whistling softly to herself, Stevie continued down the mall toward Maxwell’s.
“ALL THIS JUMPING has been exciting, but I must admit, it will be nice to go on a plain old trail ride for a change,” Merrill said to Lisa. It was Friday afternoon, and the girls had just arrived at Pine Hollow.
“I know what you mean,” Lisa said, hoisting Prancer’s saddle off its rack. “I can’t wait to ride Prancer again. I feel like it’s been a year instead of just a week.”
They headed out into the aisle and parted ways to go tack up their horses. On her way to Prancer’s stall, Lisa passed Carole coming out of Starlight’s stall.
“Oh, there you are,” Carole exclaimed. “We thought you’d never get here. Where’s Merrill?”
“Tacking up her dream horse,” said Lisa grimly. “I hope this plan works.”
“You’re not having doubts now, are you?” Carole asked.
“A few,” Lisa admitted. “Isn’t it possible we could make things worse instead of better?”
Carole shrugged. “I guess it’s a risk,” she said. “But what choice do we have?”
“You sound like Stevie,” Lisa said with a small smile.
“Well, this is her plan,” Carole said. “Don’t worry, Lisa. Would Max let us do this if he thought it was a bad idea?”
“I guess not,” Lisa said. “How much did you tell him, anyway?”
Carole paused. “Just that we were going to take Merrill on a trail ride and, um, encourage her to try out some other horses,” she admitted, biting her lip. It wasn’t quite the whole truth, and she didn’t like lying to Max, even by omission. “He didn’t seem worried at all.”
“That’s all right,” Lisa said. “I guess I can do enough worrying for all of us.”
Carole nodded. “Me too. I’ll see you out front in a few minutes.”
Lisa went into Prancer’s stall and greeted the pretty Thoroughbred mare fondly. “I’ve missed you, girl,” she whispered, some of her tension melting away as Prancer nuzzled her. “Come on. We’re going on a trail ride.”
When Lisa led Prancer out to the stable yard, Carole and Merrill were already waiting with their horses. “Where’s Stevie?” asked Lisa.
“She’s out back helping our, uh, guests unload their horses,” Carole replied.
Merrill looked surprised. “Guests? What do you mean?”
“Oh, didn’t Lisa mention it to you?” Carole asked, pretending to be surprised. “Stevie hasn’t seen her boyfriend Phil in a couple of weeks, so she invited him to ride with us today. His friend A.J. is here, too.”
“Oh.” Merrill looked a little nervous. “I didn’t realize boys would be riding with us.”
“Don’t worry,” Lisa advised. “They’re not really like boys. They’re just Phil and A.J.” Lisa had forgotten how nervous Merrill could be around boys. She hoped it wouldn’t interfere with the plan.
“Hi, everyone,” Phil said, coming around the corner of the building at that moment. He was leading his horse, Teddy, a handsome bay gelding.
“Everybody ready to ride?” added A.J., who was right behind Phil. A.J., a good-natured red-haired boy, was leading his pretty gray mare, Crystal.
Carole and Lisa greeted the boys and introduced Merrill. A moment later Stevie appeared with Belle in tow. “What are we waiting for?” she demanded immediately. “Let’s hit the trail!” She sounded confident, but Carole noticed that Stevie kept her hand on the good-luck horseshoe hanging in the doorway a few seconds longer than she usually did. Carole didn’t blame her. They were going to need all the luck they could get.
They rode out of the stable yard with Stevie in the lead. She headed across the pasture just beyond the outdoor ring. A few jumps were set up in the middle of it.
“Hey, look at that,” Stevie called back to the others, pulling Belle to a halt. “That must be the course for our last class tomorrow. Max said something about doing some cross-country jumping.”
“Must be,” Lisa said, nodding.
“Well, let’s head for the woods,” Stevie said.
“Sounds good. We’ll follow you,” Carole agreed quickly.
“Hey, that gives me a terrific idea!” Stevie exclaimed. “If you really want to follow me, how about a game of follow the leader?”
“Great idea!” Phil said loudly.
“You mean on horseback?” Merrill asked dubiously.
Lisa nodded enthusiastically. “We play it all the time,” she lied. “It’s lots of fun. Actually it’s more like ‘Stevie says’ than follow the leader—she calls out orders as we ride and we have to do whatever she tells us to.”
Merrill still looked a little uncertain about the whole idea, but before she could say another word Stevie yelled out her first order. “All right, everyone: Trot single file behind me.”
With that, she rode through an intricate series of figure eights. The others followed, occasionally becoming confused when they crossed paths and got in each other’s way, but laughing all the time.
“Now for a more challenging move,” Stevie announced. “Everybody walk. No stirrups!”
For a few more minutes, Stevie led everyone through different moves and gaits. She even led them over a couple of the jumps. Then she brought Belle to a stop and slid off her back.
“Now it’s time for some real fun,” she said. “Dismount and form a circle.” In a matter of seconds, the riders had their horses arranged in a slightly lopsided circle. “Everyone switch horses with the person to their right!” She glanced over at Merrill, who was to her left. “That means Belle is all yours for this round, Merrill.”
Merrill looked decidedly nervous. “I don’t know about this—”
But before she could finish her protest, Phil had stepped over and grabbed Barq’s reins from her. “He’s all mine now,” he said with a grin, swinging up into the saddle.
Merrill bit her lip and opened her mouth as if to say something. Then she snapped it shut again and stepped over to Belle. Giving the mare a slightly nervous pat, she put one foot in the stirrup and mounted.
As she reached for Starlight’s reins, Lisa whispered to Carole, “I think it’s lucky that Merrill is kind of intimidated by strange boys. My guess is she didn’t want to argue with Phil about making the switch.”
Once everyone was mounted on their new horses, Stevie urged Crystal into a trot. “Pay attention,” she called. “It’s time to have some fun!”
Carole, who was now riding Teddy, kept a close eye on Merrill as the group followed Stevie through another set of paces. The other girl’s shoulders looked a little tense for the first few minutes, but then she seemed to relax as Belle pranced her way through the moves. Carole breathed a sigh of relief. She hadn’t wanted to think about what would have happened if Merrill had flatly refused to go along with this. She hoped things would continue to go smoothly.
“Okay, pay attention,” Stevie said, turning Crystal around to face the others, who quickly formed another circle. “It’s time for another switch. This time trade horses with the person directly across from you.”
“That’s you and me, Merrill,” Lisa called, sliding off Starlight’s back and leading him over to Belle. “Have fun with Starlight. He’s a dreamboat.”
Before Merrill could say a word, Lisa sna
tched Belle’s reins and quickly mounted. Merrill was left staring up at Starlight, who stared back down at her calmly. With a sigh, she swung into his saddle.
“Riders up,” Stevie yelled. “Follow me.”
After a few minutes of simple moves, Stevie glanced back over her shoulder. “Okay, now spread out,” she ordered. “We’re going to jump.” She urged Teddy into a slow canter and headed for the first fence.
Lisa glanced at Merrill, whose face had turned white. She knew that this was the true test. Would Merrill refuse to jump on a strange horse? Worse yet, what would happen if she tried to jump and did badly?
Lisa held her breath as Carole jumped the fence after Stevie. It was Merrill’s turn. For a moment, Merrill looked indecisive, and Lisa was sure she was going to refuse to make the jump. But, luckily, Starlight’s youth and equine nature—to say nothing of his love of jumping—took over. Without any urging from his rider, he broke into a canter and headed for the fence. Merrill didn’t encourage him, but she didn’t try to stop him, either, and before Lisa knew it, Starlight had cleared the fence easily. Lisa felt like cheering. She took her turn over the fence and trotted over to join Merrill, who still looked a little anxious. “Hey, you looked great going over that fence,” Lisa said encouragingly. “I guess all the work we’ve been doing in the jumping clinic is really paying off.”
“I guess,” Merrill replied. “But I hope Stevie doesn’t make us jump anymore.”
Lisa bit her lip. Apparently Merrill wasn’t won over to the joys of jumping on other horses yet. “How do you like Starlight?” she asked.
Merrill looked surprised, as if the question hadn’t even occurred to her. “Oh!” she said. “Actually, he’s great. His gaits are really smooth.”
“Okay, everyone, pay attention!” Stevie called at that moment. “Time to swap again!”
This time, Merrill ended up riding Crystal, A.J.’s gray mare. Stevie didn’t wait as long before leading the group to the jumps. And this time Merrill looked less nervous about jumping. Crystal, who was very well trained, cleared every fence like a pro.
At the next switch, Merrill got Teddy. This time, when Stevie headed for the jumps, Merrill seemed almost relaxed. In fact, she seemed to be enjoying riding Teddy a lot. Stevie noticed and made this round a long one.
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