by Suzanne Weyn
When they pulled into Wildwood Stables, Taylor spied Mrs. Mason’s car idling off to the side of the main building. Mrs. LeFleur drove up to the front and cut the engine. Without even a word of good-bye, Plum got out and headed toward her mother’s car and got in. When she was inside, she lowered her window. “Eric!” Plum shouted. “Hurry up. We’re giving you a lift home.”
“Give me one minute, okay?”
Taylor followed the sound of his voice and noticed a car belonging to Daphne’s father. Mr. Chang and Daphne stood on one side of the car with Eric. They were excitedly discussing something.
Taylor noticed an unfamiliar car parked at the corner of the main building. When she saw the passengers inside it, Taylor drew a sharp, alarmed breath.
“What is it?” Mrs. LeFleur asked.
“Mercedes’ mother is here,” Taylor said, pointing to a car parked next to the Changs’. “That must be a new car she’s bought since the other was wrecked in the accident.”
Mercedes sat in the front seat beside her mother. The two of them were engaged in a serious conversation. Taylor was worried. Had Mrs. Gonzalez somehow discovered that Mercedes was coming here? Mercedes was probably in big trouble right now. Was this the last time Taylor would ever see her here at Wildwood?
“Why do you find Mrs. Gonzalez’s appearance so upsetting?” Mrs. LeFleur asked as she came to a stop.
Taylor suddenly remembered that Mrs. LeFleur wasn’t aware that Mrs. Gonzalez had forbidden Mercedes to come to the ranch. Taylor quickly filled her in. “Oh, dear,” Mrs. LeFleur said as she got out of the trailer.
Taylor hurried after her as Mrs. LeFleur approached the group. “Hello, Mrs. Gonzalez,” Mrs. LeFleur greeted her. “How are you healing?” she asked with a nod at the foot-to-knee cast the woman wore below her skirt.
Mrs. Gonzalez was an elegant-looking woman with dark hair and a stylish way of dressing. Taylor didn’t particularly like her haughty demeanor and usually found her intimidating.
“I should be out of this cast in another few weeks,” Mrs. Gonzalez reported evenly. “I’ve brought the papers that Mrs. Ross said you needed, the ones for Montana Wind Dancer.” She stretched out her arm to offer the papers.
“Mrs. Ross said I need them?” Mrs. LeFleur inquired. “Whatever for?”
Mrs. Gonzalez looked confused. “She said she wants to start using Monty on the circuit, and she wants Mercedes to work with her, along with your son, Jim. Didn’t she tell you all this?”
Taylor swung around to look at Mercedes. One look at the girl’s beaming, radiant expression told Taylor that everything Mrs. Gonzalez had said was true.
“And you don’t mind Mercedes being here?” Mrs. LeFleur asked cautiously.
“Not anymore,” Mrs. Gonzalez said. “Mercedes called me from the horse show and asked me to meet her here. She just now admitted to me that she had been coming to Wildwood on the sneak. Don’t worry. She explained that you were unaware I had forbidden her to come.”
“I had no idea,” Mrs. LeFleur confirmed.
“I had to admit I’d been coming here,” Mercedes explained. “It was the only way I could talk to Mom about Monty.”
“And she’s grounded, by the way,” Mrs. Gonzalez added. “I don’t like her lying to me like that.”
“For how long?” Taylor dared to ask.
“Till I say so,” Mrs. Gonzalez replied as Mercedes stared humbly down at her shoes. “But I’m glad my daughter was finally honest with me. She told me how much this place means to her, how she thinks of it as the best place in the world.”
“It is,” Taylor agreed.
“I spoke with Mrs. Ross on the phone the other night, and she told me how she had seen Mercedes with Monty at the Ross River show last month and realized what a bond the two of them had,” Mrs. Gonzalez went on. “She wants to use Monty on the riding circuit and thinks Mercedes is just the girl to work with her. I couldn’t say no. I understand how much Mercedes loves Monty.”
“Then Plum isn’t going to buy him?” Taylor blurted, as she cast a quick glance over at Plum, relieved to see that Plum had once again closed her window.
Mercedes lowered her voice. “She wanted to but Mrs. Ross refused. She’s heard about Plum’s reputation with horses.”
Taylor recalled hearing that Ross River had refused to lease horses to Plum anymore after one of their horses had died under Plum’s harsh treatment. Taylor had to give Mrs. Ross or her barn manager credit for that decision.
“You will let Mercedes work with Monty here at the ranch, won’t you, Mrs. LeFleur?” Daphne said hopefully.
Everyone stared expectantly at Wildwood’s owner. “I hadn’t planned to,” Mrs. LeFleur told them. “My cousin Devon was here the other day to inquire about it.”
Taylor realized it was the first time Mrs. LeFleur had referred to Devon Ross by her first name, or even admitted that they were cousins. Did she detect a slight thaw in their icy feud?
“And what did you tell her?” Daphne asked.
“I was going to tell her no,” Mrs. LeFleur revealed.
Mercedes, Daphne, and Taylor all gasped at once.
Mrs. LeFleur smiled. “But look at you all! Mercedes wants it so much, and you both want it for her. How could I ever say no?”
Mercedes leaped in the air and ran to hug Mrs. LeFleur. Then she whirled around and wrapped her mother in a tight hug, as well. Taylor could see that there were tears of joy in her friend’s eyes. She was about to be reunited with her beloved Monty.
Approaching from behind them, Taylor came up alongside Eric. He had moved away from Daphne and her father and was now standing alone. Taylor reached out and gently touched his elbow to get his attention. “Don’t be angry,” she said. “I’m sorry I thought you had anything to do with stealing that stuff.”
“I didn’t. You have to believe me. I didn’t know.”
“I believe you,” Taylor said sincerely.
“I’ll call the police tonight and tell them what I know. That guy lied to me. I don’t owe him any loyalty.”
Nodding in agreement, Taylor smiled at Eric. He smiled back just as Plum came walking up. Ignoring Taylor, Plum pulled Eric toward Beverly Mason’s car for his ride home. Eric grinned at Taylor apologetically as he allowed himself to be dragged off.
With a last wave to him, Taylor went around to the back of the trailer and opened it. Boosting herself up, she went to Prince Albert. Taylor laid her forehead on the side of his neck and stroked his side. “You were wonderful today, boy,” she praised him. She took the third-place ribbon from the inside pocket of her denim jacket. “This is yours, too,” she told him. “It’s our third ribbon together. Who would have ever thought it?”
Prince Albert neighed and Taylor patted him. These wonderful things could only be happening here at Wildwood Stables — the best place in the world.
From Wildwood Stables #6: Taking the Leap
Pay attention to your diagonals,” Keith Hobbes reminded thirteen-year-old Taylor Henry as she cantered around the indoor ring at Ross River Ranch. The renowned riding instructor stood in the center of the ring with his arms folded, watching. He was dressed as always in a black T-shirt, tan breeches, and polished black tall boots. He pushed back his brimmed cap revealing tufts of white hair.
Taylor struggled to recall what Keith had taught her about diagonals. A confident rider in Western style, she was new to English riding.
What was it he’d taught her during their last session? Slowing to a trot, Taylor tried to remember.
When she was traveling clockwise in a ring, as she was at that moment, then the correct diagonal was the outside diagonal. This meant that her horse’s left front leg and her right back leg were both supposed to be forward at the same time.
Was she on the correct diagonal now? Taylor wasn’t sure.
Taylor stopped posting and sat into the saddle. She checked the shoulder of the mare she was riding. Serafina, a black quarter horse with a white blaze, belonged to Ross River Ranch. T
he horse’s shoulder was forward, which wasn’t what Taylor wanted.
To get onto the correct diagonal, Taylor would have to change position. But how?
Then she remembered what Keith had told her to do. To get her posting into the correct sit-rise-sit rhythm, she sat for an extra beat and then rose into the post as soon as Serafina’s shoulder went back.
“That’s it!” Keith encouraged her. “Good girl!”
Taylor beamed at her instructor, proud of earning his approval. She had so much respect for Keith, a retired United States Equestrian Federation judge, an A circuit competitor, and a former Olympic dressage team trainer. Winning these free lessons was one of the best things that had ever happened to her. On her own, she could never have afforded to train with him.
A lithe, willowy girl with silky long black hair entered the spectator area outside of the ring. Taylor, recognizing the girl immediately, waved and smiled.
Daphne Chang was the sixteen-year-old instructor over at Wildwood Stables. She boarded her gray speckled mare, Mandy, across the aisle from Taylor’s black quarter horse gelding, Prince Albert, and Pixie, the cream Shetland pony mare. Taylor had acquired Prince Albert and Pixie in a rescue and now worked for their board at the newly opened, rustic ranch.
Daphne returned Taylor’s wave, but she didn’t smile as Taylor would have expected her to. Taylor’s brow furrowed in worried confusion. What was wrong with Daphne?
“Okay, Taylor, that’s enough for today,” Keith called as he approached Daphne with a friendly smile. “Nice job.”
“Thanks!” Taylor hadn’t realized Daphne knew Keith but remembered that Daphne had boarded Mandy at Ross River before bring the barb-Arabian mix over to Wildwood. That was probably how she knew Keith.
Taylor slowed Serafina to a walk to let her cool down before bringing her back to be groomed by the ranch’s stable hands. These stables were so different from Wildwood, where all riders did their own grooming and tacking. Everything was luxurious at Ross River Ranch.
Trying not to be too obvious, Taylor cut her eyes over to where Daphne sat with Keith. They were in a deep discussion. Then they both stood and shook hands.
Keith left, exiting to the outside. Daphne stood and waited as Taylor approached, riding Serafina at a walk. “What was that about?” Taylor asked.
“Keith asked me to be his assistant,” Daphne revealed, not meeting Taylor’s eyes.
“That’s great!” Taylor cried. “That’s wonderful. Congratulations. There’s no one better than Keith. You’ll learn so much. Not that you need to.”
“Are you kidding?” Daphne replied. “I definitely have a lot to learn about training and instructing. To work with Keith Hobbes is the chance of a lifetime.”
“Is he going to pay you a lot?” Taylor asked.
“The pay is excellent, plus free board for Mandy.”
Taylor blinked, not quite understanding. “Board? But you already board her at Wildwood.”
“But this would be free, and it’s so much nicer here.”
“Are you saying you would leave Wildwood Stables?”
“It’s a great opportunity,” Daphne replied, a defensive note in her voice.
“But you’ll still give lessons at Wildwood, won’t you?” Taylor asked, growing concerned.
“I might not be able to,” Daphne replied, looking away.
SUZANNE WEYN lives in the heart of horse country, in a valley in New York State—which is perfect for her daughter, an avid horse rider, riding instructor, and competitor. Suzanne’s many books for teens include Reincarnation and Distant Waves. For more information about Suzanne and her novels, visit her online at www.suzanneweynbooks.com.
Copyright © 2010 by Suzanne Weyn.
All rights reserved. Published by Scholastic Inc.
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First printing, November 2010
Cover photo by Michael Frost
Cover background photo by Image Source Black/Jupiter images
Cover design by Yaffa Jaskoll
e-ISBN 978-0-545-79516-6
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