The thought made her feel a little better—until Kelsey’s whiny, demanding voice broke into her thoughts.
“What’s the deal, Carole?” she cried. “I can’t keep my stuff in here.”
“What are you talking about?” Carole asked.
Kelsey gestured at the rows of open-fronted square cubbyholes along one wall of the room. “You really expect me to keep my stuff in one of these—these holes in the wall? It wouldn’t begin to fit, for one thing. Besides, just anyone could walk in here and take it! That’s why I have a tack trunk. With a lock.”
“You have your own tack trunk?” Juliet asked, sounding impressed. “Where is it?”
“Out there. That stupid truck driver just dumped it in the entrance.” Kelsey rolled her eyes as she headed for the door. “Come on, I’ll show you.”
The three other girls hurried after her. Carole followed more slowly, wondering what had happened to Kelsey’s mother. Checking her watch, she saw that it was after eight. Good thing I called Stevie, she thought grimly. She and Phil are probably halfway through their meals by now. It’ll be a miracle if Ben and I make it over there in time for dessert.
When Carole stepped out into the entryway, Kelsey was kneeling in front of her tack trunk, opening it with a flourish as the other girls clustered around. In addition to the usual items of tack and various grooming tools, Kelsey seemed to have the better part of an upscale tack shop in her trunk. As the others looked on, she pulled out item after item, proudly displaying matching monogrammed boot and bridle bags, several pairs of expensive-looking leather show gloves, three different types of gel pads, and a magnetic browband, among other marginally useful items.
“What’s that?” May asked, pointing to a shiny metal item with a long black cord wrapped around it.
Kelsey picked it up. “It’s an electric bucket warmer,” she explained. “So like if you’re giving your horse a bath, you can just heat up the water right there in the stall.”
Carole rolled her eyes. Yeah, right, she thought. I’d be willing to bet that Kelsey has never bathed that horse in her life. She sighed and glanced at her watch again. Forget dessert, she thought. At this rate Ben and I will be lucky to get out of here by Easter!
An hour later, the door to the restaurant finally opened. Stevie glanced up from her tuna melt just in time to see Carole rush in, red-faced and breathless. Ben was right behind her, looking less flustered but slightly sheepish.
“Hey!” Stevie called to them. “Glad you two could make it.”
Phil glanced over his shoulder at the latecomers. “Yo,” he greeted them as they hurried toward the booth. “I was starting to think you guys were blowing us off completely.”
Stevie leaned over and punched him in the arm. Just then Carole skidded to a stop at the end of the table. “Sorry!” she panted breathlessly. “Really sorry. Came as soon as we could.”
“Relax,” Stevie advised her. “Take a breath. We can wait for your apologies.” She crossed her arms over her chest and grinned. “You should probably start by telling us what wonderful, forgiving friends we are.”
Carole leaned over, resting her hands on her knees and panting. “I know,” she said when she’d caught her breath. “We really are sorry. I know I said we’d be late when I called, but I had no idea we’d be this late. The new boarder was totally running us ragged.”
Stevie hid a smile, noting Carole’s automatic use of the word we. She’s definitely getting into this couple thing, she thought. Too cute!
“What new boarder?” Phil asked, reaching over and dipping a french fry into the blob of ketchup on Stevie’s plate. “I thought Max wasn’t taking any more horses in until the addition was finished.”
Carole shrugged and slid into the booth next to Phil. “Yeah, that’s what I thought, too,” she said. “But apparently he made an exception for this girl Kelsey.”
Noting the slight grimace that crossed Carole’s face when she said the new boarder’s name, Stevie leaned forward with interest. “Do tell,” she said. “What’s she like? How old? What about the horse? Details, guys, we want details!”
“Trust me, you don’t want to know.” Carole sighed dramatically. “This girl is a total pain. Her horse is nice, though.”
Stevie laughed. “Carole, have you ever met a horse you thought wasn’t nice?” She held up a hand. “Stop, don’t answer that. We already know.”
Carole grinned sheepishly as the two guys chuckled. “Okay. But anyway, the owner is definitely a piece of work. First of all, she turns up like forty minutes late. Then, as soon as she gets out of the car …”
Stevie listened as her friend went on to describe the entire evening, with help from Ben. But only about half of her attention was on the details of the new boarder, who sounded like a nightmare. The other half was occupied with watching Carole and Ben as they took turns telling the story. As usual, Ben didn’t have a whole lot to contribute. But whenever Carole glanced over at him for help—when she couldn’t remember a certain detail or when she couldn’t find quite the right word to describe something—Ben jumped right in.
It’s amazing, Stevie thought, resting her chin on one palm. I never would have expected it, but they really do fit together. And it’s not just the horse thing either. They’re, well, right for each other somehow. At least that’s how it’s looking right now. Maybe I was too hard on Ben before. If he’s this good with Carole, he definitely must have his good points. Like, major ones.
“… so anyway, she must’ve pulled fifty things out of that stupid trunk,” Carole went on. “Scattered them all over the entryway, too. At that point I was sure we were all still going to be there when Red and Denise showed up tomorrow morning for early feeds.” She glanced at Ben for support.
He nodded. “Lucky for us, Kelsey’s mother finally finished her phone calls.” He took a sip of water from the glass a waitress had just plunked down in front of him.
Carole and Ben placed their dinner orders, while Stevie and Phil ordered dessert. As the waitress hurried off toward the kitchen, Carole leaned back in the booth with a sigh. “Wow, I’m starved,” she said, with Ben nodding his agreement. “Moving Kelsey in was hard work.”
“Sounds like,” Phil said with a smile.
“Uh-huh,” Stevie added.
There was a moment of silence. Stevie cleared her throat, glancing around the table. Carole was sipping her water. Phil was tapping on the tabletop with the straw from his soda. Ben was staring at his napkin.
Yikes, Stevie thought. Awkward silence alert!
She searched her mind for something to say. But before she could speak up, Ben cleared his throat. “Er, Carole was great,” he blurted out. “Uh, I mean, she handled Kelsey really well.”
“Thanks,” Carole said, blushing. “But it didn’t feel that way. I wanted to strangle her the whole time.”
Wow! Stevie thought as Phil added some comment or other. Am I hallucinating or is Ben really trying here? For him, making small talk is probably just a step up from volunteering for exploratory brain surgery. But here he is, doing his best to be friendly. And it’s not like he ever cared about that sort of thing before. I doubt he even knew Phil’s name before tonight. She sneaked a peek at Carole, whose cheeks were still pink. And that means he’s making the effort for her. For Carole.
Tuning back in just in time to realize that silence was threatening again, Stevie decided it was her turn to jump in. If she had wanted to make this evening work before, for Carole’s sake, she wanted it doubly now. For Carole and for Ben.
“Okay, you guys,” she said with a grin. “Not to change the subject, but aren’t you going to ask me how things went at the cross-country course this afternoon?”
Carole gasped. “Oh, that’s right! Did you jump? How was it? Did Belle handle it okay?”
“She was great,” Phil declared. “Both of them. You should have seen Belle galloping over hill and dale like a racehorse. She loved it!”
“Definitely.” Stevie turned to Be
n with a smile. “What about you, Ben? Have you ever tried cross-country jumping?”
Ben looked a little startled at the question, but he nodded gamely. “I used to event a little,” he said. “Back in Pennsylvania. Before I moved here.”
Stevie blinked. “Really? That’s cool!” she exclaimed. “I had no idea.”
“Neither did I.” Carole looked surprised. She gazed at Ben curiously. “You never told me that.”
Ben shrugged, obviously embarrassed to be in the spotlight. “It was no big deal,” he mumbled. “The horse belonged to this barn where I worked for a while. I gave her some mileage. That’s all. We only went prelim.”
“Still, that’s amazing!” Stevie said. “Hey, maybe you can give me and Belle some pointers.”
“Sure.” Ben looked cautiously pleased. “Of course, Stevie. Anytime.”
“Great.” Stevie leaned back as the waitress reappeared, bearing a tray of food.
Definitely great, Stevie thought, smiling to herself. Yes, things are definitely looking amazing for Carole right now. And she deserves it—big-time!
FIVE
“I’ll see you tomorrow,” Carole said after she’d coasted to a stop at the curb in front of Ben’s house.
Ben smiled at her in the darkened car. “See you,” he murmured, unfastening his seat belt and then leaning over to kiss her.
Carole closed her eyes as their lips met. Then she opened them to watch him climb out of the car and hurry up the cracked asphalt walk to the small single-story home he shared with his grandfather and young niece. She sighed, feeling a pang of something—sadness, maybe, for the way Ben had to live. She could hardly stand the thought that he would be walking into that dark, lonely-looking house, while she herself was heading to a quiet but loving home and a father who always left a light on for her when she was out late. Knowing that Ben would hate any hint of pity, Carole squelched the feeling and put the car into gear.
Besides, she reminded herself, it’s not as if my life has always been perfect. A wave of sadness washed through her as she remembered her mother, who had died of cancer years earlier. What would her own life have been like if her mother had lived? Would Ben still be her first real boyfriend? Would she and her father be as close as they were now? Would she be a different kind of person?
She shook her head, realizing she would never know. Life didn’t work that way.
We only get one chance, one path to follow, she thought. And if one person leaves our life, it can make everything totally different. Of course, one person entering can change things, too.…
Carole shivered slightly, smiling as her thoughts slipped back to Ben. With her eyes barely focused on the road ahead, she thought about how much being with Ben had changed her outlook on life already, after just a little more than three weeks together. It was hard to believe that only a couple of months earlier she was wondering if she could even really call him a friend. And a month ago she’d been dating another guy, certain that she was in love with him.
But none of that matters now, she thought. Except that it was what it took to lead me here. Sure, maybe if I’d been more decisive or confident or whatever, Ben and I might have gotten together sooner. Maybe we would be celebrating our six-month anniversary next week instead of our one-month. But who cares? The only important thing is that we’re together now.
Noticing that the turnoff for Pine Hollow was coming up, Carole impulsively hit her turn signal. It wouldn’t hurt to stop in and check on the new horse. As much as she already disliked Flame’s owner, she certainly wasn’t going to hold it against the long-suffering gelding.
Poor thing, she thought. I can’t imagine a worse fate for any horse than ending up with an owner like that. At least he’s here at Pine Hollow now. We’ll all be watching out for him, making sure she treats him right.
As she pulled up the drive, she glanced across the quiet stable yard to the parking area. Along with the stable station wagon and truck and a couple of horse trailers, the only vehicle parked there at the moment was a familiar white hatchback.
Hmmm, looks like Maureen’s working late, Carole thought. Glancing at the dashboard clock, she felt a stab of worry. I hope nothing’s wrong.
Before she could really start to panic, Carole looked around and comforted herself with the fact that the vet’s truck was nowhere in sight. The stable itself was dark except for the usual nighttime spotlights. And a quick glance up the hill behind the main building confirmed that Max’s house was dark as well. If something terrible was happening—colic, perhaps, or some other emergency health problem—there would be other signs.
Besides, Maureen said something about staying late to do paperwork, Carole reminded herself. I just had no idea she meant this late. I didn’t think she was that dedicated.
Mentally smacking herself for the uncharitable thought, Carole checked the clock again, calculating how much time she could spend at the stable and still make her curfew. As she lifted her eyes again to look for the turn into the parking area, she caught a glimpse of something off to her right, just beyond the main schooling ring and past the circular yellow glow cast by the nighttime spotlight.
Feeling her heart constrict in terror, Carole slammed on the brakes and turned her head to stare in that direction. There it was again—a small, orange-red spark, bright against the dark nighttime shadows.
The welders, she thought with horror. That’s right about where those workers were welding those pipes earlier today. Could a spark have taken hold in the grass somewhere? Smoldered there all evening, just waiting for a stray breeze to carry it toward the hayloft?
Even as she felt panic rising—Should she rush over and try to put it out? Or was it better to use her cell phone to call the fire department first?—Carole saw a second bright fiery point appear close to the first. Then the two points moved—but not in a way that made any sense.
Wait a minute, Carole thought. Am I going crazy, or did that one just swirl around in a circle? There’s something very familiar about this.…
Even as she thought it, a pair of figures stepped forward into the edge of the spotlight. One of them was Maureen. The other was a young man, a stranger to Carole, dressed in faded jeans and a leather jacket. Both the young man and Maureen were holding cigarettes.
Whew! Carole had been gripping the steering wheel so tightly that its plastic pattern left marks on her palms when she let go. Cigarette tips. That’s all it is. Not stray sparks. Not a fire. Just cigarettes.
Her relief was strong but short-lived. What was Maureen up to, anyway? As far as Carole knew, Max had never approved smoking so close to the stable building, especially in the grassy area where Maureen was standing. He might be more tolerant than Carole herself would be—after all, he allowed Maureen to smoke on his property—but he was no fool. He knew the risks of allowing any kind of fire too close to the stable, the very real risks of inadvertently sparking any stable owner’s worst nightmare. Carole frowned, watching as Maureen leaned against the ring fence and held out her hands to her companion.
Carole noticed that the young man was holding a beer can as well as his cigarette. Taking a swig, he stepped forward and wrapped his arms around Maureen, who tipped her head up to meet his kiss.
Shuddering and turning away, Carole wondered what to do. Should I go over and say something to Maureen? she thought nervously. Somehow the idea of marching through the cold lonely night and single-handedly facing down the tough, outspoken stable hand—not to mention her seedy-looking boyfriend—didn’t appeal to her.
Quickly putting her car in reverse, Carole backed down the drive. Luckily Maureen and her friend were so wrapped up in each other that they didn’t seem to have noticed her at all. Soon Carole was back on the road, heading home over the quiet country roads.
But her mind was anything but quiet. Should she have done something different back there? What if something happened? She thought about calling Max when she got home. Surely he would want to know what was going on, wouldn’t he?
I don’t know, Carole thought desperately. I really don’t know. Obviously he trusts Maureen or he wouldn’t have hired her. Would he really want me to wake him up in the middle of the night just to tell him that Maureen’s biker boyfriend stopped by to see her at work?
Remembering that Max probably wasn’t even home—he and Deborah were likely still at their awards banquet in D.C.—didn’t make Carole feel any better. She could tell him what she’d seen the next day. But should she? Was it really any of her business? Or was she overreacting, letting her general dislike of smoking make her assume the worst anytime Maureen lit up? Or worse, looking for danger where there wasn’t any, just because she wasn’t crazy about Maureen? After all, whatever she or anyone else thought of Maureen’s somewhat abrasive personality, everyone agreed that she was great with the horses. And someone who cared about horses wouldn’t knowingly endanger them, would she?
Carole bit her lip, staring at the road ahead. She was already wishing she hadn’t stopped by the stable at all that night. Then she wouldn’t have had to worry about what to do.
Scott looked at the clock on the dashboard of his car as he turned into their neighborhood. “It’s not that late,” he said. “Want to hang out at my house for a while? Mom and Dad are at a fund-raiser tonight, so Callie’s home alone. I’m sure she’d love to see you.”
“Sure,” Lisa said, glancing at her watch. Her mother wasn’t expecting her home for at least an hour. Ever since she’d been dating Scott, Mrs. Atwood had been all too happy to extend her curfew. “I haven’t seen much of Callie lately. I’ve been wondering how her training is going.”
When they entered the house they found Callie curled up on the couch in the family room reading a magazine. She smiled. “Hi. How was the movie?”
“Okay,” Scott said.
Lisa made a face. “Don’t lie to your sister,” she ordered him with a grin. “It was absolutely awful. The only reason we stayed was because we were right in the middle of the row and we would’ve had to climb over people to escape.”
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