“Can you lower me any farther in?” she called back to her friends.
“I don’t think so,” Stevie shouted back. “We’re having trouble hanging on as it is.”
Lisa made one more reach, but she could already tell it was hopeless. “Pull me back,” she said.
Soon she was resting on the messy floor of the neighboring stall. “I’m sorry,” she gasped, rubbing her legs to restore circulation. “I just couldn’t reach. But there’s plenty of room back there in the corner. One of us could easily jump down there.”
“Getting in isn’t the problem,” Carole pointed out. “It’s getting out that’s the hard part.”
The others thought about that for a second. They all knew that in his present state, Magoo was likely to lash out at whomever he could reach. And once the beam was out of the way, that would be an immediate and deadly problem for anyone anywhere in the stall.
“Well,” Lisa said at last, “we’ve got to try. I’ll go in. Maybe if I can touch him, I can calm him down a little before I move the beam.” She still couldn’t bear to give up on the unfortunate horse. “And if not, maybe I can spring up to the top of the wall before he realizes he’s free. Then you guys can drag me over.”
“Are you sure you want to try this?” Carole asked uncertainly. It sounded awfully risky to her. Magoo didn’t seem likely to calm down anytime soon. Still, she knew that Lisa was quite athletic. Maybe she could get out in time.
Lisa nodded firmly. There was a halter poking out of Carole’s coat pocket, and Lisa grabbed it. “I’ll take this in with me,” she said. “Maybe I can get it on him. It might help me calm him down.”
She tucked the halter in her own pocket and put her hands on the wall again. “Give me a boost,” she said. “There’s no time to lose.”
The others knew how true that was. Once again, they hoisted Lisa up the broken wall. This time, they let go of her feet once she was up. She balanced again at the top for a second, like a gymnast on a bar. Then she swung her legs over the wall and dropped out of sight.
She landed lightly in the straw. Magoo heard and felt her landing and jerked his head in surprise. He let out a few more piercing cries.
“Don’t worry, boy,” Lisa said. “I’m here to help.” She bent to examine the beam. It looked larger and more solid up close, but Lisa was pretty sure she could move it.
She scooted a little nearer to the horse. Soon she was close enough to reach out and touch his broad, sweaty back.
“It’s okay, Magoo,” she crooned. “Don’t be so upset. You’ve got to stop kicking.”
The horse jumped again at her first touch. But once again, his ears were pricked back in Lisa’s direction, and he seemed to be listening to her.
Magoo’s ears swiveled around to the front again when Carole’s voice came from the stall doorway. “Is everybody okay in there?”
“Fine,” Lisa called. “Magoo and I are just making friends. I’m going to try to get the halter on him now.”
A few tense moments followed. Lisa had to lean forward over the horse’s neck to get the halter on, putting her hands within reach of his big teeth. She prayed that Elaine was right in saying that the gelding didn’t bite.
He didn’t. He shook his head for a while, but eventually he held still long enough for Lisa to slip the halter on him and buckle it closed. She had already attached a lead line, which she drew back over his withers where she could reach the end when necessary. The horse actually seemed to calm down a bit when the halter was on. His legs slowed in their incessant pumping, and he snorted.
“I’ve got it,” Lisa called to her friends. “I’m going to try to move the beam now.”
She put both arms around the thick piece of wood and lifted. It was heavier than she had thought, but she managed to dislodge it from the corner and raise it an inch or two.
“He’s thrashing harder again,” Carole reported.
Stevie’s head popped over the top of the broken-off wall. She had chinned herself up to see what was happening. “Can you lift it?” she asked.
Lisa couldn’t spare the energy to look up. She gritted her teeth and did her best to hold on to the beam. If she dropped it now, it would most likely land squarely on Magoo’s side. “Barely,” she gasped.
Out of the corner of her eye, she could see that Carole was right. The horse was jerking around excitedly on the floor. If Lisa lifted the beam another few inches, he would be able to roll over, and that could be very bad news for both of them. Lisa could see now that the timing wasn’t going to work. By the time she had moved the beam far enough to the side, the horse would certainly have rolled over and started kicking.
Lisa carefully lowered the beam, praying that it would take hold again in the corner instead of falling on the horse. It did.
“I don’t think this is going to work,” she said. She felt tears welling up in her eyes. After all their efforts, would they have to give up? If only Magoo could understand that his fear was sealing his doom! If he were calmer, the girls could do it. The vet’s tranquilizing shot would have done the trick. But the vet wasn’t there.
Carole was peering into the stall. “He still looks pretty agitated,” she said. “Maybe you should just get out of there.”
Lisa gulped. “I feel like crying,” she admitted to her friends, wiping the sweat off her forehead with the back of her hand. She did her best to crack a smile. “But I’m afraid if I do, my eyeballs will freeze solid.”
“It is getting awfully cold in here,” Carole said, staring at Magoo, who was covered with sweat.
Lisa could guess what her friend was thinking. If something didn’t happen soon, Magoo would be in danger of dying from exposure.
Stevie had chinned herself up on the wall again. “Hey, it could be worse,” she said. “It could be snowing.” She jerked a thumb at the gaping hole in the roof above them. Unfortunately, the motion made her lose her balance, and she dropped out of sight again with a thump.
Lisa sighed. She knew that Stevie was just trying to lighten the mood with a joke, but it wasn’t working. “Who knows?” she said. “At this point I think I’d welcome a little snow. Maybe we could pack Magoo’s legs in it so that he couldn’t try to kill us while we’re trying to save him.”
“Good point,” Carole said. “Let it snow!”
At that, despite the grimness of the situation, Stevie and Lisa couldn’t resist. They both started humming the tune of “Let It Snow.”
For a second, Lisa felt guilty about doing something as silly as humming during such a dire moment. But she figured a little music might calm her down and help her think of a new plan. She broke out singing on the first chorus, and Stevie joined in.
Carole looked a little surprised at first. Lisa could tell she didn’t quite approve. But she and Stevie kept singing. And suddenly, Carole’s expression changed.
“Don’t look now, guys,” she said, “but I think Magoo likes this song!”
Lisa looked down at the horse. His legs were still moving, but they were waving more slowly now. His ears were pricked in her direction.
Lisa’s eyes widened. She thought Carole was right. She didn’t dare say so, though, because she didn’t dare stop singing. Stevie was back on top of the wall again, but she was singing, too. And on the next verse, Carole joined in.
When the girls ran out of words to the first song, Stevie called out, “Okay, now let’s do ‘On Top of Old Smoky’!” The others followed her lead as she started to sing.
But Magoo didn’t seem to approve. As soon as the girls started the new song, he tossed his head and started kicking harder again.
“Uh-oh,” Carole said. “Maybe we should go back to ‘Let It Snow.’ ”
Stevie stopped singing, too. “Maybe,” she agreed. She paused, and a thoughtful look crossed her face. “Or maybe Magoo is just in the holiday spirit. Let’s try another Christmas song.”
Lisa rolled her eyes. “Come on, Stevie,” she said. “We don’t have time to experiment. Let�
��s just stick with what we know works.”
Stevie ignored her. She launched into “Jingle Bells,” and the other two girls shrugged and joined in. Going along with Stevie’s wild ideas was almost always easier than trying to resist them.
By the time they reached the second chorus, Magoo’s legs were still. Only his ears were active, flicking around to try to listen to all three girls at once.
“I don’t believe it,” Carole said as she paused for breath before the chorus. “Stevie was right. Magoo is a real holiday horse!”
Stevie stopped singing as Carole started again. “I wonder if he only likes Christmas songs,” she mused. “Maybe we should try ‘Here Comes Peter Cottontail.’ ”
Both Carole and Lisa turned to give her a murderous glare. This time Stevie gave in meekly. She started singing “Jingle Bells” again at the top of her lungs.
Without speaking further, the girls knew what to do. Carole crept forward a short distance into the stall, still singing. Magoo watched her warily, but he kept still. Lisa leaned forward over his withers and tossed Carole the lead line. Carole caught it and scooted back out of harm’s way, just as Stevie switched to “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer.”
Lisa grasped the beam again. Her arms and shoulders were already aching, but she gathered her strength for one more round. Lifting slowly and carefully, she moved the beam up an inch, then two inches, then six inches. Meanwhile, Carole was tugging gently on the lead line. Now that Magoo was calmer, Lisa hoped that Carole could keep him from flipping over. She wished she could cross her fingers, but they were busy. And her toes were almost frozen in her boots. She concentrated harder.
It didn’t take long for the horse to realize that he was finally free. He let out a few loud snorts, and his eyes started to roll as he wiggled against the floor. Carole started to sing even more loudly, and he flicked his ears toward her.
Lisa lifted the beam as high as she could to give the horse room to rise. As he scrambled to his feet, she dropped the beam beyond his hindquarters, then scurried for the side wall. Before Magoo had all four feet under him, Lisa was safe on the other side of the wall.
Carole kept a wary eye on the horse as he tossed his head. He seemed to be surprised to be on his feet again. He was still nervous, but the worst of his panic seemed to have passed. Still, by mutual though unspoken agreement, the girls kept singing until they had led him safely through the rubble, down the aisle, and out the door—right past an astonished-looking Elaine.
A FEW MINUTES later, the entire Hedgerow herd was on the move. Heeding Elaine’s advice, Carole and Starlight were leading Magoo, who seemed too exhausted to cause much trouble. Most of the rest of the horses seemed happy enough to go along the wooded path. The girls had used the tail hitch method to tie one nervous two-year-old colt to the tail of the calm, steady Appaloosa mare that Carole had rescued.
Carole was at the front of the pack this time. Stevie, carrying Maxi, brought up the rear. Lisa kept Topside somewhere in the middle, urging along reluctant horses and soothing panicky ones.
And the whole way, the girls kept up a steady stream of festive holiday carols. Why mess with success?
Before they were halfway home, Lisa kept having to interrupt her singing to yawn. She couldn’t remember the last time she had been so exhausted. And there was more work ahead. The horses would have to be groomed, checked and treated for injuries, and bedded down at Pine Hollow.
But that was okay. It would all be worth it. They had saved all the endangered horses—even Magoo.
As Carole launched into a rousing rendition of “Frosty the Snowman,” Lisa yawned again and glanced at her watch. She was surprised to see that it was after one o’clock in the morning.
“Hey, you guys,” she called out, interrupting her own singing. “Happy New Year!”
Carole and Stevie paused, too. “Wow,” Carole called back. “I guess we missed midnight.”
Stevie didn’t say anything. Lisa held Topside back for a minute, allowing Belle to catch up to them. “Did you hear what I said?” Lisa asked, glancing over her shoulder as a couple of Hedgerow stragglers passed by. The horses looked almost as tired as Lisa felt, and she smothered another yawn.
“Shhh,” Stevie said, putting a finger to her lips. She pointed to her front.
Lisa looked and saw Maxi nestled in the carrier. Her eyes were closed and her small shoulders under their layers of clothing rose and fell rhythmically.
“Well, what do you know?” Lisa whispered. “Maxi the Super-awake-baby finally fell asleep!”
Stevie grinned. “It must have been our singing,” she whispered back. “It’s been known to work miracles, you know.”
Before Lisa could answer, Stevie launched into “Joy to the World.”
Lisa shrugged and joined in. A second later, Carole did, too. All three of the girls knew that they had good reason to be joyful.
AS THE ODD herd emerged from the tree line behind Max’s house, The Saddle Club found helpers waiting for them.
“There they are!” someone shouted.
Carole squinted. Her eyes felt raw, and her head was throbbing. All she could think about was falling into bed and sleeping for a week. It took her a second to recognize Judy Barker. Max and Deborah were right behind the vet.
Max and Judy hurried forward, each of them taking hold of a couple of halters and leading the Hedgerow horses down the hill. The stable was lit up as bright as day, as was the house. Meanwhile, Deborah was coming toward the girls with an anxious look on her face. She soon spotted Maxi slumbering in the infant carrier.
“Maxi!” she cried, running toward Belle. Stevie was already unhooking the carrier and preparing to hand the baby to her mother.
Deborah hugged Maxi tight, then hooked the carrier around her own shoulders. The baby opened her eyes and blinked sleepily for a few seconds. Then her eyes fell closed again and she let out a little snore and murmur.
Stevie was starting to feel more than a little anxious about their escapade. Would Deborah be angry that they had taken her baby along on this cold cross-country ride? Stevie knew they had really had no choice, but she wasn’t sure Deborah would agree. Deborah certainly had a very odd expression on her face at the moment.
“Stevie!” Max shouted from somewhere down the hill. “Don’t just sit there. Get down here and start making up some stalls for these horses.”
Stevie slid down off Belle. In her free hand she grabbed the halter of the Appaloosa mare, which had stopped nearby to graze on the winter-frozen lawn. Belle, the Appaloosa, and the tail-hitched colt all followed obediently as she hurried toward the stable. She would just have to deal with Deborah later.
SOME TIME LATER, Max, Judy, and The Saddle Club staggered up the hill and into the house. The girls were so tired by then that they could hardly stay on their feet. But every one of the Hedgerow horses was safe, sound, and snug inside the stable.
Inside the house, they found Deborah waiting with a tray of steaming hot cocoa and a plate of cookies.
“They’re left over from Christmas,” she said apologetically. “They may be a little stale.”
The weary workers didn’t mind. They quickly gobbled down every one. Max paused just long enough to call Elaine and assure her that everything was okay.
“So,” Max said after the first frenzy of eating had passed, “I guess it’s a good thing Deborah and I were too tired to stay in town for the second half of the show.”
Judy nodded. “And I’m glad my husband and I were just at a party here in Willow Creek,” she said. “I was home by a little after twelve-thirty. When I called Elaine, she said you girls had just left, so I came straight over here.”
“Are all the horses going to be okay?” Carole asked the vet anxiously.
Judy nodded. “I think so,” she said. “A couple of them have some minor injuries, and that chestnut is cut up pretty badly. I’ll have to check on them in the morning. But I think they’ll all come out of it okay.”
“Thanks to y
ou three,” Max added, smiling at The Saddle Club. “I’m proud of what you did out there tonight.”
“Thanks, Max,” the girls said in one voice.
“Although I do have one bone to pick with you,” Max added.
“What’s that?” Stevie asked. She wondered if Max was annoyed that they had taken Topside. He was one of Pine Hollow’s most valuable horses.
Max grinned. “It’s just that I hoped I’d be there to see my daughter take her very first ride.”
Everyone laughed. Stevie noticed that even Deborah was smiling. “Does this mean you’re not mad at us?” Stevie asked her.
Deborah shrugged. “What can I say?” she said. “I never thought my seven-month-old would be going on a midnight trail ride on New Year’s Eve.”
Stevie wasn’t sure that Deborah had answered her question. But she decided to let it be. If Deborah was angry, Stevie for one was too tired to deal with it right then.
She settled back against the couch cushions with a groan. Now that she had thawed out from the winter cold, every bone and muscle in her body was starting to ache. “Remind me never to do that again,” she said. “I wouldn’t even have gotten this beat up at Chad’s party. Probably.”
Judy chuckled and checked her watch. “I’d better get going,” she said. “I’ll drop you girls off at your homes if you like.”
“Thanks, Judy,” Carole said gratefully. “We were supposed to spend the night here, but somehow sleeping on the living room floor doesn’t sound as appealing as it did earlier today.”
Max laughed. “Don’t worry, you can consider your baby-sitting duties officially done. We’ll take over from here.”
The Saddle Club and Judy stood and started to gather their things.
“Can we say good night to Maxi before we go?” Lisa asked Deborah tentatively. “If you don’t think we’ll disturb her, that is.” After what they had been through trying to tire out the baby, the last thing Lisa wanted to do was wake her up.
Holiday Horse Page 10