Headstrong

by Bonnie Bryant

  It will be sort of like old times, she thought with a sudden stab of nostalgia. Like our first Starlight Ride together, the year it actually snowed. Maybe for one night I can pretend we’re all still thirteen years old and none of us has to worry yet about stuff like college and boyfriends and moving.

  As she said good-bye to Scott and hung up, Lisa took a few deep breaths, trying to bring her emotions back under control. As she wandered back into her room, her gaze locked once again on the box in the middle of the floor. Alex’s present. For a second she felt guilty about her decision to go on the Starlight Ride. Was she using Scott? Was she betraying Alex?

  No, she decided, grabbing the box and walking toward the closet. Opening the door, she stood on tiptoes until she could shove the box onto the highest shelf. Alex and I agreed to date other people. And I already talked to Scott about how complicated things are between me and Alex. He’s mature enough to deal with that, however it turns out. Only time will tell. And why sit home alone in the meantime?

  Callie peered out over the half door of Scooby’s stall as she heard voices approaching from the direction of the stable entryway. It had been an hour and a half since she had ridden away from George’s still form out there in the woods, and even now that they were all back at the stable, safe and sound, she still couldn’t quite believe everything that had happened. At the moment George was walking between a man and a woman—the paramedics who had brought him back to Pine Hollow. The three of them were chatting easily, though Callie couldn’t hear the exact words.

  She ducked down out of sight as the trio passed and then stopped just down the aisle in front of Joyride’s stall. She was relieved that George seemed to be okay, but that didn’t mean she was ready to face him. She could still feel the ghost of the panic that had gripped her out there when she had seen the oddly twisted metal of that hoof pick, and then as she had watched her cell phone fly into the stream. Now that she was back in the safe, familiar surroundings of Pine Hollow, it all seemed kind of foolish. But that didn’t mean she was going to be able to forget it anytime soon.

  It was just a big misunderstanding, that’s all, she told herself for the umpteenth time, leaning against the back of the door and watching as Scooby selected a mouthful of hay. Another example of George’s general social cluelessness. And his clumsiness.

  But as many times as she told herself that, she couldn’t quite banish from her imagination the image of George twisting the hoof pick to wrench up the edge of Scooby’s shoe. Callie couldn’t make herself believe, even now, that that had been simple clumsiness.

  She waited until the voices moved away again. When she was sure that George was well out of sight, she gave Scooby a pat and slipped out of the stall. Heading for the back exit at the far end of the aisle, she broke into a jog. Soon she was walking swiftly across the fields toward home, trying to shake the irrational feeling that she was being followed. Frequent glances over her shoulder proved that there was no one there, but it didn’t stop her heart from pounding.

  Even an hour later, safely locked behind her own bedroom door with the windows latched and the curtains drawn, Callie couldn’t quite seem to stop shaking.

  FOURTEEN

  “Stevie!” May Grover called urgently. “I need a hoof pick, and there aren’t any in the tack room!’

  Stevie reached around and pulled a hoof pick out of the back pocket of her jeans. “Here’s one,” she said, handing it to the younger girl. “You can put it back in the tack room when you’re finished with it.”

  “Thanks!” May raced off toward her horse’s stall.

  Stevie glanced around, expecting to see one or more of May’s classmates approaching with more questions or problems. She had been helping the Starlight Riders with last-minute preparations for the past half hour with hardly a pause for breath. But at the moment the only person she saw coming toward her was Phil.

  “Hi,” he said with the special, private smile he saved just for her. “How’s it going?”

  Stevie hurried toward him and reached out for a hug. “These kids are running me ragged!” she exclaimed dramatically. “I think I’m too tired for the actual Starlight Ride!”

  “Don’t even think it,” Phil warned jokingly, squeezing her tight. “I’ve been looking forward to this for weeks.” He leaned down, his lips almost brushing her forehead. “Remember the first time we went on the Starlight Ride together?”

  “Hey! Get a room,” Scott’s voice broke in before Stevie could answer. “This is a stable, not Lovers’ Lane.”

  Stevie grinned and pulled away from Phil, glancing over her shoulder at Scott. “Says who?”

  Phil raised a hand in greeting to Scott. “So where’s your date?” he asked.

  “She’s tacking up my horse.” Scott grinned sheepishly. “You guys know I’m not too good with that stuff. I can never remember which way the saddle pad goes on or which buckles you’re supposed to use with the girth.”

  “Yeah, right,” Stevie teased him. “You’re just looking for a way to get someone else to do your work for you.”

  “Hey, I offered to help.” Scott held up both hands in protest. “But for some reason, Lisa seemed to think she could do the job faster without my assistance.”

  Phil laughed. “Good deal. Now all you have to do is sit back and wait for the fun part.”

  “It is going to be fun, isn’t it?” Stevie commented happily. She couldn’t wait for the ride to start. She also couldn’t wait for it to be over so that she could give Phil his gift. The box from The Saddlery was carefully wrapped and hidden in a plastic bag in her cubbyhole. Forcing her mind away from that topic—she didn’t want to get overexcited and give away her secret too soon—she glanced again at Scott. “I wish Callie were here, though,” she commented. “You never really told us why she decided not to come.”

  Scott shrugged. “She never really told me,” he said. “She just said something about being tired after training Scooby so hard.”

  “Really?” Stevie frowned slightly. “But that doesn’t sound right. I mean, I know she was out on the trails for hours yesterday, but I didn’t think she even came to the stable today. I remember hearing Denise saying something about turning Scooby out in the back paddock for a while to get some exercise.”

  “I know. Callie hung out at home today. Doing the whole Christmas Eve thing, I guess.” Scott shrugged again. “But I guess she and Scooby were out for a long time yesterday, like you said. And then with George’s accident …”

  Stevie nodded, wondering briefly what that was all about. All she knew was that George had ended up deep in the woods somehow, been kicked by a horse, and ended up being rescued by Callie and the paramedics. She’d only gathered that much from the younger riders, who had been buzzing about it all day when they weren’t talking about the Starlight Ride. I’ll have to get the whole story after this is over, she thought, squashing her curiosity for the moment. That’s yet another reason it’s too bad Callie didn’t come tonight. She could’ve filled us in on what really happened.

  Still, she supposed it really wasn’t too surprising that Callie had decided not to come along. The temperature had dropped overnight, and for anyone who didn’t know how wonderful the Starlight Ride was, the weather could make the evening ride seem a little daunting. A couple of the younger students who had signed up to ride had called earlier that day to cancel, and Stevie suspected that Scott wouldn’t be there either if he didn’t have a date with Lisa.

  Thinking about that distracted Stevie from her other thoughts. By her count, this would be the third time Lisa and Scott had been out together. One date was weird enough, but three was way beyond that. What if Scott and Lisa got serious about each other? What if they became a real couple? It would change everything in their little group.

  “Stevie!” Sarah Anne Porter’s shrill voice snapped her back to reality. “I can’t get Barq to let me put the bit in his mouth!”

  Stevie sighed. “I’ll come help you,” she assured the younger g
irl. “Barq can be stubborn about that sometimes.” Shooting Phil and Scott an apologetic glance, she hurried off to the rescue.

  A few minutes later Barq was safely tacked up and Stevie was hurrying toward the rest room to wash the horse slobber off her hands. If she moved fast, she would have just enough time to tack up Belle and then help Max with the preride inspection.

  And then the fun begins, she thought eagerly. I’ll find a nice, private spot to ride near the end of the line, and then Phil and I can—

  Her thoughts broke off as she opened the door to the women’s rest room and caught a whiff of rancid smoke. “Ugh,” she said, waving a hand in front of her face. “Is someone smoking in here?”

  The answer presented itself almost immediately when she spotted Maureen leaning against the cracked porcelain sink with a lit cigarette in her fingers. “Stevie,” the stable hand said casually, waving the cigarette in her general direction. “What’s up?”

  “Are you crazy?” Stevie put her hands on her hips and stared at the stable hand. “I know you’re new around here and all, but I’m sure Max told you he doesn’t allow smoking anywhere in the stable. It’s, like, one of his strictest rules.”

  Maureen laughed and raised the cigarette to her lips, inhaling slowly before responding. “Is it really?” she asked, blowing out smoke along with the words. “Max has so many rules around this place that it’s hard to keep track of which ones he’s serious about.”

  Stevie frowned, annoyed at Maureen’s sarcastic tone. “He’s serious about all of them,” she snapped. “Otherwise he wouldn’t bother.”

  “Whatever.” Maureen waved her hand in Stevie’s direction again, making her cough. “Why don’t you run along now? You’re supposed to be going on this ride tonight with the rest of the kiddies, aren’t you?”

  Stevie’s blood boiled. If there was one thing she hated, it was being dismissed and treated like a child. Chill, she warned herself as Maureen stubbed her cigarette out on the sink and left without another word. It’s not worth it. You can deal with it later.

  Making a mental note to do just that, she quickly washed her hands and then hurried out, to find Phil waiting for her. “What’s wrong?” he asked immediately.

  “Nothing.” Stevie took a deep breath, vowing to forget about the annoying encounter with Maureen until after the Starlight Ride—and her gift exchange with Phil.

  She smiled immediately, imagining the look on his face when he saw those beautiful chaps. She couldn’t wait.

  “Come on,” she said, grabbing Phil by the hand. “Let’s go get tacked up.”

  Lisa leaned over from her position in the saddle to shorten her left stirrup, then reached forward to pat Eve on the shoulder. “Almost time to go, sweetie,” she murmured to the gray mare.

  Eve stood quietly, though her ears flicked back and forth with interest as people and horses hurried by in all directions. It was almost time to set out, and everyone was scrambling to get ready.

  Lisa had been helping younger riders with their preparations ever since she and Scott had arrived half an hour earlier. The last she had seen of Scott, he was standing with Congo’s lead line in his hand, chatting with a ten-year-old rider named Kenny, who suddenly seemed to have developed a fear of the dark. Or maybe it was a fear of his pony, Nickel—Lisa wasn’t quite sure.

  I’m sure Scott will make him feel better either way, she thought, running the fingers of one hand over the pommel of her saddle. He’s good at making people feel comfortable, no matter what the situation.

  She smiled slightly as she thought about that. Then she sighed. What was she going to do about Scott? She had hoped that seeing him that night would help her decide. But all it had done was make her realize that there really was something between them—an attraction, a mutual interest that couldn’t be denied. Did that mean she didn’t still have feelings for Alex?

  No way, she thought. My heart still feels like it’s going to shatter into a million pieces when I think that Alex and I may be broken up for good. I can’t imagine what it would be like to go on, live the whole rest of my life without him in it. She grimaced as she remembered shoving that box into her closet the day before. I can’t even imagine what it would be like to return that stupid sweater I picked out for him.

  She sighed, loosening her grip on Eve’s reins as she realized she was clenching them tightly. Yes, it definitely hurt to picture her life without Alex. But did it hurt as much now as it had when they’d first broken up a few weeks earlier? Did it hurt a little less when she was with Scott? She wasn’t sure what to think about those questions. She wasn’t even sure she wanted to know the answers.

  Lisa did her best to push all that out of her mind when she spotted Scott approaching, still leading Congo. “Hey,” he greeted her with that easy smile of his, the one that crinkled the edges of his eyes slightly. “There you are.”

  “Here I am,” she said lightly, deciding it was time to stop brooding and try to enjoy herself. “How’s Kenny?”

  Scott chuckled. “Still nervous. But I think he’ll be okay.”

  At that moment Lisa heard Max’s voice calling for attention outside. Along with everyone else in the wide entryway, as well as the riders who were already gathered outside in the stable yard, she turned to listen.

  Max quickly ran through the rules of the ride. No cantering, no passing the leader, no leaving the marked trail, and so on. Lisa listened politely, though she’d heard it all many times before. Glancing over at Scott, she was just in time to see him swing himself into Congo’s saddle without the help of a mounting block. He might not have been a regular rider, but he was athletic enough to hold his own when necessary.

  “Okay,” Lisa said as Max finished his speech and everyone started chattering excitedly. “Here we go! Are you ready?”

  “Absolutely.” Scott gave her a meaningful smile. “I can’t wait.”

  Lisa blushed slightly and glanced out the door. She watched Rachel Hart ride forward, pausing at the stable entrance just long enough to brush the battered horseshoe hanging there with her fingers. The lucky horseshoe was a long-standing Pine Hollow tradition—the story went that nobody who touched the horseshoe before a ride had ever been seriously hurt—and Lisa couldn’t help smiling as she watched the whole parade of young riders carefully reaching out to touch the well-worn piece of metal. Some barely slowed down long enough to tap it, while others lingered, running their hands over its whole surface. But nobody passed by without remembering to touch it one way or another.

  “Ready to go?” Red called from outside as the last few younger students hurried out.

  A cheer went up from the gathered riders. Through the doorway, Lisa saw Stevie step forward and hand Rachel the leader’s torch. The younger girl shifted both reins to one hand and solemnly accepted the torch, holding it up proudly as she took her place at the head of the line. Each year Max chose the best overall intermediate rider to lead the procession, and that year Rachel had won the honor. She was riding Starlight, Carole’s horse, for the occasion, which Lisa thought was very appropriate. It was right after the Starlight Ride some years earlier that Carole had discovered that her father had bought the lively gelding for her as a special Christmas gift.

  “We’re ready,” Rachel said when she and Starlight were in position, her soft voice carrying across the crisp evening air.

  Lisa quickly urged Eve forward and touched the lucky horseshoe herself, then joined the others in the stable yard. Rachel and the other riders near the front were already walking their horses toward the gate, heading for the trail through the fields marked out by flickering torches. It wasn’t quite dark yet, though the sun had set and a rosy glow lay over the fields and pastures. Lisa knew that many of the younger riders had probably never ridden at night before. She still remembered how it felt to be out there in the woods on horseback for the first time—the familiar trails looked so mysterious, almost magical, in the flickering light of the lanterns along the way, and the sound of hoofbeats seem
ed muffled by the darkness.

  The next hour passed quickly. Lisa found herself relaxing more and more, forgetting her problems at least temporarily as she joined in singing holiday carols and chatted with Scott and her other friends. As the procession made its way toward the woods between the stable and the town of Willow Creek, they passed several brightly lit farmhouses and twinkling Christmas trees. For the first time that year, Lisa felt a little bit of holiday spirit seeping through her. By the time they all entered the torchlit trail through the forest, it was fully dark.

  This is nice, she thought as she glanced at Scott riding beside her on the wide trail. I’m really glad I came.

  When they reached the town square a little later, a small crowd was gathered to greet them near a crackling bonfire. Along with Max and Denise, who had driven over in Pine Hollow’s truck with a generous supply of hot chocolate and snacks, Lisa saw many of the younger riders’ families, as well as other townspeople who just came to enjoy the festivities. Even the mayor was there, chatting with constituents over a steaming cup of cocoa.

  “Wow,” Scott commented. “Quite a turnout.”

  Lisa nodded and smiled. “Didn’t I tell you this was a major tradition?”

  “You did.” Scott laughed and dismounted, then held out a hand to hold Eve steady as Lisa did likewise. He even insisted on helping her loosen Eve’s girth, although she was perfectly capable of doing it herself. “Now,” he said when both their mounts were comfortable, “if you don’t mind staying with the horses, I’ll go get us something to drink. Okay?”