Carole wasn’t normally a pushy person, but she couldn’t just let it drop—not when there seemed to be a serious problem brewing between Callie and her new horse. Was Scooby not the mount she’d expected? Were they having some kind of personality clash, or maybe a training problem?
“Listen, Callie,” she said sincerely. “I know it’s hard sometimes—you know, getting used to a new horse. You’ve been riding Barq a lot lately, and I’m sure Scooby is really different in a lot of ways. But maybe all you need is—”
“All I need is to stop talking about this,” Callie interrupted, her voice as sharp as a blade. “Now, if you’ll excuse me …” She spun on her heel and left. Carole gaped after her, reeling from the icy retort. She knew that Callie had a temper, but this was the first time it had been leveled at her.
What did I say? she wondered, feeling wounded and a little shaky. I was just trying to help.
Still, she tried not to take it personally. If Callie was having trouble with Scooby, she needed her friends to stick by her. And now that she knew there might be a problem, Carole planned to do just that.
“It’s the next driveway, there on the right,” Stevie said, pointing. “You can just drop me at the curb. It’s hard to turn around when Alex parks right in the middle of the driveway like that.” She rolled her eyes and grinned.
“Okay,” George said, steering to the curb and shifting into park. “Here you go.”
“Thanks a ton, George. Really.” Stevie unhooked her seat belt and turned to grab her duffel bag from the backseat. “I owe you one. I really wasn’t looking forward to walking home in this arctic blast.”
“No problem,” George said with his usual timid smile.
Stevie shivered as she opened the car door. She hadn’t been kidding about the arctic blast. The temperature had dropped several more degrees since she’d arrived at the stable that morning, and a brisk wind was blowing in from the northwest, making things even chillier. Hugging her duffel to her chest for warmth, she gave George one last quick wave and hurried toward the front door.
That was nice of him to offer me a ride, she thought idly. Especially since he lives in the opposite direction.
Still, that kind of lucky break was only what she would have expected after the great day she’d had. Except for the fact that neither Carole nor Callie had showed up at Pine Hollow all day, things had been practically perfect. Belle had kept herself pristinely clean in her stall for a change, so all Stevie had had to do was pick out her feet and run a body brush over her before tacking up. The spirited bay mare had performed like a dream, turning in picture-perfect canter departs and flying changes as if she’d been born doing them.
After her ride, Stevie had spent a pleasant hour in the tack room with Lisa and Denise, chatting about the upcoming wedding as they cleaned tack together. It had taken all the self-discipline she possessed to keep from blurting out any hint of the fantastic wedding present she had planned. Finally Denise had been called away to the phone, and Stevie was able share it all with Lisa. She told her how she’d arranged for a fancy suite at a nice hotel downtown, with a champagne breakfast and a nice dinner in the hotel restaurant. Lisa had quickly volunteered to call around and reserve tickets to a show. It wasn’t what Stevie would consider a super-deluxe honeymoon, but she was sure Red and Denise would love it. And after talking it all over with Lisa, Stevie’s mood was better than ever.
And the best part is, I have another five whole days until school starts again! she thought gleefully as she all but skipped up the front walk. She slowed her pace when her boot slipped on an icy patch, but even the frigid weather couldn’t dim her sunny mood.
Then she entered her house. As soon as she let herself into the front hall, she wrinkled her nose. “What’s that smell?” she muttered as a sickly sweet, flowery odor tickled her nose. Tossing her coat and bag in the general direction of the closet, she hurried down the hall toward the kitchen.
As soon as she rounded the corner, her mood plummeted. All three of her brothers were sitting at the kitchen table. And right in the middle, laughing and tossing her blond hair around, was Nicole Adams. Nicole was a classmate of Stevie’s at Fenton Hall, but the two of them had never been close. In fact, Stevie had barely had reason to speak to her before her twin brother had suddenly decided to ask her out. Nicole hung with a crowd of snobs who never debated anything deeper than whether the latest shade of lipstick looked good on redheads or which player on the basketball team had the cutest butt.
“What are you doing here?” Stevie blurted out before she could stop herself.
Alex glared at her, but Nicole smiled sweetly. “Hi, Stevie,” she said. “How’s it going?”
Michael and Chad mumbled something that may have been a greeting, though neither of them took his eyes off Nicole. Stevie frowned. “Hi,” she said shortly. She glared at Alex.
He glared back. “Did you need something, Stevie?” he said. “We were having a conversation here.”
“I’ll bet,” Stevie muttered.
Alex scowled. “Stevie, could I speak to you for a minute?” he said through clenched teeth. “Privately?”
“Whatever.” Stevie shrugged and followed him into the hall. She still couldn’t quite believe that Nicole was in her house. It was bad enough that Alex had gone out with her a few times—he was male, he’d been suckered in by her blond hair and tight sweaters, it was almost understandable—but to bring her home? What was he thinking?
Alex whirled to face her as soon as they were out of earshot of the group in the kitchen. “Okay, what’s the big idea?” he demanded, crossing his arms over his chest.
Stevie blinked. “Huh?” she said. “I was about to ask you the same question. What’s she doing here?”
“I invited her to dinner,” Alex said rather stiffly. “Mom and Dad said it was okay.”
Stevie goggled. “What?” she cried. “She’s eating here, with us? Talk about an appetite killer.”
Alex scowled. “Very funny, Stevie,” he said. “But you’d better get it out of your system now. Because I don’t want you making any more snotty comments in front of Nicole. She’s supposed to be a guest here, remember? And you know how Mom and Dad feel about making guests welcome.”
Stevie opened her mouth for a sharp retort, then bit it back and shook her head. “What are you thinking, anyway?” she asked, her tone subdued. “Aren’t you even the slightest bit worried that all this”—she waved her hand in the general direction of the kitchen—“is going to blow your chances of getting back together with Lisa?”
Alex didn’t quite meet her eye. “What difference does it make?” he mumbled. “She’s probably moving to New Jersey soon, right? So it’s just as well.”
Stevie’s jaw dropped. Was she the only one who was still convinced that Lisa’s move wasn’t going to happen? “Fine!” she snapped. “If you’re ready to give up on Lisa, go ahead. But I’m not.” Whirling away, she stomped off toward her room, dreading dinner.
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About the Author
Bonnie Bryant is the author of over one hundred forty books about horses, including the Saddle Club series and its spinoffs, the Pony Tails series and the Pine Hollow series. Bryant did not know very much about horses before writing the first Saddle Club book in 1986, so she found herself learning right along with the characters she created. She has also written novels and movie novelizations under her married name, Bonnie Bryant Hiller. Bryant was born and raised in New York City, where she still lives today.
All rights reserved, including without limitation the right to reproduce this ebook or any portion thereof in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of the publisher.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, events, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, businesses, companies,
events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
Copyright © 2000 by Bonnie Bryant Hiller
Cover design by Connie Gabbert
ISBN: 978-1-4976-5412-9
This edition published in 2014 by Open Road Integrated Media, Inc.
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