Shying at Trouble

by Bonnie Bryant

  At least if she starts dating Scott, she might be too busy to keep after me to be her best friend, Callie thought, trying to look on the bright side.

  “I was thinking,” George said, breaking into her thoughts, “after we finish going over that lab, maybe we could stop by that little ice cream place in the shopping center, you know—ulp.”

  Callie glanced at him. For the first time she noticed that his face had taken on a decidedly greenish tinge. He was clutching the side armrest so hard that his knuckles were dead white. “Are you okay?” she asked, relieved to have a reprieve from responding to his invitation. “You look a little sick.”

  George swallowed hard before answering. “It’s just—um—I sometimes get kind of carsick. O-Only when I ride in the backseat, though.” He looked sheepish.

  “Why didn’t you say so?” Callie leaned forward, truly alarmed by now at his queasy expression. She poked her brother’s shoulder. “Pull over.”

  “What’s wrong?” Scott was already steering the car toward the side of the road as he glanced back at her.

  “George is carsick,” Callie announced. “He needs to sit in the front seat.”

  “Whoa.” Scott brought the car to a quick halt. “Sorry about that, buddy. You should have said something. I’m sure Veronica won’t mind switching now, though.”

  “Right,” Veronica said a bit sourly. She sighed heavily as she unhooked her seat belt and opened her door. “Whatever.”

  Callie rolled her eyes as Veronica stepped away from the car and crossed her arms over her chest, not bothering to help George climb out of the backseat of the two-door sports car, even when he almost tripped over the dangling seat belt.

  Callie winced on his behalf. She hadn’t bothered to really examine George as a guy before. All she’d needed to know up to this point was that he was an excellent rider and smart about chemistry. Now that she really checked him out, though, she found herself shaking her head involuntarily. He was so awkward, so nervous and nerdy.… How could he think she’d be interested in someone like him as more than a friend?

  She immediately chastised herself for the uncharitable thought. If I don’t watch out, I’m going to start sounding like Veronica, she scolded herself. And after all, I’m not exactly a grand prize myself at the moment. She glanced at her ugly metal crutches, which were propped beside her.

  Still, she knew there was no way she could ever be interested in someone like George. He just wasn’t her type. He was too safe, too dull and easy to read. She preferred guys who had a bit of an edge to them—something unexpected, mysterious, even dangerous.

  She sighed as Veronica clambered into the backseat and plopped herself down, still looking annoyed. Soon George was settled in the front seat and Scott was pulling onto the road again.

  Veronica pouted silently for a minute or two, then turned to Callie with a smile that looked a bit forced. “So,” she said brightly. “I heard you’re an endurance rider, Callie. That must be fun. I went on an endurance ride or two back when I was still riding a lot. Did you know I used to ride at Pine Hollow?”

  Callie nodded, resigning herself to more pointless chitchat. She wondered if Veronica was really still interested in being friends with her or if she just wanted to use her to get to Scott. Either way, she supposed she would have to be polite about it. After seeing what Veronica could be like, she certainly didn’t want her for an enemy. “I heard that,” she said, trying to sound interested. “I’ve heard you were a good rider.”

  Veronica nodded, looking pleased. “I don’t like to brag,” she said smugly, “but I was pretty good back then. I still am, actually.”

  Callie bit back a sigh as Veronica started to go into detail about her own illustrious riding career. Why were so many people only interested in talking about themselves?

  Still, she had to admit that she was a little relieved to have George safely removed to the front seat. She was going to have to do something about him before things went any further. Starting with getting out of that weekend study date …

  NINE

  Lisa peered over the half door of Belle’s stall. “Hi,” she greeted Stevie, who was inside. “Need any help?”

  Stevie glanced up and smiled at her. “No thanks,” she said. “I’ve got things under control in here.” She hoisted a saddle onto Belle’s back and started fiddling with the girth.

  “Okay.” Lisa leaned on the half door. “So, any news from Phil?” She had come straight to Pine Hollow that morning. For one thing, she’d wanted to look in on Prancer. Now that she knew the mare was going to be hers someday, it seemed even more important to monitor her pregnancy carefully. But first Lisa had made a point of tracking Stevie down to find out if there had been any new developments the night before. When she’d spoken to Alex on Sunday night, Stevie hadn’t heard anything from Phil. And later that evening, Lisa’s mother had closed herself off in her room and spent the rest of the night gabbing on the phone. Lisa hadn’t wanted to interrupt her—especially if she was talking to Aunt Marianne, who always put her in a gloomy mood.

  Stevie gave Belle’s girth a yank and then glanced up at Lisa. “Tons of news,” she announced, ignoring the bay mare, who was giving her a disgruntled look over her shoulder. “Mind if I keep working while I talk? Belle and I have to get cracking if we’re going to be ready for that show next month.”

  “I don’t mind,” Lisa replied. “What are you going to work on today?”

  “Review.” Stevie took her lower lip in her teeth and, with some effort, tightened the girth another notch, moving easily with Belle as the mare took a step sideways. “I want to see what we need to work on most.”

  Lisa nodded. “So anyway …”

  “Right,” Stevie said briskly, reaching for Belle’s bridle, which was slung over the door near Lisa. “Anyway, Phil finally called late last night—he and A.J. spent almost all night talking.” She shrugged. “Once A.J. starts talking, he really starts talking.”

  “Wow. So did Phil get all the details?” Lisa hesitated, remembering how secretive A.J. had been lately. “And are we all allowed to hear about it?”

  “Yep.” Stevie slipped off Belle’s halter as she talked. “A.J. told Phil he doesn’t care who he talks to about this, just as long as his parents don’t find out.” She shrugged. “He’s still pretty steamed at them, though it doesn’t sound like he’s holding any grudges against us for dragging the truth out of him.”

  “So what is the truth?” Lisa asked. “How did he find out he’s adopted if his parents didn’t tell him?”

  “Open your mouth, you big stubborn thing,” Stevie ordered Belle, who was shaking her head, refusing to take the bit. Finally Stevie stuck her thumb into the corner of the mare’s mouth, and Belle gave in with a snort. Once the bit was in place and the crown piece was fastened behind her ears, Stevie glanced at Lisa again. “Sorry about that,” she said. “She’s feeling kind of feisty today.”

  Lisa grinned. As far as she could tell, Belle felt feisty every day. That was one reason the horse was a perfect match for Stevie.

  “Anyway,” Stevie continued as she pulled Belle’s forelock out from beneath the browband, “it’s really kind of weird how he found out. His biology class was doing some kind of project on blood types, and he was supposed to find out his type and his whole family’s. Well, I guess his dad didn’t realize what that stuff can mean.” She shrugged. “You know Mr. McDonnell is totally hopeless with anything scientific or medical.”

  “Which is why it’s a good thing he’s an English teacher,” Lisa said absently. She had already figured out what came next. “So let me guess. A.J. found out he couldn’t possibly be his parents’ biological child because their blood types weren’t compatible.”

  “Right.” By that time Belle’s bridle was on. Stevie gave her horse a pat, then turned to Lisa. “After he found out about that, he decided to poke around a bit on his own. I guess he still hoped there might be some mistake—maybe his dad had given him the wrong informati
on or whatever.” She shook her head, looking grim. “But I think he must have been pretty suspicious. He actually skipped school one day to go through his parents’ files while they weren’t home.”

  “Wow.”

  “Right. I think he probably just intended to go in late after he found out what he wanted to know.” Stevie reached up to scratch Belle’s forehead as the mare nudged at her with her big, soft nose. “But when he found the actual adoption records, it just blew him away. And the rest is history.”

  “Poor A.J.” Lisa bit her lip, imagining what it must have been like for A.J. to make that discovery all on his own, without any support from family or friends. “He’s spent all this time shutting everyone out, when he must have been going crazy wondering about all those things adopted kids supposedly worry about. Like why their biological parents gave them up, and where they really came from …”

  “Uh-huh. Oh, I almost forgot,” Stevie said. “While he was looking through the files, A.J. also found his little sister’s birth certificate. She is their parents’ biological kid. Which seems to have hit him pretty hard, too. Phil said A.J. was worried that his parents had stopped loving him as much when their ‘real’ child was born. His word, not Phil’s, by the way.”

  Lisa nodded, trying to take it all in. “Why didn’t his parents ever tell him about this?”

  “Who knows?” Stevie scratched her ear absently. “Maybe they never found the right time. Maybe they figured they never needed to tell him—I mean, with that reddish hair of his, he definitely looks like his dad’s biological son.” She shrugged. “Whatever they were thinking, though, I guess it backfired. He’s really angry that they never told him the truth. Makes it all seem that much worse, I guess.”

  Lisa noticed that Stevie was starting to get the fidgety look she often got when she was itching to get started on whatever task she had planned. “You’d better get going,” she said tactfully. “You don’t want to keep Belle waiting, do you?”

  Stevie sent her a grateful look. “I probably should get out of there,” she agreed. “We can use all the practice we can get if we’re going to do our part to uphold Pine Hollow’s illustrious name. We’ll talk more later, okay?”

  Once Stevie and Belle had gone, Lisa wandered toward Prancer’s stall nearby, still thinking about A.J. After hearing what Stevie had just told her, she could understand why A.J. had been so upset all this time. It must hurt to have to wonder where you came from, what your earliest days had been like, why the people who were supposed to love you more than anyone had decided to give you away instead. In A.J.’s case, the fact that his adoptive parents hadn’t said anything to him about his origins must have been an additional kind of pain. Lisa thought she knew a little bit about what he was feeling—she had felt terribly hurt and betrayed when she’d realized that her parents’ marriage wasn’t as strong and permanent as they had always led her to believe it was.

  Lisa had had to work through those feelings on her own, but it had helped a lot to know that her friends were there, supporting her, ready to help if they could. Now she wanted to make sure that A.J. knew they were there for him, too. Maybe she could even find a way to help him come to terms with his newly discovered identity. She decided to hit the public library that afternoon or the next and see what she could find out about adoption. A little research would help her understand A.J.’s feelings better.

  When she reached Prancer’s stall, the mare was dozing in the back corner. Lisa whistled softly to wake her, then slipped inside as the mare swung her head around to look at her. “Hey, Mama,” she murmured, running her hands down the mare’s neck and over her side. “How are you feeling?”

  Prancer merely blinked in response. Then she stretched her neck to snuffle at Lisa’s pockets, obviously hoping for a treat. Lisa chuckled.

  “Sorry,” she said. “I don’t want to feed you anything unless I check with Max first.” Even if you are going to be mine someday, she added silently, unwilling to expose the thought to the air even in the privacy of the stall.

  Now that she’d had some time to adjust to Carole’s news, Lisa was starting to think more about the practical aspects of owning Prancer. While part of her was thrilled that her father wanted to surprise her that way, another part couldn’t help wondering if he’d really thought the plan through.

  If I end up going to college anywhere in this area, Prancer could just stay here at Pine Hollow, she thought, still stroking the mare’s face gently. I could even arrange for Max to keep using her for lessons so she’d be sure to get enough exercise when I’m busy with midterms or whatever.

  Her thoughts continued along the familiar path she’d mapped out in the past couple of days. Or I could end up at a school in California, she thought. An image of Alex’s unhappy face flashed into her mind, but she pushed it aside. She could only deal with one problem at a time. That would work out okay as far as Prancer is concerned, too. Dad could help me arrange to board her somewhere in the area, and he and Evelyn could check on her when I come back East for holidays and stuff.

  She sighed as her thoughts moved on to the last part of the equation. But not all the schools I’m interested in are around here or in California. What if I decide I want to go to college in Boston or Chicago? What would I do about Prancer then?

  As usual, no satisfactory answer presented itself. She sighed again and ran her fingers through Prancer’s forelock.

  “What do you think, girl?” she whispered. “What should I do?”

  “Yo!” Alex’s breathless voice came from outside the stall. “There you are. I’ve been looking all over for you!”

  Lisa turned, caught between guilt for what she was thinking and joy—the joy she always felt when Alex was around. “Hi,” she said, hurrying over to give him a kiss over the half door of the stall. “What are you doing here? I thought you and your buddies were studying for the PSATs this afternoon.”

  “Heh heh,” Alex cackled diabolically. “That’s exactly what I wanted you to think. That way I knew you’d be extra surprised when you saw these.” With a flourish, he pulled a couple of brightly colored strips of paper from behind his back.

  Lisa peered at them for a moment before realizing what they were. Then she gasped. “You got tickets to the Berryville Fall Festival?” she cried. “I can’t believe it! I thought they were completely sold out!”

  Alex shrugged. “Hey, I couldn’t let that stop me,” he said. “Not when my one and only was dying to go.”

  Lisa grabbed him and pulled him toward her so that she could kiss him again. Pressing her lips against his, she did her best to put every bit of her appreciation, anticipation, and love into the kiss. “Thanks,” she murmured when they came up for air. “Did I ever tell you you’re the best boyfriend in the whole world?”

  “Not often enough.” Alex grinned. “But if you kiss me again like that, I just might start to believe it.”

  “One, two, one, two, one, two,” Stevie counted softly in time with Belle’s steady trot. She smiled when she signaled for a transition and the mare responded instantly, moving effortlessly into a smooth canter. Once again, Stevie counted along. “One, two, three, one, two, three …”

  Stevie had been working in the ring with her horse for nearly half an hour, and she was enjoying herself immensely. Judging by Belle’s alertly pricked ears and the perfect cadence of her gaits, the horse was enjoying the workout, too.

  Stevie realized it had been too long since she and her horse had spent an entire workout concentrating solely on dressage. That’s probably because I haven’t entered a show since last spring, Stevie thought, breaking off her counting and just feeling the rhythm of the pace for a moment. That’s way too long.

  She sighed happily, imagining how much fun it was going to be to compete at Colesford. Stevie knew that most people didn’t understand why someone like her got such a kick out of dressage. It was such a disciplined, formal, quiet sort of event—hardly what one might expect from a fun-loving, sometimes downright boist
erous girl like Stevie.

  She didn’t usually try to explain, preferring to leave people wondering. But the truth was, she loved dressage exactly because it was so quiet, so controlled. Becoming one with the horse, in total communication and concentration, was a challenge that paid off in a wordless partnership, a balance of control and self-control, grace and athleticism. Stevie had never known anything like it. When she and Belle were moving in complete harmony as they were at the moment, she felt a special joy and contentment.

  She started asking Belle to lengthen and shorten her strides. Again the mare responded perfectly to each almost imperceptible aid. Who knows? Stevie thought optimistically. Maybe we have a chance for a ribbon after all.

  As unlikely as that was, she enjoyed imagining it. After a moment, though, her mind turned to the other Pine Hollow entrants. Any one of them could easily take home a ribbon or two. Denise McCaskill was practically a shoo-in, especially paired with Talisman. Stevie had often wondered why Denise even bothered to remain at her job managing Pine Hollow when she could almost certainly make a living as a competitive rider.

  Then there was George. Walking around on his own two legs, he didn’t look like much. In fact, Stevie had often been struck by his resemblance to a sack of flour with a pumpkin balanced precariously on top.

  I guess I must subconsciously be looking forward to Halloween already, she thought with a grin as she formed the image. But it really does describe George’s physique pretty well.

  Still, she had seen the sudden transformation he underwent whenever he climbed into his horse’s saddle. Suddenly he seemed a little slimmer, a bit taller, his head a tad better proportioned. But the biggest change was in his carriage and attitude. He carried himself as if he belonged in the saddle, as if riding were much more natural to him than walking. That was why he did so well in dressage, as well as other disciplines. When he entered the ring on his beautiful Trakehner mare, there could be no doubt in any judge’s mind that the two of them were in perfect harmony.