“Look!” Phil pointed. “Remember what Doc Tock said last week about animals in the area?”
Stevie looked in the corner and saw a large raccoon. Behind it were four baby raccoons, staring at Stevie and Phil with round, frightened eyes.
“Doc Tock said that raccoons were always getting into people places,” said Phil. “She didn’t mention them getting into horse places.”
The raccoons were so cute that Stevie melted. “They’re adorable,” she said. Suddenly the raccoons jumped, then disappeared through a hole in the corner of the loft.
“Hey!” Stevie exclaimed. She scrambled over to look at the hole through which the raccoon family had vanished A thought struck her. “Phil, I’ll be right back,” she told him, and climbed down the ladder.
Carole and Lisa were still in Prancer’s stall. “I think I’ve solved another mystery,” Stevie told them. “I think I know why Prancer has been acting so strange.” But Carole and Lisa were absorbed with calming down an agitated Prancer.
“Shhh,” Lisa said soothingly, patting the mare’s nose. Carole was gently rubbing Prancer’s neck.
“A band of raccoons just ran through here,” Lisa explained to Stevie. “Prancer was terrified of them. I guess that in addition to cats, she doesn’t like raccoons, either.”
“Especially when they’re stealing her food,” Stevie said triumphantly. “Those raccoons live in the hayloft right above Prancer’s stall. Remember how Doc Tock said that raccoons will rummage through people’s garbage cans? I bet those raccoons have been eating Prancer’s feed!”
Lisa gaped at Stevie. “So all this time Prancer has been hungry?” she asked in astonishment. Suddenly Prancer’s odd behavior—her constant nibbling and head-butting—began to make sense.
“What other explanation is there?” asked Stevie.
Lisa grinned happily and turned to give Prancer a hug. “You poor thing,” she said. “I’m going to get you some more feed right away.”
“And I’m going to ask Max to call CARL to come and get this raccoon family relocated to a new home,” said Carole, heading toward Max’s office.
“Well, I know what I’ve got to do,” said Stevie, looking meaningfully toward the hayloft. “I’ve got a six-month anniversary to celebrate!”
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
BONNIE BRYANT is the author of more than a hundred books about horses, including The Saddle Club series, Saddle Club Super Editions, the Pony Tails series, and Pine Hollow, which follows the Saddle Club girls into their teens. She has also written novels and movie novelizations under her married name, B. B. Hiller.
Ms. Bryant began writing The Saddle Club in 1986. Although she had done some riding before that, she intensified her studies then and found herself learning right along with her characters Stevie, Carole, and Lisa. She claims that they are all much better riders than she is.
Ms. Bryant was born and raised in New York City. She still lives there, in Greenwich Village, with her two sons.
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