He stashed the hose underneath a tree. “The trick is to be aware of what exactly is going on with your horse. Realize that parasites might be bothering him when he gets cranky, and take care of them before they get out of hand. Horses can’t ask for a dose of insecticide. And they certainly can’t suit themselves up with an ear net before they go out for a run in the paddock.”
Carole giggled at the thought of Starlight tucking his ears up in one of those lamp shade-looking hats, but she knew Max was making a serious point. Suddenly she wanted to see Starlight and apologize all over again.
“I’m going to put Starlight back in his stall,” she said, leaving Max and hurrying back to the barn. As soon as she closed the stall door, Starlight began munching his hay. Though he smelled like insecticide, his eyes were bright, and he greeted her with his old soft nicker as he looked up from his food.
“Hey, Starlight,” Carole said, rubbing him behind his ears. She looked into his big brown eyes and smiled. “I’m sorry I didn’t listen to what you were trying to tell me. From now on, even though I may not be able to figure it out right off the bat, I’m going to listen to you first and try out my own crazy theories later!”
Starlight blinked unconcernedly, then went back to munching his hay.
“I think he’s forgiven you, Carole,” Max said, coming up behind her. “Now I think you’d better forgive yourself.”
Carole smiled. As usual, Max had guessed her feelings.
“Say, how about we call it a night and I’ll give you a lift home? Does your dad know where you are?”
“Yes, I called him this afternoon to tell him I’d probably be here till late.”
“Well, I’m sure he wouldn’t want you taking the bus this time of night.”
“Thanks, Max,” Carole said, feeling almost limp with fatigue. “That would be great.”
They shut the stable door and walked to the parking lot. Carole buckled her seat belt as they pulled out of the driveway; then she leaned back against the headrest. She was asleep before Max’s car was out of the driveway.
“WHEN IS LISA supposed to get here with Jamie?” Stevie asked impatiently, rearranging herself on the bale of hay.
Carole didn’t look up from her book. “When her mother finishes meeting with the decorator, she’s going to give Lisa and Jamie a ride over here.”
“It seems like it’s taken him forever to get well.” Stevie drew her knees up under her chin and stared out into the parking lot.
“We visited him just over a week ago, Stevie,” Carole reminded her. “That’s the normal recovery time for chicken pox.”
Stevie sighed and frowned. “I thought you’d given up reading at the stable. You said it distracted you from Starlight.”
Carole held up her book. On the cover was a picture of a kind-looking man with a beautiful Thoroughbred peeking out from behind his shoulder. Just over that were the title and author: The Man Who Listens to Horses by Monty Roberts. Carole smiled. “This won’t distract me from Starlight. This will help me figure out what he’s trying to tell me.”
“I know what Starlight’s trying to tell you,” Stevie announced.
“What?”
“ ‘Ride me, Carole, ride me.’ ” Stevie bugged out her eyes and spoke in a hypnotic voice. “ ‘It’s summer vacation … no time for reading.… Put the book down and ride me!’ ”
Suddenly a car horn tooted.
“Look!” Stevie leaped to her feet. “There’s Lisa now.”
The green sedan pulled to a stop. Both doors on the passenger side opened. “Hi, everybody!” Jamie cried, getting out of the backseat.
“Hi, Jamie!” Stevie and Carole called as Jamie ran toward them. Lisa followed, but more slowly.
“Hey, how are you feeling?” Carole asked as the little boy ran up and threw his arms around her waist.
“I’m feeling great!”
“Are all your chicken pox gone?” Stevie asked as she also received a hug.
“All but one,” Jamie reported proudly. He lifted up his shirt to reveal the last remaining spot on his stomach. “It’s almost gone,” he said. “And it doesn’t itch at all.”
“Hi, guys.” Lisa greeted them with a smile. “As you can see, Jamie’s feeling much better.”
“He looks terrific,” Carole said. “Rosy cheeks, bright eyes, lots of energy.”
“I’ll give you three guesses what the first thing he wanted to do when he got better was.”
“Let’s see …,” Stevie said, shooting Carole a teasing glance. “Did you want to read a book?”
“No,” Jamie said.
“Did you want to eat candy and junk food until you felt like you might throw up?” Stevie guessed again.
“No.” Jamie laughed and shook his head.
“Hmmm.” Stevie frowned and chewed her fingernail, pretending to be stumped. “Could it be … Did you want to visit your Saddle Club pals and ride Nickel?”
“Yes!” Jamie cried.
“All right!” said Carole. “I knew we’d made a believer out of him!”
“Do you think Max would mind?” Lisa asked. “Mrs. Bacon says it’s all he’s talked about for the past two weeks.”
“Why don’t you three go visit Nickel in his stall, and I’ll go ask Max for permission,” Stevie volunteered. “I’m sure he’ll say yes, though. Anybody who recovers from chicken pox is a hero in his book.”
Carole and Lisa took Jamie into the stable to visit Nickel, while Stevie went to look for Max. In a few minutes she returned, smiling. “He said it’s fine with him, as long as we use a helmet and spot him.”
“Then let’s go,” said Lisa. They led Nickel out of his stall and clipped him to the cross-ties. Carole taught Jamie how to use a currycomb, and Stevie demonstrated the fundamentals of hoof picking. Lisa brought Nickel’s saddle and bridle from the tack room, and in a few minutes he was ready to go.
“Wow,” Jamie said as he buckled on the black helmet. “Learning all this real stuff is a lot better than riding a merry-go-round!”
“That’s exactly the way we feel, Jamie,” Carole said.
Jamie touched the Pine Hollow horseshoe for luck, and together they led Nickel out to the riding ring.
“Remember how to mount up?” Carole asked.
“Of course he does,” Stevie snorted. “He did it just fine two weeks ago.”
Lisa gave him a boost, and Jamie mounted Nickel perfectly. With Stevie and Carole spotting on either side, Lisa began to lead Nickel around the ring.
“Is it as fun as you remembered?” she asked over her shoulder.
Jamie nodded vigorously. “It’s great! Can we go faster now?”
“Carole? Stevie?” Lisa asked. “Ready to trot?”
“I suppose,” Stevie replied. “But not too long. It’s really hot out here.”
They trotted around the ring three times, then stopped back at the gate. “Thanks,” said Jamie, his face pink with excitement. “That was great.”
“You’ll have to come back and do it again,” Lisa said. “Someday when Stevie is in better shape.”
“Ha, ha,” grumbled Stevie.
Jamie dismounted, and they led Nickel back to the barn. “Hey, Carole,” he said. “Wait. I’ve got something to give you.”
They stopped while Jamie ran to the backpack he’d left beside the stable door. He dug down deep inside it and pulled out a bundle wrapped up in a small plastic bag. He smiled as he handed it to Carole.
She knew what it was the moment she touched it. She looked at Jamie. “This is Pegasus, isn’t it?”
He nodded. “He helped me get better. When I lay in bed all itchy, I would look at him and remember Nickel and think of how much fun it was going to be when I could come back here and ride.” Jamie smiled. “Now he can help you with your project.”
As Carole held the bag in her hands, she could feel the outline of Pegasus’ legs and outstretched wings. Suddenly she knew she’d done the right thing by loaning him to Jamie. It wasn’t really a bri
be. Pegasus had just reminded Jamie that his chicken pox wouldn’t last forever and that happier, healthier days would soon come.
“Thanks for remembering to give him back, Jamie. I really appreciate it,” Carole said. “And you’re right. He can help me with my project. Maybe when I look at him, my words will soar!”
“Oh, brother.” Stevie rolled her eyes.
Suddenly, Lisa realized it was time for her to take Jamie home. Mrs. Bacon hadn’t wanted him to get overly tired.
“Gosh, Jamie.” Lisa looked at her watch. “We’re going to be late.”
“Go ahead and walk him home, Lisa,” Carole suggested. “Stevie and I will take care of Nickel. Why don’t you just plan on meeting us at TD’s in half an hour?”
“Okay. Thanks. You guys are lifesavers.”
Jamie said good-bye to everybody. Lisa took him by the hand, and they hurried on toward his house. Carole and Stevie walked Nickel back to his stall.
“Do you want to do the tack or Nickel?” Carole asked as she unbuckled the pony’s bridle and slipped a halter on him.
“I don’t know.” Stevie shrugged. “I don’t care.”
“Well, why don’t you put his tack back and I’ll brush him down?” Carole suggested pleasantly.
“Whatever,” snapped Stevie, loosening Nickel’s girth.
Carole looked at her friend. “Stevie, why are you so grouchy today?”
“Have I been grouchy?” Stevie’s eyes widened in surprise.
“A little bit,” Carole replied as she began currying Nickel’s soft coat.
“I’m sorry,” Stevie said earnestly. “I didn’t realize that I had been.”
“It’s okay,” said Carole. “Just as long as nothing is wrong.”
Fifteen minutes later Nickel was brushed and happily munching hay in his stall. His tack had been cleaned and put in its proper place, and Stevie and Carole stood in front of their horses’ stalls.
“Hey, boy.” Carole gave Starlight his usual rub behind the ears, but today she added a scratch under his jaw and along his mane. He seemed to enjoy it, and it was a good way for her to make absolutely sure he was free of lice. He still smelled of insecticide, but he was no longer trying to scratch his neck against the stall walls, and he was his old regular self under the saddle again.
“I’m going to TD’s with Stevie and Lisa, then I’m coming back and we’re going for a ride,” Carole told him. He pricked his ears, listening. “Then after that, I’ll give you a good grooming and get all the tangles out of your tail.”
“Are you ready to go?” Stevie suddenly appeared behind Carole, again looking at her watch.
“Yes, I was just talking to Starlight—”
“Well, we need to hurry. It’s already almost one.”
“Are you that hungry?” Carole asked.
“No,” Stevie said. “I just don’t want to be late.”
“Okay, okay,” said Carole. She gave Starlight a final pat. “Bye, fella. I’ll see you a little later.”
The two girls walked out of the cool darkness of the stable into the summer brightness. “It’s really hot today,” Stevie complained as they walked across the parking lot. “Why don’t we go to my house and take a swim after TD’s?”
“I thought we were coming back to the stable for a ride,” Carole said.
“Oh, yeah,” Stevie replied. She shrugged. “Guess I forgot.”
They walked the short distance to TD’s, arriving there only five minutes late. Lisa was waiting for them in their regular booth. “Hi, guys!” she called when they walked in the door.
“Hi!” Carole said, scooting into the booth beside her. “Did you get Jamie home okay?”
Lisa nodded. “He told his mother he had a great time and asked her if he could start taking some real riding lessons.”
“What did she say?” asked Stevie.
“She said she thought that was a good idea, and she asked me for Max’s number.”
“All right!” Carole held up her hands for a high fifteen. “Another rider for Pine Hollow, and another convert for The Saddle Club!”
“And he’ll make a good rider, too,” Lisa said thoughtfully. “He’s not afraid of horses, and he’s gentle with the reins.”
“Maybe he’ll go to the Olympics and be a big star,” Carole predicted. “Then we can say we’re the ones who put him on his first horse.”
“And nearly killed him with kindness at the Cross County Fair,” added Stevie.
The girls were wondering what type of riding Jamie might go into when the waitress arrived at their table, order pad in hand.
“Let me guess,” she said. She pointed her pencil at Lisa and Carole. “You two will have your usuals—a dish of chocolate with marshmallow sauce and a double cone of strawberry and pistachio, right?”
“Right,” Lisa and Carole answered together.
The waitress scribbled on her pad, turned to a clean page, then looked at Stevie. “Now,” she said wearily. “You. What new frontiers of ice cream cuisine are we striving for today?”
Stevie looked at her friends and sighed. “I’d like a dish of vanilla, please.”
For a moment no one spoke. In fact, for a moment no one even moved. Everyone was too shocked to do anything.
“And?” the waitress finally managed to say.
“And nothing,” replied Stevie. “Just a dish of vanilla ice cream.”
The waitress stared at Steve, her mouth agape. “What? No nuts? No pineapple sauce with peppermint chunks? No chocolate sprinkles with pretzel garni?”
“No thank you.” Stevie shrugged. “Just vanilla.”
The waitress squinted at Stevie for a long moment, then turned back toward the counter. “Kids,” she mumbled, shaking her head. “Go figure.”
Lisa put her hand on Stevie’s forehead as soon as the waitress left. Carole grabbed her wrist to take her pulse.
“What are you doing?” Stevie cried irritably. “All I did was ask for vanilla ice cream.”
“We know,” replied Lisa. “That’s what’s so scary!”
Carole pressed her fingers into Stevie’s wrist. “Well,” she finally announced. “From all I can tell, she’s still got a pulse.”
“I’m telling you, I’m fine!” Stevie insisted. “I just felt like vanilla today.”
“Listen, Stevie. If Carole and I have learned anything about misdiagnosing problems in the past two weeks, it’s that when someone goes from ordering three different flavors of ice cream with three different sauces to just plain vanilla, something’s wrong. And we’re going to get to the bottom of it.”
“But I just feel like—”
“Wait a minute, Stevie.” Carole frowned. “When did you say you had chicken pox?”
“When I was little. The same time Alex had them.”
“But you don’t really remember anything about them, do you?” Lisa said.
“No, I don’t. I was too little,” Stevie said.
“Right. But you remember Alex having chicken pox, and Alex having to take an oatmeal bath, don’t you? If you’d had chicken pox, don’t you think you’d remember at least some little something about it?”
“Well, no, I don’t know …”
Carole looked at Lisa, then turned to Stevie. “Stevie, unbutton your shirt.”
“Right here? In public?” Stevie answered in a goofy high voice, and batted her eyelashes extravagantly. “Please!”
“Stevie!” Carole warned.
“Okay, okay.” Stevie unbuttoned her collar and peered down into the darkness inside her shirt. “Can’t see a thing,” she announced happily. “Looks like the misdiagnosis twins have struck again!”
“Wanna bet?” Carole got up, walked around the table, and pulled Stevie’s shirttail up from her pants. She and Lisa gasped. A fine rash of tiny red dots speckled Stevie’s stomach.
“It’s chicken pox!” Carole and Lisa cried at the same time.
For once Stevie was stunned into silence. She sat there with her mouth open, staring
at her stomach.
“We’ve got to get you home,” Carole said. “Lisa, go cancel our ice cream.”
“Okay.” Lisa got up and ran to the counter.
“I don’t know what to say,” Stevie began.
“Don’t say anything, Stevie. Chicken pox happens to the best of us.” Carole reached down in her backpack for the small plastic bag Jamie had given her earlier that morning and held it out to her. “Take this home with you. Pegasus helped remind Jamie when he was sick that he would soon be riding Nickel again. Now Pegasus can do the same for you.”
“But what if it’s not chicken pox?” asked Stevie.
“If it’s not chicken pox, then it must be lice or botflies,” Lisa said as she returned to the table. “In that case, Dr. Hanson and I will give you a good grooming, shave your hair, burn all your clothes, and apply insecticide.”
Carole laughed, still holding Pegasus out to Stevie. “Yeah, Stevie. You can take your choice. It’s either the horseflies or the flying horse.”
Stevie put the bundled-up Pegasus into her shirt pocket and looked at Carole and Lisa. “Since you put it that way,” she said with a tired smile, “I’ll take the flying horse and friends like you any day!”
What happens to The Saddle Club next?
Read Bonnie Bryant’s exciting new series and find out.
High school. Driver’s licenses. Boyfriends. Jobs.
A lot of new things are happening, but one thing remains the same: Stevie Lake, Lisa Atwood, and Carole Hanson are still best friends. However, even among best friends some things do change, and problems can strain any friendship … but these three can handle it. Can’t they?
Read an excerpt from Pine Hollow #1: The Long Ride.
PROLOGUE
“DO YOU THINK we’ll get there in time?” Stevie Lake asked, looking around for some reassuring sign that the airport was near.
“Since that plane almost landed on us, I think it’s safe to say that we’re close,” Carole Hanson said.
Horseflies Page 10