Blowing out a sigh, Maddie switched on the small lamp on the table beside her bed. Then she reached for her well-worn copy of Misty of Chincoteague, which she kept tucked into the bedside table’s lower shelf. After a quick glance across the room to make sure her sister hadn’t stirred, she opened the book, flipping forward to Chapter 3, her favorite part. Settling back against her pillow, she read the familiar words:
Spring tides had come once more to Assateague Island. They were washing and salting the earth, coaxing new green spears to replace the old dried grasses.
On a windy Saturday morning, half-past March, a boy and his sister were toiling up the White Hills of Assateague Beach. . . .
Maddie read on, trying to lose herself in the familiar adventures of Paul and Maureen Beebe and the ponies of Chincoteague. But after barely half a chapter, she let the book fall into her lap. Reading it was usually a guaranteed way to put her in a good mood. But today it only reminded her of just how special Cloudy really was—and how terrible it would be to lose her.
Setting the book aside, Maddie switched off the light and closed her eyes. But it took her at least another half hour to finally fall asleep.
A shrill buzzing sound jerked Maddie awake. She sat up and rubbed her eyes. Bright sunlight was pouring in through the windows. How late had she slept? She glanced at Tillie’s bed, which was neatly made.
The buzz came again, and Maddie realized it was her cell phone. She grabbed it from the bedside table and answered without bothering to check the readout.
“Hello?” she mumbled, her voice still fuzzy with sleep.
“Maddie? Is that you?”
Maddie rubbed her eyes with her free hand, trying to wake herself up. The voice sounded sort of familiar, but for a second she couldn’t place it.
“Hello?” the voice said again. “It’s me, Nina!”
“Nina?” Maddie sat bolt upright in her bed. No wonder she hadn’t recognized the voice right away! She’d spoken to Nina and the other Pony Post girls on the phone before, but only a few times, and always with lots of advance planning. The last time had been a conference call that Nina’s father had set up as a special treat for Nina’s birthday back in March.
“Did I wake you up?” Nina sounded bright and alert. “I thought it was like nine thirty there. Did I mess up the time difference?”
“Um . . .” Maddie glanced at her alarm clock, which read 9:33. “No, you got it right. Don’t worry, I’m up.”
“Good,” Nina said. “Because I need to talk to you, girl. We’re all worried about you.”
Maddie rubbed her eyes again, stifling a yawn. “Huh? Who?”
“Me and the girls,” Nina replied. “Well, mostly Brooke to start. You know how that girl notices everything, right?”
“Sure, I guess.”
“Well, she e-mailed me and Haley the other day to ask us if we thought you were acting weird. And once she mentioned it, I realized she was right—since when do you ever go like four days without a peep on the Pony Post?”
“Um . . .” Maddie wasn’t sure what to say to that.
“Brooke was also the first one to see your latest post this morning.” Nina laughed. “I guess that makes sense, right? She’s a whole hour ahead of Haley and me. Anyway, she e-mailed us as soon as she saw it.”
“Um, saw what?” Maddie asked, trying to focus her sleep-muddled mind enough to remember what she’d posted.
“Your desperate cry for help,” Nina replied with a touch of drama. “It was, like, the last straw. Haley decided we needed to find out what was going on with you.”
That sounded like Haley. She was a straightforward person—an action girl, as Nina had jokingly dubbed her once.
“So I volunteered to call you,” Nina went on before Maddie could say anything. “I’ve got unlimited long distance on my cell phone, so it made sense for me to do it. So that’s our story. What’s yours? Spill it, Maddie—we’re worried about you.”
Suddenly Maddie couldn’t hold back any longer. She had to talk to someone who could understand what she was going through, and who better than one of her fellow Chincoteague pony lovers?
“It’s Cloudy,” she blurted out. “It all started on Saturday when I showed up for my lesson and found out I was on the list to ride a different pony. . . .”
The story spilled out of her in a torrent of words. Nina stayed pretty quiet through it all except for a few exclamations here and there. When Maddie finished, there was silence on the phone for a second.
“Wow,” Nina said at last. “I can’t believe this! I’m so sorry, Maddie—no wonder you were freaked out! I can’t even imagine someone coming in and buying Breezy out from under me. It’s horrible! Why didn’t you tell us about this sooner?”
Maddie bit her lip, not sure Nina would understand the next part. She always seemed so confident, so carefree—the type of person who marched to her own beat and didn’t worry about what other people thought of her. “Um, I guess I was worried about what you guys would think,” Maddie said hesitantly.
“What do you mean? It’s not like it’s your fault those people want to buy Cloudy.”
“No, not that.” Maddie took a deep breath. “I just—I was afraid that if you knew I might not have a Chincoteague pony anymore, maybe I wouldn’t be, you know, welcome on the Pony Post anymore either.”
“What?” Nina’s indignation was unmistakable even over the phone. “Are you crazy, girl? You really think we’d ditch you even if you did lose Cloudy? Not that that’s going to happen,” she added hastily. “We’re going to help you fix this mess, tout de suite.”
“Toot what?”
“Tout de suite.” Nina laughed. “That’s just something our maid says all the time. It’s French for ‘right away.’ ”
Maddie felt a fresh spark of optimism. “So you’ll help me come up with ways to make more money?”
“For sure!” Nina exclaimed. “That way nobody will ever be able to even try to take Cloudy away from you again. So what have you done so far?”
“Well, yesterday my dad paid me to clean out the garage, and then I went around to ask all the neighbors if they had anything they wanted me to do.” Maddie gave her friend the short version of her long workday. “But I think I’ve done all the odd jobs my neighbors have right now. And Mom and Dad won’t let me knock on the doors of people we don’t know.”
“I hear you.” Nina sounded thoughtful. “Anyway, odd jobs will only take you so far. You need, like, a real business plan. Something that will net you some serious moolah.”
Maddie smiled. Nina was always coming up with crazy words and phrases like “tout de suite” and “moolah” that most kids their age would never think to use. Maybe it was because her mother was an artist, or because she lived in New Orleans, which had always seemed a bit like a whole different country.
“Okay,” Maddie said, leaning back against her pillow and switching the phone to her other ear. “Like what?”
“Didn’t Haley post something about dog-walking?” Nina asked. “That could work, right? There’s this guy my dad knows who totally supports himself by walking people’s dogs all over the Garden District. He takes them out in shifts—six or eight dogs at a time, all day long. The dogs love him, and so do their owners. He’s got a waiting list a mile long.”
“That’s cool. But remember, I need money fast,” Maddie said. “It would take a ton of time to build that kind of business.”
“True, true. But listen, that gives me another great idea. Why don’t you talk to Ms. Emerson about setting up a payment plan?”
“A what?”
“A payment plan,” Nina repeated. “You know—like when people buy cars and houses and stuff. They don’t usually have all the money up front, so they borrow part of it from the bank or whoever.”
Maddie wrinkled her nose in confusion. “Are you saying I should ask the bank to loan me money to buy Cloudy?” she said. “I don’t think that will work—I’m just a kid, remember?”
&nb
sp; Nina laughed. “No, no. I’m saying you should ask Ms. Emerson if you could make payments to buy Cloudy—say, a certain amount each month until the whole amount is paid off. If you come up with a real plan, with numbers and everything, it’ll totally make you seem grown-up and serious about the whole deal.”
“Do you think so?” Maddie hadn’t really thought about it that way.
“Sure. It might even be exactly what she needs to decide to sell Cloudy to you instead of those other people.” Nina sounded confident. “Besides, it means you don’t have to wait any longer to tell her you want to buy her.”
“That’s true.” Maddie chewed her lower lip, thinking it over. “I guess maybe it’s worth a try, anyway.”
“For sure,” Nina agreed. “You don’t want her to finalize a deal with the other people while you’re out somewhere pulling weeds or whatever.”
Before Maddie could respond, there was a knock on the door. Her father stuck his head in. He looked surprised to see her still in bed.
“Better shake a leg, lazybones,” he said. “We’re supposed to leave for your soccer practice in twenty minutes.”
“Oh, right. I’ll be down in a sec.” When Maddie’s father disappeared, she spoke into the phone again. “Sorry, Nina. I have to go get ready for soccer. But I’m really glad you called. And I’m sorry I didn’t tell you what was going on right away.”
“You’re forgiven—this time,” Nina said with a laugh. “But don’t let it happen again.”
“I won’t. Um, can you let Brooke and Haley know what’s going on for me? And tell them I’m sorry too?”
“Sure. Post later and let us know how things are going, okay?”
“Definitely. Thanks, Nina.” Maddie hung up the phone and jumped out of bed, already feeling much more optimistic about the whole situation. She also felt silly for not telling her friends what was going on until now. She should have known they’d want to help—and that they’d never turn their backs on her, no matter what.
Knowing that made her feel like she could do anything.
“Thanks for the ride, Dad.” Maddie unsnapped her seat belt. She could see her teammates milling around on one of high school playing fields. The grass looked extra-bright against the sere browns of the summer-scorched hills beyond.
“Hang on a sec.” Her father put the car in neutral. “Did you ever call the coach back about that tryout on Saturday?”
Maddie gulped. She’d been hoping he’d forgotten about that.
“Um, not yet,” she said. “But I’ll talk to her now.”
Her father frowned. “Maddie, this Cascade League thing is a big deal,” he said. “If you don’t start taking it seriously . . .” He sighed, letting his voice trail off. Then he cut the engine.
“What are you doing?” Maddie asked as he opened his door.
“I’m going to talk to your coach,” he said. “I want to make sure all the arrangements are set so I can take time off work if necessary.”
“You don’t have to do that.” Maddie hopped out of the car, hurrying around to his side. “Seriously, Dad. I’ll talk to her, I swear!”
“It’s no trouble, Mads. I’m already here.” Her father strode off toward Coach Wu, who’d just appeared at one end of the field.
Maddie grimaced, hoping her father wouldn’t embarrass her too much in front of the team. In any case, it looked like she was stuck—she would be going to that try-out whether she liked it or not.
CHAPTER
9
AFTER SOCCER PRACTICE, MADDIE STOPPED at home just long enough to change clothes, then grabbed her bike and headed to the barn. When she arrived, the parking lot was full. Thursdays were always busy—there were two back-to-back group lessons, followed by several privates.
“Hi, Maddie!” a high-pitched voice called out as soon as Maddie entered the barn.
Maddie squinted, trying to force her eyes to adjust from the bright sunshine outside. A little girl with sleek black braids was waving at her from the doorway to the tack room, grinning from ear to ear.
“Hey, you!” Maddie called back brightly. “How’s it going?”
She recognized the girl, though she couldn’t remember her name. A couple of weeks earlier, Maddie had been passing by the grooming area on her way to see Cloudy. She’d noticed that the little girl was having trouble convincing Wizard to pick up his feet so she could clean them out with the hoof-pick. Maddie had stopped and showed her how to get the pony to pick up by gently squeezing his chestnuts, the calluses on the inside of his legs. Ever since, it was obvious that the girl was Maddie’s biggest fan.
“I’m riding Peaches today in my lesson!” the girl announced now, sounding excited. “I never rode her before.”
“You’ll love her,” Maddie assured her with a smile. “She’s a sweetheart.”
“Cool.” The girl grinned. “Are you riding Cloudy today?”
“Not today.” Maddie’s smile faded slightly. “I just decided to stop by and visit her. I’d better go do that now. Have a good ride, okay?”
She hurried off toward Cloudy’s stall. The mare heard her coming and stuck her head out, nickering softly.
Maddie let herself in and gave the pony a hug. “Hey, girl,” she said softly. “I’m glad to see you, too. And don’t worry.” She leaned closer, whispering into Cloudy’s fuzzy ear. “I have a plan. Soon we’ll never have to worry about being separated again.”
That reminded her of the real reason she’d come to the barn today. Giving Cloudy one last hug, she let herself out of the stall and hurried back up the aisle. She spotted Ms. Emerson helping a tiny kid lead the barn’s smallest pony, Peanut, out of his stall.
As soon as the pony was safely cross-tied in the grooming area, Maddie approached the barn owner. “Oh, hi, Maddie.” Ms. Emerson seemed a little frazzled. “I didn’t know you were here.”
“I just got here,” Maddie said. “And I have to tell you something—I can’t come to my lesson on Saturday. There’s this special soccer tryout that day, and my dad’s making me go.”
“All right, thanks for letting me know,” Ms. Emerson said. “Will you still be coming on the Snack and Swim on Sunday?”
“Definitely!” Maddie nodded vigorously. “I wouldn’t miss that for the world.”
“Good.” Ms. Emerson turned away, pointing a finger at a girl who was tacking up a stout little bay gelding nearby. “Charlotte! Don’t let your reins fall down by the horse’s feet!”
Maddie took a step closer to the barn owner. “Listen, I wanted to talk to you about something else,” she began.
“Can it wait?” Ms. Emerson glanced at her watch. “Every single kid showed up for today’s beginner lesson, and Kiana’s out sick today. . . .”
Maddie’s heart sank. Ms. Emerson didn’t seem to be in any mood to talk about payment plans. Still, the barn owner’s words gave her another idea.
“Do you need some help?” she asked. “I mean, I’ve been trying to earn money doing odd jobs all week. I’d love to help out right here at the barn!”
Ms. Emerson gave her an appraising look. “Trying to earn some spending money, eh?” she said. “All right, you have a deal.”
“Great!” Maddie grinned. Helping out at the barn definitely beat cleaning the garage! “What do you want me to do first? Should I go help the kids finish tacking up? That girl with the red hair looks like she’s way behind the others.”
“No, she needs to learn how to do that herself.” Ms. Emerson stepped over to the supply closet nearby. Reaching inside, she pulled out a manure fork. “Here you go—I’ve been so busy, I haven’t had a chance to pick stalls since this morning.”
Maddie accepted the fork, staring at it in surprise. “You want me to clean stalls?”
The barn owner was already hurrying off down the aisle. “The wheelbarrow’s right outside the back door, airing out,” she called over her shoulder.
Maddie glanced toward the nearest open stall, which had several piles of manure in it. When making he
r offer to help out around the barn, she’d vaguely pictured herself assisting the younger kids as they groomed and saddled their ponies. Or maybe something like cleaning the lesson saddles and bridles, oiling them carefully and wiping down the bits.
But if cleaning stalls was what it took to get on Ms. Emerson’s good side—and earn another few dollars toward Cloudy’s purchase price at the same time—then that was what Maddie had to do. Clutching her pitchfork, she headed for the back door in search of the wheelbarrow.
“Ugh!” Maddie grunted as she threw all her weight against the handles of the wheelbarrow, tipping its contents into the muck pile. She’d lost track of how many loads of dirty shavings and manure she’d pulled out of the stalls over the past hour.
She blinked the sweat out of her eyes and headed back into the barn. Parking the wheelbarrow in the doorway of another unoccupied stall, she set to work.
A few minutes later, she heard the clatter of hooves and the chatter of excited voices. The group lesson had just ended.
Maddie glanced out to see if the pony whose stall she was cleaning was heading her way. Instead, she saw Ms. Emerson coming toward her.
“How’s it going, Maddie?” the barn owner asked.
“Fine, I guess.” Maddie rested her weight on her pitchfork. “Although I’m a little worried about sweating to death.” She forced a smile to show she was joking, even though she really wasn’t.
“It’s pretty hot today, isn’t it?” Ms. Emerson sounded sympathetic. “Tell you what. Maybe you need a change of scenery—and a little fresh air.”
Maddie perked up. “Sure! What do you want me to do?” Visions of exercising school horses or leading ponies to the far turnout started dancing through her mind.
Maddie’s Dream Page 7