Lisa nodded.
“Hey, what’s going on?” Stevie said, walking up behind them. “I’ve been looking everywhere for you guys.”
“Shhh,” Carole cautioned. “We’re just watching the free entertainment. As far as I can tell, Veronica has volunteered Pine Hollow as the temporary home for a string of six polo ponies whose stable is being fumigated and whose grooms are going on vacation. The only problem is, she forgot to mention it to Max beforehand.”
Stevie’s eyes widened. “Cool,” she whispered.
“You haven’t even heard the best part,” Lisa added. “Veronica just offered to take care of the horses herself.”
“Wow. She must really be desperate,” Stevie said.
Carole nodded. “That’s what I said.” But despite the fact that she was enjoying seeing Veronica put in her place, Carole couldn’t help feeling a little worried. She hoped this incident wouldn’t put Max in such a foul mood that he would say no to their own strange request.
“You’ll have to call the man back and tell him to find another stable,” Max told Veronica in his best no-nonsense tone. “I might be able to recommend some alternatives.”
“Umm,” Veronica said, turning her head to listen to something outside.
Max heard it, too. It was the sound of a vehicle—a very large vehicle—moving into the driveway. “What’s that?” he muttered. “The grain delivery isn’t due until next week.”
Veronica looked panicked for a moment. But then, as The Saddle Club watched, her face relaxed and the look of anxiety was replaced by a sly smile. “I think that’s your newest tenants arriving, Max,” she said sweetly.
“What?” Max said.
“The polo ponies. Oh, did I forget to mention? They’re due to arrive today. Right now, by the sound of it.” Veronica smirked. “You’d better get out there and greet them. How would it look if you left them standing around in the driveway? After all, I hear this is the best full-service stable in the area.”
Max just stared at her for a moment. “You mean the horses you just told me about—they’re arriving now?” he demanded, his red face turning an interesting shade of deep purple.
Veronica shrugged. “Sorry about that,” she said, not sounding sorry at all. “But it looks as though there’s not much you can do now except give in and take the boarders. I’ve heard Mr. Haverford-Smythe has quite a temper. If you turn his horses away at the doorstep, he’ll probably see to it that you never get another boarder again as long as you’re in business.” She paused and examined the perfectly manicured nails on one hand. “Which may not be long,” she added softly.
“Veronica, this is not some kind of game!” Max shouted. The Saddle Club had never seen him so angry. “Taking in boarders is a serious business. I can’t in good conscience accept horses I don’t have the staff to care for, no matter what you or anybody else says. You know Red and I are up to our eyeteeth in work as it is. You’ll just have to go out there and tell your friend he has to go elsewhere.”
Veronica shrugged and frowned. “Hey, it’s your reputation, not mine,” she said sullenly.
Max frowned but didn’t say anything else. Carole guessed that he was thinking about what Veronica had said. It was true that it wouldn’t look good for Max to turn away business at the last minute. He knew and The Saddle Club knew that it was all Veronica’s fault that Max was in this mess, but Mr. Haverford-Smythe didn’t know that. He would just think Max was disorganized or, worse, dishonest. Carole hated the thought that Pine Hollow’s reputation could be damaged by the likes of Veronica diAngelo.
But before she could ponder it further, she felt Stevie push past her. “Hey, Max,” Stevie said. “I have the perfect answer to your problem.”
Max sighed. “Stevie, please. I don’t have time for any of your crazy schemes right now,” he said, rubbing his forehead with one hand. “I have to deal with this first.”
“But that’s exactly what I want to talk to you about,” Stevie said. “I think I know a way to make you and the polo ponies’ owner happy.”
“Uh-oh,” Lisa whispered to Carole. “You don’t think she’s actually going to—”
“The answer is let The Saddle Club Horse-Sitting Service take over,” Stevie announced happily.
“She just did,” Carole said grimly. “This is it. She’s finally snapped.”
But Stevie and Max didn’t hear her. “What do you mean?” Max asked Stevie, looking cautious but hopeful. “You want to take care of the polo ponies while they’re here?”
“Yup,” Stevie said. “For half your usual boarding fee, of course.”
“Of course.” Max rubbed his chin thoughtfully.
“If Red will just include the ponies in his morning feeding rounds, we’ll do everything else,” Stevie continued. “All you have to do is provide the stalls and the supplies.”
“Hey, wait a minute, Max,” Veronica broke in angrily. “A second ago you refused to even consider letting me help out.”
“That’s because I know what your version of helping out looks like,” Max said sharply. “These horses need real care, Veronica. And I’m sorry to say that I just don’t think you’re up to the job.” He turned back to Stevie. “Do you really think you can do it? Without neglecting your schoolwork or your other chores?”
“I know we can,” Stevie said confidently.
“All right,” Max said. “You’ve got yourself a deal. Come on, let’s get out there and meet our newest tenants.”
“Yes, let’s,” Stevie agreed, tossing her head as she brushed past Veronica. “Excuse us, Veronica. We’ve got an important responsibility to take care of. Oh, but I guess you wouldn’t know anything about that, would you?” She stuck her nose in the air and sauntered after Max.
As she followed, Lisa felt a sinking sensation in the pit of her stomach. She was already exhausted from rushing over after school, taking care of Honeybee, and figuring out what to do with Mr. Munch. The Saddle Club still had to fit in training sessions for Memphis and Romeo, as well as take care of their own horses, before they left for the day.
Carole was thinking the same thing. Stevie had really gone too far this time. They were having trouble dealing with three extra horses, and one of those was a fat old mare that didn’t even have to be ridden. There was no way they could handle six spirited, highly trained polo ponies on top of that, no matter how much Max was willing to pay them. But how could they tell him that now, when he was counting on them? She was pretty sure he had only agreed to Stevie’s crazy plan because he didn’t realize how much extra work the girls had already taken on. He knew they were taking care of Honeybee, but she suspected he might have forgotten about Romeo and Memphis. That wasn’t like him—but then again, Max had been doing a lot of things that weren’t like him lately. Carole’s stomach growled, and she sighed. It looked as if dinner was going to be awfully late that night.
* * *
THE SIGHT OF the polo ponies temporarily took Carole’s and Lisa’s minds off their troubles. As the younger of the two grooms who had come with the horses led the first one off the van, the girls gasped. The horse was a compact, athletic-looking bay. As Max took the lead rope and led it into the barn, the girls admired the polo pony’s strong, quick gait.
“Wow,” Stevie said.
“You can say that again,” Carole agreed. She hurried forward to take the next horse from the young groom. This one was black with white front stockings that reached almost to his knees. He looked as though he had some Arabian blood in him, and he also looked lively and curious.
The rest of the polo ponies were just as gorgeous. There were three more bays, each glossier and more muscular than the last. The girls took turns leading the horses into the stable and putting them into stalls under Max’s direction. Meanwhile Veronica leaned against a fence nearby, watching everything with a disgruntled look on her face.
As the young groom led the last horse, a sleek gray, off the van, Max excused himself and went inside to ask Red to bring d
own some straw for the visitors’ stalls.
“They’re pretty great, aren’t they?” said the young groom, a slim man in his early twenties, when he noticed Lisa admiring the gray.
“They sure are,” she agreed wholeheartedly. “I can’t decide which one is my favorite.”
The groom laughed. “I can’t either,” he said. He held out his hand. “By the way, my name’s Mick Bonner.”
“I’m Lisa Atwood,” Lisa replied, shaking his hand. She called over her friends, who had just returned from inside, and introduced them to Mick.
“It must be great to work with such beautiful horses all the time,” Carole said, stroking the gray’s sleek neck.
“All horses are beautiful,” Mick replied, sounding a little like Carole. He grinned. “These just happen to be more expensive than most.”
Lisa gulped, her nervousness returning. She hoped Stevie realized what she’d gotten them into.
“Well, they’re really wonderful,” Carole said. “It’ll be an honor to help take care of them.”
“Do you work here?” Mick asked.
“Uh, not exactly,” Lisa said. “Max is a little shorthanded right now, so he hired us to take care of these horses for him while they’re here.”
“We’re very experienced,” Stevie added quickly.
But Mick didn’t seem worried. “That’s great,” he said. “I had a job as an exercise boy at the racetrack when I was about your age.” He smiled. “Although it hardly felt like a job. Working with horses doesn’t really seem like work somehow, you know?”
“I know exactly what you mean,” Carole said, and Stevie and Lisa nodded.
“Hey, what’s the holdup here?” demanded the older groom, a lanky man with thin brown hair and a deep suntan. While the others were unloading the horses, he had leaned against the side of the van smoking a cigarette. Now he strolled over to where The Saddle Club and Mick were standing. “We’ve got to get going. My vacation starts as soon as we get this van back, you know.”
“Uh, sorry, Luke,” Mick said quietly. “The girls and I were just talking. I’ll take Tempest in now.”
“Make it snappy,” Luke said, lighting another cigarette. “And try not to waste any more time standing around talking to little girls.”
Mick cleared his throat. “These girls will be helping take care of the ponies, Luke,” he said. “There are a few things we need to tell them before we leave.”
Luke raised an eyebrow and looked The Saddle Club up and down. He exhaled a puff of smoke and frowned. “These kids work here?” he said in disbelief. “What kind of operation is this, anyway?”
Max returned just in time to hear the man’s last remark. “Is there a problem here?” he asked.
“There might be,” Luke replied. “What’s this I hear about a bunch of kids taking care of my boss’s horses? They’re very valuable animals, you know.”
“I’m well aware of that fact,” Max replied coldly. “And I can assure you, sir, that I would never ask these girls to take on more responsibility than I thought they could handle. They’re more than qualified to care for your horses, and I’m confident they’ll prove that to your satisfaction, and to your boss’s as well. I’ll stake my reputation on that.”
Luke shrugged, looking a bit taken aback. “Well, I guess that’s exactly what you’re doing, then,” he muttered. “Come on, Bonner. Take Tempest in and then let’s get out of here. I’ll fill in Regnery here on everything he needs to know.”
Mick nodded. “Just show me the way,” he said to the girls.
“Carole and Lisa, you’d better go help Red with the bedding for the stalls,” Max said. The two girls nodded and hurried inside. “Stevie, you can help take Tempest in,” he added. “Put him in the empty stall on the end of the aisle near the tack room.”
Stevie led Mick and his charge into the stable building, pausing to let the groom soothe Tempest before leading him in. As soon as they were inside, out of sight of Max and Luke, she broke into a grin. The old Max was back! That little speech had been vintage Max Regnery, and it sounded good. Then her grin faded a little. For the first time she stopped to think about how much extra work the six polo ponies would be. Then she shrugged. The next day was Saturday, and they’d just have to spend the entire day at Pine Hollow. Sunday, too. Then there were only a few more days before all the owners came back. They could worry about next week when they had to. In the meantime, Stevie preferred to think about all the money they would be making. She added the figures in her head. Could it be? Yes, she was sure of it. When all their horse-sitting jobs were complete, The Saddle Club would have more than enough money for the things they wanted—including the beautiful new bridle.
“Take that, Veronica,” she muttered.
“Excuse me?” Mick said politely. He had been busy murmuring quietly to Tempest. The gray horse had been perfectly calm until he had been asked to enter the strange barn. Now he looked nervous.
“Oh, nothing,” she said. “Just talking to myself. Is he okay?”
“Oh, sure,” Mick said, giving the horse an affectionate scratch. “He’s always like this his first time in a new building. Don’t know why. Once he’s had a chance to look around and get his bearings, he’s fine.”
They reached the empty stall. “Here we are,” Stevie said. She swung open the door, expecting to see exactly what she’d seen in the other five stalls—the wooden floor swept clean, the walls scrubbed and spotless, and an overturned water bucket near the door, ready for use. She saw all that in this stall, but this time there was something extra as well. A large wire cage sat square in the middle of the stall—and perched atop it, lazy eyes half closed, was a large, green, scaly iguana.
Stevie glanced over her shoulder at Mick and saw his eyes widen. But the groom didn’t say a word. He just backed Tempest up a little so the lizard was out of the nervous horse’s view and continued talking to him soothingly.
Suddenly the horse’s ears flicked backward, and a second later Stevie and Mick heard Luke and Max coming toward them. Luke was complaining to Max about how long it was taking to get the horses settled.
Stevie jumped into the stall and grabbed the iguana. She had no idea whose it was or how it had gotten there, but she could figure that out later. Right now the important thing was to make sure Luke didn’t see it. She shoved the sleepy lizard under one arm, grabbed the empty cage, and hurried out of the stall. She managed to duck around the corner and into the tack room just in the nick of time. Quickly shoving the iguana into its cage, she snapped the door shut and then hurried back to the others.
“What on earth is taking so long, Bonner?” Luke snapped as Stevie returned.
“You know how Tempest gets in a new place, Luke,” Mick replied mildly. “You’ve got to take him in slowly.” Ignoring the older man, he turned his attention back to the horse and led him into the stall. Tempest went calmly and immediately began snuffling at the walls around him.
Stevie grabbed the water bucket. “I’ll go take care of this,” she said.
“I think you might want to take care of putting some straw down on the floor before that,” Luke said rudely. “I can’t believe it wasn’t done before we got here.”
“The other girls are dealing with that right now,” Max said firmly. “And Stevie will be going to help them—after she fills the water bucket.”
Luke rolled his eyes. “Well,” he drawled in a sarcastic tone, “I hope you won’t take this the wrong way, but I think I might just stop by tomorrow and make sure the nags have settled in okay. I’m responsible for them, you know, and I’m sure my boss wouldn’t want me to leave them somewhere if I wasn’t a hundred percent satisfied it was all right.”
Max nodded. “Of course, you’re more than welcome to stop in to check on your horses anytime,” he said stiffly. “Although I can assure you—”
“Hey, Luke, didn’t you say something about going to a ball game tomorrow?” Mick broke in.
“Oh, yeah,” Luke said with a f
rown. “I almost forgot.”
“If you want, I could stop by for you,” Mick offered. “I’m not doing anything special tomorrow.”
Luke seemed to consider the young man’s offer for a second. Then he shook his head. “No, that won’t work. I’m head groom. It’s my responsibility. I guess it’ll just have to wait until Sunday. I’ve had these tickets for months. There’s no way I’m passing up this game—especially not while I’m supposed to be on vacation.”
“Sunday it is, then,” Max said, heading for the entrance. “Allow me to show you the way out. And don’t worry about a thing. Your horses are in good hands here.”
“I can see that they are,” Mick said politely. But Luke just grunted in reply.
Stevie watched them go, then quickly filled the water bucket and hung it in Tempest’s stall. She found Carole and Lisa a few minutes later, hauling bales of straw toward one of the other polo ponies’ stalls.
“Um, listen, guys,” Stevie said. “Is there anything you’ve forgotten to tell me today? You know, like you did really well on a quiz, or your parents decided to put in a tennis court, or, oh, I don’t know, Pine Hollow is being invaded by giant green lizards …”
Lisa gasped and her hand flew to her mouth. “Oh, no! Mr. Munch! I forgot all about him. But where did you …?”
“In the gray polo pony’s new stall,” Stevie said casually. “But I think they’ll get along just fine, don’t you?”
“Very funny,” Carole said. She paused to wipe the sweat from her forehead. Hauling bales was hard work. “Where did you put him?”
“He’s in the tack room,” Stevie said. “Now would you mind filling me in?”
They told her the whole story, including Carole’s plan to keep Mr. Munch in the garden shed. “I guess we’d better get it over with,” Carole said. “You’re off the hook, Stevie. I’ll ask Max. You guys can keep working on getting those polo ponies settled.”
“Oh, yeah?” Stevie challenged her. “How come we have to keep doing this backbreaking work while you get the easy part?”
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