Back in the Saddle

by Bonnie Bryant

  She cleared her throat again. “Let’s give it until New Year’s,” she said firmly. “We’ll talk again then and see how we feel. Then we can, you know, take it from there.”

  Alex nodded. “Okay,” he said in a small voice. “New Year’s.”

  “Oh!” Suddenly Lisa thought of something else. “And I think we have to both agree to—to see other people.”

  Alex looked startled, but he nodded again. “Agreed.” He gulped. “Even though it will be really weird.”

  “I know.” Lisa couldn’t quite imagine what it would be like to date another guy now, after being with Alex for so long, but she knew that the only way this experiment would work was if they really thought about their options. And they couldn’t do that if they both spent the next month moping around alone, counting the days until New Year’s.

  Besides, maybe dating other people will do the trick, she thought hopefully. It could be just the thing to make us appreciate what we really have with each other.

  There was a long moment of silence, each of them thinking. Finally, though, Alex clapped his hands on his knees and stood. “Okay, now that that’s settled, maybe we should head back.”

  Lisa nodded, realizing with a shiver that she was getting cold sitting there. “Good idea.” She stood up beside him, intending to head straight over to the horses, who were still grazing nearby.

  But Alex stopped her with a touch on the shoulder. “Wait,” he said softly.

  Lisa stopped and turned, tilting her head back to look at him. For a few endless seconds, they just gazed into each other’s eyes. Then Alex lifted his hands to her face and pulled her gently toward him. Their lips met briefly, barely brushing each other before the kiss was over. Lisa wasn’t even sure which of them pulled back first.

  They didn’t say a word as they walked over to the horses, side by side, and prepared to mount. And they remained silent throughout the ride back to Pine Hollow. Lisa wasn’t surprised. They’d said all there was to say.

  Carole was feeling frantic as she hurried down the hall to the stable office forty minutes later. Nicole’s lesson had finally ended a few minutes earlier, leaving Carole with the realization that she still couldn’t go. Red wasn’t back from the trail ride yet, and Ben hadn’t returned from wherever he was, either. Worse yet, Scott seemed to have disappeared, too.

  She had tried to call her father right after Nicole’s lesson but had gotten the machine. She’d almost hung up, hoping that her father had been delayed somehow. Maybe he didn’t even know she was late!

  But she resisted the temptation. At the sound of the beep, she’d left a brief message, telling him that she was still at the stable and not to worry.

  I can’t just leave the stable unattended, Carole had thought desperately as she’d hung up the phone and headed down the hall to see if Nicole needed any help with her horse. She and Veronica were in a hurry, and Carole suspected that if she didn’t step in, Diablo wouldn’t get much of a grooming that evening. I don’t have a key to the alarm system anymore, and besides, someone has to make evening rounds. Anyway, it’s not like a few more minutes are going to make much difference at this point. I’m already toast.

  She tried not to think about that as she flipped through the stable’s journal, checking to see if any of the horses needed special medications or treatments that evening. She didn’t see anything that required immediate attention, so she left the office and wandered back down the hall, trying to figure out what to do next to keep herself busy until Red returned. She’d just about given up on Ben at that point.

  I wish I’d been able to catch Stevie or Lisa, she thought, pausing in the entryway and glancing around uncertainly. They definitely would have pitched in to help me out if they knew what was up, and I’m pretty sure they were here earlier, since Belle and Eve were both freshly groomed when I checked on them just now. But I guess they’re gone.

  Realizing that there was one way to check on that, she walked quickly to the front doors and swung them open, peering out into the darkness. It was already pretty cold outside, and a brisk night wind was adding to the chill. Wrapping her arms around herself, Carole took a couple of steps outside until she could see past the fence of the schooling ring. A single spotlight illuminated the parking lot across the driveway, and Carole immediately saw that the only car still parked there was her own.

  With a resigned sigh, she stepped back into the relative warmth of the entryway. She was about to pull the doors shut again and head over to the stable aisle to check on the horses when she caught the flash of headlights swinging into the end of the drive.

  Her heart jumped hopefully. Was it Ben? Or maybe Stevie or Lisa had forgotten something and returned. Or Scott and Callie had come back, realizing that she still needed help.…

  But when the car pulled into the parking area, its tires shooting gravel as it took the turn a little too quickly, Carole gulped. “Dad,” she whispered, feeling her heart sink like a stone.

  She quickly stepped back into the entryway, her heart pounding. Maybe I can still explain, she thought, biting her lip nervously. Maybe he’ll understand if I tell him exactly what happened.

  But when her father entered a moment later, he didn’t even give her a chance to open her mouth. “There you are!” he exclaimed, his face pinched with anger. “I couldn’t believe it when I got your message. I had to see it with my own two eyes. But yes, here you are, standing right here in the stable as if you didn’t have a curfew at all. Young lady, I don’t think I’ve ever been as angry with you as I am right now!”

  “But Dad!” Carole protested desperately. “Please, if I could just explain—”

  “There’s nothing to explain,” Colonel Hanson interrupted sharply. “You were supposed to be home by five. It’s now nearly quarter to seven. It’s quite clear to me that our agreement is over.”

  Carole gasped. “But—”

  “No buts!” Her father cut her off furiously. “I can’t believe this. I thought I was doing a good thing by letting you ride again, by trusting you. But now I can see that I was a fool. I don’t even know what to think of you anymore, Carole. I really don’t.”

  Tears were running down Carole’s face, but she hardly noticed. Why wouldn’t her father let her explain? He wasn’t even giving her a chance to tell him why she’d done it.

  “What’s going on in here?” a new voice broke in. Max strode through the partially open doors, glancing curiously from Carole to Colonel Hanson and back again.

  “Sorry for the shouting, Max,” Colonel Hanson said. “But I’ve just come to pick up my daughter, who seems to think it’s all right to be an hour and a half late for her curfew.”

  Max frowned. “I see.” He stared at Carole. “And I understand your disappointment, Mitch.”

  “But Max!” Carole gulped, trying to keep her voice from shaking. “I was just trying to tell Dad that I—”

  Max held up his hand. “Don’t bother, Carole,” he said. “You know how I feel. One mistake is one too many. That applies to this sort of thing as much as it does to riding or horse care. I’m very disappointed in you.”

  Carole’s head was spinning. Why can’t they stop yelling for two seconds and listen to me? she wondered in disbelief. Neither of them even seems interested in hearing my side of the story!

  Just then the stable door creaked open again, just wide enough to admit Ben Marlow. He blinked at the little scene in the entryway in front of him, looking startled.

  Carole stared at him for a moment as her father and Max continued to lecture about how irresponsible she was. So he had finally returned—far too late to save her, she realized with a sinking heart.

  It’s not like Ben is the type to step forward and offer detailed explanations, she thought bitterly, noticing that he wasn’t even looking at her now. He was watching her father and Max, his expression as inscrutable as always. He’ll probably just sneak on past, and then I—

  “Excuse me,” Ben said loudly.

  Max and Col
onel Hanson both glanced at him in surprise. It was obvious that neither of the men had noticed Ben’s arrival. “Oh,” Max said blankly. “Marlow. Er, what is it?”

  Ben shrugged, seeming a bit surprised to have their attention. He stared at his feet, his voice now little more than a mumble. “Er, sounds like she’s, uh—” He gestured at Carole. “I think I know what happened.”

  Max looked confused. “What are you talking about?”

  “It’s my fault.” Ben cleared his throat, then looked directly at the two men. “I was late. She was covering for me.”

  Colonel Hanson frowned. “That’s very noble of you, young man,” he said, his voice stern. “But my daughter had a strict curfew, and she knew it. And I don’t think—”

  “Hang on a minute, Mitch.” Max held up his hand. “Let’s just hear what Ben has to say.”

  Carole held her breath. She stared at Ben, but he was still looking at her father and Max.

  “I took some time off this afternoon.” Ben shrugged again. “Uh, I had to—to take my niece to the doctor. Thought I’d be back in an hour. Told Red I would be back.”

  “You—Did you say your niece?” Max asked. From the expression on his face, Carole guessed that he’d had no idea what Ben’s errand had been, or even that such a niece existed.

  Ben nodded. “Sorry, Max,” he said gruffly. “I let you down. Good thing Carole was here to pick up the slack.”

  Carole’s mind boggled. She couldn’t believe that Ben was sticking up for her. She’d never heard him speak so much in her life. And I can’t remember the last time I heard him say my name, either.

  The thought had just popped into her head, and she shook it out immediately. This wasn’t the time for that.

  “I’m really sorry, Dad,” she said, taking advantage of the brief silence. “I took my curfew seriously, I really did. But Max was gone picking up Deborah, and Red was out on the trail, and the beginning riders needed help, and nobody else was here to take care of things, and I—I had to do it. I’m sorry, but I really didn’t have any choice. I had to do it, even if it means getting grounded again.” She stared at her father defiantly, realizing that it was true. “I think I made the right choice—the only choice. I’m sorry if you don’t agree.”

  Her father was staring at her in astonishment. “Let me get this straight,” he said, his voice less angry now. “There was no one here to take care of the stable. And this young man”—he waved toward Ben—“this young man was supposed to return earlier—”

  “Five o’clock,” Ben put in quietly. “I should’ve been back by five. Latest.”

  Colonel Hanson nodded, though he hardly seemed to have heard him. “So you stayed to look after things here, even though you knew it meant breaking your curfew.”

  Carole shrugged. “I guess so,” she said weakly. “I knew you’d be mad. But I told Red I’d stay until Ben got back, and I couldn’t just leave. There was nobody else.”

  “I see.” Colonel Hanson took a deep breath. “And I have just one thing to say.”

  “What is it?” Carole cringed, expecting the worst.

  “I’m sorry, Carole.” Her father stepped forward and put a hand on her shoulder, looking her directly in the eye. “You did the right thing. And I should have let you explain before flying off the handle.”

  Carole gasped. “You mean you’re not going to …” She trailed off, unable to say the words.

  “Ban you from the stable again?” Colonel Hanson’s eyes crinkled slightly, though he didn’t quite smile. “No, I don’t think so. I’m starting to think that letting you ride again was the right thing for me to do. I wasn’t so sure about that at first.” He shrugged ruefully. “I suppose that’s why I was so quick to jump down your throat when I thought you were flouting our new rules.”

  Carole could hardly believe her ears. “You mean I can still ride?”

  “Four days a week,” her father replied. “Just as we agreed.”

  Max smiled. “Sounds like a good decision to me,” he said, patting Colonel Hanson on the back. “We kind of like having Carole around here, you know.” He glanced at Carole. “By the way, I’m sorry, too,” he said. “Looks like the mistake here was mine—not giving you a chance to explain.”

  “It’s okay,” Carole said, not quite believing that things were turning out so well after all. She shot Ben a grateful glance, still dumbfounded at the way he’d spoken up on her behalf. But before she could put her thanks for what he’d done into words, there was a clatter of hooves in the stable yard outside.

  Max glanced at his watch. “Oops! Sounds like Red’s back with his moonlight riders,” he said. “Time to get to work.”

  “Yep,” Ben said, already moving toward the door.

  “Do you need Carole to stay and help out?” Colonel Hanson asked Max.

  Max shook his head and smiled. “It’s okay,” he said. “We can handle it now. But thanks for the offer.” He winked at Carole.

  Colonel Hanson nodded and put his arm around Carole’s shoulder. “All right, then we’ll be going. I want to get started telling my daughter how proud I am of her.”

  Max and Ben had already rushed out to help Red, so they didn’t hear Colonel Hanson’s comment. But that didn’t matter. As her father smiled proudly down at her, Carole knew that his words were meant for her.

  FIFTEEN

  “Extra! Extra! Read all about it!” Stevie shouted happily as she raced into the student locker room the next afternoon, waving a handful of copies of that day’s Fenton Hall Sentinel above her head. “Hot new talent Stevie Lake makes the third page, wins Pulitzer Prize for her brilliant reporting!”

  Callie looked up with a laugh, giving her boot one last yank. “I know, I know,” she said with mock exasperation. “You’re a genius. You’ve been telling me that all day.”

  Stevie grinned, glancing around the room. Most of her friends were there: Carole was straddling a bench, picking burrs out of a fleece saddlepad. Lisa was digging for something in her cubby. George Wheeler was leaning against the wall near Callie, absently tapping his riding crop against one leg. And Scott was lounging on the bench that ran in front of the wall of cubbyholes. Stevie felt herself blush slightly as she remembered her suspicions from the day before. But she didn’t want to waste time worrying about that now. “Sure, maybe you’re sick of my fame and fortune already, Callie,” she said brightly. “But some of these guys probably haven’t even read my amazingly insightful article yet.” She tossed copies of the newspaper to Lisa and Carole.

  “Wow, Stevie!” Carole exclaimed as she opened her copy. “You made the third page? That’s pretty cool, especially since you weren’t even sure they’d print your article at all.”

  Stevie shrugged modestly. “I know. It’s not quite front-page, breaking headline news, but it’ll have to do. For now, anyway.”

  “Well, I think it’s great, Stevie,” Scott said. “No matter what my sister says.”

  “Thanks.” With effort, Stevie stopped herself from babbling at him. If Scott really did like her as more than a friend, that sort of thing wasn’t going to change it. She would just have to keep a careful eye on him for a while and see what happened. “And guess what? Theresa was so pleased with the response so far that she said she might let me write something else next week. And not just the cafeteria menus, either. Isn’t that cool?”

  “Definitely,” Lisa said.

  Stevie glanced at her quickly. She’d already heard from both Lisa and Alex about the agreement they’d made to take a break from their relationship. It had come as a huge surprise, and she was still trying to take it in.

  Meanwhile, Carole was scanning the article. “Wow,” she commented. “This part’s pretty harsh: ‘It’s clear to this reporter that certain people, Ms. diAngelo among them, just weren’t prepared for the compromises and responsibilities of a truly adult relationship, at least judging by her behavior this week.’” She glanced up. “And that’s only part of it. What did Veronica have to say about all
this stuff you wrote about her?”

  Stevie shrugged, not wanting thoughts of Veronica to spoil her big moment. She wasn’t worried about her threats. What could she do to her, anyway? “Um, let’s just say she wasn’t too pleased,” she mumbled.

  Scott laughed. “That’s the understatement of the century,” he said. “She was practically spitting nails all day. I heard she even went to Miss Fenton to complain—about your article, and also about the whole marriage project.”

  “It’s true,” George said. “I was in the office when she came in.”

  “Really? So what did Miss Fenton say?” Stevie asked, wondering if Veronica’s plans for revenge included trying to get Stevie expelled. That seemed pretty weak, even for her.

  “I only heard a little,” George explained. “Then they went back into Miss Fenton’s private office. But the secretary told me that Miss Fenton already decided they probably won’t try the project again next year.

  “That’s too bad,” Stevie commented. Her gaze strayed back to Lisa. All this love and romance stuff really is a lot more complicated than I thought at first, she mused. I mean, it’s easy to predict some things about some relationships—like that Spike and I would be at each other’s throats during this marriage project, or that Veronica and Zach would make each other miserable. But the real-life stuff? That’s a little tougher. Who would’ve thought that Lisa and Alex would decide to break up? They say it’s temporary, that they’re still in love—but if that’s true, why date other people? It just doesn’t make sense.

  At the same moment, Callie was thinking about Stevie’s article. You know, she told herself, sneaking a peek at George, who seemed determined to hang around the locker room as long as she did, if someone read Stevie’s article who didn’t know any better, they might actually think that Corey and I were a couple. We came across as a perfect match.