Track Record

by Bonnie Bryant

  “That’s right,” Carole murmured, reaching around carefully to stroke his neck. The pony stood still, though she could feel him trembling slightly. “Good boy. What a nice boy.” She smiled. There was something about the pony she really liked, and it wasn’t his good looks. He had a light in his eyes, a spark of intelligence and energy that appealed to her.

  I hope Max likes him, she thought, scratching the pony’s crest. He was finally starting to relax, his ears flopping as he enjoyed her attention. It would be fun to have this guy at Pine Hollow. With a little work—well, okay, maybe more than a little—I bet he’d be able to take some of the smaller intermediates to some good shows.

  Suddenly the pony tossed his head and jumped away, staring at something over Carole’s right shoulder. Glancing behind her, Carole saw that Max was returning, accompanied by a wizened little woman wrapped in an enormous wool coat and a bright red scarf. Carole assumed that the woman was Mrs. Rand, the horses’ elderly owner.

  “… and I just want to be sure I understand,” Max was saying as the two adults reached Carole. “You want to sell these horses, but only to someone who will take them both?”

  “That’s right.” Mrs. Rand pulled her scarf more tightly around the loose, papery skin of her throat. “These two have been together for years. Jinx—that’s the little one there—is very attached to Maddie, and vice versa. I couldn’t bear to separate them now.”

  “I see.” Max’s voice was neutral, though Carole could guess what he was thinking.

  He probably figures the real reason she wants them to go together is she knows that’s the only way she’ll get anyone to take the pony, she thought, her earlier optimistic thoughts evaporating as she watched Max stare critically at the pony, who was now cantering erratically around the paddock, tossing his head and letting out a little buck every few strides. Anyone other than the meat buyers at an auction, that is.

  She bit her lip as Jinx continued to jump around. Despite his good looks and appealing expression, Carole had to admit that his behavior didn’t exactly scream “lesson horse.” At his size, most adults and older teenagers were too tall and heavy to ride him comfortably. And until he learned some manners, he just wouldn’t be safe for most younger kids to handle or ride. It would take a lot of work, skill, and patience to turn him into anything resembling a safe child’s mount, and even so, he might never be a beginner’s pony.

  Maybe he’ll calm down under saddle, she thought hopefully. Maybe he’s just not used to having strange people around. I’m sure he’d adjust soon enough to that, though.

  Max quickly introduced Carole to Mrs. Rand, who nodded politely, then turned to gesture at the mare. “That’s the other horse right there,” the woman said. “Madison has been with me a long time. But she was a fine show horse in her younger days. Did the jumpers.”

  Carole was just turning her attention to the bay mare when a short, lithe man with bushy dark eyebrows and quick, lively brown eyes emerged from the barn and hurried toward them. “Ah, Stanley, there you are,” Mrs. Rand said, waving him over with one gloved hand. “This is my hired man, Stanley,” she told Max and Carole. “He’ll be showing you the horses.”

  “Call me Stan,” the farmhand said with a smile, tipping his battered cowboy hat. Stepping forward, he shook hands first with Max and then with Carole. His grip was firm and his hand felt strong and callused.

  “All right, then,” Mrs. Rand said. “If you’ll excuse me, this cold goes right through my old bones.Stanley should be able to answer any questions you have about the horses, but I’ll be inside if you need me.”

  “Thank you, Mrs. Rand,” Max said as the elderly woman turned and headed back toward the warmth of the big brick house.

  As soon as she was gone, Max smiled at Stan. “Okay,” he said. “Should we start with the mare?”

  “All right,” Stan said agreeably. “Her name’s Madison—Maddie—and she’s good as gold. The three esses, as my daddy used to say: sensible, sound, and safe.” Stan walked toward the mare, clucking softly to wake her up. Maddie flicked her ears at him and greeted him with a soft snort. “The tack’s over there on the fence,” Stan called to Max and Carole. “You can help get her ready if you want.”

  Max nodded approvingly. “Thanks. We will,” he said, shooting Carole a look.

  Carole didn’t have to be told twice. She was as eager as Max was to see if this mare was really as nice as she seemed. Finding out how her ground manners were would give them a good idea about how she would fit in at Pine Hollow, where she’d be handled by all sorts of riders.

  The mare gave them no trouble at all, barely swishing her tail as they tightened the girth and accepting the bit easily. When she was ready, Stan led her to the gate of a second paddock across the path from the one where Jinx was still trotting around excitedly. The mare waited patiently while Stan swung the gate open, then followed him through.

  “I’ll give her a whirl first,” Stan said, checking the girth and then mounting in one smooth motion. Maddie stood like a rock as the farmhand fiddled with the stirrups. At his signal, she stepped off willingly.

  Carole watched critically as Stan put the mare through her paces. He walked her, turning her left and right and riding in a circle. Then he moved to a trot and a canter, demonstrating both leads, which Maddie picked up easily. After that he aimed her at a makeshift jump set up in the middle of the pad-dock, which the mare cleared easily and without hesitation.

  “She looks good,” Max said casually when Stan pulled up in front of them. “Mind if I give her a go?”

  “Be my guest.” Stan dismounted, and Max swung aboard.

  Carole smiled as she watched him. Max was so busy running Pine Hollow—looking after the horses, teaching lessons, and taking care of the business end of things—that she rarely saw him in the saddle. Whenever she did, she was always a little startled by how good he was. The mare responded just as nicely to him as she had to Stan, and Carole could tell by Max’s expression that he liked her a lot.

  After a few minutes, Max rode Maddie back to the gate and dismounted. “Nice,” he said, giving her a pat. “Very well trained.” He pursed his lips, glancing at the pony across the way. Jinx was at the fence watching them, his small ears pricked in their direction. As Max led Maddie out through the gate, the pony suddenly snorted, whirled, and kicked up his heels before racing across the paddock. “I suppose we’d better take a look at the other one now,” Max added.

  This time Stan didn’t suggest that they help tack up. “You might want to stand back,” he said instead. “Last time I tightened his girth, he about took my head off.”

  The next ten minutes were a real battle. Jinx fought Stan every step of the way, dodging aside so that the saddle pad slipped off, bucking to try to throw off the saddle, letting out a quick cow kick when Stan tightened the girth, and cementing his mouth closed at first sight of the bridle. Stan was patient but firm, insisting that the pony accept the tack, and won out in the end each time.

  “Looks like his ground manners are a little rusty,” Max commented blandly when Stan finally had the pony tacked and ready.

  Stan sighed. “Jinx here is quite a handful, I won’t lie to you. I only wish I had time to work with him. Unfortunately, taking care of this place keeps me too busy for that sort of thing. He’s got a good heart, but as for his training … well, let’s just say there are a few holes.”

  Craters, more like, Carole thought ruefully, thinking of the way the pony had bucked at the weight of the saddle. I bet he’s never had any professional training at all. He just doesn’t know any better.

  Stan checked the girth once more, earning a nasty look from the pony. “I’m a little big for him, but he’s stronger than he looks.” He was still a little breathless from wrestling with the girth. He grinned. “Here goes nothing.” The farmhand swung into the saddle—not an easy task, since Jinx jumped to one side and started trotting forward as soon as he felt the man’s weight on the stirrup. But somehow he managed to
get up there, and with some visible effort he soon had the pony moving around the paddock at a choppy walk. After a moment, Jinx gave in and lowered his head, walking smoothly and swinging into a graceful trot at Stan’s signal.

  “Nice gaits,” Carole said hopefully, glancing at Max.

  Max never took his eyes off the pony, which had suddenly spotted Madison standing at the fence. Jinx seemed to take this as his cue to let off a quick buck. It was a mild one, and Stan sat it out easily. But he pulled up in front of them a moment later, sweating despite the cold weather.

  “There you go,” he said simply. “Mrs. Rand wanted me to show him to you, so that’s what I’ve done. Up to you if you want to give him a whirl yourself.”

  Max pursed his lips uncertainly, glancing from Jinx to Madison and back again. Carole guessed that he was searching for a polite way to say thanks but no thanks. She also guessed that he was wishing there was some way to have Madison, who seemed in every way the perfect school horse. Carole bit her lip, glancing at Jinx.

  “I’ll give him a shot,” she offered quickly. “Just let me run and get my hard hat out of the car.”

  Max looked dubious. “Are you sure?” he asked. “I mean, I’m sure you can handle him, Carole, but …”

  Carole could tell that he thought riding the pony was a waste of time, and he was probably worried about her safety. “Don’t worry,” she said, turning toward the car. “Back in a sec.”

  When she returned, Max was still looking uncertain. “I don’t know if this is a good idea, Carole,” he said as she strapped on her helmet. “I want you to be careful, okay? Hop off if he starts acting up too much—don’t take any chances.”

  Stan nodded. “At least you’re closer to the right size for him,” he told Carole. “Maybe he’ll like that better. I’ll hold him for you if you want to adjust the stirrups from the ground. It can be tough to get him to hold still long enough to do it once you’re up there.”

  Carole nodded and did as he suggested, checking the girth while she was at it. Then she took the reins and gave the pony a pat. “Okay, boy,” she murmured. “Let’s see what you can do.”

  Remembering how the pony had stepped off with Stan, she kept the reins snug as she swung up into the saddle. Even so, the pony danced to one side. Carole kept her balance, finding the right stirrup quickly.

  Whether it was Carole’s lighter weight, as Stan had suggested, or just that he had tired himself out, Jinx was slightly calmer than he’d been under the farmhand. He only bucked twice, and he managed to do most of what Carole asked with only moderate protest. Carole took him around the ring for a few minutes, then rode back over to the two men. “He’s green,” she said breathlessly as she dismounted and handed the reins to Stan so that she could run up the stirrups. “Totally green, with tons of energy. That’s all that’s wrong with him. I don’t think he’s trying to be nasty, he just doesn’t understand what he’s supposed to do.”

  Max scratched his chin thoughtfully. “I see,” he said. Then he turned to the farmhand. “Now, Stan, let me ask you. When Mrs. Rand says she’ll only let the two horses go together—”

  “She means it,” Stan said grimly before Max could finish. “Believe me, Maddie here would be long gone by now if she didn’t. We’ve had four or five buyers willing to pay more than Mrs. R was asking for Maddie alone. Nobody wants to deal with that one, though.” He nodded toward Jinx, who had turned his head to bite at the saddle on his back.

  Carole bit her lip. Poor Jinx! she thought, watching the pony. Nobody wants you. But it’s only because nobody has ever bothered to teach you the right way to behave. I know you could learn if you had the right teacher. … Her mind flashed back to her earlier conversation with Ben. If the two of them worked together, she was sure they could help Jinx live up to his potential.

  “Hmmm.” Max sighed. “Well, I’m afraid I—”

  “Max!” Carole interrupted urgently. “Wait. Can I talk to you for a minute?”

  Stan was already lifting the saddle off Jinx’s back. “I’ve got to take this boy in,” he said, gesturing toward the barn. “Go ahead and discuss it if you want. I’ll be back shortly.”

  As he headed off with Jinx in tow, Carole looked pleadingly at Max. “Max, I know you don’t think Jinx is right for Pine Hollow,” she said. “But I think you should give him a chance. I really think he’s a nice pony underneath all that attitude. All he needs is some good, solid, steady training and he could be really great.”

  Max sighed again. “Carole, Jinx certainly is a nice-looking pony, but he’s just not what we need right now. His ground manners are terrible, and he’s not much better under saddle. It’s obvious he’s never been properly trained.” He grimaced and shook his head. “I’m not sure we need a horse with that kind of track record at Pine Hollow. Especially now, when we’re so crowded already. Why waste a stall on a horse that nobody will be able to ride for weeks, maybe months?”

  Carole knew that what Max was saying made sense. He was a businessman, and that meant he had to make decisions based on what was best for Pine Hollow as a whole. Still, she couldn’t quite get the pony’s alert expression out of her mind. “I hear you,” she said. “But we do have a few empty stalls right now. And you were planning to start the expansion immediately, right? Before long there’ll be plenty of room. And you wouldn’t have to worry about training him—I could do it. I’m sure Ben would help.” She was talking very fast, not giving Max a chance to respond. “Besides, it would mean you could have Madison, and she’s just about perfect.”

  Max rubbed his ear. “She is awfully nice,” he said, glancing at the mare, who was still standing patiently at the second gate.

  “See?” Carole said eagerly. “It would be great. And I swear, I’ll take care of Jinx’s training myself.”

  “I don’t know.” Max looked at her skeptically. “Weren’t we just discussing how we don’t want you to overdo it? That pony would take up a whole lot of time—time you could spend studying.”

  Carole winced. Was she ever going to stop paying for that one stupid mistake? “I realize that,” she said carefully. “I wouldn’t let it interfere with my studying. And like I said, Ben would definitely want to help, and he spends all his time at the stable anyway.”

  Before Max could respond, Stan reappeared. “Well, folks?” he said, walking toward Madison. “What should I tell Mrs. Rand?”

  Max was silent for a long moment, staring at the mare as Stan led her away from the fence. Carole held her breath.

  “Tell her I need to think about it,” Max said at last. “I’ll be in touch in the next couple of days one way or the other.”

  Stan looked slightly surprised, but he nodded. “Fair enough,” he said. “I’ll let her know.”

  Carole let out her breath in a whoosh. Okay, that wasn’t exactly a yes, she thought, watching Max out of the corner of her eye as they headed for the car. But it wasn’t a no, either. And I’m pretty sure that’s a good sign!

  FIVE

  Callie’s heart started to beat a little faster as she walked up a slight rise in the ground and Pine Hollow came into view. Shoving her gloved hands deeper into her coat pockets, she glanced at the parking area. Several vehicles were there, but there was no sign of a certain white sedan with a dent in the left fender.

  Whew, Callie thought. I guess that means he already left.

  She was relieved. She had put off coming to Pine Hollow until as late in the day as possible, hoping to miss George. That had meant Scott couldn’t drive her, since he was already primping for his big night out with Lisa. But Callie didn’t mind the walk—not if it meant she could work her horse in peace, without constantly looking over her shoulder to see if George was behind her.

  There was a spring in her step as she hurried across the yard and into the main building. Suddenly she couldn’t wait to get to work with Scooby. Should I take him out in the woods for a little while? she wondered. Realizing that it would be getting dark by the time she had him groomed an
d tacked, she shook her head. I guess we’ll just stick to the in-door ring today, she decided. We can do some more of that gymnastics work that got interrupted yesterday.

  As she turned into the stable aisle, Callie glanced at the stall at the end, where Checkers was snuffling the top latch on the stall door. “Stop that, you pest,” she chided the horse, pushing his nose back into the stall and refastening the latch. Checkers snorted, then turned away to nose at his water bucket. “And you can drop the innocent act, too,” Callie added with a grin.

  She was still smiling as she turned around and stepped toward her own horse’s stall across the aisle. The half door was closed and latched, but when Callie peered over it, she saw that the stall was empty.

  She frowned, wondering if Max had switched stalls. He’d been doing quite a bit of that lately—Pine Hollow had nearly forty usable stalls, but until recently several of them had been used for storage. A population explosion in the town of Willow Creek and the surrounding area meant that more people than ever wanted to ride at Pine Hollow, so Max and his staff had cleared out every stall possible to make room for several new boarders, including Scooby. Even so, there were still several unoccupied stalls, and several more that were temporarily empty while their residents were resting and relaxing on twenty-four-hour turnout.

  But a quick glance at the card slipped into a slot on the door assured Callie that this was, indeed, still Scooby’s stall. The cards always traveled with the horses so that they were never without identification, except occasionally when Checkers or one of the ponies managed to get one out of its holder and have it as a snack.

  “Okay,” Callie muttered, hurrying toward the office. “So what’s the deal?”

  She was halfway across the entryway when Maureen emerged from the locker room, munching on a granola bar. She looked surprised to see Callie. “Oh, hey,” she said with a lazy wave. “I thought you weren’t coming today. I just turned Scooby out a few minutes ago to let him stretch his legs.”