Dorothy. “Tell them, Doro,” he said.
“Nigel hates braiding manes,” Dorothy said promptly. “You girls saved him.”
“Dorothy makes me do it,” Nigel said, blowing the paper wrapper off his straw at his wife. “She won’t help.”
“It’s good for your soul,” Dorothy said.
“Cheeseburgers,” said Stevie, “are good for mine.”
C AROLE CLOSED THE door of the girls’ hotel room. “Dorothy and Nigel say good-night,” she said.Stevie sat up in bed. “Where’s Kate?” she asked. “I thought you went to get her.”
Carole took off her shoes. “She said she’ll be a little while yet. She’s going over the dressage test with Nigel. She’s got to have it memorized, you know.”
“I forgot about that,” Stevie said. In dressage, every horse and rider rode a set combination of moves called a test. They received scores from judges based on how accurately, correctly, and beautifully they performed those moves. It was a little bit like the compulsory figures in gymnastics or ice-skating.
“She says we should go to sleep,” Carole continued. “She’ll be in as soon as she can.”
“Poor Kate,” Lisa murmured as she drifted off to sleep.
B RRRNG ! B RRRNG !
T HE hotel room phone rang in the darkness of night. Lisa fumbled with the receiver, her heart pounding. Who could be calling at this hour?
“Hello?” she asked sleepily.
“This is your requested wake-up call,” came the impersonal voice of the front-desk clerk.
“It can’t be,” Lisa protested. “We just fell asleep.” But the clerk had already hung up.
Kate pushed back the covers of the other bed and flipped the bedside lamp on. She shook her head once, as if to clear it, and walked to the bathroom.
“Kate!” Lisa said, watching her. “We don’t have to get up yet! It’s four in the morning!”
Kate turned and grinned. “I told Nigel we’d all be ready by four-fifteen.”
“What do we have to do?” Stevie grumbled. “I thought the whole point of braiding those horses last night was not to have to do it this morning.” She began to get dressed.
“Well, Southwood and Campfire need to eat an early breakfast,” Carole said. “You know it’s not good for horses to work hard right after they’ve eaten.”
“Sure, but …,” Stevie said. She held up a pair of blue jeans. “Are these yours, Carole, or mine?”
Lisa grabbed them. “Mine, I think. See the hole in the pocket? Southwood’s going to have to be groomed, too. We don’t want him covered with hay for the horse inspection.”
Kate came back. “Bathroom’s free,” she said. “You guys are right. We need to take care of Southwood early. Also, Nigel promised to walk the course with me again before he has to get ready.” Kate shuddered, and her friends were reminded of all the big fences that awaited her and Southwood. “I can’t decide on the best way to ride through the water complex,” Kate said.
“Poor Kate,” Lisa said sympathetically. “Did you dream about the cross-country fences?”
Kate laughed. “Dream? No! To dream I would have had to sleep. I just lay there and worried about them!”
Carole looked up in amazement. “Are you really afraid?” she asked. “If you are, Kate, I don’t think you should dothis. Nigel could ride Southwood. Beatrice would understand.”
Kate smiled, but without humor. “I don’t think Beatrice would understand, Carole, but it doesn’t matter because I’m not afraid. I promise. I have a nice, healthy respect for those fences, but I know Southwood and I can manage them. I never could sleep before a competition. I always get this way.”
“But this is just for fun,” Lisa reminded her.
Kate gave her the same tight-lipped smile. “Nothing this big is entirely for fun. At least, it isn’t for me.”
“You need to put this in perspective,” Stevie suggested. “Compared to a lot of other competitions, this is pretty small.”
Kate laughed. “Small compared to what? The world
“Nigel hates braiding manes,” Dorothy said promptly. “You girls saved him.”
“Dorothy makes me do it,” Nigel said, blowing the paper wrapper off his straw at his wife. “She won’t help.”
“It’s good for your soul,” Dorothy said.
“Cheeseburgers,” said Stevie, “are good for mine.”
C AROLE CLOSED THE door of the girls’ hotel room. “Dorothy and Nigel say good-night,” she said.Stevie sat up in bed. “Where’s Kate?” she asked. “I thought you went to get her.”
Carole took off her shoes. “She said she’ll be a little while yet. She’s going over the dressage test with Nigel. She’s got to have it memorized, you know.”
“I forgot about that,” Stevie said. In dressage, every horse and rider rode a set combination of moves called a test. They received scores from judges based on how accurately, correctly, and beautifully they performed those moves. It was a little bit like the compulsory figures in gymnastics or ice-skating.
“She says we should go to sleep,” Carole continued. “She’ll be in as soon as she can.”
“Poor Kate,” Lisa murmured as she drifted off to sleep.
B RRRNG ! B RRRNG !
T HE hotel room phone rang in the darkness of night. Lisa fumbled with the receiver, her heart pounding. Who could be calling at this hour?
“Hello?” she asked sleepily.
“This is your requested wake-up call,” came the impersonal voice of the front-desk clerk.
“It can’t be,” Lisa protested. “We just fell asleep.” But the clerk had already hung up.
Kate pushed back the covers of the other bed and flipped the bedside lamp on. She shook her head once, as if to clear it, and walked to the bathroom.
“Kate!” Lisa said, watching her. “We don’t have to get up yet! It’s four in the morning!”
Kate turned and grinned. “I told Nigel we’d all be ready by four-fifteen.”
“What do we have to do?” Stevie grumbled. “I thought the whole point of braiding those horses last night was not to have to do it this morning.” She began to get dressed.
“Well, Southwood and Campfire need to eat an early breakfast,” Carole said. “You know it’s not good for horses to work hard right after they’ve eaten.”
“Sure, but …,” Stevie said. She held up a pair of blue jeans. “Are these yours, Carole, or mine?”
Lisa grabbed them. “Mine, I think. See the hole in the pocket? Southwood’s going to have to be groomed, too. We don’t want him covered with hay for the horse inspection.”
Kate came back. “Bathroom’s free,” she said. “You guys are right. We need to take care of Southwood early. Also, Nigel promised to walk the course with me again before he has to get ready.” Kate shuddered, and her friends were reminded of all the big fences that awaited her and Southwood. “I can’t decide on the best way to ride through the water complex,” Kate said.
“Poor Kate,” Lisa said sympathetically. “Did you dream about the cross-country fences?”
Kate laughed. “Dream? No! To dream I would have had to sleep. I just lay there and worried about them!”
Carole looked up in amazement. “Are you really afraid?” she asked. “If you are, Kate, I don’t think you should dothis. Nigel could ride Southwood. Beatrice would understand.”
Kate smiled, but without humor. “I don’t think Beatrice would understand, Carole, but it doesn’t matter because I’m not afraid. I promise. I have a nice, healthy respect for those fences, but I know Southwood and I can manage them. I never could sleep before a competition. I always get this way.”
“But this is just for fun,” Lisa reminded her.
Kate gave her the same tight-lipped smile. “Nothing this big is entirely for fun. At least, it isn’t for me.”
“You need to put this in perspective,” Stevie suggested. “Compared to a lot of other competitions, this is pretty small.”
Kate laughed. “Small compared to what? The world
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