Horse Tale by Bonnie Bryant

listening closely—or at least that’s how it looked to Lisa.
    John helped Lisa into the saddle. Then, as she settled herself into the seat, he remained at Chocolate’s side, looking up at Lisa. “Have a nice ride today,” he told her.
    She glanced down into his dark brown eyes. “Thanks,” she said quietly, trying to suppress the herd of butterflies that had started fluttering in her stomach. She didn’t knowwhy just looking into his eyes made her feel nervous and flustered, but happy at the same time. She wondered if that was how Stevie felt when she looked at Phil, or how Carole felt when she looked at Cam. She hoped so. It was a nice feeling.
    “Would you like to go for a walk with me after dinner?”
    Lisa had almost missed John’s question because she was so busy analyzing her own feelings about him. She gave an awkward gulp, then stammered out, “Oh, uh, ya—I mean yes. I mean, that would be nice.”
    He smiled up at her, not seeming to notice her discomfort. “Good,” he said. “I’ll see you then. Just meet me here by the corral, okay?” With that he turned and walked away, whistling a little tune.
    Lisa watched him go, then smiled. She was a little embarrassed about her own goofy response, but that feeling was overwhelmed by a feeling of excitement. Back at home she’d been dating a boy named Bob Harris, and she liked him a lot. But John was definitely one of the most interesting boys she’d ever met, and she was looking forward to spending some time alone with him—really alone.
    She clucked to Chocolate and trotted over to join her friends.
    “O KAY, TIME FOR a Saddle Club meeting,” Carole announced as the girls dismounted beside a small sandy stream.
    They had been riding along for a little over an hour, not talking much, each of them lost in her own thoughts.Stevie, of course, had been thinking about Stewball. The first thing she had to decide was which stall she would keep him in at Pine Hollow. After thinking over the empty stalls that were available, she decided to ask Max if she could put him in the one across from Starlight’s. That was easy.
    Then she had started thinking about his training. That wasn’t going to be quite as easy. Stewball was such a smart horse that Stevie was sure he would be a fast learner—the only question was whether she would be a worthy teacher for him. Luckily, she knew she could count on Carole to help. After all, Carole had been working hard on Starlight’s training ever since she’d gotten him. She was sure to have plenty of advice for Stevie.
    Carole was thinking about much the same thing. She had already begun to outline in her mind the steps Stevie would need to take to transform Stewball from the perfect Western horse to a good Eastern one. It would be a lot of hard work, but Carole decided that with the help of The Saddle Club, Stevie would be able to do it.
    Meanwhile Lisa’s mind had been on a different subject entirely—John Brightstar. Even though she was having fun on the trail ride with her friends, a part of her couldn’t wait for that evening after dinner. Did meeting John at the corral for a walk count as a date? After some consideration she decided that it probably did. She had just decided to share her news and her thoughts with her friends when Kate pointed out the stream and suggested they stop to give the horses a chance to rest and have a drink.
    When Carole announced the Saddle Club meeting, Lisa decided this would be the perfect opportunity to talk about John. But before she could open her mouth, Stevie started chattering away.
    “Did you see what Stewball did back there when that jackrabbit crossed our path?” she said. “He just lifted up his head, pricked his ears a little, and snorted. It was almost like he was telling the rabbit to get out of his way.” She turned to Carole. “Did you see?”
    “Yes,” Carole answered. “When Berry saw the rabbit—”
    But Stevie didn’t let her finish. “He’s not easily