called back.
“Well, it’s us,” Stevie answered. Carole could see the proud grin on her face. She loved games like this. Carole hoped this was a game.
“It’s Donald!” the voice called. “Is that you girls? Stevie? Uh, Carole? And, um—”
“Lisa!” she called out. She didn’t like to be forgotten.
“Yeah, right. Lisa.” His horse rounded the bend. “There you are!” he said.
“What are you doing here?” Stevie challenged him.
“Looking for you. Is everything all right?”
“Of course it’s all right!” Stevie said. “Did you thinkwe’d be in trouble riding in these woods? Why, I’ve lived here all my life. I know these woods like the back of my hand. There’s no way I could get lost. Besides, we’re not even that far from Pine Hollow and …”
“Okay, okay,” Donald said. “I’m just glad to know everything’s okay with you. I saw you all take off and when you didn’t come back right away, I was worried about you. So, when Max told me to take a break, I wanted to make sure you were okay. Do you mind?”
Stevie was surprised. Lisa was confused. Carole was touched.
“That’s awfully nice of you, Donald,” she said. “You’ve been working so hard these past couple of days because of the event. You didn’t have to follow us in here. We’re okay. See, we were looking for a trail—a track, really.”
Stevie couldn’t believe her ears. If she was hearing things right, Carole was about to tell Donald what they were up to. That was a bad idea. This was a Saddle Club project, not a stablehand project. She cut Carole off before she spilled the beans.
“Yes, a track,” she said. “Carole had this idea that there was a little railroad track in the old quarry, so they could run little cars out of there with granite on them. We rode all the way there and didn’t see a thing. So, if there is a track there, it’s a total secret to the whole wide world.”
Stevie made sure to stress the last few words. Carole got the hint.
“Yes,” she agreed. “It’s still a secret.”
“Very secret,” Lisa added.
Donald looked at them all quizzically. “I promise to keep your secret a secret,” he said. “But now, I think you’d better get back to Pine Hollow.”
“That’s where we were headed,” Stevie told him. “Are you going back now too?”
Donald nodded. He turned his horse around and retreated along the trail. The girls followed him in single file. They didn’t talk as they rode. There was an awful lot to talk about, but it would all have to wait until they got to TD’s.
“O H , NO , IT ’ S you!” the waitress at TD’s said, wincing at the sight of Stevie.
Stevie shrugged innocently, as if she couldn’t imagine what upset the waitress so much. Lisa and Carole giggled. They knew exactly what upset the woman. Stevie had a well-earned reputation for ordering awful mixtures of sundaes. Stevie always seemed to love what she ordered, no matter how unlikely the combination was, but those around her always suspected she just ordered them so nobody else would want tastes.
The waitress put down glasses of water and told the girls she’d be back in a minute to take their orders. Carole had the funniest feeling the woman was just trying to put off the inevitable.
The three of them were sitting in their favorite boothin the back of TD’s. Carole and Lisa sat next to each other. Stevie was across from them, facing the door of the restaurant.
“Wasn’t that sweet of Donald to come after us in the woods?” Lisa said.
Stevie shook her head. “No, it was annoying.” The words sounded a little harsh to her. “Well, I suppose it was a little sweet, but I can’t figure out why he did it. Everybody knows we wouldn’t get lost. Besides that, I doubt Max gave him more than a ten-minute break. It must have taken him forty-five minutes to find us and come back with us. I’m sure Max wasn’t too pleased by that.”
Lisa leaned forward and put her elbows on the table.
“Well, it’s us,” Stevie answered. Carole could see the proud grin on her face. She loved games like this. Carole hoped this was a game.
“It’s Donald!” the voice called. “Is that you girls? Stevie? Uh, Carole? And, um—”
“Lisa!” she called out. She didn’t like to be forgotten.
“Yeah, right. Lisa.” His horse rounded the bend. “There you are!” he said.
“What are you doing here?” Stevie challenged him.
“Looking for you. Is everything all right?”
“Of course it’s all right!” Stevie said. “Did you thinkwe’d be in trouble riding in these woods? Why, I’ve lived here all my life. I know these woods like the back of my hand. There’s no way I could get lost. Besides, we’re not even that far from Pine Hollow and …”
“Okay, okay,” Donald said. “I’m just glad to know everything’s okay with you. I saw you all take off and when you didn’t come back right away, I was worried about you. So, when Max told me to take a break, I wanted to make sure you were okay. Do you mind?”
Stevie was surprised. Lisa was confused. Carole was touched.
“That’s awfully nice of you, Donald,” she said. “You’ve been working so hard these past couple of days because of the event. You didn’t have to follow us in here. We’re okay. See, we were looking for a trail—a track, really.”
Stevie couldn’t believe her ears. If she was hearing things right, Carole was about to tell Donald what they were up to. That was a bad idea. This was a Saddle Club project, not a stablehand project. She cut Carole off before she spilled the beans.
“Yes, a track,” she said. “Carole had this idea that there was a little railroad track in the old quarry, so they could run little cars out of there with granite on them. We rode all the way there and didn’t see a thing. So, if there is a track there, it’s a total secret to the whole wide world.”
Stevie made sure to stress the last few words. Carole got the hint.
“Yes,” she agreed. “It’s still a secret.”
“Very secret,” Lisa added.
Donald looked at them all quizzically. “I promise to keep your secret a secret,” he said. “But now, I think you’d better get back to Pine Hollow.”
“That’s where we were headed,” Stevie told him. “Are you going back now too?”
Donald nodded. He turned his horse around and retreated along the trail. The girls followed him in single file. They didn’t talk as they rode. There was an awful lot to talk about, but it would all have to wait until they got to TD’s.
“O H , NO , IT ’ S you!” the waitress at TD’s said, wincing at the sight of Stevie.
Stevie shrugged innocently, as if she couldn’t imagine what upset the waitress so much. Lisa and Carole giggled. They knew exactly what upset the woman. Stevie had a well-earned reputation for ordering awful mixtures of sundaes. Stevie always seemed to love what she ordered, no matter how unlikely the combination was, but those around her always suspected she just ordered them so nobody else would want tastes.
The waitress put down glasses of water and told the girls she’d be back in a minute to take their orders. Carole had the funniest feeling the woman was just trying to put off the inevitable.
The three of them were sitting in their favorite boothin the back of TD’s. Carole and Lisa sat next to each other. Stevie was across from them, facing the door of the restaurant.
“Wasn’t that sweet of Donald to come after us in the woods?” Lisa said.
Stevie shook her head. “No, it was annoying.” The words sounded a little harsh to her. “Well, I suppose it was a little sweet, but I can’t figure out why he did it. Everybody knows we wouldn’t get lost. Besides that, I doubt Max gave him more than a ten-minute break. It must have taken him forty-five minutes to find us and come back with us. I’m sure Max wasn’t too pleased by that.”
Lisa leaned forward and put her elbows on the table.
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