two little cousins. Luckily the room was empty. Ginny and Beth were probably downstairs counting candles for the birthday cake. Stevie flopped down on her bed, closed her eyes, and tried to think of the most soothing and relaxing thing she could. Pine Hollow Stables. Her beloved Belle and Samson and all the other Pine Hollow horses. No relatives or caterers or high-school bands. A place where nobody cared about Angela Lake’s sweet sixteen birthday party. “If only I were there …,” Stevie murmured into her pillow.
“I F ONLY SHE were here!” Lisa exclaimed.
“I know. If there’s one brain we could use right now, it’s Stevie’s. She could probably figure out a way to sneak up on Samson with these stirrups and surprise him into not minding them,” Carole agreed with a sigh.
Although Carole spoke lightly, Lisa caught the anxious tone in her voice. All morning, Carole had been preoccupied. Lisa was sure that she was beginning to feel desperate about the situation. The two of them had racked their brains a dozen times trying to figure out what they were doing wrong. Obviously, pretending to think like Stevie was no substitute for the real thing. Nothing they’d tried had made one bit of difference. Samson was in such a playful mood that he had acted up before he even saw the saddle. He’d been prancing from the moment they’d taken him out of his stall.
Lisa figured that at first Samson hadn’t liked the stirrups, probably because they were new and strange. So he had acted up. But once he’d seen that he could get away with being silly, he didn’t want to stop. Now he did whatever he wanted—pranced, pulled, balked, bucked—the works. Although Carole persisted in calling it the “stirrup problem,” Lisa knew it was becoming much more of an all-around training problem.
Usually, when Lisa felt stuck at some point in ahorse’s training, she talked it over with Carole and Stevie. Carole’s wide experience and profound understanding of horses combined with Stevie’s innovative, problem-solving mind almost always helped her figure out a new approach. Now that Stevie was gone and Carole seemed stumped, Lisa felt confused about how to proceed. Maybe when Stevie got back things would look up, but she wasn’t even sure about that. Samson was beginning to be downright bratty.
A voice at the door to the ring interrupted Lisa’s thoughts. “Hi, girls. How’s it going?”
Lisa and Carole spun around to find Max peering in at them.
“F-fine,” Carole managed to get out. She was utterly taken aback to see Max there. Even though he looked friendly and interested, it almost seemed to her that he was spying on them. “I thought you were going to a dressage show this weekend,” she said nervously.
“That was yesterday,” Max explained. “It was only a one-day show.”
“How did your students do?” Lisa inquired, with a touch of Stevie-like inspiration. She figured the longer she could keep Max talking about the show, the better. Then maybe he would forget to ask about Samson again. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see Carole trying to get the colt to stand still.
“They did well. We didn’t embarrass ourselves, and a few of the students did even better than that.”
“Oh? Did they win any ribbons?” Lisa asked.
“Yeah, we brought home a couple of fourths and a sixth.” Max paused and turned to look at Carole and Samson. Frantically Lisa tried to think up another question, but she blanked.
“Well, I can see you’re busy, so I’ll leave you to your devices,” Max said.
Lisa let out the breath she was holding. Maybe it was all in her imagination—maybe Max just wanted to say hi.
“Great,” Carole said. “We’ll see you later.”
“But first let’s see what you’ve been doing with Samson,” Max finished. He stepped into the ring authoritatively.
Lisa felt her heart sink. She didn’t dare look at Carole’s face. “We’ve, uh, been taking it pretty slowly,” she said
“I F ONLY SHE were here!” Lisa exclaimed.
“I know. If there’s one brain we could use right now, it’s Stevie’s. She could probably figure out a way to sneak up on Samson with these stirrups and surprise him into not minding them,” Carole agreed with a sigh.
Although Carole spoke lightly, Lisa caught the anxious tone in her voice. All morning, Carole had been preoccupied. Lisa was sure that she was beginning to feel desperate about the situation. The two of them had racked their brains a dozen times trying to figure out what they were doing wrong. Obviously, pretending to think like Stevie was no substitute for the real thing. Nothing they’d tried had made one bit of difference. Samson was in such a playful mood that he had acted up before he even saw the saddle. He’d been prancing from the moment they’d taken him out of his stall.
Lisa figured that at first Samson hadn’t liked the stirrups, probably because they were new and strange. So he had acted up. But once he’d seen that he could get away with being silly, he didn’t want to stop. Now he did whatever he wanted—pranced, pulled, balked, bucked—the works. Although Carole persisted in calling it the “stirrup problem,” Lisa knew it was becoming much more of an all-around training problem.
Usually, when Lisa felt stuck at some point in ahorse’s training, she talked it over with Carole and Stevie. Carole’s wide experience and profound understanding of horses combined with Stevie’s innovative, problem-solving mind almost always helped her figure out a new approach. Now that Stevie was gone and Carole seemed stumped, Lisa felt confused about how to proceed. Maybe when Stevie got back things would look up, but she wasn’t even sure about that. Samson was beginning to be downright bratty.
A voice at the door to the ring interrupted Lisa’s thoughts. “Hi, girls. How’s it going?”
Lisa and Carole spun around to find Max peering in at them.
“F-fine,” Carole managed to get out. She was utterly taken aback to see Max there. Even though he looked friendly and interested, it almost seemed to her that he was spying on them. “I thought you were going to a dressage show this weekend,” she said nervously.
“That was yesterday,” Max explained. “It was only a one-day show.”
“How did your students do?” Lisa inquired, with a touch of Stevie-like inspiration. She figured the longer she could keep Max talking about the show, the better. Then maybe he would forget to ask about Samson again. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see Carole trying to get the colt to stand still.
“They did well. We didn’t embarrass ourselves, and a few of the students did even better than that.”
“Oh? Did they win any ribbons?” Lisa asked.
“Yeah, we brought home a couple of fourths and a sixth.” Max paused and turned to look at Carole and Samson. Frantically Lisa tried to think up another question, but she blanked.
“Well, I can see you’re busy, so I’ll leave you to your devices,” Max said.
Lisa let out the breath she was holding. Maybe it was all in her imagination—maybe Max just wanted to say hi.
“Great,” Carole said. “We’ll see you later.”
“But first let’s see what you’ve been doing with Samson,” Max finished. He stepped into the ring authoritatively.
Lisa felt her heart sink. She didn’t dare look at Carole’s face. “We’ve, uh, been taking it pretty slowly,” she said
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