Purebred by Bonnie Bryant Page A

“He’s a nice horse; I really like him. Carole’s lucky.”
    Stevie grinned at No-Name’s neck. She felt lucky too. “What’s your opinion on the name issue?” she asked.
    “What name issue?” Karenna looked puzzled.
    “My name issue, remember? My horse doesn’t have a name, and it’s become quite an issue.”
    “I don’t know,” Karenna said. “I really don’t. I guess I don’t have an opinion.”
    “How about Magnolia?” suggested Lisa. “That sounds southern.” To Karenna she explained, “No-Name is part saddlebred. That’s a southern breed, so I think she should have a southern name.”
    “But she’s part Arab too,” Stevie said. “What’s a magnolia, anyway? Sounds dippy to me.”
    “It’s a tree, I think, or maybe a flower. What do you think, Karenna? Do you like it?” Lisa asked.
    Karenna shrugged. “I don’t know. It’s okay.”
    They had reached the big rock that marked a bend in the creek. Lisa pointed it out to Karenna. “In the summer, we like to have picnics there. It’s a good place to wade.
    “Here’s something you might be able to help us with,” Lisa continued. “We’re planning a birthday party for tomorrow for Prancer, one of the Thoroughbreds at Pine Hollow. Her official birthday is next week. We want to do something special, but we don’t know what. Any ideas?”
    Karenna shook her head.
    “Maybe a carrot cake,” suggested Stevie. “What do you think, Karenna?”
    Karenna shrugged again. “Sounds nice,” she said.
    “Carrot cake because horses like carrots.” Stevie felt like she ought to explain.
    “Uh-huh. Sounds nice.”
    Stevie glanced at Lisa, who shrugged. Somehow, theyjust didn’t seem to be connecting with Karenna. Lisa tried again. “So, how long have you known Carole?” she asked.
    “About six years,” said Karenna. “We lived on the same base together for two years.”
    “Then you must know her pretty well,” Lisa said.
    “I do,” Karenna agreed. “I’m not at all surprised that Carole finally has her own horse. She always was horse-crazy. And I’m sure she takes beautiful care of Starlight.”
    “Oh, she never forgets anything for Starlight,” said Stevie. “For herself, though—that’s another story. Lisa, remember the Mountain Trail Overnight a few years ago? Carole brought extra parts for every bridle, but almost forgot her own sleeping bag.”
    Both Lisa and Karenna laughed.
    “That sounds like the Carole I know,” Karenna said. “Once, I remember, she was reading a book on horse training right before an early morning riding class. She got so excited that she brought the book in to show our instructor. Only she’d forgotten to put on her riding boots, and she was still wearing her bedroom slippers!”
    Stevie and Lisa appreciated the story. That sounded like the Carole they knew too. They traded Carole stories for the rest of the ride.
    Afterward, while Karenna was untacking Starlight, Stevie went to Barq’s stall for a hurried consultation with Lisa. “It’s odd,” she said. “We’re such good friends with Carole, and Karenna’s such good friends with Carole, thatyou’d think we would automatically be good friends with Karenna. But I don’t know—it’s not that I don’t like Karenna, she seems nice enough, it’s just …”
    “I know.” Lisa nodded. “She’s not like Carole or like us. Still, I think we should be as nice to her as Carole would be, since she came all this way to see Carole.”
    “I agree. Why don’t we invite her to tomorrow’s Pony Club meeting? And maybe right now we could all go over to my house and call Carole, so she could talk to all three of us.”
    “That’s a great idea. I’d love to hear how Carole’s doing.”
    Karenna had brushed Starlight until he was clean and dry, and was putting his tack away. She seemed pleased to be invited to the Pony Club meeting. “I’ve heard a lot about Pony Clubs, but I’ve never been able to join one,” she said. “I’d love to