her and encouraged her with a smile. They were at Pine Hollow, doing just what Stevie had asked them to do. They were calling Phil to let him know Stevie was away and couldn’t come to his pony club meeting.
“Yes?” Phil answered.
“This is Lisa Atwood, you know, Stevie’s friend from Pine Hollow.”
“Lisa, I know who you are,” Phil said. “What’s up? Is something wrong with Stevie?”
“Oh, no, she’s fine,” Lisa assured him. “At least we think she is, but you know Stevie, wherever she is, there’strouble. Anyway, that’s not why we’re calling, but I guess it really sort of is.…”
Carole took the phone from Lisa’s hand. She could do this better than that. “Hi, Phil, it’s Carole here,” she began. “Stevie has a friend in Vermont who invited her to something called sugaring off.…”
Very quickly Carole explained to Phil why Stevie wasn’t going to be at his pony club meeting.
“Oh, no,” he said, obviously disappointed.
“She tried to reach you before she left, but you were on that class trip,” Carole reminded him. “That’s why she asked us to call you when we knew you would be back.”
“Thanks for calling,” he said.
Carole could hear the sadness in his voice. She wanted to comfort him. “How’s your riding coming?” she asked.
“Oh, very well,” he said, brightening up. “Some of us went to a horse show on the class trip, and I watched some fancy riding. I think I picked up a couple of techniques. I can’t wait to try them out. I’ll be riding tomorrow.”
Now he was talking Carole’s language.
“What sort of techniques?” she asked eagerly.
“I was watching a hunter jumper class,” he began. “And for the first time, I began to see the connection between the event that takes place in the ring and the actual hunt. In the ring there’s a steady, even pace, and the
style
of successful jumping is emphasized. In the field,when you have the specific goal of having to trap a fox, it’s important for you to have these skills.”
“I used to ride a great hunter jumper,” Carole said. “It was a wonderful feeling to complete the course on her. Starlight’s great, but he’s not disciplined enough for that kind of class in a show. He’s much more interested in flashy high jumps, and he’s so good at them—”
“I’ve seen you jump him,” Phil reminded her. “He’s a very special horse. He’ll be doing championship jumping one of these days.”
“I think so, too,” Carole said. “The thing is that I believe I can train him so he can do both types of jumps.”
“Well, that’s what I meant about the techniques I was studying,” Phil said.
Carole was never more comfortable than when she was talking about horses, and Phil was easy to talk to. They chatted, swapping hints and hunches, for more than ten minutes.
“Hey, I’ve got an idea,” Phil said. “Since Stevie can’t come to my pony club meeting, why don’t
you
come to it? Can you get your father to bring you over?”
“Me?” Carole asked, suddenly uncomfortable again. “And what about Lisa?”
“Oh, sure, Lisa, too,” Phil said. “It’s an open un-mounted meeting. Anybody can come. I’d be glad to have both of you there—especially you, Carole. We can talk more about jumping.”
“We’ll have to check with our parents,” Carole said. “But it should be okay. I’ll call if there’s a problem.”
“Great, see you then,” he said.
“Okay, bye.”
They hung up.
“What was that all about?” Lisa asked.
“We’re invited to Phil’s pony club meeting instead of Stevie.”
“We are?” Lisa was more than a little surprised. “Carole, Phil is
Stevie’s
boyfriend. What’s she going to think?”
Carole got an uncomfortable sinking feeling. “Oh,” she said. “I hadn’t thought of that. I mean, it’s the farthest thing from my mind. Stevie wouldn’t think we were trying to steal her boyfriend. She even
asked
us to call him!”
“But she didn’t
“Yes?” Phil answered.
“This is Lisa Atwood, you know, Stevie’s friend from Pine Hollow.”
“Lisa, I know who you are,” Phil said. “What’s up? Is something wrong with Stevie?”
“Oh, no, she’s fine,” Lisa assured him. “At least we think she is, but you know Stevie, wherever she is, there’strouble. Anyway, that’s not why we’re calling, but I guess it really sort of is.…”
Carole took the phone from Lisa’s hand. She could do this better than that. “Hi, Phil, it’s Carole here,” she began. “Stevie has a friend in Vermont who invited her to something called sugaring off.…”
Very quickly Carole explained to Phil why Stevie wasn’t going to be at his pony club meeting.
“Oh, no,” he said, obviously disappointed.
“She tried to reach you before she left, but you were on that class trip,” Carole reminded him. “That’s why she asked us to call you when we knew you would be back.”
“Thanks for calling,” he said.
Carole could hear the sadness in his voice. She wanted to comfort him. “How’s your riding coming?” she asked.
“Oh, very well,” he said, brightening up. “Some of us went to a horse show on the class trip, and I watched some fancy riding. I think I picked up a couple of techniques. I can’t wait to try them out. I’ll be riding tomorrow.”
Now he was talking Carole’s language.
“What sort of techniques?” she asked eagerly.
“I was watching a hunter jumper class,” he began. “And for the first time, I began to see the connection between the event that takes place in the ring and the actual hunt. In the ring there’s a steady, even pace, and the
style
of successful jumping is emphasized. In the field,when you have the specific goal of having to trap a fox, it’s important for you to have these skills.”
“I used to ride a great hunter jumper,” Carole said. “It was a wonderful feeling to complete the course on her. Starlight’s great, but he’s not disciplined enough for that kind of class in a show. He’s much more interested in flashy high jumps, and he’s so good at them—”
“I’ve seen you jump him,” Phil reminded her. “He’s a very special horse. He’ll be doing championship jumping one of these days.”
“I think so, too,” Carole said. “The thing is that I believe I can train him so he can do both types of jumps.”
“Well, that’s what I meant about the techniques I was studying,” Phil said.
Carole was never more comfortable than when she was talking about horses, and Phil was easy to talk to. They chatted, swapping hints and hunches, for more than ten minutes.
“Hey, I’ve got an idea,” Phil said. “Since Stevie can’t come to my pony club meeting, why don’t
you
come to it? Can you get your father to bring you over?”
“Me?” Carole asked, suddenly uncomfortable again. “And what about Lisa?”
“Oh, sure, Lisa, too,” Phil said. “It’s an open un-mounted meeting. Anybody can come. I’d be glad to have both of you there—especially you, Carole. We can talk more about jumping.”
“We’ll have to check with our parents,” Carole said. “But it should be okay. I’ll call if there’s a problem.”
“Great, see you then,” he said.
“Okay, bye.”
They hung up.
“What was that all about?” Lisa asked.
“We’re invited to Phil’s pony club meeting instead of Stevie.”
“We are?” Lisa was more than a little surprised. “Carole, Phil is
Stevie’s
boyfriend. What’s she going to think?”
Carole got an uncomfortable sinking feeling. “Oh,” she said. “I hadn’t thought of that. I mean, it’s the farthest thing from my mind. Stevie wouldn’t think we were trying to steal her boyfriend. She even
asked
us to call him!”
“But she didn’t
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