of her own, wrapped with red-and-green paper and topped with a big red bow.
“Isn’t this cute?” A.J. asked, batting his eyes at Lisa.
Lisa grinned. “I think so,” she said. “So, go ahead and open them, guys.”
“You first,” Phil told Stevie.
Stevie looked at the box. She had thought so much about her gift to Phil that it hadn’t occurred to her that Phil would give her something, too. Carefully and slowly, she broke the tape and removed the paper, unwrapping a small brown jeweler’s box. She opened the box. There, lying on the velvet lining, was a small silver horseshoe on a silver chain. It was beautiful. It was perfect. For a moment, Stevie was overwhelmed.
“This isn’t a dreidel!” she managed to say. Suddenly she felt terribly embarrassed about her little present for Phil.
“Well, you can spin it on the chain if you want, but I think you’ll have more fun wearing it,” Phil teased her.
“I think so, too,” Stevie agreed. She took it out of the box and asked Lisa to help her put it on. Phil smiled ashe watched her. Stevie made him take her to a mirror so she could see how it looked on her. He stood behind her in the powder room as she admired the necklace.
“Perfect,” he said softly.
“Thank you,” she told him, turning to face him.
Rachel poked her head into the powder room. “Is it time for the dancing yet?” she asked, wrecking the romantic moment. Phil and Stevie drew back self-consciously and smiled at each other.
“Not yet,” Phil told his sister. “We have to finish dinner first.”
“And present opening,” Stevie reminded him.
They returned to the table and Phil opened his gift. Stevie had gotten him a silver tie tack for his riding stock. It had a horse head on it with the horse’s mane blown back by the wind.
“It’s meant to give you good luck at shows,” Stevie said. “Maybe you’ll get lucky enough to beat me one day!”
“I need it, as you know—both the tie tack
and
the luck. Thanks very much,” Phil said. Since he wasn’t wearing a tie, he pinned it on his collar. Stevie liked the way it looked on him. She knew he was pleased and she was happy about that.
“So, tell us some more about this Moonlight Ride,” A.J. said, changing the subject.
“Starlight,” Stevie corrected him. “It’s the Starlight Ride and, hey, I just thought about something. You guyscan probably be a gigantic help to us. Especially
you
, A.J., if you’re as much of a troublemaker as I think you are—and it takes one to know one! What do you think, Lisa?”
“Absolutely,” Lisa said. “They’re just what the doctor ordered—or should I say banker’s daughter instead of doctor?”
Stevie nodded and grinned wickedly.
“Do you have any idea what they’re talking about?” A.J. asked Phil.
“Nope. But if I recognize the symptoms in Stevie, it has something to do with schemes, right?”
“Of course you’re right. What else puts this gleam in my eyes?”
Phil and A.J. laughed, but they stopped laughing when Stevie told them about Veronica’s plan to keep The Saddle Club out of the Starlight Ride.
“That’s outrageous!” Phil said indignantly.
“But what an opportunity!” A.J. exclaimed.
“My thought exactly,” Stevie concurred. “But just
how
? That’s the question.”
“How about we beat them at their own game?” A.J. asked. Stevie nodded. That was just what she had in mind. “Tell me,” A.J. continued, “do you know what horses these girls will be riding that night?”
“Probably,” Stevie said. “Max tries to let riders stay with a horse they’re comfortable with. Not all stables feel that way, but Max finds it works at Pine Hollow.”
“So what are the horses they ride?”
Stevie scrunched her eyes and furrowed her brow. “Elaine usually rides the bay named Bluegrass and Diana’s been on the Appaloosa called Chip, for Chippewa.”
“What horses do you usually ride?” A.J. asked.
“I ride Topside, a championship
“Isn’t this cute?” A.J. asked, batting his eyes at Lisa.
Lisa grinned. “I think so,” she said. “So, go ahead and open them, guys.”
“You first,” Phil told Stevie.
Stevie looked at the box. She had thought so much about her gift to Phil that it hadn’t occurred to her that Phil would give her something, too. Carefully and slowly, she broke the tape and removed the paper, unwrapping a small brown jeweler’s box. She opened the box. There, lying on the velvet lining, was a small silver horseshoe on a silver chain. It was beautiful. It was perfect. For a moment, Stevie was overwhelmed.
“This isn’t a dreidel!” she managed to say. Suddenly she felt terribly embarrassed about her little present for Phil.
“Well, you can spin it on the chain if you want, but I think you’ll have more fun wearing it,” Phil teased her.
“I think so, too,” Stevie agreed. She took it out of the box and asked Lisa to help her put it on. Phil smiled ashe watched her. Stevie made him take her to a mirror so she could see how it looked on her. He stood behind her in the powder room as she admired the necklace.
“Perfect,” he said softly.
“Thank you,” she told him, turning to face him.
Rachel poked her head into the powder room. “Is it time for the dancing yet?” she asked, wrecking the romantic moment. Phil and Stevie drew back self-consciously and smiled at each other.
“Not yet,” Phil told his sister. “We have to finish dinner first.”
“And present opening,” Stevie reminded him.
They returned to the table and Phil opened his gift. Stevie had gotten him a silver tie tack for his riding stock. It had a horse head on it with the horse’s mane blown back by the wind.
“It’s meant to give you good luck at shows,” Stevie said. “Maybe you’ll get lucky enough to beat me one day!”
“I need it, as you know—both the tie tack
and
the luck. Thanks very much,” Phil said. Since he wasn’t wearing a tie, he pinned it on his collar. Stevie liked the way it looked on him. She knew he was pleased and she was happy about that.
“So, tell us some more about this Moonlight Ride,” A.J. said, changing the subject.
“Starlight,” Stevie corrected him. “It’s the Starlight Ride and, hey, I just thought about something. You guyscan probably be a gigantic help to us. Especially
you
, A.J., if you’re as much of a troublemaker as I think you are—and it takes one to know one! What do you think, Lisa?”
“Absolutely,” Lisa said. “They’re just what the doctor ordered—or should I say banker’s daughter instead of doctor?”
Stevie nodded and grinned wickedly.
“Do you have any idea what they’re talking about?” A.J. asked Phil.
“Nope. But if I recognize the symptoms in Stevie, it has something to do with schemes, right?”
“Of course you’re right. What else puts this gleam in my eyes?”
Phil and A.J. laughed, but they stopped laughing when Stevie told them about Veronica’s plan to keep The Saddle Club out of the Starlight Ride.
“That’s outrageous!” Phil said indignantly.
“But what an opportunity!” A.J. exclaimed.
“My thought exactly,” Stevie concurred. “But just
how
? That’s the question.”
“How about we beat them at their own game?” A.J. asked. Stevie nodded. That was just what she had in mind. “Tell me,” A.J. continued, “do you know what horses these girls will be riding that night?”
“Probably,” Stevie said. “Max tries to let riders stay with a horse they’re comfortable with. Not all stables feel that way, but Max finds it works at Pine Hollow.”
“So what are the horses they ride?”
Stevie scrunched her eyes and furrowed her brow. “Elaine usually rides the bay named Bluegrass and Diana’s been on the Appaloosa called Chip, for Chippewa.”
“What horses do you usually ride?” A.J. asked.
“I ride Topside, a championship
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