Hill as much as anybody else. That meant that something else must be bothering her an awful lot to distract her this much. So why hadn’t she told her best friends about it?
“Okay, everyone,” called Betty after a few opening comments. “We’re going to take turns over the course and criticize each other’s performance. Don’t forget about your jump position, people—it might not matter if you’re entering the show-jumping event, but you’ve got to have it down if you want to win points in the hunter classes.” She nodded to Todd, who was riding a camp horse named Alamo. “You’re first.”
As she watched Todd start through the course, Carole remembered Lisa’s comment about Piper. She hadn’treally thought about it much, but she supposed Lisa must miss Piper a lot. And it couldn’t be easy not knowing what had happened to her.
When Todd and Alamo had finished, they stopped in front of Betty. “Well?” Todd said with a grin. “Was I perfect or what?”
The other campers giggled. Alamo had knocked down two rails, and Todd had made several other obvious mistakes during the round.
“I’m not sure you’re ready for the National Horse Show just yet,” Betty replied dryly.
“Darn!” Todd cried. “I guess I’ll have to withdraw my name. And I bet they won’t refund my entry fee, either!”
The other campers laughed out loud at that, and even Betty had to smile. “Very funny,” she said. She turned to the other riders. “Now, who would like to tell our class clown how he could have improved that ride?”
Carole’s thoughts drifted again as several people gave their comments. She wondered if she and Stevie had underestimated the impact that Piper’s disappearance was having on Lisa. Stevie was too focused on saving Moose Hill to think about much else, but maybe Carole should try to get to the bottom of the mystery and put Lisa’s mind at ease. She would make tracking down Piper her own personal Saddle Club project.
“Okay, that’s enough,” Betty said after a few minutes of discussion about Todd’s ride. “Thank you, Todd.”
“Anytime,” Todd said, doing his best to bow while still on horseback. “I’m thrilled that my mistakes could be of service.”
“Glad to know we can count on you.” Betty turned to survey the group. “Who wants to go next? Lisa, how about you?”
Carole watched as her friend rode forward to begin the course. Most of the riders were still smiling at Todd’s clowning, but Lisa’s face was serious. In fact, it was so serious that Carole couldn’t help thinking that she might want to do more than look for answers about Piper. She might want to start keeping a closer eye on Lisa, too, at least until she could reassure herself that nothing was wrong with her.
Lisa’s ride was much better than Todd’s, but she didn’t look very happy as she finished the course. In fact, she looked as pale and grim as Carole had ever seen her. As she watched her friend’s set, determined expression, Carole didn’t think she was going to be reassured anytime soon.
“W HERE IS SHE ?” Phil asked later that evening. “I can’t believe she’s keeping us in suspense like this.”
Carole shrugged. She, Phil, Todd, and Lisa were perched on the fence of the corral waiting for Stevie to show up. “All I know is she claims to have come up with the perfect plan to save this place,” she said. She found ithard to believe, but as she watched several horses grazing in the evening coolness, she crossed her fingers hopefully.
Lisa glanced at her watch. She was eager to get back to her books—she was almost halfway through
Brave New World
—but she had to admit she was curious about Stevie’s plan. Stevie had been bursting with it since arriving in the mess hall for dinner, but several other campers had sat down at their table before she could share it. As soon as the meal ended, she had asked them to wait for her at the corral, then disappeared.
She didn’t keep them
“Okay, everyone,” called Betty after a few opening comments. “We’re going to take turns over the course and criticize each other’s performance. Don’t forget about your jump position, people—it might not matter if you’re entering the show-jumping event, but you’ve got to have it down if you want to win points in the hunter classes.” She nodded to Todd, who was riding a camp horse named Alamo. “You’re first.”
As she watched Todd start through the course, Carole remembered Lisa’s comment about Piper. She hadn’treally thought about it much, but she supposed Lisa must miss Piper a lot. And it couldn’t be easy not knowing what had happened to her.
When Todd and Alamo had finished, they stopped in front of Betty. “Well?” Todd said with a grin. “Was I perfect or what?”
The other campers giggled. Alamo had knocked down two rails, and Todd had made several other obvious mistakes during the round.
“I’m not sure you’re ready for the National Horse Show just yet,” Betty replied dryly.
“Darn!” Todd cried. “I guess I’ll have to withdraw my name. And I bet they won’t refund my entry fee, either!”
The other campers laughed out loud at that, and even Betty had to smile. “Very funny,” she said. She turned to the other riders. “Now, who would like to tell our class clown how he could have improved that ride?”
Carole’s thoughts drifted again as several people gave their comments. She wondered if she and Stevie had underestimated the impact that Piper’s disappearance was having on Lisa. Stevie was too focused on saving Moose Hill to think about much else, but maybe Carole should try to get to the bottom of the mystery and put Lisa’s mind at ease. She would make tracking down Piper her own personal Saddle Club project.
“Okay, that’s enough,” Betty said after a few minutes of discussion about Todd’s ride. “Thank you, Todd.”
“Anytime,” Todd said, doing his best to bow while still on horseback. “I’m thrilled that my mistakes could be of service.”
“Glad to know we can count on you.” Betty turned to survey the group. “Who wants to go next? Lisa, how about you?”
Carole watched as her friend rode forward to begin the course. Most of the riders were still smiling at Todd’s clowning, but Lisa’s face was serious. In fact, it was so serious that Carole couldn’t help thinking that she might want to do more than look for answers about Piper. She might want to start keeping a closer eye on Lisa, too, at least until she could reassure herself that nothing was wrong with her.
Lisa’s ride was much better than Todd’s, but she didn’t look very happy as she finished the course. In fact, she looked as pale and grim as Carole had ever seen her. As she watched her friend’s set, determined expression, Carole didn’t think she was going to be reassured anytime soon.
“W HERE IS SHE ?” Phil asked later that evening. “I can’t believe she’s keeping us in suspense like this.”
Carole shrugged. She, Phil, Todd, and Lisa were perched on the fence of the corral waiting for Stevie to show up. “All I know is she claims to have come up with the perfect plan to save this place,” she said. She found ithard to believe, but as she watched several horses grazing in the evening coolness, she crossed her fingers hopefully.
Lisa glanced at her watch. She was eager to get back to her books—she was almost halfway through
Brave New World
—but she had to admit she was curious about Stevie’s plan. Stevie had been bursting with it since arriving in the mess hall for dinner, but several other campers had sat down at their table before she could share it. As soon as the meal ended, she had asked them to wait for her at the corral, then disappeared.
She didn’t keep them
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