Western Star by Bonnie Bryant Page B

said.
    “What do you mean?” Carole asked as she bought the Electric Company. “You’re about to pass Go again. That’ll get you another two hundred dollars.”
    “Until I land on Income Tax again.” And she did just that. “So are you, like,
interested
in Gary?” Stevie asked. She was trying to sound subtle. She was also trying to keep Carole from knowing what she really thought about him.
    “He’s cute, isn’t he?” Carole asked.
    “Um, I guess so,” Stevie said, searching for somethingthat would sound complimentary. “In a sort of country-western way.”
    “Yeah,” said Carole.
    Stevie realized then that it probably didn’t matter at all
what
she said. Carole was totally starstruck by Gary Finnegan.
    “He’s a nice guy, Carole,” Stevie assured her. “I guess he’s used to having girls throw themselves at him, so I don’t think you should count on getting his attention.…” She landed on Chance. She didn’t even have to read the card. She knew exactly what it would say.
Go to Jail.
    “But he’s been so
nice
to me,” Carole said. “You should have seen the way he smiled when I went to get him this morning. I was so nervous and he was so nice. I thought my knees would collapse. He didn’t notice at all.”
    While Stevie tried to roll doubles to free herself, Carole bought another railroad and two more properties.
    “You know, you’re right,” Stevie said, thinking out loud. “Gary has been particularly nice to you. He talks to you about his music and he rode next to you all the way back this morning.”
    Carole picked up the deed for Ventnor. “Do you think I’ve got a chance?” she asked.
    Stevie paid the fifty dollars to get out of Jail and threw the dice. She landed on Community Chest. “Abetter chance than I do of winning this game!” she said. She dropped another fifty dollars in the center of the board.
    “But you didn’t even look,” Carole said.
    “You do it for me,” Stevie said.
    Carole picked up the card for Stevie. “Oh dear. ‘Pay Doctor’s Bill, fifty dollars,’ ” she read.
    “See, Carole, some days all the luck runs one way.” Stevie handed Carole the dice.
    Carole smiled to herself. She felt a nice shiver of delight. Stevie watched her best friend. She knew exactly what was on her mind, and it was pure Gary Finnegan.
    Well, Carole was one of the most special people Stevie knew. Gary Finnegan would be the luckiest guy in the world if Carole fell for him.
    Stevie tossed the dice. An eight took her to the B&O Railroad.
    “Yippee!” Stevie shrieked.
    “What are you cheering about?” Carole asked. “I own it already.”
    Stevie handed her fifty dollars. She sighed. “Gee, I wonder when Lisa will be back from the barn,” she said.
    Automatically, both she and Carole looked out the window toward the barn.
    They couldn’t see it. The window was white. At firstStevie thought the shade was pulled down. But it was up. The window was totally white because it was snowing. Both girls ran to look out. They couldn’t see a foot in front of them.
    “Now
that’s
snow!” Stevie said. Carole agreed.

“T HIS IS M ARSHMALLOW ,” John said, introducing Lisa to a dappled brown horse.
    Lisa patted the horse’s neck and looked into his sweet, dark eyes. “I get it,” she said. “He’s the color a marshmallow is supposed to be when it’s perfectly toasted over a campfire.”
    “That’s right,” John said, smiling warmly at Lisa. She felt her insides melt a little bit, like a perfectly toasted marshmallow.
    As her friends had suspected, Lisa’s tack was in perfect shape. She hadn’t fooled anybody, especially not herself. She’d just wanted to spend some time in the barn with John. He was feeding the horses that were stabled indoors, and she was helping him.
    “We usually have a few horses that need special care, ones that are lame or recovering from something. Those are the ones we house in the barn through the winter.”
    “What’s the matter with