Christmas Treasure

  MEET

  THE SADDLE CLUB

  Horse lover CAROLE …

  Practical joker STEVIE …

  Straight-A LISA …

  #1 HORSE CRAZY

  #2 HORSE SHY

  #3 HORSE SENSE

  #4 HORSE POWER

  #5 TRAIL MATES

  #6 DUDE RANCH

  #7 HORSE PLAY

  #8 HORSE SHOW

  #9 HOOF BEAT

  #10 RIDING CAMP

  #11 HORSE WISE

  #12 RODEO RIDER

  #13 STARLIGHT CHRISTMAS

  #14 SEA HORSE

  #15 TEAM PLAY

  #16 HORSE GAMES

  #17 HORSENAPPED

  #18 PACK TRIP

  #19 STAR RIDER

  #20 SNOW RIDE

  #21 RACEHORSE

  #22 FOX HUNT

  #23 HORSE TROUBLE

  #24 GHOST RIDER

  #25 SHOW HORSE

  #26 BEACH RIDE

  #27 BRIDLE PATH

  #28 STABLE MANNERS

  #29 RANCH HANDS

  #30 AUTUMN TRAIL

  #31 HAYRIDE

  #32 CHOCOLATE HORSE

  #33 HIGH HORSE

  #34 HAY FEVER

  #35 HORSE TALE

  #36 RIDING LESSON

  #37 STAGE COACH

  #38 HORSE TRADE

  #39 PUREBRED

  #40 GIFT HORSE

  #41 STABLE WITCH

  #42 SADDLEBAGS

  #43 PHOTO FINISH

  #44 HORSESHOE

  #45 STABLE GROOM

  #46 FLYING HORSE

  #47 HORSE MAGIC

  #48 MYSTERY RIDE

  #49 STABLE FAREWELL

  #50 YANKEE SWAP

  #51 PLEASURE HORSE

  #52 RIDING CLASS

  #53 HORSE-SITTERS

  #54 GOLD MEDAL RIDER

  #55 GOLD MEDAL HORSE

  #56 CUTTING HORSE

  #57 TIGHT REIN

  #58 WILD HORSES

  #59 PHANTOM HORSE

  #60 HOBBYHORSE

  #61 BROKEN HORSE

  #62 HORSE BLUES

  #63 STABLE HEARTS

  #64 HORSE CAPADES

  #65 SILVER STIRRUPS

  #66 SADDLE SORE

  #67 SUMMER HORSE

  #68 SUMMER RIDER

  #69 ENDURANCE RIDE

  #70 HORSE RACE

  #71 HORSE TALK

  #72 HOLIDAY HORSE

  #73 HORSE GUEST

  #74 HORSE WHISPERS

  #75 PAINTED HORSE

  #76 HORSE CARE

  #77 ROCKING HORSE

  #78 HORSEFLIES

  #79 ENGLISH HORSE

  #80 ENGLISH RIDER

  #81 WAGON TRAIL

  #82 QUARTER HORSE

  #83 HORSE THIEF

  #84 SCHOOLING HORSE

  THE SADDLE CLUB SUPER EDITIONS

  #1 A SUMMER WITHOUT HORSES

  #2 THE SECRET OF THE STALLION

  #3 WESTERN STAR

  #4 DREAM HORSE

  #5 BEFORE THEY RODE HORSES

  #6 NIGHTMARE

  #7 CHRISTMAS TREASURE

  THE HOLIDAY SPIRIT

  Veronica turned to Stevie. “You haven’t been doing anything to my locker, have you?” she asked, her green eyes narrowing.

  “No,” Stevie replied with a clear conscience. “I’ve been talking to Carole and Lisa.”

  Veronica slowly began to open the door an inch at a time, as if she expected a rubber snake to come bursting out. Finally Veronica opened the door all the way. Everything in the locker seemed normal.

  Stevie, Carole, and Lisa tried hard not to laugh as Veronica then turned each boot upside down and shook it before she pulled it onto her foot. Next she checked the pockets of her jacket to make sure nothing disgusting had been hidden there.

  “Well,” she said airily, trying to disguise the nervousness in her voice. “Everything seems fine. See you in class.”

  “Have a good lesson,” Stevie called. “And don’t forget to check your stirrup leathers. You never know what can happen around here at Christmastime!”

  Other books you will enjoy

  CAMY BAKER’S HOW TO BE POPULAR IN THE SIXTH GRADE by Camy Baker

  CAMY BAKER’S LOVE YOU LIKE A SISTER by Camy Baker

  ANNE OF GREEN GABLES by L. M. Montgomery

  HORSE CRAZY (The Saddle Club #1) by Bonnie Bryant

  AMY, NUMBER SEVEN (Replica #1) by Marilyn Kaye

  PURSUING AMY (Replica #2) by Marilyn Kaye

  FOUL PLAY (Soccer Stars #1) by Emily Costello

  RL 5, 009-012

  CHRISTMAS TREASURE

  A Bantam Skylark Book/December 1998

  Skylark Books is a registered trademark of Bantam Books, a division of Bantam Doubleday Dell Publishing Group, Inc. Registered in U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and elsewhere.

  “The Saddle Club” is a registered trademark of Bonnie Bryant Hiller. The Saddle Club design/logo, which consists of a riding crop and a riding hat, is a trademark of Bantam Books.

  “USPC” and “Pony Club” are registered trademarks of The United States Pony Clubs, Inc., at The Kentucky Horse Park, 4071 Iron Works Pike, Lexington, KY 40511-8462.

  All rights reserved.

  Copyright © 1998 by Bonnie Bryant Hiller.

  No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.

  For information address: Bantam Books.

  eISBN: 978-0-307-82587-2

  Published simultaneously in the United States and Canada.

  Bantam Books are published by Bantam Books, a division of Bantam Doubleday Dell Publishing Group, Inc. Its trademark, consisting of the words “Bantam Books” and the portrayal of a rooster, is Registered in U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and in other countries. Marca Registrada. Bantam Books, 1540 Broadway, New York, New York 10036.

  v3.1

  I would like to express my special thanks

  to Sallie Bissell for her

  help in the writing of this book.

  Contents

  Cover

  Other Books in This Series

  Other Books You Will Enjoy

  Title Page

  Copyright

  Acknowledgments

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Excerpt from Pine Hollow #1: The Long Ride

  About the Author

  “STEVIE, THIS IS one of the craziest things you’ve ever done!” Carole Hanson shivered in the cold morning air as she tiptoed behind her friend Stevie Lake. “I feel like I’m in some kind of spy movie!”

  “Shhh!” Stevie edged along the back wall of Pine Hollow Stables. “Don’t talk so loud. Max might hear us.” Stevie spoke in a whisper, her breath coming out in frosty puffs of smoke.

  “I don’t understand why we can’t just walk in through the stable like everybody else,” Carole complained as she sneaked through the frozen grass. “So you’re late to Horse Wise. Everybody is late to something sometime in their life.”

  “But I was late for the last Horse Wise meeting and my riding lesson on Wednesday. This makes the third time in two weeks. And you know how Max is ab
out that!” Max Regnery, the owner of Pine Hollow, was an excellent horseman and wonderful teacher, but he didn’t approve of people being late. Stevie had seen his blue eyes flash with disapproval more than once.

  “If we can sneak into Horse Wise without him seeing us, he’ll never know we’re late.”

  Carole frowned as she crept along behind her best friend. “But he’s probably conducting the Horse Wise meeting now. He won’t notice we’re late if he’s busy talking.”

  “I can’t take the chance,” Stevie replied. She stopped suddenly under a window, rose on tiptoe, and peeked in. “It’s just as I thought,” she reported in a hoarse whisper. “They’re meeting in the indoor riding ring. It looks like they’re watching some slides. We’ll have to sneak through the door in the back. Otherwise, Max will see us.”

  “Is Lisa there?” Carole craned her neck and tried to peek over Stevie’s shoulder.

  “I can’t see her, but I’m sure she is,” Stevie said. “Lisa’s never late for anything.” Lisa Atwood was Stevie and Carole’s other best friend and the third member of the Saddle Club, a club the girls had started sometime earlier. The club had only two rules—that the members had to be crazy about horses, and that they had to help each other out at all times. Of the three girls, Lisa was the oldest and most responsible. Carole was the craziest about horses, and Stevie was mostly just the craziest. Stevie was almost as good at getting into trouble as Carole and Lisa were at getting her out of it.

  The two girls crunched through the stiff grass to the back door and peeked inside. The indoor ring was dark, and all the members of the Horse Wise Pony Club were seated in front of a portable movie screen, on which Max was showing slides of horses jumping. This was the last Horse Wise meeting before the Christmas holidays, and the girls knew that Max would announce Pine Hollow’s party plans. They both hoped they hadn’t missed that part already.

  Stevie inched into the darkened arena and motioned for Carole to follow her around the shadowy edges of the ring.

  The slide projector clicked. A picture of a gray horse leaping over a double oxer flashed up on the screen. “This horse is going to land properly,” Max’s voice said, echoing in the dimness. “His legs are well out in the front, and he’s got a lot of impulsion from behind. The rider’s hands are also in good position, and he’s looking straight ahead with soft eyes.”

  Everyone studied the slide; then Max cleared his throat. “There are two other riders I know of right now who aren’t showing such good form,” he said. “They’re way out of position, their seats are definitely in the wrong place, and instead of having soft eyes, they’ve got a wild and terrified look in them. Welcome, Stevie and Carole. Glad you could join us.” Max’s gaze never left the screen.

  Everyone turned and looked toward the back door. A chorus of laughter erupted as everybody discovered Carole and Stevie in the dark edges of the arena. With sheepish grins, the two girls stopped creeping like cat burglars and hurried over to the rest of the riders.

  “Sorry, Max,” said Stevie as they picked their way through the crowd to sit beside Lisa. “Carole would have been on time, except I overslept and made us both late.”

  “Just take your seats quickly. If you’re very lucky, I may overlook this, since it’s so close to Christmas,” Max said. “Please try to stay awake for the rest of these slides.”

  Everyone laughed again, and the meeting continued. Max showed slides of horses jumping both properly and improperly, mostly because of the aids given by their riders. After Max had described how good riders could help their horses be better jumpers, the slide show ended and he turned on the lights.

  “Any questions?” he asked.

  Two riders had questions about jumping. Then Veronica diAngelo, the snootiest, richest girl at Pine Hollow Stables, raised her hand.

  Max nodded at her. “Yes, Veronica?”

  “Are we going to have a Christmas party this year?”

  Max frowned. He seemed tired lately, and the little lines around his eyes had grown deeper. “Well, Veronica, that’s not exactly a question about jumping, but I suppose I’m glad you brought it up. Yes, we are having a party. It’s going to be the night before Christmas Eve, and it’s going to be in here, in the indoor ring.” Max looked at the riders and gave a sly grin. “There’s one thing, though, that we’re going to be doing a little differently this year.”

  “What?” asked one of Veronica’s friends, Betsy Cavanaugh.

  “In years past at Pine Hollow we’ve always drawn names and given each other gifts. This year we’re not going to be giving anything in the usual sense. This year we’re going to be a different kind of Secret Santa.”

  Stevie’s hand waved in the air. “Different?”

  Max nodded. “That’s right, Stevie. Instead of giving gifts, we’ll each draw a name and do something for that person.”

  “Do something for that person or something to that person?” asked Joe Novick with a laugh.

  “For that person, Joe,” replied Max. “Remember, it’s the holiday season, and we should all be doing good deeds. But it’s up to you to figure out what thing your person needs to have done—something they wouldn’t ordinarily do for themselves. You’ve got a little less than two weeks to get your good deed accomplished; then we’ll reveal the Secret Santas at the Christmas party.” Max looked around the group. “Any questions?”

  A buzz of excitement rippled through the Horse Wise riders. Stevie and Carole and Lisa looked at each other. No gifts this year, only good deeds. This Christmas was going to be really different!

  “Okay, then.” Max pulled a riding helmet from the shelf under the slide projector. “This helmet has slips of paper with everybody’s name in it. I’m going to bring it around and let everyone draw one slip. You’ll be the Secret Santa to the person whose name is on that paper. Remember, don’t show your slip to anyone, or tell whose name you drew!”

  Max held the helmet at waist level and began to weave through the seated riders. Everyone closed their eyes, reached into the helmet, and withdrew a slip of paper. Some people laughed when they read the name they’d drawn; others wore looks of total disbelief. Slowly Max worked his way around the edges of the group. At last he came over to the Saddle Club.

  “Okay, girls,” he said. “Remember, this is a secret!” He shook the helmet, then held it out to Lisa. She reached up, drew a slip of paper, and read it quickly. A smile played across her lips; a second later her blue eyes clouded with puzzlement.

  Max held the helmet out to Carole. She fumbled among the papers for a moment, then withdrew a slip. She read it and quickly stuffed it into the pocket of her breeches. Though she was smiling, her brows came together in a thoughtful frown as she stared at the toe of Lisa’s boot.

  Max moved on to Stevie, holding the helmet above her head. “Now, Stevie, you’ve got to get this done by December twenty-third. Under no circumstances can you be late with your Secret Santa job!”

  “I know, Max.” Stevie looked up at him, her hazel eyes serious. “I won’t be. I promise.” She reached up and grabbed the first slip of paper her fingers touched. Quickly she unfolded it and read the name. Before she could stop herself, she gave a little gasp, and her mouth curved downward in a horrified grimace. Of all the names she could have drawn from the helmet, this one was the worst possible name in the world!

  “OKAY.” MAX HURRIED back to the projector stand. “The helmet’s empty. Did everybody draw a name, and are there any more questions about the Christmas party or the Secret Santas?”

  No one raised a hand. “Then Horse Wise is adjourned,” Max said with a smile. “If you guys do any jumping this week, try to remember to give your horses the proper aids. I’ll see all of you back here at the Christmas party, and don’t forget to keep your Secret Santas secret!”

  “Whew,” breathed Stevie as the girls stood up. “That was a close one! I thought Max would be furious at me.”

  “I think he might be too busy to be furious,” Carole said, watchin
g as Max dashed out of the indoor ring.

  “How come you guys were late?” asked Lisa. “Carole, I thought you and your dad were giving Stevie a ride.”

  “We did,” Carole answered. “Stevie just overslept.”

  Stevie grinned, remembering how she’d tumbled into the Hansons’ car, pulling on her jacket and eating a piece of toast at the same time. “We had a really long play practice at school yesterday. Auditions are coming up next week, and my teacher wants us all to be prepared, so he’s helping people practice their monologues, songs, whatever.” She yawned and ran her hands through her tousled dark blond hair. “I guess I was more tired than I thought.”

  “Looks like you’re still half-asleep.” Lisa laughed, then remembered the crumpled slip of paper in her hand. “How did you guys like who you drew for Secret Santa?”

  “Mine’s going to be very difficult,” said Carole with a note of mystery in her voice.

  “Mine is, too.” Lisa carefully folded the paper and stashed it in her pocket. “I don’t have a clue about what my good deed’s going to be.”

  “Really?” said Stevie, rolling her slip of paper into a tiny ball. “Mine’s not difficult at all. Mine is horrible.” She shuddered. “I don’t even want to think about it.”

  “Then let’s go on a trail ride,” suggested Carole. “That way we can forget about being Secret Santa to anybody but our horses for a while.”

  “Sounds good to me,” Lisa said. “Let’s meet at the horseshoe. Last one tacked up’s a rotten egg!”

  The girls scurried off to their horses’ stalls. Carole found her bay gelding, Starlight, happily munching hay, while Stevie’s mare, Belle, was nosing around her stall for any spilled oats that might be hidden in the straw. Prancer, the ex-racehorse Lisa rode, was curled up like a deer, dozing in the winter sunlight.

  “Wake up, lazybones,” Lisa said, laughing. “You’re as bad as Stevie!”

  Prancer scrambled to her feet. In just a few minutes the mare was tacked up. Lisa buckled on her riding helmet and led Prancer outside.

  It was a tradition at Pine Hollow to touch the horseshoe that was nailed up by the entrance before every ride. So far everyone had honored that tradition, and no one had ever been seriously injured. By the time Lisa got there both Stevie and Carole were mounted up and ready to go.