Saddlebags Read online

  CAN THE SADDLE CLUB RESCUE THEIR

  PARENTS IN TIME?

  The current below had torn a small tree out of the bank by its roots and sent it floating downstream. Behind it, rushing toward The Saddle Club, was a big black cowboy hat with silver buckles and a leather strap.

  “It’s my father’s hat!” Carole gasped.

  The hat suddenly snagged on the sapling, and white water bubbled and splashed around it.

  “Oh, no,” Stevie cried as she gazed at Colonel Hanson’s hat bobbing in the water. “Our parents must be in terrible trouble!”

  RL 5, 009–012

  SADDLEBAGS

  A Skylark Book / March 1995

  Skylark Books is a registered trademark of Bantam Books, a division of Bantam Doubleday Dell Publishing Group, Inc. Registered in the 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 © 1995 by Bonnie Bryant Hiller.

  Cover art copyright © 1995 by Garin Baker.

  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: 978-0-307-82526-1

  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 Tina deVaron for her help

  in the writing of this book.

  Contents

  Cover

  Title Page

  Copyright

  Dedication

  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

  About the Author

  STEVIE LAKE HURRIED up the path to Pine Hollow Stables for the Saturday meeting of her Pony Club, Horse Wise. She looked at her watch. It was 10:59. Whew. She couldn’t be late for Pony Club this week. Her riding instructor, Max Regnery, who also owned Pine Hollow, had warned her when she was late to last week’s meeting. He had as hard a time with lateness as Stevie had with being on time.

  Colonel Hanson, the father of one of Stevie’s two best friends, Carole, was on his way down the path. “Morning, Stevie.”

  “Hi!” said Stevie. She gave him a high five. “Aren’t you going in the wrong direction?” she asked. Colonel Hanson volunteered at Horse Wise every Saturday, so he should have been heading inside, not down to the parking lot.

  “I left my clipboard in the car,” he answered.

  “Mmm-mmm, mustn’t get sloppy,” Stevie teased, shaking a finger at him. “See you inside—I don’t want to be late.” Colonel Hanson was one of Stevie’s favorite people, and she loved clowning around with him, but today she couldn’t take the time.

  As Stevie continued on her way, the colonel called after her. “Oh, Stevie—will your folks be picking you up today?”

  Stevie stopped and turned around. “Actually, the whole family’s picking me up. We’re all going to the airport.”

  “The airport? Wait a minute. Why do you need to go to the airport?”

  “We’re seeing my brother, Chad, off on a trip to Paris. Can you believe it? His French class is going for two whole weeks!” Stevie made a face. “I mean, school is closed for one week for spring break anyway, but I seriously doubt they’ll get any studying done that other week.”

  The colonel’s eyes twinkled. “Do I detect a little jealousy?”

  Stevie shook her head. “Actually I’m glad I’m staying home—I’ll have the whole week to spend with Belle.”

  The colonel smiled knowingly. He was fully aware that nothing in the world made Stevie happier than being around horses—her own horse, Belle, in particular.

  “Sounds like you’ve got it all figured out,” he said, waving. “I’ll see your folks after class.”

  “Class! Oh, no!” Stevie glanced at her watch as she raced up the path—11:12! “I can’t believe it. I’m late again!”

  When she reached Max’s office, she opened the door as quietly as she could. Members of Horse Wise were sitting inside on chairs and on the floor. Max was standing in the back. He ignored Stevie as she tiptoed into the room. Judy Barker, the vet who treated the horses at Pine Hollow, was talking to the club members. She stopped speaking for a moment as Stevie slipped in between her two best friends, Carole Hanson and Lisa Atwood. The room was silent. To Stevie, the moment felt like an hour.

  Max cleared his throat. Stevie knew it was meant for her.

  Judy smiled and went on. “So, to recap what I said before, a horse who has been eating hay all winter should be allowed how much fresh grazing time at first?”

  “No more than a half an hour a day,” Carole answered, poking Stevie with her elbow. That had been one of the questions Stevie had called her with the night before.

  Stevie was trying to listen. She had tons of questions about this topic. But something else kept gnawing at her. Why did Carole’s father want to talk to her parents? No one knew better than Stevie herself that she was always getting into some kind of mischief or other. But what could this be? When Carole nudged her, a thought popped into her head: That’s why the colonel’s mad at me—I called too late last night. But I had to ask Carole about whether I should change Belle’s feed now that it’s springtime.

  “Right. And how do you increase a horse’s grazing time, Carole?” Judy asked.

  This was another question Stevie had had the night before.

  “Well, after a few days,” answered Carole, “the amount of fresh pasture time can be increased, but only very slowly, by fifteen minutes per day. That’s to help the horse avoid colic.”

  The Pony Club members all listened and nodded. There were plenty of kids in the room, but Stevie, Lisa, and Carole were the only ones who were members of The Saddle Club. They had formed The Saddle Club themselves, and it had only two requirements for membership. First, each member had to be absolutely horse crazy. Second, they always had to be willing to help each other out of any jam.

  That was why Carole and Lisa had been listening carefully to Judy’s talk—so they could answer any questions Stevie might have about feeding Belle.

  Stevie’s parents had just recently given her Belle, a beautiful mare who was part Arabian and part Saddlebred. Stevie loved having her own horse, though she was finding out that it was a lot of work and responsibility. Horse owners needed to know many things, such as the proper amount to feed their horses.

  Judy talked about feeding for a while longer, then stood up. “Believe it or not, I have more spring and summer health tips for horses. But first, let’s break for our own spring feed!”

  “Yeah!” everyone shouted.

  “I’ll get colic if I don’t eat something soon,” Stevie said to her friends.
/>   “Ahem! I get colic too,” came a serious, deep voice. It was Max. “From lateness, especially when it’s one of my best riders.”

  Stevie blushed. “Sorry, Max,” she said.

  “This meeting started at eleven sharp, not eleven-fifteen,” said Max, still annoyed. “Try being early next week, then maybe you’ll be on time. And don’t get lost during lunch break.”

  Stevie knew he was half joking. “Okay,” she promised sheepishly. “I will. I mean, I won’t. I’m sorry,” she stammered.

  She and her friends headed out of the office and over to their cubbies. Stevie could feel that her face was still red. She hated it when Max was annoyed at her.

  “You know why I was late?” she said to her friends.

  “Why?” asked Lisa and Carole as they headed outside to sit on a bale of hay and eat under the April sunshine.

  “Because I was being interrogated by the marines!” Stevie sat down on the hay bale and took her sandwich out of the bag. “I bumped into your dad, Carole, and he wanted to know if my parents were picking me up today.” She cast a worried look at her friend. “Was your father mad at me for calling last night?”

  “Well, you did wake us both up,” Carole admitted after swallowing a bite of her ham and cheese sandwich.

  Lisa’s eyes were wide. “I must be in trouble too,” she said, sounding worried. “When I saw your father, he told me he wanted to talk to my parents.” Lisa didn’t get into trouble the way Stevie did. In fact, she was a straight-A student. She couldn’t imagine what it was she might have done.

  Stevie frowned. “Maybe it’s from the time we turned your bathroom sink blue. Remember that diffusion experiment we did?”

  Carole shook her head. “You can hardly notice it now. Besides, he already scolded me about that.”

  “Do you think he’s going to tell them about all the bubble gum I chew?” Stevie went on. “I always do it at your house because Mom and Dad won’t let me at home because of my braces. I keep breaking brackets. And if my parents knew—”

  “How could it be about your braces,” answered Lisa, “if he wants to see my parents too?”

  That stopped Stevie short. The girls munched their sandwiches in silence for a moment, mulling over the possibilities.

  “Come to think of it,” said Stevie, “your dad called and spoke to my mom a couple of weeks ago, and she never told me what it was about.”

  “That’s weird,” Lisa said. “I overheard my parents talking the other night, and I thought I heard my dad mention your dad’s name. But I wasn’t sure, and I definitely wasn’t supposed to be listening, so I just dropped it.” Lisa turned a little pale. “I hope it’s nothing major. I hate when my mom gets upset. You know how overprotective she is.”

  A few minutes later Max’s voice came booming over the P.A. system. “Your attention please. Horse Wise will resume in three minutes.”

  Stevie nearly choked on her drink. For now she was finished worrying about whatever Colonel Hanson wanted to tell her parents. She had something more immediate to worry about. She leapt up, balled up her sandwich bag, and tossed it in the trash. “I’d better not give Max colic,” she yelled over her shoulder as she dashed into the barn. “I’m already in enough trouble.”

  Her two friends chuckled and followed her inside.

  WHEN THE MEMBERS of The Saddle Club left the Horse Wise meeting later that afternoon, Colonel Hanson was deep in conversation with the other parents.

  Stevie stopped dead in her tracks. “See what I mean? Something’s definitely up!”

  The grown-ups were standing beside the Lakes’ station wagon. Stevie’s brothers, Chad, her twin, Alex, and Michael were sitting inside, waiting.

  As the girls approached, Stevie heard snatches of the conversation.

  “Sugar airplane …,” she heard Colonel Hanson say.

  “Greek spleedum …,” she thought was her father’s answer. And then someone said something about a ban or a bun. Were they having an impromptu French lesson? She didn’t get it. But at least no one looked angry.

  “Hi, girls!” Colonel Hanson turned to them as they walked up.

  “Is it my imagination,” said Stevie, “or is there something fishy going on here?”

  Her mother chuckled. “Well, it’s not exactly fishy. Horsey’s more like it. I think we ought to let Mitch break the good news.”

  “Well, I have a big surprise for all of you girls,” the colonel began. “I even kept it a secret from my black-eyed beauty, Carole, here. This year’s spring vacation plans include a trip on a private plane. To a certain part of Colorado—”

  “The Bar None!” cried all three girls.

  The Bar None was a dude ranch in Colorado, and the home of the girls’ good friend Kate Devine. It was also The Saddle Club’s favorite home away from home. The girls had made several visits out there already—in fact, they had formed a Western branch of The Saddle Club with Kate, whose parents, Phyllis and Frank, owned the ranch, and with Christine Lonetree, another horse-crazy girl who was a neighbor of Kate’s.

  Lisa, Carole, and Stevie let out whoops of delight and hugged and jumped up and down.

  “I thought I was in trouble!” Stevie almost shouted, throwing her head back with a laugh.

  “Why ever would you think that?” Mrs. Lake asked in mock surprise.

  Lisa looked at Colonel Hanson, and then at her mother, and then back at Colonel Hanson, and caught her breath. “So all three of us are going?”

  The parents got very quiet.

  Colonel Hanson cleared his throat. “As a matter of fact, all eight of us are going.”

  The three girls looked at each other. Their parents were going to the Bar None? They broke out in grins all over again. Showing their parents the dude ranch would be so much fun.

  Hoonnnk!

  Alex was reaching over into the front seat of the Lakes’ car, leaning on the horn. “C’mon, guys! Let’s get going!” he called.

  “Okay, just a minute!” said Mr. Lake.

  “How long has this secret been kept from us?” Stevie asked.

  Colonel Hanson began. “I’d been planning to surprise Carole with a trip out west for the two of us. Then, about two weeks ago, Frank called and said that a party of eight who’d reserved the same week had canceled. Apparently Kate had convinced him to suggest that the rest of The Saddle Club and their parents come along. So I made a couple of calls to your parents.”

  “And the only thing left to figure out,” Mrs. Atwood told Lisa, “was whether your father and Stevie’s parents could get time off from work.”

  “Until yesterday neither Stevie’s mom nor I knew if we could get the time free,” Mr. Atwood added. “But as of last night, we’re all set.”

  “Wow!” said Lisa to her father. He was always so serious. But this time she could tell he was excited. “I can’t believe it!”

  “So that’s what the phone call from Carole’s dad was about,” Stevie said to her mother, who smiled in response.

  “So I guess we’ll be the teachers!” Carole gave her father a poke in the ribs.

  Colonel Hanson put his hands on his hips. “And just what do you mean by that?” he asked.

  “She means,” Stevie interjected, “that we’ll get a chance to be the experts, and show you grown-ups what to do.”

  Colonel Hanson laughed. “Don’t you do that enough already?” he asked.

  “Not on horseback,” answered Carole. “When do we leave?”

  “One week from tomorrow,” replied her father.

  “This is so great,” Lisa declared. “I can’t wait to show you my favorite thing about the Bar None, Mom. We go on this bareback ride just before dawn and we watch the sun rise!”

  Mrs. Atwood pursed her lips. “Sounds like a nice ride,” she said. “But personally, I think I’d rather use a saddle.”

  “I think I’ll stick to my favorite predawn activity—especially on vacation—sleeping,” Mr. Atwood chimed in.

  “It does sound a bit ear
ly,” Mrs. Atwood agreed. “Do you think we could leave after breakfast instead?”

  “For a sunrise ride, Mom?” Lisa shook her head.

  Beeep! Beep, Beeeeeep!

  “That’s enough, boys,” Mr. Lake yelled to Stevie’s brothers. He shook the colonel’s hand. “Well, Mitch, thanks for doing all this legwork. Right now, we’d better go, or Chad’ll miss his plane and have to go to the Bar None instead of Paris!”

  “No! No!” Stevie groaned. “A fate worse than death!”

  Carole and Lisa laughed. They waved good-bye to Stevie.

  As Lisa climbed into the backseat of her parents’ car, she thought about their response to the sunrise bareback ride. Every time she stayed at the Bar None, the ride up into the mountains to see the sun rise over the majestic Rockies had thrilled her. Why weren’t her parents more excited about the ride? Lisa sighed, hoping this wasn’t an omen. At first Lisa had been happy that her parents had planned this wonderful trip. But by the time they pulled into their driveway, Lisa realized she had lots of mixed feelings. Her mother was so concerned about appearances and staying neat, she’d probably prefer a swimming pool and sauna to a dusty trail ride under the blazing western sun. Plus she couldn’t imagine either of her parents interacting with Kate, Christine, and John Brightstar, the young Native American Indian wrangler with whom she had a special friendship.

  As Lisa climbed out of the car and headed into the house, an uneasy feeling settled in her stomach. Until they arrived in Colorado, she couldn’t be sure how her parents were going to react to any of it—the horses, the rustic atmosphere, and her friendship with John.

  “GOOD NIGHT, DAD,” said Carole, giving her father a hug and kiss.

  “Good night, hon.”

  “And thanks for the surprise. I can’t wait to go!” Carole padded off to bed.

  As she climbed in and pulled up the covers, the phone rang. She looked at her clock and shook her head: 11:02. It had to be Stevie.

  Carole’s father called down the hall. “For you, sweetheart. And tell Stevie, we’re still on Eastern Standard Time!”

  She knew it. Stevie. Carole went down to the kitchen and picked up.