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  He was at her side in seconds. Together they kicked at the straw, stomping on anything that smoked or glowed. Carole also quickly yanked at the extension cord snaking its way into the stall until she felt it give on the other end, then leaned down to grab the bucket warmer.

  “Ow!” she yelped as her fingers touched the metal heating element. “Yikes.” She dropped the warmer into the empty bucket and tossed it out into the aisle.

  “Grab the water bucket,” Ben said tersely. “We’d better wet this whole place down, just in case.”

  “That was Flame’s water bucket,” Carole replied. “Empty, of course. I’ll get another one.”

  She hurried next door and reached into Topside’s stall. Dragging the mostly full water bucket past the surprised gelding’s nose, she raced back to Flame’s stall. Ben took the bucket from her and splashed it onto the bedding.

  “Wow.” Ben stepped back, staring at the steam rising from the soaked straw. “That was close.” He glanced out into the aisle. “What was that metal thing, anyway?”

  “You mean besides a total fire hazard?” Carole said, feeling her panic subsiding and anger rising to replace it. How could Kelsey have been so stupid? So utterly and completely irresponsible and careless? Enough was enough. “A stupid bucket warmer!” she told Ben grimly. “I’m going to find Max.”

  Leaving Ben to finish cleaning up the stall and making sure they’d stomped out every last spark, Carole marched toward the office.

  Stevie was thinking about her newspaper article idea as she headed toward the feed shed with a wheelbarrow. She’d just finished grooming Belle after a quick ride and had discovered that the bin of sweet feed in the feed room was almost empty. That meant it was time to bring in a few more bags.

  You know, it must be nice sometimes to be at one of those barns where the staff does all the grunt work, Stevie thought as she steered the wheelbarrow over a rut in the path. Where the boarder just shows up and a groom hands over the reins to her flawlessly groomed and tacked horse…

  She smiled, knowing she really wouldn’t like that much at all. It would take away one of the main qualities that made Pine Hollow so special—the feeling that everyone there, from Max to the stable hands to the youngest beginning rider, was working as a team. Besides, it was thanks to all the hard work—grooming, feeding, mucking, sweeping, de-worming, tack cleaning, leg wrapping, and all the rest of the endless chores that went into good horse-keeping—that Stevie had learned how to be a real horsewoman rather than merely a rider. Knowing that made her feel sorry for people like Kelsey, who didn’t even seem to realize what she was missing.

  Oh well, Stevie thought as she turned off the path and headed toward the feed shed door, which was partially ajar. Maybe now that she’s here, Kelsey will figure out that there’s more to being a good rider than wearing expensive boots. That is, if Carole or Maureen or Max doesn’t kill her first—

  All thoughts of Kelsey flew out of her head as she kicked open the shed door and the stench of cigarette smoke hit her in the face. “Ugh!” she cried, dropping the handles of the wheelbarrow and waving her hands to clear the air. “What the—”

  “Uh-oh,” Maureen said from her seat atop a stack of feed bags. “Looks like you caught me.” She took a long drag off her cigarette. “But hey, it’s cold outside.”

  “Are you mental?” Stevie cried, stepping inside and glaring at Maureen with her hands on her hips. She was so angry she could have spit. “Are you totally insane? What do you think you’re doing, smoking in here? You’re unbelievable, you know that? Is your stupid nicotine fix really worth putting this whole stable in danger? Because if you think it is, maybe you’re even more selfish and obnoxious than I thought. Of course, you probably don’t care what I think anyway. Maybe I should go get some good-looking guy to say the same thing—maybe then it would sink into your thick head.”

  Maureen frowned and puffed out another cloud of smoke.

  Yikes. I think I must be the one who’s mental, Stevie thought, her rage dissipating slightly as she realized what she was doing. If I’m going to pick a fight with Maureen, I’d better be ready to back up my big mouth with my fists, because I don’t think Maureen’s the type to back off a fight. Glancing at the burning tip of the stable hand’s cigarette, Stevie frowned, realizing she was only doing what she had to do. What she should have done the first time she’d caught Maureen smoking. Oh well. If beating me up is what it takes to get through to her, then bring it on.

  Maureen snubbed out her cigarette on the sole of her boot, then stood up. Stevie tensed her whole body, waiting for whatever should come next.

  “Okay,” Maureen said in her usual lazy drawl. “If you’re finished, I have a few things to say to you, Stevie.”

  “Um, okay,” Stevie said cautiously.

  Maureen crossed her arms over her chest. “First of all, just for the record, I couldn’t care less what you or your little friends think of me. I got over that crap back in high school. If you don’t like the way I talk to your boyfriends or the way they talk to me, take it up with them. They may have to answer to you, but I don’t.”

  Stevie blinked, a little startled by Maureen’s bluntness. Still, she couldn’t help admitting that the stable hand had a point. She knew she had nothing to worry about as far as Phil was concerned—he ignored or deflected Maureen’s flirtatious comments as a matter of course. And as much as it irked Stevie to see Maureen flirting with every other guy who walked through the stable, it really wasn’t her place to make a big stink about it.

  Maureen wasn’t finished. “Second,” she continued, “it’s none of your business when and where I smoke. I know the risks, and I’ll take full responsibility for that. So unless you’re going to run off and tattle to Max, just butt out.”

  Stevie wasn’t sure she totally agreed with that part. Wasn’t it sort of her business if her horse was put at risk by Maureen’s smoking? But how much of a risk was it, really? The construction workers probably posed much more of a fire risk every day they were around. Besides, Max knew that Maureen smoked—maybe Stevie was making too big a deal of things.

  Maybe it’s sort of like cross-country jumping, she thought. There’s always going to be some risk. But if you’re smart and careful, you can come out of it just fine.

  “Um, okay,” she told Maureen slowly, still turning that one over in her head. “I hear you, I guess.”

  “Good.” Maureen actually sounded surprised. “Then maybe you’re not as hopeless as I thought, Lake.”

  Stevie couldn’t help smiling at that. She also couldn’t help feeling as though she’d just gotten to know Maureen slightly better. And come to respect her a bit more. Maybe even started to like her a little.

  Okay, maybe that’s pushing it, Stevie told herself. But she does sort of remind me of myself. At least a teeny bit. We may not agree on this issue, but neither one of us is afraid to say what we really think.

  “Just let me say one more thing, all right?” Stevie said. At Maureen’s nod, she continued. “My horse lives here. Along with a whole lot of other horses I care about. And I’d really, really hate to see them in danger. So if I’m coming down kind of hard on you about this smoking thing, that’s why. It only takes one spark—one butt that’s not all the way out—to cause a disaster. I’ve seen a barn fire or two, and they’re not a pretty sight.”

  “I wasn’t born yesterday, Lake,” Maureen said, though her voice was more subdued. “I know what can happen, too.”

  “Okay, then.” Stevie wasn’t sure what else she could say. She’d made her points, and she would just have to hope her words had made a difference. Now it was up to Maureen to do what she thought was right.

  Callie looked at her watch as Scott pulled into Pine Hollow’s driveway. “It’s getting a little late to go riding,” she said.

  “Don’t blame me,” Scott replied, glancing at her as he maneuvered around a hole in the gravel. “I told you my student government meeting would probably run late.”


  “I know. I’m just thinking out loud,” Callie told her brother. “Mostly I’m wondering if I should just look in on Scooby and then take off, so you can give me a ride home. It’s kind of cold to walk tonight.” She shivered slightly. The heater in Scott’s little car had been pumping steadily throughout the short ride over from the public high school, where they’d picked up Lisa after her club meeting. But the temperature outside had been dropping steadily all afternoon, and the heater couldn’t totally chase the chill out of the car. “You guys wouldn’t mind hanging out for a few minutes, would you? Unless it would make you late for wherever you’re going.”

  Lisa leaned forward from the backseat. “No, that’s fine,” she assured Callie. “Actually, we didn’t have any particular plans in mind. If you want, you could come along and we could all have dinner. Maybe we’ll see who else is around, too.”

  Callie noticed Lisa and her brother exchanging meaningful looks. She wondered briefly what it meant, though she knew it was probably none of her business. The important thing was that the two of them seemed happier together than ever, and that was definitely good news. Until Lisa came along, Scott had never been serious about any girl for more than about six weeks. Callie was hoping that this relationship would be the exception.

  “Okay. That sounds fun. I’ll be quick with Scooby, and then we can go.” Callie smiled at Lisa.

  When they walked into the stable building, the place was humming. A lesson had just finished in the indoor arena, and beginner students and their horses and ponies were pouring out into the entryway. In addition, Carole seemed to be having some sort of argument with Kelsey in the locker room. Maureen was busy helping one of the construction workers carry a large tub of water toward the door; a small cluster of strangers stood near the stable aisle looking confused; and the sound of a ringing phone from the direction of the office broke through the clamor.

  Max emerged from the indoor ring behind his students, looking frazzled. “Lisa! Callie!” he said when he spotted the new arrivals. “What are you up to right now?”

  “Um, helping out?” Lisa guessed with a grin.

  Max smiled gratefully, then hurried over to the strangers.

  “What do we do?” Scott asked, glancing around in confusion.

  “Why don’t you go give Maureen a hand?” Callie suggested.

  Lisa nodded. “The machine will pick up the phone,” she said briskly. “And it looks like Max has those people in hand—they must be new lesson folks or something. Callie, if you want to see what’s going on with Carole, I’ll start helping the lesson kids.”

  “Deal,” Callie agreed. She turned and headed into the locker room.

  “…and you can’t just go and turn your horse out because you’re mad at him,” Carole was saying heatedly as Callie entered. “Especially in this weather, without a blanket. That’s almost as stupid as what happened earlier.”

  “That wasn’t my fault.” Kelsey scowled. “I told you, it must’ve been defective. They’re supposed to switch off automatically when there’s no water.”

  Carole sighed loudly. “That doesn’t mean you don’t have to be careful!” she exclaimed. “If you’re not going to be responsible, you should just get rid of the stupid thing.”

  “No way!” Kelsey’s face was stubborn. “Daddy got me that, and I like it. You can’t make me get rid of it.”

  Callie cleared her throat. “Excuse me,” she said. She had no idea what the “it” was that they were arguing about, but she had the feeling the conversation had been going around in circles for a while now. “Did I hear there’s a horse that needs to be brought in?”

  “Yes,” Carole said through clenched teeth. “I was just about to go get him, since a certain person claims she can’t catch him. Not that I don’t have a million other things to do—I’m supposed to be helping untack after the lesson, and Ben’s trying to bring down straw from the loft all by himself. …”

  “I told you, he’s hard to catch,” Kelsey said in a whiny voice. “It’s not my fault he’s a brat.”

  Before Carole could answer, Callie spoke up again. “Don’t sweat it, Carole,” she said. “I’ll go catch Flame if you want. I’m pretty good at getting them even when they don’t want to be got.”

  Carole shot her a grateful smile. “Thanks, Callie. That would be great.” Then she turned to glare at Kelsey. “You’d better go wait for her in the stall. You’ll need to pick out Flame’s feet and make sure he’s not chilled.”

  “But—”

  “No buts!” Carole interrupted the younger girl sharply. “Do it or I’ll tell Max. And I don’t think you want to get yourself on his bad side twice in one day. You’re lucky he didn’t kick you out after what happened this afternoon.”

  Callie blinked, wondering what that was all about. She would have to get the story from Carole later.

  “Whatever,” Kelsey snapped. “And by the way, his name’s not Flame. It’s not even Flamethrower anymore. It’s Regal Dreamer.” She tossed her head and stormed out of the room.

  Carole rolled her eyes. “There’s a brat in that relationship all right, but it sure isn’t the horse.”

  Callie shot her a sympathetic smile, then headed for the tack room to grab a halter and a lead rope. Zipping up her parka, she headed outside.

  By the time she returned with Flame about fifteen minutes later, the stable was already a lot calmer. The beginning riders were finishing their post-lesson grooming. Ben and Carole had brought down a fresh supply of straw and were busy stacking it neatly in the aisles. Max was chatting with the new lesson people in the locker room.

  “Come on, boy,” Callie said softly to Flame as she reached his stall. “Time for bed.” Glancing into the stall, she saw Kelsey climbing to her feet.

  “Is he okay?” she asked, sounding subdued. “He didn’t get too cold out there, did he?”

  “He’ll be fine,” Callie reassured the girl, feeling sorry for her in spite of her earlier tantrum. Why did some people seem to have so much trouble just getting along in the world? Kelsey was trying so hard to impress everyone, to compensate for her miserable family—why couldn’t she see that she was only making things harder for herself? “We’ll just make sure he has some warm water to drink and plenty of hay, and he’ll be nice and toasty soon.”

  Kelsey nodded and stepped back as Callie led the horse into his stall. “I’ll fill up his bucket,” she offered tentatively.

  “Okay,” Callie said with a smile. She slipped off Flame’s halter, leaving the lead rope attached as she hung it on the hook outside the stall. “Looks like he’s still got some hay here, but you could throw him another flake if you want.”

  She patted Flame and left, still smiling at the sight of Kelsey scurrying toward the nearest faucet with bucket in hand. Maybe there’s hope for her yet, she thought. Maybe she’ll figure out how to change her attitude for the better, make the most of a bad situation. Pine Hollow seems to have that effect on people. Like me, for instance.

  Halfway down the aisle, Callie glanced into Belle’s stall. Stevie was inside, feeding her horse a handful of carrot pieces. “Hi,” she greeted Callie. “I didn’t know you were here.”

  “Uh-huh.” Callie stopped and leaned on the half door of the stall. “Scott and Lisa and I stopped by, and we all got drafted.”

  Stevie grinned. “Welcome to good old Pine Hollow,” she said. “The place where the chores never end.” Brushing off her hands, she gave her mare a pat and let herself out of the stall. “So what are you guys up to tonight?”

  Callie quickly filled her in on Lisa’s suggestion. “So what do you say?”

  “I’m in,” Stevie said immediately. “There’s just one catch. Alex has the car tonight, so I’ll need to bum a ride with someone.”

  “No problem,” Callie said. “There’s one more spot up for grabs in Scott’s backseat, as long as you don’t mind the tight squeeze.”

  The two of them headed down the aisle. When they reached the entryway, Maureen was swee
ping the floor while Max swung shut the doors to the indoor ring. A second later Carole and Ben emerged from the other aisle, both of them covered in scraps of straw.

  “Here’s where everybody is,” Lisa called at the same moment, hurrying out of the office hallway with Scott right behind her. “I think we finally got all the bridles sorted out, including the one that kid dropped into the sweet feed. So what else needs to be done?”

  Max shrugged and glanced at his watch. “Not much, actually. I need to stick around until the rest of the kids get picked up and the workmen finish for the day,” he said. “Most of them are long gone, but a couple of the welders are working overtime so we don’t fall behind schedule. So if you all want to take off a little early tonight”—he gestured to Carole and Ben—”I can help Maureen finish up the evening feeding and the rest of today’s chores.”

  “Really? Are you sure?” Carole looked uncertain. She glanced at Ben, then back at Max. “We were planning to stay until six-thirty like always.”

  Stevie shoved her. “Stop it,” she ordered. “Your boss just dismissed you. That means you and Ben can come out to dinner with us.” She gestured vaguely at Callie, Lisa, and Scott. “You know what they say—don’t look a gift horse in the mouth.”

  “Well, when you put it that way…” Carole shrugged and smiled at Max. “Thanks, boss!”

  “There’s just one problem,” Stevie said. “With this many people going, we can’t possibly all fit in Scott’s tiny car. Or in Carole’s rust bucket, either. That means we’re going to have to figure out who’s going to drive, and where we’re going to meet, and all that. It’ll be a huge hassle.” She sighed loudly.

  Callie raised an eyebrow and glanced over at her brother, wondering why Stevie was making such a fuss. What was the big deal about taking two cars?