Conformation Faults Read online

  Scott turned and grinned. “Hi, Stevie. Hi, Lisa. I didn’t hear you two come in. I’m starving! I’d forgotten how long it takes to get you guys away from your horses.”

  Stevie returned his smile, still a little amazed at how easily it came. Until just a few days earlier, she had believed that she and Scott would never be friends. He had been very angry about his sister’s injuries in that car crash, and even though the accident hadn’t been Stevie’s fault, he had blamed her because she was driving. He had snubbed Stevie for months whenever he saw her—first at Pine Hollow, where Callie came regularly for therapeutic riding sessions, and then more recently at Fenton Hall, the private school all three of them attended. But they had finally worked out their problems, and now Scott was his normal, outgoing, charming self around Stevie again.

  Callie leaned over to tuck a pair of boot trees into her boots, then straightened up and grabbed her crutches. “Where are we going for dinner?”

  “A place on the far side of town called Hank’s Bank,” Stevie said. “They call it that because the building it’s in used to be a bank. I think you’ll like it. It’s cheap, and the portions are huge.”

  “Sounds great.” Callie smiled. “I’m famished. Emily worked me hard today.” Emily Williams was another friend. She had been working with Callie ever since the accident, guiding her recovery through therapeutic riding on Emily’s own well-trained horse, PC. Emily knew a lot about therapeutic riding from her own experience. She had been born with cerebral palsy and had to use crutches or a wheelchair on the ground. On horseback, however, her physical disability seemed to disappear and she could do almost anything her friends could do. Emily’s friendly and generous nature had made her eager to share the freedom and physical benefits of therapeutic riding with Callie, and since Callie had been a rider before the accident, it hadn’t been a hard sell at all.

  Scott rolled his eyes and smiled fondly at his sister. “Right, blame Emily,” he joked. “You’re the one who insisted on working twice as hard as usual because you’re taking a couple of days off for Sheila’s visit.”

  Stevie shot Scott a quick glance, searching his face for any trace of sarcasm. Even though she couldn’t detect any outward signs, Stevie knew that Scott didn’t like Callie’s best friend from back home—he thought she was shallow and pretentious. Sheila was visiting the East Coast to tour some colleges, and she was stopping by on her way back to spend time with Callie.

  “Listen, that reminds me.” Callie didn’t bother to respond to her brother’s teasing. She glanced at Stevie and Lisa. “Sheila’s arriving on Monday afternoon, and I’d love for you all to meet her. I was thinking we could have sort of a little welcome party for her at my house Monday after dinner. What do you say?”

  Stevie shrugged. “Sure, sounds like fun.”

  She guessed Callie was nervous about her friend’s visit. Scott had confided that Callie and Sheila had an unusual relationship. They had known each other since they were little and had stayed close even though Sheila was a year older. But somehow they had never really learned to open up and be honest and supportive. Instead they competed in all sorts of ways, subtle and not so subtle, and challenged each other constantly, each trying to be better than the other. Stevie was sure that was why Callie wanted all her new friends around for Sheila’s first night. She was afraid to face her alone because she hated the thought of appearing weak in front of her—and to Callie, not being able to walk without her crutches was a sign of weakness.

  “How long is Sheila staying, anyway?” Stevie added, trying to sound casual. She had already decided she wanted to help Callie and Sheila become truer friends—Callie deserved that—and she needed to know how long she had.

  “She can only stay through Wednesday evening,” Callie reported. “She’s got one more interview up in Pennsylvania first thing Thursday, then she’s heading home right after that.”

  Lisa looked surprised. “Wow, that’s not a very long visit.”

  Stevie nodded. She would have to work fast. But she was sure she could do it. Callie had been a bit prickly when she’d first arrived in Willow Creek, but she had changed a lot in the past few months. Her accident had forced her to rely on people and trust strangers in a way Stevie doubted she ever had before. Because of that, Callie was more open these days, quicker to accept new people and ideas. Stevie hoped that meant she was ready to try a new way of relating to her oldest friend—a better, more honest way.

  “I wish she could stay longer,” Callie said. “But now you see why I want to make sure you all meet her right away.”

  “Well, I can’t promise anything,” Lisa said. “But I’ll definitely come if I finish my English paper in time.”

  “Good.” Callie smiled. “Oh, and make sure you invite the guys, too. I already mentioned it to Carole when I saw her earlier.”

  “Hi, everyone,” a new voice interrupted. “Sorry I’m late.”

  Lisa turned to see Alex’s familiar tall, lanky form strolling into the locker room. “You’re not late,” she assured him with a smile, jumping up and hurrying over to give him a welcoming kiss.

  He kissed her back warmly, wrapping both arms around her waist and pulling her close. Lisa closed her eyes and felt herself sinking into the kiss. She forgot where she was for a moment, what she’d been doing.… Everything in the world suddenly faded away except her and Alex and their wordless communication—

  Stevie let out a loud wolf whistle right behind Lisa’s left ear.

  “Sorry.” Lisa blushed and pulled away from her boyfriend. “It’s just that Alex and I haven’t seen each other all day.”

  “Ah, young love,” Scott said drolly, patting his heart with one hand.

  As Alex sat down on the bench next to Stevie, she gave him a friendly punch on the shoulder. “Anyway, your girlfriend’s right,” she said. “You’re not late, for once. We’re still waiting for Carole and Emily.”

  “No, you’re not,” Emily’s voice sang out from the doorway. “Emily’s here.”

  “Okay, I stand corrected,” Stevie said cheerfully as Emily entered, swinging along expertly on her crutches. “Now we’re just waiting for Carole.” She glanced at her watch. “And as of now, she’s officially late.”

  Lisa checked her own watch. “Only by about thirty seconds,” she said. “We’ve still got a little time to spare—Phil isn’t expecting us until six-forty-five. Let’s give her five minutes or so. You know how she can be.” Lisa smiled as she said it. Carole had always been the most serious of all of them about horses. She planned to work with horses as a career someday, and around the stable, she was totally responsible, organized, and efficient. However, those qualities didn’t always cross over into the rest of her life. “She’s probably rushing around making sure every last horse in the stable is comfortable enough to survive without her for a few hours.”

  Emily laughed. “You’re probably right,” she agreed, lowering herself onto the bench beside Scott. “When it comes to horses, Carole never does anything halfway.”

  Ten minutes later, Stevie checked her watch for the fifth time. “Okay, that’s it,” she declared. “If we don’t get going soon, we’ll have to gulp down our food without chewing if we want to make it to the movie. We’d better go find Carole.”

  “Maybe she’s getting changed,” Callie suggested.

  Stevie nodded. “Good thought. Let’s check the bathroom and the office first.” Carole, unlike the others, no longer had an assigned cubby in the locker room. Since she worked part-time at Pine Hollow, she was allowed to store her things in the old metal cabinet behind her desk in the stable office.

  A quick check of bathroom and office failed to turn up Carole. The group gathered once again just outside the locker room.

  “Now what?” Lisa glanced anxiously at her watch.

  “I guess we’d better search the place,” Alex said with a shrug. “I mean, we know she’s here somewhere, right?”

  “Miraculously enough, my brother’s right,” Stevi
e agreed briskly. “Let’s split up and check all the usual spots—Starlight’s stall, the feed shed, the outdoor ring …”

  Suddenly she noticed a new figure lurking in the hall near the tack room. It was Ben Marlow, Pine Hollow’s youngest full-time stable hand. Stevie had never really understood Ben. He was a little too mysterious, a little too dark and brooding for her taste. But he definitely knew what he was doing when it came to horses, and she respected him for that. She also knew that Carole was probably the closest thing Ben had to a friend. If anyone knew where she was right then, he might.

  Emily was obviously thinking the same thing. “Yo, Ben,” she called. “We’re desperately seeking Carole. Have you seen her lately?”

  Ben, as usual, appeared surprised that someone was speaking to him. He cast Emily a quick glance from the corner of his eye, then jerked his chin toward a set of large wooden double doors across the way. “Did you check the indoor ring?”

  “The indoor ring?” Stevie repeated. “What would she be doing in there at a time like this? She’s supposed to be getting ready to meet us.”

  But Scott cocked his head and listened. “It does sound like someone’s in there.” He hurried over to the doors and pulled one open to peer inside. “Aha!” he said. “Call off the search. We found her.”

  The others hurried to see for themselves. When she pushed her way past Alex for a better look, Stevie couldn’t believe her eyes. There was Carole, riding through a small jump course on Samson, a horse she was training for Max, as if she didn’t have a care in the world!

  Stevie waited as patiently as she could until the big black horse landed safely at the end of the course. Then she stepped forward. “Carole!” she called sharply.

  Carole looked up from beneath the rim of her hard hat, an expression of surprise on her face. “Oh, hi, Stevie,” she said, pulling the big gelding to a prancing halt. When she noticed the others hovering in the doorway, her brow furrowed. “Um, what are you guys doing here? I’m sort of in the middle of—”

  “Carole! I can see what you’re doing, but what you’re supposed to be doing is getting ready to go.” Stevie’s voice was even sharper this time. It was obvious what had happened: Carole had gotten so caught up in what she was doing that she had completely forgotten about their plans. It wasn’t the first time she had done something like this, and Stevie couldn’t help feeling annoyed. “It’s almost six-forty-five. Phil’s waiting for us at Hank’s. We’re supposed to go to the movies, remember?”

  A look of dismay dawned in Carole’s dark eyes. “Oh, no!” She glanced at her watch. “I totally forgot.”

  “Obviously,” Scott said with a laugh.

  Lisa was fidgeting, shifting her weight from one leg to the other. “Hurry up, okay?” she said, a hint of anxiety in her voice. Everyone knew that Lisa hated to be late. “We’ve got to get going.”

  “I’ll never be ready in time,” Carole said helplessly, glancing down at her mount. “I’d have to cool Samson down, and groom him …” Suddenly her eyes lit up hopefully. “Hey, do you think we could go to a later showing?”

  Stevie glared at her. Carole could be awfully aggravating when she got like this—when she forgot that anything could be more important than her duties at the stable. But Stevie tried to hold on to the last few scraps of her patience as she responded. “There is no later showing,” she said. “Eight o’clock is the last one tonight. That’s why we planned things this way, remember?”

  It was obvious from the look on Carole’s face that she didn’t remember. “Sorry,” she said sheepishly. “Look, why don’t you go ahead to the restaurant without me? Maybe I can finish up here and meet you at the theater.”

  “Don’t be silly,” Emily said. “Why don’t you let Red or Ben cool Samson down for you? One of them must owe you a favor or two.”

  Carole shook her head. “But it’s not just Samson. I’m supposed to bring in those two yearlings from the west pasture before the evening feeding. And I haven’t exercised Starlight yet today at all.” Starlight was Carole’s own horse, a tall bay gelding her father had bought her for Christmas several years earlier.

  “Maybe we could help you,” Emily said uncertainly, leaning over to check Stevie’s watch. “If we all pitch in …”

  Callie was standing near the back of the group. She was feeling a little impatient. Carole was one of the nicest, most down-to-earth people she knew, but she could be a tad flaky. Right then Callie could almost feel the seconds and minutes ticking away as everyone tried to come up with a solution to Carole’s forgetfulness. Callie’s father sometimes teased her by claiming she had a mind like a steel trap and a personality to match. When she decided to do something, Callie always remembered—and did it. She didn’t really understand people who forgot things they were supposed to do, lost track of the date or time, canceled plans, and changed their minds constantly about what they wanted. She couldn’t imagine stumbling through life that way.

  She felt, rather than heard, someone come up behind her. Turning, she saw Ben standing there. She was a little startled—he was so quiet and inconspicuous that she hadn’t realized he was still hanging around in the doorway.

  When he saw Callie looking at him, Ben gave her what he probably thought was a smile, though to Callie it looked more like a pained grimace. “Carole lost track of time, huh?” he said.

  Callie didn’t answer for a second. Granted, she had only known Ben for a few months, but she couldn’t remember another time when he had voluntarily engaged in small talk—with her or anyone else. Besides that, it wasn’t clear whether the remark had actually been directed to her, since Ben was now staring thoughtfully at his own feet. “Looks that way,” she said at last.

  Ben looked up again, seeming startled to receive an answer. “Carole’s been doing that a lot lately,” he muttered. “Losing track of stuff.”

  Once again, Callie wasn’t sure how to respond. Luckily she was saved from having to figure it out. Their conversation was cut off as Stevie brushed between them. “I’ll call Phil at the restaurant,” she called over her shoulder. “He’s probably there by now. He’ll have to meet us at the theater instead, and we’ll eat afterward.”

  “Wait!” Carole called after her. “You don’t have to do that. Why don’t you guys just go ahead? Really. I don’t mind. I can see the movie another time.”

  “Don’t be silly.” Lisa glanced around at the group and started ticking things off on her fingers in her usual organized way. “Now, come on. You can start cooling down Samson while Alex and Scott and I head out and round up those yearlings. Emily and Callie can clean your tack …” Her voice trailed off. “Oh. Then there’s Starlight. Maybe we can just turn him out in the paddock or—”

  Ben stepped forward. “Don’t worry about him.” His voice was quiet, but it carried easily to the whole group. “I’ll longe him for you if you want.”

  Carole shot him a grateful look. “Oh, that would be great, Ben,” she said as everyone turned to look at him. “Thanks.”

  Ben shrugged, looking slightly uncomfortable at the attention. “No problem.”

  Lisa took a step toward him, smiling tentatively. “That’s really nice of you, Ben,” she said. “And listen. If you’re not too busy tonight, we’re all going to the movies and then out for a bite to eat. Would you like to join us?”

  At that, Ben looked more uncomfortable than ever. He glanced helplessly over his shoulder, like a cornered animal searching for a safe exit. “Um, I don’t think so,” he muttered. “I have a lot—I mean, I have to—I don’t think so.”

  Callie shook her head as Ben turned and fled. He was a strange one, that was for sure. But she didn’t have much time to think about it. She had some tack to clean.

  TWO

  “If I faint, don’t try to revive me,” Alex declared, clasping his stomach dramatically and sliding down in his seat. “Just shove some food down my throat and I’ll be fine.”

  Carole lowered her menu and glanced across Hank’s Bank�
�s largest table, where the entire group of friends had just been seated. The restaurant was packed with its Saturday-night crowd, which included adults and younger children as well as other high-school students. “Sorry,” Carole said for at least the fifteenth time. She knew it was her fault that they were eating three hours later than any of them had planned. Her friends hadn’t let her forget it—they had been teasing her nonstop since they’d all left the theater earlier.

  Carole understood her friends’ teasing, after all, because she was used to it. She knew as well as anyone that she could be scatterbrained when it came to anything other than horses. To her, though, that was only natural. Somehow the things other people found important, things like school, social events, time, even food and sleep, tended to fly straight out of her head whenever she got engrossed in her work at the stable—the work she loved better than anything else, and which she fully planned to devote her life to as soon as she finished school.

  Lisa elbowed Alex in the ribs. “Enough,” she ordered. She knew that Carole wasn’t particularly sensitive to teasing, but she was afraid they might be going a little overboard. After all, they were here now, all together and ready to eat. That was what really mattered. “If you don’t stop teasing Carole about this,” she warned her boyfriend playfully, “I may have to ask Stevie to start telling stories about what you were like as a little boy.”

  Stevie grinned and sat bolt upright. “Sure!” she said eagerly. “I could start with the Halloween when we were four and I decided to dress up as a mermaid and Alex got jealous of my cool costume and made Mom and Dad get him one just like it. Or maybe you’d rather hear the one about when he decided he wanted to join a nudist colony when he was five and—”

  “Okay, okay!” Alex protested, holding up both hands in surrender. “I get your point. Carole, you won’t hear another peep out of me all evening. Not even if the police question me about why all my friends suddenly dropped dead of starvation.”

  Everyone laughed at that, including Carole. Then the group turned to a discussion of the movie they had just seen, until the waitress interrupted. “Ready to order, kids?” she asked cheerfully.