Stable Farewell Read online

  Mercifully, Max called the lesson to a halt the minute the hour was up, reminding them to walk their horses on a lead until they were cool. Stevie, Lisa, and Carole walked beside one another, as usual, so that they could talk, but surprisingly enough, nobody had anything to say. Danny’s perfection seemed to have put a damper on everything. Even though they knew that Carole was right and that it was better to ride horses that needed some training—and in the long run they would be better riders because of that—it was frustrating to see Veronica get perfect results without doing anything. All of them, at some point or another, had wished they had a push-button horse. Now Veronica had one.

  “Good boy, Danny. You were as good as I knew you’d be. You’re worth every cent Daddy paid for you!” The Saddle Club turned in unison to watch Veronica go by. For the first time they could remember, she was actually walking her own horse to cool him off. Obviously—and completely typical of Veronica—she thought Danny was more deserving than Garnet because Danny had cost more.

  “By the way, Veronica, how’s Garnet doing these days?” Carole asked, unable to keep the sharp edge out of her voice.

  Veronica stopped Danny and turned around. “Garnet? I hadn’t really noticed. I’m sure she’s fine. In case you’ve forgotten, Carole, it’s Red’s job to take care of the horses,” she added sweetly.

  Ignoring her, Carole persisted. “She looked a little bored the last time I saw her. She was pacing in her stall.”

  Veronica shrugged. “Too bad for Garnet. Right now Danny has all of my attention, as I’m sure you can understand.”

  Before Carole could retort, Max appeared at the door to the indoor ring. “Veronica, don’t forget that a prospective buyer is coming to look at Garnet in a few minutes. You’d better hurry up with Danny and get her ready. And be prepared to show Garnet to them. It won’t take more than an hour.”

  “An hour!” Veronica wailed. “But Max, that’s impossible. Mother’s picking me up in five minutes to go shopping!”

  “Well, it’s your horse, and you’re trying to sell her,” Max said evenly.

  “Can’t you get Red to do it?” Veronica whined.

  While Max explained that Red had far too much to do to show Garnet to buyers, Carole had a quick conference with Stevie and Lisa. Carole had always been interested in knowing more about selling horses in case she became a dealer when she grew up, but mostly she was concerned about Garnet. Stevie and Lisa were happy to help. “I’ve been worried about Garnet, too,” Lisa said. “She’s such a sweet mare, and besides, no horse should be ignored the way I’ll bet Garnet has been.”

  Carole interrupted Max and Veronica to volunteer for the job. Max looked relieved, Veronica looked surprised, but both were happy to let The Saddle Club take over. Stevie, Lisa, and Carole agreed to meet at Garnet’s stall as soon as they had put Belle, Prancer, and Starlight away. As they were untacking they saw Veronica giving Danny horse treats and fussing over him before she left.

  “Will wonders never cease?” Stevie muttered. Usually Veronica threw her reins at Red and hopped into her waiting car without so much as a pat for her horse.

  “Yeah, next thing you know, she’ll want to muck out Danny’s stall, too!” Lisa replied.

  “It’s funny, though,” Carole said, observing Veronica’s lovey-doveyness toward her new horse, “Danny doesn’t seem to respond the way Starlight, Belle, Prancer, or Garnet would. He’s kind of standoffish toward Veronica.”

  Stevie and Lisa followed Carole’s glance. The scene was almost comical: Even though Veronica was patting and praising Danny profusely, he was staring into the distance with a vacant expression in his eyes. He seemed to be ignoring Veronica, the way he would ignore a fly that was pestering him. With a final hug, Veronica turned to go. On her way out the door, she turned and blew Danny a kiss, but the gray head had already disappeared inside his stall.

  “Maybe he’s even more perfect for Veronica than we realized,” Lisa joked. “A horse that’s as snobby as she is!”

  Carole and Stevie laughed. They didn’t have time to ponder Danny’s personality any longer, though. Just as they finished putting their horses away, a girl in jodhpurs and boots showed up with her parents in tow. Guessing at once that she had to be the prospective buyer, the girls went to introduce themselves. They were eager to give the family a good first impression of Pine Hollow.

  “You must be here to see Garnet,” Stevie said. When the girl nodded, Stevie introduced everyone. The girl’s name was Katie Miller. She was a tall, skinny eleven-year-old, and she was looking for her first horse. She had heard about Garnet through a friend of hers who took lessons at Pine Hollow.

  One look at one another and The Saddle Club knew that they had all taken an instant liking to Katie. She was bright, cheerful, and considerate. As they walked her through the barn, she asked them a million questions about Garnet—her likes and dislikes, her personality, her talents.

  Then The Saddle Club questioned Katie about her experience. Katie had been riding for several years. She did a little eventing and loved trail rides. “I want to try endurance riding, and I read that Arabians were great for it, so that was another reason I wanted to look at Garnet,” she explained.

  Leaving Carole and Stevie to talk with Katie, Lisa dropped back and began a conversation with Katie’s parents. She had noticed that they looked kind of nervous and decided she would speak with them. She was usually pretty good at handling parents. Searching for a topic, she asked Mr. and Mrs. Miller if either of them rode.

  The two adults shook their heads vigorously. “Oh, no. Neither Mr. Miller nor I have ever sat on a horse. We’re dog people, raise Irish setters. We haven’t the faintest idea where Katie got her love for riding.” At this point Mrs. Miller paused to gaze fondly at her daughter, who was still talking a mile a minute. “But we’re happy that she’s so dedicated, aren’t we, dear? And after four years of watching her improve, we’ve decided that she really deserves a horse of her own.”

  Mr. Miller nodded. “Right. And we want to find her a good horse,” he said firmly.

  “You mean a purebred Arabian like Garnet?” Lisa asked, testing them a little.

  “Purebred, crossbred, rye bread—we wouldn’t know the difference,” Mr. Miller joked. “No, what we’re interested in is a nice, safe horse for Katie. One that she’ll feel comfortable on.”

  Lisa smiled at the man’s answer. She didn’t want to jump to conclusions, but it sounded as if Garnet was the perfect match for Katie and her parents. Now if only they would like the mare and not notice that— Lisa’s thoughts were interrupted as the group reached Garnet’s stall. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Carole’s and Stevie’s dismayed looks before the girls pasted smiles on their faces. One look at Garnet and Lisa knew what was worrying them: The horse had never looked so bad. Her mane and tail were still tangled and unkempt, her sheet was twisted again, and to make matters worse, she was chewing impatiently on her stall door.

  “What’s she doing that for, Katie?” Mrs. Miller asked anxiously.

  A little embarrassed, Katie explained that sometimes horses chewed wood out of boredom. “In winter horses stay inside more and they can get restless,” she added.

  The Saddle Club was glad to hear such a sensible answer from Katie. Still, they all felt bad. If they had been in Katie’s place, they would’ve been a little worried, too. A horse that looked uncared for usually acted it as well. As quickly as they could, the three of them put Garnet on the cross-ties and began grooming her, trying to ignore Mr. and Mrs. Miller’s comments about her condition. Even nonhorse people could tell when an animal hadn’t been looked after properly.

  “Isn’t she moving around a lot?” Mr. Miller asked, watching Garnet dance away from Carole. Carole had gotten the saddle and was attempting to put it on the mare’s back.

  “Yeah, Dad, she’s got a lot of energy,” Katie said. “Here, let me help.” Katie went to Garnet’s shoulder and stroked her and talked quietly to her. She didn’t seem pu
t off by Garnet’s high-strung behavior. At least not yet, Carole thought, sliding the saddle into place.

  “Now wouldn’t you think someone would clip her whiskers?” Mrs. Miller remarked. “We always keep the dogs’ nice and neat, even when we’re not showing them.” Carole looked at Lisa, who looked at Stevie, who grimaced. Mrs. Miller was right, of course. Even cleaned up a little, Garnet didn’t look very good. With the long mane and whiskers she had a shabby appearance, and the manure stains on her hocks wouldn’t brush out.

  “Now, Mom, you always tell me that conformation is more important than a fancy trim job,” Katie chided her mother.

  To change the subject, Stevie broke in. “All right, looks like we’re ready. Let’s go to the indoor ring so you can see her in action,” she said brightly.

  Looking doubtful, Mr. and Mrs. Miller followed the girls to the ring. While Lisa got them settled in the small spectator booth, Stevie took Katie into the middle to watch, and Carole got Garnet ready to strut her stuff. First she made the mare stand so that Katie could take a look at her from all directions. Then she tightened the girth and prepared to mount. The whole time, she whispered earnestly to Garnet. “Behave yourself if you know what’s good for you, okay? This is your chance to get a really great owner. You’ll go on trail rides, you’ll get lots of attention, and you’ll never have to see Veronica diAngelo again. Got it?”

  Unfortunately, although Garnet swiveled her chestnut ears back and forth and seemed to be paying attention, Carole knew the minute she got on that she was in for a difficult ride. The mare was full of pent-up energy from her long inactivity and kept trying to break stride, first from a walk to a trot, then from a trot to a canter. Carole sat tight and prayed that the Millers wouldn’t notice.

  Watching from the ground, Stevie and Lisa could tell that Carole was doing everything she could to mask and make light of Garnet’s behavior. When Garnet shied violently, Carole pretended that she had asked for a canter. When her canter got fast, Carole rose in her stirrups and acted as if she wanted to hand gallop. She put the mare through her paces several times, finishing up with a number of small jumps.

  “Isn’t she taking kind of a long time?” Lisa asked Stevie when Katie went to consult with her parents.

  Stevie nodded. “The longer Carole rides her, the better chance there is that Garnet will settle down and behave for Katie,” she whispered.

  Finally Carole rode into the center of the ring to let Katie get on. As Stevie had predicted, Carole had worked out most of Garnet’s high jinks. For longer than they expected, Garnet trotted along calmly, obediently responding to Katie’s aids. Katie had the makings of a very good rider. She had the basics down, and she also really seemed to be enjoying Garnet. After fifteen minutes or so, she asked The Saddle Club to set up a few cross rails for her to try.

  “Are you sure you want to jump, dear?” Mrs. Miller called.

  “Yes, Mom! How else am I supposed to know if I like jumping her?” Katie called back.

  Lisa, Stevie, and Carole had the jumps set up in a jiffy, and Katie made her first approach at a trot. Several strides away from the jump, Garnet broke into a canter and tried to rush the fence. Katie sat up and brought her back to a trot, circled, and reapproached.

  “Be careful, dear!” Mrs. Miller cried.

  Once again Garnet tried to bolt. This time Katie halted her. “Will you drop it to a pole on the ground?” she asked.

  Impressed with Katie’s knowledge, Carole lowered the two rails to the ground. Soon Katie had Garnet calmly trotting back and forth over them. Before dismounting she tried another cross rail, and Garnet went over it calmly. The Saddle Club breathed a collective sigh of relief. Garnet had acted up, and Katie had settled her without being too harsh. They were a good pair.

  “SO WHAT DO you think?” Lisa asked. The three of them had cooled Garnet off while Katie talked with her parents. Now they were waiting in the tack room for the news.

  “If anyone could have sold her, it’s you, Carole. That was some performance,” Stevie said.

  “The thing is, Katie and Garnet are perfect for each other. If only the Millers would realize that,” Carole said. “Today was the worst day she’s had in a long time, and Katie handled her fine.”

  “Shhh, here they come,” said Lisa, putting a finger to her lips.

  The girls stopped talking and listened. Through the open door they heard Mr. Miller’s voice. Then Katie said, “She’s not a dangerous horse, Dad. She was just feeling her oats today. Can’t we please, please get her?”

  Mrs. Miller spoke up. “Honey, you have to remember that Garnet is the first horse we’ve looked at. It would be silly to buy a horse without comparing her to anything else, and we have several others to look at.”

  “But—,” Katie started to say.

  “Listen, we’re not saying no, but we’re definitely not saying yes, Katherine. That horse was acting up,” Mr. Miller said.

  The Saddle Club pretended to be busy as Katie and her parents came through the door. Katie looked crushed.

  “We wanted to thank you girls for all your time,” Mrs. Miller said, shaking hands with each of them.

  “Yes, and we’ll be in touch with you shortly,” Mr. Miller said. “Now we’d better get going—almost suppertime for the dogs.”

  Katie stared glumly at the floor. On her way out, she turned and whispered, “It might still work out. Oh, I hope so!”

  When she was gone, The Saddle Club sat down disappointedly. “Silly Garnet. If only she’d known not to act up, today of all days,” Carole said.

  “What can you expect after not being exercised for who knows how long?” said Stevie.

  After a pause, Lisa said, “Hey, why are we getting upset already? Katie was great, but I’m sure there are other people like her.”

  Consoling themselves with the thought that another equally good buyer was sure to come along soon, the girls headed home. On their way out, they passed Garnet’s stall. She poked her head over the door in a friendly manner, ears pricked, nose out. Carole and Lisa patted her, but Stevie shook her head at the mare. “Save it for the next buyer, honey,” she said.

  WHEN CAROLE GOT home she couldn’t wait to share the day’s events with her father. After her mother died, several years before, Carole had become particularly close to Colonel Hanson. She kept him filled in on all aspects of her life, especially Pine Hollow.

  At dinner (turkey tetrazzini) and dessert (tapioca pudding), Carole chatted enthusiastically about Veronica, Katie, and the Millers until she noticed the amused expression on her father’s face. “What’s so funny, Dad?” she demanded.

  Colonel Hanson smiled. “Nothing, honey,” he said. “Nothing, that is, except for the fact that every day since you got home, you’ve asked me if there were any messages for you.”

  Carole put her fork down. “Yes. And?”

  “And today you didn’t ask me,” Colonel Hanson said. “That’s all.”

  Carole raised her eyebrows at her father, but his poker face revealed nothing. “Dad, are you, by any chance, implying that today there were some messages?” she asked.

  “Well, now, let me try to remember. Hmm … oh, yes, the cleaning lady called—”

  “Dad.”

  “And I think somebody called about changing my racquetball game to Wednesday. And, let’s see—”

  “Dad!”

  “Now, was there anything else? I can’t quite—”

  “Dad!” Carole fairly screamed.

  Colonel Hanson grinned. “You got a message, too, honey. From one Cameron Nelson residing at Fifteen Strawberry Hill Lane.” He paused to pull a scrap of paper out of his pocket. “The number is—”

  At that Carole jumped up, grabbed the paper out of her father’s hand, and fled from the table. She was halfway to her bedroom before she stopped and called back, “How do you know where he lives, anyway?”

  “We had a conversation during the course of which I asked the young man’s address,” Colonel Hanson repl
ied with mock formality.

  Carole groaned inwardly. The idea of her father talking—about anything—with Cam was her worst nightmare. Still, it was great news that Cam had called her again so soon. Quickly she dialed his number. While she listened to the phone ringing, she suddenly felt nervous. Then she reminded herself that she was calling Cam, a very nice person who was her friend.

  “Hello?”

  “Ah—hello,” Carole said finally, startled that a woman, who was probably Cam’s mother, had answered. At least she sounded friendly. “Is Cam at home?”

  “No, I’m sorry, he’s not. He’s gone to watch his brother’s basketball game, and he’ll be gone all evening,” the woman said.

  Carole felt her face fall. “Oh, I see.”

  “Could I give him a message?”

  “Yes—ah, yes, please. Is this Mrs. Nelson?”

  “That’s right.”

  Carole thought for a split second, but she couldn’t think of anything original to say. “Could you just tell him that Carole called?”

  “Sure, Carole. I’ll tell him,” Mrs. Nelson said.

  “Okay, thanks. Thanks a lot.”

  “You’re welcome, dear. Bye-bye now.”

  “Bye.” Carole waited until she heard the dial tone. Then she slowly hung up the phone and went to start her homework. She got out her math textbook and sharpened a pencil. Half an hour later she was still staring into space and doodling “Cam and Carole” on her notebook.

  THE NEXT DAY The Saddle Club met at Pine Hollow after school. “Isn’t that the diAngelos’ chauffeur?” Lisa asked, watching a uniformed man get into a long sedan and drive off.

  Carole nodded. “It sure is. I wonder what she’s doing here today.” Usually Veronica only showed up for lessons and Pony Club. She hardly ever came on a regular weekday afternoon.

  “She’s probably showing Danny off for some of her fans,” Stevie guessed.

  What they saw inside the stable was even more surprising. Not only was Veronica there, but she was grooming her own horse. She had Danny out on the cross-ties, and she was fussing over him as they’d never seen her fuss over a horse before. She had him brushed, with his mane and tail combed, and was busy painting polish on his hooves. Stevie, Lisa, and Carole stared in amazement.