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  “I can do that,” Carole volunteered, “and you can ride Starlight. He’s very steady.”

  Max nodded. “Good idea, Carole. Thanks for offering.” He turned back to Stevie. “Now let’s get you up and back to Pine Hollow. No arguments.”

  Although Stevie’s head swam a little when she first mounted Starlight, she was okay once she was up.

  The little group began the long, slow trip back home.

  Stevie was relieved when she finally spotted the stable. As Max had predicted, she saw her family’s car parked in the driveway.

  Max helped her dismount. Even before her feet touched the ground, her parents were beside her, hugging her tightly.

  “Stevie, honey, are you all right?”

  Stevie was embarrassed by the fuss. “Sure, Mom, it was only a little fall. No big deal, happens all the time.”

  “ ‘Happens all the time’ is not exactly what we want to hear, sweetheart,” her father scolded her gently. “I think we’ll take you over to the hospital for a checkup.”

  Stevie was too tired to argue. “Okay, Dad. But what about Belle?”

  “Don’t worry,” Lisa assured her. “We’ll take care of her until Judy can get here.”

  Stevie smiled wearily, knowing she could count on her friends. She walked over to where the mare stood patiently, planted a gentle kiss on her velvet-soft nose, then slipped her arms around her neck. “I’m sorry, Belle,” she whispered, close to tears.

  After a moment she felt her dad’s hand on her shoulder. “Come on, honey, time to go.”

  They headed for the car.

  “Call us when you know something, okay?” Lisa yelled.

  Stevie waved and nodded, then slid gratefully into the backseat and closed her eyes.

  It wasn’t far to the hospital, but there was a long wait in the emergency room. Stevie spent the time fretting over Belle. She knew everyone at Pine Hollow would do their best for the horse, but not knowing the extent of her mare’s injury was really distressing her. After what seemed like hours, her name was finally called.

  Dr. Laurie Trudell had kind dark eyes and a friendly smile. She checked Stevie over thoroughly, including looking at her eyes, cleaning up her bump, and asking her questions about the accident.

  Finally the doctor turned to Mr. and Mrs. Lake. “I’m satisfied that your daughter hasn’t suffered any major trauma. She’s got a mild concussion, though, and you’ll need to watch her closely for a few days.

  Her parents looked relieved.

  “Just to play it safe, I want to send her down the hall for a CAT scan. After we get the results, you can probably take her home.”

  “Not home,” Stevie protested. “I have to get back to the stables.”

  “You’ve done all the riding you’re going to do for a few days,” the doctor told her sternly. “You need to go to bed.”

  “Please, doctor,” she pleaded passionately. “I have to check on Belle.”

  “Belle?” Dr. Trudell looked inquiringly at Mr. and Mrs. Lake.

  “That’s her horse,” Mrs. Lake explained.

  Stevie was racked by worry and guilt. “She was hurt, too, and it’s my fault because I wasn’t paying attention. Please, I need to check on her.” The room was getting blurry around her but it wasn’t from the concussion, it was from the tears in her eyes.

  Dr. Trudell smiled slightly. “I can see you take your responsibilities to your horse very seriously, which says a lot about your character. I’ll tell you what: If your CAT scan comes back clean, you have my permission to stop by and check on Belle.”

  Stevie’s heart leaped with gratitude.

  “But”—the doctor held up a warning finger—“only for a few minutes. After that it’s home and right to bed.”

  Her parents nodded their agreement.

  Contented now, Stevie wiped her eyes and blew her nose. She couldn’t wait to get back to Pine Hollow.

  STEVIE WAS OUT of the car almost before it had stopped. She was dismayed to see Judy Barker’s light blue pickup in front of the stables, and her stomach clenched. If the veterinarian was still there, then Belle’s injury must have been a lot worse than Max had thought.

  She hurried into the stable and directly to the mare’s stall, where she spotted Carole putting some of Judy’s equipment back into the medical kit.

  “How is she, Carole?” Stevie asked, almost sick with worry.

  “Stevie?” Carole cried, her eyes wide with surprise. “What are you doing here? Shouldn’t you be at the hospital?”

  “I’m fine, only a little concussion like Max thought. I can’t ride for a while, though,” she added gloomily.

  “I’m sorry to hear that, but I’m glad you’re okay. I was worried about you. We all were, even Zach.”

  Stevie was touched by everyone’s concern, but she really had to find out about her horse. “How’s Belle?”

  “Mind if I field that one, Carole?” Judy asked, rising up from inside the mare’s stall.

  “Sorry, Judy, I didn’t see you in there.” Stevie moved to join the veterinarian inside. To her it looked like nothing had changed since she’d left. The mare still wore a neat white bandage on her foreleg, which she continued to hold slightly off the ground. “How’s she doing?”

  “She’s going to be fine,” Judy assured her, patting the mare gently on the neck. “Max did the right thing by applying the pressure bandage. There’s no permanent injury.”

  Stevie felt her body sag with relief. She leaned her cheek against Belle’s warm neck and gave her a hug. “Boy, am I glad to hear that. I’ve been really worried about you, girl.”

  “Your horse has a sprained tendon,” Judy explained. “She probably stumbled and caught herself when she got away from you. It’s a fairly common injury, especially in the forelegs, because they’re more delicate but still have to carry the majority of the horse’s weight—head, neck, shoulders. Fortunately Belle’s injury isn’t severe.”

  Lisa had joined Carole at the stall door. “Now for the bad news,” she said. “Judy says you won’t be able to ride her for at least two, maybe even three weeks.”

  Stevie’s heart sank. “But the show is in two weeks!”

  “Sorry, kiddo,” Judy said, “but you should be grateful it won’t be longer than that. I’ve seen horses with this kind of injury take up to six weeks to get sound again.”

  “Bad luck,” Carole commiserated.

  Stevie was disappointed, but at least Belle was going to be all right. “That’s okay. Like Judy said, it could have been worse.”

  Lisa looked sad. “It won’t be the same without you competing.”

  Stevie shrugged, determined to make the best of it. “On the plus side, this means I’ll have more time to coach Zach.”

  Lisa brightened. “With his riding and your coaching, I predict two weeks from now Pine Hollow will rule!”

  Stevie noticed Carole was giving them a skeptical look. “Do you doubt?” she asked her.

  “How could he possibly fail?” Carole replied with little enthusiasm.

  Stevie was about to question her friend further when she heard her mother calling. She quickly gave her horse one last pat, thanked Judy, and headed gratefully for home. Whatever was bothering Carole would have to wait.

  CAROLE DOUBLE-CHECKED the supply of fresh bandages in the veterinary cupboard. For the next week, at least, Belle’s leg would need to be massaged every morning and night and then re-bound, so she wanted to be sure they had enough supplies on hand.

  At the same time she checked the foaling supplies they would need for Sunset’s delivery. Tail bandages, head collars, feeding bottles, milk replacer … By the time she had worked her way through the inventory, she was satisfied they would be able to handle any emergency that might arise.

  Although Sunset had shown no signs that she was ready to give birth anytime soon, Carole decided to look in on the mare anyway. The horse was not in her stall, so she checked the small private paddock out back. She spotted the mare in the
far corner of the enclosed space and slowly approached. “Hey, girl, what are you up to?”

  As she got closer she could see something was wrong—not with the horse, but with the fence. The wood was chipped away and splintered. One of the boards had actually cracked, as if the mare had been kicking and pawing at it.

  Worried by Sunset’s behavior, she led the mare back into her stall and shut the door to the paddock, then went to find Red O’Malley, the head stable hand. Red was working in the barn.

  “Hi, Red,” she called.

  “Oh, hi, Carole,” he greeted her with a friendly smile. “I thought you’d be long gone by now.”

  “I was about to take off, but when I checked on Sunset I discovered she’d been trying to run away.”

  Red stopped working. “Run away? How?”

  “She’s been pawing and leaning on the fence to her paddock. She’s actually managed to break one of the boards.”

  Red frowned. “That can be dangerous. I’d better take a look at it. Thanks for letting me know.” He set off across the yard.

  Carole went with him. “Red, do all pregnant mares behave like that, or do you think something’s wrong with her?”

  “Lots of changes happen when a mare is this far along,” he explained. “Most of them become antisocial, then nervous. The fact that Sunset is away from home in unfamiliar surroundings makes it all the harder for her. Most likely she wanted more privacy, or maybe she just wanted to explore.” He shrugged. “It’s hard to say.”

  “Then you don’t think it’s something to worry about?”

  “I doubt it.” He let himself into the stall. Sunset was standing in a corner with her back to them. “You know, most horses manage foaling with very little trouble. It’s the people who care about them that have the difficulty.” He winked at her. “Don’t worry so much. I think she’s fine.”

  Carole smiled. “Thanks, Red.”

  He gave her a thumbs-up and disappeared into the paddock.

  Reassured by his words, Carole moved closer to the mare to stroke her. “Is that it, girl?” she crooned gently. “Are you just nervous? You don’t have to be scared. I’m not going to let anything bad happen to you or your baby.”

  For her part, Sunset seemed entirely indifferent to Carole’s assurances and caresses. She tolerated them for a moment or two, then moved restlessly away to begin the laborious process of lying down. With much grunting and groaning she managed to lower herself onto the soft hay.

  “I guess I can take a hint,” Carole told the horse. “You obviously don’t care for any company.”

  The mare closed her eyes.

  Carole checked the water and food. “Okay, I’m leaving now.”

  Sunset gave a soft snort, but Carole was almost certain it was meant to be a fake snore.

  “No, no, don’t get up, I think I can find my way out,” she said, laughing. “See you tomorrow, girl.”

  She latched the stall door carefully and headed for home.

  THE NEXT AFTERNOON the Saddle Club members all arrived at Pine Hollow at practically the same moment.

  “Hi, Stevie,” Lisa called. “Are you feeling better?”

  “Yeah, how’s the bump?” Carole asked.

  “Beats a poke in the eye with a sharp stick,” she told them, smiling. “Then again, what doesn’t?”

  Lisa laughed. “Healthy attitude.”

  The sound of hoofbeats drew Carole’s attention to the outdoor ring. “What’s up over there?”

  “Looks like Zach is taking a lesson with Max,” Stevie said. “He’s one of the reasons I came over today.”

  “Let’s see how it’s going,” Lisa suggested.

  “Oh, be still my heart,” Carole mumbled, reluctantly trailing behind her friends. For reasons she could not figure out, she still felt distant from Zach. It was not that she didn’t like him, but she definitely didn’t get the same thrill from watching him ride that everybody else seemed to. As they approached, it became more and more obvious that Zach wasn’t a happy camper.

  “It’s just not happening for me, Max,” he complained loudly.

  “You’re going to have to give it time, Zach,” Max counseled. “You’re doing fine, but you can’t expect to master it all in a day. It takes time.”

  Zach was frowning. “How much time?”

  Max put his hands in his pockets. “I know people who have been riding their entire lives and they tell me they still learn something new every day.”

  “Maybe they’re slow studies,” Stevie cracked from her position on the fence.

  Max glanced at her. “I see that knock on the head hasn’t improved your jokes, Stevie.”

  Stevie feigned surprise. “Max, how can you improve on perfection?”

  Zach laughed.

  Max turned back to the boy. “That’s better. You need to relax, be patient.”

  “I don’t think patience is Zach’s strong suit,” Carole murmured to her friends.

  “But I thought you said I was a natural,” Zach complained to Max.

  “You are,” he assured him. “You have a rare gift and you owe it to yourself to nurture it.”

  Zach looked unconvinced. “I guess.”

  “I have to go now, but you can keep practicing if you want,” Max told him. “We’ll arrange for another lesson later in the week.”

  Carole felt a pang of jealousy. More private lessons! Zach sure was getting the golden-boy treatment.

  Zach rode Barq over to the girls and casually slid down from the saddle. “Hi, guys. What’s up?”

  In spite of herself, Carole couldn’t help admiring the unconscious grace of his movements. It took most people months, if not years, to learn to dismount a horse so fluidly.

  “I thought maybe we could get in some practice for the show,” Stevie suggested.

  “Thanks, but Max beat you to it.”

  Lisa reached out to stroke Barq. “Sounded like you were having some problems.”

  “Yeah. It was kind of a drag. I think I’ll call it quits for now.”

  “How long have you been out here?” Lisa asked.

  Zach shrugged. “Almost an hour, I guess.” He scuffed at the dirt. “Max didn’t even let me gallop.”

  Carole was tempted to tell him there was a lot more to riding than galloping, but she held her tongue. She couldn’t understand why he didn’t seem to care about all the hundreds of details that went into making up a polished rider, or the thousands of details that it took to become a responsible horse owner. She’d spent countless hours studying and learning as much as she could about the subject. Zach, on the other hand, had probably spent endless hours playing video games. Instant gratification. Typical boy.

  “An hour’s not much practice time when you think about how close we are to the show,” Lisa said, voicing Carole’s thoughts. “Why don’t you let us work with you for a while?”

  “I don’t know …”

  “Come on, Zach,” Stevie coaxed. “Since I can’t ride for a while, you’d practically be doing me a favor.”

  Listening to Stevie trying to convince the boy into letting her help him really annoyed Carole. He should have been down on his hands and knees begging her, grateful for all the experience she was offering to share.

  Zach relented. “Okay. You talked me in to it. On one condition.”

  “What’s that,” asked Stevie.

  “I get to canter at least a couple of times during the lesson.”

  Stevie and Lisa laughed. “Agreed,” they said in unison.

  Stevie turned to Carole. “How about it, Carole, are you in on this?”

  “Sorry, no can do,” she begged off. “I have to check on Sunset.”

  “We’ll see you later then,” Stevie said. “Come on, Zach, tell us what you were having trouble with, and Lisa and I will try to figure out how to help.”

  Carole quickly made herself scarce, retiring to Sunset’s stall. The mare was pacing restlessly, which was usually a sign that a horse wasn’t ready to drop her foal
yet. Carole decided a good grooming was in order.

  She collected her equipment and, after carefully cross-tying Sunset, began to give her a thorough cleaning. From where she was working she could hear bits and pieces of what the others were up to outside in the ring.

  “Olé!” Stevie shouted.

  That was Carole’s clue that they were working on a game called horseback bullfighting. Carole hadn’t played it in a long time, but she remembered it was a fun way to practice turns on the forehand and the hindquarters. The idea was to have someone, on foot or mounted, trot toward you, aiming at your stirrup. At the last moment you have to move your horse’s hindquarters out of the way without getting touched. As the fake bull goes by, you turn and face it, making a 180-degree turn like a bullfighter does.

  “Olé!” Stevie cried again. “You’re doing great, Zach!”

  “You’re doing great, Zach,” Carole mimicked to herself. She tried to put the noise out of her mind and concentrate on what she was doing, but every time Lisa or Stevie showered Zach with praises, it made her grit her teeth.

  Eager to get out of earshot, Carole hurried to complete the job. She was just finishing up when she heard Max outside. Figuring he had come to check on Zach’s progress, she stopped working in order to listen to the conversation, certain that Max would not be as impressed with Zach’s technique as Stevie and Lisa obviously were.

  “It looks like you’ve made some good strides,” Max called to the boy.

  “This is fun,” Zach yelled back. “It’s not even like working.”

  “Nice job, Stevie,” Max said. “I’ve been trying to get him to do those moves for an hour, and now you’ve taught him in fifteen minutes. I’m very impressed.”

  “Thanks, Max, but he’s a natural. I only made it fun.”

  “If we can only keep him interested long enough, I think he’ll make a really fine rider one day,” Max said.

  “Oh brother,” Carole mouthed quietly to herself. She rolled her eyes. If she heard one more person singing Zach’s praises, she’d throw up. She returned Sunset to her stall and hurried off to tack up her own horse, desperate to put some distance between herself and the boy wonder.