New Rider Read online

  Phil shrugged. “Okay, see you at lunch!” He quickly headed off.

  Stevie crossed her arms on her chest. “Can you believe that?” she said indignantly. “He didn’t even try to insist.”

  Lisa shook her head resignedly. “Avoiding work. It’s got to be a boy thing.”

  That did it. Carole had a sudden insight into what was going on with Zachary Simpson. She wanted to share her revelation with the others, but it would have to wait. Right now, The Saddle Club was urgently needed to play host to the other Pony Clubs, and there was no way they could get out of it like Phil just had.

  AFTER ALL THE guest riders had departed and most of the chores were finished, the three girls slipped up to the hayloft to talk over the events of the day.

  “I’m exhausted,” Stevie declared, throwing herself down on a convenient hay bale.

  “You can say that again,” Lisa agreed from where she, too, had collapsed.

  Carole stretched her stiff back and wriggled her tired toes. “Do you think Mrs. Reg saw us come up here?”

  “I don’t think so,” Stevie said. “Besides, it’s not like we haven’t earned a break. I’ve never washed so many dishes in my life. Not to mention set tables, carried food …”

  Lisa took over. “Peeled vegetables, grated cheese, poured drinks …”

  “Swept up, emptied the trash, cleaned out the barbecue pit…,” Carole added.

  For a moment the three of them were silent.

  “What a great day!” Stevie burst out with a wide grin.

  “The best,” Carole laughed.

  “I love days like this,” Lisa declared happily.

  The Saddle Club looked at each other contentedly.

  “The only bad thing about today was that I won’t be able to see Phil again for a while,” Stevie sighed wistfully. “I wish he didn’t live so far away.”

  Lisa frowned. “Actually that wasn’t the only bad thing about today. Zach didn’t exactly hold up well under pressure.”

  “He made us look like bad teachers,” Stevie said, starting to fume. “I don’t think he used anything we taught him over the last two weeks.”

  “In one ear and out the other,” Lisa agreed. “We gave him all that time and attention so that he could do well in his first show, and what does he do? He runs off in a snit without even taking care of his horse!”

  “He acted like a rank amateur,” Stevie declared.

  “A jerk!” exclaimed Lisa.

  Carole listened to her friends without saying anything. She understood they were severely disappointed and needed to let their frustrations out. After a bit more grousing, however, she decided to speak up. “Actually, I think I know exactly what his problem is.”

  They both stopped talking and stared at her.

  “You do?” Lisa asked.

  Carole nodded.

  “So tell,” Stevie demanded.

  Carole shrugged. “He acted like a typical boy.”

  “He is a boy!” Stevie cried. “That’s no excuse!”

  “You’re right,” Carole said. “It’s not an excuse but it is an explanation.”

  Her friends looked puzzled.

  Carole squirmed on her hay bale. “First, I think you should know …” She sighed. “I’ve been a little jealous of Zach and all the attention he’s been getting around here. It seemed like even you two wanted to spend more time with him than me.”

  Lisa looked stricken. “We didn’t know you felt like that.”

  “We just thought Zach needed some help. We didn’t mean to cut you out,” Stevie told her.

  Carole smiled. “You didn’t cut me out. I cut myself out. The truth is, you guys invited me to help all along. I didn’t want to because … like I said, I was jealous. But that’s over now and I’m determined to make it up to Zach.”

  Stevie groaned and flopped back on the hay bale. “Take it from Lisa and me, Carole, he’s not worth the bother.”

  “I hate to say it, but I agree with Stevie,” Lisa said, shaking her head. “All that boy is interested in is galloping around like a madman. He can’t keep his mind on an instruction for more than five minutes.”

  “He still had his elbows and heels sticking out in the show today,” Stevie pointed out. “Lisa and I must have told him about that a million times!”

  “Two million,” Lisa declared. “He’s got no discipline and no focus.”

  “And he doesn’t seem to be interested in getting any,” Stevie finished.

  “Don’t you see?” Carole said. “That’s our problem, not his.”

  Her two friends looked at her like she was crazy.

  “What?” Stevie cried.

  “How is that our problem?” Lisa demanded.

  “It’s our problem that we can’t accept him for who he is. Studying isn’t his thing—”

  “But Carole,” Lisa interrupted, “if he doesn’t study, he’s never going to win a ribbon in any show!”

  Carole nodded. “That’s probably true.”

  “Then what’s the point of riding at all?” Stevie demanded.

  “That’s the point for you and Lisa and me. We enjoy riding in shows. We enjoy the discipline. We like competing against other people, so we can see where we are in our skills and how much further there is to go,” she said passionately. “That’s what we love about riding, but that’s not what Zach loves about it.”

  Lisa frowned. “You mean he just loves riding?”

  “Yes, exactly!” Carole cried, pleased that her friends were starting to get her point. “Think about it. Competition is always a huge amount of pressure. Even for people who enjoy it.”

  “You’re saying Zach can’t handle it?” Stevie asked.

  “Maybe he’s just not interested right now,” Lisa said thoughtfully.

  “Maybe he never will be,” Carole pointed out.

  “Well, he doesn’t seem to love horses as much as we do, either,” Stevie said.

  Carole shook her head. “I don’t think that’s true. I think Zach gets something different out of riding than we do. He clearly loves it—you only have to look at his face whenever he’s galloping around to see that.”

  “I have to admit I’ve never seen anyone look happier to be on a horse,” Lisa said. “Not even one of us.”

  “I think Zach simply wants to ride and be buddies with his horse. That’s what brings him pleasure.”

  “I still think he’d like jumping if he tried it,” Stevie declared.

  Carole nodded. “I think he would too, but that’s something that requires a lot of training and discipline.”

  “Maybe if he saw us do it often enough, he’d realize that good riding form—elbows in, heels down, et cetera—makes it easier to ride fast, the way he likes it. It’s safer, too. It would inspire him to try to learn,” Lisa suggested.

  “But to see it, he would have to be around the stables a lot,” Stevie said.

  Lisa shrugged. “So?”

  Stevie rubbed her forehead like she had a sudden headache. “That could be a problem.”

  Carole frowned. “Why would that a problem?”

  Stevie sighed. “I was going to tell you this as soon as I heard, but then I got caught up in all the chores and saying good-bye to Phil. I guess I forgot.”

  Carole and Lisa looked at her expectantly.

  “Zach’s not coming back.”

  “What?” Carole cried. “Did he tell you that?”

  Stevie shook her head. “Max did. He told me while we were cleaning out the charcoal pit.”

  Lisa looked dismayed. “What exactly did he say?”

  Stevie shrugged. “Max said Zach told him he not only doesn’t want to compete in another show, but he never wants to ride a horse again in his life!”

  Carole and Lisa exchanged shocked looks.

  “But Zach loves riding!” Carole cried.

  “Do you think maybe we had something to do with his quitting?” Lisa asked, looking guilty.

  “We did push him pretty hard,” Stevie
admitted.

  Carole shook her head with dismay. This was terrible. “I can’t believe The Saddle Club may have been responsible for driving someone away from riding,” she moaned. “We have to do something. We have to get Zach back in the saddle.”

  “But how?” Stevie asked. “If he doesn’t want to ride, we can’t force him.”

  “Maybe,” Carole admitted, “but we have to try.”

  “Is this going to be a Saddle Club project?” Lisa asked.

  Carole nodded. “You bet! I don’t know how we’re going to do it, but Zach Simpson is going to ride again!”

  THE SADDLE CLUB had agreed to pay Zach a visit, and since Lisa knew where he lived, she was leading the way.

  “Are you sure about this?” Carole asked.

  “Of course,” Lisa assured her. “His house is across the meadow from Pine Hollow. If we cut through these woods, we’ll make it there in almost half the time.”

  “I wasn’t talking about the shortcut,” Carole told her. “I mean are you two sure this direct approach is the best way to handle him?”

  Stevie shrugged. “All I know is that our chances of convincing Zach to come back to riding are better if we can talk to him face to face.”

  “But if Max couldn’t get him to change his mind, I don’t see how we’re going to,” Carole said glumly.

  “Look, we have to start somewhere, don’t we?” Stevie picked her way around a bush. “I didn’t exactly hear anybody else coming up with a brilliant plan.”

  “True,” Carole admitted. “This would be so much easier if we understood boys better. Maybe then we’d be able to figure out how to handle this.”

  “Don’t worry so much,” Stevie said. “If Plan A fails, we’ll go with Plan B.”

  “I didn’t know you had a Plan B,” Lisa said.

  “What is it?” Carole asked.

  “Let’s just say I guarantee that Zach will return to Pine Hollow at least one more time,” Stevie told them smugly.

  “Look.” Carole pointed. “Is that his house?”

  Lisa nodded. “That’s it.”

  Since the girls had cut across the fields instead of taking the street route, they found themselves approaching Zach’s home from the backyard. It was a neat, white, two-story house with green shutters. The entire property was surrounded by a double-railed white fence—high enough to keep most large stray animals out, but not three determined members of The Saddle Club.

  Stevie was the first to clamber over, followed quickly by Carole and Lisa.

  “Should we knock on the back door?” Lisa asked doubtfully.

  Carole shook her head. “I think it would look a little strange to Zach’s parents if we suddenly showed up in their backyard.”

  “Especially since they don’t know us,” Stevie agreed. “Let’s head to the front.” The three of them quietly made their way around the house. Stevie was about to knock when Lisa grabbed her hand.

  “Wait! What exactly are we going to say to him? ‘We’re sorry that you’re too immature to learn to ride correctly’?”

  Stevie rolled her eyes. “Oh yeah, Lisa, that would definitely score big points.”

  “Maybe you’d better let Stevie and me do the talking,” Carole told her.

  Lisa nodded.

  Stevie took a big breath and rapped smartly on the door. The truth was, she had no idea what she was going to say. The Saddle Club was flying by the seat of their riding britches on this one.

  They only had to wait a few moments before the door was opened by a middle-aged lady. She had white-blond hair and green eyes exactly like Zach’s, so Stevie figured she was his mother.

  “Good afternoon, Mrs. Simpson,” she began politely. “We’re friends of Zach’s from Pine Hollow. I’m Stevie, and this is Lisa and Carole.”

  Mrs. Simpson smiled and glanced backward over her shoulder.

  From where Stevie was standing she could see a staircase, but she couldn’t tell if anyone was on it.

  “How nice to meet you, girls,” Mrs. Simpson said. “It’s good to know Zach is making friends.”

  “Oh, he is, Mrs. Simpson,” Carole assured her. “Everybody likes Zach.”

  Considering that Carole had only recently confessed to being terribly jealous of the boy, Stevie struggled to suppress a guffaw.

  “He kind of crashed and burned at the show this morning,” Lisa blurted out. “Do you think we could see him?”

  Stevie could barely keep herself from kicking Lisa in the shin. If Zach was listening, and she suspected he was, that little comment wouldn’t help their cause.

  “What she means is,” Carole said, rushing in, “that almost everyone has problems at their first show, and we wanted to make sure that Zach understood that and wasn’t feeling bad.”

  “So Zach wasn’t the only one who had trouble?” Mrs. Simpson asked. Her eyes darted quickly over her shoulder again. “There were other kids who had problems?”

  “Oh, tons,” Stevie exaggerated. “Lots of people made major mistakes, but since Zach left early, he didn’t get to see them.” If the guy was listening, Stevie hoped she was getting through to him.

  “So, would it be possible for us see him, Mrs. Simpson?” Lisa ventured again.

  There was another quick glance at the staircase. Then Mrs. Simpson shook her head regretfully. “I’m sorry, girls, Zach … isn’t available right now.”

  Stevie was disappointed. “Do you think he’ll be coming by the stables later this week?” she asked hopefully.

  Mrs. Simpson looked a little sad. “I don’t know exactly what Zach’s riding plans are right now. Don’t you all go to the same school?”

  “Stevie doesn’t,” Lisa said, “but Carole and I do. Zach and I have a class together.”

  “Maybe you could talk to him then,” Mrs. Simpson suggested. “Sometimes boys just need a little space, don’t they, girls?” She gave a conspiritorial wink.

  It was obvious to Stevie that they were going to have to try a different plan. “We understand, Mrs. Simpson. Would you please tell Zach we stopped by?”

  “Of course, dear, and it was very nice to meet you all.”

  The girls said their farewells and moved reluctantly toward the sidewalk.

  As soon as Stevie heard the door close behind them, she changed direction. “Come on, guys! Backyard!” She quickly led the way around the house.

  Lisa grinned. “Plan B?”

  “Plan B,” Stevie confirmed. She spotted a few pebbles on the ground and scooped them up. “Which window do you think is his?”

  Lisa pointed. “Try that one.”

  Stevie pitched one of the pebbles and it pinged against the window.

  “Stevie, no!” Carole squealed. “You could break the glass.”

  “No chance,” Stevie said, throwing another stone. “They do this in the movies all the time.”

  Although the first pebble seemed to get no reaction, Stevie was almost certain that the curtain twitched a little after the second one hit. “Zach!” she called. “We know you’re there. Why don’t you come down and talk to us?”

  The girls waited.

  After a moment Stevie tried again. “Come on, Zach,” she coaxed. “Aren’t we still friends?” She was almost positive she could see a shadowy figure behind the half-drawn curtains. She decided to take another approach. “Hey, did you know you left your math book in your cubby at Pine Hollow?”

  Nothing.

  “Sooner or later you’re going to have to come get it!”

  Suddenly a hand reached out and abruptly pulled the window shade down.

  Lisa sighed. “So much for Plan B.”

  “That was it?” Carole asked incredulously. “That was Plan B?”

  Stevie shrugged. “Sorry.” Her two friends were giving her annoyed looks. “Hey, he did leave his math book and he is going to have to get it.”

  “What good does that do us?” Lisa demanded. “We can’t exactly stake out his cubby day and night.”

  “What if he goes to
get it early before school?” Carole asked. “What if he sends his mom to get it for him?”

  “I didn’t say it was a flawless plan,” Stevie said, sulking. “That’s why it was only Plan B.”

  “More like Plan L for Lousy if you ask me,” Lisa muttered.

  Stevie frowned. “Well, we’d better come up with a new one fast or this is one Saddle Club project that’s going to fail.”

  Carole headed for the fence. “Come on, you two. I want to check on Sunset before the sleepover at Lisa’s.”

  Carole climbed over the rail with a scowling Stevie and a gloomy Lisa trailing behind. The girls were silent most of the way back to the stable, each one of them trying desperately to come up with a way to get through to Zach. By the time they reached Pine Hollow, they were almost ready to admit defeat.

  Stevie made a beeline for Belle’s stall. Her horse’s leg was no longer bandaged, so it was easy to check for heat and swelling. Everything looked fine. Stevie fished in her pocket for a piece of carrot. “You’re doing great,” she told the mare as she fed her. “I can’t wait to get back in the saddle.” She left Belle with an affectionate tug on her forelock. As she passed through the stable she saw Lisa leaving Prancer’s stall. “Do you want any carrot? I have some left.”

  Lisa smiled. “Thanks, but I brought some, too. Maybe Carole would like a bit.”

  They found Carole in Starlight’s stall, talking softly to the animal as she patted him.

  Stevie waved a piece of carrot at her. “Hey, Carole, you want any?”

  Carole shook her head. “You know I don’t believe in too many treats.”

  “Glad you’re not my mother,” Lisa teased her.

  “Maybe Sunset would like some,” Stevie said innocently.

  Carole took the bait. “Absolutely not!” she said, wagging a finger at Stevie. “You know Sunset is on a very strict diet.”

  Stevie laughed. “Got ya.”

  Carole laughed, too. “Okay,” she admitted. “Maybe I am going overboard. How much damage can one piece of carrot do?”

  “Come on, let’s feed it to her and get over to my house,” Lisa said. “I’m hungry and tired.”