Horse Blues (13 page)

“It’s just too strange—”

“Do you think he lost his brains when he got better looking?” Lisa asked.

“Must be,” Stevie said seriously.

“That would explain a lot,” Carole agreed.

The girls relaxed in their saddles and loosened the reins a bit so the horses could stretch their necks. “Do you think we’ll get in trouble with Max and Mrs. Reg?” Lisa asked, idly stroking Prancer’s neck. She hardly cared if they did, now that she and Stevie and Carole were back to normal.

“I doubt it,” Stevie said. “But I think we’re getting our comeuppance anyway. Mrs. Reg knows how much we detest Veronica. I’ll bet she lets Veronica get away with her lie about the tack room.”

“Serves us right, I guess,” Carole said. “But I feel bad for you, Stevie, since you were the one who cleaned it up.”

“Don’t,” Stevie said. “Sometimes it’s good to have an enemy.”

“When is that?” Carole asked.

“When it brings friends together,” Stevie answered.

None of the girls said anything for several minutes. Each of them was lost in her thoughts, although
the thoughts were similar: Strangely enough, they were all silently thanking Veronica for being so awful!

Soon they came to a bend in the trail. There was an opening in the trees. The girls stopped to look out. They could see the roofs of Pine Hollow in the near distance.

“I think we should all make resolutions,” Lisa announced.

“
What
?” Stevie and Carole cried.

“I’m serious,” Lisa said. “Listen, this is what I mean: I, Lisa Atwood, resolve that when I make resolutions in the future, I’ll make them for myself only and not for other people, and I won’t bite off more than I can chew.”

“Okay, I get it,” Carole said readily. She thought for a minute. “I, Carole Hanson, resolve to start eating junk food again, but in moderation when possible. And on movie nights with my dad, I’ll ask him to leave off the extra butter.”

Stevie looked at her two friends. Lisa’s cheeks were flushed pink with the cold air. Carole’s eyes were bright. It seemed impossible that less than twenty-four hours ago, she had been so angry at them that she’d been shouting at the top of her lungs. Having fought with them made her realize
how lucky she was to have them. The Saddle Club were such good friends, they could weather storms—even storms that started from within.

“I, Stevie Lake,” she began, and paused. “I, Stevie Lake, resolve never to make another resolution again, as long as I live.”

Carole and Lisa took their hands off their reins for a moment and applauded into the still, winter air. Stevie’s resolution was definitely the best.

B
ONNIE
B
RYANT
is the author of many books for young readers, including novelizations of movie hits such as
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
and
Honey, I Blew Up the Kid
, written under her married name, B. B. Hiller.

Ms. Bryant began writing The Saddle Club in 1986. Although she had done some riding before that, she intensified her studies then and found herself learning right along with her characters Stevie, Carole, and Lisa. She claims that they are all much better riders than she is.

Ms. Bryant was born and raised in New York City. She still lives there, in Greenwich Village, with her two sons.

Don’t miss Bonnie Bryant’s next exciting Saddle Club adventure …

STABLE HEARTS

The Saddle Club #63

The Saddle Club girls are having a blast planning the Valentine’s Day barn dance at Pine Hollow Stables. Then Stevie learns that the dance at her boyfriend’s school is on the same night. Now Stevie has to persuade Phil to ditch his dance and come to hers!

Stevie, Lisa, and Carole also have to keep a new rider at Pine Hollow out of Mrs. Reg’s hair. The last thing she needs is pesky old Mr. Stowe hanging around, asking dumb questions. Mrs. Reg has got a stable to help run and problems to figure out—like why one of the usually chipper stable ponies seems so depressed. Can a pony have a broken heart?

It’s going to be a whirlwind Valentine’s Day for everyone at Pine Hollow!