Read Online Silver Stirrups by Bonnie Bryant - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Bonnie Bryant
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dialed it. Andrea answered in a muted voice.
“Andrea? It’s Lisa. We just wanted to make sure you were—you were—” Lisa faltered. Of course Andrea wasn’t
okay.
Who could be okay when her mother had died a year ago? “Umm, I just called to say hi and welcome you to Pine Hollow again.”
“Thanks, Lisa. And listen, please don’t tell anyone about my mom, okay? I don’t want people to feel sorry for me.”
“But I—”
Once again Lisa’s protests were cut short. “I have to go. My dad came home and he’s trying to go to sleep. I’ll talk to you later. Bye.”
With that, Andrea hung up, and the silence of the dead air filled Lisa’s ear.
A FTER THE HUBBUB of the schooling show, Pine Hollow seemed unusually quiet on Sunday. The Saddle Club had agreed to meet in the afternoon. They weren’t planning to ride, but there was plenty of other stuff they could do to get ready for Briarwood, which was now less than a week away.
This was the part of riding that Stevie was less than keen on. She just couldn’t get as excited as Carole about rolling leg bandages and clipping the hair in Belle’s ears. On the other hand, Stevie thought, heading into the tack room, she also didn’t get as worked up as Carole did about being the best.
Stevie had thought a lot about what Lisa had said,and she thought she was right: Carole was jealous of Andrea. What Stevie didn’t understand was why it mattered who was number one. Why did Carole and Lisa
care
so much? Why didn’t they realize that the important thing in life was to have fun?
Inside, the tack room was the picture of Atwood organization. Lisa had arrived early and posted lists of everything they would need at the show. Beside each item she had put one of their names to show who was responsible for doing what. Stevie looked at the first item on the first list.
Leg bandages … Stevie
(
Get from storage room, roll, and stow four in each rider’s tack box.
)
With a sigh, Stevie went to get the long cotton wraps from the storage space above the tack room. Before loading the horses into the Pine Hollow van, the girls would wrap their legs for protection. But the bandages themselves had to be rolled first so that they could be unrolled around the horses’ legs. Picking up the first one and smoothing it out on her lap, Stevie went to work.
“Hey, you actually read my list!” Lisa exclaimed. She came in and shut the door behind her.
“Of course! Why wouldn’t I? When have I ever deviated from authority?” Stevie demanded, in mock seriousness.
“If I answered that question completely, we’d still be standing here next week and we’d miss Briarwood,” Lisa responded, not missing a beat.
Stevie flashed her a grin. “Speaking of missing Briarwood, I wish Red didn’t have to.”
“Did someone mention Briarwood?” Stevie and Lisa turned.
It was Carole. She had come early, too, to give Starlight a once-over. She was hoping that her new attitude would show clearly. There would be no more feeling sorry for herself—only pure determination to win the following weekend.
“Yeah. We were just saying that it’s too bad Red doesn’t have a horse for Briarwood,” Stevie said.
“Oh,” said Carole. She didn’t have time to feel sorry for Red now, either. If he wanted a horse badly enough, he would find one.
“It’s strange,” Lisa said, making a few check marks on the lists, “but there’s no one for him to ride. Max has school horses—they’re
too
quiet. He has young horses—they’re not ready. He has ponies—they’re too small. But he doesn’t have a nice, big, talented, trained horse who can jump.”
“What about the boarders?” Carole asked impatiently. “Can’t one of them lend Red a horse?”
Lisa stopped what she was doing and looked at Carole. She was surprised by Carole’s tone of voice. “They could, but Red doesn’t want to ask. And anyway, Kismet is the best.”
“Then the best isn’t great,” Stevie remarked,
“Andrea? It’s Lisa. We just wanted to make sure you were—you were—” Lisa faltered. Of course Andrea wasn’t
okay.
Who could be okay when her mother had died a year ago? “Umm, I just called to say hi and welcome you to Pine Hollow again.”
“Thanks, Lisa. And listen, please don’t tell anyone about my mom, okay? I don’t want people to feel sorry for me.”
“But I—”
Once again Lisa’s protests were cut short. “I have to go. My dad came home and he’s trying to go to sleep. I’ll talk to you later. Bye.”
With that, Andrea hung up, and the silence of the dead air filled Lisa’s ear.
A FTER THE HUBBUB of the schooling show, Pine Hollow seemed unusually quiet on Sunday. The Saddle Club had agreed to meet in the afternoon. They weren’t planning to ride, but there was plenty of other stuff they could do to get ready for Briarwood, which was now less than a week away.
This was the part of riding that Stevie was less than keen on. She just couldn’t get as excited as Carole about rolling leg bandages and clipping the hair in Belle’s ears. On the other hand, Stevie thought, heading into the tack room, she also didn’t get as worked up as Carole did about being the best.
Stevie had thought a lot about what Lisa had said,and she thought she was right: Carole was jealous of Andrea. What Stevie didn’t understand was why it mattered who was number one. Why did Carole and Lisa
care
so much? Why didn’t they realize that the important thing in life was to have fun?
Inside, the tack room was the picture of Atwood organization. Lisa had arrived early and posted lists of everything they would need at the show. Beside each item she had put one of their names to show who was responsible for doing what. Stevie looked at the first item on the first list.
Leg bandages … Stevie
(
Get from storage room, roll, and stow four in each rider’s tack box.
)
With a sigh, Stevie went to get the long cotton wraps from the storage space above the tack room. Before loading the horses into the Pine Hollow van, the girls would wrap their legs for protection. But the bandages themselves had to be rolled first so that they could be unrolled around the horses’ legs. Picking up the first one and smoothing it out on her lap, Stevie went to work.
“Hey, you actually read my list!” Lisa exclaimed. She came in and shut the door behind her.
“Of course! Why wouldn’t I? When have I ever deviated from authority?” Stevie demanded, in mock seriousness.
“If I answered that question completely, we’d still be standing here next week and we’d miss Briarwood,” Lisa responded, not missing a beat.
Stevie flashed her a grin. “Speaking of missing Briarwood, I wish Red didn’t have to.”
“Did someone mention Briarwood?” Stevie and Lisa turned.
It was Carole. She had come early, too, to give Starlight a once-over. She was hoping that her new attitude would show clearly. There would be no more feeling sorry for herself—only pure determination to win the following weekend.
“Yeah. We were just saying that it’s too bad Red doesn’t have a horse for Briarwood,” Stevie said.
“Oh,” said Carole. She didn’t have time to feel sorry for Red now, either. If he wanted a horse badly enough, he would find one.
“It’s strange,” Lisa said, making a few check marks on the lists, “but there’s no one for him to ride. Max has school horses—they’re
too
quiet. He has young horses—they’re not ready. He has ponies—they’re too small. But he doesn’t have a nice, big, talented, trained horse who can jump.”
“What about the boarders?” Carole asked impatiently. “Can’t one of them lend Red a horse?”
Lisa stopped what she was doing and looked at Carole. She was surprised by Carole’s tone of voice. “They could, but Red doesn’t want to ask. And anyway, Kismet is the best.”
“Then the best isn’t great,” Stevie remarked,
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