Christmas Treasure (15 page)

“What’ll it be today, folks?” she said, her pencil poised.

“Uh, I’ll have hot chocolate with extra marshmallows,” said Carole.

“Me too,” said Lisa.

“Me three,” said Douglas, blowing on his cold fingers.

The waitress scribbled on her pad, then turned to Stevie. “Your Christmas special?” she asked.

Stevie frowned for a moment. “No, today I think I’ll have chocolate ice cream with pineapple sauce and red cherries on top, with just a little dab of marshmallow on the side.”

“Gosh,” Eliot said. “That sounds delicious.” He looked up at the waitress. “Could you make that two?”

The waitress looked at him as if he were as crazy as Stevie, but turned back to the counter to fill their orders.

“Do you like weird ice cream, too?” Stevie asked Eliot, her eyes bright.

He nodded. “The weirder the better.”

“Oh, brother,” said Lisa. “This could turn out to be a dangerous combination!”

“Anything that has to do with Eliot and ice cream can be dangerous,” said Douglas with a grin.

In a moment the waitress brought their orders. She placed three cups of hot cocoa on the table, then two dishes of a dark brown and yellow creation.

“Mmmmm,” said Stevie after she’d taken her first bite.

“Jolly good,” agreed Eliot, smiling. “Your instincts were perfect!”

“Yucchhh!” said Lisa and Carole and Douglas together as they sipped their hot chocolate.

“So what have you guys got planned for your trip to the States?” Carole asked as Eliot dug into his ice cream.

“Well, this afternoon we’re going to an American football game,” he answered eagerly. “Then Mom wants us to go to the National Gallery, then Dad wants us to see the Smithsonian …”

“Then Lisa wants to take us horseback riding,” added Douglas.

“Wow,” said Stevie. “Sounds like you’re going to have a busy trip.”

“I know.” Eliot scraped up some pineapple sauce. “Somewhere in there we’ll have to fit Christmas in, too, I expect.”

“Oh, look,” said Lisa, peering out the window. “There’s my dad and James. I think it’s time for you guys to go to the game.”

“Good timing.” Eliot wiped his mouth with a paper napkin. “I’d just finished.” He pulled out some British money from his pocket. “Will five pounds do?”

Lisa shook her head. “I don’t think TD’s takes British money. You guys get going. My mom gave me some money to pay.”

“Thanks,” said Douglas, finishing his cocoa in one gulp. He and his brother slid out of the booth. “Well, ladies, it’s been a pleasure. Hope to see you daft girls again soon.”

“Daft is as daft does,” replied Stevie with a grin.

“Cheers!” said Eliot as he and Douglas hurried out the door and into the car. “Catch you later!”

The girls watched as the car pulled away from the curb. “They’re nice,” said Stevie. “I like them. Eliot has great taste in ice cream.”

“They’re both cute, too,” added Carole. “I love their accents.”

“They are nice guys,” said Lisa. “You should hear Eliot play the bagpipes.”

“What does he sound like?” asked Carole.

Lisa shuddered. “It’s an experience you won’t soon forget.” She took a sip of cocoa. “Hey, how’s the toy collecting? Have you guys gotten a lot of money today?”

Stevie looked at Carole and gave a disappointed sigh. “No,” she replied. “It’s not going well at all. We’ve been out here all day and we’ve only collected nineteen dollars.”

“Gosh,” said Lisa. “Is that all?”

Carole nodded. “People come by and say they’re sorry the toys were stolen, but it seems like nobody has any
money to spare. Either that or they’re too busy with their own errands to get involved.” She stared at the table. “My dad’s going to be so disappointed!”

“Maybe we should rethink this,” Stevie suggested. “Maybe it’s time to try something else.”

“But, Stevie, it’s so close to Christmas,” Carole cried. “What could we possibly come up with now?”

“I don’t know,” said Stevie. “But let’s each concentrate on it for a whole minute, starting right now!” Stevie stared into her empty ice cream dish. Carole and Lisa stared into their cups. For a moment no one spoke. Then Stevie snapped her fingers.

“I’ve got it!” she cried. “It’s absolutely fail-proof!”

“What?” Lisa and Carole asked together.

“Let’s all go Christmas caroling door to door and ask people for donations along the way! We can get a bunch of kids from Pine Hollow to join us. We’ll practice the carols, then canvass the neighborhood and ask for money for toys for needy children after we sing. People can’t turn us down if we’re standing there caroling at their front door!”

“I don’t know, Stevie,” Lisa said. “People might hear us singing and not even open the front door.”

“No, they won’t,” Stevie insisted. “We’ll be great. I’ve taken so many singing lessons from Ms. Bennefield that I sing like a bird. People will just have to give us lots of money!”

“I’m not so sure about that, Stevie,” said Carole. “But I
have to admit it’s the only other plan we’ve been able to come up with, and we’re running out of time.”

“Okay,” said Stevie. “When we get home we’ll divide up the list of Pine Hollow riders. We’ll tell everybody what’s going on, and we’ll have just enough time to practice our carols the day after tomorrow.”

“Well.” Carole shrugged. “I guess we’ve got nothing to lose.” She looked at Stevie and smiled. “Do you want to call Veronica or shall I?”

“Oh, I’ll call her,” replied Stevie sweetly. “I just haven’t decided exactly what to call her yet!”

“O
KAY
, P
RANCER, REMEMBER
how much fun this was yesterday?” Carole looked over her shoulder at the big bay mare as she splashed in the creek. Prancer watched from the bank, her eyes and ears alert. “In just a few minutes, we’re going to do this together.” Carole did a little tap dance in the creek, kicking water up to the top of her boots. Prancer lowered her head and sniffed the water curiously. “See?” Carole said. “It’s just water. Nothing to be afraid of!”

Prancer’s nose quivered. Slowly she put her right front foot in the water. “Good girl!” said Carole. “Now put your other foot in, and we can have some fun.”

The big horse looked at Carole once more, then put her other front foot in the water. Carole backed up a step,
and Prancer followed. Soon they were both standing in the middle of the creek.

“Good girl!” Carole praised Prancer and patted her neck. “Let’s just play around out here a minute so you can be sure there’s nothing to be afraid of.”

Carole splashed gently in the creek, making sure not to kick the water anywhere near Prancer’s face. Prancer eyed the water suspiciously for a moment. Then, as the little drops of water fell harmlessly on her legs, she began to relax.

“Wonderful, Prancer!” Carole cried. “Now follow me.” Carole backed all the way across the creek, keeping her eyes on Prancer. The horse hesitated for a moment, then followed Carole willingly, climbing out of the creek on the other side.

“Good job, girl!” Carole rubbed Prancer’s nose. This new training method she’d read about was really working. Just a few more sessions like this and Prancer could be leaping through the water like a trout.

“Okay, let’s cross once more and we’ll be done for the day.” Carole slowly waded back into the creek. This time she didn’t look at Prancer but just walked across the creek as if she expected Prancer to follow. Sure enough, midway across the creek she heard the deep splash of a horse hoof being plunked down in the water. It was working! Prancer was almost cured!

Carole climbed out of the water. Prancer followed, looking at her expectantly, as if to ask, “What next?”

“Lesson’s over for today, Prancer,” Carole said, laughing as she climbed back up in the saddle. “Now I’ve got to sneak you back inside the stable before Lisa finds out we’re gone.” She tightened her legs around Prancer. “Let’s go! And trot as quietly as you can!”

In just a few minutes they crested the hill above Pine Hollow. Carole could see the riders hurrying inside for their lesson. That meant Lisa was probably already there. Quickly she dismounted and led Prancer through the back entrance to the stable. If everything was going as they’d planned, Stevie would have Lisa occupied in the tack room. Quietly Carole led Prancer past the door and took a quick glance inside. Just as she had thought, Stevie and Lisa were inside polishing tack, their heads bent over their work.

“How come you’re polishing Veronica’s saddle, Stevie?” Lisa asked, looking up from the bridle she was cleaning.

“Well, she dumped it right here, and it seemed a shame to leave it all dirty.” Stevie fingered the stitching on the expensive saddle. “It’s terrible not to take care of your equipment better than this.”

“But I thought you were plotting a big revenge on Veronica,” said Lisa.

“Well, I was. But I got so involved in the toy drive that I sort of forgot about it.” Stevie rubbed harder on the saddle. “It’s odd, but it feels kind of good to do something nice for her.”

Suddenly a shadow fell between them. “What are you doing to that saddle?” a hard, angry voice called out.

Stevie looked up. Veronica stood there, her green eyes flashing.

“I was just giving it a good cleaning,” explained Stevie. “I know you’ve been busy lately with play practice, and you haven’t had a lot of time to take care of your tack.” Stevie smiled. “I cleaned your bridle, too.”

“My what?” Veronica snatched the bridle from the bench where Stevie had placed it. She began to check all the straps and buckles to make sure they were still tight. When she found that the bridle was just as she had left it, only cleaner, she looked at Stevie.

“Hmpf!” she snorted, giving Stevie a suspicious look. “You haven’t been tampering with any more of my equipment, have you?”

“Well, I did wipe some mud off your boots,” Stevie said sweetly.

Veronica stomped across the room and grabbed her boots from her locker. Though they gleamed spotlessly in the bright light, she turned each one upside down and shook it, as if expecting something awful to fall out. When nothing did, she put the boots back.

“I don’t know what you’re up to, Stevie Lake, but if you damage my property in any way my father will sue you!”

Stevie held out her hands. “Hey, I’m just trying to be helpful. After all, it’s Christmas!”

“Yeah, right,” Veronica snarled. She turned on her heel
and stormed out the door. Stevie and Lisa listened as her angry footsteps echoed down the stable aisle. Lisa turned to Stevie and frowned.

“Are you sure this isn’t a part of some revenge you’ve dreamed up?” she asked. “Veronica seems to get more upset the nicer you are to her.”

“I know.” Stevie looked at Lisa innocently, then smiled slyly. “It almost works better, doesn’t it? My being nice seems to get under her skin a lot more than any of my usual tricks. She looks like she’s about to have some kind of nervous conniption!”

Just then Carole burst into the room. “Hi, guys!” she called breathlessly.

“Carole!” Lisa said. “Where have you been? Stevie and I have been cleaning tack for hours.”

“I had to catch up on some Christmas errands,” Carole explained. “It was the only chance I had to get them done. We’d better hurry and tack up. Class is about to begin.”

“There’s no need for me to hurry,” said Lisa. “Every time I’ve ridden Prancer lately, she’s already warm. Max must be giving somebody a lot of extra lessons on her. All I’ll need to do is saddle her up and we’ll be ready to go.”

Stevie stood up. “Well, let’s hurry anyway. I need to ask Max if I can remind the class about the Christmas carol practice tomorrow afternoon.”

They hurried on out to their horses, tacking them up quickly. Just as Lisa had expected, Prancer was warm, and
looked almost surprised to find that she was going to be tacked up again so soon.

“See what I mean?” Lisa said to Carole as they led their horses toward the indoor riding ring. She gave Prancer’s warm shoulder a pat. “Prancer’s already been ridden today. When I went to her stall she looked like she might even be ready for a nap!”

“Max must have another dedicated student, then,” Carole replied, trying hard to hide her smile.

When they reached the ring Stevie was already there, talking to Max. Max again carried baby Maxi on his shoulders and a cell phone in his left hand.

“Poor Max,” said Carole as they took their places. “I’ve never seen him this busy. He’s got to take care of Maxi, take calls for the stable, and teach a class at the same time.”

“He must feel like I do at home,” said Lisa. “That’s when I have to help my mom, entertain Douglas and Eliot, and translate Scottish into English all at once!”

Just then Stevie quit talking to Max and led Belle over between Prancer and Starlight.

“Did Max say you could make your announcement?” asked Carole.

Stevie nodded. “He said I’d have to make it quick, because he’s got another class coming in right after ours.”

“Hey, would it be okay if I brought Eliot and Douglas to practice tomorrow?” Lisa asked. “I’m supposed to entertain them while they’re here, and they might enjoy
coming. I’m sure they must sing Christmas carols in Scotland, although I can’t imagine what they call them.”