Horse Spy (7 page)

“I
SN
’
T IT HEAVENLY
to be able to sleep so late?” Stevie said, stretching and yawning.

“It’s not late,” said Carole. “It’s seven-thirty.”

“Yeah, but every day this week by this time, we’ve already been up for an hour and a half and at the stable for an hour,” Lisa reminded her.

Carole stretched and yawned, too. “I feel soooooo lazy!” she declared.

“That’s what Saturdays are for,” said Stevie.

“Right—well, we’d better get moving or we’ll be late for Horse Wise,” Lisa said. Horse Wise was the name of their Pony Club, and it met every Saturday at Pine Hollow. Today was going to be an unmounted meeting; after that they usually had a riding class. Since Ellen and Lucy were at the stable that weekend, nobody was sure what was on the agenda, but the girls knew it would be something about horses, and that was good enough to get them up and out of bed.

Forty-five minutes later, they were walking over to Pine Hollow, each carrying a brown bag with a sandwich, some cookies, and some fruit for lunch. One of the wonderful things about Saturdays was that it meant being at the stable and around horses almost all day.

Today’s meeting turned out to be mostly about competitive riding. Lucy and Ellen were there with Max to talk about their experiences. Lucy talked about the precision required to be successful in dressage competitions, and Ellen spoke about how much she and Blue loved to jump together.

“I know this sounds weird, but when we’re really working right together,” Ellen said, “it’s hard for me to tell where I end and where my horse begins. People say that a horse and rider look like one when it’s going well, but I can tell you that it doesn’t just look that way, it feels that way, too.”

Lucy nodded. “It may even be truer in dressage,” she said.

“Maybe,” said Ellen. “But maybe it’s true for you in dressage and true for me in jumping.”

“I guess,” Lucy said.

Once again Stevie felt the ever so slight edge of competition between the girls and understood that perhaps it was one of the things that made each so good at her own specialty. And then Stevie’s eyes moved over to the mothers. Mrs. Walker and Mrs. Hatfield were standing near each other at the side of the schooling ring. Mrs. Hatfield was staring intently at her own daughter, her lips in a stern, straight line. Mrs. Walker was glaring at Lucy, barely able to hide her contempt. It was a stark contrast to the relatively friendly manner between the girls.

It made Stevie, and everybody else who noticed, quite uncomfortable,
and nobody was really disappointed when Max adjourned the meeting early. He also canceled their riding class, explaining that he had to work with Lucy and Ellen. Red would conduct a flat class for any beginner students who wanted to participate.

Lisa, Stevie, and Carole had another idea. They’d had a lot of lessons that week, and they were good and ready for a nice trail ride. They’d bring their sandwiches and have a horseback picnic—something they didn’t have anywhere near enough opportunities to do. In fact, any one of them would have acknowledged that if they’d been able to do it every single day, it wouldn’t have seemed like enough opportunities.

“Meet you by the good-luck horseshoe in ten minutes,” Stevie said. She didn’t have to explain.

Carole was tightening Starlight’s girth when Frieda appeared. Carole was a little surprised to see her. She hadn’t realized Frieda was around, and with both Max and Red busy with teaching duties, Frieda wouldn’t be able to have a lesson.

“Are you taking the class?” Frieda asked.

“Uh, no,” Carole said. “It’s for beginners—not that I can’t always use work on my basics, I mean. But Lisa, Stevie, and I are going on a trail ride.”

“Trails? You mean not just in a circle?” Frieda asked, a smile coming across her face.

“In the woods,” Carole said.

Frieda hesitated. “Um, it sounds so wonderful,” she began. “Would it be okay if I came along? I mean, would Max and Mrs. Reg let me?”

It wasn’t what Carole had in mind, but Frieda seemed so excited by the idea that she hated to disappoint her. Also, the woman had taken so many lessons over the last week or so that she was surely ready for a bit more fun.

“You can ask,” Carole said. “We’re taking sandwiches for a picnic, too.”

“Great!” said Frieda. “I brought my lunch along. I even have extra brownies. Would you like some?”

“Let’s go talk to Mrs. Reg,” Carole said.

It didn’t take long. Mrs. Reg said she was sure Frieda was ready for a trail ride and assured Frieda that the trio of girls would look after her.

“And teach me, too,” said Frieda.

“Well, they’ll teach you some things,” said Mrs. Reg wryly. “But I’m not sure I want you to learn
everything
from them.…”

“We’ll be good,” Carole promised.

“Okay, then,” Mrs. Reg agreed. “I think Frieda should ride Patch.”

“Just what I was going to suggest,” Carole said.

It took more than the ten minutes Stevie had challenged them too, but Carole was sure her friends would be as flattered by Mrs. Reg’s confidence as she was and that they’d enjoy Frieda’s company. Patch was as familiar with the trails as their own horses were. Nothing could go wrong.

It felt a little odd to all three of the girls to have an adult along on the ride—especially one who had so much to learn from them.

“Make sure you keep your heels down,” Lisa said.

“And in,” Stevie added.

“If your toes are pointed to the ground, it messes up your balance and control,” Carole explained.

Frieda followed their instructions.

Carole also helped her adjust the reins so that they weren’t flapping around.

“See, if you don’t have them tighter, then when you go to give the horse a signal, you’re going to end up yanking them back up to your shoulders. You should be able to give a signal by moving your fingers ever so slightly.”

“Like this?”

Carole looked. Frieda had the reins so short that poor Patch’s head was practically pinned to his neck.

“No, looser,” Carole said. Frieda let the reins out until Carole told her to stop. “Good,” Carole said, wondering quickly how someone could have forgotten as much as Frieda apparently had since her last lesson. She’d looked good in the ring on Thursday. Carole was beginning to doubt Mrs. Reg’s judgment.

But then Frieda seemed to have gotten the idea and didn’t need a lot more correcting. Pretty soon everybody relaxed and began talking. The girls told Frieda some of what they’d learned at the meeting that morning.

“You wouldn’t believe all the equipment you have to take to a show!” Lisa said, and began enumerating.

“It’s really a big deal,” Stevie agreed.

“And all the beautiful tack!” said Carole.

“And all the beautiful clothes!” said Lisa.

“The field is open here—can we trot now?” asked Stevie.

“Definitely,” Carole said. She signaled Starlight to trot and began posting to his smooth two-beated gait. Lisa and Stevie
did the same. Frieda, Carole was pleased to see, followed right along. At least she remembered how to post!

“Very good,” Carole said when they slowed down again.

“It’s because you’re such good instructors,” said Frieda. Carole smiled.

Stevie led the group through the woods, up the curvy trail that cut along the side of the gently sloping hill through an open meadow. It was a well-known route—the girls’ favorite. They knew where they were going, and Stevie found herself thinking about how nice it would be to share their favorite trail ride and picnic spot with Frieda. If Frieda was going to learn about trail riding from them, she might as well learn about the best kind of trail riding.

There it was, up ahead on the right. Stevie barely had to give Belle a signal. Belle knew where they were going, too. She turned into the clearing and stopped automatically in the spot where the girls always secured their horses when they visited the creek.

They all dismounted. Carole showed Frieda how to clip on a lead rope and secure Patch to a tree branch.

“Unless it’s an emergency, you never use the reins to tie a horse,” Carole explained. “It’s bad for the leather and can make the bit very uncomfortable.”

“She’s a natural teacher,” Frieda told Lisa and Stevie.

“Just try to stop her!” Stevie teased. “Now, where’s the grub?”

Lisa handed her the backpack with their lunches in it.

The four of them headed for the rock the girls knew so well, shedding their boots and socks as they walked.

By the time all four of them had their feet dangling in the
water, Stevie had doled out the lunches, hefting Frieda’s brownie-filled one expectantly.

“Are there a lot of paths around here?” Frieda asked.

“You bet,” said Stevie. “They’re all over the place. This is just our favorite.”

“There’s one through the piney woods,” said Lisa. “It smells wonderful on a summer day.”

“And there’s the crooked trail,” said Carole. “It goes on the other side of the hill—we could have taken it at the split by the big rock, but it twists so much that it’s almost no fun.”

“Are there others?”

“Lots,” Stevie assured her. “Most of them eventually circle back to Pine Hollow.”

“But not all, right?”

“No, there’s the Rocky Trail. That ends up down by the highway. We never go on it, though, because you have to double back—and it’s dangerous, anyway. People get lost on it.”

“But doesn’t everybody know the trails?”

“Not everybody rides them as much as we do,” Carole explained.

“And the dummies who don’t ride often sometimes forget to pick up a map.”

“There are maps?”

“In Mrs. Reg’s office,” Carole said.

“Have you got a map?”

“Not with us, but don’t worry,” said Stevie. “You’re with us and we know exactly where we are, how we got here, and how we’re going back.”

“I know that,” said Frieda. “I was just curious.”

“Well, ask Mrs. Reg for a map when we get back. She’s got stacks of them.”

“I will,” said Frieda. “But I was thinking about that president’s daughter. Like, what if you got lost when you were riding out here with her?”

“I don’t think that’s going to happen,” said Carole. “We were talking about it last night, and none of us can think of a reason in the world to take anything but our favorite trail when we’re riding with Karya.”

“And besides, with all those men in black following our every move, I think it would be impossible for us to get lost even on our least favorite trail. There will probably be bloodhounds sniffing all over the place,” Lisa joked.

“Sounds complicated,” said Frieda.

“It is for them,” Stevie agreed. “They have to plan all kinds of things to make sure we know where we are.”

“And besides, they’ve checked everything out already,” Lisa said. “In fact, I think they were doing background checks on all the horses.”

“Like they’re going to find out about Belle’s criminal record?”

“Better hers than yours!” Lisa teased.

“I don’t think they’re worried about criminals,” said Carole. “My dad was telling me that someone really has threatened to kidnap Karya.”

“Don’t politicians get that kind of threat sometimes?” Lisa asked.

“Definitely,” said Stevie. “And the security guys have to take it seriously. See, Karya’s father was elected, but there are
still people who wish he hadn’t been. And I learned something else.” She paused for effect. “I was doing some research on the Internet and I found the reason Karya speaks such wonderful English. Her mother is American. She was born in Virginia, really near Willow Creek, and her parents still live there. Karya’s actually spent a lot of time here and learned English when she was really little. Not everybody in the ADR thinks that’s a wonderful thing. It’s not that it’s bad, just that it’s … controversial.”

“Oh,” said Lisa. “That explains a lot.”

“All the more reason for those men in black to be supercareful.”

“It’s going to be wild around Pine Hollow on Thursday, isn’t it?” asked Frieda.

“In a way,” Lisa said.

“What do you mean by that?” Frieda asked.

“Well, everything to do with Karya and us is going to be wild. Metal detectors, lie detectors, spy detectors—you know, the usual. But as for anything else, well, I expect that somebody would be able to walk off with the Regnery family silver as long as they weren’t armed and didn’t have a criminal record!”

“Well, I’ll just have to look after the silver, then,” Frieda said.

“I’m sure Max will be grateful,” Lisa teased.

“Uh-oh,” Stevie said, looking upward. “Where did the sun go?”

“What sun?” Lisa asked, looking up as well.

There, above them, a wide swath of dark clouds was suddenly gathering.

“I think our lovely day is coming to a wet end,” Stevie said, standing up.

Everybody else took her cue. They pulled on their socks and boots, collected the remains of their lunches, and stowed them in Lisa’s backpack.

“We’d better hurry,” Carole said, urging Frieda to keep up with them.

“So, we get a little wet,” Frieda said.

“More than that,” said Carole. “I’ve seen some lightning in the distance. We want to be safely in the barn before there’s any lightning. It’s dangerous in the woods, as you know, and even more dangerous out in an open field, and we have to cross several fields before we get to the barn. There isn’t any time to waste.”

As if to punctuate her remark, a big gust of wind blew through the clearing, carrying the last of the picnic papers with it. Carole chased the paper down and then hurried to where Starlight was waiting patiently.

The riders mounted up and turned to the trail that had brought them.

“There’s another way to go back,” Lisa explained to Frieda. “But it’s longer. We really have to get back to the stable as fast as possible.”

Stevie led the way back as she had the way out, getting Belle to trot whenever the ground was clear enough for trotting to be safe. They could all hear the loud gong ringing at Pine Hollow. The gong was kept there to call riders back when the weather was turning bad. This was no time to dally.

The first streak of lightning startled Starlight. Carole tightened up on her reins to let the horse know that she was in
charge and everything was going to be fine. She glanced over at Frieda and was glad to see that the woman had learned her lesson earlier. Her reins had exactly the right tautness, and she held them in perfect form. In fact, Carole was pleased to see that she was using her fingers on the reins in the same way Carole just had.