A Winning Gift by Catherine Hapka Read Free Book Online Page A

ready.
    â€œOkay,” she said. “Cloudy’s trot is really smooth, but it’ll probably still feel kind of weird. Just keep your heels down and try to absorb the movement in your back. If you start to bounce too much, you can stand up in the stirrups and hold on to her mane.”
    â€œGot it.” Bridget nodded. “Let’s do it.”
    Maddie clucked and gave a little tug on the rein she was holding. “Trot, Cloudy,” she said. “Trrrrot!”
    At the same time, she broke into a jog herself. The pony started trotting, almost surging past Maddie.
    â€œEasy, girl,” Maddie said, tightening her grip on the rein to let Cloudy know that she didn’t need to go so fast.
    Then she glanced back at Bridget, a little worried that her friend might have been thrown off balance by the sudden transition. But Bridget was still in position. Not only that, but she actually appeared to be posting—rising and falling with the rhythm of the pony’s gait—even though Maddie hadn’t told her about that yet!
    â€œIs this okay?” Bridget asked. “It feels right, and it sort of looks like what I’ve seen you do when she trots.”
    â€œYes.” Maddie smiled, proud of her friend. “It’s totally all right. Bridget, you’re a riding genius!”
    Bridget giggled a bit breathlessly. “Thanks! I have a good teacher.” She smiled at Seth as they trotted past him. “Isn’t Maddie the best?”
    He laughed. “Sure! Have fun.” With a wave, he headed back inside.
    Bridget made Maddie trot her around the ring one more time before they stopped. “That was cool,” she said, all smiles as she leaned forward to pat Cloudy on the neck. “Now I sort of see why you spend so much time doing this.”
    â€œYeah.” Maddie smiled back, glad that she’d helped take her friend’s mind off her troubles.
    Come to think of it, she’d pretty much forgotten about her own problem for a while, too. Now it came rushing back as she looked at Cloudy and imagined moving a whole ocean away from her.
    Glancing up at Bridget, she was tempted to spill what she’d seen in that office drawer. But Bridget looked so happy that Maddie didn’t want to spoil the nice moment. Telling her about the move would just have to wait.

♦ CHAPTER ♦
5
    AS SOON AS SHE OPENED her eyes on Wednesday morning, Maddie reached for her laptop. Maybe she didn’t feel right telling Bridget about her problem yet. But that didn’t mean she had to keep it to herself. She’d poured out the whole story to the Pony Post last night right before she went to bed.
    None of the other members had been on the site at the time, which wasn’t surprising. When it was nine o’clock at Maddie’s house in California, it was already eleven p.m. in Wisconsin and New Orleans and midnight in Maryland. But that also meant all her friends woke up before she did, so Maddie guessed she’d have some responses by now.
    Sure enough, when she logged on, there were new posts from all three of her friends.
    [BROOKE] Oh wow, M, I’m so sorry! I can’t believe this! Are you sure about what u saw? What did your parents say when u asked them about it? Is the move definite, or is there any possibility it might not happen?
    [HALEY] OMG I can’t believe this!!! London???? Wow. Exciting in a way—but how can they expect u to leave Cloudy behind??????
    [NINA] Ack! H is right. London is amazing, but making you leave Cloudy behind is cruel and unusual punishment for sure!!
    Despite her worries, Maddie smiled at Nina’s “cruel and unusual punishment” comment. Nina’s dad was a successful attorney, and clearly some of that had rubbed off on her. Maddie wondered if she could hire Mr. Peralt to sue her parents for ruining her life. She was sure no jury in the world could possibly vote against her, especially if she was allowed to