Back in the Saddle by Catherine Hapka Read Free Book Online

some papers, standing in front of the big wooden bulletin board near the ring. Haley and her teammates watched from a polite distance, Haley’s fingers crossed in the pocket of her breeches as she waited, more or less patiently, for the scribe to post the dressage scores. Had the judge noticed her mistakes? Ifso, how much would it bring down her score?
    â€œOkay, they’re up,” she told Andrew and Kyle as the scribe finally pinned several sheets to the board. “Let’s go check out the damage.”
    Haley hurried over, with the boys on her heels. Her heart sank when she immediately spotted Riley’s name at the top of the list. She scanned down, hoping hers would be right below it. And down, and down . . .
    â€œI got eleventh.” Andrew sounded delighted.
    Haley glanced at his name, then finally spotted hers a couple of spaces below. “Thirteenth for me,” she said, trying not to sound as disappointed as she felt.
    â€œThere’s me, number twenty-two,” Kyle said cheerfully. “Hey, at least I beat a few people!”
    â€œIncluding the one whose horse jumped out of the ring and got the big E,” Andrew joked, giving Kyle a playful punch on the arm.
    â€œHey, I’ll take what I can get,” Kyle retorted with a grin.
    Haley couldn’t muster a contribution to their banter. Instead she just stood there staring at her name. Thirteenthplace? That was pathetic. How was she supposed to win the division after a start like that?
    Unlucky thirteen, she thought with a grimace. Is the universe playing an April Fools’ Day prank on me?
    â€œOw,” she blurted out as someone pushed past, knocking her aside and almost stepping on her foot.
    â€œExcuse me, excuse me!” It was Claire, bullying her way to the front of the group of riders gathered around the results. She scanned the list of names and scores and let out a gasp. “Ninth place? What? ” she exclaimed. She whirled and scowled at Andrew as if he were somehow responsible for her results. “But we did much better than that, don’t you think?”
    â€œThat’s eventing for you,” Andrew replied philosophically. “You win some, you lose some.”
    Claire frowned at him. “Bella doesn’t lose,” she snapped. “At least she shouldn’t, not after how much Daddy paid for her!”
    She stormed off without waiting for a response, almost bowling over an elderly man as she went. “Wow,” Kyle said. “She seems kind of bummed about her score.”
    â€œYeah.” Haley was a little annoyed that Claire had beaten her, though she guessed the mare’s fancy gaits might have had something to do with it. But Haley did her best to shake that off. Claire wasn’t her competition—Riley was. And Haley was going to have to stay focused if she wanted to make up enough ground to beat her. “Come on,” she told the boys. “Let’s go find Jan and give her the news.”
    Jan was back at the trailer helping an adult student tack up her horse. She nodded at the news about the scores.
    â€œOkay, so now you know what you need to do on cross-country,” she told Haley, Kyle, and Andrew. “There’s nothing out there you and your horses haven’t seen before, so just ride your plan and think forward. It’s a nice, flowing course, and you can all do it.”
    â€œI know Augie can do it,” Kyle joked. “I just hope I can hold on for the ride.”
    â€œDon’t be silly,” Haley told him. “You’ll do great.” She was already feeling the thump-thump-thump of excitement inside her as she thought about the course. Jan was right—it was nothing she and Wings couldn’t handle intheir sleep. Doing some quick calculations in her head, she figured out that Riley would have to incur only a couple of jumping faults and maybe some time penalties, and Haley would be breathing down her