Phantom Horse by Bonnie Bryant Read Free Book Online Page A

He spit out the piece of hay and turned to go. “I guess it’s your call. See you later.”
    “Bye. And thanks,” Carole said. She watched him go, thinking about what he had said. The local equine veterinarian, Judy Barker, was one of Carole’s heroes. Judy definitely knew what she was doing, and she was nothing if notcautious and thorough when it came to her patients’ health. If she hadn’t left orders that Starlight wasn’t to be ridden, that meant it was okay for Carole to ride him.
    Carole glanced at Starlight again. He looked back at her unblinkingly, his eyes large and dark. Carole bit her lip. Wasn’t it possible that just this once Judy had forgotten to mention that Carole shouldn’t ride Starlight? A swollen insect bite didn’t seem very serious, but then again, neither did a cough, and that could lead to bronchitis, the flu, or pneumonia, which in turn could lead to broken wind.
    Carole decided she’d better play it safe, and that meant no riding until the swelling went down. She felt relieved once she’d made the decision, but she wasn’t entirely sure that her relief was because she knew she’d made the right choice. Was it possible that she didn’t want to ride Starlight today anyway?
    Instead of thinking about that, she went to look for Max. She found him in the grain shed helping Red mix the feed for the next week. The two men looked up as she entered.
    “Hi, Red. Hi, Max,” she said.
    “Are you all right, Carole?” Red asked, an expression of concern on his freckled face. “Your eyes look a little red.”
    “Oh, it’s nothing,” Carole said, rubbing her eyes. “I didn’t get enough sleep last night, that’s all.”
    “I hope it wasn’t because you were worrying about Starlight,” Max said, measuring out a cupful of barley. “I noticed that bite was swelling, so I asked Judy to take a look. But shesaid there’s nothing to worry about. It will be gone in a day or two.”
    Carole nodded. “Troy told me. But I think I’ll let Starlight rest today, just to be on the safe side. I’m not going to ride him.”
    Max shrugged. “It’s up to you,” he said. “I really don’t think there’d be any harm in riding him today, though. Anyway, I thought I saw your two co-conspirators arriving a few minutes ago. Won’t they be disappointed if you have to cancel your trail ride, or whatever you three have planned?”
    Carole shook her head, looking a little stubborn. “I’m not going to ride him today.”
    Max and Red exchanged glances. “Okay,” Max said. “As I said, it’s up to you. He’s your horse. But I really would hate to see your friends disappointed. When Stevie gets disappointed, strange things have a way of happening. So why don’t you take Barq out today, no charge? Actually you’d be doing me a favor. He hasn’t been ridden for two days, and he’s getting bored.”
    “Really?” Carole said. “Are you sure you wouldn’t mind?”
    “Of course not,” Max replied with a smile. “Unless you’d rather stay here and help us mix this feed, that is.”
    “Thanks, Max,” Carole said gratefully. She hurried out of the shed before Max could change his mind. She went to Belle’s stall, arriving there as Stevie walked up carrying Belle’s tack.
    “There you are,” Stevie said. “Lisa and I were wonderingwhere you’d gone. She looked for you after school, but you’d already disappeared.”
    “I came straight here,” Carole said. “I guess I forgot to wait for her.”
    “Well, she
might
forgive you,” Stevie teased. “Especially if you help her get Prancer tacked up. Is Starlight ready to go?”
    “Urn, I’m not riding Starlight today,” Carole said. She was dying to tell Stevie all about her nightmare, but she decided to wait until Lisa was there, too. “That bite he got yesterday swelled up a little.”
    “Is he going to be all right?” Stevie asked, immediately concerned.
    Carole nodded. “Judy said it’s not serious. It’ll be gone in a couple