Wild Horse by Bonnie Bryant Read Free Book Online

filled Lisa in on yesterday’s Pony Club mounted meeting. Max had made them ride without stirrups through a series of dressage movements for most of the hour. It had been intense work that required high concentration on the part of horse and rider. A trail ride would be just the right change for today.
    Working quickly, the girls had the tack room clean and the horses groomed and saddled within half an hour. They mounted up and set off at a leisurely pace, lettingStarlight, Prancer, and Belle walk on loose reins. As soon as the trail was wide enough for them to bunch up, Stevie turned eagerly in her saddle. “Now, where should I start? Which do you want to know first: why Veronica was being nice or why she freaked out?”
    “I’ll bet I know why she was so nice at the beginning,” Carole ventured. “The dance, right?”
    “Exactly,” Stevie said. “She heard that I haven’t picked a cochairperson of the dance committee. Yesterday, after Horse Wise, she was hinting that I should choose her, so I hinted back that first I would need to make sure she’s capable of hard work. I didn’t think she’d actually take the bait, but it looks like I was wrong.”
    “It sure does. At least, she’s definitely working hard to get on your good side,” Carole commented.
    “What dance committee, Stevie?” Lisa asked, her interest piqued. Anything that involved Veronica’s having to kowtow to The Saddle Club was sure to be good for a few laughs.
    Briefly Stevie recounted her meeting Friday afternoon with Miss Fenton and her subsequent run-in with Veronica. “I got so mad at Veronica for insulting
my
dance that I pretended I’d been considering her for my cochair,” Stevie concluded.
    “So, now she’s trying to get you to change your mind, huh?” said Lisa.
    “Yes, and I must say that I look forward to watching her try—and try and try and try,” Stevie said devilishly.
    “Why not? It will be good for Pine Hollow. She’s already learned where the pitchforks are kept,” Carole said with a laugh. “That’s a lot for her to absorb in one day.”
    After walking for a while, the girls came to a grassy verge, and the horses began to pull on their bits, asking to go faster. Without further ado, Stevie challenged, “Race you to the top?” Not bothering to wait for an answer, she leaned forward over Belle’s neck and urged the mare forward. Carole and Lisa followed suit, and the three of them galloped up the small hill. Prancer beat the other two by a neck.
    “We win in a photo finish!” Lisa cried, slowing the mare to a trot and then a walk.
    “No fair riding an ex-racehorse!” Stevie called back.
    Lisa grinned. “At Wentworth, they couldn’t believe that I don’t own a horse.”
    “That’s because they all have five or six horses each. They bring a different one to school every semester,” Stevie said.
    “Really, Stevie?” Carole asked, bringing Starlight in line with the other two.
    “Okay, maybe not every semester, but I’ve heard ofgirls there doing badly at a show and then calling Daddy to collect one horse and send another.”
    “Boy, Veronica would fit in perfectly there,” Carole said. Veronica was known for blaming all her mistakes on whichever horse she happened to be riding.
    “Actually, Carole, you’re almost right,” Stevie began mischievously. “But instead of fitting
in
at Wentworth, Veronica
had
a fit.”
    “Huh? You mean Veronica used to go to Wentworth?” Lisa asked.
    “Correction: She
wanted
to go to Wentworth; she
tried
to go to Wentworth—”
    “But?” said Lisa.
    “But Wentworth wouldn’t have her,” Stevie replied. “I can’t believe I didn’t remember this before, but Veronica looked at Wentworth once, too.”
    “She interviewed there?” Lisa asked.
    “Interviewed there, took the tour—the works.”
    “So what happened? I would have thought her parents could have gotten her in,” Lisa said. Mr. diAngelo was a prominent banker and reputed to be the richest man