Driving Team Read Online Free PDF Page B

in a little while to see how you’re doing.” He gave her aquick wink, then turned and walked back to his office, leaving her alone in the empty hallway.
    “Okay,” Stevie said softly, blinking at the dusty box. “Whatever you say.”
    For what seemed like hours, she worked at detangling reins from bridles, and traces from breechings. When she had finally laid out something that resembled Max’s drawing, she heard footsteps echoing down the hall.
    “Stevie!” Max called out. “Help has arrived!”
    Stevie looked up, hoping that Max had gotten Red O’Malley, the head stable hand, to rescue her from this huge tangle of tack. Instead, her heart sank. Not Red O’Malley but Veronica diAngelo walked beside Max, once again clad in emerald green cashmere. Apparently she was going to work on this project after all.
    “Here’s your partner,” Max said. “You can fill her in on what I told you.” Again he turned and walked back to his office. Veronica stood there looking at the harness stretched out on the floor, her nose wrinkling in disgust.
    “What on earth are you doing?” she asked.
    “I’m turning this jumbled-up box of tack into a driving harness,” said Stevie. “And you’re supposed to be helping.”
    “Oh, I had lunch at the country club with my parents.” Veronica giggled. “We met some friends fromFrance, and it went on a lot longer than I expected. You know how the French are about their
déjeuners
.”
    Stevie glared at her. “No, but I do know how Max is about his Horse Wise assignments. Why don’t you grab the end of that trace and help me work on this tack?”
    “You actually want me to touch that stuff?” Veronica blinked at Stevie. “I’ll get this outfit all grimy with dried horse crud!” She shook her head. “I think Max must have had something else in mind for me.”
    Stevie looked down at the box. Suddenly she had an idea. An impish little smile flashed across her face, and she turned her gaze back to Veronica.
    “You know, Veronica, I think you’re absolutely right! Max would never dream of asking anybody who came to the stable in cashmere to do anything that might get them dirty. Why don’t you go tell him you need something cleaner to do?”
    Veronica lifted one eyebrow. “Do you think he’d listen?”
    “I can almost guarantee it,” Stevie replied, trying to make her voice sound sincere.
    “Well, for once you’ve had a good idea, Stevie Lake!” Veronica turned and hurried back down the hall to Max’s office.
    For a moment Stevie was tempted to tiptoe down the hall and listen at the door. She was dying to hear Max’s reply to the gullible Veronica, but she knew if hecaught her eavesdropping, she’d be in as much trouble as Veronica. “No,” she finally told herself. “Just concentrate on this tack and see what happens.”
    She concentrated on uncoiling the other trace in the box and laying it out beside the first one. Soon she heard footsteps coming down the hall. She looked up. Veronica trudged toward her, now wearing her oldest, dirtiest sweatshirt and a pair of tattered riding breeches.
    “Gosh, Veronica, what happened?” Stevie cooed. “Didn’t Max have a clean job for you?”
    “No!” Veronica’s face was bright red. “He told me I needed to reevaluate my attitude toward barn work. Then he told me to come back here and ask you what you wanted me to do.” She looked at Stevie. “Well, what do you want me to do?”
    “Get busy and sort out this tack,” said Stevie. “This is what we’re going to use in our demonstration.”
    Veronica sighed again and flopped down on the floor. She poked around in the box for a moment, then pulled out an odd-shaped piece of leather that was studded with brass buttons.
    “Ugh,” she said, holding up the dirty piece of tack as if it were a strange object from outer space. “What in the world is this thing?”
    “I don’t know yet,” said Stevie. “This is kind of like a big puzzle. Why don’t you saddle soap