Horse Blues Read Online Free PDF

German Equestrian Team member. When he taught in the United States, he reputedly charged a couple of hundred dollars an hour for lessons. Carole would have given the shirt off her back to ride with him.
    “I certainly am. It was one of my Christmas presents. Along with these European breeches, this jumping bat—”
    “Okay, okay!” Stevie burst out. “We’ve heard enough about your presents! Did it ever occur to you that it’s rude to brag all the time?”
    Carole and Lisa were speechless. Stevie had broken her resolution right in front of them.
    “Jealousy will get you nowhere, Stevie,” Veronica said evenly.
    “Jealousy? You listen to me! We had a Horse Wise meeting this morning. Not that you’d care since you hate anything involving teamwork, but—”
    “Stevie?” Carole said hesitantly. She hated to interrupt, since what Stevie said was true, but she could tell Stevie had forgotten about her resolution in the heat of the moment. “Don’t you think we’d better be going?” she asked gently.
    All at once, Stevie seemed to remember herself. “Oh, yeah,” she said quietly, embarrassed by her outburst. “You’re right.” She turned to follow Lisa and Carole out the door.
    “Toodle-oo!” Veronica called cheerily after them.
    “Happy New Year,” Stevie muttered bitterly.

“Y OU THREE ARE pretty darn quiet,” the waitress at TD’s observed. “Wha’s a matter? Cat got your tongues?”
    None of The Saddle Club bothered to respond. Carole stared glumly at her menu, trying to figure out what to order that wouldn’t be junk food. Lisa fiddled nervously with her spoon. She had just returned from phoning her mother to tell her that she wouldn’t be home until later. “But I thought you couldn’t wait to start embroidering,” Mrs. Atwood had said, making Lisa feel guilty.
    Even Stevie’s spirits were dampened by her run-inwith Veronica. Maybe urging Lisa and Carole to come had been a stupid idea after all. They certainly didn’t seem too excited to be there.
    “So, come on, come on, hurry up already. You think I got all day? What’ll it be?” the waitress demanded, snapping her gum.
    Carole thought fast. “I’ll have a lemonade,” she decided.
    “A dish of vanilla ice cream, please,” said Lisa. She wasn’t in the mood for anything more elaborate.
    “And I’ll take a—a—” Stevie paused. She had been about to order one of her famous concoctions but decided against it. She thought it would be obnoxious to get a huge sundae when Carole was trying not to eat junk food.
    As Stevie was debating with herself, however, Carole spoke up. “I know what you’re thinking, and believe me, Stevie, the grosser the sundae you get, the better. I’m not likely to be tempted by peanut butter ice cream with strawberry sauce, you know!”
    Lisa and Stevie laughed, and the waitress, who was used to Stevie’s preferences for revolting sundaes, made a face.
    “Hey, peanut butter and strawberry—that sounds good!” said Stevie, perking up. “I’ll take it—plus ascoop of Oreo cookie, marshmallow topping, and a maraschino cherry.”
    As Carole and Lisa grimaced, the waitress turned to place their orders, shaking her head and muttering. “One of these days, boy, I’m going to run out of patience and you’re going to get nothing but hot fudge on vanilla, ya hear me?”
    The Saddle Club giggled.
    When she returned, the waitress handed Carole the lemonade. “What are you, on some kind of a diet?” she asked, eyeing Carole suspiciously.
    “Not exactly,” Carole replied. She cast a baleful glance at Lisa and Stevie, hoping they would help her change the subject.
    “ ’Cause let me tell you, it won’t work. I’ve tried ’em all—low-fat, no-fat, high-protein, grapefruit—you might as well forget about it. You’ll just gain it all right back.”
    “Thanks for your advice,” Carole said sarcastically.
    “She’s not on a diet,” Lisa piped up. “She’s trying to give up junk