Horse Magic Read Online Free PDF Page B

house, where she had been impatiently pacing the front hall ever since arriving home from school twenty minutes earlier.
    “Here she is, Stevie, safe and sound,” Mr. Lake announced, climbing out of the car and heading for the trunk to get Dinah’s bags. “Even without your personal welcome at the airport.”
    But Stevie wasn’t paying any attention at all to her father, and neither was Dinah. “I can’t believe I’m really here,” Dinah exclaimed happily. “I’m so glad I could talk my parents into this visit!”
    “Of course you could,” Stevie told her. “How could you not? I taught you everything you know.”
    Carole rolled her eyes at Lisa as the two of them got out of the car. “If that’s true, we could be in for an interesting few days.”
    Lisa just nodded. She had hardly said a word on the ride home from the airport.
    “Excuse me, but I think you got that backward,” Dinah retorted with a grin. “I taught you everything
you
know. Remember when I showed you how to remove the tape of the national anthem from the school PA system?”
    At that, Stevie and Dinah burst into uncontrollable giggles.
    “What?” Carole demanded. “What happened?”
    After a moment Stevie managed to stop laughing long enough to speak. “We replaced it with a tape of the school band playing ‘Turkey in the Straw.’ ”
    “Speaking of the school band,” Dinah said as all four girls followed Mr. Lake into the house, “remember that Christmas concert when we were in fifth grade?”
    “How could I forget?” Stevie said. “How could anyone forget? It was one of our finest moments.”
    “What happened?” Carole said again, thinking she sounded a little like a broken record but not really minding. She had forgotten how much energy and fun Dinah always brought to things—just like Stevie. Anyone would have fun when the two of them were around. Carole hoped that meant the awkwardness between Dinah and Lisa would pass once they got to know each other a little better. “What did you two do?”
    “We convinced everyone in the band—we were both in it then, too—to play ‘Jingle Bell Rock’ instead of ‘O Come All Ye Faithful’ during the candlelight procession,” Dinah said.
    Stevie’s eyes were sparkling. “The best part was that the choir was supposed to sing along, but we didn’t tell them about the change,” she added. “They caught on pretty quickly, though. Poor Mr. Sutter didn’t know what hit him!”
    Carole shook her head, smiling. “So what did he do to you when he figured it out?”
    “We were very politely asked not to be in band anymore,” Dinah said solemnly. Then she and Stevie burst into giggles again.
    Mr. Lake reappeared from the kitchen. “Stevie, I’ve put Dinah’s bags in your room,” he reported. “Why don’t you help Dinah make herself at home while I start dinner? Your mother and the boys should be home in a little while.”
    “Uh-oh, the terrible three,” Dinah said, referring to Stevie’s three brothers. “I can’t wait to see them again, believe it or not.” As the girls headed up the stairs toward Stevie’s room, she added teasingly, “And I was just telling Carole and Lisa how I can’t wait to meet the famous Phil.”
    “Well, you’ll meet him, all right,” Stevie said. “He’s going to be helping at Pine Hollow on Halloween.” She led the others into her bedroom. “Well, here it is,” she announced to Dinah with a sweeping gesture.
    Dinah glanced around and smirked. “As neat and tidy asever, huh, Stevie?” she said, taking in the cluttered piles of books, clothes, and who-knew-what-else strewn all over the floor. “I’m glad to see you cleaned up in honor of my visit.”
    Carole laughed. “You know Stevie,” she said. Just then Carole noticed that Lisa was staring at the floor, still silent. Carole’s smile turned to a frown. Her friend seemed extremely uncomfortable. Could it really be just because of the conversation at the airport? Lisa and