Horse Race Read Online Free PDF Page B

“You’re really clever, Carole,” he said, looking at her admiringly. “By the way, that’s a really pretty name.”
    For a second Carole thought he was talking about Cookie Cutter’s name. Then she realized he meant
her
name, and she blushed. Why had this boy suddenly decided to start mooning over her? She definitely didn’t get it, and she wasn’t sure she liked it.
    Josh reached out to pat Cookie Cutter on the neck. “She looked good out there this morning,” he said. “She’s a nice filly. I’m almost sorry we’re going to beat her tomorrow.”
    “Don’t be so sure about that,” Carole returned with a smile, feeling slightly relieved at the change in topic. She felt on firmer ground talking about horses than she did talking about herself. “Cookie Cutter told me herself that she’s planning to win that race.”
    “Oh yeah?” Josh said with a laugh. “Well, I would never contradict such a lovely pair of ladies. So I guess we’ll just have to wait and see what happens. Sometimes it all comes down to racing luck.”
    Carole blushed some more at the compliment. This was definitely weird. Still, she had a job to do, and nothing was going to stop her from doing it—not even a moony-eyed boy.
    Realizing that Josh had used the same term Toby had used earlier, she looked at the boy curiously. “You racetrack people seem to talk about racing luck a lot.”
    “I suppose we do,” Josh said, looking rather surprised at the thought. “But it’s only because it’s such an important factor. No matter what we do to get these beasts ready, just about anything can happen once we set them loose in a race. So it helps to have luck on your side.” He shrugged. “That’s why we have so many superstitions around here.” He tugged at his T-shirt and smiled a little sheepishly. “For instance, I always wear this on any day one of our horses is running. That means I’ll be wearing it again tomorrow, as you may notice if we see each other.” His sheepish grin faded into an adoring smile. “And I sure hope we do. See each other, I mean.”
    Carole smiled back a little uncertainly. She couldn’t help feeling a tiny bit flattered by Josh’s attention. Stevie had a boyfriend named Phil, and Lisa occasionally went on dates with boys from school. Carole had dated, but she had alwaysbeen a lot more interested in horses and riding than boys. She wasn’t expecting that to change anytime soon, but maybe she should look on the positive side. Maybe this weekend at the track would be a chance to find out what all the fuss was about.

T HERE WAS A lull in the racetrack bustle at around ten-thirty. The Saddle Club had walked all of the Maskee horses after their workouts, then pitched in to help with the other stable chores. Finally everything was finished—for the moment.
    “You three might as well grab some lunch,” Garvey told them. “By the way,” he added gruffly, “you’re pretty good workers—for a bunch of girls, anyway.” He hurried away before The Saddle Club could answer.
    Carole looked surprised. “I’m not sure, but I think that might have been a compliment.”
    “I think you’re right,” Lisa said. “And I think we deserved it. I also think Garvey was right about lunch. It may be early, but I’m starved.”
    Deborah found them in the cafeteria a little while later.The girls had already gobbled down huge lunches and were now busy sipping at the remains of their sodas and talking about everything that had happened that morning.
    “There you are,” Deborah said. “I had a feeling I might find you here. How would you like to see something interesting?”
    The girls were all ears. “What is it?” Carole asked.
    “Cookie Cutter is about to be okayed out of the gate,” Deborah said. Seeing the girls’ confused expressions, she laughed. “Since she’s never raced before, the track starter has to watch her break from the starting gate so he knows she can do it properly during a race. Want to