Horse Shy Read Online Free PDF Page B

whispered to Stevie so she wouldn’t wake Carole up.
    “Sure, I know that, but there have been so many outrageous rumors that there’s no way to tell the truth anymore!”
    “Well, we could go back to the beginning,” Lisa suggested.
    “You mean travel through time?”
    “No, I mean go to the library and look through the town records. The man lived in Willow Creek. He bought land, he had children. We ought to be able to find out
something
about him with a little research.”
    Lisa, the straight-A student, was coming through again. “That’s a great idea!” Stevie said. “And I bet when we find out the truth, nobody will believe us.”
    “Sure, everybody knows that truth is stranger than fiction.”
    What a delicious idea that was. Stevie snuggled down and closed her eyes. She went to sleep dreaming of Max the First, tied to the mast of a pirate ship.

T HE NEXT MORNING , Lisa sat on Pepper next to Max and Diablo. They were both watching the other students doing a combination jump—first over a brook, and then, a few yards farther on, over a log that lay across the forest path.
    “These aren’t hard jumps,” Max told Lisa when Betsy Cavanaugh had cleared the log on Patch. “But you’re not ready to start jumping classes. You may begin jump classes twelve months after you start your regular riding classes. Perhaps next year you could try a jump like this.”
    Lisa just nodded. There was no
way
she was going to tell Max she’d already jumped a four-foot fence! Max was very strict about what his students learned and when they learned it. Nobody, but nobody, beganjumping until she’d been riding for at least a year. For now, Lisa had to be satisfied to watch the others.
    She didn’t mind a bit. Nothing could bother Lisa today. She was having such a wonderful time on the trip that even a thunderstorm wouldn’t dampen her spirits. She was loving every minute. Take this morning, for instance. Lisa had awakened early. She’d crawled out of her sleeping bag and, curious to watch the horses at play, she’d walked down to the paddock near the campsite.
    The sight that had greeted her was beautiful almost beyond her own imagination. In the pasture, hazy with morning mists, were eleven horses and seven deer! The deer had obviously jumped the fences, probably to eat some of the oats the horses might have missed. Lisa had held her breath. She’d been afraid that if she breathed, it would all go away, as if it were a dream.
    In a moment it had gone away. From the campsite, Lisa heard a bloodcurdling shriek—unmistakably Veronica diAngelo. The second her voice pierced the silence, the deer fled, soaring over the fences. When Lisa had returned to the campsite, she learned that Veronica had discovered a daddy longlegs spider near her sleeping bag. Lisa knew they were completely harmless and was annoyed with Veronica. She had wanted to share the beautiful sight with The Saddle Club—and Veronica, true to form, had ruined it.
    “Lean forward, Joe! Rise in the saddle … NOW!” Max called. Lisa turned her attention back to the jumping. At that instant, Dusty flew into the air overthe creek. He landed smoothly, took another three strides, and then rose over the log. It was great to watch, and Lisa could really learn while she did it.
    “He’s got a good jump position,” Max confided to her. “Keep a mental picture of it for yourself. For when the time comes, I mean.”
    “Okay,” she assured him. “He was holding Dusty’s mane. Is that a good idea?” she asked.
    “Can’t talk now,” Max shushed her. “Here comes Veronica.”
    Veronica and Cobalt came galloping down the path toward the creek.
    “Slow down to a canter!” Max yelled.
    But Veronica didn’t pull Cobalt back at all. In fact, to Lisa’s eye, she seemed to rush her horse even more. Cobalt was going very fast as he neared the creek. Veronica rose in the saddle and nudged him to jump. His sleek body lifted into the air and landed on the far side