Stable Hearts Read Online Free PDF

friends. They were having a bad day, too. “I’m sorry,” she said. “Jessica, try not to worry about Penny. I’m sure she’ll be her own nice self the next time you ride her. Meanwhile, let’s give old Joker a try.”
    Meg looked at Joker critically. “I bet this old horse couldn’t gallop if he wanted to,” she said. “We’re not going to win a thing.”
    They never found out if Joker could gallop or not. Only Carole could even convince him to canter. They did discover, however, just how the horse had got his name. In the flag race, as soon as Stevie had put her flag in the stand, Joker reached back and pulled it out with his teeth. In the spoon race he flipped his head right before the finish line, and the egg broke all over Jessica’s breeches. And in the balloon-popping race he actually popped a balloon with his hoof. Max had to disqualify their team.
    “It wasn’t just the horse,” Carole said with a groan on the drive back to Pine Hollow. “We weren’t exactly stellar riders, either.”
    “Don’t remind me,” Lisa said. She’d gotten tangledin a clown suit during the costume race and had fallen off again when she’d tried to dismount. “Twice in one day. Aargh.”
    “At least you were
trying
to dismount the second time,” Stevie said. “You just dismounted a little faster than you’d planned. Everybody in Cross County saw me miss my balloon.” She’d had to circle around and try again.
    In the back of the station wagon, Betsy giggled. “I’ve never seen you guys have so much trouble. Jessica was the best rider on your team.”
    “Thanks,” Meg said shortly.
    “Sorry,” Betsy said to her friend. “But it was funny, really. Veronica and Simon were so busy trying to show off for one another that they both rode really well. Adam did a pretty nice job, too. You’ve got to admit, he looks pretty good on a horse.”
    Carole and Lisa rolled their eyes at one another. Betsy had to be smitten to consider Adam attractive.
    “He sure does look better on a horse,” Stevie said. “When he’s wearing a riding helmet, you can hardly see his face.”
    Betsy and Meg lapsed into sullen silence. The Saddle Club did, too. No one spoke until theypulled up at Pine Hollow and got out of the car. Then Stevie said, “Oh, no! Will you look at that!”
    “What?” asked Lisa.
    Stevie pointed to the office window. “That Mr. Stowe! He’s in there bugging Mrs. Reg again!”

T HE S ADDLE C LUB stared. There indeed was Mr. Stowe, standing in the open office doorway talking to Mrs. Reg.
    “She’ll never get the dance decorations planned at this rate,” Stevie muttered. “Not that it matters, if Phil can’t bother to come.”
    “It matters to us,” Lisa replied sharply. Her hip was sore from falling off Dime, and she was getting sick of Stevie’s complaining. “We might not have boyfriends, but we’d still like to have a decent time.”
    “Oh, really!” Carole sounded exasperated. “As if Mr. Stowe talking to Mrs. Reg for five minutes is going to mess up the Valentine’s Day dance!”
    “He may have been bugging her for
hours
,” Stevie pointed out.
    Carole couldn’t decide whether or not she truly believed Mr. Stowe was making a nuisance of himself. On the one hand, Mrs. Reg looked pretty cheerful. On the other hand, she always complained when students, even adult students, wasted their time gossiping when they had work to do.
    “You’re right,” she said to Stevie grimly. “We’ll have to do something about him.”
    Max pulled up with the horse trailer. Behind him, Veronica, Simon, and Adam piled out of the diAngelos’ Mercedes. Veronica waved her fingers airily at The Saddle Club. “So sorry none of you could control those ponies today,” she trilled. “Was teeny little Penny just a bit much for you, Carole?”
    Carole pressed her lips together. “Come on,” she said to her friends, ignoring Veronica, “let’s help Max unload.”
    “I really think you ought to let us do