Tight Rein Read Online Free PDF Page B

it. I’ll take care of everything.”
    “Thanks, Max!” They left the office.
    “T HAT WENT WELL ,” Carole said as they walked out of the stable and headed down the road toward the Willow Creek shopping center.
    “Yep,” Lisa said briskly. “The first step is in place. Now it’s time for some research!” She felt energized, much better than she had felt that morning, or, really, anytime since their lesson the day before. “Good thing I got my allowance yesterday morning—before you guys spent the night!”
    “You mean before we spent half the night,” Carole said.
    “Yeah,” Lisa said. “Even after paying for the screen door, I’ve got something left. But if we’d gotten in trouble first, I bet my parents would have kept my allowance, too. See—we were lucky about something, after all!”
    Carole smiled. Lisa’s enthusiasm was contagious. Carole felt much better, too. She thought it was just possible that Lisa’s plan might work.
    T HEY RETURNED ONCE AGAIN to the stable, this time armed with several small bags from various fast-food restaurants. They took them all into Belle’s stall. Carole checked the aisle. “No Max,” she reported. “No Red, no Mrs. Reg, no nobody. We’re all clear.” There were no lessons on Sunday, and the stables were usually quiet.
    “Good.” Lisa rummaged through the bags and pulled out a paper cup. “Number one. Diet Coke.” She held it under Belle’s nose.
    Belle sniffed the rim of the cup curiously.
    “I don’t think she likes it,” Lisa said.
    “Give her time,” Carole said cautiously. “Let her get used to it.”
    Lisa knew Carole was right. They couldn’t afford to have this part of their plan fail.
    Belle stuck the tip of her nose into the cup. She slurped once, then drew back, startled. “I don’t think she likes the fizz,” Carole said. She took the cup from Lisa, used a straw to stir some of the fizz out of the soda, and offered it to Belle again. This time the mare took a cautious sip, then another.
    “Oh no,” Lisa groaned. “She likes it.”
    Carole laughed. “Who’d have guessed?”
    They set the diet Coke out of the way and opened the second bag. “Orange juice,” said Lisa.
    The orange juice didn’t work out, either—Belle actually drank the whole cup! She also seemed partial to the sweetened iced tea they gave her—she didn’t drink all of it, but almost.
    “She’s got a sweet tooth,” Lisa said.
    “Just like Stevie. Try the milk.”
    Belle, now eager for more treats, nosed the carton expectantly and, when Lisa opened it wide enough, plunged her nose into it. She drew back, looking appalled, and tried to shake the milk off the end of her nose.
    “Yeah!” Lisa said. “She doesn’t like it! That’s it!” She began to gather up the used bags.
    “We’ve got to be sure,” Carole said. “She doesn’t like it by itself, but that may not mean much.” Carole went to the feed room while Lisa waited impatiently. Sure enough, even though Belle refused to drink the milk alone, she was more than willing to eat a handful of grain soaked in it.
    Lisa tried not to feel annoyed because Carole was right again. “We’ve got one more,” she said. “If this doesn’t work, we’ll have to go back to the shopping center.” She pulled out the cup of lukewarm black coffee she’d saved for last. “Here goes.” She stuck it under Belle’s nose.
    Belle seemed offended by the very smell of the coffee. She backed away from the cup, refusing to take a single sip. Carole put a handful of grain in her feed bucket, and Lisa poured some of the coffee over it. Belle sniffed the grain, then ignored it.
    “Bingo!” said Lisa. She gave Carole a high five. They gathered all the cups and bags together.
    Carole watched Belle closely. “I don’t think she’ll eat that at all right now,” she said. “But remember, she just had her lunch. If she’s really hungry, a little coffee might not be enough to stop her.”
    Lisa nodded. As usual,