blush at the thought of all the fancy clothes her mother had insisted on buying her for the trip. She had tried to explain that all she needed were a few pairs of old jeans and a couple of shirts, but her mother refused to change her mind. “Don’t worry, I buried my old stuff in the bottom of the suitcase while mom was out of the room.”
Carole looked at her. “Taking a page out of Stevie’s book?”
Lisa shrugged and grinned. “Learn from the best, that’s my motto.”
“Whatever,” Kate told them. “Just get out here pronto, we’re—”
“Burning daylight!” they finished for her.
Kate laughed. “I really have missed you guys.” Then she disappeared out the door.
Urged on by the prospect of a day spent on horseback, Lisa and Carole gobbled their breakfast and threw on their oldest jeans, broken-in cowboy boots, and sweaters over light T-shirts, and they pulled their hair back in ponytails for maximum efficiency and minimum bother.
On their way to the corral, Lisa had a chance to observe some of the changes the ranch had undergone since their last visit. From the fresh paint on the barn to the new wood on the corrals, everything had an air of prosperity. “Looks like Kate’s folks are doing okay,” she observed.
“Glad to see it. They went through some close calls financially, remember?”
Lisa nodded. If anyone had deserved a break, it was the Devines. They were really nice, hardworking people.
“I hear they’ve had some personnel changes, though,” Carole said tentatively.
Lisa noted her friend’s hesitant look. “It’s okay, I know he’s not here anymore. You don’t have to try to break it to me gently.”
“Sorry. I wasn’t sure if you’d heard. You and John …”
“John Brightstar was very special and he still is. I’m sure we’ll see each other again,” Lisa said firmly.
“Skye Ransom and John Brightstar…,” Carole muttered quietly.
Lisa frowned. “What about them?”
Carole broke into a wide grin. “You sure do have good taste.”
That did it: Any clouds on Lisa’s horizon were gone. She was at the Bar None with two of her best friends, on a sunny day with weeks left before school started. What more could she ask for?
Then she saw her. She was leaning against the rails of the corral, a gleam in her eyes and a bit in her mouth. Lisa’s heart skipped a beat. “Chocolate,” she whispered in wonder. “You beautiful creature!”
The Bay mare whinnied a greeting.
“Berry!” Carole called out delightedly to the strawberry roan beside her. “I knew you would wait for me.”
The two girls scrambled through the fence and slipped their arms around the horses’ necks.
“I take it you approve of the riding accommodations,” a drawling voice said beside them.
Lisa disentangled herself from the horse. A young woman with a weathered cowboy hat pulled low over her eyes stepped out from the stable.
“Howdy, I’m Paula,” she said, offering a leather-gloved hand.
Lisa shook it. By her estimation Paula was no more than five foot three and couldn’t have weighed more than one hundred and five pounds even if her jeans, boots, and faded work shirt had been soaking wet.
“I’m Lisa. This is Carole.”
“Nice to meet you,” said Carole.
Kate joined them. “Oh good, you guys have met.”
“Welcome to the Bar None,” Paula said formally.
“Paula, these are my friends,” Kate said.
Paula eyed them up and down. “The expert riders you told me about?”
Kate nodded. “Yep.”
“Then why did I have to saddle their horses for them?”
Lisa felt embarrassed. “Jet lag?” she suggested apologetically.
Paula nodded mournfully. “Oh yeah, that’s one of those city-folk diseases, isn’t it? Makes you stay in bed all day for no good reason?”
Lisa felt herself blushing.
Carole stepped forward. “Sorry, Paula, won’t happen again.”
Paula smiled in a way that implied she was certain it would. “I have things to do, but I’m sure Kate
Carole looked at her. “Taking a page out of Stevie’s book?”
Lisa shrugged and grinned. “Learn from the best, that’s my motto.”
“Whatever,” Kate told them. “Just get out here pronto, we’re—”
“Burning daylight!” they finished for her.
Kate laughed. “I really have missed you guys.” Then she disappeared out the door.
Urged on by the prospect of a day spent on horseback, Lisa and Carole gobbled their breakfast and threw on their oldest jeans, broken-in cowboy boots, and sweaters over light T-shirts, and they pulled their hair back in ponytails for maximum efficiency and minimum bother.
On their way to the corral, Lisa had a chance to observe some of the changes the ranch had undergone since their last visit. From the fresh paint on the barn to the new wood on the corrals, everything had an air of prosperity. “Looks like Kate’s folks are doing okay,” she observed.
“Glad to see it. They went through some close calls financially, remember?”
Lisa nodded. If anyone had deserved a break, it was the Devines. They were really nice, hardworking people.
“I hear they’ve had some personnel changes, though,” Carole said tentatively.
Lisa noted her friend’s hesitant look. “It’s okay, I know he’s not here anymore. You don’t have to try to break it to me gently.”
“Sorry. I wasn’t sure if you’d heard. You and John …”
“John Brightstar was very special and he still is. I’m sure we’ll see each other again,” Lisa said firmly.
“Skye Ransom and John Brightstar…,” Carole muttered quietly.
Lisa frowned. “What about them?”
Carole broke into a wide grin. “You sure do have good taste.”
That did it: Any clouds on Lisa’s horizon were gone. She was at the Bar None with two of her best friends, on a sunny day with weeks left before school started. What more could she ask for?
Then she saw her. She was leaning against the rails of the corral, a gleam in her eyes and a bit in her mouth. Lisa’s heart skipped a beat. “Chocolate,” she whispered in wonder. “You beautiful creature!”
The Bay mare whinnied a greeting.
“Berry!” Carole called out delightedly to the strawberry roan beside her. “I knew you would wait for me.”
The two girls scrambled through the fence and slipped their arms around the horses’ necks.
“I take it you approve of the riding accommodations,” a drawling voice said beside them.
Lisa disentangled herself from the horse. A young woman with a weathered cowboy hat pulled low over her eyes stepped out from the stable.
“Howdy, I’m Paula,” she said, offering a leather-gloved hand.
Lisa shook it. By her estimation Paula was no more than five foot three and couldn’t have weighed more than one hundred and five pounds even if her jeans, boots, and faded work shirt had been soaking wet.
“I’m Lisa. This is Carole.”
“Nice to meet you,” said Carole.
Kate joined them. “Oh good, you guys have met.”
“Welcome to the Bar None,” Paula said formally.
“Paula, these are my friends,” Kate said.
Paula eyed them up and down. “The expert riders you told me about?”
Kate nodded. “Yep.”
“Then why did I have to saddle their horses for them?”
Lisa felt embarrassed. “Jet lag?” she suggested apologetically.
Paula nodded mournfully. “Oh yeah, that’s one of those city-folk diseases, isn’t it? Makes you stay in bed all day for no good reason?”
Lisa felt herself blushing.
Carole stepped forward. “Sorry, Paula, won’t happen again.”
Paula smiled in a way that implied she was certain it would. “I have things to do, but I’m sure Kate
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