Blue Ribbon Summer

by Catherine Hapka

  “Or talk to the olders.” Hannah grimaced. “I wasn’t looking forward to listening to all of Jenna’s snooty reasons why us youngers are total airheads who probably misunderstood the whole situation.”

  Paige giggled. “Let’s e-mail Morgan right now. I’ll just log on to my account—I have her addy on there.”

  “So you really think this will work?” Brooke stood up to let Paige take over the keyboard. She couldn’t help thinking of Haley’s warning—they didn’t have any time to waste. It was Friday, which meant there was only one more week before Preston’s deadline.

  “Absolutely.” Hannah sounded confident as she leaned on the back of the chair Paige was sitting on “Morgan always knows what to do. She’ll take care of it.”

  They spent the next few minutes composing the e-mail. Brooke didn’t say much, since she was the only one who didn’t know Morgan. She was surprised when Paige sat back and glanced at her when she’d finished typing.

  “Well?” she said. “What do you think, Brooke? How’s it sound?”

  Brooke leaned forward to read over the message:

  Hi Morgan! It’s us, your favorite Camp Pocomoke campers! We just thought you should know that your mom really misses you. She might even sell the farm!!! (Pls don’t tell her we know that tho!!!!!)

  Anyway, you should probably come home and talk her out of it. Who knows, maybe you’ll decide to stay! This place is way better than NYC anyway, right? lol!

  Love,

  Paige, Hannah, Livi, and Brooke

  “It sounds good,” Brooke said. “But maybe you shouldn’t include my name. She won’t know who I am, and it’ll just be confusing.”

  “But you have to be on there,” Livi insisted. “You’re the main reason we even know what’s going on!”

  “I have an idea.” Hannah leaned over Paige’s shoulder. Typing with two fingers, she added an arrow pointing at Brooke’s name and the words (cool new camper ) on the other end of the arrow. “There, how’s that?” she said when she finished.

  Brooke blushed. “Um, fine, I guess.”

  “Good. Now send it—maybe she’ll write back right away!” Livi said.

  The four of them spent the next twenty minutes in the office, talking and looking at Robin’s pictures. Paige’s e-mail account was still open, and the computer pinged several times to indicate a new message. But none of those messages were from Morgan.

  Finally Livi checked her watch and sighed. “I guess she’s not writing back right now,” she said. “She’s probably out somewhere having fun in the big city.”

  “Maybe she’ll get back to us tomorrow.” Paige grabbed the mouse to log off her e-mail. “We might as well get out of here before Robin comes in and figures out what we’re doing.”

  “Are you sure about this?” Hannah sounded nervous.

  Paige laughed. “Just get on already,” she said. “I can’t believe you’ve never ever ridden bareback before!”

  “The trainer at my barn doesn’t allow it,” Hannah retorted with a slight frown. “And Vegas has killer withers—I’d be crazy to try it on him.”

  “Whatever.” Livi leaned against the fence. “Foxy’s the perfect shape, so stop stalling and get on.”

  Brooke wasn’t sure she’d ever actually seen Hannah look nervous before. But there was a furrow in Hannah’s brow as she stood beside Foxy, who was wearing only her bridle. It was Saturday morning, and the girls had just finished their riding lesson. While tacking up that day, Livi had complained that it was way too hot to make their horses wear saddles and they should just ride the lesson bareback. She was only joking, but Hannah had mentioned that she’d never ridden bareback before. And not just on Vegas, which Brooke could understand—he really did have bony withers, not to mention a tendency to buck unexpectedly—but on any horse.

  Brooke was amazed. She’d spent more time on Foxy without a saddle than with one! Some of her best memories were of exploring the countryside bareback. She hated to think that Hannah had never had the chance to experience anything like that. So she’d offered to let her ride Foxy bareback sometime if she wanted to, and while Hannah had been hesitant at first, the others had talked her into giving it a try after the lesson.

  “It’ll be fine,” Brooke told her. “I ride Foxy bareback all the time—she’s totally used to it.” She glanced at Livi and Paige. “Can one of you give her a leg up? That way I can hold Foxy and make sure she stands still.”

  “Sure.” Paige stepped forward and cupped her hands.

  Hannah looked ready to protest. But instead she nodded, checked the throat strap on her helmet, and then allowed her friend to boost her up. She landed awkwardly, almost sliding off the far side before hooking one long leg around Foxy’s belly and wiggling into position.

  “Oh!” she exclaimed, leaning forward and clutching the pony’s mane. “It feels so weird!”

  “Just give yourself a second,” Brooke advised. “You’ll get used to it fast.”

  She was right. For the first few minutes, Hannah squealed and clutched at the mane every time Foxy moved a muscle. But she was a good, experienced rider, and it wasn’t long before she let go of the mane and picked up the reins, walking Foxy around the lawn behind the courtyard.

  “This is awesome,” Hannah said after a while. “I can feel, like, every time she moves a muscle! She’s really responsive to my leg and seat, too. Can I try a trot?”

  “Sure,” Brooke said. “Foxy’s trot is super-smooth.”

  “Make it a short one, though,” Paige put in. “We’re supposed to leave for town in like twenty minutes, and we still need to change clothes.”

  Brooke had almost forgotten about that. As soon as the olders finished their lesson, which was going on now, the whole group was scheduled to take a trip to the nearest town, where they could do some shopping and sightseeing and then have lunch at a local restaurant.

  “The olders haven’t even finished yet, though. We’ve got time for her to try it,” Brooke said. She glanced up at Hannah. “Just cluck and squeeze your legs gently, and she’ll trot.”

  “Come on, Foxy.” Hannah clucked. “Let’s trot.” As the pony smoothly stepped into the faster gait, Hannah grinned, automatically adjusting her position to stay with the bouncier gait. “Wheeee!”

  “I’m starving!” Livi exclaimed, flopping into her chair at the diner and grabbing one of the menus the waitress had left on the table.

  “Shopping is hungry work, eh?” Robin winked at Preston, who was sitting across from her. Brooke was seated between Robin and Paige, with Livi and Hannah on Preston’s side of the table. The older campers were at a table on the other side of the restaurant, laughing and chatting with Abby.

  So far, the trip to town had been . . . interesting. Brooke and her bunkmates had spent the past hour or more wandering down the charming little main street, stopping into almost every shop and boutique they passed. Brooke hadn’t bought anything except a package of mints, but the other girls were a different story. Watching the way they casually pulled out their own personal credit cards to buy clothes, books, makeup—even a new pair of real gold earrings, in Hannah’s case—had reminded Brooke that they really did live in a whole different world from hers.

  “We come to this diner every year,” Paige told Brooke, handing her a menu. “The liver and onions is to die for!”

  Hannah giggled. “No it’s not, it’s disgusting,” she said. “Don’t worry, Brooke. If Paige’s food is too smelly, we’ll make her sit at a different table.”

  That made everyone laugh, including Brooke. Okay, so it had been kind of awkward to watch the others shop, knowing she couldn’t afford half the stuff they took for granted. But so what? The truth was, she was having fun. In fact, despite her worries about the stable’s future, she’d been having more and more fun lately. She hadn’t even thought about calling her mother to come and pick her up in a couple of days.

  As she was scanning the menu, the bell over the door jingled. Brooke glanced up and saw Miss
Alice stepping into the restaurant. A tall, dark-haired man around Robin’s age had a hand on her elbow.

  “Slow down, Aunt Alice,” the man said. “There’s a step here.”

  “I know there’s a step, Daniel.” Miss Alice rolled her eyes, her sharp voice cutting through the noise of the busy restaurant like a car alarm. “I’ve only been coming to this place for the past fifty years, after all.”

  The man chuckled, not seeming to mind the scolding. “I’ll get us a table,” he said, letting go of Miss Alice’s elbow and hurrying over to the hostess.

  Meanwhile Miss Alice spotted Brooke. Her wrinkled face broke into a smile, and she hurried over. “Well, well, what luck—it’s the Chincoteague pony girl,” she said. “How are you, Brooke? And how’s the lovely Foxy?”

  “I’m fine, thanks,” Brooke said. “Foxy’s fine too.” She was aware that the other girls looked confused.

  “Good, good.” Miss Alice nodded to Robin. “It’s been too long, Robin. Nice to see you again.”

  “Likewise, Miss Alice,” Robin said. “I hope you’re well?”

  “As well as can be expected.” Miss Alice’s mouth twisted into a smile. Just then her nephew called her name. “Pardon me,” Miss Alice said. “Enjoy your lunch.”

  “Who was that?” Preston asked as soon as Miss Alice was out of earshot.

  “A neighbor.” Robin gazed at Brooke curiously. “She seemed awfully friendly toward you, Brooke. Somehow I had the impression your meeting didn’t go that well.”

  Brooke’s cheeks went red. Robin still didn’t know about her second encounter with Miss Alice. “Um, I guess it was better than I thought.”

  “Never mind that.” Livi was watching with interest as Miss Alice and her companion took seats at a table on the opposite side of the room. “Who’s the guy with her? He looks like a movie star!”

  Hannah smirked. “I never knew you liked older men, Livs.”

  “Ha-ha, very funny!” Livi stuck out her tongue.

  “I think that’s her nephew,” Brooke said. “Miss Alice said he and his daughters just moved in with her.”

  “Really? I didn’t know that.” Robin gave Brooke another searching look, then shrugged. “Makes sense, though. Miss Alice has two siblings, and each of them had several children if I recall correctly. She never married or had kids of her own, though—she’s lived in the old family house all alone for as long as I can remember.”

  “Hmm.” Preston turned away, clearly losing interest in the whole conversation. “Where did that waitress run off to? I’m ready to order.”

  CHAPTER

  11

  “GOOD GIRL,” LIVI COOED, STROKING Foxy’s nose. “See? We knew you’d behave better if your boyfriend was with you!”

  Brooke grinned and gave her pony a pat. She and her bunkmates were in Foxy’s paddock. A lead rope was clipped to the mare’s halter and Brooke was holding it while Paige pulled Foxy’s mane. Meanwhile Hannah and Livi were feeding treats over the fence to Gideon, the big bay gelding in the paddock next door. That kept him near the fence, which meant Foxy stayed more interested in him than in what the girls were doing.

  “You know, I never even noticed Foxy was falling in love with Gideon,” Brooke said with a laugh. “It makes sense, though. He’s the same color as her favorite draft.”

  “Draft?” Paige yanked another few hairs out, then glanced at Brooke. “What do you mean?”

  “The neighbors behind us have a big farm where they keep some retired draft horses,” Brooke explained. “They’re right across the fence from Foxy’s pasture. It’s great, because that way Foxy feels like she’s not all alone.”

  Livi nodded. “Robin always says horses are herd animals.”

  Just then a buzz came from Paige’s pocket. “Oops, there’s my phone.” She pulled it out and gasped. “It’s an e-mail from Morgan!”

  Suddenly everyone, including Brooke, was much less interested in Foxy and her half-pulled mane. “What’s it say?” Hannah demanded.

  “Give me a sec. . . .” Paige hit a button and scanned the message. Her face fell. “See for yourself,” she said, holding out the phone so Brooke and the others could read the e-mail.

  Hi gang—it was great to hear from you! Hope you’re having fun at camp. Thanks for being concerned about Mom, but you know her well enough to know that she can take care of herself. If she’s thinking of selling (and if she is, I haven’t heard about it), she’s probably got a good reason.

  Sorry I won’t get to see you guys this summer. But things are going great here in the city. I love my new job as a design assistant! I never thought I’d find something I loved even more than horses, but I did. Giving up riding (at least for now) is worth it to make fashion my career. But I hope we can still be friends even if I’m not riding anymore—and even if it’s long-distance!

  Keep in touch,

  Morgan

  “Oh.” Hannah’s voice was flat. “Okay, I guess that’s that.”

  Brooke bit her lip. “Do you want to write back and explain more?” she asked. “Maybe she didn’t think we were serious.”

  “I don’t think it’ll help.” Paige slipped her phone back in her pocket. “Morgan always says it like it is. She doesn’t want to come home, and she’s not into horses anymore.”

  “Yeah,” Livi said. “It sounds like she doesn’t even believe us.”

  She, Paige, and Hannah looked so dejected that Brooke could hardly stand it. “Well, we still can’t give up,” she insisted. “So the Morgan plan was a bust. Who’s got another idea?”

  Hannah sighed loudly, digging another treat out of her bag for Gideon. “I don’t know. We only have a week.”

  “Less than a week,” Paige pointed out. “The final show’s on Friday, and then we leave on Saturday.”

  “That just means our next plan has to work,” Brooke said, thinking of Haley. “So let’s brainstorm.”

  Paige and Livi still looked discouraged, but Hannah nodded. “She’s right, guys,” she said, setting her jaw. “Morgan might not think this place is worth fighting for, but I do.”

  Paige ran her fingers through Foxy’s silky mane. “But without Morgan . . .”

  “Without Morgan, Robin has too much to do on her own,” Brooke said, thinking out loud. “And if we can’t get Morgan to come back, we need to figure out a way to replace her so Robin’s not overworked anymore.”

  Livi glanced at her over Foxy’s back, her hazel eyes skeptical. “Replace Robin’s daughter? How are we supposed to do that?”

  “No, she’s right.” Hannah sounded thoughtful. “I mean, yeah, I’m sure Robin misses working alongside her daughter and all that. But she mostly just needs more help to keep the place running—that’s what she told Preston, remember?”

  “I guess.” Paige shrugged. “But she said she doesn’t have enough money to pay more help.”

  “Right,” Brooke said, giving Gideon a pat as he shoved his nose over the fence, looking for more treats. “So we need to figure out a way to help her get the money. Somehow.”

  “I know!” Livi brightened. “I saw this movie on TV once where a bunch of kids had a big yard sale to raise money to save their cheerleading squad or something. They all donated some of their stuff and got other people to donate too.”

  “Ooh! I could donate some of my clothes I don’t wear anymore,” Paige said.

  “Um, guys?” Brooke spoke up. “I’m not sure we have time to set up a yard sale. Besides, hardly anyone lives around here—who’s going to come buy your stuff?”

  “Oh. I guess you’re right,” Hannah said. “Okay, then how about a horse show? Robin does a great job with our end-of-camp show every year.”

  “You’re right!” Livi sounded excited again. “And a lot of the big horse shows are charity events—you know, trying to raise money for local hospitals or whatever.”

  “And people come from miles around to go to those.” Paige straightened Foxy’s mane. “I’m sure lots of people would come. We can even ride
in it ourselves! It’ll be fun!”

  Brooke bit her lip. She hated to keep shooting down their ideas, but she was still keeping Haley’s advice in mind. She didn’t want them to waste time on impractical ideas.

  “That does sound fun,” she said carefully. “But it also sounds like a ton of work. Besides, the thing is, Robin needs money to pay workers all year round. One event won’t be enough.”

  She was starting to wonder if the other girls really even understood the problem. Their families were all wealthy—they’d probably never had to worry about how to afford anything they wanted in their whole lives.

  Hannah frowned, looking slightly annoyed. “Okay, then how about we try to find Robin more boarders?” she said. “That way she’ll have more money all year round.”

  This time Paige was the one to shoot down the idea. “But more boarders means more work, and she’s already got too much to do,” she said. “Besides, if she fills up all her stalls there won’t be room for us. Or for her training horses either.”

  “Yeah. And she loves training.” Livi sighed, picking at a splinter on the fence. “I don’t know, guys. Don’t you think if there was an easy way to do this, Robin already would’ve thought of it?”

  “Not necessarily,” Paige said. “My stepdad’s always saying most people don’t know anything about running a successful business.”

  Livi rolled her eyes. “Whatever. I’m just saying, if Robin wanted more boarders or whatever, she’d already be trying to get them, right?”

  “Maybe not, if she’s too busy running the farm to think about it,” Hannah said.

  Brooke stroked Foxy’s nose and listened to the others argue, feeling as if there was something they were missing. There had to be a way to do this. Maybe she needed to think more like her parents. Her stepfather prided himself on always being able to close a sale. And her mother liked to say that when a deal was going south, that was the time to get creative. . . .

  “I’ve got it!” Brooke blurted out so suddenly that Foxy jumped and even Gideon turned to stare at her with his big sleepy eyes. “Development rights!”