At most shows, Lisa knew, ribbons were awarded immediately after each event. Barry had decided to do it differently. She suspected he wanted to minimize their importance, but he needn’t have worried. At the end of the show, many riders almost forgot to come to the awards ceremony. It just wasn’t important. What was important to each and every one of them was that they’d all learned and had a chance to show what they’d learned.
There were plenty of ribbons to go around. Lisa, Stevie, and Carole had each done well in their events and had blue and red ribbons to take with them. They were pleased, but they were also pleased when their friends got ribbons as well. They knew their accomplishments couldn’t be measured in just ribbons.
One thing that could be measured, though, was how much they all wanted to cool off in the pond before their final night at camp.
“Last one in has to pick up all the kindling tonight!” Jack shouted. It didn’t take any of them long to get into the water.
CAROLE TOLD ANOTHER ghost story at the camp fire. This one was about Frankenstallion. The campers made s’mores as they listened, joining in with suggestions as the story progressed. They all laughed as Frankenstallion ended up marrying Marezilla and they had a baby named Dracufoal.
After a while, the campers began singing songs, starting, naturally, with the theme song from the Munsters. Stevie sat next to Lisa and Carole. Phil was nearby.
He tapped Stevie’s shoulder. “Want to go for a walk?” he asked. Quietly, they sneaked away from the camp fire. They didn’t do such a good job of sneaking, though, because as soon as they were standing, all the other campers turned and began waving good-bye to them.
Stevie blushed. “I’ve had enough of fires,” she began to explain. “See, I had this frightening experience—”
“Let’s just go, Stevie,” Phil said. He smiled and took her hand and they left, hearing the teasing laughter behind them.
“I can’t believe it’s almost over,” Stevie said. “Two weeks seemed like such a long time, but now, poof! It’s done. But so much has happened in two weeks. All those classes, the first camp-out, the fire, the show, and now our last camp-out.”
“Last camp-out? No way,” Phil said. “I think we’ll be back next summer for more of them, and I think we’ll be seeing each other in between.”
Stevie certainly hoped so.
She and Phil walked to the edge of the temporary paddock where the horses were housed for the night. A stream flowed along one side of it. They sat at the edge of the stream, took off their shoes, and dangled their feet in the cool water.
Stevie and Phil were silent for a long time. The field ran uphill and several of the horses stood on the top of the hill, silhouetted against the cool, deep blue sky by the moon beyond them. One rose his head and nickered. Another responded, nuzzling at his shoulder. Stevie could hear the horses nearby munch on fresh hay and grass contentedly. There were other night sounds—the brook, crickets, even an owl.
Stevie thought that this was maybe the most beautiful place in the world. She looked at Phil. There was just one more thing that could make it more beautiful. And at that moment, he leaned toward her and kissed her for the first time.
“HE KISSED YOU!” Lisa almost shrieked. The girls were back in Willow Creek, gathered at the edge of Stevie’s swimming pool, sharing secrets. Camp was over, but they had all acquired enough memories to last a lifetime!
Stevie nodded excitedly. Telling her friends about her first kiss was almost as much fun as doing it.
“Like, on the lips?” Carole said.
Stevie nodded. “You’re not jealous, are you?” she asked a little anxiously, suddenly aware that she was the first of them to be kissed by a boy.
“Jealous?” Lisa repeated. “Of course I’m jealous, but one of us had to be first and Phil’s a really neat guy, so I’m glad it was you.”
“Me, too,” Stevie grinned.
“I don’t mind, either,” Carole reassured her. “But tell me about it again—you know, the part about the horses on the hill?”
Stevie laughed. For now anyway, horses were still more important to Carole than boys, but Carole was glad her friend was happy, and that was fine with Stevie. Stevie told her again about the horses on the hill.
“It must have been beautiful,” Carole sighed.
“It was,” Stevie said. “Believe me, it was.”
“Uh-oh, here she goes looking all lovesick again,” Lisa teased her. “Remember, Stevie, how Carole had to bail you out of making a fool of yourself in class by getting you to have a coughing fit?”
“I remember, I remember,” Stevie said. “And I promise I’ll never do it again. Well, maybe never.”
Carole and Lisa laughed. It was nice having Stevie back to normal again.
Lisa wanted to make sure Stevie didn’t leave anything out, so she pumped her some more about her walk with Phil. Carole was a little distracted; she’d been thinking about something else.
“Tired of the four hundredth go-round of Stevie’s first kiss?” Lisa asked, noticing that Carole’s attention had slipped.
“Oh, no,” Carole grinned. “I’m ready for four-oh-one any time, but I was remembering something else, too. Remember how Kate Devine told us she’d quit competitive riding because the competitiveness was keeping her from having any fun? I think we had more than a taste of that our first week at camp, and she’s right. That’s no way to ride!”
Lisa began combing her hair. “No, the best part about riding is doing what The Saddle Club does. We help one another.”
“Right,” Stevie said. “Just the way all of the campers were doing by the time of the show. It was great. It was like having twenty-seven more members of The Saddle Club.”
Carole looked surprised. “Would you really want twenty-seven more members?” she asked.
“No way!” Lisa said. “I like us just the way we are. At least that’s my vote.”
“Maybe not twenty-seven more members,” Stevie said thoughtfully. “But how about one more?”
Lisa and Carole didn’t have to ask her who she meant. Friends just knew those things.
About the Author
Bonnie Bryant is the author of nearly a hundred books about horses, including the Saddle Club series, the Saddle Club Super Editions, and the Pony Tales series.
Riding Camp Page 9
