Horse Magic

by Bonnie Bryant

  “You only say that because you brought your lunch that day,” Gail objected. “Some of us will never look at a hamburger with ketchup the same way. No, if you want to talk genius, let’s talk about the time they started that rumor that all classes would be taught in French instead of English.”

  “Please, please,” Stevie said, waving a hand modestly. “You flatter me.” But the more she heard her friends reminisce about her past triumphs, the more excited she got about Dinah’s visit. “We did have some good times, didn’t we?” she remarked.

  “Sure,” Betsy said. “But you got in an awful lot of trouble, too. Remember when you were having a mashed-potato-shooting contest and your spoonful missed the trash can—”

  “—and hit Miss Fenton right in the ear,” Gail finished with a giggle. “That was pretty funny.”

  “Hey, I never said I had perfect aim,” Stevie said. She picked up a spoonful of lima beans and squinted at the nearest trash can. “Although I’m sure I have improved a little.…”

  With that, she let the spoonful of beans fly. Unfortunately they missed the trash can—but not Ms. Milligan’s ear. Stevie hadn’t even noticed that her English teacher was walking toward the trash can until it was too late.

  “Oops,” she said, cowering down in her seat as the teacher, glowering, headed for her.

  “SO, DAD, AS a lawyer, what do you think? Do I have a case?” Stevie said into the phone in the school office. She had just called her father at work to give him the news. Thanks to the lima bean incident, Ms. Milligan had ordered her to serve detention for an hour after school that day. “I mean, I tried to explain that I have an important errand to run after school today, but they refused to listen, even when I promised to make up the detention next week.”

  “Sorry, honey,” Mr. Lake replied. Stevie wasn’t sure, but she thought he sounded just a little bit as if he might be trying not to laugh. She didn’t think that was very sympathetic of him. He knew how much she was looking forward to meeting Dinah at the airport. “I guess your friends and I will just have to go without you this afternoon. You can meet us at home.”

  “But Dad!” Stevie exclaimed. “Don’t you think this qualifies as unfair imprisonment, or maybe cruel and unusual punishment? How about a writ of habeas corpus? Isn’t that the kind of thing lawyers are supposed to do for their clients?”

  “First of all, you’re not my client—you’re my daughter,” Mr. Lake pointed out. “And secondly, have you ever heard the phrase ‘if you do the crime, you’ve got to do the time’?”

  “Thanks a lot, Dad,” Stevie muttered. She sighed. “But if you happen to think of a legal loophole between now and three o’clock, let me know.”

  LATER THAT AFTERNOON Mr. Lake, Carole, and Lisa walked into the airport. “Let’s see,” Mr. Lake said, scanning the computer monitors listing incoming flights. “It looks as though Dinah’s plane is due in about five minutes. The gate is this way. Come on.”

  The girls followed him across the terminal. “I still can hardly believe it,” Lisa said happily, returning to the conversation she and Carole had been having in the car.

  “Now, what’s all this excitement about?” Mr. Lake asked as the three of them sat down on some plastic chairs near the gate. “From what I gathered on the way here, something exciting happened at Pine Hollow yesterday, but I was too busy fighting traffic to catch what it was.”

  “Max asked Lisa to help give riding lessons to the city kids on Saturday,” Carole said. Seeing that Mr. Lake still looked confused, she explained, “It’s a real honor.”

  “A real honor for me, she means,” Lisa added. “He asked Carole to help, too, but that’s only natural—she’s the best rider in our class.”

  “But the fact that he asked you means he thinks you’re one of the best riders, too,” Carole told her friend, giving her arm a squeeze. “And that’s really something, considering you haven’t been riding nearly as long as most of the other students. You should be proud of yourself.”

  “I guess I am,” Lisa admitted, her eyes shining. “Oh, Max asked Stevie to help, too,” she told Mr. Lake quickly. “He knows she’s the best rider after Carole. But she can’t do it because she’s going to be busy setting up the treasure hunt.”

  “Hmm,” Mr. Lake said. The girls had the feeling that he still had no idea what they were talking about. But they also had the feeling that he was used to that condition—after all, he lived with Stevie. “Well, anyway, congratulations seem to be in order, Lisa.”

  “Thanks,” Lisa said. She leaned back in her chair and smiled. “It’s really going to be a pretty exciting week, isn’t it? I mean, first this, and now Dinah’s about to get here, and this weekend is Halloween.”

  “It really is,” Carole agreed. “And look! That must be Dinah’s plane!”

  The girls and Mr. Lake stood up and watched as a sleek silver airliner slowly pulled up to the terminal. A few minutes later, passengers started pouring out.

  “There she is,” Carole shrieked. “Dinah! Dinah Slattery! Over here!”

  Lisa saw a slender blond girl detach herself from the crowd and head toward them. A big grin lit up her face. A duffel bag was slung over her shoulder.

  “Carole! Mr. Lake!” she cried. “I can’t believe I’m really here! I didn’t think I was going to survive the airline food.”

  Mr. Lake reached for her duffel and set it down next to the seats. “Don’t tell me this is all the luggage you have,” he said. “Did you check a suitcase?”

  Dinah nodded. “They said the luggage should be out right away. Hey, where’s Stevie?”

  “It’s a long, very Stevie-like story,” Mr. Lake said. “Why don’t you girls stay here and visit, and I’ll go down to the baggage pickup area.”

  “Great! Thanks a lot,” Dinah said. “It’s a red leather suitcase with a blue strap around it. My name is on the tag.”

  “Got it. I’ll be back in a jiffy,” Mr. Lake said, hurrying toward the escalator.

  “Dinah, this is Lisa Atwood,” Carole said.

  “Hi, Dinah,” Lisa said politely, extending her hand. “I’ve heard so much about you from Stevie.”

  “Same here,” Dinah said, glancing at Lisa’s hand and then taking it. “Like, she said you had good manners, and I guess she was right.”

  Lisa blushed. She supposed it was a little formal to offer to shake hands, but the gesture had been automatic, thanks to years of training by her parents. “Um, well, anyway, welcome to Virginia—I mean, welcome back,” she said lamely.

  “Welcome back is right!” Dinah exclaimed, turning to Carole. “I can’t believe I haven’t been here at all since we moved. How are things at Pine Hollow? Still the same?”

  “Always,” Carole said with a giggle. “You know Max and his traditions.”

  “Well, actually there’s a lot going on there right now,” Lisa said, eager to share some of the exciting news with the visitor. “Did Stevie tell you about the Halloween party we’re giving for some underprivileged kids on Saturday?”

  “A little,” Dinah said. “She said there are going to be a bunch of games and activities, like a hayride and a treasure hunt.”

  “And riding lessons for the kids,” Carole added.

  “That’s right,” Lisa said excitedly. “Carole and I are both going to help teach. We’re the only students Max asked,” she couldn’t help adding, still feeling proud of her selection as assistant instructor.

  “Well, Carole always was the teacher’s pet as far as Max is concerned,” Dinah said, giving Carole a playful punch on the arm. “And I guess you must be one at Pine Hollow as well as at school, huh, Lisa?”

  “What?” Lisa said.

  “Oh, Stevie told me about you,” Dinah said with a grin. “She said teachers and other adults just love you to death. She said your grades are always practically perfect—just like everything else you do.”

  Lisa frowned. She was pretty sure Dinah was joking, but she didn’t want her to get the wrong idea before they’d e
ven gotten to know each other. “Well, being a teacher’s pet has got nothing to do with why I was picked for this,” she said. “I worked hard to earn this, just like I do for my grades at school.”

  Dinah shrugged, looking a little taken aback. “Hey, I didn’t mean anything bad by it,” she said. “I was just repeating what Stevie said.”

  Lisa was sure Stevie might have said something like that, but she was equally sure it hadn’t come across as an insult, the way Dinah made it sound. Taking a deep breath, Lisa decided a change of subject would do them all good. “Stevie said you’ve been taking riding lessons in Vermont, Dinah,” she said. “How do you like your new stable?”

  “Yes, how is it there?” Carole put in quickly. She was sensing some tension between Lisa and Dinah. She figured the best way to smooth things over would be to get the girls talking about a topic of mutual interest—namely, horses. “Stevie told us about some of the horses there, and they sound wonderful.”

  Dinah laughed. “Carole, to you all horses sound wonderful,” she pointed out.

  Carole laughed, too, and agreed. “But seriously, how’s your riding going? Is the instructor in Vermont as good as Max?”

  “Oh, he’s excellent,” Dinah said. “I’m learning a lot from him.”

  “That’s good. Having a good teacher really makes a difference, doesn’t it?” Carole said. She’d thought about that a lot, since she was considering becoming a riding instructor someday—unless she decided to become a trainer, a breeder, a vet, or a competitive rider instead.

  “It does,” Lisa said. She was thinking about the task ahead of her on Saturday. She hoped she’d do well, and she hoped the kids would appreciate it. “Although I guess it helps to have good students, too.”

  Dinah glanced at Lisa. “Is that why you’re already helping to teach?” she asked. “Because you’re such a good student?”

  Lisa shrugged. It wasn’t what she had been thinking, but she supposed it was true. “I guess so,” she said. “I’ve been working really hard to catch up to Carole and Stevie ever since I started riding—although I’m sure I won’t really be able to catch them, since they’ve both been riding so much longer than I have.”

  “Just how long have you been riding?” Dinah asked, a bit sharply.

  “She started about six months after you left, Dinah,” Carole answered for Lisa.

  “Well, I guess that disproves your theory about catching up then, Lisa,” Dinah said with a little frown. “It sounds as though you’ve already caught up and passed me, and I’ve been riding almost as long as Stevie has.”

  “Well, that wasn’t really what I meant …,” Lisa began, feeling awkward. Somehow she had managed to make Dinah feel bad about herself, and that wasn’t what she had been trying to do at all, even if Dinah herself had been a little snooty with those comments about Lisa’s being the teacher’s pet. Still, Lisa was nothing if not polite—hadn’t Dinah said so herself?

  Meanwhile, Carole was searching her mind frantically for another topic. “Listen, Dinah,” she said. “Stevie was just reminding us of some of the pranks you two used to pull. Do you have anything in mind for Halloween?”

  Dinah’s face brightened immediately. “Did you talk about the cat food incident?” she asked eagerly. “I’ll bet Veronica is still steaming about that one.”

  “Oh, I don’t know,” Carole said with a laugh. “We’ve managed to distract her with a few good pranks since you left. Right, Lisa?”

  “That’s for sure,” Lisa agreed.

  “Well, I don’t know,” Dinah teased. “After all, you guys are just amateurs. When Stevie and I get together, though—now that’s magic.”

  “I’m sure you’ll have a chance to practice that magic while you’re here,” Carole said. “I think Stevie has some ideas about playing some Halloween tricks on Phil.”

  “Oh, that’s right!” Dinah exclaimed. “I’m finally going to get to meet the famous Phil! I can’t wait. He sounds like a lot of fun.”

  “He is,” Lisa said, making one more effort to be friendly. “He’s a really great guy. He and Stevie are perfect for each other.”

  “It sounds like it,” Dinah said. “Stevie said that even if everyone else around is being totally boring, she can always count on Phil to liven things up.”

  “Well, the rest of us aren’t exactly boring …,” Lisa began, immediately on the defensive again. From everything Dinah was saying, she obviously thought Lisa was some kind of completely dull Goody Two-shoes. Lisa glanced over at Carole. To her surprise, Carole was smiling and nodding as if she agreed with everything Dinah had just said. She didn’t seem to have noticed the insult at all.

  “You know what I mean,” Dinah said to Lisa with a shrug. “Stevie needs someone to challenge her once in a while. That’s why she and I were always such good friends. And that’s why it’s so great that she has someone like Phil around now.”

  Before Lisa could come up with an answer to that one, Mr. Lake strode up, swinging a red suitcase. “Did I get the right one, Dinah?” he asked cheerfully, bending over to pick up Dinah’s duffel bag.

  “You sure did,” Dinah told him. She reached toward the bags. “Here, I can carry one of those.”

  “Nonsense,” Mr. Lake said firmly. “You’re the guest. Now, tell me all the news. How are your parents?”

  Dinah and Mr. Lake headed toward the parking lot, with Dinah laughing occasionally as Mr. Lake filled her in on why Stevie hadn’t been able to come to the airport. Carole and Lisa followed silently, each of them thinking that this visit might not turn out to be as much fun as they had all thought it would be.

  “DINAH!” STEVIE SHRIEKED, rushing out of the house, where she had been impatiently pacing the front hall ever since arriving home from school twenty minutes earlier.

  “Here she is, Stevie, safe and sound,” Mr. Lake announced, climbing out of the car and heading for the trunk to get Dinah’s bags. “Even without your personal welcome at the airport.”

  But Stevie wasn’t paying any attention at all to her father, and neither was Dinah. “I can’t believe I’m really here,” Dinah exclaimed happily. “I’m so glad I could talk my parents into this visit!”

  “Of course you could,” Stevie told her. “How could you not? I taught you everything you know.”

  Carole rolled her eyes at Lisa as the two of them got out of the car. “If that’s true, we could be in for an interesting few days.”

  Lisa just nodded. She had hardly said a word on the ride home from the airport.

  “Excuse me, but I think you got that backward,” Dinah retorted with a grin. “I taught you everything you know. Remember when I showed you how to remove the tape of the national anthem from the school PA system?”

  At that, Stevie and Dinah burst into uncontrollable giggles.

  “What?” Carole demanded. “What happened?”

  After a moment Stevie managed to stop laughing long enough to speak. “We replaced it with a tape of the school band playing ‘Turkey in the Straw.’ ”

  “Speaking of the school band,” Dinah said as all four girls followed Mr. Lake into the house, “remember that Christmas concert when we were in fifth grade?”

  “How could I forget?” Stevie said. “How could anyone forget? It was one of our finest moments.”

  “What happened?” Carole said again, thinking she sounded a little like a broken record but not really minding. She had forgotten how much energy and fun Dinah always brought to things—just like Stevie. Anyone would have fun when the two of them were around. Carole hoped that meant the awkwardness between Dinah and Lisa would pass once they got to know each other a little better. “What did you two do?”

  “We convinced everyone in the band—we were both in it then, too—to play ‘Jingle Bell Rock’ instead of ‘O Come All Ye Faithful’ during the candlelight procession,” Dinah said.

  Stevie’s eyes were sparkling. “The best part was that the choir was supposed to sing along, but we didn’t tell them about the change,
” she added. “They caught on pretty quickly, though. Poor Mr. Sutter didn’t know what hit him!”

  Carole shook her head, smiling. “So what did he do to you when he figured it out?”

  “We were very politely asked not to be in band anymore,” Dinah said solemnly. Then she and Stevie burst into giggles again.

  Mr. Lake reappeared from the kitchen. “Stevie, I’ve put Dinah’s bags in your room,” he reported. “Why don’t you help Dinah make herself at home while I start dinner? Your mother and the boys should be home in a little while.”

  “Uh-oh, the terrible three,” Dinah said, referring to Stevie’s three brothers. “I can’t wait to see them again, believe it or not.” As the girls headed up the stairs toward Stevie’s room, she added teasingly, “And I was just telling Carole and Lisa how I can’t wait to meet the famous Phil.”

  “Well, you’ll meet him, all right,” Stevie said. “He’s going to be helping at Pine Hollow on Halloween.” She led the others into her bedroom. “Well, here it is,” she announced to Dinah with a sweeping gesture.

  Dinah glanced around and smirked. “As neat and tidy as ever, huh, Stevie?” she said, taking in the cluttered piles of books, clothes, and who-knew-what-else strewn all over the floor. “I’m glad to see you cleaned up in honor of my visit.”

  Carole laughed. “You know Stevie,” she said. Just then Carole noticed that Lisa was staring at the floor, still silent. Carole’s smile turned to a frown. Her friend seemed extremely uncomfortable. Could it really be just because of the conversation at the airport? Lisa and Dinah hadn’t exactly hit it off, but this seemed more serious than she’d realized. Something had to be done. Two wonderful people like Lisa and Dinah shouldn’t be deprived of each other’s friendship because of a few stupid misunderstandings.

  Dinah wandered over to Stevie’s dresser and peered at a framed photograph of Belle, Stevie’s horse. “Is this her?” she asked excitedly. “She’s beautiful! I can’t wait to meet her in person. Or should I say, in horse?”

  That gave Carole an idea. She glanced at her watch. “Maybe you shouldn’t have to wait,” she suggested. After all, if anything could bring Lisa and Dinah together, it was horses. Hadn’t Carole just been thinking the other day that horses were almost always the perfect solution to any problem? “We should have time before dinner for a quick visit to Pine Hollow.”