The next forty minutes were like some kind of bad made-for-TV movie, at least as far as Callie was concerned. As she and Scott stood around watching, police swarmed into the house, taking notes and stomping around and generally being very deferential to Congressman Forester. Soon after the first cars arrived, a van pulled up, and several large German shepherds jumped out. After the dogs had sniffed the package for a while, a bomb specialist carefully approached it, dressed in so much protective gear that he looked ready to walk on the moon rather than the Foresters’ porch. He carried the package to the middle of the backyard, near the pool. Then he poked and prodded and finally unwrapped the package while everyone else stood well back and watched.
He opened the box contained in the wrapping and peered inside. Then he pushed his safety mask back and stood up. “It’s okay,” he called. “It’s clean.”
“Whew!” Mrs. Forester exclaimed. “Thank you so much, officers. Now, if you’d all like a cup of coffee …?” She led the way toward the back of the house, drawing the police officer behind her like the Pied Piper.
Callie’s father paused as he started to follow. “Sorry about that, sweetie,” he said, putting his arm around her shoulders for a quick hug. “But you really ought to tell your friends that surprises might not be such a good idea from now on.”
Callie grimaced, not bothering to respond. Her father was already hurrying after the other adults, anyway. Soon only she and Scott were left in the backyard. “Well?” Scott prompted. “After all that, aren’t you going to check it out?”
“I guess,” Callie muttered, half wishing that the bomb squad had just blown up the package, like she’d heard they sometimes did with suspicious packages at the airport. She walked over to the box, which was lying in the grass among the remains of its wrapping paper and ribbon, and squatted beside it. “It’s from The Saddlery,” she commented as she picked it up.
She lifted the lid and peeled back the tissue paper inside. Beneath, she saw a mass of wool tweed. She lifted it and shook it out and finally recognized what the item was. A coat. A formal riding coat—tweedy and traditional, not Callie’s style at all. After all the hoopla, it was almost laughable. Almost.
“Hmmm,” Scott said, blinking at the coat in surprise. “That’s … nice, I guess.”
Yeah, nice is definitely the word, Callie thought, stuffing it back in the box. It’s nice and conservative—the kind of thing Lisa might wear, but not me.
“Come on, let’s get over to the stable,” she told Scott, standing up abruptly and tucking the box under her arm, planning to shove it in the front closet on her way past. “We’re late as it is.”
Scott raised one eyebrow. “But who—”
“Just come on.” Callie didn’t feel like discussing it. Even though there had been no name on the card other than her own, she knew that there was only one person in the world who could have left her such an inappropriate, ridiculous, unwanted gift.
She just didn’t know what to do about it.
When Lisa arrived at Pine Hollow on Saturday morning, the first person she saw was Ben Marlow. She had just stepped into the entryway, shaking off the cold—it was the briskest morning yet, making it feel like Christmas—when he emerged from the indoor ring pushing a wheelbarrow full of manure. Lisa noticed vaguely that he looked kind of glum, but that was no breaking news bulletin. Ben almost always looked glum.
She nodded politely and took a few steps toward the locker room. Ben cleared his throat. “Lisa,” he said.
Lisa stopped short in surprise. Until that moment she hadn’t been positive that Ben even knew her name. She couldn’t remember him ever using it before. “Yes?” she said, turning to face him. “What is it, Ben?”
He coughed, not quite meeting her eye. “Uh, I just—I wanted to ask—” He broke off, obviously struggling for words. “Never mind,” he muttered, turning quickly and pushing the wheelbarrow off toward the stable aisle.
Lisa blinked and watched him go. Then, shaking her head, she continued toward the locker room. She had bigger things on her mind that day than Ben Marlow’s usual weird behavior.
Even before she reached the locker room, she heard the sounds of voices and laughter. Stepping inside, she saw that Carole was perched on the bench in front of the cubbies, chatting with Stevie, who was pulling on her boots. Callie was digging around inside her cubby, while Scott leaned casually against the wall near the door.
Scott. Lisa blushed when she saw him. She still hadn’t decided what to think about their date the night before, or about him.
Stevie was the first to notice her entrance. “Yo, Lisa!” she called cheerfully.
Carole and Callie added their greetings. But Scott took it a step further.
“Hi,” he said, his face lighting up when he looked at her. Standing up straight, he stepped over the bench and came toward her. “We were just wondering when you’d get here.”
Before Lisa could respond, he’d reached her and put a hand on her arm, leaning over and giving her a quick kiss on the cheek. Lisa was so startled that she couldn’t say a word for a moment. “Um, I’m here,” she managed lamely at last.
Scott smiled down at her. “I had a really great time with you last night,” he said in a low voice. “I hope we can do it again sometime.”
Lisa blushed deeper than ever, embarrassed that their conversation was taking place in front of an audience, especially since she wasn’t even sure how she felt about Scott. Then she happened to glance at Stevie, whose face was pink. Suddenly she remembered Stevie’s theory about why Scott was hanging around Pine Hollow so much, and a giggle escaped before she could stop it.
“What?” Scott looked startled. “Was it something I said?”
“No, no, I’m sorry,” Lisa said hastily, grinning in Stevie’s direction. “It’s something somebody else said. Somebody in this room, actually.”
Stevie scowled at her. “Oh, go ahead and say it,” she said crossly. “It’s not like everybody here doesn’t already know, anyway. You’re laughing at me.”
Lisa giggled again, and soon everybody was laughing, Stevie included. Stevie even walked over and gave Scott a big, wet kiss on the cheek, reminding Lisa once again why she liked Stevie so much. She really was a pretty good sport.
Well, most of the time, anyway, Lisa amended. As long as Veronica isn’t involved.
She was distracted from that thought by a flash of movement outside the room. Glancing over, she saw Ben walking by, his hands in his pockets and his gaze directed into the room. Following his intense stare, Lisa realized that his eyes were locked on Carole.
Guess he finally realized she wouldn’t wait around for him forever, she thought dismissively. His loss.
She didn’t spend much time feeling sorry for him. Ben was a big boy, and Lisa had her own problems to worry about.
She shuddered as she remembered her mother’s excited chatter at breakfast that morning about calling a real estate agent and putting their house on the market. And the list is getting longer all the time, she added grimly.
“Do you want to ride Checkers today?” Carole asked Cam, already reaching for the roan gelding’s bridle. “I think you’d like him.”
“Hey!” Lisa protested. “I was going to ride Checkers.”
“No way, I’m the guest,” Cam said with a grin and a wink for Carole.
She giggled. “He has a point, Lisa.”
Stevie snorted, glancing up from hoisting Belle’s saddle. “Yeah, right. You’d say that if he’d just declared that horses should be allowed to vote.” She paused for a second and considered what she’d just said. “Of course, you’d probably agree with that no matter who said it.”
Carole blushed as the others laughed, including Cam. But before she could defend herself, there was a loud whoop from the office next door.
“What was that?” Lisa asked in surprise.
A second later Max stuck his head into the room. “Guess what?” he cried, grinning from ear to ear. “I just hired
our new stable hand! She starts Monday—just in time to help out with the Starlight Ride.”
Carole noticed Max winking at Stevie, but she didn’t even bother to wonder what that was all about. She was too busy dealing with her own feelings of surprise, apprehension, and, yes, jealousy. A new stable hand? She couldn’t help being disturbed at the idea of someone new working at Pine Hollow while she herself was still on probation. She’d known it was coming—Max had made no secret of the fact that he was looking to hire more help—but the announcement that it was really happening still came as a shock.
She was still thinking about it as she and Cam rode out of the stable yard together a short while later. “Penny for your thoughts,” Cam said after a moment.
“What?” Carole smiled self-consciously, realizing that she’d hardly said a word to him for several minutes. “Oh, sorry. I was just thinking about Max’s announcement. It’s weird to think about someone new coming to Pine Hollow. Things changing. You know.”
Cam gave her an understanding look. “Don’t worry,” he said, steering Checkers around a dip in the field they were crossing. “Max isn’t trying to replace you.” He smiled. “That would be impossible.”
“Thanks. And I know.” Carole shot him a grateful look. “It’s just weird, that’s all. Mostly because it still feels weird not to have a job here anymore.”
“Well, think about it this way,” Cam said. “Not having a job means you have more time for the finer things in life. Like spending time with me.” He shot her a rakish grin.
Carole laughed. “Okay, you’re right. That is a silver lining,” she said. Her laughter faded quickly as she recalled Max’s comment about the new person starting in time for the Starlight Ride. “Still, this is usually my favorite time of year at Pine Hollow,” she added wistfully. “I hate to think I’ll probably miss the Starlight Ride.” She leaned forward to pat her horse, thinking back to that special night when she’d first realized he was hers.
Cam nodded, watching her. “Yes, I’ve been thinking about that,” he said pensively. “And I’ve decided there’s just one solution. I’m going to work on your father between now and then—convince him to let you go with me.”
Carole raised an eyebrow. “I don’t know,” she began. “Dad’s not the easily convinced type.”
“I know. But I think he likes me.” He shrugged. “Besides, he knows how important that night is to you—it’s when he gave you Starlight, right? So all I have to do is drop a few hints, remind him of that …”
“Oh. I guess it’s worth a shot.” Carole thought the plan sounded a little sneaky, but she didn’t say so. If he could actually convince her father to let her go, who was she to complain about his methods? He had only the best of intentions—he wanted her to be happy, and he wanted them to have a nice, romantic Christmas Eve together.
They didn’t speak again until they reached the woods. As they entered the shady trail that led down to the creek, Cam glanced over at her. “Can we stop for a sec?” he asked. “I think Checkers may have picked up a stone.”
“Of course!” Carole pulled up Starlight immediately, glancing at the other horse’s feet with concern. She waited as Cam slid out of the saddle and picked up the roan gelding’s right fore, leaning over it. “Well?” she called expectantly. “Do you see anything?”
“I’m not sure,” Cam called back. “Could you come take a look?”
Carole frowned slightly. It hadn’t been that long since Cam had been picking out his horse’s feet. Had he already forgotten what a stone looked like? But she swung down from her saddle, leaving Starlight ground-tied on the trail.
She hurried around to join Cam, who had dropped Checkers’s foot. “Let me see,” she said, bending over to pick up the foot again.
Before she could do so, Cam grabbed her around the waist. “Forget it,” he said, pulling her to him. “There’s no stone. It was all a cruel hoax.”
Carole blinked. “Huh?”
Cam grinned at her expression of surprise. “I made up that story about the stone,” he said, holding her close. “I just wanted to get you on the ground so that I could do this.” He kissed her, his arms tightening around her.
They didn’t break apart until Checkers snorted loudly and swung his head around, nudging curiously at Carole’s back. With a giggle, Carole pulled away. “I think he’s trying to tell us something,” she said.
Cam gazed down at her, his dark eyes locked on her own. “Well, there’s something I want to tell you, too,” he said, ignoring the horse. “That’s the other reason I tricked you into dismounting. I wanted to be able to look into your eyes when I said it.”
“What is it, Cam?” Carole asked with a flash of fear. He looked so serious. Was he going to tell her it was over? Was her happiness going to be so shortlived? “Go ahead,” she said as bravely as she could. “I’m ready.”
“I know we’ve only been together for a week,” Cam said softly, taking both her hands in his. “That’s not much time. But it’s enough for me to know how I feel about you. And I don’t believe in wasting time—not when it comes to something this important.” He took a deep breath. “That’s why I want to tell you now. I love you, Carole Hanson.”
Carole was stunned. Her jaw dropped, and for a moment her mind went blank. Was this really happening? What was she supposed to say now?
Finally she figured it out. The past week had been the most wonderful week she could remember. And it was all thanks to Cam. So there was really only one thing she could say.
“I love you too, Cam Nelson.” This time when he bent down to kiss her, Carole knew that it would take much more than a nudge from an impatient horse to break them apart.
Turn the page to continue reading from the Pine Hollow series
ONE
Callie Forester squinted at the sun, its dull yellow-white form visible through a break in the trees on the trail just ahead. It was beginning to sink through the leaden winter sky toward the western horizon, which meant that Callie had been riding for several hours. It was time to head home. Spying a wide spot on the wooded trail, she reluctantly reversed direction and then gently nudged the Arabian gelding she was riding and clucked to send him into a trot. Barq shook his head and complied, though his trot was a little choppier than usual.
“It’s okay, boy. We’re heading home now,” Callie murmured, her attention not really as focused on the horse as it should have been. She was too busy thinking about that day’s ride. It hadn’t gone as well as she’d hoped, and she hadn’t been hoping for a whole lot. She had been training on Barq for almost three weeks. While the Arabian gelding was a popular and reliable lesson horse at Pine Hollow Stables, Callie had already accepted the fact that he was never going to be the endurance horse of her dreams. She had been a junior endurance champion before moving to Willow Creek, Virginia, some six months earlier—or rather, before the serious car accident that had injured her soon after the move—and now that her body had finally healed, she couldn’t wait to get back in the game. The trouble was, Barq was just about the only lesson horse at Pine Hollow that was at all adequate for endurance riding.
She sighed. How was she ever going to get back into top competitive shape with a horse that was merely adequate?
Before long, horse and rider emerged from the woods and the long, low main building of Pine Hollow came into view across the fields. But Callie wasn’t looking at the stable, or at the neatly tended rings and paddocks and various smaller outbuildings that surrounded it. Instead she was focusing on the rambling white farmhouse atop a hill beyond the stable area. That was where Max Regnery, the owner of Pine Hollow, lived with his wife and two young daughters.
Maybe it was time for Callie to have another talk with Max about what to do. But what good would it do to discuss it again? Callie already knew that Barq was the best endurance prospect in Max’s stable. She already knew the only solution: to find a horse of her own, one that was suited to her ability, personality, and goals. Her parents had already
agreed to the plan. All she had to do was find the right horse.
It should be an easy job, Callie thought, giving Barq an extra squeeze as his gait faltered slightly. It’s not as if there aren’t plenty of horses around here. Probably a lot more than where we used to live. Callie’s family had moved to Willow Creek the previous summer from the West Coast to be closer to her congressman father’s work. Callie had been anxious and resentful about the move at first, but she’d been pleasantly surprised to find that the countryside of northern Virginia was dotted with pastures full of horses. Still, being able to find a horse—or even a whole herd of horses—wasn’t the same as being able to find the perfect endurance prospect. In fact, it felt a little like looking for a needle in a whole field full of haystacks.
Callie brought Barq to a walk as they crossed the fields. She didn’t want to spend any more time than she had to cooling him out once she reached the stable. The more time she spent hanging around Pine Hollow, the better the chance that George Wheeler would find her.
“Pathetic,” she muttered to herself so fiercely that Barq’s ears swiveled back curiously. “Totally pathetic.”
She knew she shouldn’t let George get to her, but she couldn’t help it. He had a way of bringing out the worst in her—the petty irritability and feelings of insecurity that she kept pretty well hidden most of the time. It hadn’t been that way at first. When Callie had first realized that the shy, pudgy, hopelessly nerdy guy had a crush on her, she’d been flattered. She’d even gone out with him once, wondering if she’d been too superficial when she’d ignored guys like George in the past—if maybe she had been missing out on something special. After all, the two of them did have a lot in common. Both of them were juniors at a private school in Willow Creek called Fenton Hall. Both spent most of their free time in the saddle.
High Stakes Page 19
