Back in the Saddle

by Bonnie Bryant

Stevie cocked a eyebrow at him skeptically. “Well, sure,” she said as diplomatically as she could. She could tell Max was in a testy mood, and she didn’t want to antagonize. “I guess that’s true. It’s never easy to control and coordinate a bunch of intermediate and beginning riders on a nighttime trail ride.”

  “That’s not all there is to it, Stevie,” Max snapped.

  Stevie winced. So much for being tactful, she thought ruefully.

  Max wasn’t finished. He was already ticking things off on his fingers. “First, I have to plan ahead to get permits from the township for the bonfire, as well as providing them with proof of insurance so we’ll be allowed to ride within the town limits. Then I have to run off copies of the permission slip for all my students, along with plenty of extras, since about half the students manage to lose theirs before they even get it home.” He frowned and continued. “Then there’s dragging down all the torches from the storage loft and checking to make sure they’re all in working order. Collecting permission slips—that’s always a fun one. And then there’s the details of the ride itself to worry about: checking the tack, making sure the trails are all clear, setting out the torches to mark the trail and assigning volunteers to keep an eye on them so there’s no risk of fire, convincing yet more volunteers to make the refreshments and bring them over to the bonfire. And, of course, I have to arrange for someone to drive the truck over to town, not to mention loading it up with hay first. And then unloading the leftovers afterward.”

  For once, Stevie was at a loss for words. Wow, she thought. I guess I never thought about all that stuff. It really does sound like a big job.

  “Seems like a big hassle,” Callie commented.

  Max shrugged. “It is a hassle,” he said bluntly. “Sometimes I’m not sure it’s really all worth it.”

  Stevie gasped. This time she knew exactly what to say. “Don’t say that, Max,” she protested quickly. “It is worth it. The Starlight Ride is a wonderful thing, and I’m just sorry I took it so much for granted before. We all did, I guess. But I want to make up for that now—I’ll help you out this year. As much as you need me to.”

  “Really?” Max shot her a sharp, thoughtful glance. “Well, I can’t say no to that, Stevie. If you really want to help out, I’d be happy to have you.”

  “I really want to,” Stevie assured him eagerly. Even though she’d only had the idea fifteen seconds before, she was already getting excited about it. She could tell that Max was at his wits’ end—he had to be, if he was questioning the Starlight Ride. “It’ll be fun.”

  “Well, I can’t promise you that,” Max muttered, glancing at his watch. “But thanks. I’ll talk to you more about this later, all right? I can’t stand around here chatting all day. Red and Denise are both off today—some kind of anniversary, how could I say no to that?—and there are a million and one things to do around here as usual.” He hardly bothered to finish the sentence before turning on his heel and striding out of the room without a backward glance.

  Stevie stared after him, letting out a low whistle. “Whew!” she commented. “Max sure is cranky today, isn’t he?”

  Callie glanced at the door, looking distracted. “I guess.”

  Stevie couldn’t help being a little surprised, not only at her friend’s apparent disinterest in Max’s sudden attack of the grumpies, but also at the fact that Callie hadn’t spoken up and volunteered her help for the Starlight Ride as well. If Lisa or Carole had been here, they would have offered to help in a heartbeat, Stevie thought.

  Then she realized that she was being a little unfair. Callie had only lived in Willow Creek for about six months. This would be her first Christmas at Pine Hollow.

  Of course, Stevie thought, a little relieved. She probably never even heard of the Starlight Ride until five minutes ago. She has no idea how special it really is.

  “Hey, Callie,” she said. “You’re probably wondering exactly what this Starlight Ride business is all about, huh?”

  “What?” Callie blinked at her. “Oh. Um, isn’t it, like, a Christmassy sort of trail ride for the younger kids?”

  “Well, sure,” Stevie said brightly. “But it’s more than that. It’s one of Pine Hollow’s totally cherished traditions. See, everyone goes on this cool trail ride on Christmas Eve. For a lot of the younger riders, it’s the first time they’ve ever been out on the trails after sunset. Oh! And by the way, it also explains where Starlight got his name. See, back when we were all in junior high, Carole was, like, dying for her own horse. So her dad decided to buy her one, and he even managed to trick her into taking a test ride on the one he was thinking about getting.…” Seeing that Callie’s blue eyes seemed to be glazing over, Stevie hurried on. “Well, that’s sort of a long story. Anyway, the important part is, he managed to find the perfect horse: Starlight. Only he was called Pretty Boy then.” She wrinkled her nose. “Can you imagine? Talk about a lame name! But anyhow, the night of the Starlight Ride, Carole actually ended up riding him, and she didn’t even know he was hers. Not until afterward, I mean—that’s when the colonel told her. And—”

  “Hi, you two,” Scott Forester said at that moment, stepping into the room.

  Stevie gulped. “Scott,” she blurted out, forgetting all about her story. “Uh, hi. What are you doing here?”

  Scott shrugged. “Waiting for Callie, of course,” he replied. He grinned. “You have a problem with that, Lake?”

  Stevie laughed nervously. “Oh! No, of course not,” she said hastily. “I’m here waiting for Phil myself. We have a date. You know, um, a date.”

  “That’s nice.” Scott leaned against the wall just inside the doorway. “Almost ready to go, Callie?”

  “Almost,” Callie replied, hurrying toward her cubby. “Just let me dig out my spare breeches. I think they’re in here somewhere.”

  As Callie began shuffling through the stuff in her cubby, Stevie smiled awkwardly at Scott. Now that she knew how he felt about her, it was getting harder and harder to act normal around him. I wish this would just go away, she thought desperately. Scott knows how tight Phil and I are. So why’d he have to go and complicate things by getting this huge crush on me? I guess it’s what I get for being so irresistible.…

  “What’s going on, Stevie?” Scott asked, interrupting her thoughts.

  “Huh?” Stevie gulped, wondering if he’d somehow read her mind. “Uh, what do you mean?”

  Scott shrugged and crossed his arms over his chest, gazing at her critically. “You have a weird look on your face, and you’re staring at me like I just grew an extra nose. So spill it. What’s up?”

  “Nothing!” Stevie blurted out, willing herself not to blush. Even Callie was glancing over her shoulder curiously. “Er, I was just, that is, um—”

  “Evening, boys and girls!” Phil Marsten’s voice rang out cheerfully as he walked into the room. “What’s going on?”

  “Hi!” Stevie exclaimed, relieved at the interruption. She raced over to meet her boyfriend with a big hug and kiss. “You’re here!”

  Phil looked a little surprised at the enthusiasm of her greeting, though he didn’t complain. “Right on schedule,” he agreed, tucking a strand of hair behind Stevie’s ear as she clung to him. He glanced at Callie and Scott. “Hey there, Foresters,” he added.

  “So where are you and the little woman off to this evening?” Scott asked Phil, stepping over and clapping him on the shoulder.

  “Oh, we’re not sure yet,” Stevie put in hastily, not wanting Phil to tell him that the two of them had talked about going bowling that night. Even though she loved bowling, it didn’t sound very romantic, and Stevie didn’t want Scott to get the idea that she and Phil were losing the magic. “Probably someplace totally romantic,” she added brightly. “You know what a romantic guy Phil is.” She still had one arm around Phil’s waist, and she squeezed him tightly.

  Phil shot her a strange look, but he didn’t contradict her. “So how’s the horse hunt going, Callie?” he asked instead. “Fi
nd the next Tevis Cup champ yet?”

  Callie snorted in reply. “Not even close,” she replied shortly.

  “We’ve been looking,” Scott said easily, obviously trying to make up for Callie’s rather rude response. “But Callie hasn’t seen anything too promising so far.”

  “Bummer,” Phil replied, lifting his arm from Stevie’s waist and resting it casually on her shoulder. “But I’m sure the right horse will come along soon and it’ll all be worth the wait.”

  Callie didn’t respond. She was staring into her cubby so intently that Stevie wasn’t sure she’d even heard Phil’s comment. Deciding it was time for a change of subject, she glanced up at her boyfriend. “So did you hang out with A.J. this afternoon?”

  Phil nodded. “We went for a ride, then watched the game over at my house.”

  “How is he these days?” Scott asked, his carefree expression shifting into one of concern. “Has he started dealing with the adoption thing yet?”

  Stevie thought that was a good question, and not an easy one to answer. A couple of months earlier, A.J. had accidentally discovered that he had been adopted as a baby. The parents who had raised him had never breathed a word about it in sixteen years, and A.J. had taken the news pretty hard. Overnight, he had changed from the high-spirited, funny, likable guy Stevie had always known into an unpredictable stranger, with moods that ranged from frighteningly manic to downright sullen. He’d also seemed on the verge of developing a serious drinking problem, though fortunately his friends had managed to convince him that that wasn’t the way to deal with his pain.

  “He’s doing okay, I think,” Phil replied. “He’s even started talking about tracking down his birth parents.”

  “Really?” Stevie was surprised. The last she’d heard, A.J. was still having trouble discussing the whole topic of his adoption, even with his best friend. “He really said that?”

  “Well, he sort of hinted,” Phil replied. “I can tell he’s got mixed feelings about the whole deal. And he’s nervous, of course.”

  “Sure,” Scott said with a nod. “Anyone would be.”

  Phil nodded and gently extricated himself from Stevie’s grasp. “I tried to convince him to talk to his folks about it,” he said, stepping over to the bench in front of the cubbies and propping one foot on it so that he could reach the laces of his basketball shoe, which had come untied. “Even though it was a closed adoption—you know, as in the whole deal was a big secret, and the McDonnells never even knew the birth mother’s name—they may have some idea how to start looking. And I’m sure they’d be supportive.”

  Stevie wasn’t quite so convinced of that. She liked A.J.’s parents, and she knew they meant well, but they weren’t the most open or demonstrative people in the world. She wondered just how they were going to deal with the idea that their son wanted to uncover his roots. “Poor A.J.,” she said, pushing those thoughts aside. “Did you try to talk him into coming to the CARL thing on Friday? It might cheer him up a little to get out and have some fun with us.”

  “The what?” Scott asked, wrinkling his forehead in confusion. “Who’s Carl?”

  Stevie winced, realizing too late that Scott had no idea what she was talking about. “It’s not a who, it’s a what,” she explained reluctantly. As soon as Scott found out about the fund-raiser, he would probably decide to go as a way to spend more time with her. Stevie stepped over to Phil, resting one hand on the back of his neck just to reinforce the fact that they were a couple. “CARL stands for ‘County Animal Rescue League’—it’s the shelter in town. They’re having a fund-raising party on Friday night.”

  “Really?” Scott looked interested. “Sounds like a good cause. Who all is going?”

  “Oh, um, just a few people,” Stevie replied. “Phil and I are going together, of course. And Lisa and Carole will be there.”

  “I can’t believe Stevie didn’t tell you about it before this,” Phil commented, swatting Stevie’s hand away from his neck. “Quit it, that tickles.” He straightened up and stretched. “Anyway, you two should definitely come. The tickets are a little steep, but like you said, it’s a good cause. And it should be fun. This is the first year Stevie and I are going, but there’s supposed to be a good band for dancing, and a bunch of restaurants donate food, and there will be door prizes and stuff.”

  Stevie held her breath, waiting for Scott to suggest that they all go together. Instead he nodded thoughtfully. “Sounds interesting.”

  Stevie was relieved. Maybe he’s starting to catch on, she thought. No matter how much he wants me, he must realize there’s no way. Right?

  Not wanting to take any chances, she grabbed Phil’s hand. “Come on,” she said. “Let’s go before Max comes along and makes us do stable chores.”

  Soon the two of them were stepping through the large front doors of the stable into the clear December evening. The sun had just set and there was a serious chill in the air, but Stevie could hear riders still practicing in the main schooling ring nearby. When she glanced over, she saw a couple of students trotting side by side across the ring. Squinting in the fading light, she saw that one of the horses was Starlight. Rachel Hart, a seventh-grader, was in the saddle.

  “Okay,” Phil said bluntly. “What was that all about?”

  “What was what all about?” Stevie asked innocently, keeping her gaze on the horses in the ring. Rachel was pulling ahead of the other rider, a girl named Juliet who was aboard her quarter horse gelding, Pinky. Stevie couldn’t help admiring Rachel’s form as she posted cleanly.

  She rides almost as well as Carole did at that age, she thought. Pretty impressive. No wonder Carole asked her to help her take care of Starlight while she’s grounded.

  Phil squeezed her hand, which he was still holding as they walked. “Yo,” he said. “You know what I’m talking about. You were acting like a total freak back there with Scott and Callie. What’s up?”

  Stevie finally met his eye. “Oh,” she said meekly. “Um, yeah. I guess I had a few things on my mind.”

  “Such as?” Phil asked expectantly.

  Stevie hesitated as they wandered toward the parking lot on the far side of the stable yard. So far she hadn’t told anyone except Carole and Lisa about her suspicions about Scott. Should I tell Phil? she wondered uncertainly. I don’t want to mess up his friendship with Scott or anything.

  Still, she knew she couldn’t keep her thoughts from him much longer. The two of them had always been honest with each other, and she didn’t want to start keeping secrets now. She would just have to trust her boyfriend to be mature enough to handle the news without going ballistic.

  “Okay,” she said, taking a deep breath and pulling him forward until they were standing beside his father’s car, a black sedan. Stevie turned to face him, taking his other hand in hers and looking him square in the face. “Here it is. But you have to promise not to get mad.”

  “What is it?” Phil looked worried. “Spill it, Stevie.”

  Stevie took another deep breath. “It’s about Scott. I think he likes me.”

  Confusion shadowed Phil’s expression. “Huh?” he said. “Of course he does. I thought you guys dealt with this ages ago. Why? Has he been talking about the accident again?”

  “No, no!” Stevie dropped his hands and waved her own, realizing he’d totally misunderstood what she was trying to say. “That’s not what I’m talking about. I mean I think he likes me. As in, wants me, needs me, totally digs me.”

  Phil blinked. “Huh?”

  “I know,” Stevie said. “I was pretty shocked, too. I mean, he knows perfectly well that you and I are—What?” she interrupted herself, noticing that Phil was smiling. “I’m not kidding. He keeps talking to me at school all the time, and he’s been hanging around the stable …”

  “Oh, really?” Phil said, his grin breaking into a chuckle. A moment later he started to laugh. “Talking to you at school, huh?” he chortled. Then he laughed so hard that he bent over, resting both hands on his knees as
his whole body shook uncontrollably. “S-Stevie and S-S-Scott, sittin’ in a tree!” he gasped out after a moment, leaning back against his car for support.

  “Hey! What’s so funny?” Stevie said irritably, poking him hard in the shoulder. “Didn’t you hear what I just said? Another guy likes me. A good-looking guy. Smart, too. So what’s the big joke?”

  “Sorry,” Phil gasped, wiping his eyes with the backs of his hands. “Um, it’s just that, well, don’t take this the wrong way. But are you really sure about this? Because I have to tell you, I just don’t see it.”

  Stevie was annoyed. Crossing her arms over her chest, she glared at him. “Why not?” she demanded. “Is it so hard to believe that a cool guy like Scott would be interested in me?”

  “Of course not,” Phil said apologetically, though the effect was spoiled by the snicker that escaped. He reached for her and pulled her to him. “Any guy in the world would be crazy not to want you.”

  Stevie kept herself stiff for a couple of seconds before relaxing into his embrace. “Okay,” she mumbled into his shoulder. “So then what’s the big joke?”

  “Oh, I don’t know.” Phil rubbed her back. “I guess it was just what you said about him talking to you at school. I mean, have you ever met a person Scott didn’t want to talk to?”

  “Okay, okay,” Stevie replied, pulling away and looking Phil in the eye again. “But I really think there’s more to this than just, you know, plain old friendliness. It’s just a vibe I get when he’s around. Like he’s fishing for something.”

  “Hmmm.” Phil was still smiling. “That’s interesting. Tell me, do you get the same vibe from anyone else? Because, you know, I caught Max looking at you the other day after you dropped that bucket full of water on the floor. Maybe that means he secretly wants you, too.”

  Stevie frowned. “Very funny,” she mumbled, kicking at the gravel of the parking lot.

  “And then there’s good old Starlight.” Phil was gazing across the stable yard in the direction of the schooling ring, an expression of mock concern on his face. “Don’t think I haven’t noticed the way he’s always nosing at you when you walk by his stall.”