The Canterwood Crest Stable of Books

by Jessica Burkhart

  “You write the letter,” Heather told Alison. “Your handwriting is the best.”

  Alison took the pen and paper.

  “Dear Mr. Conner,” I said. Alison started scribbling as we all threw suggestions at her.

  “Tell him we’re sorry,” Callie said.

  “And we’ll never do it again,” Julia added.

  “Make sure you remind him that we’re serious riders,” Heather said.

  “Guys! I can’t write that fast!” Alison protested. “Slow down.”

  We waited while she wrote down our ideas.

  “There,” Alison said a few minutes later. “How’s that?”

  We gathered around the paper. I leaned over Callie’s shoulder and read it.

  Dear Mr. Conner,

  We know we can’t apologize enough for what we did. We’ve all worked too hard to throw it away for something so stupid as a dare. Our horses are one of the most important things in our lives and we didn’t act like it on Wednesday night. We’re sorry and embarrassed about what we did. Through our future actions, we hope you’ll learn to trust us again. We promise to keep proving to you that we’re serious about the team and our futures as riders.

  Sincerely,

  Alison, Heather, Callie, Sasha, and Julia

  “Perfect,” I said. “You guys think it’s okay?”

  Heather nodded. “Let’s sign it and I’ll drop it off at his office.”

  We took turns signing the paper.

  “Even if he doesn’t change his mind,” Callie said. “I’m glad we wrote the letter. It made me feel a lot better.”

  “Me too,” I agreed. “Hey, you guys want dessert?” I asked.

  “Got any chocolate?” Callie asked.

  “Brownies, M&Ms, cake, or chocolate-covered pretzels?” I rattled off.

  “All of the above!” Alison said.

  “I’ll make up a tray of chocolate,” I said, feeling very Paige-like.

  I piled a serving tray with enough chocolate for a serious sugar high and set the tray down on the table.

  “Thank you!” Callie said, grabbing a handful of pretzels.

  Everyone, even Heather, ate as if we hadn’t just devoured a whole pizza. Once we’d finished stuffing ourselves again, Heather pulled Julia and Alison up off the couch.

  “We’ll see you at the stable at seven to start working,” Heather said. She paused. “That sounded so wrong.”

  Once they left, Callie and I flicked off the lights in the common room and headed to my room. We changed into our pj’s—mine: a white long-sleeve shirt and pink and gray striped pants; Callie’s: an oversize teal T-shirt, black leggings, and fuzzy lavender-colored socks. Callie climbed onto Paige’s bed. She put her phone on the table between our beds and stared at it for a few seconds. Then, she grabbed it and put it beside her.

  “It’s not like you can’t hear it ringing on the table,” I joked.

  “Oh, you’re probably right,” Callie said. She placed the phone facedown on the table. “You sure Paige doesn’t mind that I’m sleeping in her bed?”

  “No way,” I said. “She’s just glad you’re sleeping over.”

  Callie got quiet. She grabbed Paige’s pillow and hugged it to her chest. “Yeah. I’m happy, too.”

  I couldn’t help thinking that Callie wasn’t exactly acting like herself—she was being a little weird. Or maybe…

  “Do you miss Julia and Alison?” I asked.

  Callie snorted. “Are you kidding me? I’m glad things are getting back to normal.”

  “Me too,” I said, flicking on the TV.

  “What’s tonight’s movie?” Callie asked.

  “I Tivoed the new Cameron Bowen flick!”

  “Oooh! Yes! I’ve been dying to see that.”

  Cam always put Callie in a good mood. I turned on the TV and Callie and I scooted to the ends of our beds, giggling.

  “When school starts again, we have to do this at least, I don’t know, every single weekend,” I said.

  “For sure,” Callie agreed. We settled into our beds and got ready for ninety minutes of eye-candy Cameron.

  When the credits started to roll, Callie and I let out sighs.

  “I could watch him all day,” I said.

  “Yeah,” she said.

  “Yeah,” I repeated.

  But I couldn’t stand it anymore!

  “So, does your boyfriend look anything like Cam?” I asked.

  Callie’s head whipped around and she stared at me, wide-eyed. “What? Who told you I had a boyfriend?”

  “I can just tell,” I said, improvising. I didn’t want to tell her I’d been eavesdropping on Julia and Alison. “You’re acting different—secret texting, makeup, new clothes…” I let my sentence trail off. “There has to be a guy.”

  “Yeah…there is a guy,” Callie said slowly.

  “Callie! You owe me details. Lots of details. Where’d you meet him? What does he look like? What’s his name?”

  Callie ignored me and climbed under the covers. “Sorry, but I got really tired all of the sudden. Let’s go to sleep and talk about it later.”

  “Callie!” I squealed. “Tell me!”

  “Seriously, I’m really tired,” she said. “I think I made myself sick with all that junk food. I just need to sleep.”

  “Oh.” I shrugged and got into my bed. “Okay. ’Night.”

  I flicked off the light. What had just happened? We’d been having so much fun and then she’d shut me out. I stared at the darkening ceiling.

  “Sasha, I’m sorry.” Callie’s voice was barely a whisper. “It’s just…I need to tell you…”

  I waited for Callie to finish her sentence, but she didn’t say anything.

  “Cal?”

  “Never mind. ’Night.”

  Our unfinished conversation kept me awake long after Callie fell asleep. There was no reason for her not to want to talk about her boyfriend. Unless…she didn’t want to because she thought it would make me feel bad, since things with Jacob were so weird.

  That was it! She didn’t want me to feel bad about not having a boyfriend while she had one. I let out a happy sigh. That was a good friend.

  29

  A VERDICT

  MR. CONNER’S CLINIC, DAY 12

  DAYS LEFT UNTIL DEMO: 1

  STALLS LEFT TO MUCK: 23

  SENTENCES CALLIE STARTED AND NEVER FINISHED

  IN THE LAST 48 HOURS: 10

  TIMES I VOWED NOT TO THINK ABOUT JACOB AND FAILED:

  INFINITY

  AT SEVEN THE NEXT MORNING, CALLIE AND I walked to the stable together. We’d chatted about random stuff while we’d gotten dressed this morning and breakfast hadn’t been any different.

  “Ready for another day of labor?” I asked.

  Callie flexed her arm. “Bring it!”

  The Trio walked in a few seconds later and we found Mike filling water buckets.

  “Back again?” he asked, seeming surprised.

  “Tell us what to do,” Heather said. “We’re ready.”

  Mike put Heather and Callie on mucking duty, Alison on feeding. Julia and I had to check the hay bales in the loft for mold.

  “Did Mr. Conner say anything about our work yesterday?” Julia asked Mike.

  “Sorry,” Mike said. “He didn’t mention it.”

  “Oh,” Callie said. We exchanged frowns.

  “Keep at it,” Mike said. “You’re doing the right thing.” He turned on the hose and started refilling buckets.

  “Let’s go,” Julia said. I followed her and we split off from everyone.

  Julia and I climbed into the loft and stared at the hundreds of bales. We had to sniff, touch, and inspect each one. Hay was supposed to smell sweet and fresh. If it smelled musty or weird, it got tossed. Moldy hay could cause severe colic or even death. I felt proud that Mike had trusted us enough to give us a serious job.

  “Want to start at opposite ends and work our way to the middle?” Julia asked.

  I nodded. “Sounds
good.”

  I bent down by the first bale and took a deep sniff. Sweet. I stuck my hand into the bale and it felt dry and cool—the way it should feel. On to the next bale. I repeated my sniffing and feeling process until I’d made a small dent in the pile.

  “Are you glad to have Heather back?” I asked Julia.

  She gave me a withering stare. “Why do you care?”

  “Just wondering. I’m glad we’re all working it out for the team.”

  “We’re fine,” Julia said. “But you’re not.”

  “What is that supposed to mean? Callie and I are friends again.”

  Julia tested another bale before looking up at me. “You don’t want Callie back. Trust me.”

  “Because she bad-mouthed me about stealing Eric? Yeah, that was wrong, but I’m over it. It’s not worth it.”

  Julia shook her head. “Whatever you say.”

  I moved away from her and went back to work. Julia was obviously jealous that Callie and I were friends again. But what did she care? She and Heather had made up, too.

  I sneezed and two seconds later, Julia did the same.

  “Think it’s time to take a break?” I called.

  “Yes!” Julia said, sneezing again.

  We walked down the aisle and found Callie and Heather spreading clean sawdust around a just-mucked stall.

  “Break for sodas?” I asked them.

  Callie nodded and stood her pitchfork up against the wall. “Yes!”

  Alison walked over to us. “My arms are about to fall off from lugging buckets,” she whined.

  “I think I’ve got four pounds of hay dust up my nose,” I added.

  “Aw, look at this,” said a snotty voice I knew too well.

  We turned and saw Jasmine, one hand planted on her hip.

  “What?” Alison snapped. “Is hard work something you’ve never seen before?”

  Jasmine stared at Alison. “Unfortunately for you, I’ve been working hard for the clinic. But you all won’t be at the demo, so you won’t be able to see that for yourselves. How sad!”

  It took everything I had to keep my mouth shut. “You’re right,” I said, trying as hard as I could to make it sound like none of this was any big deal. “We’ll be doing stable chores all day Saturday.”

  “Sounds like fun,” Jasmine said, wiggling her fingers at us as she walked away.

  “I so hope we’re riding tomorrow,” Julia whispered as she stepped out of the stall. “We need to take her down!”

  We giggled and walked down the aisle to get sodas. We reached the end of the row when Doug called after us.

  “Mr. Conner wants to see you all in his office,” Doug said.

  “What if he doesn’t lift the ban?” Alison whispered. “Then what?”

  “Then we won’t be in the demo,” Heather said. “That’s it.”

  I fumbled in my pocket for a lip gloss—grabbed my Kiss This Gloss in Tickle—and rubbed it over my lips for extra confidence.

  “Let’s go,” I said. We walked to Mr. Conner’s closed office door and stood there for almost a full minute before Callie finally knocked on the door.

  “Come in,” Mr. Conner said.

  Alison pushed the door open and we filed inside. My heart rate sped up. This was it. He’d either tell us our obvious attempts at impressing him weren’t working or he’d lift our riding ban.

  He looked up from the paper he was reading and put down his pen. I saw the first handwritten line, Dear Mr. Conner. Then I saw our names at the bottom. He was reading our letter!

  “I noticed that you’ve been working around the stable,” he said.

  We nodded.

  “Mike and Doug have been keeping me updated on all of the work you’ve done,” Mr. Conner said. “Obviously an attempt to get permission to ride.”

  I squeezed my hands together, feeling more than a little deflated. After all of the work we’d put in, he hadn’t been impressed at all.

  “With that said, your work ethic impressed me. I’ve also read your letter. Your actions since Wednesday night have spoken of your true characters.”

  “We just wanted you to know how sorry we are,” Callie said.

  “I know you’re sorry,” Mr. Conner said. “There are noticeable differences between you five and the other students involved in this incident.”

  Mr. Conner held up the letter. “You’re making an effort to show me you’re sorry, instead of just saying it. You wrote a letter and you’ve been working hard for two days. Have you seen the other girls working in the stable?”

  “No,” Heather said.

  I elbowed her. That had been a rhetorical question!

  “You’ve all worked to prove you’re sorry. I’m impressed by your dedication.”

  I tried not to smile. He was going to lift the ban! I knew it!

  “I wish I could erase your two-week riding ban,” he said. “But I’m afraid I can’t.”

  My shoulders slumped. No! We were going to miss the demo. Our chance at riding for the scouts—gone. I bit my lower lip, struggling not to cry.

  Mr. Conner looked at us. “I can, however, lift your ban for two days.”

  “Oh, my God!” Alison blurted out.

  We grinned and Julia grabbed her hand.

  “You may all ride in the demo, but after that, it’s back to no riding for the rest of the two weeks. Deal?” Mr. Conner asked.

  “YES!” We all shouted at the same time.

  He laughed. “Good. Lessons are over now, but you may use the indoor arena for the rest of the afternoon if you want to practice.”

  “Thank you, thank you!” I said.

  “Really, thank you!” Julia added.

  Mr. Conner nodded. “You’re welcome. I’ll be sure to call your parents to tell them about your efforts. Now get practicing. And don’t forget—you’re representing Canterwood tomorrow. Make me proud.”

  We gave him giant smiles and tried to get out of his office so fast, we all almost got stuck in the doorjamb!

  Once the door closed, we grabbed each other in a group hug. “We did it!” I cheered. “We’re riding in the demo!”

  “Let’s tack up and get riding!” Callie said.

  “Wait,” Heather said. Her smile disappeared. “If you ever tell anyone I participated in a group hug, you will die. Got it?”

  “What group hug?” I asked, sticking my tongue out at Heather.

  We bolted for the tack room and grabbed our gear.

  “Charm!” I said when I reached his stall. “Guess what?”

  Charm nuzzled me as I clipped the lead line to his halter. “We’re in the demo! We get to ride for the scouts!”

  Charm rubbed his head on my arm and I hugged his neck. “We have to work hard, boy,” I said. “Tomorrow’s our big chance.”

  30

  HEATHER—THE NEW MR. CONNER

  I BUCKLED MY HELMET INTO PLACE AND LED Charm up to Jack.

  “Charm’s going to freak out when he realizes we’re practicing together,” I told Callie. “He’s missed Jack a lot.”

  “Jack’s going to be happy, too,” she said.

  We had just joined the Trio inside the arena when Jasmine rounded the corner.

  “Can’t stop breaking the rules, can you?” she asked.

  “Why are you stalking us?” Heather snapped.

  “Oh, please, you’re hardly worth stalking,” Jasmine said. “Trust me, I just have good timing. I’m sure Mr. Conner will love hearing about this.”

  I led Charm around her. “I’m sure he will! Be sure to tell him we said thanks again for letting us ride in the demo.”

  “Bye,” Callie said, mimicking the little wave Jasmine had given us earlier.

  We laughed and led our horses into the arena for a warm-up. We walked, trotted and cantered a few times around the arena. Charm, a few strides behind Jack, lifted his hooves high and stretched his neck.

  “Feels good, huh, boy?” I asked.

  He snorted and I rubbed a hand over his neck.
r />   “We’ve got to rock this tomorrow,” Heather said, pulling Aristocrat to a walk.

  “We will,” Callie said. “Jasmine’s so mad at us that she’s going to push Phoenix and mess up. You know she will.”

  The arena door opened. I expected to see Jasmine stick her head in and spy on us. Instead, Eric walked through the door.

  “Hey!” I said. I broke away from the group and rode up to him.

  “You got the ban lifted?” he asked.

  “Yes! We get to ride in the demo, then it’s back to no riding. But I don’t care. I mean, I do, but I’m excited that I get to ride for scouts.”

  Eric laughed. “Really? I couldn’t tell at all that you’re excited.”

  Charm stretched his neck out to Eric and got his blaze rubbed.

  “Silver!” Heather called, giving me the evil eye. “We’re on a limited practice time here. More riding, less talking!”

  Yep, aside from no Jacob, things were so back to normal.

  “Sorry,” Eric said, loud enough so Heather could hear. “Mind if I watch?”

  “Yeah, stay,” I said. “I’d like that.”

  I rode Charm back to the rail and Eric grabbed a chair outside of the arena.

  “Want to work on those jumps?” Heather asked. She nodded to four verticals Mr. Conner had set up on the right side of the arena.

  “Sure,” I said. Callie, Alison, and Julia agreed.

  “I’m just going to do the course twice,” Callie said. “I don’t want Jack to be tired for tomorrow.”

  “Good idea,” Alison said. “I’m not worried about Sunstruck, but I’ll be tired tomorrow if I don’t stop after that.”

  “Fine, wimps,” Heather said. “Twice over the course and we’ll stop.”

  “I’ll go first,” Julia said. She circled Trix and then pointed her at the course. Trix’s short but powerful legs propelled her over the three-foot-high verticals and they finished quickly.

  “Nice,” Alison said. “Just watch that she doesn’t weave between fences.”

  Julia nodded. “Good point. If you see her do it next time, tell me.”

  Alison gathered Sunstruck and let the gelding canter up to the first red and white vertical. His pale tail swished behind him and he leapt over the plastic rail with inches to spare. Alison knew how to keep him calm as they bounded over the jumps. They finished without tapping even one rail.