the moment she’d heard about the Halloween Fair, she’d always known that it was for a good cause. Hearing how strongly Mrs. Lonetree felt made it seem even more important. It was one thing to know that you were involved in a good cause. It was another to understand, truly, that real people were going to get realbenefit from it. Knowing how much work, love, and pride Mrs. Lonetree was giving to their efforts on behalf of the after-school program made Lisa see her entire trip out West in a much clearer light. She felt even better about herself and her friends.
The girls would have liked to have stayed at the Lonetrees’, maybe even have a chance to play with the dollhouse a bit, but Kate reminded them that her mother was counting on their help serving dinner, and they had to get back to The Bar None.
The girls packed up their costumes, put them in their saddlebags, and got ready for the trip back home. They all thanked Mrs. Lonetree profusely for her help—in every possible way—and they remounted their horses for the final leg of their journey.
The Bar None was a short distance, perhaps two miles, across country from the Lonetrees’ house. It was a trip the girls, especially Kate, had made many times, in dark and daylight. They felt safe and sure about their journey.
It had been a long and busy day, following an even longer and busier day. They rode together without talking, just enjoying the journey and thinking how welcome a good meal and a warm bunk were going to be very soon.
Lisa loved the countryside. At first look it had seemed barren to her, but now she knew better. Therocks and mountains were home for many creatures who managed to make meals of the brush and cactus that covered the land. Part of the trail back to The Bar None led through what felt like a gully between two craggy hills. One of those hills rose nearly straight up from the desert floor. A movement at the top of it caught Lisa’s eye. She looked up. There, standing on a flat area at the edge of the hill, was the stallion, now clearly riderless. His herd was not in sight. He was completely silhouetted by the moonlight that streamed from behind him.
Lisa drew her horse to a halt to look, just look. Around her, her friends did the same, for they’d all seen him at the same moment.
The stallion rose then, rearing regally on his hind legs. His forelegs pawed eagerly at the vast expanse of sky in front of him. A breeze lifted his mane, brushing it back. The sight took Lisa’s breath away.
The horse landed back on all fours. Without hesitation he turned around and disappeared down the other side of the hill.
“You’ve just got to have him,” Stevie said.
Kate nodded, unable to speak.
C HOCOLATE HAD PICKED up a stone in her shoe on the way back from Christine’s. Lisa had to get it out, or the horse’s hoof would be tender and painful by morning.Stevie, Carole, and Kate hurried to help Phyllis serve dinner while Lisa worked at Chocolate’s hoof with the pick.
She’d removed plenty of stones and usually thought of it as a sort of a challenge. As long as her horse wasn’t upset, Lisa was willing to work away at it. Chocolate seemed to understand completely that Lisa was doing this for her benefit. She didn’t even flinch while Lisa tried to dig under the stone.
“Need help?”
Lisa looked up to find John standing there.
“No, I think I can do it,” she said. “It’s just that this stone is lodged in there something awful. It’s Chocolate who may need help.”
John stood by the mare’s head and began patting her. She seemed to welcome the assurance.
“There’s a sharp point on the stone, and it’s stuck in a ridge or something in the shoe. The only good news here is that the part that’s pushing on Chocolate’s foot is round and smooth. All I need to do then is to”—she gritted her teeth, grunted, shifted the angle of the pick, and worried it back around the stone—“get this thing just so that”—she had it;
The girls would have liked to have stayed at the Lonetrees’, maybe even have a chance to play with the dollhouse a bit, but Kate reminded them that her mother was counting on their help serving dinner, and they had to get back to The Bar None.
The girls packed up their costumes, put them in their saddlebags, and got ready for the trip back home. They all thanked Mrs. Lonetree profusely for her help—in every possible way—and they remounted their horses for the final leg of their journey.
The Bar None was a short distance, perhaps two miles, across country from the Lonetrees’ house. It was a trip the girls, especially Kate, had made many times, in dark and daylight. They felt safe and sure about their journey.
It had been a long and busy day, following an even longer and busier day. They rode together without talking, just enjoying the journey and thinking how welcome a good meal and a warm bunk were going to be very soon.
Lisa loved the countryside. At first look it had seemed barren to her, but now she knew better. Therocks and mountains were home for many creatures who managed to make meals of the brush and cactus that covered the land. Part of the trail back to The Bar None led through what felt like a gully between two craggy hills. One of those hills rose nearly straight up from the desert floor. A movement at the top of it caught Lisa’s eye. She looked up. There, standing on a flat area at the edge of the hill, was the stallion, now clearly riderless. His herd was not in sight. He was completely silhouetted by the moonlight that streamed from behind him.
Lisa drew her horse to a halt to look, just look. Around her, her friends did the same, for they’d all seen him at the same moment.
The stallion rose then, rearing regally on his hind legs. His forelegs pawed eagerly at the vast expanse of sky in front of him. A breeze lifted his mane, brushing it back. The sight took Lisa’s breath away.
The horse landed back on all fours. Without hesitation he turned around and disappeared down the other side of the hill.
“You’ve just got to have him,” Stevie said.
Kate nodded, unable to speak.
C HOCOLATE HAD PICKED up a stone in her shoe on the way back from Christine’s. Lisa had to get it out, or the horse’s hoof would be tender and painful by morning.Stevie, Carole, and Kate hurried to help Phyllis serve dinner while Lisa worked at Chocolate’s hoof with the pick.
She’d removed plenty of stones and usually thought of it as a sort of a challenge. As long as her horse wasn’t upset, Lisa was willing to work away at it. Chocolate seemed to understand completely that Lisa was doing this for her benefit. She didn’t even flinch while Lisa tried to dig under the stone.
“Need help?”
Lisa looked up to find John standing there.
“No, I think I can do it,” she said. “It’s just that this stone is lodged in there something awful. It’s Chocolate who may need help.”
John stood by the mare’s head and began patting her. She seemed to welcome the assurance.
“There’s a sharp point on the stone, and it’s stuck in a ridge or something in the shoe. The only good news here is that the part that’s pushing on Chocolate’s foot is round and smooth. All I need to do then is to”—she gritted her teeth, grunted, shifted the angle of the pick, and worried it back around the stone—“get this thing just so that”—she had it;
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