disbelief. Stewball had just walked through a patch of snow—and still the path went up!
Soon, all around them, the ground was covered with a few inches of snow.
“This is what you were talking about, isn’t it?” Stevie asked Christine.
Christine nodded. “Beautiful, isn’t it? It makes me want to stop and draw a picture of it.”
“It makes me want to stop all right, but not to draw a picture. Say, Eli!” she called. He turned to her. “Can we take a ten-minute rest?”
Eli looked at his watch. “If you want,” he said. “The horses have been doing a lot of work, and they could probably use a break. Okay, everybody—take ten!”
One look at the sparkle in Stevie’s eyes, and Carole knew she had something fun in mind. “What’s up?” she asked.
“I think it’s time for a friendly snowball fight,” Stevie announced. “My team is going to assemble behind that rock over there!” She pointed to a large boulder fifty feet off the path.
Carole was definitely up to the challenge. “And mine is to gather over there!” she declared.
The riders split into the same teams they’d had for the scavenger hunt.
“Winner gets breakfast in bed tomorrow!” Stevie called out, forming her first snowball.
“Oh, that’ll be great!” Kate yelled. “This time I want poached eggs!”
The first volley of snowballs flew.
It turned out that Amy’s ankle was at least temporarily healed, and she was an ace snowball pitcher. This was her kind of game. She and Stevie were a powerful pair when it came to barraging the others with snow. Lisa and Seth were almost as fast at making snowballs as Stevie and Amy were at throwing them. Carole’s team was no match for the bombardment, and by the time Eli announced the end of their “rest,” Carole, Kate, Christine, and John were ready to admit defeat.
Still giggling, they swept snow off themselves and returned to their horses.
“I hadn’t thought of poached eggs,” Stevie said to Kateas she tightened Stewball’s cinch. “That sounds like a wonderful idea. I like them with the white mostly firm and the yolk very soft, okay? And freshly squeezed orange juice—”
“You like it cold?” Kate asked, poised to remount Spot.
“Of course,” Stevie said.
“Then start with this,” she suggested, and tossed one final snowball at Stevie. “Bull’s-eye!” she announced when it hit Stevie in the center of her back.
“I guess I probably deserved that, but you still lost the snowball fight, remember that.”
Kate grinned at Stevie. “Of course I remember. We lost fair and square. I just wanted to have the chance to get you with a good one.”
Stevie put her left boot in the stirrup and swung herself up into Stewball’s saddle. “I know what you mean,” she said. “There’s something about having the last word, even when you’ve lost the argument.”
“Something like that,” Kate agreed.
Then Eli and Jeannie gave the signal, and they were on their way. The snow on the ground muffled sounds and made the whole world seem quieter. It almost made it harder to talk. Stevie listened to the hushed clip-clop of horse hooves in the snow and the comfortably familiar squeaking of the leather saddles. Although she was surroundedby friends, she felt their isolation on the mountain. They were so small, so few. It was so grand, so imposing, this fabrication of nature that was too wild to have trees grow on it and so cold that it made snow in the summer. The idea made her feel strangely insignificant.
There weren’t many things that could make Stevie feel insignificant. In that way she
was
rather like Amy. The thought of Amy jolted her. She found that she didn’t like the idea that she had anything in common with Amy. Thinking about Amy made her think about Lisa. Stevie had barely talked to Lisa since they’d started the ride. Lisa seemed totally involved with Seth, and as far as Stevie could see, Seth was almost as mixed up as his sister. Stevie didn’t like the
Soon, all around them, the ground was covered with a few inches of snow.
“This is what you were talking about, isn’t it?” Stevie asked Christine.
Christine nodded. “Beautiful, isn’t it? It makes me want to stop and draw a picture of it.”
“It makes me want to stop all right, but not to draw a picture. Say, Eli!” she called. He turned to her. “Can we take a ten-minute rest?”
Eli looked at his watch. “If you want,” he said. “The horses have been doing a lot of work, and they could probably use a break. Okay, everybody—take ten!”
One look at the sparkle in Stevie’s eyes, and Carole knew she had something fun in mind. “What’s up?” she asked.
“I think it’s time for a friendly snowball fight,” Stevie announced. “My team is going to assemble behind that rock over there!” She pointed to a large boulder fifty feet off the path.
Carole was definitely up to the challenge. “And mine is to gather over there!” she declared.
The riders split into the same teams they’d had for the scavenger hunt.
“Winner gets breakfast in bed tomorrow!” Stevie called out, forming her first snowball.
“Oh, that’ll be great!” Kate yelled. “This time I want poached eggs!”
The first volley of snowballs flew.
It turned out that Amy’s ankle was at least temporarily healed, and she was an ace snowball pitcher. This was her kind of game. She and Stevie were a powerful pair when it came to barraging the others with snow. Lisa and Seth were almost as fast at making snowballs as Stevie and Amy were at throwing them. Carole’s team was no match for the bombardment, and by the time Eli announced the end of their “rest,” Carole, Kate, Christine, and John were ready to admit defeat.
Still giggling, they swept snow off themselves and returned to their horses.
“I hadn’t thought of poached eggs,” Stevie said to Kateas she tightened Stewball’s cinch. “That sounds like a wonderful idea. I like them with the white mostly firm and the yolk very soft, okay? And freshly squeezed orange juice—”
“You like it cold?” Kate asked, poised to remount Spot.
“Of course,” Stevie said.
“Then start with this,” she suggested, and tossed one final snowball at Stevie. “Bull’s-eye!” she announced when it hit Stevie in the center of her back.
“I guess I probably deserved that, but you still lost the snowball fight, remember that.”
Kate grinned at Stevie. “Of course I remember. We lost fair and square. I just wanted to have the chance to get you with a good one.”
Stevie put her left boot in the stirrup and swung herself up into Stewball’s saddle. “I know what you mean,” she said. “There’s something about having the last word, even when you’ve lost the argument.”
“Something like that,” Kate agreed.
Then Eli and Jeannie gave the signal, and they were on their way. The snow on the ground muffled sounds and made the whole world seem quieter. It almost made it harder to talk. Stevie listened to the hushed clip-clop of horse hooves in the snow and the comfortably familiar squeaking of the leather saddles. Although she was surroundedby friends, she felt their isolation on the mountain. They were so small, so few. It was so grand, so imposing, this fabrication of nature that was too wild to have trees grow on it and so cold that it made snow in the summer. The idea made her feel strangely insignificant.
There weren’t many things that could make Stevie feel insignificant. In that way she
was
rather like Amy. The thought of Amy jolted her. She found that she didn’t like the idea that she had anything in common with Amy. Thinking about Amy made her think about Lisa. Stevie had barely talked to Lisa since they’d started the ride. Lisa seemed totally involved with Seth, and as far as Stevie could see, Seth was almost as mixed up as his sister. Stevie didn’t like the
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