her pony into an easy canter. Her egg wobbled once, but she settled down deep in the saddle and carried it without another bounce. She rounded the barrel smoothly, then cantered toward the finish line, the egg hardly moving in the spoon.
“Come on, Stevie, come on!” yelled Carole andLisa, aware that the fourth Sunnyside rider was gaining fast.
“Coming!” said Stevie. She looked over her shoulder once, then gave her horse an extra squeeze. They bounded over the finish line, the egg still unbroken.
“We’ve got our winner, folks!” the announcer cried over the speaker as Stevie accepted the congratulations of her friends. “It was close, but four blue ribbons go to the Horse Wise team from Willow Creek, Virginia, our first-place winners for the day!”
“And an extra blue ribbon for Stevie Lake,” whispered Skye. “Our prizewinning gossip for the day!”
“H EY, GUYS !” M AX ’s voice rang out over the crowd. “Congratulations!”
The Horse Wise team turned. Max and Deborah, carrying Maxi, walked toward them, big smiles on their faces.
“I’m so proud of you!” Max leaned forward and shook Skye’s hand. “Nice job of filling in at the last minute, Skye.”
“Mostly I just did what the girls told me to do,” Skye admitted shyly. “And hoped I could hang on!”
“You looked like a real pro out there.” Deborah gave Skye a warm smile, but there was a troubled look in her eyes.
“Is everything okay, Deborah?” Stevie asked, holding out her arms for Maxi.
“I may as well tell all of you the bad news now,” Deborah said as she placed Maxi in Stevie’s arms. She sighed. “I’m afraid that our horses are still somewhere between here and Willow Creek. I was supposed to meet the van an hour ago at the stable, but it hasn’t shown up. I’ve called the shipping company, but all I get is an answering machine. Mrs. Reg is calling from Virginia, too.”
“Oh no,” said Stevie, wincing as Maxi tugged on a lock of her honey blond hair. “I knew something like this would happen. I knew that van driver was an idiot!”
“What’ll we do, Max?” Carole cried. “We’re supposed to ride tomorrow, and the horses will need to rest beforehand. We can’t ride if they’re woozy and exhausted from a cross-country van trip.”
“I don’t know,” Max said, frowning deeply.
“Well, don’t panic yet,” said Deborah. “I’m still working on it from this end, and Mrs. Reg is on the case at the other end. Between us, we’re going to make sure that something gets done!” She gave Maxi a quick kiss on her forehead. “You stay here with the girls, honey. Mommy’s going to go give the shipping company a piece of her mind!”
Everyone watched as Deborah hurried over to the pay phone.
“Max, you think the horses are all right, don’t you?” Lisa asked as Deborah punched in her phone card number.
“Oh, the horses will be fine, Lisa,” Max said with a smile. “It’s the van company I’m worried about now. With my wife calling from one coast and my mother calling from the other, those poor fools don’t have a chance!”
They all laughed as Max took Maxi from Stevie’s arms. “You guys have done a super job this morning—I hope you’re planning to have some fun this afternoon.”
Stevie frowned. “Actually, we haven’t given it much thought.”
“Have you given any thought to what might be wrong with Veronica?” asked Max. “Deborah talked to her, and all she would say was that she felt awful, but she wouldn’t see a doctor.”
Stevie looked at her friends and shrugged. “Beats me, Max,” she replied. “She was fine last night before she dug into that plate of sweetbreads.”
“Sweetbreads?” Max wrinkled his nose and grimaced. “Well, after Deborah reaches the trucking company, I think we’re going to take Maxi to Knott’s Berry Farm.” He smiled at the girls and Skye. “Want to join us?”
“Thanks,” Skye replied. “But I’ve got a late-afternoon
“Come on, Stevie, come on!” yelled Carole andLisa, aware that the fourth Sunnyside rider was gaining fast.
“Coming!” said Stevie. She looked over her shoulder once, then gave her horse an extra squeeze. They bounded over the finish line, the egg still unbroken.
“We’ve got our winner, folks!” the announcer cried over the speaker as Stevie accepted the congratulations of her friends. “It was close, but four blue ribbons go to the Horse Wise team from Willow Creek, Virginia, our first-place winners for the day!”
“And an extra blue ribbon for Stevie Lake,” whispered Skye. “Our prizewinning gossip for the day!”
“H EY, GUYS !” M AX ’s voice rang out over the crowd. “Congratulations!”
The Horse Wise team turned. Max and Deborah, carrying Maxi, walked toward them, big smiles on their faces.
“I’m so proud of you!” Max leaned forward and shook Skye’s hand. “Nice job of filling in at the last minute, Skye.”
“Mostly I just did what the girls told me to do,” Skye admitted shyly. “And hoped I could hang on!”
“You looked like a real pro out there.” Deborah gave Skye a warm smile, but there was a troubled look in her eyes.
“Is everything okay, Deborah?” Stevie asked, holding out her arms for Maxi.
“I may as well tell all of you the bad news now,” Deborah said as she placed Maxi in Stevie’s arms. She sighed. “I’m afraid that our horses are still somewhere between here and Willow Creek. I was supposed to meet the van an hour ago at the stable, but it hasn’t shown up. I’ve called the shipping company, but all I get is an answering machine. Mrs. Reg is calling from Virginia, too.”
“Oh no,” said Stevie, wincing as Maxi tugged on a lock of her honey blond hair. “I knew something like this would happen. I knew that van driver was an idiot!”
“What’ll we do, Max?” Carole cried. “We’re supposed to ride tomorrow, and the horses will need to rest beforehand. We can’t ride if they’re woozy and exhausted from a cross-country van trip.”
“I don’t know,” Max said, frowning deeply.
“Well, don’t panic yet,” said Deborah. “I’m still working on it from this end, and Mrs. Reg is on the case at the other end. Between us, we’re going to make sure that something gets done!” She gave Maxi a quick kiss on her forehead. “You stay here with the girls, honey. Mommy’s going to go give the shipping company a piece of her mind!”
Everyone watched as Deborah hurried over to the pay phone.
“Max, you think the horses are all right, don’t you?” Lisa asked as Deborah punched in her phone card number.
“Oh, the horses will be fine, Lisa,” Max said with a smile. “It’s the van company I’m worried about now. With my wife calling from one coast and my mother calling from the other, those poor fools don’t have a chance!”
They all laughed as Max took Maxi from Stevie’s arms. “You guys have done a super job this morning—I hope you’re planning to have some fun this afternoon.”
Stevie frowned. “Actually, we haven’t given it much thought.”
“Have you given any thought to what might be wrong with Veronica?” asked Max. “Deborah talked to her, and all she would say was that she felt awful, but she wouldn’t see a doctor.”
Stevie looked at her friends and shrugged. “Beats me, Max,” she replied. “She was fine last night before she dug into that plate of sweetbreads.”
“Sweetbreads?” Max wrinkled his nose and grimaced. “Well, after Deborah reaches the trucking company, I think we’re going to take Maxi to Knott’s Berry Farm.” He smiled at the girls and Skye. “Want to join us?”
“Thanks,” Skye replied. “But I’ve got a late-afternoon
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