Read Online Holiday Horse by Bonnie Bryant - Free Book Online

She glanced at Maxi worriedly. The baby was staring up at Stevie’s face, blinking heavily. “I guess we lost track of the time. It’s twenty minutes past Maxi’s bedtime already.”
    Ms. Lynn chuckled as she buttoned her coat. “I wouldn’t worry too much about that if I were you,” she advised. She winked at the girls. “At that age, bedtimes are usually more of a hopeful guideline than a strict schedule.”
    Stevie looked down at Maxi. “Well, I don’t think we have to worry about that,” she said. “She looks pretty tired. We must have worn her out.”
    “I hope so … for your sake,” the woman replied with a grin. Then she said good-bye and left, quickly closing the front door behind her to keep out the cold.
    “I like her,” Carole declared.
    “Me too,” Stevie said. “It’s just too bad some of her personality didn’t rub off on her daughter.”
    “Come on, Stevie. Be fair,” Lisa said. “We hardly know Britt yet. I bet we’ll love her once we all get used to each other.” She headed toward the stairs. “Now, come on. Let’s get this baby to bed.”
    All three girls went upstairs. They were on their way into the nursery when the phone rang.
    Maxi jumped in Stevie’s arms, startled at the sudden, loud sound. “Uh-oh,” Stevie said. She was the closest to the phone, so she grabbed it, tucking it between her chin and her shoulder so that she could keep a good grip onthe baby, who had started to wiggle. “Hello? Um, Regnery residence.”
    “Stevie?” came a familiar voice over the line.
    “Deborah?” Stevie said. She gulped and looked down at Maxi, who was at this point definitely wide awake again. She quickly passed the baby to Carole, putting a shushing finger to her lips.
    Fortunately, Maxi didn’t make a peep. She just continued to pump her arms and legs and wiggle her body, forcing Carole to concentrate hard to keep her from squirming out of her grasp. Finally Carole gave up and sat down on the floor, forming a circle with her legs to keep Maxi corralled.
    “Everything’s fine here, Deborah,” Stevie said into the phone. “We told you there was no reason to worry. Maxi? Oh, yes, she’s in bed. She’s sleeping like a … well, like a baby, I guess.” She laughed.
    “Really?” Deborah said. She sounded a little surprised.
    Stevie smiled. She guessed that Deborah was impressed with The Saddle Club’s baby-sitting skills. “Really,” she fibbed, glancing at the baby, who was trying to make her escape by crawling over Carole’s left knee. “We’re all fine here. You should just forget about us and have a good time.”
    “Okay,” Deborah said, still sounding uncertain. “Well, Max and I just ordered, and I thought I’d check in. Happy New Year.” She said good-bye and hung up.
    Stevie let out a sigh of relief as she hung up the receiver.“There,” she said. “She never needs to know that we kept Maxi up past her bedtime. But we’d better get her settled.” She glanced at her watch. “Phil is due to call in a few minutes.”
    The girls carried the baby into the nursery. Carole carefully lowered her into the crib and checked the sides to be sure they were locked in their upright position.
    “Good night, little Maxi,” Lisa said softly, leaning over to tickle the baby’s plump belly. “Sleep tight. When you wake up, it will be a whole new year.”
    The other two girls said their good-nights as well. Maxi stuck her fingers in her mouth and watched them with wide eyes.
    “She’s so adorable,” Carole whispered. “Come on. We’d better shut the door so that the phone won’t startle her again when Phil calls. We can come up and check on her in a few minutes to make sure she got to sleep.”
    The others nodded and tiptoed out of the room. They left the door ajar just a couple of inches to let in some light from the hall.
    “I’ll turn down the ringer so that it won’t bother her,” Stevie whispered.
    She quickly made the adjustment. Since the girls