the tack room, and Lisa didn’t bother to try to throw him out. “Have courage,” he said to them.
“What?” Carole asked. She’d been so busy thinking about jitterbugging fillies, she had hardly noticed him.
“Have courage,” he said kindly. “You’ll do fine, and it’ll be over in an hour.”
“Were you listening to the last show?” Lisa asked.
“Yep,” he said, “and I’ll be in the office listening to this one. Don’t worry. You’ll be fine.”
“I am worried,” Lisa said as soon as he had gone. “I think this will be miserable.”
“Me too,” said Carole.
“S TEVIE ,” D EBORAH HISSED , coming down the stairs, “how many people did you invite into my living room? The baby is sleeping!” She waved her hands at the group of Pony Clubbers Stevie had rounded up from the stable. “Go on, go away! Back to the horses!”
“Deborah,” Stevie said impatiently, “they’re helping with the call-in show.”
“We’re going to call in,” Corey explained, “so that Lisa and Carole won’t feel all alone.”
Deborah shook her head sympathetically. “I think that’s nice of you, but I can’t let you all stay. Maxi needs her nap. Stevie, you’re it. Everybody else leaves.”
“But Deborah!” Stevie protested in vain. The Pony Clubbers were already filing out the door. Everyone listened to Deborah just the way they listened to Max.
“And you can only make a few calls,” Deborah continued. “I need to use the phone for some work myself. And whatever you do, keep your voice down.”
“Okay,” Stevie promised. She checked her watch.
Horse Talk
was just about to begin. She switched her boom box on low and heard Lisa and Carole’s theme music starting. She dialed the office number.
She got a busy signal. “Oh no!” Stevie whispered.
Over the radio, Stevie heard Carole say, “
Horse Talk
! Who’s calling?”
“This is Andy,” said a voice Stevie didn’t recognize. It definitely wasn’t Chad’s. Stevie felt a surge of hope. Maybe it was a serious caller.
“Hi, Andy, I’m Carole.”
“And I’m Lisa. Do you have a question for us?”
Stevie gritted her teeth. This first question would tell her if Chad and his friends were up to their tricks again.
“Um, yeah, I do. Could you train a horse to climb a tree?”
Stevie pressed her face into one of the pillows on the couch. If she didn’t, she was afraid she would scream loudly enough to wake the baby.
“I don’t think so,” Carole replied calmly. “For one thing, an average horse weighs a thousand pounds. Thank you.” Carole, Stevie realized, had hung up on Andy. Frantically Stevie redialed.
S HE GOT ANOTHER busy signal. The next caller was named Jamie. Jamie asked if horses could be trained to climb really big, strong trees.
The next caller asked if horses could be trained to climb the Eiffel Tower.
“Horses,” Carole said through gritted teeth, “are not squirrels. They do not climb. They jump and run, and that’s about it.”
Lisa gave Carole’s shoulder a sympathetic squeeze. She pressed the button to disconnect the caller. Immediately the phone rang again. Lisa hit the button. “We’re not interested in any more climbing questions,” she said.
“Um, right.” This caller was a girl, and Lisa felt a bit better. Maybe this wasn’t one of Chad’s friends. “My name is Melanie, and my question takes a little bit of explaining,” she said.
“Go ahead, Melanie,” Lisa said encouragingly. She gave Carole a thumbs-up sign. A real caller at last! Carole shook her head warningly.
“Well, okay, so I was listening the other day to the caller who wanted to know if he could get his horse to do all the work, because riding made him so stinky—”
“I remember,” Lisa said dryly.
Carole passed Lisa a note.
What’s the name of Chad’s new girlfriend?
it read.
“Okay, so I was thinking,” the caller continued, “where does the stink come from? I mean, is it just from the exercise, or do horses
“What?” Carole asked. She’d been so busy thinking about jitterbugging fillies, she had hardly noticed him.
“Have courage,” he said kindly. “You’ll do fine, and it’ll be over in an hour.”
“Were you listening to the last show?” Lisa asked.
“Yep,” he said, “and I’ll be in the office listening to this one. Don’t worry. You’ll be fine.”
“I am worried,” Lisa said as soon as he had gone. “I think this will be miserable.”
“Me too,” said Carole.
“S TEVIE ,” D EBORAH HISSED , coming down the stairs, “how many people did you invite into my living room? The baby is sleeping!” She waved her hands at the group of Pony Clubbers Stevie had rounded up from the stable. “Go on, go away! Back to the horses!”
“Deborah,” Stevie said impatiently, “they’re helping with the call-in show.”
“We’re going to call in,” Corey explained, “so that Lisa and Carole won’t feel all alone.”
Deborah shook her head sympathetically. “I think that’s nice of you, but I can’t let you all stay. Maxi needs her nap. Stevie, you’re it. Everybody else leaves.”
“But Deborah!” Stevie protested in vain. The Pony Clubbers were already filing out the door. Everyone listened to Deborah just the way they listened to Max.
“And you can only make a few calls,” Deborah continued. “I need to use the phone for some work myself. And whatever you do, keep your voice down.”
“Okay,” Stevie promised. She checked her watch.
Horse Talk
was just about to begin. She switched her boom box on low and heard Lisa and Carole’s theme music starting. She dialed the office number.
She got a busy signal. “Oh no!” Stevie whispered.
Over the radio, Stevie heard Carole say, “
Horse Talk
! Who’s calling?”
“This is Andy,” said a voice Stevie didn’t recognize. It definitely wasn’t Chad’s. Stevie felt a surge of hope. Maybe it was a serious caller.
“Hi, Andy, I’m Carole.”
“And I’m Lisa. Do you have a question for us?”
Stevie gritted her teeth. This first question would tell her if Chad and his friends were up to their tricks again.
“Um, yeah, I do. Could you train a horse to climb a tree?”
Stevie pressed her face into one of the pillows on the couch. If she didn’t, she was afraid she would scream loudly enough to wake the baby.
“I don’t think so,” Carole replied calmly. “For one thing, an average horse weighs a thousand pounds. Thank you.” Carole, Stevie realized, had hung up on Andy. Frantically Stevie redialed.
S HE GOT ANOTHER busy signal. The next caller was named Jamie. Jamie asked if horses could be trained to climb really big, strong trees.
The next caller asked if horses could be trained to climb the Eiffel Tower.
“Horses,” Carole said through gritted teeth, “are not squirrels. They do not climb. They jump and run, and that’s about it.”
Lisa gave Carole’s shoulder a sympathetic squeeze. She pressed the button to disconnect the caller. Immediately the phone rang again. Lisa hit the button. “We’re not interested in any more climbing questions,” she said.
“Um, right.” This caller was a girl, and Lisa felt a bit better. Maybe this wasn’t one of Chad’s friends. “My name is Melanie, and my question takes a little bit of explaining,” she said.
“Go ahead, Melanie,” Lisa said encouragingly. She gave Carole a thumbs-up sign. A real caller at last! Carole shook her head warningly.
“Well, okay, so I was listening the other day to the caller who wanted to know if he could get his horse to do all the work, because riding made him so stinky—”
“I remember,” Lisa said dryly.
Carole passed Lisa a note.
What’s the name of Chad’s new girlfriend?
it read.
“Okay, so I was thinking,” the caller continued, “where does the stink come from? I mean, is it just from the exercise, or do horses
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