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Authors: Bonnie Bryant
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all done showing off for today?” She glared at Stevie, still unable to forgive her for the turn on the forehand she’d performed for the judges yesterday.
“Well, yes,” Stevie replied just as sweetly, and just as insincerely. “And are you all done with your furious tantrums—or have you given up on them now that Mumsy and Daddykins are out of town and can’t hear them?”
A puzzled look crossed Veronica’s face. “How did you know that?” she asked.
Carole thought that was a tricky question. They couldn’t reveal that they’d called Veronica because there would have been no reasonable excuse for them to have done so. Veronica would smell a rat for sure. Carole was concerned that Stevie was skating pretty close to the edge of trouble. But Stevie had the answer.
“We know everything,” she said simply. “We even know that your housekeeper was worried about you when you left the house this morning and didn’t say where you were going.”
That was the distraction Veronica needed. “Oh, that busybody!” she declared. Even from Veronica that seemed extreme, Carole thought. After all, the housekeeper was supposed to be in charge of Veronica while her parents were away. “She must have called Pine Hollow to see if I was there—as if I would be after my horse messed up so badly yesterday. Well, it serves her right if she was worried. All I did was leave the house early to do a little shopping.”
Then, she turned on her heel and strode away. While The Saddle Club watched, Veronica glanced around TD’s looking to see if any of her clique were there. They were not. She then spurned the hostess’s offer of a menu and stormed out of the place.
“Shopping?” Stevie said. “That girl has an infinite capacity to amaze me.”
“Now I understand the new hairdo,” Lisa said.
“You do?” Carole asked.
“Sure, see, her mother has a charge account at the jewelry store here at the shopping center. I don’t know where else she was today, but while Mumsy and Daddykins are away, the little mouse was playing—among the jewels. Did you notice her new earrings?”
“I must confess that I never notice anything about Veronica except how much I dislike her,” Stevie said. “And every time I have to talk to her, I just get all wound up in trying to be snootier than she is. Anyway, no, I didn’t notice her earrings.”
“I did,” Carole said. “They were garnets, weren’t they?”
“Yes,” Lisa said.
“And I suspect she didn’t buy garnets because they reminded her of her beautiful horse. I suspect she bought them because she thought the color of the stones would match the color of the horse.”
“Now, that’s what I call accessorizing!” Stevie joked.
“I bet it’s what Veronica calls accessorizing, too,” Carole said. “Only, in her case, she’s not joking about it.”
“Chocolate mint chip?” the waitress asked.
“That’s me,” Lisa told her.
“Hot fudge—” she put the dish in front of Carole—“and the plain vanilla,” she said, slipping that dish in front of Stevie.
Stevie looked at it, puzzled. “You forgot something, didn’t you?” she asked.
“That’s what you ordered,” the woman said patiently.
“I know I did,” Stevie said. “But I also wanted a scoop of pistachio and some of the blueberry topping and if you could put some pineapple topping on the vanilla …”
Stevie stopped talking because the woman was running away. She shook her head. “Funny place, this. They never want to give you what you really want.” Then she picked up her spoon and began eating plain vanilla.
C AROLE , L ISA , AND Stevie stood at the entrance to the ring and stared in disbelief.
“We’re actually going to have to jump all of those, in order?” Lisa said.
Carole nodded. While they watched, Max, Mrs. Reg, Donald, and Red O’Malley set up the jumps for the junior stadium event. There were eight jumps, but that included eleven obstacles because one of the jumps was a
“Well, yes,” Stevie replied just as sweetly, and just as insincerely. “And are you all done with your furious tantrums—or have you given up on them now that Mumsy and Daddykins are out of town and can’t hear them?”
A puzzled look crossed Veronica’s face. “How did you know that?” she asked.
Carole thought that was a tricky question. They couldn’t reveal that they’d called Veronica because there would have been no reasonable excuse for them to have done so. Veronica would smell a rat for sure. Carole was concerned that Stevie was skating pretty close to the edge of trouble. But Stevie had the answer.
“We know everything,” she said simply. “We even know that your housekeeper was worried about you when you left the house this morning and didn’t say where you were going.”
That was the distraction Veronica needed. “Oh, that busybody!” she declared. Even from Veronica that seemed extreme, Carole thought. After all, the housekeeper was supposed to be in charge of Veronica while her parents were away. “She must have called Pine Hollow to see if I was there—as if I would be after my horse messed up so badly yesterday. Well, it serves her right if she was worried. All I did was leave the house early to do a little shopping.”
Then, she turned on her heel and strode away. While The Saddle Club watched, Veronica glanced around TD’s looking to see if any of her clique were there. They were not. She then spurned the hostess’s offer of a menu and stormed out of the place.
“Shopping?” Stevie said. “That girl has an infinite capacity to amaze me.”
“Now I understand the new hairdo,” Lisa said.
“You do?” Carole asked.
“Sure, see, her mother has a charge account at the jewelry store here at the shopping center. I don’t know where else she was today, but while Mumsy and Daddykins are away, the little mouse was playing—among the jewels. Did you notice her new earrings?”
“I must confess that I never notice anything about Veronica except how much I dislike her,” Stevie said. “And every time I have to talk to her, I just get all wound up in trying to be snootier than she is. Anyway, no, I didn’t notice her earrings.”
“I did,” Carole said. “They were garnets, weren’t they?”
“Yes,” Lisa said.
“And I suspect she didn’t buy garnets because they reminded her of her beautiful horse. I suspect she bought them because she thought the color of the stones would match the color of the horse.”
“Now, that’s what I call accessorizing!” Stevie joked.
“I bet it’s what Veronica calls accessorizing, too,” Carole said. “Only, in her case, she’s not joking about it.”
“Chocolate mint chip?” the waitress asked.
“That’s me,” Lisa told her.
“Hot fudge—” she put the dish in front of Carole—“and the plain vanilla,” she said, slipping that dish in front of Stevie.
Stevie looked at it, puzzled. “You forgot something, didn’t you?” she asked.
“That’s what you ordered,” the woman said patiently.
“I know I did,” Stevie said. “But I also wanted a scoop of pistachio and some of the blueberry topping and if you could put some pineapple topping on the vanilla …”
Stevie stopped talking because the woman was running away. She shook her head. “Funny place, this. They never want to give you what you really want.” Then she picked up her spoon and began eating plain vanilla.
C AROLE , L ISA , AND Stevie stood at the entrance to the ring and stared in disbelief.
“We’re actually going to have to jump all of those, in order?” Lisa said.
Carole nodded. While they watched, Max, Mrs. Reg, Donald, and Red O’Malley set up the jumps for the junior stadium event. There were eight jumps, but that included eleven obstacles because one of the jumps was a
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