Gone. Over!” She ran from the room.
“What did I say?” Carole asked Louise. She was astonished at Jessie’s reaction to her simple question.
“I told you not to talk about New York in front of Aunt Jessie,” Louise said harshly. Looking worried, she ran after her aunt.
Carole sat back down, feeling embarrassed. She hadn’t meant to upset Aunt Jessie, but she couldn’t imagine why the mere mention of the words
New York
was enough to sether off like that. Then she remembered the man and child with Jessie in the picture. Could they be Jessie’s husband and daughter? Could Jessie have abandoned them in New York?
Just like Jackson Foley had abandoned his family?
A T THE UNMOUNTED Horse Wise meeting at Pine Hollow the next day, Karenna showed up with Betsy and Meg just as Max called the room to order. She waved to Stevie and Lisa, but she sat down with Betsy and Meg, and she seemed to be having a great time. The three of them whispered and giggled throughout May Grover’s entire presentation on winter stable management.
Finally the girls’ chattering attracted Max’s attention. “Meg, do you and Betsy have something you wish to share with the group?” he asked in a stern voice. He didn’t single out Karenna, but his glare included her. Max hated it when students talked during lessons or Horse Wise meetings. May looked indignant too.
“No, no, I don’t think I do,” said Meg. Stevie thoughtMeg looked as if she were having trouble keeping a straight face. She wondered what the joke was.
“Perhaps you and Betsy can present a topic at our next meeting,” Max suggested. “Let’s see … Stall Cleaning and its Role in Parasite Control.” He wrote it down in his pocket calendar. “January thirteenth, okay?”
This time Meg barely suppressed her groan. “Uh, sure, Max,” she mumbled. “Sorry if we bothered you, May.” They quieted down, but a few minutes later Stevie saw them giggling again.
“I wonder what’s so funny,” she whispered to Lisa.
“I don’t know, but I wish I knew,” Lisa answered. “It doesn’t seem right that Karenna is spending so much time with Meg and Betsy, does it?”
Stevie shook her head. “If she’s Carole’s friend, she ought to be sitting with us. If she’s got a good joke to tell, she should be telling it to us.”
Lisa agreed, but figured they could ask Karenna about it after the Pony Club meeting, when they all met for Prancer’s birthday party.
When the meeting was over, however, she couldn’t find Karenna anywhere. Lisa had stepped into the locker room for a moment and when she came out Karenna was gone. Exasperated, she gave up and went to meet Stevie outside Prancer’s stall.
They had not managed to come up with a very interesting plan for the birthday party—even Stevie’s famous brainhad had to admit defeat. The carrot cake idea had failed, because neither of their mothers would let them attempt to make one, and the cakes in the bakery cost too much. Instead, they had just brought a lot of apples, carrots, and other treats to give to the Thoroughbreds.
“That’s an
awful
lot of carrots,” Lisa said as she sat down on a hay bale next to Stevie. “Do you think Prancer can eat that many?”
Stevie grinned. “The ten-pound bags were on sale. Besides, I think Prancer would say that there’s no such thing as too many carrots.”
Lisa agreed. “I couldn’t find Karenna. We’ll just have to wait for her.”
They waited and waited. Finally Karenna ran up to them breathless, with Meg and Betsy in tow. “We’re going on a trail ride; Max said we could,” she said. “Do you two want to come?”
“I don’t think so,” Lisa said indignantly. “We’ve got Prancer’s—”
“No, thank you,” Stevie cut in. She gave Lisa a warning look and Lisa understood and was quiet. If Karenna had forgotten about the party, they weren’t going to remind her.
Karenna shrugged. “Okay. Guess I’ll see you later. Anyway, it was nice meeting you
“What did I say?” Carole asked Louise. She was astonished at Jessie’s reaction to her simple question.
“I told you not to talk about New York in front of Aunt Jessie,” Louise said harshly. Looking worried, she ran after her aunt.
Carole sat back down, feeling embarrassed. She hadn’t meant to upset Aunt Jessie, but she couldn’t imagine why the mere mention of the words
New York
was enough to sether off like that. Then she remembered the man and child with Jessie in the picture. Could they be Jessie’s husband and daughter? Could Jessie have abandoned them in New York?
Just like Jackson Foley had abandoned his family?
A T THE UNMOUNTED Horse Wise meeting at Pine Hollow the next day, Karenna showed up with Betsy and Meg just as Max called the room to order. She waved to Stevie and Lisa, but she sat down with Betsy and Meg, and she seemed to be having a great time. The three of them whispered and giggled throughout May Grover’s entire presentation on winter stable management.
Finally the girls’ chattering attracted Max’s attention. “Meg, do you and Betsy have something you wish to share with the group?” he asked in a stern voice. He didn’t single out Karenna, but his glare included her. Max hated it when students talked during lessons or Horse Wise meetings. May looked indignant too.
“No, no, I don’t think I do,” said Meg. Stevie thoughtMeg looked as if she were having trouble keeping a straight face. She wondered what the joke was.
“Perhaps you and Betsy can present a topic at our next meeting,” Max suggested. “Let’s see … Stall Cleaning and its Role in Parasite Control.” He wrote it down in his pocket calendar. “January thirteenth, okay?”
This time Meg barely suppressed her groan. “Uh, sure, Max,” she mumbled. “Sorry if we bothered you, May.” They quieted down, but a few minutes later Stevie saw them giggling again.
“I wonder what’s so funny,” she whispered to Lisa.
“I don’t know, but I wish I knew,” Lisa answered. “It doesn’t seem right that Karenna is spending so much time with Meg and Betsy, does it?”
Stevie shook her head. “If she’s Carole’s friend, she ought to be sitting with us. If she’s got a good joke to tell, she should be telling it to us.”
Lisa agreed, but figured they could ask Karenna about it after the Pony Club meeting, when they all met for Prancer’s birthday party.
When the meeting was over, however, she couldn’t find Karenna anywhere. Lisa had stepped into the locker room for a moment and when she came out Karenna was gone. Exasperated, she gave up and went to meet Stevie outside Prancer’s stall.
They had not managed to come up with a very interesting plan for the birthday party—even Stevie’s famous brainhad had to admit defeat. The carrot cake idea had failed, because neither of their mothers would let them attempt to make one, and the cakes in the bakery cost too much. Instead, they had just brought a lot of apples, carrots, and other treats to give to the Thoroughbreds.
“That’s an
awful
lot of carrots,” Lisa said as she sat down on a hay bale next to Stevie. “Do you think Prancer can eat that many?”
Stevie grinned. “The ten-pound bags were on sale. Besides, I think Prancer would say that there’s no such thing as too many carrots.”
Lisa agreed. “I couldn’t find Karenna. We’ll just have to wait for her.”
They waited and waited. Finally Karenna ran up to them breathless, with Meg and Betsy in tow. “We’re going on a trail ride; Max said we could,” she said. “Do you two want to come?”
“I don’t think so,” Lisa said indignantly. “We’ve got Prancer’s—”
“No, thank you,” Stevie cut in. She gave Lisa a warning look and Lisa understood and was quiet. If Karenna had forgotten about the party, they weren’t going to remind her.
Karenna shrugged. “Okay. Guess I’ll see you later. Anyway, it was nice meeting you
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