Read Online Purebred by Bonnie Bryant - Free Book Online Page A

guys. Tell Carole I said hi, okay? Tell her I’m sorry she wasn’t here.”
    “We will,” Lisa promised. “I know she was sorry not tosee you.” She watched as Karenna followed Meg and Betsy into the tack room. “She did forget about the party,” Lisa said.
    “Then we’ll do just as well without her,” said Stevie. “No use trying to make her stay.” As she spoke, Karenna came out of the tack room carrying Carole’s saddle and bridle. She disappeared into Starlight’s stall.
    Lisa stared. “She’s not riding Starlight, is she?” She couldn’t believe that Karenna would do such a thing without telling them!
    “Max must have said she could.” Stevie sounded doubtful. “He said they could go on the trail ride, and he would have told them which horses to take. Besides, Karenna’s not foolish. She wouldn’t take Starlight out without Max’s permission.”
    “I don’t know if we should let her,” Lisa argued. “We’re supposed to be taking care of Starlight. If anything happens to him it’ll be our fault.”
    “On the other hand,” Stevie argued back, “she is Carole’s friend, and we know she’s a good rider. I agree with what you think, but Max must have said it was okay.”
    “Yeah.” Lisa paused. “I still don’t like it.”
    “Me either,” Stevie sighed. “I guess it’s time to start the party, not that it feels like much of a party. The problem is, since Karenna is Carole’s friend, we’ve been hoping she would be like Carole, and she’s not. What we need, really, is Carole herself.”
    Lisa nodded. There was nothing she could say to that. They opened Prancer’s stall door, and the beautiful mare came toward them, her ears pricked forward. She always seemed glad to see the girls.
    “Happy Birthday to you,” they began to sing.
    When they were finished, Lisa offered the Thoroughbred a carrot, and Stevie gave her an enthusiastic hug. Prancer ate the carrot delicately. Then Stevie gave her an apple, which she ate in several bites, and Lisa put her arms around the mare’s neck.
    “Happy Birthday, you beautiful darling,” Lisa murmured into Prancer’s ear. She had always loved Prancer, and she hoped to ride her well—and in horse shows—someday. Lisa knew that both she and Prancer needed a little more training before that would be possible. Green horses and green riders were always a bad combination. Prancer had been a racehorse only a short time ago, and Lisa, though she rode a great deal now, had not been doing it very long and her relative inexperience sometimes showed. Still, Lisa felt they would make a good team when they were both ready. “In a year or two, darling,” she promised Prancer, and hugged her again.
    They moved down the aisle to Topside, the champion Thoroughbred that Stevie had always ridden until she got No-Name a few weeks ago. They sang “Happy Birthday” to Topside, and offered him treats and hugs.
    “Do you think he misses me?” Stevie asked. She rubbedhis neck affectionately. “He’s a great horse, and he taught me a lot about riding. I do miss him, but I’d rather be riding my own horse than any other horse in the world.”
    Lisa nodded. Though she didn’t have her own horse, she could imagine how it must feel. “I’m sure he’s fine,” she said to Stevie. “He might miss you, but other people have always ridden him, too, and soon Max will find someone like you to ride him most of the time. He didn’t seem to miss Dorothy too much when he first got here, did he?” Dorothy DeSoto, a former championship rider, had owned and ridden Topside until an accident had ended her competitive career. Dorothy was a great friend to all the girls.
    “He didn’t seem unhappy. He’s always seemed to like Pine Hollow.”
    “He’s still at Pine Hollow, so he should still be happy. Don’t worry, Stevie. I’m sure Dorothy didn’t worry when she sold Topside to Max. Besides, you can come visit him whenever you want. All you have to do is walk down