going to be making it look as if I’m doing some of the work and not you. I know this stuff is all old hat—or should I say old bridle, since you’re a horse?—to you, but it’s new to me, and I’m pretty nervous. I can tell you are as cool as a cucumber. Well I’m not.…”
Carole decided that anything Topside could say to put Stevie at ease would be more comforting than anything Carole might say, especially since Carole herself was nervous. She wondered briefly if Topside might have any words of comfort for her. Then she realized it wasn’t words of comfort she needed, but her dandy brush, which she must have left in the van.
She gave Starlight a gentle pat on his rear to move him over and allow her out of the stall. He obliged. She slipped out, fastening the door behind her. She asked both Lisa and Stevie if they needed anything from the van. Both just shook their heads. They were concentrating very hard on grooming their horses. Yes, Carole thought. It is nice being surrounded by friends—even if they don’t know you’re there.
There were a lot of young riders. Carole saw quite a few that looked like beginners who wouldn’t be competing in her class, but she also saw more than ten others who probably were competitors. Then Carole remembered that one of them was Cam Nelson. But which one?
One girl was struggling to groom an ugly little pony.Carole knew that what a horse looked like really didn’t matter, but all the grooming in the world wasn’t going to make that ugly pony a winner. Still, she didn’t think the girl was Cam. The pony was a mare and Cam’s horse was a gelding. Then Carole noticed that the girl had put her horse’s name plaque on the door of the stall. “Grumpy,” it said. Definitely not Cam.
Then Carole spotted another girl who might be Cam. She had long braids, and her horse was a gelding. No, it couldn’t be Cam. She was just too young to be Cam Nelson.
Carole decided this wasn’t really a good time to be looking for Cam. She’d meet her soon enough, and her real job here was collecting her dandy brush and finishing Starlight’s grooming.
She picked up her pace and headed for the lot where the van was parked. It took her only a minute to find the dandy brush. It was exactly where she thought she’d left it. At least something was going right. She hurried back to Starlight.
She got delayed, however, because there was a boy who was bringing his horse out of the stall for a stretch and a walk. The boy was about her age. He was tall with nice features. He had black hair, deep brown eyes, and light brown skin. The fact that he was a good-looking boy wasn’t what she noticed first about him, though. It was his horse that got her attention. The horse, a gleaming chestnut, was just beautiful! He was sleek and elegant and perfectly groomed.
“Nice horse!” she said to the boy in honest admiration. She also made a mental note to herself to be sure to do as good a job on Starlight’s grooming.
“Good old Duffy always looks great for a show. He just loves them,” the boy said.
“Duffy?” Carole said. That was Cam’s horse’s name! What a coincidence. “There’s a girl here with a horse by the same name!” she said.
“Really? How funny,” the boy said. “Who is it?”
“Her name is Cam Nelson,” Carole said.
The boy smiled. “That’s funny, too, because
my
name is Cam Nelson.”
“Cam?”
“Carole?”
She nodded automatically in response, but her mind was racing. A
boy?
How could that be, Carole wondered. She and a
girl
named Cam had been furiously writing notes back and forth, and now Carole had discovered that Cam wasn’t a girl at all. How could she have been so wrong?
Actually, she told herself, what difference did it make? The whole situation was pretty funny. She laughed aloud and offered him her hand.
“Glad to meet you, finally,” she said.
He shook it. “Me, too,” he told her.
“Uh, sorry about the girl thing,” she said. “I just
Carole decided that anything Topside could say to put Stevie at ease would be more comforting than anything Carole might say, especially since Carole herself was nervous. She wondered briefly if Topside might have any words of comfort for her. Then she realized it wasn’t words of comfort she needed, but her dandy brush, which she must have left in the van.
She gave Starlight a gentle pat on his rear to move him over and allow her out of the stall. He obliged. She slipped out, fastening the door behind her. She asked both Lisa and Stevie if they needed anything from the van. Both just shook their heads. They were concentrating very hard on grooming their horses. Yes, Carole thought. It is nice being surrounded by friends—even if they don’t know you’re there.
There were a lot of young riders. Carole saw quite a few that looked like beginners who wouldn’t be competing in her class, but she also saw more than ten others who probably were competitors. Then Carole remembered that one of them was Cam Nelson. But which one?
One girl was struggling to groom an ugly little pony.Carole knew that what a horse looked like really didn’t matter, but all the grooming in the world wasn’t going to make that ugly pony a winner. Still, she didn’t think the girl was Cam. The pony was a mare and Cam’s horse was a gelding. Then Carole noticed that the girl had put her horse’s name plaque on the door of the stall. “Grumpy,” it said. Definitely not Cam.
Then Carole spotted another girl who might be Cam. She had long braids, and her horse was a gelding. No, it couldn’t be Cam. She was just too young to be Cam Nelson.
Carole decided this wasn’t really a good time to be looking for Cam. She’d meet her soon enough, and her real job here was collecting her dandy brush and finishing Starlight’s grooming.
She picked up her pace and headed for the lot where the van was parked. It took her only a minute to find the dandy brush. It was exactly where she thought she’d left it. At least something was going right. She hurried back to Starlight.
She got delayed, however, because there was a boy who was bringing his horse out of the stall for a stretch and a walk. The boy was about her age. He was tall with nice features. He had black hair, deep brown eyes, and light brown skin. The fact that he was a good-looking boy wasn’t what she noticed first about him, though. It was his horse that got her attention. The horse, a gleaming chestnut, was just beautiful! He was sleek and elegant and perfectly groomed.
“Nice horse!” she said to the boy in honest admiration. She also made a mental note to herself to be sure to do as good a job on Starlight’s grooming.
“Good old Duffy always looks great for a show. He just loves them,” the boy said.
“Duffy?” Carole said. That was Cam’s horse’s name! What a coincidence. “There’s a girl here with a horse by the same name!” she said.
“Really? How funny,” the boy said. “Who is it?”
“Her name is Cam Nelson,” Carole said.
The boy smiled. “That’s funny, too, because
my
name is Cam Nelson.”
“Cam?”
“Carole?”
She nodded automatically in response, but her mind was racing. A
boy?
How could that be, Carole wondered. She and a
girl
named Cam had been furiously writing notes back and forth, and now Carole had discovered that Cam wasn’t a girl at all. How could she have been so wrong?
Actually, she told herself, what difference did it make? The whole situation was pretty funny. She laughed aloud and offered him her hand.
“Glad to meet you, finally,” she said.
He shook it. “Me, too,” he told her.
“Uh, sorry about the girl thing,” she said. “I just
Similar Books
