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Authors: Bonnie Bryant
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filled him in on Henrietta Kingsley. “The worst thing is that the Kingsleys said they would definitely buy Garnet unless she failed the vet check, which, of course, she won’t.” Carole stopped talking as the realization hit her again: It was just a matter of time before Henrietta got Garnet, unless The Saddle Club could intervene. She told Cam what she was thinking.
“A matter of time?” Cam repeated.
Carole nodded glumly.
“Listen, Carole.… ” Cam paused awkwardly and looked at Carole. “I—I hate to say this, but I have to tell you about something else that’s kind of a matter of time, too.”
Carole frowned. Cam was not making much sense. “What do you mean?” she asked.
All in a rush, Cam blurted out, “My dad got a promotion and we’re moving!”
Carole didn’t know what to say. “You are? Where? When?” she asked, hoping her voice didn’t sound as shocked as she felt.
“Yeah, Dad got transferred to California, and we’re leaving for Los Angeles as soon as the sale on our house goes through,” Cam said quietly.
“But what about Duffy?” Carole asked.
Cam half smiled. “I’m glad you asked. That’s the only good part. Duffy’s coming with us, and I’ll be able to keep him at the Los Angeles Equestrian Center. It’s a fantastic place to train, and I’ll be able to ride in great weather all year round. So I’m glad about that.”
“That’s super,” Carole said enthusiastically. Then she stopped and looked down at her hands, not knowing what to add.
“That part is super,” Cam agreed. “But the thing is, I’ll really miss Virginia, and especially you, Carole. I feel like I was just getting to know you. I wanted to see you in person today because I didn’t want to tell you over the phone, but—but we’re leaving next week. I’m not sure I’ll be able to see you again.”
Carole was stunned. Her head seemed to be reeling. She knew that she and Cam had never really been girlfriend and boyfriend, so why did his news hurt her so much? The simple truth was that she really liked Cam—she liked being around him. Now she would never get a chance to get to know him better. Looking up at him, Carole kept a brave face. There was nothing else she could do.
C AROLE WAS STILL brooding over Cam’s news when she arrived at Pine Hollow the next day for the Tuesday-afternoon lesson. She couldn’t believe she wasn’t going to be meeting him for trail rides or running into him at shows and Pony Club events in the spring. While she groomed Starlight, she kept going over the conversation at TD’s. It had been great to hear Cam say he was going to miss her, but terrible that he would have to miss her in the first place!
As Carole put down her currycomb and picked up a body brush, Stevie and Lisa descended upon her and Starlight.“Carole, guess what! Somebody else is coming to look at Garnet after the lesson!” Lisa announced.
“And this time she sounds normal. I talked to her myself over the phone,” said Stevie.
“Yeah, she’s supposed to be very experienced,” Lisa added.
“That’s great,” Carole said, trying to sound enthusiastic. It wasn’t fair to Lisa and Stevie for her to lose interest in The Saddle Club project. And anyway, she needed some good news. “But, wait, what about …?” Carole paused, raising her eyebrows at Veronica, who was talking to a man down the aisle.
“Oh, that’s all taken care of,” Lisa explained. “She said if we wanted to do her dirty work, we were welcome to it.”
“She calls selling her old horse ‘dirty work’?” Carole asked, shaking her head disapprovingly. Even though they all knew how bad Veronica could be, sometimes she still said things they could hardly believe.
Lisa nodded. “Her words exactly. And she said it was probably a waste of time because she was sure the Kingsleys would be sending a vet to check Garnet any moment.”
“Who’s she talking to, anyway?” Stevie asked.
Lisa shrugged. “Search me. But I
“A matter of time?” Cam repeated.
Carole nodded glumly.
“Listen, Carole.… ” Cam paused awkwardly and looked at Carole. “I—I hate to say this, but I have to tell you about something else that’s kind of a matter of time, too.”
Carole frowned. Cam was not making much sense. “What do you mean?” she asked.
All in a rush, Cam blurted out, “My dad got a promotion and we’re moving!”
Carole didn’t know what to say. “You are? Where? When?” she asked, hoping her voice didn’t sound as shocked as she felt.
“Yeah, Dad got transferred to California, and we’re leaving for Los Angeles as soon as the sale on our house goes through,” Cam said quietly.
“But what about Duffy?” Carole asked.
Cam half smiled. “I’m glad you asked. That’s the only good part. Duffy’s coming with us, and I’ll be able to keep him at the Los Angeles Equestrian Center. It’s a fantastic place to train, and I’ll be able to ride in great weather all year round. So I’m glad about that.”
“That’s super,” Carole said enthusiastically. Then she stopped and looked down at her hands, not knowing what to add.
“That part is super,” Cam agreed. “But the thing is, I’ll really miss Virginia, and especially you, Carole. I feel like I was just getting to know you. I wanted to see you in person today because I didn’t want to tell you over the phone, but—but we’re leaving next week. I’m not sure I’ll be able to see you again.”
Carole was stunned. Her head seemed to be reeling. She knew that she and Cam had never really been girlfriend and boyfriend, so why did his news hurt her so much? The simple truth was that she really liked Cam—she liked being around him. Now she would never get a chance to get to know him better. Looking up at him, Carole kept a brave face. There was nothing else she could do.
C AROLE WAS STILL brooding over Cam’s news when she arrived at Pine Hollow the next day for the Tuesday-afternoon lesson. She couldn’t believe she wasn’t going to be meeting him for trail rides or running into him at shows and Pony Club events in the spring. While she groomed Starlight, she kept going over the conversation at TD’s. It had been great to hear Cam say he was going to miss her, but terrible that he would have to miss her in the first place!
As Carole put down her currycomb and picked up a body brush, Stevie and Lisa descended upon her and Starlight.“Carole, guess what! Somebody else is coming to look at Garnet after the lesson!” Lisa announced.
“And this time she sounds normal. I talked to her myself over the phone,” said Stevie.
“Yeah, she’s supposed to be very experienced,” Lisa added.
“That’s great,” Carole said, trying to sound enthusiastic. It wasn’t fair to Lisa and Stevie for her to lose interest in The Saddle Club project. And anyway, she needed some good news. “But, wait, what about …?” Carole paused, raising her eyebrows at Veronica, who was talking to a man down the aisle.
“Oh, that’s all taken care of,” Lisa explained. “She said if we wanted to do her dirty work, we were welcome to it.”
“She calls selling her old horse ‘dirty work’?” Carole asked, shaking her head disapprovingly. Even though they all knew how bad Veronica could be, sometimes she still said things they could hardly believe.
Lisa nodded. “Her words exactly. And she said it was probably a waste of time because she was sure the Kingsleys would be sending a vet to check Garnet any moment.”
“Who’s she talking to, anyway?” Stevie asked.
Lisa shrugged. “Search me. But I
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