Horse Tale (13 page)

“Sold, to the gentleman in the blue shirt,” Frank said finally. “I don’t have a gavel, but that’s official, folks.”

John led Amigo back down the ramp. The Appaloosa’s new owner made his way through the crowd to meet them. From her position behind the platform, Lisa watched them for a moment, pleased with the way the sale had turned out.

But soon her attention returned to the action in front of her. Walter had just led Ellie onto the platform.

“Hi, there, you two,” came a voice from behind her. Lisa and Kate turned to see Stevie grinning at them. Carole and Christine were with her.

“Is it our turn at the food booth already?” Lisa asked, a little disappointed.

“No way,” Carole assured her. “Christine’s parents brought her over. As soon as they got here, they insisted on filling in for us so we could come over and join you.”

Meanwhile Frank had started his spiel. “Ellie here is a mare, about ten years old,” he said. “She’s well trained and obedient.”

Stevie reached over and tugged at the cuff of Frank’s jeans. When he leaned over, she whispered in his ear. He nodded and stood up again.

“One of my expert helpers has just told me that Ellie is very gentle and patient,” he said. “She’s a good, steady
horse, and as you can see, she’s on the small side. For all those reasons she would be ideal as a first horse for kids.”

In the audience Stevie spotted Lucy and Nina. They were both jumping up and down eagerly, hanging on to their father’s hands. “That’s the one, Daddy!” Lucy cried loudly. “That’s Ellie, she’s ours!”

A ripple of laughter ran through the audience. Everyone had heard the little girl. When her father finally pulled his hand free to bid, nobody bid against him. Stevie smiled. She wasn’t surprised that nobody dared to bid on the mare after hearing Lucy’s comment!

“Sold,” Frank announced after waiting a moment. He smiled down at Lucy and Nina. “To the two young ladies in the front row.”

“I’m glad Ellie came out early,” Stevie told her friends. “Now those girls can relax and enjoy the rest of the auction knowing that they’ve already got their dream horse!”

The others nodded. But there was no time to discuss it further; John was already leading the next horse onto the ramp.

One horse after another was auctioned off. The girls thought that the amount of money people were bidding was just about perfect. The prices were high enough that the Devines would make a terrific profit from the auction, but low enough that people could feel they’d gotten a bargain on a well-trained animal.

Another thing that seemed even more perfect to The Saddle Club was that the horses seemed to be getting
matched up with appropriate owners. They watched as a woman whom Kate recognized as an outstanding local horsewoman bought Goldie, the spirited palomino. And they nodded in satisfaction when the same woman bought Road Map for her young daughter.

“Even though she’s only eight, and small for her age, she’s practically an expert rider already,” Kate told the others. “You should see her ride. Road Map will be perfect for her.”

A little later Rocky went to a wrangler who worked at a nearby ranch. Then it was Midnight’s turn.

“Now, my helpers tell me this horse is very special,” Frank told the audience. “He needs someone who will appreciate his, uh, special sense of humor. And he needs a good rider who can handle him—he’s pretty frisky.”

Several people bid on him, but Midnight ended up going to a teenage boy. Stevie had noticed the boy examining Midnight earlier. “Do you know him?” she asked Kate.

“I recognize him,” she replied. “He goes to my school. His name is Mac. He’s a senior, and he’s pretty well-known around school for two reasons. The first is that he’s quite a good calf roper. He’s taken some prizes in local rodeos.”

“What’s the other reason?” Carole asked.

Kate grinned. “He’s even more famous—or should I say infamous—for being the class clown.”

“Perfect!” Stevie exclaimed happily. She looked at Midnight’s new owner with greater respect.

As the day went on, things continued in pretty much the same fashion. Every horse seemed custom-made for the rider
who bought it—although the girls preferred to think of things the other way around! Finally the last horse, Lucky, was led onto the platform. Frank described the gelding’s qualities, including Kate’s recommendation that he be considered for English show riding. Half a dozen people bid on him, but in the end a tall, middle-aged man dressed in a suit and tie bought him.

“He doesn’t look much like a show rider,” Stevie said, a little disappointed. Lucky was a terrific horse, and he deserved a rider who would appreciate him.

“He’s not,” Kate said. “But he is the person I was thinking of when I said I knew who should buy Lucky.”

“What do you mean?” Lisa asked.

“He’s an agent for a stable back East,” Kate explained. “I was talking to one of my old trainers. He happened to be looking around for a couple of new horses, and when I told him about Lucky, he decided to send that man out here to look at him and maybe buy him.” She nodded at the man, who was stroking Lucky while talking to Walter. “He may not look much like a rider, but he knows what he’s doing.”

“What a relief,” Carole said. “I thought our perfect record was going to be broken.”

“We have managed to match up horses and riders pretty well, haven’t we?” said Lisa.

Kate nodded. “But the important thing about that isn’t our record. It’s the fact that the horses
and
their new owners will be happy and able to get the best out of each other.”

“That’s true,” Stevie agreed. She thought about Lucy and
Nina and what a perfect teacher Ellie would be for them—and what loving owners they would be to her. She thought about Midnight, whose abilities
and
sense of humor seemed perfectly matched to his owner’s. She thought about Lucky, who would be going East where his talents could be put to their best use. And then she thought about herself and Stewball. Were they as good a match?

Stevie remained deep in thought as she and her friends went to help Frank and Phyllis wrap things up.

A
S THE GIRLS
were helping John fold and stack the chairs, a horse van pulled into the driveway. Frank hurried over. “Stevie, there’s the van that’s going to be taking the horses out East. You’d better go out and round up Stewball; we’re going to start loading right now.”

Stevie bit her lip. There was a long pause. “That’s okay, Frank,” she said quietly at last. “I changed my mind. I’m leaving him here.”

Stevie’s voice was so low that the others weren’t sure they’d heard her correctly. “What do you mean, leaving him here?” Carole demanded.

“If I don’t ship him now, it could be a while before I can arrange to get him out to you,” Frank said.

“I’ve decided not to buy him at all,” Stevie said. “I’m sorry I waited until the last minute to tell you, and I hope that doesn’t cause any problems for you, but I’m not taking him.”

“That’s no problem for me,” Frank said. “Stewball is a
good worker and we’d be happy to keep him. But what made you change your mind?”

Stevie thought for a second. She had just figured the whole thing out herself, and she wanted to be sure to explain it so the others would understand, too. “Stewball belongs here at The Bar None,” she explained. “He should spend the rest of his life doing what he does best, cutting and herding. And he should be rewarded for his hard work by being able to do what he loves best, playing with the rest of his herd out on the range.”

“Well, I can’t say I’m not surprised,” Frank said, rubbing his chin. “I really thought you had your heart set on having him. But I can certainly understand your reasoning. So Stewball stays.” He nodded and then left to help Walter load the Eastern-bound horses onto the van.

Carole, Lisa, Christine, and Kate were speechless for a moment, still trying to take in what had just happened. John did not have the same problem, however.

“Congratulations, Stevie,” he said. “I’m glad you finally came to your senses.”

Stevie frowned and seemed about to take offense at the comment. But then she shrugged and relaxed. “I guess you were right all along,” she said. “It took me a while to realize that even though Stewball is perfect for me to ride when I’m here, he might not be perfect for me to take back to Virginia.”

“I think you made the right decision, Stevie,” Kate told her. The other girls nodded.

“Thanks, you guys,” Stevie said, looking a little sad. She folded the last two chairs and added them to the stack against the barn wall. A truck would be coming to pick them up soon. “I guess we’re finished here. The auction is really over.”

“That’s right,” John said. He brushed off his hands. “I’ll be in the barn if anybody needs me.” He walked away toward the barn door. Lisa thought he might have realized that Stevie needed to be alone with her friends for a minute, and she thought again how sensitive he could be sometimes.

Carole put an arm around Stevie’s shoulder. “Are you sure you’re okay with this? I know how much you were looking forward to owning Stewball.”

“I think so,” Stevie said. “It was hard, but I’m pretty sure I made the right decision. All day I’ve been watching people choose horses who are suited to their personalities
and
their needs, and I’ve been thinking about that. Those two little girls started me thinking about it when they decided they wanted Ellie. That gelding, Midnight, made me think about it more when I worried that he might not go to an owner who would really appreciate everything about him. And then when I saw that Lucky—who really will make a wonderful show horse—was going East where he belonged, I knew what I had to do. Lucky belongs there, but Stewball belongs here. He
needs
to be here to be happy.”

The others were silent for a moment. There was nothing more to say on the subject right then, and they all knew it. Finally Lisa spoke. “I can hardly believe our visit is just
about over.” They were scheduled to leave early the next morning.

“I know,” Stevie agreed. “So much has happened on this trip.”

“Isn’t that how it always is when you three come out here?” Kate teased. “Even if nothing is happening at all, you manage to stir things up.”

They all laughed. “I guess that’s true,” Carole admitted. “But you can’t say we’re not fun!”

“True,” Kate said. “So what fun thing do we want to do now? We’ve got an hour or so before dinner.”

“I’d better say my good-byes now,” Christine said. “I imagine my parents are about ready to go.” She hugged the three Eastern girls, promising to write. Then she hurried off to find her parents.

“I’m going to go out and find the herd,” Stevie told the others. “I want to say good-bye to Stewball. I may not have time in the morning.”

Her friends watched her go. Then Carole turned to Kate. “You know who I’d like to say good-bye to?”

“Moon Glow and Felix?” Kate guessed.

“Bingo!” Carole replied with a smile. She turned to Lisa. “Want to come along?”

“Uh, I might be over in a few minutes,” Lisa said. “I have something else to do first.” She’d been hoping to find a chance to say good-bye to John in private. It was strange to think that the next day they would be thousands of miles apart.

John looked up as Lisa entered the saddle storage area. “Hi, there,” he greeted her, his smile warm and welcoming. He hung up the bridle he was holding. Then he grabbed Lisa by the hand and gently pulled her over to a large trunk. They sat down on it side by side, so close their knees were touching. “I was afraid I wouldn’t see you again before you left.”

“Well, here I am,” Lisa replied with a smile. “I didn’t want to go without saying good-bye.”

“I’m glad.” John smiled down at her. He was still holding her hand.

Lisa took a deep breath. “Listen, John, we should keep in touch after I go home,” she began hurriedly. “It will be hard to stay friends from such a distance, but we can write to each other. And I’m sure I’ll visit The Bar None again before long—”

“Lisa,” John interrupted her gently. “I don’t know if we should try so hard. I mean, I’ve really liked spending time with you, and I hope you do come back here again real soon. I’ve never met anybody like you, and I’ve never met anybody I’ve liked as much.”

“Same here,” Lisa said quietly, looking down at her hand clasped in his.

“What we’ve got is a really nice, really special friendship,” John continued. “We shouldn’t mess it up with a lot of promises that might be hard to keep.”

Lisa bit her lip and nodded. Even though what John was
saying made her sad, it also made a lot of sense. “I guess you’re right,” she admitted. “I guess it would be hard to, well, you know …”

“I know,” John said. He leaned forward, and Lisa closed her eyes for one last kiss.

“I
T
’
S LIKE WE
never left,” Stevie groaned, leaning on her pitchfork.

“Well, not quite,” Carole said with a smile.

Stevie, Carole, and Lisa were back at Pine Hollow once again. And once again they were mucking out stalls in the summer heat. The difference was that this time they were in a much better mood.