Show Jumper (9 page)

“Yes, well,” said Veronica, smiling. “You’ve certainly had a distinguished riding career. Now that you’re not a member of the USET, I bet you’re doing even more interesting things. Are you training horses? Teaching riding? Mmm, are you judging big events … like this one?”

Stevie telegraphed a knowing message with her eyes and eyebrows to Carole and Lisa, and they nodded in agreement. Veronica thought Jock was one of the judges for the Macrae! And as such she was buttering him up, hoping to win his good will. It was enough to make anyone sick to their stomach.

Jock, however, also seemed to grasp what Veronica was hinting at. He answered, with a twinkle in his eye, “Oh, I’ve been doing this and that. But no, I’m not judging the Macrae. I was asked, but I’m here on another mission.”

Veronica’s face fell. “Oh, you’re not? Too bad. Well, Max and Mrs. Reg,” she addressed them brightly, “I simply must get back to the hotel. Mummy rented a suite for us, and I’m sure she’s going mad with worry over where I must be! We’re going to eat in a four-star restaurant, you know.”

“Sorry you won’t be joining us for dinner, Veronica,” said Mrs. Reg. “Maybe another time.”

Veronica hastily departed, and The Saddle Club exploded in laughter. Max looked bewildered by the outburst, but Mrs. Reg and Jock grinned in understanding. “Guess I disappointed her by not being a judge,” Jock said, shaking his head. “Things never change, do they? In my time on the junior jumping circuit, I remember meeting a few Veronicas here and there.”

“Yes, we’ve already met our share,” said Stevie, making a face.

“Not everyone’s like that,” Jock said. “Horse people are still my favorite people in the world. Can’t get enough of the show circuit.”

Out of curiosity, Carole asked, “What
is
your mission here. Are you just checking out the scene?”

“Well, yes and no,” he answered. “I’m here as sort of an unofficial talent scout for the USET. I’m still in close touch with all the members, and they’re really on the lookout for new talent.”

Stevie promptly raised her hand. “That’s me!” she said. “Where do I sign up?”

Jock laughed. “You know as well as I do that you have to work your way up through the show ranks,” he said. “But it seems like you’ve got a pretty good start on that. No, I’m on the lookout for equine talent—for any promising horses that the USET can train for its team.”

Max looked at his watch. “It’s almost six o’clock!” he exclaimed. “We’ve got to rest up for tomorrow. But
first, does anyone want to watch the elimination round of the Grand Prix event?”

Carole was the only one who mumbled tiredly in response, “Sure, Max.” Lisa was resting against the van with her eyes closed, looking exhausted, and Stevie was clutching her stomach, miming extreme hunger.

Mrs. Reg laughed. “I think Stevie is trying to remind us that we’re all starving. And I think Lisa is trying to tell us that we’re all exhausted. Let’s go and have dinner, and then check in at the motel. We all need some food and rest.”

T
HE
S
ADDLE
C
LUB
gobbled burgers, french fries, and milk shakes at a nearby fast-food restaurant. Mrs. Reg insisted that the girls also eat a salad with their meal. “Got to have your vegetables,” she said over the girls’ protests that, surely, ketchup was a vegetable. Then the group checked into their motel, which had been chosen for its convenient location—only twenty minutes from the show grounds—and because it was a lot less expensive than the place where Veronica was staying.

Although Carole, Lisa, and Stevie had each traveled before with their families and with each other on a few occasions, it always felt special to stay in a motel together for a horse show. Since Mrs. Reg was in a separate room, they felt almost grown-up and independent, although they knew she would check on them if she heard any noise.

“I can’t believe they don’t have a pool here,” said Stevie as Carole inserted their room key into the lock. “I packed my bathing suit and everything. I thought big motels like this always had pools. I wish we had picked somewhere else to stay. I wish—Hey, what’s
that
?” As Carole opened the door, Stevie had glanced inside. She gave a whoop of happiness. Shouldering her way past her friends, she ran through the door and stopped in front of the large-screen television that dominated the room.

“Oh, did I mention that they have ninety-six channels here?” Carole said, grinning and dropping her bag on the bed. “The desk clerk happened to tell us that, but I guess you were too busy thinking about the pool.”

“Pool? Who wants to go swimming?” Stevie said in rapture. She plunked down on the spare cot that they’d requested so that the three of them could share one room. “I’ll take the cot,” she said unnecessarily, since she was already stacking pillows, kicking off her shoes, and making herself comfortable. “After all, it’s the closest to the television.”

With a lot of not-so-gentle persuasion from Carole and Lisa, Stevie reluctantly agreed to brush her teeth and change into her pajamas. But after that she settled down on the cot, remote control in hand, and began seriously flipping channels. “Hey, look, I found a great film on the life of an Alaskan sled dog owner!” she called out.

“She’s out of commission for the rest of the night,” Carole said to Lisa with a chuckle. “I’m going to take a hot shower to relax, okay?”

Lisa nodded. “Sure,” she said. “I promised to call my mother after we checked in.”

Mrs. Atwood was staying at the same hotel as Veronica and her parents. She had tried to persuade Lisa to stay there, too, but Lisa had refused, knowing she would have much more fun sharing a room with Stevie and Carole. Digging a card with the hotel’s name and number out of her bag, she plunked down on the bed and dialed. After a minute the hotel operator connected her to her mother’s room.

“Hi, Mom, it’s me,” said Lisa when the phone was answered on the second ring.

“Lisa!” Mrs. Atwood said in a chirpy voice. “I was just looking over my outfit for tomorrow. Darling, I didn’t see you at the show today. Did you get there okay?”

“Yeah,” answered Lisa. “We had a lot to do, though.”

“Did you see who was in the VIP box at the Macrae?” Mrs. Atwood continued in excitement. “The mayor of Philadelphia. Mrs. Grace Fairhill, the leading patron of the arts in Philadelphia. Mr. and Mrs. Charles Van—”

“Mom, I’ve just got to get some sleep,” Lisa said firmly, interrupting her mother as she continued to list
the occupants of the VIP box. Although she was glad her mother was having fun at the Macrae, she just wasn’t interested right then in hearing about all the society people who were attending the show. She wanted to focus on her riding. After saying good night, Lisa hung up the phone and crawled into bed.

Carole emerged from the bathroom, wearing her pajamas and looking refreshed. “That felt great!” she said. “I could sleep for a week.” She got into the other bed and turned out the light. Then she sat up again. “Stevie,” she said firmly, “we’ve all got a big day ahead of us tomorrow. No more television.”

“What did you say?” Stevie said absently. She was watching an infomercial advertising an exercise device that claimed to make muscles bulge.

Stretching out on her bed, Lisa joined the argument. “Television off.” Stevie ignored her, too. Lisa sat up and looked at Carole, who nodded.

After a brief pillow fight in which Lisa and Carole stormed Stevie’s cot and tickled her to get her to let go of the remote control, the television was turned off. Grumbling, Stevie turned out the last light and crawled under the covers.

The room fell silent for a few minutes. Then Carole spoke into the darkness. “I’m kind of having butterflies about tomorrow,” she said softly. “I know Starlight will do well, but I’m the one who has to lead him over those fences. It’s sort of terrifying, isn’t it? All those
people watching you. All those good riders we’re competing against.”

Hearing Carole’s words, Lisa felt reassured. Carole had been to several major horse shows before, but maybe Mrs. Reg’s story about the scared rider was true for all riders. Maybe nerves helped people do better than they normally would. “I have the jitters, too,” she said comfortingly.

Oddly enough, though, she wasn’t nervous at all. The sick feeling in her stomach seemed to have vanished completely.
It’s all about having the right horse, one you’re confident is a real winner
, thought Lisa. Maybe she wasn’t the best rider, but privately, Lisa thought Samson might very well be the best horse.

“Don’t worry about a thing,” said Stevie in a confident tone.

“Why, do you know something we don’t?” Carole asked.

“Yes,” said Stevie in a near whisper. “I didn’t want to tell you guys this, but I’ve been using the secret HorseMaster on Starlight and Samson.”

“What’s the HorseMaster?” asked Lisa, giggling.

“It’s my new invention,” said Stevie, imitating the obnoxious voice of the infomercial announcer. She turned on the lamp near her cot and stood on her bed, holding a hairbrush as a microphone. “It slices and dices vegetables, whips up your favorite shakes, and makes ice cream. It plays twenty-seven songs, and you
can program them in random order. It’s made of genuine plastic and Styrofoam, and best of all, my invention makes horses fly like birds. No jump is too big for horses who have used my HorseMaster!”

By now Carole and Lisa were starting to giggle. Stevie went on for another five minutes until a firm knock was heard at the door.

“Girls!” Mrs. Reg’s voice called sternly. “Time to get to sleep. We have a big day ahead of us tomorrow.” They heard her walk away.

Once again the three girls snuggled under their covers. Five minutes later, just before they dozed off, Lisa and Carole heard Stevie whisper something. “What did you say?” asked Lisa.

“I said,” Stevie repeated, “seriously speaking, you’ll do great tomorrow. After all, you’ve got the greatest tack manager in the world.”

Lisa and Carole fell asleep, smiling.

L
ISA
’
S DREAMS THAT
night were more like nightmares. On the first course she and Samson rode, she took all the jumps in reverse order. However, the judges felt sorry for Max for having such an embarrassing student, so they agreed to let her try again. On her second attempt, she had a clean round because she and Samson walked clean around every jump!

Morning, when it came, was a relief

“Girls, are you up?” Mrs. Reg called, knocking on their door.

In the bed opposite Lisa’s, Carole sat up and stretched. She grinned at Lisa happily. “Yup,” she answered Mrs. Reg. “We’ll be ready in half an hour.” She looked over at Stevie, who was still curled up in a mound under the covers, with only the top of her head
showing. Carole threw a pillow. “Hey, Tack Manager,” she said. “Up and at ’em!”

The mound wriggled once, and then Stevie sprang up out of her cot. “I’m ready to go,” she said briskly. “Who’s got first shower?”

The group had agreed to wake up at six in the morning and be out the door by six-thirty. Lisa played Stevie in Rock, Paper, Scissors for first shower and won. Stevie began organizing their gear to take over to the show grounds. Carole washed her face, brushed her teeth, and braided her hair. The room suddenly seemed extra crowded with all the activity.

Lisa took a shower and scraped her hair into a hasty ponytail—she could always braid it before the event at the show grounds. She scrambled into her barn clothes and grabbed the garment bag holding her riding clothes. She had checked her clothes the night before to make sure they were still unwrinkled and fresh. When she had seen the pink jacket, she had cringed inwardly, remembering Carole’s words about the USET members. But what could she do now? It was too late to get a new jacket—or even an old one.

While Stevie was dressing after her shower, Lisa went to the window and pulled the shade aside to check on the weather. Gorgeous sunbeams poured over her. The sky was a clear blue with puffy white clouds.

“What a beautiful day!” she said.

“No blaming any mistakes on the weather,” said Carole, also taking a peek outside.

Because Carole had showered the night before, the girls were ready to go after Stevie had dressed and marked off items on her Saturday checklist. “Lisa, do you have your riding clothes?” she asked.

“Check,” Lisa said breathlessly.

“Carole?”

“Check,” answered Carole.

“Okay,” said Stevie. “I checked over the tack last night before we left, so that’s all set. I’ve got the sewing kit to baste your numbers on your backs, I’ve got extra hair spray and other beauty items just in case, and I’ve got the lint brush for your clothes. I think we’re all set!”

The three girls joined Max and Mrs. Reg in the van. Mrs. Reg suggested they stop for a quick breakfast on the way. At first the three girls protested, saying they had to get to the stable and check on their mounts. “You need a good breakfast to start off your day,” Mrs. Reg said serenely, “otherwise you’ll look like a sack of potatoes sitting on top of your horses. We have plenty of time. Max has already been over to the show grounds to feed and water the horses.”