Autumn Trail (12 page)

Lisa started to laugh, but she could see that Carole was truly embarrassed by her error. She realized that the morning had been difficult for all of them. So instead of laughing, she suggested a solution. “Why don’t we take the bus over to that pancake house on the other side of town?” she said.

“Good idea,” Carole said, brightening immediately.

“It is a good idea, but I can’t go,” Stevie said reluctantly. “I have a job to do here, remember?”

Red had entered the area just in time to hear what Stevie said. “Did I hear you correctly, Stevie? You’re going to pass up breakfast with your friends to stay here and muck out stalls with me? I’m touched!” he teased,
putting one hand over his heart. Then he got serious. “Go on, Stevie. It’s been a rough morning, and you probably need a break.”

“But I promised Max, and besides, you’re running late already …” Stevie began.

But Red didn’t let her finish. “Don’t be ridiculous. Go!” he insisted. Then he hurried out of the room before she could protest further.

Carole, for one, didn’t need to hear it twice. “You heard him, Stevie. You’ve been doing a great job here while Max was away, but you
do
deserve a break. After all, Red owes you one from yesterday, when you took care of everything yourself all day.”

Stevie didn’t say anything. Instead, she dug her hands into the pockets of her jeans and looked worried.

Carole knew Stevie so well that at certain times, she could almost read her mind. This was one of those times. “Don’t worry, Stevie,” she said. “I have some extra money you can borrow for bus fare.
And
for breakfast.”

“Oh, great,” Stevie exclaimed, looking relieved. “So what are we doing still hanging around here? Let’s go!”

A
SHORT TIME
later The Saddle Club was seated in a large booth in the bustling, brightly lit interior of Let Them Eat Pancakes, which was on the opposite side of Willow Creek from Pine Hollow. Before leaving the stable, the girls had called Lisa’s parents and asked them to pick them up there in an hour and a half. They knew it
wouldn’t take nearly that long to eat, but they had a lot to talk about.

The cheerful young waiter handed them each a menu and returned a moment later with three glasses of water. “I’ll be back in a few minutes to take your orders,” he promised before rushing off to take care of a large table that was occupied by what looked like an entire troop of Cub Scouts.

Stevie raised her eyebrows as she watched him start to take their orders. “I have the funniest feeling we’re not going to see that waiter for a while,” she predicted.

As they waited, the three girls chatted about the events of the past few days. Carole and Stevie tried to keep the conversation upbeat to take Lisa’s mind off Pepper’s death. They knew she would talk about it with them when she was ready, but they didn’t want to rush her.

“So, Stevie,” Carole said, picking up a menu. “What have you learned about the meaning of Thanksgiving this week?”

“A lot, actually,” Stevie said. “For one thing, I learned that just when I thought my school’s play couldn’t possibly get any more boring—it did!”

The others laughed. “At least the other Thanksgiving play you saw this week was much more interesting,” Lisa reminded her, thinking again of the play Stevie had masterminded at Pine Hollow. Lisa had thought it was a pretty silly idea at first but had ended up enjoying herself.
And it really had made her think about the meaning of the holiday, especially when she was making up her speech.

“Right. And I’ll bet the audience was a lot more appreciative,” Carole added. “Maybe next year your school should try serving oats and apples after the play.”

Stevie grinned. “It was a good idea, wasn’t it?” she said. “But anyway, I also learned something a little more important this week.”

“That taking care of an entire stable full of horses all by yourself is hard work?” Lisa guessed.

“That papier-mâché turkey doesn’t taste as good as the real thing?” Carole teased.

“Even better,” Stevie replied. “I learned that it’s hard to be totally selfless. Maybe impossible.”

Carole wrinkled her brow. “But I thought you were having fun helping out at Pine Hollow this week. I mean, I know it was hard work, but …”

“No, no,” Stevie said. “That’s not exactly what I mean. It’s the totally selfless part that’s hard, not the generous part. I mean …”

“I think I know what you mean, Stevie,” Lisa said, coming to her rescue. “You found out that doing something generous makes you feel good, and maybe helps you learn new things, too. So even though your motives might be selfless when you begin, the experience itself doesn’t feel selfless at all, since you benefit, too.”

Stevie looked at her gratefully. “That’s exactly it, Lisa.”

“Lisa, sometimes I think you should take on a full-time job as Stevie’s interpreter,” Carole said with a laugh.

“Oh, I don’t know,” Lisa said. “You’re pretty fluent in Stevie-ese yourself. Remember that incident with the bus fare?”

They all laughed at that, Stevie most of all. But then she quieted down and looked at Lisa seriously. “How are you doing, Lisa?” she asked. “I wish I were as good at Lisa-ese as you are at Stevie-ese, so I’d know what you’re thinking about right now.”

Carole nodded. “Me, too. We’re all sad about Pepper, but you’re really the one who was the closest to him.”

Lisa shrugged. “I guess I’m okay,” she said. “I keep thinking about Pepper, and I feel really sad and sort of empty inside, but I also feel kind of relieved in a strange way, because I know that at least he’s not in pain anymore. So I guess I’m upset for me, but kind of, well, happy for him, I guess. Does that sound weird?”

“Not at all,” Carole said. “You really did the right thing by deciding it was time to call Judy.”

“That’s what everybody keeps saying,” Lisa said. “But I miss him terribly already. I still can’t quite believe he’s gone forever.”

“Me, neither,” said Carole and Stevie in a single voice. They were quiet for a moment. Then Carole
spoke. “Actually, Lisa, I think you really did discover the secret to true selflessness.”

“I did?” Lisa said.

“She did?” Stevie said at the same time.

Carole nodded. “You did something that was very painful to you. After all, you’ll miss Pepper like crazy, probably more than anyone else. And it must have been practically impossible for you to make the decision to let him die.”

Lisa nodded, looking down at her hands.

“Well,” Carole continued, “but that’s only looking at the situation from your point of view. From Pepper’s point of view, he was in terrible pain and discomfort most of the time, and it just kept on getting worse and worse. The most important thing was to prevent that from going on any longer than necessary, once it became clear that Pepper wasn’t ever going to get better. So what you did was the best thing for him, even though it was hard for you.”

Lisa nodded again and looked up at Carole. “You’re right. That’s why I did it—why I knew I
had
to do it. I guess I just never thought about it as selflessness before.” She shrugged. “I’ve been so busy worrying about Pepper and helping Stevie at the stable that I never had a chance to think of my own Thanksgiving project. But I guess one sort of found me itself, didn’t it?”

“Well, I for one am proud of you for being able to do it. I don’t know if I could have,” Stevie said frankly. She
raised her water glass and saluted Lisa with it. “Here’s to you.”

“Hear! Hear!” Carole agreed wholeheartedly, raising her own glass.

“Thanks,” Lisa said, smiling at her two best friends. “And as long as we’re making toasts, I have one of my own.”

“Go for it,” Stevie encouraged her.

Lisa raised her glass. “Here’s to Pepper. Long may his memory live and inspire us to be the best riders we can be.”

Carole knew that Lisa was thinking about everything Pepper had taught her about riding. She definitely agreed with the sentiment. “Hear! Hear!” she said again. The three girls clinked their glasses together and then they each took a drink.

Lisa was glad she’d made the toast to Pepper, but it had made her feel as though she might start to cry. She decided the safest thing to do was change the subject. “So, Carole,” she said as she set her glass down. “I’ve been so preoccupied lately that I haven’t had a chance to find out how things were going with you and Veronica.”

“Yeah, talk about selfless,” Stevie added. “How is it living with the self-proclaimed queen of Willow Creek? Did she bring any of her servants with her?”

“Or complain because you didn’t have any pure-silk sheets for her to sleep on?” Lisa joked.

“Or borrow any twenty-dollar bills from your father to blow her nose on?” Stevie added.

“Enough, enough!” Carole exclaimed, laughing. “The answer to all of those things is no. Veronica was practically the perfect guest. She and my dad got along famously. It turns out they’re both travel buffs, not to mention chess freaks. She even beat him at a game.”

Stevie cocked an eyebrow. “It almost sounds like it was fun having her there.”

Carole shrugged. “You know, I would have preferred spending the time alone with Dad, but it wasn’t as bad as I was afraid it was going to be, and as rotten as Veronica is most of the time, I was happy to see that even she has a nice side. It made me glad I invited her. And I guess it really proves there’s good in everyone.”

“I noticed she’s been awfully nice lately,” Lisa said.

“I noticed, too,” Stevie said. “I couldn’t believe it, but I noticed it. I wonder what’s gotten into her?”

“Well, unfortunately, whatever it was, I think it’s gotten
out
of her again,” Carole said. “You’ll never believe what she said to me back at Pine Hollow after Pepper died.”

“What?” Stevie asked curiously. She had almost forgotten about the strange exchange she and Lisa had witnessed in the locker area.

Carole shook her head in disgust. “She said she hoped that now Max would let her put Garnet in Pepper’s stall.”

“Why?” Lisa asked, confused.

“Isn’t it obvious?” Carole said. “Not only is Pepper’s stall bigger than Garnet’s, it’s also closer to the tack room. Now, on the infrequent occasions when Veronica tacks or untacks Garnet herself—”

“Better make that
extremely
infrequent,” Stevie interrupted.

“Okay,” Carole continued, “on the
extremely
infrequent occasions when Veronica tacks or untacks Garnet herself, she won’t have as far to walk to the tack room.” It was true. The stall Pepper had spent his last days in was only a few yards from the tack room. It actually wasn’t his original stall, because a horse named Prancer was living there now. But it was one that had been empty when Pepper had moved back inside, and it was large and spacious, not to mention well located.

At first all three of them felt angry at Veronica for being so selfish. But then, as she realized how ridiculous the whole thing was, Lisa began to giggle. As she did, she felt some of the tension she’d been feeling about Pepper drift away. She still felt an aching sadness that she knew wouldn’t go away anytime soon, but even that couldn’t stop the laughter from bubbling out of her.

At first Stevie and Carole looked surprised, but soon they were giggling, too. “Whew,” Carole said when they had quieted down again. “It feels good to laugh.”

To her surprise Lisa found herself agreeing. “But I do think it’s kind of sad that Veronica is so selfish. Even
Pepper’s death didn’t make her stop thinking of herself for very long.”

“I know,” Carole said thoughtfully. “I really do feel kind of sorry for her. I think she’s had a pretty lonely life. She wants to belong, but she never really learned how, and now she’s so obnoxious that nobody wants to help her learn.”

“Lonely?” Stevie said. “Come on. She’s always had all that money to keep her company. And she never lets us forget it.”

Carole shrugged. “Still, I know I’d rather have my life than hers. That’s one thing I’ve spent a lot of time thinking about for the past few days. Veronica may have a ton of money and trips around the world and her own purebred Arabian mare, but I wouldn’t trade my friends and family for all that.” She paused for a moment to consider what she’d just said. “Although,” she added, “I wouldn’t mind having Garnet myself.”

Lisa and Stevie laughed. “Don’t let Starlight hear you say that,” Stevie teased. “He’d be jealous.”

“Starlight will always come first with me, you know that,” Carole replied quickly. Then she laughed. “But where is it written that I can have only
one
horse?”

“Well, in your father’s checkbook, for one,” Stevie said. She ducked just in time to avoid the spray of water that Carole had just flicked at her from her glass.

“Speaking of jealousy, which reminds me of romance …” Lisa began, realizing that there was something
else she’d been forgetting to think much about lately. Her friends were instantly all ears.

“Are you referring to that romantic fellow, Max Regnery?” Stevie guessed with a sly grin.

Lisa nodded. “I wonder how his weekend is going with his mystery woman.”

“I hope he’s having a good time,” Carole said.

“I hope we get to meet her,” Lisa said.

“I hope all that stuff, too,” Stevie said. “But right now, I mostly hope that waiter gets over here to take our order soon. I’m starving!”

As if he’d heard her, the waiter appeared at their table at that very moment. “Sorry to keep you waiting, ladies,” he said breathlessly. “Can I take your order?”

Stevie noticed that the waiter was pretty young, maybe college-age, and very cute. In fact, he reminded her a little bit of her boyfriend, Phil. Because of that, she almost felt bad about what she was about to do to him. Almost.

Lisa was already ordering. “I’ll have the banana pancakes with maple syrup,” she told the waiter.

“And you?” he asked, turning to Carole.

“I think I’ll try the French toast,” she decided. “And a glass of orange juice, please.”

The waiter turned to Stevie. “And for you, miss?” he asked, his pen poised expectantly over his notepad.

Stevie gave him a devilish grin. “Well, I’m pretty hungry …” she began.