Horse Power (2 page)

“Don’t you hate it when parents do that?” Stevie asked. “The last time mine said something like that, the girl was, first of all, nine years old, and second of all, this incredible brat.”

“Maybe Carole will get lucky,” Lisa said. She always tried to look on the bright side of things.

“It can’t be all that bad,” Carole said. “We’re meeting them at Quantico, the big Marine Corps base where we used to live, and at least I’ll have a chance to visit the stables there. We’re going to have a cookout overlooking the reservoir, so even if she’s a nine-year-old brat, it should be fun.”

“What an optimist!” Stevie joked. “Oh, and speaking of optimists,” Stevie said, changing the subject, “my brother Chad has been behaving very strangely lately.”

“Why do you call him an optimist?” Lisa asked.

“Oh, because it’s like he’s just discovered
girls
and all he wants to think about is
girls
, and he’s just positive that all the
girls
in the world are crazy about him. Considering his table manners, he’ll be lucky to get a date by the time he’s twenty-five!”

“You’re always complaining about your brothers, Stevie,” Lisa said, “but you don’t know how rough it can be being an only child.”

“I know, I know,” Stevie said. “I just wish I had a couple of sisters instead of all those brothers. They can be real jerks sometimes.”

“Oh, come on, Stevie,” Carole said. “I know some girls who think Chad’s kind of cute.”

“Boy, they must be desperate.” Stevie groaned.

“Who’s desperate?” Colonel Hanson asked, knocking lightly on the jamb and entering the open door to Carole’s room.

“Any girl interested in my brother,” Stevie explained.

Colonel Hanson smiled at her. “I think my sister used to say that about me, too,” he said. “Until I married her best friend!”

“Aw, no way, Dad,” Carole protested. “Nobody could ever call you a dweeb.” She gazed affectionately at her father. They had always been close, but the year since her mother’s death had brought them even closer.

“Well, I don’t know that
that’s
the word they’d use,
but there are a couple of junior officers over at the base …” The girls looked at him and giggled. “And speaking of the base, Carole, you and I have to put together our barbecue stuff for the picnic tomorrow. So, Stevie and Lisa, I’m afraid it’s time for me to drive you home—otherwise I’ll have to start charging your parents for rent.”

“I don’t know about the Atwoods, but I think my parents would let me stay for free,” Stevie said.

“Very funny,” Colonel Hanson returned. “Come on.”

Lisa sat up, trying to remove the kitten from her lap. “Come on, Snowball,” she told the little bundle of black fur. “Time to get up. I’m going home now.” The kitten ignored her. He tucked his nose under a paw and shut his eyes even more tightly.

“You should know Snowball better than that by now,” Carole told her.

“Oh, yeah, right,” Lisa said, remembering why the black kitten was named Snowball. He had a way of doing the exact opposite of what anybody told him. Lisa stroked his soft back gently. “There, there, Snowball. Just sleep tight,” she said in a warm, comforting voice. The kitten’s head perked up. He looked at Lisa with disdain, rose abruptly, stretched briefly, and marched off her lap. Lisa shook her head in amazement. “Just like magic.”

T
HERE WAS SOMETHING
about Kate Devine that immediately told Carole they were going to be friends.

“Hi, you must be Carole,” Kate said, grinning broadly. “My parents have been telling me how much I’m going to like you.”

Carole laughed. “Same here,” she said, admiring Kate’s easy manner. The two of them were walking together toward the shore of the Quantico reservoir next to the picnic area while their fathers hashed over old times and tried to start the barbecue fire in the grill.

“The last time my parents guaranteed I was going to like an ‘old friend’s’ daughter, it turned out to be a son,” Kate confided.

“Cute?” Carole asked, curious.

“Very cute,” Kate assured her. “Most two-year-olds are, you know!”

They giggled together, sitting down by the water’s edge. “Well, I guess this time, our parents were right, so that’s one for them,” Carole said.

“Now, the next big test is, can those guys start the fire for the barbecue?” Kate said.

“They’re both Marines,” Carole reminded her. “They ought to be able to handle that.”

“Dad told me a story once about a test he had in a Marine school course he took,” Kate said. “There was a question about how an officer should start a fire if he or she didn’t have any matches. Dad wrote this big-deal essay about lenses, spontaneous combustion, rubbing sticks together, and so on.”

“So he got the answer right?”

“Nope,” Kate said. “The correct answer was that an officer should say: ‘Sergeant, come on over here and start this fire.’ ”

“I think the woman at the next campsite is a sergeant,” Carole said, still laughing. “So we’ll be okay, but it might take awhile. Have you had the grand tour of the base yet?” she asked.

“We’ve only been here three days,” Kate told her. “And it’s so big—there’s so much to see. You used to live here, didn’t you?”

“Yes, until two years ago. But even when you live here, there’s a lot you never get to. One place I always got to, though, was the stable. Have you been there?”

“No,” Kate said simply.

Carole was a little surprised that Kate didn’t seem to show any interest in the stable. She didn’t ask where it was, or if she rode there, or anything. Just no. Carole decided to pursue the subject.

“Would you like to see it?” she asked.

Kate hesitated. She seemed to be searching for her answer. As far as Carole was concerned, there were only two kinds of people in the world: those who were horse crazy and those who were just plain crazy. Kate didn’t strike her as just plain crazy, so she waited for her answer.

“Oh, maybe later,” Kate said noncommittally.

Carole made up her mind immediately that she’d introduce Kate to horses. If Kate was going to be a friend, that would be the nicest thing Carole could possibly share with her. She smiled to herself, thinking what a treat she had in store for Kate.

“Say, I love that sweater of yours,” Kate said, changing the subject. “It’s a really pretty color.”

“Oh, thanks. Dad gave it to me for my birthday. He’s got great taste.…”

“Speaking of dads and great taste,” Kate said, “unless my nose deceives me, the fire’s going and our fathers are already cooking. Look at my dad in that apron, will you?”

Carole glanced over at Colonel Devine. He had donned a giant chef’s hat and apron and was brandishing a long-handled spatula, apparently threatening a hamburger with it.

“Maybe we’d better get back there and see if we can help—at least to save our own dinners!”

A few minutes later, the Devines and the Hansons were assembled at a picnic table. Mrs. Devine had brought everything to make it all look picture-perfect. There was a red-and-white-checked tablecloth, matching plates, napkins, even salt and pepper shakers.

“Phyllis, you’re so organized!” Colonel Hanson said, admiring her handiwork. “I bet you’ve got everything unpacked—and flowers on the table already, right?”

Mrs. Devine laughed in protest. “No, I’m not all that organized. Besides, I don’t know where we’ll finally settle. For now, we’re just in the family suites at Liversedge.”

“Well, if you want to buy a home nearby, I’d be glad to show you around Willow Creek,” Colonel Hanson offered. “It’s a lovely town. Carole and I are very happy there,” he added.

Carole was suddenly excited by the idea that Kate might live nearby. She would teach Kate to ride at Pine Hollow. They’d go to school together. Kate could even join The Saddle Club! “That would be great,” she said to Kate. “We could spend a lot of time together. Oh, please, do come look at Willow Creek,” she told the Devines.

Mrs. Devine looked at the girls quickly, knitting her brows ever so slightly. Then, as Carole watched, Colonel and Mrs. Devine exchanged glances. The colonel
finally said, “Well, that’s very nice of you to offer, Mitch, but we’re—well, our plans are a little up in the air.”

It had seemed such a simple question, but the responses told Carole that something was up, and the Devines weren’t ready to talk about it. It probably had to do with the Marine Corps, she suspected. The Corps had a way of moving people a lot. Sometimes the moves were even classified! Fortunately, her own father was most likely going to stay right where he was for the rest of his career.

Colonel Hanson smiled at his friends. “You know, Jeanne used to tell me that instead of buying a house near whatever base I was stationed, we should just buy a moving van. It would save time packing the next time the Corps got another bright idea about my career!”

“You got that right!” Mrs. Devine joked. “Now, let’s not talk about houses and moving anymore. It’s too nice being here with old friends—and new ones,” she said, smiling warmly at Carole. “So let’s dig into the feast.”

Carole quickly discovered that Colonel Devine was a fine barbecue chef, and Mrs. Devine’s salads, munchies, and cool drinks made a great meal. They all enjoyed the fruit salad Carole had made, too.

After the two families had eaten more than their fill, everyone tidied up and packed the leftovers into the car. The colonels had challenged each other to a
game of tennis, and Mrs. Devine had some errands to run. The girls were on their own.

“Great!” Carole said to Kate. “While our dads are at the courts, I can show you around the stables. I haven’t been there for a long time, and I want to see some of my old friends. Drop us off there, will you, Dad? When we’re done, we’ll hitch a ride on a bus and meet you at the courts.”

“When it comes to horses, dear daughter, you’re never ‘done.’ We’ll pick you up at the stables.”

Carole just grinned as she swatted her father on the arm.

“I
USED TO
ride here almost every day,” Carole told Kate as they approached the Quantico stables. “But when we moved to Willow Creek, it was too far, and, besides, I wanted to study with Max Regnery. He’s a wonderful instructor. His former students include some Olympic riders. Can you
imagine?
It would be the most exciting thing in the world to be that good, I think.”

“Hmm,” Kate responded noncommittally.

“Well, I love the idea of that kind of competitive riding,” Carole said. “It’s like there would be a total focus on the most important part of my life—horses.” She smiled, just thinking about the possibility, but when she glanced at Kate, she saw only confusion and doubt in her new friend’s face. Carole guessed that Kate just wasn’t turned on to horses—yet. “Come on,
let’s meet my friends,” Carole invited, stepping into the stable. She was convinced that she could, and
would
change Kate’s feeling about riding.

Kate followed her into the large structure where the base’s horses were kept. Carole signed in with the stable manager, and explained that they were just visiting. Then she began the grand tour of the place.

Carole loved to share her information about horses, and felt she had a great opportunity to introduce Kate to the subject. Even her best friends, Stevie and Lisa, sometimes complained about how much she could talk about horses, but Kate just listened politely to Carole. Kate patted some of the horses and, Carole was pleased to observe, didn’t seem in the least bit frightened of them. She had an easy and comfortable manner with the animals that wasn’t matched by her words. Carole figured she had her work cut out for her.

“You’ll be a good rider,” Carole told Kate. “I can just see it in the way you handle the horses. You’re not afraid of them. That’s important.”

“No, I’m not afraid, but, well, I—uh—” Kate seemed hesitant. “But I can’t agree with you that I’ll be a good rider.”

“You’ll see,” Carole said confidently. “Come on, now, let me introduce you to another one of the horses I used to ride here. Now, this lady—she’s called Duster because of the way she flicks her tail all the time—would do just fine on the trail, but she
hates
to be ridden indoors. She’ll fuss and fume until she gets outside.…”
Carole was off and running again, telling Kate more horse stories.

A half an hour later, Carole heard the familiar honk of her father’s car horn. She and Kate signed back out of the stables and climbed in.

“Who won the tennis match?” Kate asked Colonel Hanson as she shut the car door.

“We’ve sworn each other to secrecy on the subject,” Carole’s father said mysteriously, shifting the car into gear. He pulled out onto the main road.

“That bad, huh?” Kate teased.

“I don’t think I’ll answer that one,” the colonel said, but his grin gave him away. He turned the car toward Liversedge Hall.

“I think we have our answer,” Kate told Carole.

“Did you girls enjoy the stables?” he asked, changing the subject smoothly.

“Oh, you know I always do,” Carole answered. “But I’m afraid I ran on a bit about my favorite subject. I loaded poor Kate with one zillion details about horses. I didn’t bore you, did I?”