The Lonely Pony (8 page)

“Of course you can meet Lola!” Janey blurted out.

“She's at Lolli's house,” Zach added. “It's only a couple of miles from here.”

Lolli nodded. “Maybe you can help us look for a new owner, too!”

“Maybe I can.” Mrs. Jamison winked at Darby. “There might not be any extra stalls here, but I happen to have a couple open in my barn at home.”

“You have a barn at your house?” Janey
asked, feeling a twinge of excitement. “Does that mean you're an experienced horse person?”

Mrs. Jamison laughed. “I like to think I know what I'm doing, at least a little bit.”

“Mrs. Jamison is being modest,” Darby said with a smile. “She's owned horses all her life—she's as experienced as they come.”

“I don't know about that,” Mrs. Jamison said. “But I do know I have a couple of young children who might love a tiny equine of their very own.”

Janey could hardly believe her ears. Had they just found the perfect new owner for Lola?

“What are we waiting for?” she cried. “Let's go see Lola right now!”

“Calm down, Janey,” Lolli's father said with a laugh. “These ladies need to get Red settled back in his stall first.”

“Actually, maybe we don't.” Mrs. Jamison glanced at Darby. “I wanted to try him out cross-country anyway. Feel like taking a hack?”

“A what?” Janey asked.

“She said a hack.” Zach pretended to have a coughing fit.

Darby laughed. “Not that kind of hack,” she said. “Hacking is just a horsey word for riding out.” She nodded at Mrs. Jamison. “Let me grab a horse and my helmet and we'll go right now.”

She hurried into the barn and returned moments later leading a stout brown horse.
“Can you give me a leg up?” she asked Ms. Tanaka.

“Aren't you forgetting something?” Zach asked. “Where's your saddle?”

Ms. Tanaka grinned. “Oh, Darby doesn't need a saddle,” she told the kids. “She always did love riding bareback!”

She helped Darby vault onto the horse's back. Then she told her how to get to Lolli's farm.

“Great,” Darby said. “We'll meet you there.”

“What if they got lost?” Lolli wondered, feeling her stomach flip over with worry. They were so close to finding Lola the perfect home—Lolli didn't
want anything to ruin it now!

The Pet Rescue Club, Lolli's father, and Ms. Tanaka were back at Lolli's farm waiting for Darby and Mrs. Jamison to arrive.

“I'm sure they're not lost,” Ms. Tanaka said. “Cars are faster than horses, you know.”

Zach grinned. “Even racehorses?”

“Even racehorses,” Ms. Tanaka replied. “I'm sure they—”

The rest of her words were lost in a loud whinny. Lola had been dozing by the fence while Lolli rubbed her neck. But now the pony raced along the fence, staring out across the driveway.

A second later, another whinny came from that direction. Then Red and
Mrs. Jamison came into view. Red was trotting toward the Pet Rescue Club with his ears pricked forward. Darby and her horse were right behind him.

“It looks like we found the right place,” Mrs. Jamison called. “At least Red seems to recognize his friend!”

Lola started running back and forth on her side of the fence, whinnying and snorting. Janey had never seen her move so fast!

“Look—Lola thinks she's a racehorse, too,” Zach joked.

Lolli couldn't respond. She was too busy watching as Red reached the pen. Mrs. Jamison let the reins go loose, and Red stretched his long neck over the fence, nuzzling at Lola. She stretched up, nuzzling him back.

“Well,” Mrs. Jamison said with a smile. “I suppose this settles it. Lola will just have to come home with me and Red.”

“Really?” Janey gasped. “That's awesome!”

“Yes, it is.” Darby was smiling, too. “And to celebrate the happy occasion, I'll throw in some free training for Lola. I'm sure we can turn her into the perfect little riding pony for Mrs. Jamison's kids.”

“Hooray!” Zach cheered.

“The Pet Rescue Club did it again,” Janey exclaimed.

Adam grinned at Ms. Tanaka and Darby. “With a little help from our friends,” he added. “Thanks, Ms. Tanaka!”

“I'm happy to help.” The teacher winked. “After all, I owe you one. Without the Pet Rescue Club, I wouldn't have my Truman!”

Just then there was a flurry of excited barking from the direction of the house. Lolli's mother appeared, with Truman and Roscoe pulling at their leashes.

Meanwhile, Janey was still watching the happy reunion between Red and Lola. “We'll miss you, Lola,” she said.

“Yeah,” Lolli added. “But I won't miss
getting up at the crack of dawn to feed you.”

Zach grinned. “And I won't miss flinging horse poo around.”

“If you do, you can always come by my barn to help clean stalls,” Mrs. Jamison told him with a chuckle. She glanced around at all the kids. “And I hope you'll all come by to visit Lola.”

“Definitely,” Janey promised.

Lolli's father smiled. “All's well that ends well,” he said. “But maybe the Pet Rescue Club should stick to dogs and cats from now on.”

Zach grinned. “We can't make any promises,” he joked.

“May I borrow your phone?” Lolli asked her mother. “I want to call the shelter and let Kitty know we found a perfect home for Lola.”

“Of course.” Mrs. Simpson fished her cell phone out of her pocket and handed it over.

Soon Lolli was talking to the shelter worker. Kitty was thrilled by the news about Lola. “Congratulations,” she said. “But Lolli, I was just going to call you.”

“You were? Was it about Lola?” Lolli asked.

“No, it's about the rabbit you saw the other day,” Kitty said. “Someone wants to adopt him. It's a lady who has kept house rabbits all her life and saw our bunny's listing online. But since you said you might want to adopt the little guy, I thought I should check in first and see if you're still interested.”

Lolli hesitated, remembering how soft and sweet the bunny was. Then she shook her head.

“Thanks for asking,” she said. “But actually, taking care of Lola made me realize I might not be the best home for a rabbit after all. And that lady sounds perfect.”

“I see.” Kitty sounded impressed. “All right, then. The lady will be very happy!”

Lolli hung up and turned around to see Janey staring at her. “Was that about the bunny?” Janey sounded disappointed. “Are you sure you don't want to adopt him?”

Lolli stepped over to pet Roscoe. “I don't really need another pet right now,” she said. She glanced at Lola and Red. “Not when there are so many animals out there who need my time and energy to find them homes.”

“True.” Janey smiled at her. “They definitely need you—and the rest of the Pet Rescue Club!”

Are you ready for a horse or pony of your own? Or would a different kind of pet suit your lifestyle better? Take this quiz and find out!

Mostly
A
s:
If your answers were all or mostly
A
, congratulations! You just might be ready for pony ownership!

Mostly
B
s:
If your answers were all or mostly
B
, you might not be quite ready for a pony yet. Going on trail rides and reading books are good ways to learn, but you'll want to get more experience before you take the pony plunge. Ask your parents if you can take riding lessons to learn even more. In the meantime, your lifestyle might be better suited for a lively dog, puppy, or kitten!

Mostly
C
s:
If your answers were all or mostly
C
, you probably don't even want a pony. They require lots of knowledge and work—and some of that work can get you pretty dirty! You might get along better with a quiet adult cat, a tank of fish, or another smaller, less active pet.