English Rider Read Online Free Page A

than a little surprised to hear that. Making fun of The Saddle Club was one of Veronica’s favorite activities.
    It was obvious that Tessa was ready to drop the subject, but Carole could tell that Stevie and Lisa weren’t. And she understood why, because she felt exactly the same way. Tessa needed to be warned, and they all needed to work together to figure out what Veronica was up to.
    “Tessa, listen to me for a second—” she began.
    At that moment Mrs. Atwood bustled back into the room. “It was Agnes from the refreshments committee, just as I thought,” she chirped. “The arrangements for the catering are running smoothly.”
    “That’s good,” Carole said politely. She hoped Mrs. Atwood would leave them alone so that they could talk to Tessa. They had to make her understand how devious Veronica could be. They had to make her see that there was no point in being polite to her. It would only backfire.
    Unfortunately, Mrs. Atwood seemed to have no intention of leaving. She sat down on the couch beside Stevieand smiled at Tessa. “Tessa, dear, I was about to ask you when the phone rang—where did you say you and Veronica got those lovely little pins?”
    “They’re called stock pins, Mom,” Lisa said, sounding impatient. “You wear them on a stock—that’s one of those collar things I wear in horse shows sometimes.”
    Mrs. Atwood shrugged. “Yes, all right, dear,” she said, not even bothering to glance at Lisa. She was still staring expectantly at Tessa.
    “We got them at the tack shop at the mall,” Tessa said. “Veronica and I stopped by there because she wanted my advice about her wardrobe for the point-to-point.”
    “Oh, my!” Mrs. Atwood turned to stare worriedly at Lisa. “I hadn’t even thought about that. I do hope you have something appropriate to wear, Lisa.”
    “Don’t worry, Mom,” Lisa said quickly. “I’ve got plenty of stuff to wear.”
    Carole stifled a laugh. She recognized the look of panic on Lisa’s face. It appeared any time Mrs. Atwood seemed about to suggest a shopping trip. Mrs. Atwood loved to shop—especially when she could make Lisa try on lots of outfits while she was at it.
    “Really,” Lisa went on when Mrs. Atwood hesitated. “You just bought me those nice buff breeches, remember? I haven’t even had a chance to wear them yet. And you said they’d look great with my good navy jacket, right?”
    “Oh.” Mrs. Atwood looked disappointed. “That’s right.” She glanced at Tessa again and brightened. “ButI’ve got a wonderful idea. Why don’t we go and buy you one of those—er—stock pins, are they called? Then you can match Tessa and Veronica. Won’t that be fun? We can go to the mall tomorrow afternoon.” She smiled at the other girls. “You’re all welcome to come along, of course.”
    “Sorry,” Stevie said, not looking sorry at all. “I’ve got a doctor’s appointment.”
    Carole felt guilty for abandoning Lisa, but she shook her head. “I can’t make it, either. My dad has the day off tomorrow. I promised I’d go to the movies with him.”
    “Oh well,” Mrs. Atwood said. “That’s too bad. Tessa? How about you?”
    “I’d love to,” Tessa agreed.
    Lisa looked relieved, which made Carole feel better. At least Lisa wouldn’t be stuck shopping alone with her mother. “Okay, then,” Carole said, waving a hand at the posters and lists and other materials spread over the floor. “Maybe we should get back to work. We can probably finish this stuff before dinner.”
And maybe at the same time, we can convince Tessa she’s making a big mistake by trusting Veronica
, she thought.
    “Oh, that can wait.” Mrs. Atwood leaned back against the cushions of the couch. “You girls are staying over, right? You’ll have all night to work on these things.” She smiled. “Now, Tessa, I want to hear all about your afternoon with Veronica. Don’t leave out a thing.”

“O H , T ESSA, THERE you are!” Veronica rushed up to Carole