Horse Capades Read Online Free Page A

attention. This was important, and she didn’t want them to miss it.
    “What is it now, Stevie?” Lisa asked.
    Stevie cleared her throat. “I’ve made a very important decision,” she said solemnly. “You guys were right. My joking around has gotten out of hand lately. And it’s got to stop. That’s why I’ve decided I’m not going to play any more practical jokes ever again.”
    Carole and Lisa exchanged glances. Then they burst out laughing, startling Prancer and Starlight a little. The horses snorted and tossed their heads, which just made Carole and Lisa laugh even harder.
    “E-even Prancer and Starlight don’t believe you,” Lisa choked out, hardly able to speak because she was laughing so hard.
    Stevie frowned. This wasn’t the reaction she had expected. “What’s so funny?” she demanded.
    “Good one, Stevie,” Carole said through her giggles. “You almost had me believing you really had some important announcement to make.”
    “Me too,” Lisa agreed with a grin. “But come on, how gullible do you think we are? As if you’d ever give up practical jokes!”
    “But I mean it,” Stevie protested. She couldn’t believe her best friends were laughing at her resolution.Couldn’t they tell she was serious about it? “The thing with my film project convinced me. It’s not worth it. So I’m giving up jokes—cold turkey.”
    “The film project, hmm?” Lisa said thoughtfully, still smiling. “I wonder about that, don’t you, Carole?”
    Carole nodded, her eyes twinkling. “You mean, does she really have to redo the project? Or is all this just part of some elaborate Stevie Lake scheme?”
    Stevie felt a little hurt. “Fine. Believe me or don’t believe me,” she snapped. “I’m going to go get Belle ready.”
    “Okay,” Carole said, not even seeming to notice how annoyed Stevie was. She turned to Lisa. “Come on, we’ll keep practicing until she gets back. I’m sure Max will be paying attention to our jump positions in the competition.…”
    Stevie hurried out of the ring, her friends’ laughter still ringing in her ears. But once she calmed down, she decided they had a right to be a little suspicious. She fetched Belle’s tack and hurried to her stall.
    “I guess I’ve tried to trick them pretty often in the past, haven’t I?” she said to the friendly mare, sliding the bit into her mouth and the bridle over her head. “Still, they’re my best friends. You’d think they’d be able to tell when I’m being sincere.”
    She finished tacking up her horse, then led Belledown the aisle. On the way, she passed Veronica, who was heading for Danny’s stall. Veronica gave her a dirty look. Stevie guessed she was still angry about the pranks she had pulled during Saturday’s Horse Wise meeting.
    “Be careful,” Stevie said sourly. “Your face might freeze that way.”
    Veronica tossed her head. “You think you’re so funny, Stevie Lake,” she said. “But we’ll see how hard you’re laughing when I win the blue ribbon at the hunter competition.” With that, she continued on her way with a confident swagger.
    Stevie watched her go with a little frown. Ever since Veronica had gotten Danny, her bragging about winning had really been something to worry about. Despite her poorer-than-average attitude, Veronica was a better-than-average rider. And Danny was a spectacularly well-trained horse. He never seemed to put a hoof wrong, whether his rider was paying attention or not. There was nothing Stevie hated more than losing to Veronica. Nothing. But how could she expect Belle to beat Danny the wonder horse—especially when Stevie would be spending all her valuable practice time making another film?
    Finally, Stevie turned back to Belle with a sigh. “Come on, girl,” she said, clucking to the horse to gether moving again. “We’ve got bigger problems than Veronica diAngelo today.” She sighed again, realizing just how true that was. Stevie led the horse toward the spot