Horse Guest Read Online Free

Christmas.”
    “Yeah, but that doesn’t mean anything,” Chad said. “She’s had white hair for as long as I can remember.” Hepaused. “Still, she did have to move to Arizona because of her health.”
    Stevie nodded. “I wonder if that’s why Mom and Dad got so upset at us tonight. No matter
whose
fault it was,” she added quickly. “Maybe Grandma is really old and sickly now, and they’re worried that we’ll frighten her or wear her out or something.”
    Alex shrugged. “I doubt it,” he said, though he didn’t look nearly as certain as his words sounded. “If that was true, Mom and Dad would just come out and tell us.”
    “Still,” Chad said, “whether Mom and Dad want to make a big deal of it or not, maybe it wouldn’t hurt for us to cool it while she’s here.” He chuckled. “For one thing, if Grandma’s anything like her old self, she’ll kick our behinds if she thinks we’re not behaving right.”
    Stevie nodded in agreement as she handed the last of the freshly washed pans over for drying. Her memories of her grandmother were pretty fuzzy after all this time, but it was still hard to imagine her as old and frail and delicate. Still, it was better to be safe than sorry. Maybe she and her brothers could tone down their usual behavior for a couple of weeks. At least a little.

L ISA CALLED C AROLE right after dinner. Colonel Hanson, Carole’s father, answered the phone and went to get her. Lisa tapped her foot impatiently while she waited. She had already tried Stevie’s number, but there was no answer. Then she had remembered that the Lakes were driving to the airport together that evening to pick up their visitor. But Lisa couldn’t wait for Stevie’s return to share her news. She was too excited.
    “Guess what,” she said as soon as Carole picked up the phone.
    “Hello to you, too,” Carole said with a laugh. “Are you turning into Stevie or something?” Usually Stevie was the member of their group most likely to get excited aboutsomething and forget about little courtesies like saying hello and identifying herself.
    Lisa laughed. “Sorry,” she said. “But I’ve been dying to call you ever since I got home from ballet. I think I’ve found the perfect horse for Britt!”
    “Really?” Carole said.
    Lisa thought her friend didn’t sound nearly as interested as she should have. “Really,” she said. “I stopped at Hedgerow like I planned, and that’s when it hit me. They really do have exactly the right horse for her personality and riding ability.”
    “I wouldn’t be so sure about that,” Carole said. “I’ve been doing some thinking about Britt myself. After you and Stevie both left Pine Hollow today, Mrs. Reg asked me to muck out some stalls. And while I was doing that, I realized that the perfect horse for Britt has been right under our noses all along.”
    Lisa frowned. She hadn’t expected this. Once she had made up her mind about Britt’s ideal horse, she had expected both her best friends to agree with her. “But wait until you hear which horse I’m talking about,” she said. “You’ll see what I mean.”
    “Well, okay,” Carole said. “Who is it?”
    Lisa shifted the phone receiver to her other ear before answering. “It’s that Appaloosa mare,” she said. “Applesauce.”
    “Oh,” Carole said. “I see what you mean. She does seem like a pretty good choice.” After the girls had rescuedthe Hedgerow horses, the entire string had spent a few days at Pine Hollow while their new stable was being finished. The Saddle Club had gotten to know most of them pretty well, including Applesauce, a handsome Appaloosa mare with a calm, wise disposition.
    “So you agree with me?” Lisa said happily.
    “I didn’t say that,” Carole said. “I think Applesauce would be a good choice. But Coconut is an even better one.”
    “Coconut?” Lisa repeated. Coconut had been a Pine Hollow school horse for years. He was happy, friendly, polite, and well