Rodeo Rider Read Online Free Page B

beautiful.”
    “Will you wear it?” Lisa asked.
    “More important, will you join?” Stevie said.
    “Of course I will! I’m proud to be a member of The Saddle Club. Are you in this, too?” she asked Kate.
    “Yes, I am,” Kate said. “You and I are now the western branch of the club. It’s up to us to carry on Saddle Club traditions with a western flair. Think you’re up to it?” Kate asked, grinning.
    Solemnly, Christine crossed both arms out in front of her, and then raised her right arm from the elbow, holding her hand palm-forward. “How,” she said, doing a convincing imitation of an old western-movie Indian.
    Stevie burst into giggles. “Western is right! All the way to Hollywood! How corny can you get?”
    Christine couldn’t keep her straight face any longer. She started giggling as well.
    “High twenty-five!” Carole said, holding up her hand. The five members of The Saddle Club all slapped hands together at once.
    “Morning, girls,” Eli greeted them as he walked by their cabin. He paused to pat Dude.
    “Good morning,” echoed Jeannie, who was trailing close behind Eli.
    The girls returned the greetings.
    “Eating breakfast today?” Eli asked while Jeannie patted the puppy.
    Stevie half expected Jeannie to ask them that too.
    “Tell Mom we’ll be right there,” Kate said, answeringfor them all. It was time to get ready for the day, whatever it would bring.
    C AROLE HAD ALMOST forgotten about ranch breakfasts, until the courses started arriving. Phyllis Devine brought the steak and eggs first. Frank delivered the orange juice.
    “Potatoes coming up!” Kate announced, pushing her way through the swinging door from the kitchen. Ranch breakfasts were serious food for serious appetites.
    “This looks great!” Stevie remarked, reaching for the scrambled eggs. Kate and Lisa each helped themselves to potatoes. Eli started the steak platter around the long table.
    It was a wonderful breakfast, except for one thing. There were only two paying guests in the entire dining room. The Bar None was a great guest ranch. Everything about it was terrific. Carole couldn’t understand why it wouldn’t be packed every night, but she could certainly understand that if it wasn’t, it would be difficult to keep it running much longer.
    “You want to, don’t you?” Stevie asked Carole, interrupting her thoughts.
    “Sure I do,” Carole said without thinking. Then she added, “Er, what is it I just told you I want to do?”
    Stevie grinned. “You want to go for a ride with Christine, don’t you?”
    “Oh, absolutely,” Carole confirmed. She was getting the germ of a good idea, and a ride with Christinemight be just exactly the way to carry it out. “As a matter of fact, the sooner the better. Let’s go.” She moved to stand up from the table.
    “Don’t you want to finish your breakfast first?” Phyllis asked.
    “Or at least start it,” Stevie said, looking at Carole’s almost untouched plate.
    Carole blushed. “Of course,” she said. She picked up her fork and began eating. “I’m just being flaky again,” she explained, though she had the feeling that it didn’t require explanation. Everybody could tell she was being flaky. They just didn’t know what she was being flaky about. That would have to wait until the next Saddle Club meeting. If she could get her friends to eat quickly, that meeting would take place in about fifteen minutes—on horseback!

“C OME ON , GUYS . We’ve got to hurry,” Carole said, standing up from the breakfast table. She stacked as many clean plates as she could reach—and some that weren’t clean yet.
    “Hold on!” Stevie said, a little annoyed when Carole tried to snatch her plate from her. “Just one more serving of potatoes, and—”
    “You’ve had enough,” Carole informed her. “Time to get going.”
    “Where’s the fire?” Stevie asked, reluctantly relinquishing her plate.
    “Right under our noses,” Carole said mysteriously.
    Stevie