Free English Horse by Bonnie Bryant

slowly. “But whatever it is, it seems to be contagious.” She quickly told Lisa and Stevie about Meg’s weird behavior in the tack room and Betsy’s even stranger remarks about Barq.
    Tessa’s forehead wrinkled in consternation. “You know, if I were a paranoid person, I would start to worry,” she said. “All those kids seemed to be giving me the evil eye.”
    “Hmmm,” Stevie said. She stepped into the middle of the aisle and glanced around. “I’m getting a funny feeling about this. I think it’s about time we got to the bottom of it.”
    One of the younger riders, a seven-year-old boy named Liam, was walking toward them as he headed for his pony’s stall. Stevie strode over and grabbed his arm. “Hey, Liam,” she said in a friendly tone. “Come here a second. We want to ask you something.”
    Liam glanced up at her, then shot a suspicious look at Tessa. “What do you want?” he asked Stevie, his lower lip jutting forward slightly in a defiant pout.
    Tessa stepped forward. “Hello, Liam,” she said. “Remember me? I was at your Horse Wise meeting yesterday.”
    Liam shrugged and stared down at the ground, looking uncomfortable. He didn’t say anything.
    Carole frowned. Liam was normally a friendly, politeboy. What was going on here? “What’s wrong with everyone today?” she blurted in exasperation. “Liam, why are you being so rude to Tessa?”
    Liam looked up and glared at Carole stubbornly. “I don’t want her to take Nickel away,” he muttered.
    For a second Carole wasn’t sure she’d heard him correctly. “What?” she said. “What are you talking about, Liam? Why would you think—”
    “Veronica,” Stevie interrupted grimly. She bent down until she was eye level with the little boy. “Did Veronica diAngelo tell you Tessa wanted to take your pony away?”
    “No.” Liam shrugged. “It was some of the other kids. Jackie and Corey were talking. They said she”—he indicated Tessa with a nod of his head—“came here from England to buy all the good horses and ponies at Pine Hollow. She wants to send them back to England for the queen to ride.”
    Carole was speechless. So Stevie was right! No matter who had told Liam the rumor, there was no doubt about who had started it. If Veronica had one true talent, it was spreading malicious gossip.
    Luckily Lisa’s voice hadn’t deserted her. She bent down beside Stevie and gazed earnestly at the little boy. “Listen, Liam,” she said gently. “Jackie and Corey are wrong. Tessa’s here visiting me and my friends. She’s not going to take any of our horses back to England with her.”
    Liam still looked suspicious. “Really?” he asked, shooting a glance at Tessa.
    Tessa nodded emphatically. “Really, truly,” she said. “Cross my heart and hope to die. I’m not after your pony. I promise.”
    Liam looked relieved. “That’s great!” he exclaimed. “I really like riding Nickel. And he wouldn’t like it much in England.” With that, he skipped off down the aisle.
    Stevie shook her head and picked up her broom again. “Can you believe the nerve of that girl?” she muttered.
    “Stevie …,” Carole said warningly. She didn’t want Stevie getting Tessa riled up about Veronica.
    But when she glanced at the British girl, she saw that it was too late. Tessa’s eyes were practically shooting sparks. “I’ve had just about enough of this!” she exclaimed.
    “Don’t worry about it,” Lisa said quickly. “Um, it’s not worth it.”
    “She’s right,” Stevie said. “Uh, Veronica’s a jerk to everyone. The best thing is just to ignore her.”
    Carole was sure that last remark had pained Stevie a lot. “That’s the best thing,” she added. “Just ignore her and forget about it. That’s what we always do. Right, guys?”
    “Right!” Stevie and Lisa chorused, sounding almost convincing.
    Tessa shook her head sadly. “But how can I forget this?” she said. “Everyone at Pine Hollow thinks I’m the next