bridled Cloudy and led her down the aisle.
âWait. I forgot to get a helmet,â Bridget said as they stepped outside. âStay here. I remember where they are.â
She dashed back into the barn. Maddie led Cloudy over to a patch of grass and let her graze, enjoying the feel of the pale November sun on her face.
This is nice , she thought. Just me and Cloudy .
Suddenly she felt tears filling her eyes. That was weirdâMaddie hardly ever cried. Even when a big midfielder had crashed into her at soccer practice a couple of years ago and snapped her wrist, she hadnât shed a single tear.
But the thought of leaving Cloudy was much worse than a broken bone. Bones healed, and life went on. But moving away from her favorite pony? Maddie wasnât sure sheâd ever recover from that.
âDramatic much?â she muttered under her breath. âBridget must be rubbing off on me.â
Realizing her friend was taking an awfully long time finding a helmet, she tugged on the reins and led Cloudy back over to the doorway. Peering in, she saw Bridget ambling slowly along the aisle, pausing to glance into the stalls she was passing.
âStop sightseeing and hurry up!â Maddie called. âWe want to have time to get your ride in before the next lesson starts.â
âOkay, okay.â Bridget picked up the pace. âI donât have to trot today, do I?â
âNot if you donât want to,â Maddie promised. âLetâs just see how it goes, okay?â
She stood Cloudy next to the mounting block, and soon Bridget was in the saddle. She fiddled with the reins, glancing toward the barn now and then.
âWhat are you looking for?â Maddie asked.
âNothing,â Bridget said. âJust checking to make sure the lesson people arenât coming.â
Maddie pulled out her cell phone to check the time. âDonât worry. Weâve got like half an hour before they even get here to start tacking up. Now, come on. Letâs start by walking around the ring, nice and easy. . . .â
They circled the ring several times. At first Bridget was tense, leaning forward and clutching the reins tighter every time Cloudy flicked an ear or swished her tail at a fly. But after a couple of circuits she seemed to relax.
âWant to try a trot now?â Maddie asked.
Bridget frowned. âI donât know. Maybe we should wait until next time.â
âCome on,â Maddie wheedled. âItâll be fun. You did great the other day, remember? Anyway, itâll come in handy to know how to do it. You knowâin case you ever have to ride a horse for an acting role.â
That made Bridget smile. âTrue. I read about this actress who got cast as a runaway princess, and she was supposed to gallop out of the castle bareback on her favorite white horse.â
âActually, there arenât any true white horses,â Maddie said. âOther than albinos, maybeâIâm not sure. Horses and ponies that look whiteâlike Wizard, for instanceâare actually just very pale gray.â
âThanks, Professor.â Bridget rolled her eyes. âAnyway, this actress was supposed to ride off into the sunset on her gray horse. . . .â She paused and made a funny face. âBut she kept sliding off the side of the horse. So they had to have a stunt person do it, and they just filmed her face and used special effects to paste it on the stunt personâs body.â
âCool.â Maddie shot her a look. âReady to trot now? Letâs go!â
She clucked and urged Cloudy forward. The pony immediately swept into a smooth trot.
Bridget let out a squeal of protest. âHey, I wasnât ready!â she exclaimed.
Maddie grinned up at her as she jogged alongside Cloudy. âYou look ready to me.â
Bridget was posting, just as she had the other two times sheâd ridden Cloudy. She frowned as she