Free Horse Spy by Bonnie Bryant Page B

seat. When I’m not with one of them, I need to have several. I think the collection they’ve assembled for our ride is more than usual, but my father wanted it.”
    “You mean they’re just doing their jobs?” Carole asked.
    “I guess that’s a good way to put it,” said Karya.
    “They sort of give me the willies,” said Lisa. “I was thinking about it when you got here. If it takes this many men to be sure you’re safe, then you must be very unsafe.”
    “It’s not really like that,” said Karya. “And besides, after a while, you’ll find you can ignore them.”
    “In those getups?” Stevie asked.
    “It’s not any easier when they’re all wearing those subtle shiny black suits and bug-eyed sunglasses, is it?” Karya countered.
    Stevie shrugged, laughing. “No, I guess not.”
    “And besides, they won’t always be with us,” said Karya.
    “They’ll let us ride alone?” Carole asked.
    “Well, maybe not exactly
let
us …,” Karya said suggestively.
    “I knew I was going to like you,” Stevie said.
    The curtain that hid the dressing area was pulled back, and Mrs. Reg came in. She introduced herself to Karya and then turned to The Saddle Club.
    “I heard some talk about mucking out stalls,” she began. “I think it’s a fine idea, but I hardly see how any of that is going to get done as long as you all are sitting in here talking up a storm.”
    Karya stood up and saluted sharply. “Take me to the nearest pitchfork!”
    Mrs. Reg smiled broadly and then glanced at Stevie, Lisa, and Carole. “You three could learn a thing or two from this nice girl,” she teased.
    “See what we have to put up with?” Carole asked.
    “And you love every minute of it, don’t you?” asked Karya.
    “Yeah, but don’t let Mrs. Reg know that,” said Lisa in a stage whisper. Mrs. Reg ignored her.
    The girls proceeded to the dirty stalls that had been saved for Karya.
    There were three stalls to muck out, and then Nickel needed a grooming. It turned out that Karya was almost as good at picking out hooves as Stevie was, though Stevie was able to give her a couple of pointers.
    “Some people think it’s strength,” Stevie said. “But it’s not at all. It’s the angle and leverage. It’s really—”
    “All in the wrist?” Karya said, imitating Stevie’s motion.
    “Yep,” Stevie agreed, admiring the way the clods of dirt and the small clump of gravel flew out of Nickel’s hoof under Karya’s now expert wrist action.
    Once Nickel’s hooves were clean, Karya picked up a brush and began grooming the pony vigorously. He loved the attention, and it was clear Karya was enjoying herself.
    A single guard—the one dressed in the fringed shirt—stood nearby. Stevie suspected that was just in case one of the horses pulled a gun on the girls. The guard had his back to the foursome. Stevie got an idea. Carole and Lisa knew it from the look on her face. Karya, too, knew a mischievous grin when she saw one.
    Stevie put her finger to her lips. They all set down their grooming tools, tiptoed down the aisle, and sneaked into Penny’s stall, two doors down. They crouched down so that they could see through the cracks in the board. They waited.
    Eventually Stevie had to toss a small handful of feed pellets at Nickel so that he would make a sound that the guard would respond to. Nickel snorted. The guard turned.
    Even through the cracks in Penny’s stall wall, they could see the man’s face turn pale. His charge had disappeared! Instantly he began running down the aisle, poking at a bale of hay, picking up a pile of leathers.
    He paused, clearly frantic. Carole knew what was going through his mind. Either he had to find Karya himself or he had to admit to his colleagues that he’d let her get snatched out from under his nose. Then he stopped and looked again. There was no exit door behind him and there were only four stalls until the dead end of the hallway. He knew then that it was a joke and he called her