Free Crown Prince by Linda Snow McLoon Page B

serving refreshments. She pointed to the table where jumbo raisin cookies were laid out on napkins. “You girls are doing quite a bit of shopping,” the woman said. “Why don’t you take a break with some punch and one of our super cookies?”
    Kayla looked longingly at the cookies and then back at Sarah. “I’ve made up my mind. I’m going to lose five pounds before the summer show season begins. I guess I’d better skip the cookies.”
    â€œI guess I’ll pass too,” Sarah said to the woman. “But thanks.”
    â€œYou’re lucky you don’t have to worry about your weight,” Kayla whispered, as they moved out of the way to avoid some little girls and their mothers approaching the snack table. Just then they heard a familiar voice behind them.
    â€œHey, look who’s here!” The girls turned to see Tim and Paige grinning from ear to ear. Both wore riding breeches, and Tim carried a navy blue sheet for Rhodes under his arm.
    â€œI heard the DeWitts have some connections so you can get a horse from Raceland Park. Is that right?” Tim asked Sarah.
    â€œYeah,” Sarah said. “We’re supposed to go tomorrow. The DeWitts are being just super. They’re letting us use the Brookmeade truck and trailer. But this is all happening so fast—I still can’t believe it!”
    â€œI hope you get a terrific horse,” Paige said. “Just make sure it’s not a confirmed runaway.”
    Laughing, Tim took Paige’s arm as he started for the checkout. “Come on. We need to hurry if we’re going to ride.”
    Paige waved to the girls. “Good luck, Sarah. I can hardly wait to see your horse!”
    Sarah and Kayla watched them walk away. Kayla leaned closer to say in a low voice, “I’ll bet a lot of girls would love to date Tim. He’s pretty cool. And guys would be interested in Paige if she wasn’t already taken.”
    â€œI bet you wouldn’t mind dating someone like Tim,” Sarah said, looking for Kayla’s reaction.
    â€œI’d have to shed some pounds first,” Kayla said. “And who would take a second look at someone with a face full of freckles?”
    â€œAw, you’re too hard on yourself,” Sarah said.
    Kayla scowled. “If I could only be as lucky as Paige. She’s skinny as a twig and her face looks like she’s never had a zit.”
    â€œWell, Rita makes no secret of how she feels,” Sarah said. “She’d like to give Paige a one-way ticket to Mongolia. As if Rita has any chance with Tim!” Her face sobered. “I just wish Rita would stop crowing all the time about how perfect Chancellor is!”
    â€œRita is weird,” Kayla said. “She can be totally obnoxious, and then out of the blue she’ll do something really nice. And sometimes she’s so funny. You never know what to expect from her. She’s an amazing rider, I must admit, and with that horse she’ll be hard to beat.”
    The girls went down an aisle that seemed to have every kind of horse product imaginable, from shampoo to antibiotic ointments to fly spray. Sarah resisted the urge to pick up one of everything. She looked down at her overflowing basket and frowned. “I just hope my gift card will cover all this!”
    As they headed to another wall rack loaded with bridles and bits, they saw Rita Snyder heading their way, squeezing between shoppers. Rita set her loaded shopping basket down when she got to them. She looked puzzled when she saw Sarah’s basket. “Why are you getting all that stuff?”
    â€œSarah’s getting a horse,” Kayla said. “She’ll be picking it up at Raceland Park on Saturday. Isn’t that awesome?”
    Rita’s green eyes widened in surprise. “No kidding! From the racetrack? I guess you want something faster than Gray Fox to run away with you the next time,” she said,