Free Quarter Horse by Bonnie Bryant Page B

other, wondering if Stevie had been fast enough to beat Gabriel. If Stevie didn’t win this event, there would be no way she could win the rodeo, and her bet with Gabriel would be over.
    “Oh, please,” Lisa whispered, closing her eyes and crossing her fingers. “Let her win this one!”
    Suddenly the ring announcer’s voice broke the expectant stillness of the arena. “Ladies and gentlemen,” he began. “I’m pleased to announce that this year’s pole bending champ is none other than Ms. Stevie Lake from Willow Creek, Virginia!”
    Though Carole and Lisa knew they weren’t supposed to cheer, they leaned over from their horses and gave each other a hug. Again they could hear Mr. Cate’s shrill whistle ringing out over Karen Nicely’s wildly clanging cowbell.
    “Now they’re tied,” said Carole. “Whoever wins the quarter-mile race will win it all!”

“G OOD BOY , T UMBLEWEED !” Stevie said to the sweaty quarter horse as she led him to the trough for a long drink of water. From the arena she could hear the rodeo crowd laughing at one of Sal and Lisa and Carole’s routines, while just ahead of her a tractor smoothed the surface of the track in preparation for the quarter-mile race. There was a fifteen-minute break, during which the clowns would entertain the crowd and then help them relocate around the track. The break also served as a rest period for the horses and riders who’d competed in the previous events.
    “You’ve been such a good horse!” Stevie reached over and patted Tumbleweed’s lathered shoulder as he slurped long swallows of water. “Everything that’s gone wrong has been my fault.”
    Stevie knew very well that the day’s mistakes had, indeed, been hers. Tumbleweed had performed perfectly, from racing after the goat at just the right speed to holding the calf tightly on the line while Stevie tried to tie his feet. “I guess I’m just not too hot with four-legged nonhorse creatures,” she said with a shrug.
    She looked at Tumbleweed. “But I’m real good when it’s just me alone, and we’re great together!” She grinned as Tumbleweed raised his head from the water trough, his chin dripping. “Now we’ve just got one more event to go. If we can win this race, it won’t matter how badly I wrestle goats or rope calves!”
    She led Tumbleweed to the concession trailer and leaned against him as Carole and Lisa chased Sal around the arena, trying to rope her with string they squirted out of a can. She smiled as she watched her friends clowning for the crowd and making everyone laugh. “I bet Phil’s not doing anything like that right now,” she whispered. “I bet he’s probably paddling down some river with Meghan or Chelsea or whatever her name is. She’s wearing some really cute outfit, and they’re probably planning their next vacation together, which will be something really glamorous and exciting, like climbing the Himalayas.” Just at that moment Tumbleweed shifted on his feet and gave a big sigh. “I know exactly how you feel, boy,” Stevie said sadly as she rubbed the horse behind his ears.
    “Hi, Stevie.”
    Stevie looked up to see Eileen, dressed in her pioneer clothes and holding a cone of pink cotton candy.
    “Hi, Eileen,” she replied.
    “I saw you try to wrestle that little goat. You were pretty funny. Everybody laughed at you.”
    “Oh, really?” Stevie’s cheeks started to burn—not at the thought of the crowd laughing at her, but at the thought of Mr. Hotshot Rodeo Star Gabriel laughing at her.
    “Yes, it was
really
funny.” Eileen bit into her cotton candy. “I laughed the hardest.”
    “I bet you did, Eileen.” Stevie took off her cowboy hat and wiped the sweat from her forehead.
    “You know, I still know that secret,” Eileen began again.
    “What secret?”
    “The one I tried to tell you this morning.”
    Stevie frowned. “You mean when you came over to the wagon and bugged us while we were trying to get ready?”
    Eileen