Free Yankee Swap by Bonnie Bryant Page B

Stevie and her horse were.
    That made Carole think about Merrill and Barq. It would really be a shame if Merrill never got to experience the kind of partnership Stevie had with Belle and Carole had with Starlight. Merrill saw Barq as a wonderful, spirited, obedient horse, but Carole knew that he was that way with almost every rider who climbed on his back. She didn’t think he responded any better or any worse to Merrill than he did to the half dozen or so students at Pine Hollow who rode him, including Lisa, Betsy, and Lorraine. Barq was a terrific school horse, but that didn’t mean he was the best horse for Merrill to own.
    “Oh, there you two are,” Lisa said, walking up with Merrill. “My mom just got here. Let’s go—I’m starving.”
    “We’re right behind you,” Stevie replied, heading for the door. “There’s a large everything-on-it pizza at that mall calling our names.”
    “Everything-but-green-peppers,” Carole corrected, hoping a little food would help them figure out how to convince Merrill to leave Barq at Pine Hollow where he belonged.

“M MM , THIS HITS the spot,” Stevie said, taking another big bite of her gooey slice of everything-but-green-peppers pizza. The four girls were seated in a comfortable booth in the pizza parlor at the mall. A waiter had just brought over their custom-made pie, fresh from the oven, and the girls were digging in with gusto.
    “You’re not kidding,” Merrill agreed. “All this riding certainly helps you work up an appetite.”
    “Speaking of riding,” Lisa said, wiping a spot of grease from her chin with her napkin, “we kind of wanted to talk to you about something. About Barq, I mean.”
    “Oh!” Merrill exclaimed. “Did you tell Stevie and Carole about it?” She turned to them. “My parents and Max have already agreed on a price.”
    “That’s exactly what we want to talk to you about,” Stevie said. “Are you really sure about what you’re doing? About buying Barq, that is?”
    “Definitely,” Merrill replied. “He’s perfect.”
    “No horse is
perfect
,” Carole said.
    “Not even Starlight?” Merrill teased.
    Carole smiled. “Well, probably not. He just sometimes seems like it to me.”
    “It’s the same thing with me and Barq,” Merrill said, reaching for another slice of pizza. “You know?”
    “Still, don’t you think you should think about this a little more?” Stevie persisted.
    “Why?” Merrill said. “What would be the point? I already know he’s the most wonderful horse in the world.”
    “Well …” Stevie glanced at Carole for help. After all, she had come up with the most logical-sounding reasons.
    “Well, don’t take this the wrong way, Merrill,” Carole said, trying to think of the most tactful way to say what she wanted to say. “It’s just that we’re not sure this is the best thing for you or for Barq. You see, you think he’s the most wonderful horse in the world right now. But you haven’t ridden that many other horses yet. If you limit yourself to Barq now, you may miss out on some other horse who’s even better for you.”
    Merrill was already shaking her head. “I don’t think so,” she said. “You guys were the ones who told me I’d be able to tell when I found the right horse, right? And you were right. I can do things on Barq that I never thought I’d be able to do. He’s the right horse for me, I know it.”
    “But you don’t even know if you can’t do those things on another horse,” Lisa protested. “Not unless you try.”
    “I have tried,” Merrill said. “I tried on Patch and Chip. Neither one made me feel the way I feel on Barq.”
    “Listen, Merrill,” Carole began slowly. “If you think you can only do well when you’re riding Barq, that’s not good. You have to know you can trust your own abilities on any horse. Otherwise you’ll never be able to advance as a rider.”
    “I don’t really care,” Merrill said with a shrug. “I’m not planning to try