Free Horseshoe by Bonnie Bryant Page A

told!”
    “I’m not sure I believe in this stuff.” Veronica sat and handed Stevie a crisp dollar bill from her leather purse.
    “Let me see your palm,” Stevie murmured, taking Veronica’s right hand and turning it over. “Such a nice palm too. Smooth skin, no calluses, a beautiful and expensive manicure. I can see you lead a life of leisure. It will be a pleasure to read the future from a palm like this. What do you particularly want to know?”
    “Oh, come on,” said Veronica. “You can’t fool me, Stevie.” But she didn’t pull her hand away.
    “Strong lifelines and heartlines,” Stevie said as if she hadn’t heard Veronica. “Definitely a lot of money has come through this hand. I can see you’re a person of taste and experience, a person who enjoys the finer things in life. But you must tell me, what do you want to know?”
    Veronica twisted in her seat, but Stevie’s flatteryhad begun to sway her. Finally she said, “I want to know about matters of the heart.”
    “Matters of the heart. Of course you do.” Stevie dropped Veronica’s hand and leaned backward, half closing her eyes and assuming a trancelike state. “Mmmm-ummm-oommm. I see it—I see him. The man of your dreams is before me. I see him, the perfect match for you. Tall, but not too tall. Good teeth. Wavy brown hair, nice brown eyes, a straight nose, and thin yet sensuous lips. I see him riding a horse. I see him here at Founders’ Day today. He’s new to this area. I see him—no, he’s fading … fading—” Stevie shook her head and appeared to wake up from her trance. “Whew! That was strong! It fades in and out, you know—like a bad radio station. Did I say anything that made sense to you?”
    Veronica was staring at her open-mouthed. “You described Michael Grant,” she said. “It sounded exactly like him.”
    “Really? Imagine that!”
    “Go on,” said Veronica. “Tell me more.”
    Stevie shook her head. “That’s all you get for one dollar,” she said. “You’re welcome to come back later if you want to hear some more.” She closed her eyes firmly until she heard Veronica leave the tent.
    “All clear,” she whispered. Carole and Lisa burstout from behind the back curtain. They’d come in through the back tent flap after walking twice around the fairgrounds.
    “You were great!” Lisa said.
    “Did you hear everything I said to Veronica?”
    “Every word,” Carole confirmed. “It couldn’t have gone better! Operation Fix Everything is on its way!”
    Now it was Lisa’s turn to be the fortune-teller. She donned the robe, scarf, and earrings, and rearranged the props on the top of the table.
    “What were you doing with the cards?” she asked Stevie.
    “Shuffling them, really. Like you’re dealing out a poker hand.”
    “I never dealt a poker hand.”
    “Don’t worry about the cards. Want some fresh tea leaves?”
    Lisa laughed. “After walking twice around the grounds, what I’d like is a soda! Shh—someone’s coming!”
    Stevie and Carole ducked behind the curtain. Lisa adjusted the shoulders of her robe and thought about the way a fortune-teller should speak. She loved acting, and she knew quite a lot about it. She’d even played the lead role in a community theater productionof
Annie
. The customers paused nervously outside the door. Lisa could hear them shuffling.
    “Come in!” she commanded imperiously. “The Horseshoe calls you!”
    Behind the curtain Stevie and Carole stifled their giggles. The Saddle Club was off to a fantastic start!

T HE SHUFFLING AT the tent flap stopped, and two little girls peered inside. May and Jasmine.
    “Come in!” Lisa said in sweeping tones, motioning them forward with her arm. “Don’t be afraid,” she added because both of them looked a little scared.
    “We want to know something,” said May. “We have a question for you.”
    “You can ask the crystal ball whatever you like,” Lisa said, pointing to the paperweight.
    “We’d rather ask