Read Horse Guest for Free Online

today,wasn’t it?” she said cheerfully. “I can’t wait for the gymkhana.”
    Britt nodded. “It sounds like fun,” she agreed. “Gymkhanas were one of my favorite things at my old stable. We always had really silly games and things.”
    Stevie was pretty sure that that was the longest she had ever heard Britt speak at one time. That was a good sign. Maybe the shy girl was starting to open up at last. “They’re one of my favorite things, too,” Stevie said, grabbing a comb and starting to work a tangle out of Magoo’s mane while she talked. “And I bet that snowball race will be a blast. I’m going to tell Max about it the first chance I get. I’ll make sure he knows the snowball part was your idea.”
    Britt’s cheeks turned slightly pink. “Oh, that’s okay,” she said modestly. “The race was mostly your idea. You probably would have thought of the snowballs yourself sooner or later.”
    Stevie hardly heard the other girl’s comment. That was because she had just peeked into Magoo’s manger. “Oh, it figures,” she said.
    “What’s wrong?” Britt asked.
    Stevie grabbed a handful of alfalfa pellets out of the manger and held them out for Britt to see. “He ate everything else and left these,” she said. “It’s the first time he’s done that.”
    “Do you think there’s something wrong with him?” Britt asked, looking concerned.
    Stevie shrugged. “I’ll mention it to Max so he can tell Judy when she stops by,” she said. “But my guess is that Magoo just decided he didn’t like alfalfa pellets anymore. Or else he got bored and decided it would be fun to eat around them this time.” She gave the horse an annoyed look. “It just figures you would be a picky eater too, Magoo.”
    Britt giggled uncertainly, seeming unsure whether Stevie was joking or not. “Maybe to him, alfalfa pellets taste like broccoli does to me,” she said.
    It took Stevie a second to realize that Britt had actually made a joke. Then she grinned in appreciation. “Good one,” she said. “You’re thinking like a horse. Carole would definitely approve.” Stevie herself was starting to approve of Britt. The new girl was smart and funny underneath that shy exterior, though it took her a while to show it. But she
did
seem to be making more of an effort lately.
    Just then, Polly walked by. She paused beside Britt to glance in at Magoo. “How’s the patient?” she asked Stevie.
    “Oh, he’s all right,” Stevie said. “Have you met Britt?” She quickly introduced the two girls.
    Polly gave the new girl a friendly nod. “I’ve seen you around,” she said. “How do you like Pine Hollow so far?”
    “I like it fine,” Britt said softly. “You’re the one who rides that pretty brown gelding, right?”
    Suddenly Stevie remembered something. When Britthad toured Pine Hollow on her first visit, she had seen Polly’s horse, Romeo, in his stall and mentioned that he resembled her own horse back in Ohio. “That’s right,” she said. “Polly just got him recently. His name is Romeo.”
    “He looks like a really nice horse,” Britt said.
    “Thanks,” Polly said, looking pleased. “He is pretty terrific.” She turned to Stevie. “That reminds me,” she said. “Romeo’s breeder called me last night. He’s got another horse for sale—Romeo’s half brother, actually. I promised to spread the word around here. Do you know anyone who’s looking?”
    “Hmm,” Stevie said, pretending to think about Polly’s question. Meanwhile, her mind was racing. This could be the answer! It seemed almost too perfect. Romeo was a friendly, cheerful, talented, and eager-to-please young horse. If his half brother was anything like him, he would be absolutely perfect for Britt. He would have enough spunk to challenge her riding abilities, but no major character or behavior problems to overwhelm her own timid personality. Stevie had to fight to keep from showing how excited she was at this unexpected piece of luck.