A Winning Gift Read Free Page B

horse?”
    â€œLike this.” Maddie demonstrated, throwing her arms around Cloudy’s neck and burying her face in her mane. She breathed in deeply, enjoying the familiar scent of the warm pony. Then she stepped back and waved Bridget forward. “Go ahead—give it a try.”
    â€œI don’t know.” Bridget took half a step forward. “Will she bite me?”
    Vic laughed. “Not unless you smell like hay.”
    â€œDon’t worry,” Val added. “Cloudy’s really sweet. She doesn’t bite.”
    Bridget took a deep breath and stepped even closer. “This is weird. . . .” She gingerly snaked her arms around the pony’s neck, imitating what Maddie had just done. Cloudy turned her head and snuffled at the girl’s hair, and Bridget leaped back with a shriek. Cloudy threw her head in the air, rolling her eyes in surprise.
    â€œIt’s okay,” Maddie said, trying not to laugh. “She was just saying hello.”
    â€œIf you say so.” Bridget smoothed down her hair, surveying the pony from a safe distance. Then she let out a long sigh. “Anyway, hugging a pony isn’t like hugging your boyfriend.”
    â€œIf you say so,” Maddie echoed.
    â€œIt’s kind of hard to hug someone who lives in Utah, isn’t it?” Vic added.
    Val poked her sister. “You’re not helping.”
    But Bridget barely seemed to have heard Vic’s comment. She was staring sadly into space. “Now I’ll never get to hug him again.” Her eyes filled with tears again. “I can’t believe he did this to me!”
    As she tried to figure out what to say to make her friend feel better, Maddie heard the sound of the wheelbarrow rattling toward them again. Seth was returning from his latest trip to the manure pile.
    He rounded the corner, whistling. “Hi, guys,” he called when he saw them. “How’s the pony manicure going?”
    Bridget glanced at him and blinked rapidly several times. Then she turned away, quickly dabbing at her eyes with the sleeve of her shirt. Maddie guessed she was embarrassed to be caught crying by someone she didn’t know.
    â€œIt’s going great,” she told Seth as he approached, trying to distract him. “Check it out. Is she ready for the Paris fashion runways or what?”
    Seth laughed, stopping the wheelbarrow in front of Cloudy and reaching out to give the pony a pat on the face. “I wouldn’t know about that,” he said, flipping his hair out of his eyes with a toss of his head. “But she looks pretty spiffy.”
    â€œThanks.” Sneaking a look at Bridget, Maddie could see that she’d composed herself. “By the way, Seth, this is my friend Bridget. She just, uh, stopped by to say hello. Bridget, this is Seth.”
    â€œHi, Seth.” Bridget smiled at him. “Do you work here?”
    Seth waved a hand at his wheelbarrow and pitchfork. “It’s not glamorous, but it pays pretty well. And Ms. Emerson lets me come whenever I have time between school and football practice.”
    â€œOh, you’re on the football team?” Bridget asked. “What position do you play?”
    â€œQuarterback,” Seth replied.
    Bridget’s eyes widened. “Really, quarterback? Wow, that’s cool!”
    â€œThanks.” Seth smiled proudly. “I’m only JV this year, but I’m hoping to make varsity as a sophomore.”
    â€œCool,” Maddie said. “I didn’t even know you played football.”
    â€œThere’s a lot you don’t know about me.” He waggled his eyebrows. “Like, you probably don’t know I have a secret double life as an international spy.”
    Maddie laughed. “Really? What a coincidence—me too! What’s the last international crisis you stopped?”
    â€œIf I told you, I’d have to kill you.” Seth grinned and checked his