Cutting Horse Read Free

But John certainly didn’t look thrilled—or sound it, either.
    “All right. Troops in. Let’s get on home to the ranch,” Frank said, sounding like his old military self.
    Lisa piled into the van with everyone else. She was sorry not to talk to John more, but it would be better to catch up with him later. If he was upset about something, he wouldn’t want to talk about it in front of everyone.
    “So what do you think of Skye?” Stevie asked Kate as soon as they were on the way.
    “He’s great!” Kate exclaimed. “He’s such a nice guy, and he’s so friendly and down-to-earth for a movie star. The day he arrived, he came right over to our house,knocked on the door, and introduced himself to the whole family.”
    “That’s just like Skye,” Carole said. “You almost forget he’s famous.”
    “Even Dad would agree with that,” Kate said.
    Frank looked back from the front seat. “I certainly would. That boy has impressed all of us.”
    “Has he met the horses yet?” Carole inquired.
    Kate nodded. “Oh, yes. This morning he came over and borrowed Spot to practice on.” With a giggle, Kate added, “I must say he looked pretty darn good on a horse, even though he’s not an expert rider.”
    “Those blue eyes, those curly blond locks …,” Stevie murmured melodramatically.
    “Okay, okay. We know what he looks like!” Carole protested.
    “Look, I’m just glad to hear that everyone at the Bar None has joined the Skye Ransom Fan Club,” Stevie said. “Because we’ve been members since the day we met him.”
    “You’re lucky that you’ve gotten to know him so well,” Kate said.
    “Oh, we don’t know him
that
well,” Stevie said, her hazel eyes twinkling mischievously. “The only one of us who’s really spent any quality time with Skye is Lisa.”
    “Quality time? Really?” Kate asked, eyebrows raised.
    “Tell her, Lisa,” Stevie prompted.
    “It wasn’t that big of a deal,” Lisa muttered.
    “Not that big of a deal? You were out in Los Angeles for a whole week with Skye, getting taken out every night as his date—”
    “I wasn’t
with
Skye,” Lisa broke in. “I was with my mother.”
    “Yeah, but—” Stevie stopped abruptly as Carole elbowed her.
    “We
all
like Skye, and that’s the important thing,” Carole said firmly. Silently she wished that Stevie would stop talking about Lisa’s trip to California. Carole had noticed that during the conversation about Skye, Lisa had been silent. Obviously Lisa didn’t want them to talk in front of John about how much she liked Skye. She was sensitive enough to realize that John might mind. Stevie hadn’t picked up on that. And now she had made matters worse by bringing up Lisa’s California trip. The purpose of the trip had been for Lisa to visit her aunt, who was sick. It was only by chance that she’d been able to see Skye, too. But John didn’t know that—and, judging by her awkward expression, Lisa knew that he didn’t know.
    The rest of the ride home was quieter. Lisa and John stared out their windows. Carole changed the subject to horses, and she and Kate exchanged notes on Starlightand Kate’s horse Moonglow. It was a relief when they finally arrived at the ranch.
    Walter dropped the girls off in front of the bunkhouse where they always stayed. Before she got out, Lisa told John that she hoped they’d have time to talk later.
    “I do, too,” John said, “but I’m really busy. I—I’ll have to see.”
    Lisa watched the van drive off. So far her reunion with John wasn’t going the way she had expected. And she had no idea why.
    F RANK D EVINE WAS RIGHT : The girls hardly recognized the place. The Bar None had been transformed into a Hollywood studio. Behind the bunkhouse and stables was a long row of trailers, and behind them, a smaller row of portable toilets. All over the ranch, roped-off sections divided the property. Huge sets of lights on wheels flanked different sections. And everywhere, there were