Cutting Horse Read Free Page A

people—people riding vehicles like golf carts from place to place, people dashing around with camera equipment, people laying out food on picnic tables, people talking on cellular phones, people running, people yelling, people arguing.
    Stevie, Carole, and Lisa set their luggage down and just stared for several minutes.
    “It’s kind of a three-ring circus, isn’t it?” said Kate.
    “More like ten-ring!” Carole responded. “How are the horses holding up?”
    The girls smiled. It was just like Carole to ask about the horses. She was always more concerned with their welfare than anyone else’s.
    “Why don’t we go see for ourselves?” Kate suggested. “In fact, let’s sneak out on a trail ride before somebody puts us to work!”
    The girls didn’t have to be asked twice. Within minutes they had dumped their bags in the bunkhouse, changed into jeans and boots, and headed out to the stable.
    Lisa, Carole, and Stevie each had a favorite horse at the Bar None. Lisa’s was a pretty bay mare called Chocolate. Carole rode Berry, a strawberry roan. Stevie rode Stewball.
    Stewball was a very unusual horse. First there was his color. He was a skewbald, meaning he was white with irregular patches of a brownish chestnut color. But more than his color, it was his personality that made him unique. He was the stubbornest horse the girls had ever encountered. Anything he did, he did his way, from picking up a trot to rounding up cattle. Stevie had learned very quickly that it was hopeless for her to tell Stewball how to do something: He would just ignore her. And hewas such a great cutting horse and all-around Western mount that there was no reason to even
try
to tell him what to do. Chances were, he would be right and the rider would be wrong.
    As the girls groomed the horses and tacked up, Lisa brought up John’s sober mood. “I wish I knew what was irking him—if something was. Maybe I’m just being hypersensitive.”
    “It’s all my fault,” Stevie said. “I didn’t even realize the conversation about Skye would upset John until everyone got so quiet.”
    “Don’t worry about it,” Lisa said. “That obviously didn’t help things, but John was in a bad mood before that. He doesn’t seem to be himself.”
    “That’s not hard to believe,” Kate said. “I can sympathize. Ever since Dad signed the deal with the studio, we’ve all been working twice as hard as we usually do. The people from Hollywood don’t know anything about horses or ranch life. We practically have to hold their hands. And they keep getting in the way, and that makes it more difficult to get all the rest of our work done. John’s probably so tired he can’t see straight. We all are. Once we get a breather, John will snap back to normal.”
    “I guess you’re right,” Lisa said. “I just hope he snaps back in the next week.”
    Soon the horses were tacked up and ready to go. When the girls had first visited the ranch, it had been a challenge for them to get used to Western tack and the different riding style. But now they were confident in the horned saddles, and they really enjoyed the change from English riding.
    One by one they led the horses from the barn into the beautiful, sunny day. Stevie inhaled loudly. “Even the air here is different,” she said.
    “Yeah,” Kate said with a grin, “I hear it’s better for barbecuing.”
    “Don’t tempt me like that!” Stevie wailed. “I’d give my right arm for an old-fashioned Western barbecue!”
    “Well, you just might be able to keep the arm and still have a barbecue,” Kate said. “Dad’s planning to have a huge cookout for the staff one night this week to boost morale.”
    “So I guess that means Stevie can have her barbecue and eat it too?” Lisa said.
    Astride Berry, Carole spoke up. “Would you guys mind getting on your horses one of these days? Berry and I are raring to go.”
    As if in agreement, Berry raised her head and neighed loudly. Close by, another horse