Star Rider Read Free Page A

him.
    “It will be a lot of work,” Max said.
    “Like what?” Stevie asked.
    “Like grooming, cleaning stalls, tacking and untacking for the riders in the movie. There will be a lot of grounds-keeping. The place will have to be spotless. There may be some painting that we have to do, and I’m sure therewill be special training required of some of the horses, maybe even lessons for some of the performers.”
    “No problem,” Lisa said. “We can get you a grounds crew, trainers, or grooms at the drop of a hat.”
    “And lessons for the performers?” Max asked. “Who is going to take care of that chore?”
    Three hands went up at once.
    “All right,” Max said. “I’ll call Dithers and tell him it’s okay. He won’t believe that my riders are so devoted they’ll give up their own lessons just to pitch in for his movie.”
    “Oh, thank you, Max!” Lisa said, feeling relieved. “You won’t be sorry!”
    Max laughed. “I probably won’t be, but you all may be. You’re going to be working very hard just to have a chance to see your friend, Cloud.”
    “Skye,” Lisa corrected him automatically. “You think that’s the only reason we’re willing to work?”
    “Probably not the only one,” Max said. “But to tell you the truth, I didn’t believe the one about the roof on the feed shed.”
    “Weak, huh?” Lisa asked.
    “It was a nice try,” Max said. “Now, I’ll make a confession. I had already decided to say yes to Dithers. It will be interesting to learn about movie-making, and Ithought perhaps you three might be willing to work for free just to get another close-up look at this guy, Cloud.”
    “Skye!” Lisa said, exasperated. “And, yes, we would. After all, Skye is our friend. He’s actually even a sort of pupil of ours.…”
    “Ah, yes, and I recall tales of how much fun you three had riding around New York City in his stretch limo, don’t I?” Max asked. Before the girls had a chance to protest, Max changed the subject. “Two of these horses need shoes, the others are fine. Bring Barq and Coconut into the stable for the farrier, okay?”
    “Okay,” Carole agreed, but before she said it, Max was gone, disappearing into his office to call Mr. Dithers.
    “This is incredible,” Lisa said.
    “Yes,” Stevie agreed. “And what’s incredible about it is that I think we just got outfoxed by Max.”
    “Ah, but think how great it will be to have a new roof on the feed shed!” Carole teased.
    The three of them laughed.

S TEVIE , C AROLE, AND Lisa waited impatiently for the first signs of arrival of the movie crew.
    “I bet they come in a truck,” Stevie said.
    “At least two,” Lisa said. “Remember that woman’s notebook?”
    The woman she was referring to was the film’s production manager. Max had spent two days with her right after he’d agreed to let them come to Pine Hollow. Her job was to figure out exactly what the company needed to bring and what was already here. She seemed very pleased after two days of hunting through every nook and cranny of the stable as well as the surrounding countryside. However, she had taken copious notes, and the girls were sure that every note in her notebook meant anitem the company had to bring all the way from California.
    When the movie crew finally showed up they had two trucks, not one, but they were rented from local movie companies and hadn’t been shipped from California. In addition to the trucks, there were location vans and lots of cars filled with technical people.
    “The way I see it, there are lights people, sound people, camera people, and then there are other people who just seem to run around, carrying things,” Carole said.
    “Those are the gofers,” Stevie told her.
    Carole looked at her quizzically.
    “Yeah, you know, like go for coffee, go for donuts …”
    Carole smiled. “Yeah, there are a lot of them. But where are the actors?”
    “Anyone in particular?” Lisa teased.
    “Aren’t you girls supposed