Maddie’s Dream (15 page)

“Okay.” Maddie took two steps toward the mare's
stall, then stopped and turned around. “Actually, see if you can save the spot for me, okay? I—I need to talk to Ms. E about something first.”

“Really?” Val said. She traded a look with her twin.

“You mean—
the
talk?” Vic added.

“Yeah.” Maddie swallowed hard. “I'll be right back.”

She hurried toward the office. Nina had been right—Maddie couldn't wait until after the ride. The suspense would only distract her from the day's fun. No, she had to talk to Ms. Emerson about buying Cloudy right away.

The barn owner was helping a teenage boarder untangle a bridle. She glanced up when Maddie approached.

“Oh, good, you're here,” Ms. Emerson said. “Cloudy's waiting for you in her stall.”

“Okay.” Maddie took a deep breath. “Um, can I talk to you about something first? It's important.” She glanced at the teen, who was fiddling with the bridle's throatlatch. “And sort of private.”

Ms. Emerson looked surprised. She led the way to a quiet spot over by the wash stall. “Is something wrong, Madison?”

“No, not really.” Maddie's mouth went dry and her
heart started pounding. “Uh, it's just that I've been thinking about Cloudy, you know, and the Richardsons wanting to buy her? And I—well, I think I want to buy her myself instead. If that's okay.”

Ms. Emerson's eyebrows shot up. “Oh, Maddie . . . ,” she began.

“No, listen, I'm serious about this,” Maddie hurried on. “That's why I've been trying to earn money—I'll have enough for a down payment soon. And then I was thinking maybe we could set up a payment plan? Like, I could pay you a certain amount every week or every month or whatever until she's all paid for. Oh! And I would want to board her here, of course—um, I guess I'd have to work out a payment plan for that, too. . . .”

“Maddie. Hold up for a second.” Ms. Emerson put a hand on Maddie's arm. “Do your parents know about this plan of yours?”

Maddie gulped. “Um, not exactly. I mean, not yet. I mean, I was going to—that is, they think I—”

Ms. Emerson cut her off. “That's what I suspected. Look, Maddie, I appreciate how much you care about
Cloudy. But you have to realize it's not as simple as paying her off with your babysitting money.”

Maddie frowned. “But I can get the money!” she protested. “Like I said, I've been looking for odd jobs, and I might start a dog-walking business, and . . .” Her voice trailed off as the barn owner held up a hand.

“Maddie, the thing is, you're a minor,” Ms. Emerson said. “I would absolutely need to involve your parents before even considering selling her to you.”

Maddie's heart dropped. “But—but you can't just let the Richardsons buy her instead,” she argued. “You can't! Cloudy can't leave!”

The barn owner sighed, her expression softening. “Look, I really don't want to lose Cloudy, either.” She shook her head. “That's why, when Mr. Richardson called me on Friday afternoon, I quoted him what I thought was a ridiculously high price.”

“He called?” Maddie gulped. “So they definitely want to buy her?”

Ms. Emerson shrugged. “They seem quite determined. He was a bit taken aback by the price, I think, but he said
he was sure we could work something out. Still, I—”

Just then a little girl rushed over, looking frantic. “Ms. E, Peaches won't let me catch her in the paddock, and I'm already late, and . . .”

“All right, all right. I'm coming.” Ms. Emerson glanced at Maddie, looking concerned. “We can talk more later, Maddie. Just try not to worry about it, okay?”

Maddie nodded without speaking, biting the inside of her cheek to stop herself from crying. As soon as Ms. Emerson hurried off, Maddie raced in the other direction, not stopping until she reached Cloudy's stall.

The mare looked up from her hay and nickered. That was more than Maddie could take.

“Oh, Cloudy . . . ,” she said, her voice wobbly and thick.

Burying her face in the pony's silky mane, she let the tears come. How could this be happening? It just wasn't fair. . . .

A few minutes later, she heard voices pass by right outside the stall, sounding happy and excited. That snapped her out of it. Sniffling back the last few tears, she wiped her face and forced a smile as Cloudy snuffled at her chest.

“Okay, got that out of my system,” she told the pony as brightly as she could. “Now I might as well get over it and at least try to enjoy the ride.”

Especially if it's the last chance I get to ride the best pony ever,
she added silently.

To Maddie's surprise, she actually did manage to mostly forget the Richardson Situation and enjoy the ride. The Snack & Swim was just as much fun as she'd always imagined. The entire group, led by Ms. Emerson and Kiana and a couple of the adult boarders, headed out past the ring and down the hill to the trail winding between acres of irrigated farmland. They all laughed and talked and occasionally burst into song as they rode, and the horses and ponies seemed just as happy to be out as the humans.

Maddie and Cloudy were near the back of the group when they passed a house with a chain-link fence around the yard. Suddenly a flap in the front door opened and a wiry little dog raced out, barking at the top of its lungs.

The pony right in front of Cloudy spooked to one side,
nearly unseating its rider, the little girl with the black braids.

“Whoa! Are you okay, Prisha?” Val called out from behind Maddie.

The little girl let out a shriek as her pony backed away from the barking dog. “Stop, Tucker!” she cried, sounding scared. “Oh no!”

“It's okay, Prisha,” Maddie called, urging Cloudy forward. The Chincoteague mare was staring at the dog too, but she seemed more curious than frightened. “Wait until I catch up, okay?”

She rode Cloudy up between the fence and the other pony. Prisha was clutching Tucker's mane, looking terrified.

“It's okay,” Maddie said, reaching out to grab the little girl's rein. “We'll help you past it. Easy, Tucker—there's nothing to be worried about. . . .”

She kept talking soothingly to girl and pony as she legged Cloudy forward. Cloudy responded instantly, walking calmly past the noisy dog.

By this time, the riders ahead had stopped, realizing
something was happening. Ms. Emerson was standing in her stirrups, peering down the line.

“Is everything okay back there?” she called.

At that moment the house's front door opened and a college-age girl came out. “Spot!” she called. “Bad dog! Come!” As the dog stopped barking and bounded toward her, wagging its tail, the girl waved at the riders. “Sorry about that!”

Maddie smiled and dropped Cloudy's reins to wave back. “It's okay! Thanks!”

Soon the dog was inside and all the riders were safely past the house. As soon as the trail widened enough, Kiana caught up to Maddie.

“Well done, sweetie,” she said, smiling down from her tall bay Thoroughbred's back. “You saved the day back there! It would've been a bummer to lose a rider this early, eh?”

Maddie grinned. “Not on my watch—or Cloudy's, either.” As she bent to pat the steady little mare on the neck, the Richardsons crept back into her mind and her good mood wavered slightly. But she quickly banished them again, determined not to let them ruin the day.

After about an hour, Maddie and the rest of the riders reached a public park. It felt good to get out of the sun into the shade of the trees. They followed a winding dirt trail downhill, with the sound of rushing water growing louder with every step.

When they finally came within sight of the creek, Maddie gasped. “Wow, it's gorgeous!” she exclaimed.

“I know, right?” Vic grinned as she stopped her pony beside Cloudy. “Looks nice and cool, too.”

Ms. Emerson let out a sharp whistle. “All right, everyone!” she called. “There are only two rules to remember before you go in the water. First, remove your saddles and set them over there.” She waved toward some picnic tables on the bank. “Second, keep your helmets on at all times.” She grinned. “The rest of your wardrobe is up to you. Now go have fun!”

Maddie cheered along with the others. She dismounted quickly, pulling off Cloudy's saddle. Then she stripped down to her swimsuit and climbed back on, bareback and barefoot, with the help of one of the picnic tables.

“Ready to cool off, Cloudy?” she said. “Let's go for a swim!”

She rode the pony into the creek. It was shallow along the edge, and Cloudy stopped as soon as her front feet were in the water, lowering her head for a nice long drink.

When she finished, Maddie kicked her on, aiming for the deeper water in the middle. Several horses and ponies were already out there, splashing around happily.

“Yipes!” Maddie yelped as Cloudy waded deep enough for her rider's legs to hit the water. “It's cold!”

Vic was right behind her on her pony. “I know. It feels great!” she said with a laugh.

“I hope that girl riding Peanut doesn't go too deep,” Val said. “That pony is so short, he'll probably have to actually swim!”

“Do you have to worry about everything?” Vic asked her sister with a grin. “Because I'll give you something to worry about!” Leaning over, she tried to push Val off her pony into the water.

Val squawked and grabbed her pony's mane, clinging tightly with her legs. Her pony seemed to think she was
supposed to go faster and leaped forward into the deepest part of the water.

Vic shouted with laughter as Val shrieked. “They say it doesn't feel as cold if you just jump right in!” Vic called.

Maddie was laughing too. “Oh yeah? Let's see how you like it!” She leaned over and gave Vic a shove. Vic was laughing so hard she didn't have a chance—she tipped right off her pony into the water.

“Oh, you'll pay for that, Martinez!” she sputtered as she came up for air. Swimming around her pony, she grabbed Maddie's ankle.

“Hey!” Maddie protested, trying to pull away.

But Vic gave a sharp yank. Maddie held on as tightly as she could, but Cloudy's back was slippery and she felt herself sliding . . . sliding . . .

SPLASH!

The water closed over her head, cool and refreshing. Maddie was grinning when she emerged. Cloudy's reins were still in her hand, and she followed them back to her pony's side.

“Good girl, Cloudy—stand still,” she said, scrambling
back onto the pony's back. Vic was already back on her pony as well, though Val seemed content to paddle around in the water and blow bubbles in front of her pony.

Vic grinned at Maddie, pushing back a wet strand of hair that had escaped from under her helmet. “Race you to the other side?”

“You're on!” Maddie grinned, giving Cloudy a squeeze with her legs. “Come on, girl! You're a Chincoteague pony—you'd better not let them beat us at a swimming race!”

After an hour or so, Ms. Emerson called everyone out of the water. Once the horses and ponies were grazing in a fenced meadow near the creek, the riders all gathered around the picnic tables. An adult boarder's husband had brought over the picnic lunch in his car and set it up while everyone was swimming. There was a big platter of hot dogs, along with various cold salads, chips, rolls, cookies, and all kinds of other food.

“Wow, everything looks great!” Vic exclaimed as she piled a paper plate with potato salad and chocolate chip cookies.

“Yeah.” Maddie grabbed a roll. “Swimming always makes me hungry.”

Val popped a baby carrot into her mouth. “Let's not sit at the table,” she said. “I saw a good spot over this way. . . .”

She led them to a dappled clearing filled with wild-flowers and a view of the area where their ponies were grazing. “Perfect!” Vic exclaimed.

Maddie just nodded, her eyes trained on Cloudy. The mare's sleek, damp palomino coat gleamed in the sun, and her mane and tail still dripped with moisture. For a second Maddie felt as if she'd been whisked off to the opposite coast and was looking at a wild pony that had just stepped out of the deep, chilly waters of the Assateague Channel.