When the girls arrived back at the stable there was still no sign of Katherine Dunavy, or of her mysterious son, so the girls went about their business as usual. Each of their mounts had a thorough rinse to cool them down, and then Stevie led Belle out to her group's pasture and Carole and Lisa returned Starlight and Prancer to their stalls. Then it was time to clean tack.
"I hate cleaning tack more than anything in the world," Stevie grumbled as she began wetting down a sponge.
"I have to admit, it's one of the only parts of riding I don't like," Carole replied.
"Why doesn't stupid Veronica diAngelo have to clean her own tack?" Stevie demanded, "I never see her in here doing anything!"
"It looks pretty grimy to me," Lisa motioned towards the dusty dressage bridle on Garnet's hook.
"Not to mention Veronica wouldn't dare lift a finger, Stevie," Carole said, "I'm not sure why that surprises you."
"I didn't say it surprised me," Stevie insisted, "I just said I hate it, and I hate her."
"Well you might want to start getting along with Veronica if you have any plans at all of getting along with Sean," Carole informed Stevie.
"Just because Veronica knows him does not mean they're friends," Stevie said defiantly, "And if he is friends with Veronica, then we won't need to get along anyway."
The girls heard a car pull in to the parking lot of Pine Hollow. It sounded like a rather hefty truck. Curiously, they walked out of the tack room to investigate. Maybe, they all thought, just maybe it was the Dunavy's.
"Hello, Katherine. Hello, Sean," the girls heard Red's jovial voice call out.
"The Dunavy's are here!" Lisa gasped.
Little Katherine stepped in to the aisle, clad like the champion she was. Her immaculately fitted, white, Ariat polo shirt was tucked in to a pair of beige breeches, which were tucked in to perfectly black, shining, polished Ariat Monacos. Though her son, and most other people, towered over her, there was no doubt about who was in charge.
"Red," Katherine drawled, sounding much like Veronica, "Where are our horses?"
"The fifth and sixth stalls down," Red replied, "Allow me to show you." Red winked at the Saddle Club. It was a good thing he had a nice humor about his duties, or the barn would be an indefinitely sour place to be.
"You must be Sean!" Stevie leapt in front of the boy, causing him to jump backwards in shock, "I'm Stevie Lake, it's nice to meet you."
Sean's eyes widened, and he flipped his shaggy dark hair in front of them, "Hey Stevie," He then paced hurriedly past the girls to catch up with his mother.
"Well he didn't seem so bad," Stevie proclaimed, disappointed, "If anything, he's just a mama's boy. I was expecting another Veronica. He's nothing worth messing with."
"Yeah, really," Lisa agreed, seeming spaced out.
"Is there something wrong with you today, Lis?" Carole inquired, "You seem like you're really out of it."
"Uh, I'm fine," Lisa stammered, looking past her friends and down the aisle.
"I think you have a little crush," Stevie teased, "Not that I blame you, if I didn't have Phil I think that boy would be pretty cute."
"I do not have a crush!" Lisa protested, "I just, um, I really admire those horses they have."
"They are pretty gorgeous," Carole nodded, turning her attention down to where Red was assisting Katherine with T.C., Sean was placing tack on Leo.
"He tacks up his own horse," Carole observed, somewhat taken aback.
"So much for friends of the diAngelo's," Stevie snorted.
Just as if on cue, Veronica flounced in to the barn aisle. She looked just as polished as Katherine, but less commanding, and more spoiled. She did her typical snooty overlook of the situation at the farm before deciding which rude, irritating action to take first.
"Oh, Red," Veronica drawled, in a voice that was sickeningly sweet, "When you're done helping Mrs. Dunavy with her horse, help me with mine."
"Of course, your majesty," Red mumbled the last two words under his breath, earning him a disdainful look from Katherine.
"That will be all, thank you, Red," Katherine snatched the reins from the grasp of the chuckling stablehand, "Ready, Sean?"
"Yeah," Sean called down the aisle as he began leading Leo towards the outdoor arena, following his huffy mother and her excitable mount.
"Let's go watch them ride!" Carole suggested with enthusiasm.
Stevie and Lisa made eye contact and then nodded in agreement to Carole's idea. The trio briskly stepped out of the barn aisle and out in to the sun of the hot Virginia afternoon. Eagerly, they lined up along the fence around the arena to watch Pine Hollow's newest riders.