Stable Hearts by Bonnie Bryant

wouldn’t have been offended, honest now.”
    “We would have told you,” Lisa assured him. What difference did it make if Mr. Stowe went with them? “We’re just a little worried—about one of the ponies, and about the dance.”
    “The dance’ll be fine. You three’ll be surrounded by beaus.”
    “Bows?” asked Stevie. “The only one of us who wears ribbons is Lisa.”
    Mr. Stowe laughed heartily, as though Stevie had made a joke. Stevie sighed. She couldn’t make a joke right now if she tried.
    “Oh, my gosh,” Carole said softly.
    “What’s wrong?” Lisa drew Prancer to a walk.
    “Nothing,” Carole said with a quick shake of her head. But it
was
something. She suddenly understood why Mrs. Reg looked so upset. Mrs. Regliked Mr. Stowe.
Liked
him liked him! Like as a boyfriend!
    Poor Mrs. Reg. Carole looked at gangly Mr. Stowe, who was slap-trotting alongside her, and felt more depressed than ever.
    “Hey, Stevie,” Mr. Stowe said, “here’s one for you. How many dummies does it take to screw in a lightbulb?”
    “How many?” Stevie asked dully.
    “Six,” he said. “One to hold the lightbulb, and five to turn the ladder around.”
    Stevie and Lisa laughed, but Carole didn’t even try. She felt so sorry for Mrs. Reg. Then she felt sorry for them all. It was Valentine’s Day, and Pine Hollow was full of broken hearts.

W HEN THEY GOT back to Pine Hollow, they saw Mrs. Reg in the outdoor arena, schooling Eve, a beautiful gray mare Max had adopted not long ago. Eve had been rescued from an abusive owner and was just starting to recover her trust in people. Mrs. Reg had taken her on as a special project. The mare was beginning to flourish.
    “Look at that!” Stevie said, bringing Belle to a halt outside the ring. “Mrs. Reg is riding Eve!” Mrs. Reg trotted a circle, and Eve delicately mouthed the bit.
    Carole beamed. “They’re starting to really work together. Look—you can see how much Eve is cooperating.”
    Lisa felt too proud and happy to speak. After such a depressing afternoon, seeing Eve go so well under saddle was like a special gift. When Eve had first been rescued, Lisa had worked harder than any of the rest of them to help her find the courage to live.
    Mr. Stowe, too, was silent for a moment, watching Mrs. Reg ride the gray mare. Mrs. Reg, thought Carole, looked truly beautiful on a horse. She rode as gracefully as a young girl, and there was something about her growing relationship with Eve that was wonderful to see. Carole fought a sudden urge to tell Mr. Stowe what she suspected of Mrs. Reg’s feelings.
    “Yep, that’s a pretty little filly, all right,” Mr. Stowe said. “I always did like them Thoroughbreds.”
    “Eve’s not a Thoroughbred,” Carole said, turning away from him with a slight feeling of annoyance. Poor Mrs. Reg!
    Mr. Stowe dismounted and loosened Delilah’s girth. “After I get this horse put away, I’m going to go set up my surprise,” he said. “I want you all to promise me, no peeking until the dance starts. And no telling Elizabeth, either.”
    “We promise.” Stevie buried her face in Belle’sneck as she had in Dime’s. She didn’t care about Mr. Stowe’s surprise anymore, and she doubted Lisa and Carole were very excited, either. The knot she’d had in her stomach ever since Phil drove away would not unravel. The only reason she was going to the dance at all was because it would beat staying home with her bratty brothers.
    Carole waited until Mr. Stowe had put Delilah away and left the main stable before telling her friends what she thought.
    “No way!” Stevie said. “Mrs. Reg likes Mr. Stowe? That’s unbelievable.”
    “It is,” Lisa agreed. She pulled Prancer’s bridle off and scratched the mare behind the ears. “I’m sorry, Carole, but it doesn’t make sense. It doesn’t sound possible.”
    “Why not?” Carole asked bluntly.
    “I mean—we’re talking about Mrs. Reg!” Stevie sputtered. “She can’t feel like that