Chapter 7

Chica Linda, Boomerang, and Spirit seemed to be enjoying the trails even more than usual today. The horses had spent a lot of time in the muggy barn recently, so the girls promised to take them out for an extra-long ride. As they rode across the wild terrain, Spirit led the way. He took them on a brand-new route that followed the path of a pretty stream, lined with patches of purple and yellow flowers under shady trees. The girls made lots of stops to rest, eat snacks, and wade through the cool waters. Summer truly felt as if it were just around the corner.

Still, Lucky couldn’t help thinking about Sandy back at home, even though she tried her hardest to push the training dilemma from her mind and enjoy the trail ride with her best friends. She knew that Sandy was safe with Buster the Clydesdale and Mr. Granger. She was probably doing her signature twirl and trying to beg Al for treats like a puppy at this very moment.

On the way back, Pru noticed that their route would take them right past the Calloway Barn on the outskirts of Miradero. The Calloway Barn was enormous and was no longer used to keep horses, so old Mr. Calloway was kind enough to let the townspeople of Miradero build and store their Founders’ Day Parade floats there in preparation for the big day. That way, everything would be a surprise. Of course, Maricela had gone to nose around at the barn last year. She had delighted in telling everyone that she knew exactly what the floats were before they did. Pru didn’t care much about that, but it did sound like a really cool and interesting thing to see.

“Let’s stop and take a look around,” Pru insisted as the barn came into sight. “Please?” Lucky and Abigail didn’t protest, as long as they weren’t going to get in trouble for looking. The girls crept to the big barn door and stood to the side to peer in.

The floats were magnificent. Some were covered in paper flowers, like the one in the shape of a giant basket with daisies tumbling out. Others had painted scenes of the founding of Miradero on the sides, surrounded by ribbons and fringed streamers. But Mr. Winthrop’s float looked like a cloud with a big red orb in the middle. Not quite as cool as the one from when Pru was seven.

“Oh, I get it!” Abigail nodded. “It’s scoops of vanilla with a cherry on top! He just hasn’t added the stem yet.” Suddenly, a guy carrying a big curved red stick walked past and attached it to the top of the ball. But it wasn’t just any guy—it was Turo!

“Hi, girls,” Turo said.

“What are you doing here?” Pru asked.

“I agreed to build parts for some of the floats, so I’m just making a few deliveries and helping out where I can,” he replied. “Wanna take a look with me?” The PALs all nodded wildly.

As Turo showed them around, Lucky felt a weird mixture of emotions. She had a mounting sense of excitement for the parade, but also dread at the thought that Sandy might have to be given back. “Who’s riding up front this year?” Abigail whispered to Turo as they admired the “basket of flowers” float. “Do you know?”

“I think it’s a surprise. No one knows who’s even choosing the riders.” Turo shrugged and changed the subject. “Hey, how is Sandy doing? I see she’s not out on the trail ride with you.”

“She’s just resting today,” explained Lucky. She forced a smile. “Then we’ll try again with a new training style tomorrow. It seems as if Sandy really doesn’t like carrying too much on her back. But she’s so strong!”

“Hmmm…” Turo looked around thoughtfully. “What if instead of carrying something, Sandy pulled something? If she’s as strong as you say she is, do you think she would be good with a cart?” He pointed to a row of old wagons that were once used for hauling goods. They still had attachments on the sides so that they could hitch to a horse’s saddle.

It was exactly the reason Mr. Granger bought Buster—to be a draft horse and to pull things like wagons—but the girls had never considered that job for Sandy. Even though she was so strong, she was so tiny that the idea almost sounded silly! But what if it was just silly enough to work?

“I think it’s worth a shot!” Lucky wasn’t about to turn down another work style. She would do anything to get this horse trained. Plus, she knew Mr. Granger would be really impressed if Sandy was able to help around the stables. “Do you think you could help us build something small enough?”

“I’m on it!” Turo cheered. He put his hands on his hips triumphantly. “I love a challenge.”

Apparently, Lucky, Abigail, and Pru did, too.