A Winning Gift Read online

  “What are you waiting for?” Tyler broke into her thoughts, sounding impatient. “Open it already!”

  Maddie laughed. “Okay, okay.” She ripped off the paper to reveal a flat cardboard box. When she opened it, she gasped. Inside, nestled in tissue paper, was a beautiful tortoiseshell frame—with a photo of her and Cloudy.

  “Tillie took the picture,” Tyler explained, darting forward to peer at it. “We thought we should use one of you guys jumping or doing something more exciting, but she thought this one was better.”

  “It’s beautiful.” Maddie couldn’t stop staring at the photograph. It had captured a quiet moment between her and Cloudy. The mare had her ears pricked and an alert look in her kind eyes. Maddie was holding her lead rope, gazing at the pony with a soft smile. Maddie had no idea when Tillie had taken it, but it was perfect.

  Bridget stepped forward to look at it over her shoulder. “Oh, it’s gorgeous!” she exclaimed. “It’ll be a great memento you can take with you to remember Cloudy by.”

  “Yeah,” Maddie said, then froze, realizing what Bridget had just said.

  “To remember her by?” Tyler sounded confused. “What do you mean?”

  “Is Cloudy going somewhere?” Ryan added.

  “No, it’s nothing,” Maddie blurted out. “Uh, Bridget was just kidding around.”

  “It’s a line from a play,” Bridget said at the same time. She shot Maddie a guilty look. “Um, I mean I was kidding around.”

  Ms. Emerson raised an eyebrow. “You’re not planning to stop riding Cloudy anytime soon, are you, Maddie?”

  “No,” Maddie said. “I mean, I don’t want to. I mean . . .” She glanced at her parents, thinking it was about time for them to jump in. After all, they had to know that the cat was pretty much out of the bag. . . .

  But both of them looked confused. “What’s the matter, Maddie?” her father asked. “You look like you have indigestion or something.”

  “It’s okay.” Maddie stared at her father meaningfully, then shifted her gaze to her mother. “I know.”

  Her mother blinked at her. “Know what?”

  Maddie sighed. Did they have to make this more difficult than it already was? She glanced at her little brothers, wishing they didn’t have to hear the news this way—in front of a crowd, on what was supposed to be a happy occasion. But whatever. She couldn’t help that.

  “I know we’re moving again,” she said. “To London.”

  Gasps came from all around. “You’re moving?” someone shrieked—Maddie thought it might have been Vic, though she didn’t look over to check for sure. She was staring at her parents, who looked perplexed.

  “Moving?” Maddie’s father glanced at his wife, his lips twitching slightly. “Is there something you haven’t shared with me, honey?”

  Bridget gasped. “You didn’t even tell your husband?” she exclaimed, staring at Sergeant Martinez.

  “We’re not moving—are we, Mom?” Ryan sounded worried.

  Tillie was pushing forward, looking agitated. “Mom, Dad?” she exclaimed. “Tell me this isn’t true!”

  Maddie felt terrible. All three of her siblings looked totally freaked out. “I’m sorry,” she told her mother. “I saw the plane confirmation thingy by accident. I swear I wasn’t poking around in your office. I just went to plug in my laptop and—”

  “Hold on!” Maddie’s mother held up her hands, silencing everyone with her sternest military tone. Then she looked at Maddie. “This is about the plane tickets to London? The paper in my desk drawer?”

  “Yes,” Maddie said. “I didn’t say anything before because I knew you’d be mad, but I know we’re going to London.” She shot a look at her siblings. “In January.”

  Tillie’s gasp echoed through the barn. “We’re moving in January?”

  Tyler’s lower lip quivered. “Mom?”

  Their mother held up a hand again. “Okay, this isn’t how I’d planned to tell you all,” she said. “But it’s true. The whole family will be heading over to London in January.”

  ♦ CHAPTER ♦

  12

  MADDIE’S HEART BARELY HAD TIME to sink when her mother spoke again. “Yes, we’re going to London,” Sergeant Martinez said, raising her voice above new gasps from everyone else. “But we’re not moving there. Those tickets are for a family vacation.”

  “What?” Tillie shrieked. Then she raced back and flung herself into her boyfriend’s arms. “Did you hear that, sweetie? I’m not leaving!”

  Maddie just stared at her parents. They were trading a look—her father was smiling, and her mother was rolling her eyes and looking mildly exasperated.

  “It’s true, kids,” Mr. Martinez said. “Your cousin Ronnie had more frequent-flier miles than he could ever use, so we worked out a deal.”

  Maddie’s mother nodded. “It was supposed to be a surprise Christmas gift.”

  “Oops.” Maddie was so stunned she wasn’t sure how to react for a second. “Um, sorry for ruining the surprise. But this is for real? We’re not moving?”

  “Not anytime soon,” her father assured her. “In fact, your mother’s been talking to her supervisors about taking on some new responsibilities at the base.”

  “That’s right,” his wife said. “Which means the Air Force isn’t likely to be sending me anywhere for a while.”

  “This is amazing!” Bridget grabbed Maddie in a big bear hug. “You’re not leaving! And you get to go to London, too!” She pulled away, pouting. “Which I’m super-jealous about, by the way.”

  “Yeah, I’ll send you a postcard.” Maddie shot a look around at her other friends. Vic and Val still looked a little confused—Maddie knew she’d have to apologize for not telling them sooner. But maybe it was just as well. She’d been worried for nothing, but at least nobody else except Bridget had wasted any time worrying with her. And the Pony Post, of course.

  Her father squeezed her shoulder. “Hope you weren’t too freaked out, birthday girl,” he said. “But I thought you knew better than to jump to conclusions.”

  “Guess not,” Maddie admitted sheepishly. “But now that I’m twelve and so much more mature, I’m sure I’ll do better from now on.”

  That made him chuckle. Maddie smiled, suddenly feeling much more in a party mood. She clapped her hands.

  “Hey, who turned the music down?” she exclaimed. “I feel like dancing!”

  A few hours later, the party was over and everyone had left except Maddie and her family. Ms. Emerson was off at the other end of the barn, beginning the evening feeding, and even Vic and Val had reluctantly headed home for dinner. While her parents and siblings packed up the leftover food and decorations, Maddie slipped away.

  “Hey, baby girl,” she murmured, letting herself into Cloudy’s stall.

  The mare had been snoozing in the corner, but she came forward to greet Maddie with a soft snuffle. Maddie smiled, wrapping her arms around the pony’s warm, furry neck.

  “Did you hear the news?” she whispered. “I’m not going anywhere.”

  Cloudy nuzzled her shirt, looking for a treat. Maddie laughed and hugged her again. Hearing her mother calling from somewhere down the aisle, she planted a kiss on the pony’s nose.

  “Gotta go,” she said. “But don’t worry. I’ll be back.”

  Smiling at the thought of all the rides ahead of them, she left the stall and hurried to find her family. She arrived just in time to help finish loading stuff into the trunk.

  “It’s about time you came to help, considering this was all for you.” Tillie’s words were grumpy, but her voice and expression were mild as she handed Maddie a box of paper cups.

  “Yeah, thanks again, everyone.” Maddie stuck the box in the trunk and brushed off her hands. Then she turned to her sister. “By the way, Tillie, I really am sorry about the nail polish thing. I swear I didn’t realize the stuff was that crazy expensive or I never would’ve borrowed it.” Seeing her sister’s expression turn a bit sour, she quickly added, “I mean
swiped it. And it doesn’t matter—I shouldn’t have taken it even if it only cost ten cents. Sorry.”

  “Hmmph.” Tillie shrugged. “Whatever. That color probably wouldn’t look that good on me anyway, I guess.” She glanced at her flawlessly manicured nails, which were painted a pale shade of lavender.

  Maddie’s father winked as he hurried past with the punch bowl. “Peace reigns again in the Martinez household,” he said. “For how long, I wonder.”

  At that moment Ryan let out a squeal. “Hey!” Maddie’s mother shouted from the doorway, where she’d just emerged with a shopping bag stuffed with some of Maddie’s gifts. “Ty, stop pinching your brother!”

  Maddie’s father sighed and smiled. “Not long, it seems.” He stowed the punch bowl in the trunk, then winked again at Maddie. “Which just means everything’s back to normal, eh?”

  “Definitely.” Maddie grinned at him.

  Soon they were packed into the car for the short drive home. Maddie’s mother spent most of it chiding Maddie—and the rest of the kids—about snooping, keeping secrets, and various other transgressions. But Maddie could tell she wasn’t as annoyed as she was trying to sound.

  “Sorry, Mom,” she said contritely when her mother paused for breath. “It won’t happen again.”

  “Yeah, right.” Tillie rolled her eyes. “But listen, about this trip—we’re really going to London?”

  “Absolutely.” Mr. Martinez smiled at her in the rearview mirror. “Are you excited?”

  “Totally!” Tillie’s eyes shone. “I can’t wait to see Harrods in person!”

  “Who’s Harry?” Ryan asked absently, glancing up from the comic book he’d started flipping through during his mother’s speech.

  “Duh!” Tyler poked him. “He’s one of those English princes Tillie’s always mooning over on TV.”

  Tillie frowned at them both. “Not Harry—Harrods,” she said. “It’s an extremely famous department store.”

  Maddie exchanged a shrug with her brothers. She’d never heard of Harrods either. But she was looking forward to seeing it—and everything else in London too!

  “Hey, I saw that brochure about riding in London,” she said. “Are we going to do that?”

  Her parents traded a look. “With all that snooping, I can’t believe you didn’t find your gifts, Maddie,” her mother said with a snort. “But yes, we’re looking into the riding thing.”

  “I don’t have to go, do I?” Tillie wrinkled her nose. “I’m not going all the way to England to do something I could do right here at home.”

  “Not that you ever come riding with me here, either,” Maddie said, thinking briefly of Brooke and her complaints about her sister and brother wanting to ride Foxy.

  Tillie shrugged. “So not the point.”

  Her father chuckled. “We’ll have to work out a schedule as the trip gets closer,” he said. “We’ll only be there for a week, and we don’t want to miss anything.”

  No, Maddie thought, glancing at the bag of gifts tucked between her feet. The photo of her and Cloudy was peeking out the top. We definitely don’t want to miss anything. She smiled and turned her head to watch the familiar scenery slide past the car window, letting the rest of her family’s conversation wash over her.

  When they got home, Maddie helped unpack the car and then headed upstairs. She wanted to let the Pony Post know her good news right away. When she logged in, there were several new messages.

  [BROOKE] Happy birthday (again), Maddie! Let us know how the party went.

  [HALEY] Ya, and don’t worry about the other stuff. We’ll figure something out.

  [NINA] Or die trying, lol. (That’s what my dad always says when he doesn’t think someone can actually do something. But in this case, I KNOW we can!!!)

  [NINA] Oh yeah, and happy b’day again from me too! Hope you could forget everything & enjoy the party!

  Maddie smiled. After the good news about the London trip had come out, the rest of her party had been practically perfect. The only thing that could have made it better was if her Pony Post friends had been there. But she’d have to settle for sharing it with them now. Opening a text box, she started to type.

  [MADDIE] I’m back! Thanx for the extra b’day wishes! The party was super-fun. About a zillion people came, and I think everyone had a good time. But I’ll tell u more about that later. First I have some AMAZING news: WE’RE NOT MOVING!!!!

  She posted that much and then sat back, waiting to see if anyone responded. When no new messages popped up, she shrugged. She’d been hoping to catch one or more of her friends on the site live, but it seemed none of them were there.

  Because I know if they were, they’d post back right away after news like that! she thought with a smile.

  Then she opened another text box:

  [MADDIE] Yeah, here’s how it went down. I ended up telling Bridget everything before the party, and she was freaked out, of course. . . .

  She typed fast, filling in the rest of the details. Her ride on Cloudy. How weird it was to try to act normal when she thought her whole world was about to change. The gorgeous photograph Tillie and the boys had given her. Bridget’s thoughtless comment. And finally, her parents’ news about those tickets to London.

  [MADDIE] . . . Isn’t that great? So I get to see London—but then I get to come home to Cloudy and the rest afterward. It’s perfect!!!!!

  She posted that too and sat back again, thinking over everything that had happened. Her father was right—she’d jumped to conclusions, and the result was days of pointless worry. Not to mention that fight with Bridget. If Maddie hadn’t been so worried about leaving Cloudy behind forever, she never would have been so freaked out by missing a few rides.

  That reminded her of something else she’d wanted to tell her Pony Post friends. She started typing again.

  [MADDIE] Btw, Brooke, I hope your lil bro and sis are letting you ride Foxy again by now. B/c I def. know how you feel about having to share. I mean, I’m used to having to share Cloudy with other lesson students and stuff. But it was still rough being expected to share MY Cloudy with someone else all the time—even tho that someone else is one of my bffs!! I’m just glad Bridget forgave me and we’re cool again. And, Haley, u were right about the boy thing. The stall cleaner quit, and now Bridget doesn’t even want to ride anymore. Even tho I’m sorry she won’t still be coming to the barn with me (at least not very often), I’m happy to have Cloudy all to myself again. (Well, sort of . . . U know what I mean!) It’s like getting my favorite pony as an extra-special birthday gift! Happy birthday to me!

  ♦ Glossary ♦

  Chincoteague pony: A breed of pony found on Assateague Island, which lies off the coasts of Maryland and Virginia. Chincoteague ponies are sometimes referred to as wild horses, but are more properly called “feral” since they are not native to the island but were brought there by humans sometime many years past. There are several theories about how this might have happened, including the one told in the classic novel Misty of Chincoteague by Marguerite Henry. That novel also details the world-famous pony swim and auction that still take place in the town of Chincoteague to this day.

  bay: A color of horse or pony. Bays have a reddish-brown coat with black mane, tail, and lower legs.

  body brush: A grooming brush with soft bristles used on the body of a horse or pony.

  chin strap: Part of the helmet; the chin strap snaps beneath the rider’s chin and helps keep the helmet on the head.

  grooming kit: A collection of brushes, currycombs, and other tools used to groom a horse or pony.

  lead rope: A rope, usually with a clip on one end, used to lead a horse or pony. Lead ropes can be made of various materials, including cotton, nylon, or leather.

  lesson horse/pony: A horse or pony ridden primarily in riding lessons. Lesson horses tend to be quiet, agreeable, and well trained, since they usually must carry a variety of riders rather than just one or two. However, some stables also keep livelier, more challenging
lesson horses for more experienced lesson riders.

  noseband: The noseband (sometimes called a “cavesson”) is the part of the bridle that goes around the horse’s nose on an English bridle. There are several kinds of nosebands, including flash, drop, or figure-eight nosebands. Standard Western bridles usually don’t include a noseband.

  rump: Also known as the “croup,” a horse or pony’s rump is the top of the horse’s hindquarters and the area around it.

  saddle pad: A pad that goes between the horse’s back and the saddle. A saddle pad keeps the underside of the saddle clean and can sometimes be used to help a saddle fit better.

  throatlatch: A strap on a bridle or halter that goes beneath the horse’s throat. It prevents the bridle from coming off over the horse’s head.

  CATHERINE HAPKA has written more than one hundred and fifty books for children and young adults, including many about horses. A lifelong horse lover, she rides several times per week and appreciates horses of all breeds. She keeps three horses on a small farm in Chester County, Pennsylvania, though none of them are Chincoteague ponies—yet. In addition to writing and riding, she enjoys animals of all kinds, reading, gardening, music, and travel.

  The Marguerite Henry’s Ponies of Chincoteague series is inspired by the award-winning books by MARGUERITE HENRY, the beloved author of such classic horse stories as King of the Wind; Misty of Chincoteague; Justin Morgan Had a Horse; Stormy, Misty’s Foal; Misty’s Twilight; and Album of Horses, among many other titles.

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  Collect all the books in the series!

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