Flame and the Rebel Riders

by Stacy Gregg

  “She wasn’t gossiping,” Issie insisted. “Honestly, Natasha. I’m really sorry about what happened to your dad. I know you must hate having to work with me. But as long as we’re stuck together, we might as well try and get along. I’d like to try and be friends.”

  It was a heartfelt plea, but it seemed like it fell on deaf ears. Natasha ignored her and went back to sending texts once more. Issie sighed. At least she’d tried.

  There was silence in the truck for a while longer and then Natasha giggled again at another text. This time, though, she handed the phone over to Issie. There, on the screen, was a joke.

  Q: What do you call a horse who lives next door?

  A: A neigh-bour!

  Issie laughed. “That’s so cheesy!”

  Natasha gave a slight smile. “There are some other ones I’ve been sent that are much funnier — here, I’ll show you…”

  By the time Ginty pulled up at the showgrounds twenty minutes later, there had been a distinct thawing in relations between Issie and Natasha. It wasn’t like they were suddenly besties, but at least they were now on speaking terms. Natasha even helped to untie Quebec and led him down the ramp while Issie managed Tokyo and Flame.

  The girls tied the horses up to the side of the truck and then Issie ran back up the ramp to help Verity and Penny organise the grooming kit.

  “It’s pretty here, isn’t it? They’re really lovely grounds,” Issie said, looking out over the green fields of Sandilands to the bush-clad hills that surrounded the arenas.

  “Yeah, real scenic,” Verity said sarcastically. “Remind me to get it listed as an area of natural beauty. Can you hurry up and finish undoing their floating boots? I need you to go and get some water too, Tottie’s managed to get poo all through her tail.”

  Issie quickly realised that travelling with the Dulmoth Park team wasn’t like going away to a show with Stella and Kate. Penny and Verity had been on the road for so many seasons they seemed bored by the whole showjumping business. Ginty, meanwhile, had completely disappeared as soon as she parked the truck.

  “She’s gone to meet Cassandra,” Verity said. “We’d better have everything ready by the time they come back.” She turned to Issie and handed her a bucket. “Can you go find a tap and fill this? Then get some Manes ‘n’ Tails shampoo out of the kit and wash that dung out of Tottie’s tail.”

  Wombat, Jock and Angus bounded along together beside Issie on the walk to the water tap. Since Issie had started taking Wombat with her to work each day the three dogs had become firm friends. Even though Wombat was the biggest by far, little Jock was clearly the leader of the pack, and he was the one that stuck closest to Issie as they stood in the queue waiting for their turn at the tap. It seemed like everyone else at Sandilands needed water that morning too. There was a huge queue and only one water faucet! Issie had to wait her turn as the riders in front of her put their buckets underneath the nozzle and waited for the steady trickle to fill up their containers. The tap was really slow and it seemed to be taking forever.

  Issie had finally reached the front of the line when another rider suddenly swooped in, jumping the queue ahead of Issie, with two really big buckets. After waiting patiently for so long, this was the final straw.

  “Hey!” Issie said, reaching out and tapping the other rider on the shoulder. “Hey, you! You’re pushing in. It’s my turn!”

  “I tell you what,” the boy responded without turning round, “I’ll let you go ahead of me if you give me a kiss.”

  Issie was flabbergasted! Did he really just say that?

  “Wow. I finally managed to say something that shut you up for once!” The boy laughed as he turned round to face her. He had jet-black hair with a long fringe that he casually pushed back off his face to reveal startling pale blue eyes.

  “Hello, Issie,” he said softly, “I didn’t expect to see you here.”

  Issie found herself suddenly unable to breathe. She couldn’t believe it. It was Aidan.

  Chapter 7

  It had been nearly four months since Issie had broken up with Aidan, but she still often found herself thinking about him, wondering how he was and what he was doing.

  She had first met the dark-haired boy with magnetic blue eyes two summers ago at her Aunt Hester’s Blackthorn Farm in Gisborne. Aidan worked for Hester as her stable manager. He and Issie had become good friends straight away, but it wasn’t until the next summer, when she went back to help Hester with the riding school at the farm, that they finally got together. She remembered how romantic it was the day he kissed her in front of everyone on the lawn underneath the cherry tree.

  In the end, their relationship had proved impossible — with Aidan living and working at the farm and Issie a six-hour drive away at Chevalier Point, they never saw each other and Issie decided it was fairer on both of them if she ended it. She had regrets about her decision even then, and now as she looked at Aidan, so handsome in his crisp white jodhpurs and pale blue shirt, she found it hard to imagine how she could ever have broken up with him.

  “What…what are you doing here?” Issie finally managed to get a sentence out.

  Aidan grinned. “The same as you, I guess — riding.”

  “Is Aunty Hess here too?”

  Aidan shook his head. “She’s back at the farm. She’s completely wrapped up in training. She needs to get Diablo and Titan ready for a new movie that starts filming in a couple of weeks.”

  Hester ran a company called the Daredevil Ponies and her movie stunt horses were renowned as the best in the business.

  “So why aren’t you with Aunty Hess?”

  “She doesn’t need me until filming begins. She can handle training Diablo and Titan on her own. Besides, we sold two more young Blackthorn Ponies to Araminta recently, and Hester thought it would be good if I stayed with the horses to settle them in. I’m going to be working with Araminta at her stables for a couple of weeks,” Aidan explained.

  Blackthorn Ponies were a wild breed that roamed the hills around Gisborne. They weren’t big horses — most of them averaged about fourteen hands — but they were excellent jumpers. In fact they were so good that Hester, Issie and Aidan had gone into business together, schooling Blackthorn Ponies to be sold as showjumpers. Several Blackthorns had been schooled up by Aidan and Issie and were already being ridden competitively on the showjumping circuit.

  Issie’s own pony, Comet, was a Blackthorn, and Araminta Chatswood-Smith had several of them in her substantial stable of showjumpers — including the piebald pony, Fortune. It was Issie who had been responsible for Fortune’s schooling and she’d been looking forward to seeing him again on the showjumping circuit. However, she hadn’t expected to see Aidan too.

  Aidan took Issie’s empty bucket and began to fill it up for her.

  “This is so typical of you!” Issie said. She found herself getting flustered. Having Aidan turn up out of the blue had totally thrown her. “Why didn’t you tell me you were going to be here?”

  “First of all,” Aidan said, smiling sweetly back at her as he passed her back the bucket, “we broke up, remember? I don’t have to tell you everything any more. Second, I didn’t know you were going to be here either. Shouldn’t you be at pony club?”

  “I’m here for work,” Issie found herself hesitating. “I’m…I’m riding for Ginty McLintoch.”

  “Riding for Ginty? You’re kidding!”

  “Why?” Issie asked defensively. “I don’t see why everyone has to react like that. She’s not so bad once you know her!” She picked up her water bucket to leave, and Jock, Angus and Wombat, who had been sitting waiting patiently, all sprang up in unison ready to walk by her side.

  “Whoa, don’t storm off!” Aidan teased. “You’ll spill your water and then you’ll have to queue all over again.”

  “I’m not being a drama queen,” Issie insisted, “but I really have to go. I need to wash Tottie’s tail before Ginty gets back.”

  “Oh, come on!” Aidan said. “There�
��s still loads of time before the first class. Come back to the truck with me. Just for a minute.”

  “I can’t,” Issie resisted, “I’ve got the dogs with me…”

  But Aidan was insistent. “The dogs can come too. Araminta and Morgan would love to say hi. And you have to come and see Fortune. It’ll only take a minute.”

  “OK,” Issie said. “But just for a minute, and then I have to get back to wash Tottie’s tail.”

  “Great!” Aidan grinned. “You can explain to Araminta how come you’re now working for The Enemy!” He said this last part with a spooky horror-movie voice and then grinned again. It was that same grin he always used to give Issie when he was teasing her and at that moment she could feel her heart beating like crazy. It was so strange to see Aidan again. He hadn’t changed at all. Well, actually, maybe he was a bit more handsome. Ohmygod! Why did he have to be here? She needed to concentrate on her riding today. Ginty and Cassandra Steele would both be watching her. She couldn’t afford to lose focus because her boyfriend…no, she corrected herself, her ex-boyfriend… had turned up.

  Among the other plain, boring horse trucks, Araminta’s truck was ultra-glamorous, like a giant jewel box, painted in crisp white with her initials written on the side in gigantic curlicued Tiffany-blue type. The back ramp of the truck had been left open and there was a girl, about Issie’s age, with long dark hair just like Issie’s, sitting with her legs dangling off the side of the ramp, busily polishing a Mylar bit.

  “Issie!” Morgan Chatswood-Smith dropped the bridle and jumped up and raced over to them, giving Issie a hug. “Mum!” she called out. “Come and see who’s here!”

  Araminta emerged a few moments later. She looked stunning as always in her usual uniform of sleek jodhpurs and a crisp navy blouse. An orange Hermès scarf tied back her raven hair and she wore a pair of enormous black sunglasses.

  “Isadora,” Araminta smiled at her. “How nice to see you! Is Tom here with you?”

  Aidan pulled a face. “Issie’s not here with Tom. She’s riding for Ginty!”

  “Really?” Araminta looked surprised. “How on earth did that happen?”

  “It’s a long story,” Issie groaned.

  “Come on,” Aidan said, saving her from the conversation by grabbing her hand and dragging her off. “You have to come and see Fortune.”

  On the other side of Araminta’s sparkling white horse truck the ponies were tied up, each one with their own hay net. They were standing quietly, nibbling away on their hay. All except the piebald pony at the end. He had already finished his whole hay net and was lying down in the shade of the truck, sound asleep.

  “Fortune!” Issie giggled at the sight of him. “You haven’t changed one bit.”

  “He likes to catnap between events,” Araminta said, shaking her head in disbelief. “He is the craziest pony I’ve ever owned, but by heavens he can jump! He’s been doing one metre thirty at home in the arena—”

  “Issie?” Natasha suddenly emerged from round the corner of the horse truck. “Ohmygod, I have been looking everywhere for you! Come on! You’re supposed to be sorting out Tottie’s tail and Verity is on the warpath looking for you! She says Cassandra will be here soon!”

  Issie felt a wave of panic. “I better go!” she told Aidan. “I’ll see you later, OK?” She didn’t even wait for his reply, and grabbed her bucket.

  Natasha wanted them to run back to the truck, but Issie couldn’t with the heavy water bucket. “I saw Araminta’s truck,” Natasha explained as she scurried along beside Issie, urging her to walk faster, “and I figured out straight away that was where you’d be! Ginty is going to hit the roof. She won’t care that Aidan is your boyfriend. In fact that makes it worse! As far as Ginty is concerned they’re the competition. That’s like being a traitor!”

  “It’s not!” Issie laughed. “And Aidan’s not my boyfriend any more. We split up months ago.”

  Then again, the way that Aidan had flirted with her that morning…OK, so he was only joking when he said the stuff about kissing, but it had still left Issie feeling confused. Did Aidan want to go out with her again?

  All happy thoughts of Aidan were wiped from her mind when she saw Verity. The head groom was standing beside Tottie, and she looked utterly furious.

  “You took long enough!” Verity exclaimed. “Did you have to dig your own well or something?”

  “I’m sorry,” Issie said, “I ran into an old friend by the—”

  “Yeah, yeah, whatever,” Verity said, clearly having no interest in hearing the story. She looked really stressed out. “Can you hurry up and clean Tottie’s tail, like, now? Ginty’s going to be here any moment with Cassandra.”

  There was barely enough time to shampoo and rinse Tottie’s tail. Issie was just combing out the wet, silvery strands, when Ginty and Cassandra arrived back at the truck.

  Issie wasn’t sure what she had been expecting Cassandra Steele to look like, but this woman with Ginty certainly wasn’t it. Cassandra looked like a bulldog in a trouser suit. She wore a high-collared Chanel tweed jacket, which exaggerated her short and buxom physique and pushed up against the fleshy folds of her face. She had a tight-lipped expression and inquisitive eyes.

  She looked at Issie, assessing her from head to toe, as if she were inspecting a pony that she was interested in purchasing. Not saying a word to Issie, she simply turned her attention to Tottie and spoke directly to Ginty.

  “How’s my wonderful girl doing?” she asked in a booming voice that was far too large for her little body.

  “Tottenham Hotspur has been doing extremely well in her training,” Ginty replied. “Verity is riding her today, and I think you’ll be really pleased with her progress. We’re expecting big things from this mare.”

  “So you must be Verity, then?” Cassandra turned now to Issie, who was still combing through Tottie’s tail.

  “No, I’m Issie.” Issie almost felt like she should bow or curtsey or something when Cassandra spoke to her.

  “Isadora has just come on board as one of my new junior riders during the school holidays,” Ginty explained. “She’s got great potential.”

  “I see,” Cassandra said. “And who were you riding for last season, Isadora?”

  “Ummm,” Issie didn’t know what to say. “I was at Chevalier Point Pony Club.”

  “Really?” Cassandra raised an eyebrow as if she had just bought an apple and discovered there was a worm in it and wanted her money back. “Pony club, you say? Well, this must be a big step up for you. I hope it’s not too big.” She focused her attention back to Tottie.

  “As you can see, we’ve got her in brilliant condition,” Ginty said enthusiastically.

  “I should hope so too!” Cassandra said. “That’s why I’m paying you so much money, isn’t it?”

  Issie began to giggle at this and then realised her mistake and immediately shut up. It was clear that Cassandra hadn’t intended this to be a joke.

  “And how is Quebec?” Cassandra asked, moving on to the dun pony that was tied up beside Tottie.

  Quebec was really fourteen-three hands high, too big for the pony classes, but Ginty had somehow managed to get him under the measure and so he had a lifetime certificate that stated he was fourteen hands and two inches. This meant that Quebec could compete in the fourteen-two-and-under classes against ponies, instead of being pitted against enormous hacks. It also meant that Issie, who was only fifteen, quite light and not too tall, was the ideal choice to ride him.

  For the past week Issie had been schooling the little dun over fences at Dulmoth Park, getting used to his ways. Quebec was a sweetheart to ride. He never ever hesitated at a jump, and Issie had no concerns about him refusing. She did worry, though, that he could be sloppy with his legs and might knock down a rail or two, especially in a jump-off.

  “Quebec should easily win his grade today,” Ginty reassured Cassandra. Issie thought that was a bit rash, telling the owner that her horse would definitely win! She felt a s
udden attack of nerves. As Quebec’s rider the responsibility was on her shoulders. Ginty had just made it clear that nothing less than a first-place ribbon would do!

  “And how is the new lad settling in?” Cassandra put a hand out to stroke Flame’s nose. “I paid a lot of money to import this boy. I’m expecting big things.”

  “He won’t disappoint you,” Ginty said. “He’s been training like a champion already.”

  Issie boggled at this comment. Why didn’t Ginty tell Cassandra the truth? Flame became a certifiable lunatic the minute he saw a showjump in front of him!

  There was a little bit of small talk after that about farriers and the rising cost of hard feed. All the time Ginty was talking to Cassandra she seemed awfully tense. It was only when Cassandra excused herself briefly to go and make a call on her mobile phone that Issie found out what was eating Ginty. The trainer had clearly been deeply furious with Issie the whole time and it was only now that Cassandra was out of earshot that she rounded on her junior groom.

  “What the devil is going on here?” Ginty hissed under her breath, talking quietly enough to ensure that Cassandra wouldn’t hear her. “I get back to the truck and Verity tells me that you’ve been off God-knows-where doing who-knows-what when you should be getting Tottie ready! You only just got the dung out of her tail in time! Are you trying to make me look bad in front of Cassandra?”

  Issie didn’t know what to say. “I’m sorry. I was over at Araminta’s truck. I ran into an old friend and I thought I’d have enough time—”

  “Araminta?” Ginty’s eyebrows shot up. “We’re not here for socialising, especially not at other people’s trucks! You are being paid to ride for me, and you should be getting your horses ready. There’s an event about to start! Instead, you’re off chatting to the competition and leaving it up to your teammates. It’s not good enough!”