Settling herself on the kitchen sofa, she took out her book, shading her eyes against the afternoon sun. Pip stayed in the cool by the back door, idly thumping her tail at Georgia. It was warm in the kitchen and gradually Georgia felt herself growing sleepy.
She could only have been asleep an hour at most, when all of a sudden she was woken by ferocious barking. Pip was on her feet, hackles rising and teeth bared, flanked by the terriers, who were growling at her side. Feeling a chill run through her, Georgia raced out of the back door and, seeing nothing unusual, quickly made her way round the side of the house to the front door.
A boy was standing there, seemingly just about to ring the doorbell. She didn’t know him from the village and he didn’t look like he was delivering anything. He was wiry and medium height, with dark hair. For some reason he kept glancing around, as if on the lookout for something. Georgia instantly felt uneasy, but politely asked him what he wanted.
“I’m looking for Mrs Hayden,” the boy answered. Georgia noticed that he smirked as he said these words. He was definitely behaving strangely.
She thought fast. “Mrs Hayden’s out at the moment. But she’ll be back later,” she added confidently. “Can I give her a message?”
The boy stared at Georgia for a long moment, before looking past her at the paddock beyond the house where Wilson, Lily and Callie were watching the visitor with interest. “Nice horses, those,” he said. “Especially the palomino – bet she’s worth a bob or two.”
Georgia opened her mouth to reply but no words came out.
The boy laughed quietly to himself as he turned back down the drive and walked off.
What was all that about? Georgia thought. Don’t be silly, she told herself firmly. It was probably nothing. Even so, she felt quite shaken as she walked quickly towards the ponies. She checked her watch. It was half past five. She’d call Dan.
“Georgia?” Dan answered his phone straight away. “I was just on my way up.”
Quickly Georgia told Dan all about the boy and their weird conversation.
“Look, don’t panic,” he said reassuringly. “I’m sure it’s nothing. But I’ll be with you in five minutes.”
When Dan appeared through the yard gates that afternoon, Georgia didn’t think she had ever felt so pleased to see anyone. She ran over to him and greeted him exuberantly, much to his amusement.
“There’s really nothing to worry about,” he said confidently. “We get unexpected visitors all the time on the farm. They usually turn out to be sales reps.”
“But this wasn’t a sales rep!” Georgia exclaimed. “I’m sure of it. He was far too young, for a start.”
“All right, all right,” said Dan. “Listen, I’ve been thinking about what Jemma said. If you’re still worried, well…” He indicated a large canvas bag that he’d left by the gates.
“What’s that?” said Georgia, puzzled.
“Tents,” Dan replied. “I borrowed them from my brother. I thought we could keep watch over the ponies tonight. If your mum agrees, of course. And we’d need to check it out with Simon, but I can’t see why he’d mind, can you?”
“That is a brilliant plan!” Georgia smiled warmly at Dan. He was so thoughtful!
“And not only that, but I’ve brought sleeping bags and food too.” He tapped the rucksack that he had slung over his shoulder.
“You’ve thought of everything!” said Georgia enthusiastically. “I’ll see if Em wants to join us,” she added, not wanting to leave her best friend out. “I’ll go and call her now, after I’ve spoken to Mum and Simon.”
“Good idea,” said Dan. “So where shall we put them?” he called after Georgia as she headed for the house.
“Maybe over there,” she replied, pointing to the lawn that was nearest the ponies.
“OK, I’ll get started.” Dan grinned, striding over to pick up the tent bag.
By the time Georgia got back from speaking to her mum and Simon, Dan had finished putting the two tents up. She’d also rung Emma, who’d jumped at the chance to join them camping and whose mum had agreed straight away, so Dan suggested the two girls share the larger tent.
“This is going to be fun!” he said, standing back to admire his handiwork. “It’s not often I get a night away from the farm. I might even get a lie-in!”
Georgia smiled, but she still couldn’t shake the uneasy feeling that she’d had ever since that strange boy had turned up. It would be fun to camp with her friends but she also felt a strong sense of foreboding…
Still, she knew she’d feel a lot better that night if she were actually here with the ponies rather than fretting about them in her bed at home.
Georgia began to feel better as the quiet afternoon wore on. Once the ponies had been fed and the picnic devoured, the three friends sat down on the grass with the dogs. Dan had a terrier on his lap and was stroking its tan ears, gently pulling them through his fingers.
Feeling content, Georgia glanced at the ponies, who had just ambled over to them and were now vying for attention over the fence.
Lily hung back shyly, but came forward when Georgia got to her feet and beckoned her gently.
“You know, Georgia, even I can see how much that pony likes you,” Emma said, watching her friend gently stroke the pony’s curved ears.
“I know,” Georgia replied, feeling a little emotional. “I’m so lucky. She’s the best thing that’s happened to me for a long time!” She cleared her throat and smiled at her friends brightly. “Now, do either of you fancy a game of tennis?”
The evening passed quickly. Emma and Dan played tennis on the Haydens’ court while Georgia stayed near the ponies, lying on her stomach and keeping one eye on the game and the other on Lily, who hadn’t left the fence.
Later, as the sun set and the evening grew chillier, they all wrapped themselves in blankets, lying on their backs to admire the cloudless night sky and the thousands of stars twinkling overhead.
“This is so magical, isn’t it?” said Em, gazing up.
“It really is,” said Georgia.
The ponies were all asleep by now, Callie lying down, and Wilson and Lily resting their back legs, their heads hanging low and their bottom lips drooping.
Watching the ponies sleeping suddenly made Georgia feel tired and she announced she was going to bed. She crawled into the tent and wriggled into her sleeping bag, followed by Emma and Pip, who curled up on his dog blanket.
“Night, all!” Dan called cheerfully from his tent. “Sleep well!”
But Georgia didn’t sleep well at all. She woke several times, thinking she could hear something. But when she strained her ears, there was nothing. Each time she lay still for a few minutes, before dropping off to sleep again. Pip was dozing beside her, twitching as she dreamed. Emma was also fast asleep, her breathing deep and even.
When Georgia next woke, she glanced at her watch. Ten past three. Suddenly she knew what had woken her – there was a rustling sound outside. Georgia sat up. She could hear the ponies stamping their feet and recognised Wilson’s snort.
Creeping out of her tent, she could just about make out the pale form of Lily, who was standing in between Wilson and Callie. All three ponies had their heads high, staring at something in the distance. Just then a fox barked, an eerie sound that carried clearly across the still night sky. The ponies started, shying sideways and snorting. At this, Dan appeared from his tent as well.
“Couldn’t you sleep either?” he said in a low voice.
“I thought I heard something,” Georgia whispered back.
They both stood still, listening hard. The ponies were quieter now, and Wilson and Callie looked calm. Yet Lily’s neck was still arched, and she appeared to be gazing at something unseen in the inky black distance. The little palomino looked as mystical as a unicorn, her white mane sparkling in the moonlight.
Dan crawled closer to Georgia to reassure her. It felt weird sitting so close to a boy but he was warm and solid, and his presence was comfortin
g.
“It was probably just a fox,” said Dan. He turned to face Georgia in the gloom. “Listen, nothing is going to happen to those ponies,” he said. “Especially not to Lily. I’m too attached to that pony of yours now, after saving her life!”
Georgia mumbled her agreement. “I still don’t think I can go back to sleep,” she said eventually.
“Nor me,” said Dan. “I’ll sit up with you, if you like.”
And so the two of them fetched their sleeping bags and sat quietly for the rest of the night, watching the ponies until the first rays of sunshine broke over the fields, bathing them in a warm pink glow.
Georgia felt stiff and tired by the time morning dawned properly. After the three friends had breakfasted on the remains of their picnic and drunk the hot mugs of tea that Simon brought out to them, she decided to take a shower to wake herself up. It would have to be a quick one as she wanted to exercise the ponies before it got too hot.
“I’ve got to go home to help Dad with the cows,” Dan said apologetically. “But I’ll come back later.”
“That would be great,” said Georgia. “See you then, and thanks for everything.”
“I can stay and help out,” Emma offered. “I could ride Wilson while you take out Lily, so you’re not on your own.”
“Fantastic,” said Georgia gratefully.
So after Georgia had showered, the two of them rode out, keeping to the woods rather than the open fields. They still only managed an hour before the heat got too much for them. It was going to be a blisteringly hot day.
To Georgia’s surprise, Tory was waiting in the yard when they rode back in. She was lounging against the yard gate, wearing skin-tight breeches and a fitted black T-shirt. Her long dark hair was drawn back in a sleek ponytail and she had dark glasses covering her eyes. Pushing herself upright she strode over to Georgia, who felt Lily tense beneath her.
“Where’s Sophie?” she demanded, not even bothering to say hello.
“Sophie?” Georgia frowned, surprised that Tory didn’t know where her friend was. “She’s not here. She’s gone to look at universities with Melanie.”
A slight smile curled on Tory’s lip but it wasn’t a particularly welcoming smile. “Has she now?” she said, moving a bit closer to Lily, who took a sudden step backwards.
“Hey! Careful!” Georgia said. “You’re unsettling her.” She jumped down and took hold of Lily’s reins, brushing past Tory as she led her off.
“How’s that palomino doing then? Still a bit skittish, is she?” Tory’s voice called after her.
“Lily’s just fine, thanks,” Georgia replied firmly, glancing back as she reached the mare’s stable.
“Good…” Tory’s face broke into an unnerving smile. “Well, be sure to tell Sophie I dropped by, won’t you?”
Wondering why Tory couldn’t tell Sophie herself, Georgia watched the older girl as she turned on her heel and strode purposefully out of the yard. Tory opened the door of a silver sports car that had been waiting in the lane outside and slid into the passenger seat. Georgia couldn’t tell who was driving but it definitely wasn’t Tory’s mum. The driver was male, as far as she could make out, and had a baseball cap pulled low over his face.
“What was that all about?” Emma exclaimed.
“I don’t know,” Georgia replied, feeling a familiar cold chill run down her spine, “but I intend to find out…”
There was a lot to do in the yard, and the girls tried to forget about Tory’s visit as they got stuck into their jobs. Even when everything was done, Georgia found herself sweeping the yard all over again in an attempt to distract her from thinking about Tory’s words.
Eventually, feeling hot and sticky, the girls decided it was time to cool off in the Haydens’ swimming pool. Georgia quickly changed into her swimming costume and plunged into the clear water. She swam a few lengths and then spread herself out on a towel next to Emma and lay on her stomach, gazing out at the paddock. The swim had done her good. And the ponies looked so peaceful, so serene. Perhaps she was just worrying unnecessarily after all.
At six o’clock on the dot, Dan strode through the yard gates.
“Hey, girls,” he called. “All OK?”
“Not so bad,” Georgia called back, scrunching up her eyes in the evening sun. Dan’s hair was still wet from his shower and he was wearing shorts and a frayed shirt. Georgia watched him pause at the fence to stroke the ponies, who jostled for his attention.
A little later, once the ponies and dogs had been fed for the evening, and the chickens put away, the three friends flopped on to the grass.
“Who’s for a drink?” asked Dan, producing some glasses and ice he’d fetched from the house and opening a bottle of cola.
“Me!” said Emma. “I’m parched!”
“Me too,” said Georgia, gratefully accepting a drink. “Oh, Dan, you know what? A strange thing happened today…” She quickly filled him in on Tory’s visit.
“It was like she was checking up on us or something,” Emma said finally, “and she didn’t even seem to know that Sophie had gone away.”
Dan shrugged. “That’s weird, if they’re supposed to be such good friends. Maybe they’ve had a bust-up.”
“Maybe,” said Georgia, shrugging. “Anyway, shall we all camp out again tonight? Simon doesn’t mind, and he’s away overnight for work anyway. Mum said I could if you two were up for it. And she said she’d drop off some food if I let her know.”
“Yup, I’m in,” said Em. “I’ll let my parents know.”
“That makes three of us!” Dan added. “Dad won’t mind.”
After the scorching-hot day it was another warm, pleasant evening. It had been so dry of late that the grass was starting to turn yellow and there were cracks appearing in the hard ground.
Emma took charge of preparing their supper once Georgia’s mum had dropped off supplies. They had baguettes with cold meats and cheese followed by chocolate brownies and fresh peaches. Em dug out her iPod and speakers from her bag and they spent another happy evening singing and laughing together. Georgia was really enjoying herself but she still had that niggling feeling that something was wrong. To try to put her mind at rest, she sent a text to Sophie to let her know that Tory had been round, hoping that Sophie’s response would make everything clear.
But Sophie didn’t reply. They must have gone out for the evening. With a sigh, Georgia put her phone back in the tent and tried to get into the spirit of things with her friends.
It wasn’t until later that night, when everyone was sleeping, that Georgia woke with a start. What was that noise? It sounded like a car pulling up in the lane. Georgia felt her heart beating. It was a car pulling up in the lane! She could just about make out muffled voices, and footsteps. Quickly she grabbed her phone, which was flashing with a text message. It was from Sophie.
Thought Tory on hols in Spain this week???!!!
Now Georgia knew something was wrong.
Hurriedly waking Emma, she pulled on her boots over her pyjamas and crawled out of the tent.
“Dan … Dan…” she whispered, trying to keep the rising panic out of her voice. “Dan, wake up!”
“Urrgh. What time is it?” Dan answered, crawling out of his tent.
“It’s gone midnight,” said Georgia. “Listen, can you hear that?”
They huddled together, trying to work out where the voices were coming from.
“OK,” Dan said authoritatively. “I’m going to go to the front of the house; you two get to the ponies!”
Georgia and Emma did as they were told, sprinting across the garden, climbing over the gate and into the field.
To Georgia’s relief, all three ponies were at the far end of the paddock.
“It’s all right, Em,” she whispered. “They’re all right.”
“But look!” Emma hissed.
Georgia looked over to the far side of the field into the shadows beneath the trees. She gasped. There were two figures climbing over the fen
ce from the road!
“Go and get Dan! And bring the ponies’ head-collars from the tack room!” Georgia whispered urgently to Emma, who immediately turned and ran off to the yard.
As if sensing sudden danger, all three ponies trotted over to Georgia, Wilson snorting, and Lily and Callie quivering. She tried to calm them by whispering to them but the ponies were definitely skittish.
Steeling herself, Georgia stood guard in front of the animals and watched the figures approaching. With a jolt of fear she realised they were the same boys that had been with Jemma on the mountainside. Even worse, one of them was carrying a rope in his hands. They were coming for Lily! Georgia felt anger growing inside her. How dare they try to steal the little palomino! She took a deep breath and drew herself up tall, her rage masking her fear.
“You again,” one of the boys sneered. “Now, are you going to play nice or are we going to have to deal with you first?”
“You are not taking her,” Georgia said loudly. “She belongs here and I won’t let you have her.” She tried to keep the panic out of her voice and glanced towards the house for any sign of Emma. Where was she? And where was Dan?
“Now, come on,” the boy said a little more gently. “We don’t want to hurt you, but we’re here to take back what doesn’t belong to you. This is Jemma’s pony. She’s missed her!”
Georgia could almost have laughed at this statement if it wasn’t so threatening.
“She’s not Jemma’s pony any more!” she argued. “She was sold to us, remember!”
“Well, according to Jem, she wasn’t,” the other boy broke in now. “Her granddad’s been losing it, you see. He doesn’t know what he’s saying any more. Jemma and her mum run the business now – buying, selling, breeding––”
“And beating up ponies?” Georgia hissed, her body shaking with fear and anger.
The Palomino Pony Comes Home Page 7