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Pony Jumpers 7- Seventh Place

Page 16

by Kate Lattey


  I cajoled a reluctant Skip back to his own paddock, where Forbes was grazing nonchalantly with his back to us. He didn’t seem to give a hoot what anyone else was doing. My phone buzzed in my pocket as I walked back to see Buck, who was staring sadly at his friend, and I pulled it out to check the latest message from Katy.

  Nawww poor lonely kid, maybe he needs a companion? You should get him a goat or something ;)

  I glanced over my shoulder at Buck, wondering if that would work.

  That’s not the worst idea you’ve ever had …

  “We need to talk.”

  I set down the magazine I’d been reading and looked at my father, looming in the doorway of my bedroom.

  “Yes, we do. I think we should get Buck a companion, for when we go to shows or when the others go into the stables at night.”

  Dad blinked at me for a moment, confused by being thrown onto the back foot. But it didn’t take him long to get back on track.

  “We can talk about that later.” He came into my room and loomed over me, his arms folded.

  “I think we should talk about it now. We need to do something before HOY, or he’s going to be abandoned here on his own, and he’ll have a meltdown. It’s either that or we just scratch HOY altogether,” I suggested, watching Dad’s face carefully as I spoke.

  “Don’t be ridiculous. You’re going to HOY.” But there was a worried look in his eye that showed me he wasn’t entirely convinced anymore that he could make me do as he said anymore. “We’ll bring the ponies home each night. Much safer than keeping them on the grounds in those rickety old stables.”

  “Agreed, but what about during the day? That’s when his breathing’s worst, and we’re supposed to be having another heatwave. If he paces and screams from dawn to dusk…”

  “All right, fine,” Dad said, conceding defeat. “We’ll sort something out with him. Now I wanted to talk about you, and what happened the other night at that party.”

  I’d known this was coming. Dad had been so swamped with work in the days following Callie’s party that I’d avoided having to have this conversation, but he’d apparently made whatever deal he’d been chasing and was now back on my case again.

  “I’m sorry.”

  “You said you wouldn’t drink. You promised,” Dad said, his voice becoming louder as he warmed to his subject. I wondered if he’d attract Mum’s attention, then remembered that she was out with clients again. Undoubtedly that was part of what had made this seem like the ideal time to speak to me.

  “I know. I’m sorry.”

  “Sorry isn’t good enough,” Dad warned me. “You’re grounded. No more parties.”

  “Fine.”

  He seemed surprised by my easy capitulation. “That’s okay with you, is it?”

  I sighed. “Dad, in case you haven’t noticed, I didn’t exactly have the best time at Callie’s. I’m not in a big hurry to go through all that again, so yeah, it’s okay with me. Ban me from ever going to a party again, I don’t care.”

  He must have been bracing himself for a fight, because he didn’t seem to know how to react to my compliance. “Well, good.”

  He uncrossed his arms and turned to leave, and I picked my magazine up again and looked at the diagrams of shoulder-in exercises, trying to memorise them for tomorrow’s schooling session on Skip. From the corner of my eye, I saw my dad stop and turn back, one hand resting against the door frame.

  “I’m sorry it didn’t work out the way you’d hoped.”

  I met his eyes, unsure whether he was still talking about the party. I decided it didn’t matter. “Me too.”

  Dad nodded, turned to leave again, then looked back another time. “And I’ll see what I can do for Buck.”

  “Okay. Thanks.”

  He nodded once more, and left.

  * * *

  Catch the bus home today, I have meetings all afternoon and can’t get away. Love Mum x

  My mother has always been the only person I know who sends fully-punctuated text messages. I sent her an affirmative reply, then set my phone down on the table again and went back to studying. It was lunchtime and I was in the library, working on an upcoming assignment.

  I hadn’t been too surprised to discover that Callie and her friends had given me the cold shoulder from the moment I’d arrived at school that morning. I was relieved to discover that I didn’t really care, but I was back to being lonely at school. I told myself that it was better to have no friends than to have bad friends, but it didn’t make it any easier to be so conspicuously alone.

  I felt the table wobble as someone sat down opposite me, and glanced up to see Esther Blake staring at me. She tucked a strand of wavy auburn hair behind her ear and propped her chin in her hand, never breaking her gaze.

  “So what’d you do?”

  “Excuse me?”

  “To piss Callie off.” She raised an eyebrow at me curiously, and I could see the faint amusement behind her eyes. At the end of last year, she’d been Callie’s best friend. But something had happened over summer to shatter their friendship, and now Esther was left on the outside looking in. Like me.

  “What’d you do?” I returned the question.

  “You first.”

  I chewed the end of my pen, trying to work out how best to explain it without going into detail. “I just…couldn’t be the person she wanted me to be.”

  Esther looked slightly surprised by my answer, then nodded slowly. “Couldn’t, or wouldn’t?”

  I blinked, trying to decide. “Um…both, I guess.”

  “Good for you.” Esther pulled her tablet out of its case and switched it on. “You’re way too independent to be one of her minions anyway.”

  I liked the sound of that. “What about you?”

  She just shrugged, her eyes on the tablet. “Same as you, basically. I was making too many of my own decisions, and had far too many of my own opinions for her liking. Callie’s not happy unless she’s got everyone wrapped around her little finger. I just got sick of it, that’s all.”

  “Good for you,” I said, echoing her comment from earlier. Esther nodded and gave me a thumbs up. “Hey, you’re in my Geography class, right? Have you started that earthquake assignment yet?”

  I shook my head. “Nope. You?”

  “Not yet. I’m just about to start.” She lifted her head and looked over at me consideringly. “Wanna join forces, work on it together?”

  I thought for a moment, then nodded. “Sure. Why not?”

  Esther grinned at me, showing a row of perfect white teeth. “Why not indeed?” She turned her attention back to her tablet, tapping away at the screen as she mumbled under her breath. “Why not indeed.”

  The bus dropped me off at the corner, leaving me to walk the half-kilometre home in the baking sun. It was one of those sweltering Hawke’s Bay afternoons that made you just want to sit in the shade and eat icecream until dark. I knew I should’ve got up earlier and ridden Skip before school, but I hadn’t had the energy. Now I was going to have to find that energy in the hottest part of the day, and I rued my decision with every step. Maybe I could wait until after dinner to ride – the daylight was sticking around until 9pm lately. But then I would have to get started on my homework right now, a prospect which didn’t appeal at all after being shut up in school all day.

  As I reached the front door, I heard the gravel crunch and looked around to see our truck driving in behind me. I wondered where Dad had been in the truck in the middle of the day. As far as I was aware it hadn’t needed servicing, but he’d noticed the other week that the paintwork had been marked by Connor’s little stunt, so maybe he’d taken it in for some touch-ups. I’d pleaded ignorance as to how it had happened, and I don’t think he’d had any suspicions aroused.

  I went inside the house, kicking off my shoes on my way to my room when Dad called me.

  “There you are. Come out here for a minute.”

  “I’m just getting changed.”

  “It won’
t take long.”

  I sighed, taking a moment to pull on my paddock boots before following him back outside to where our truck was parked. He hit the button that lowered the hydraulic ramp as I reached his side.

  “I thought about what you said,” he told me. “So I made a few calls.”

  “Calls to who?”

  “An old friend.”

  He handed me a lead rope as the ramp settled on the ground, and I stepped onto it, staring into the truck and wondering what on earth I was about to find. Four short legs were visible below the partition, and the glimpse of a flat, dark back.

  “You got a…”

  Before I could continue, I was interrupted by a deafening noise that reverberated around the inside of the truck, and I stared in astonishment at the little miniature donkey standing between the heavy partitions. She was a dark chocolate brown with a pale muzzle, and she looked at me, her long ears swaying as she moved her head.

  “Well, hi,” I said, reaching over to scratch her bristly mane. “I wasn’t expecting you.”

  I unhooked the partition and pulled it back, revealing the donkey’s shaggy coat and pot belly. She wouldn’t win any beauty pageants, but she looked to be in fairly good health. I clipped up her lead rope and led her to the top of the ramp where she stopped and looked around, swivelling her huge ears like antennae. Skip and Forbes were in the furthest corner of their paddock, staring in horror at the truck and snorting loudly at each other, clearly not impressed with the newest addition to the family.

  “What d’you think of her?”

  I looked at my father with a smile. “She’s super cute,” I admitted. “Though I don’t know what Buck’s going to think of her. What’s her name?”

  “Emily.” Dad pulled a face, and I laughed. His sister’s name was Emily, and she’d definitely be offended to hear that we had a donkey named after her, even unintentionally.

  “That’s perfect,” I told him with a grin as I started forward down the ramp. Emily took two more steps then brayed again, and this time, to my astonishment, I heard Buck whinny back.

  I looked at Dad curiously, but he was poker-faced as I led the little donkey around the side of the stables towards Buck’s paddock. Forbes was prancing around in the far corner of the paddock and snorting like a bull, while Skip stood stock still, his eyes firmly fixed on the wee donkey, ready to bolt away at any moment. But Buck was waiting by the gate to his paddock with his ears pricked, ready to meet his new friend.

  I looked at Dad in astonishment as I walked Emily right up to the gate, and Buck leaned over and they sniffed each other’s muzzles. The greeting was short-lived, as Emily decided that it was more important to munch on the grass at her feet than to meet her new companion. Buck leaned harder on the gate and nickered to her, and I decided it was probably safe to introduce them.

  “I knew you were lonely,” I told Buck, waving him out of the way of the gate as I unlatched it and led Emily through. “But I didn’t think you were this desperate to have a buddy.”

  Dad shut the gate behind me as I removed Emily’s halter. She stood politely until her head was freed, then turned and wandered off across the paddock, looking around at her new accommodation as Buck followed her like a lovesick puppy.

  “It’s like they’re already friends,” I exclaimed in amazement, then saw the look on my father’s face as he grinned at me.

  “They are,” he confirmed, leaning on the gate next to me and watching them with satisfaction. “At least, they were. I got to thinking about what you’d said, so I rang around his former owners to see if he’d had a companion animal before, and Laura said she’d kept him with a miniature donkey.” He waved a hand towards Emily, who was walking slowly around the perimeter of the paddock, her pale muzzle brushing the tips of the dry grass with Buck still in steady pursuit. “Turned out that she still had Emily on the farm, just standing around getting fat, so she said we’re welcome to have her for as long as we want.”

  I grinned at him. “I would never have thought of that. Well done, Dad. And on Buck’s behalf, thank you.”

  I could feel the warmth bubbling inside me at the sight of my pony finally looking happy again.

  Dad squeezed my shoulder, then stepped back. “You’re both welcome. I’ll leave you to clean the truck out. For a small donkey, she sure made one helluva mess.”

  That evening, after my homework was finished, I went out to the paddock to check on Buck. I’d stabled the other two ponies earlier, and although Buck had whinnied to Skip when I put him inside, I hadn’t heard a peep out of him since. But I wanted to make sure that all was well.

  It was almost dark, and I followed the track lighting that led to the barn. The doors were left open to let the air flow through, and I poked my head in and checked on the other two ponies. Forbes was still pulling at his haynet, and Skip was dozing in the corner of his box. I left them to it, and made my way quietly around to the paddock behind the barn.

  It took me a moment to pick out Buck’s shape out of the darkness. He was standing in the middle of his paddock, and swivelled his head to look at me as I approached the gate. Emily was lying at his feet, her short legs tucked underneath her, her mealy muzzle resting on the ground as she slept. Buck whiffled his nostrils at me welcomingly, then dipped his nose towards Emily, as though thanking me for bringing her back.

  I smiled at him, staying at the gate so I didn’t disturb the little donkey’s slumber. “You’re welcome,” I whispered to Buck. “I’m just glad you’re okay.”

  And I left him to it, dozing under the stars with his little friend as I walked back up to the house to finish my homework.

  THE END

  ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

  Thank you so much for your patience in waiting for this novel to be completed. A combination of real world responsibilities and too many gorgeous daylight hours to squander in front of a computer led to the delay in finishing and releasing it, but I am glad to finally have it done. I hope you’ve enjoyed it.

  This book also took longer to write as I had to do more research than I’m used to for certain parts of the storyline. My first pony had respiratory issues, but it was many years ago and it turned out I didn’t remember quite so much as I thought. Many thanks to Sheila Ramsay, Rachel Fouhy and Carissa McCall for their assistance and support, answering my endless questions about the details of strangles, respiratory illness and its treatment, both immediate and long-term. Their time and assistance was very much appreciated. I hope that I have the details correct – and remember, if in doubt, to always consult your veterinarian, as prevention is infinitely better than cure.

  PONY JUMPERS

  Follow AJ, Katy, Susannah and Tess

  as they negotiate the ups and downs of

  life, love and show jumping.

  #1 First Fence

  #2 Double Clear

  #3 Triple Bar

  #4 Four Faults

  #5 Five Stride Line

  #6 Six to Ride

  #7 Seventh Place

  COMING SOON:

  #8 Eight Away

  (sneak preview on the next page!)

  “The series gives you thoroughly enjoyable, character-driven stories loaded with authentic content: just what we have come to expect from this author. Her skill with dialogue and the nuances of family life is really outstanding."

  - Jane Badger, author of "Heroines on Horseback: The Pony Book in Children's Fiction"

  Pony Jumpers #8

  EIGHT AWAY

  * * *

  CHAPTER ONE

  ~ FALLING ~

  The sun was lowering, casting long shadows behind each of the jumps in the arena. Misty tossed his head impatiently and laid his ears back at the chestnut pony on his left as we waited for instructions.

  Bruce fished a pack of cigarettes out of his pocket as he pointed out the course. “Start over the blue oxer, left to the red oxer, four forward strides to the planks, then up the outside line in six.”

  I saw Susannah nodding, running her
eyes over the course as she patted Skip’s glossy chestnut neck. On my right, Katy was leaning forward on Molly’s neck to retrieve part of her forelock that had slipped under her browband. I twisted my fingers around Misty’s rubber reins as Bruce looked at the three of us with narrowed eyes.

  Not me first. Please don’t pick me first.

  “Tess. You go first. You two can fight over who follows her,” he told the others. He drew a cigarette out of the pack and slid it between his lips. “When you’re ready.”

  I wasn’t sure that I would ever be ready. The jumps in Susannah’s arena were set high on the stands, and no amount of reminding myself that I’d jumped that high many times before was making me feel any calmer. This lesson had started badly, with Misty bucking through the entire warm-up, and had only got worse as we’d progressed onto jumping. Bruce didn’t believe in starting slow or small, and had thrown the fences up to full height immediately. Susannah and Katy were loving the challenge, but I was ready for this lesson to be over.

  I wished I hadn’t let my mother talk me into coming. But Susannah had invited me and Katy to join in with her, and Bruce was a former Olympian, so Mum had leapt at the chance, despite her strong dislike for Susannah and her family. I’d never had much success at saying no to my mother, and it was especially difficult right now. She’d dropped me off early this morning before taking my sister Hayley to see a specialist in Palmerston North, making sure that I knew that she was going out of her way to help me, and I’d better be appreciative. I wished she’d just let me stay home.

  I pretended to be memorising the course as the other two moved their ponies towards the gate, bickering cheerfully over who would go next. AJ walked between them, one arm still in a sling, the other draped over Skip’s neck. She was disappointed to not be able to ride today, but I would’ve swapped places with her in a heartbeat. Not the broken collarbone, obviously, but just being a spectator looked very appealing to me right now.

 

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