Poppy laughed. ‘Right.’
Katie was smiling, and even Milly seemed to have forgotten that she was annoyed at being teased.
‘You girls are lucky that I remember what it was like to be horse mad and desperate to spend every day in the saddle,’ Aunt Sophie told them. ‘So long as you keep behaving so well, this is going to work out perfectly. I’m so excited to have the three of you here.’
Poppy gulped. Ugh. It made her worry all over again about what they had planned for tomorrow.
‘We love it here! We won’t let you down,’ said Milly.
Poppy rolled her eyes. Enough with the butter-wouldn’t-melt-in-your-mouth look, she thought, almost angry. Milly knew exactly what they could do to let her aunt down, and snooping around on Old Smithy’s farm was probably top of the list.
‘Oh, and I forgot to tell you all,’ said Aunt Sophie as she remounted her horse. ‘Entry forms are available for the Pony Club Gymkhana, so we need to work out what you want to enter. I think we’ll put dressage training on hold and focus on what you girls are most interested in.’
Poppy couldn’t help herself, she let out a whoop of excitement, and the others did exactly the same.
‘I hope that wasn’t a cheer for the lack of dressage training?’ Sophie said with a scowl before laughing.
They all shook heads in unison. Poppy for one loved the idea of dressage, but she was far more interested in jumping and games. Who wanted to be riding in an arena when you could be flying over jumps or, better still, racing around barrels and bending poles?
‘Mark will be staying down in the stables tonight so you girls can get a good sleep,’ Sophie said from the doorway.
Aunt Sophie’s words echoed through Poppy’s muddled, sleep-deprived brain as she slumped on the sofa. It wasn’t even eight o’clock yet, and she was so tired that her eyes were burning and her head was thumping.
‘Thanks,’ she mumbled.
Katie just raised her head slightly as she lay on the floor with Milly, who gave a thumbs up.
‘I can’t have you all feeling so exhausted. Get to bed now, and you’ll feel better in the morning.’
Poppy didn’t need any further encouragement. She flopped her feet down, tried to shake off the pins and needles in her legs, then stood up, offering one hand to Katie. Milly grabbed it instead and hauled herself up.
‘Night, Aunt Sophie,’ Poppy said.
‘Night, Mrs D,’ the other two chanted.
Sophie smiled at them as they filed past, blowing a kiss in their general direction.
‘Pop, did you call your mum tonight?’ she asked.
Poppy nodded. ‘Yeah, after dinner. I had to leave a message.’
‘Okay. I’m sure she’ll call back tomorrow then. Night, girls,’ Aunt Sophie said.
They hadn’t even reached the stairs before Milly started pestering.
‘We’re all set for tomorrow, right?’
‘I guess,’ Poppy murmured.
‘Are you sure?’ asked Katie, whispering as they plodded up the stairs. ‘Mrs D was so nice today, and I don’t want to disappoint her.’
Milly was having none of it. ‘We owe those horses,’ she said, barring the bedroom door so they couldn’t get past her.
‘Come on, just let us get to bed,’ moaned Katie.
‘Not before you say yes,’ Milly insisted.
Poppy put her head down and charged into Milly’s arms. ‘Milly, come on, let us through!’
‘Not until you say yes!’ Milly insisted.
‘Okay, I’ll do it,’ Poppy said. ‘Who ever thought saving horses would be such hard work!’
Poppy knew she was being grumpy. She was tired, and realised that she was probably worried about her mum, too. It always worried her when her mum didn’t answer and she had to leave a voicemail. She also just wasn’t sure about going through with their plan, even if she had thought it was what she wanted to do. She had so much to lose if it went wrong. But then, how could she give up on horses that might need her help?
As her head hit the pillow, she felt her body relax into the comfy mattress and soft sheets. Not even her worrying could stop her from sleeping tonight.
The day was already warm, and Poppy squinted up at the sky. White clouds drifted over, and the wind blew lightly on her arms. It was exactly the kind of day she loved, perfect for a trail ride, but she had butterflies twirling in her stomach as those worrying thoughts from last night whirred round her head. She took comfort in the familiar laughter of a kookaburra, probably the same one she’d hated the morning before for waking her.
‘You ready?’ Milly gave her a nudge on the shoulder.
No, she thought. I’m not really ready for sneaking onto forbidden land and getting into a heap of trouble if we’re caught.
‘Yeah, I guess,’ she lied.
Katie appeared then, leading an immaculately turned-out Cody. His golden coat was gleaming, and she had put his white saddle blanket and matching tendon boots on. Poppy glanced over at her pony, tacked up and ready to go. Crystal’s grey coat was flecked with freckles, and although she might not be as beautiful in colour as the palomino, she was gorgeous in Poppy’s eyes. Her head was alert and pretty, her big brown eyes expressive as she stared back at Poppy. Her body was perfectly proportioned, with fine and elegant legs.
Poppy tried not to think about what could happen if they were caught. Would her aunt be tempted to take her new pony away from her as punishment? Or, just as bad, send her home? She shuddered at the thought. But, after a good night’s sleep, she had to agree with Milly, and felt sure that they were doing the right thing. What if the horses were in that barn all along and no one ever found them? Poppy knew that if any one of their ponies had been stolen, they’d want it to be rescued, no matter what. And if trespassing was what it took, then so be it.
Joe stamped impatiently at the ground, and, not for the first time, Poppy marvelled at how similar Milly was to her pony. Crystal on the other hand looked on eagerly, head cocked in her rider’s direction, just like Cody.
Poppy unbuckled her pink halter and tightened the girth, putting her stirrups up two holes as well. They had put them down one for dressage practice the day before, but she wanted them at a comfortable length for trail riding and jumping. There would be nothing worse than having them too long and losing a stirrup iron when they jumped the gate. Goose pimples tickled her back and arms, but she did her best to ignore them. They were saving horses, she reminded herself. It was all worth it.
‘Come on!’ Milly was looking down at her, already mounted.
‘I’m coming, I’m coming,’ Poppy muttered back.
Katie swung into the saddle about the same time, and they gave each other a quick glance. Poppy was certain that Katie would pull out if she did, but she wasn’t about to go back on her word. Not now. They were all in this together, and there was only one thing to do: be brave and not look back.
The horses jumped and jittered on the ride, but Poppy couldn’t blame them. She knew herself that she was as nervous as could be, and she bet Milly and Katie were, too. A horse could always sense its rider’s mood, and she’d read somewhere that it only took minutes for the animal to match its rider’s heartbeat. So if her heart was racing, Crystal’s was, too.
Crystal started to jig-jog again.
‘How about a trot?’ Poppy suggested to the others.
Poppy pushed her pony on, but she hardly even had to squeeze. Crystal broke into a bouncy trot, leaving Poppy fighting with her head to slow her down. She remembered all the instruction Sophie had given her, and sat a little deeper. It isn’t about using your hands, it’s about slowing the horse with your seat. She sat deep, hands steady, rising slowly, and Crystal responded. Joe danced close behind them, though, and she was sure Cody would be breathing down their necks soon, too.
‘What’s the plan?’ she called over her shoulder to Milly.
‘Get in and out as quick as we can,’ Milly yelled back.
‘Anyone though
t about how we are actually going to get into the barn?’ came the logical voice of Katie.
‘What d’ya mean?’ Milly clearly wasn’t impressed.
‘I mean it could be locked, dummy,’ Katie said.
Poppy hadn’t thought about that. How would they get in if it was locked?
The horses had calmed down a little now, still excited but not quite so jumpy. Poppy dropped her hands a little lower and rubbed at Crystal’s mane. She had been so busy since the others had arrived, thinking about their plan to save the stolen horses, keeping up with her chores and riding, that she had hardly taken time to just enjoy hanging out with Crystal. To enjoy the fact that she had her own pony.
She’d do anything to be like before. So long as she could still have Crystal, of course. But before, when she used to come to the farm and have nothing but horses on her mind, because she’d had nothing else to think about. She’d been a kid who did kid stuff with no worries.
While she was here, she just wanted to be ‘Poppy the rider’. ‘Poppy with her own pony’. Not ‘Poppy, the kid without a dad, and a mum who’d forgotten how to look after her’.
The old rickety gate that marked the boundary appeared ahead, half-hidden, partly obscured by overgrown blackberry brambles. It pulled her from her thoughts and she brought Crystal back to a walk, calling out whoa as she did so. The others did the same, stopping on a clearing of grass.
‘This is it then,’ said Poppy. Her voice wavered slightly but she kept her chin up.
‘Well, what are we waiting for?’ Milly’s voice was strong and brave. The exact opposite of how Poppy felt.
‘So just to check,’ said Katie, receiving a roll of the eyes from Milly, ‘we’re going to race to the barn, somehow manage to get in, and then take a look around, right?’
Milly nodded. Poppy slowly exhaled, trying to stay calm.
‘And what if we do actually find them in there?’ she continued.
‘Duh. We race back and tell Mrs D.’
‘Duh,’ said Poppy straight back at Milly. ‘Then we have to explain how we found them in the first place.’
‘We could always just call the police anonymously,’ suggested Katie. ‘I have my mobile.’
‘Yeah, whatever,’ said Milly. ‘We can work out the details on the way back, once we’ve found them.’
‘And if he shows up?’ asked Poppy.
‘We couldn’t be that unlucky for him to see us on his land twice,’ said Milly.
‘I’ve taken care of it,’ interrupted Katie.
What? How could Katie have taken care of it?
‘How?’
‘Just don’t worry. If he captures us, the Delaneys will know where to find us. Eventually.’
Poppy hoped for their sake that Katie was right.
‘Oh no!’
Poppy turned to look at Katie, startled by the worried look on her friend’s face.
‘What?’
‘We don’t have any signal here. If we do get in any trouble, we won’t be able to call for help.’
Milly sighed dramatically. ‘Forget about all the things that could go wrong and just think about why we’re doing this. Come on!’
Poppy gulped and looked ahead, not wanting to look at Katie again in case she lost her nerve. Milly was right. They were here to save the horses. They just had to make sure they didn’t get caught.
Poppy had that strange feeling of déjà vu. Like she’d been here, done this before. Only, unlike last time, she was a lot more alert to what was happening around them. The ponies thundered over the old gate, ears pricked and enjoying the ‘game’. She held Crystal in check, keeping her canter steady, and let her eyes rove back and forward, surveying the land. She would probably smell his truck coming this time, her senses were so alert!
Up ahead, Milly threw her arm out and waved them forward. The big barn was getting closer by the second, and Poppy’s heart was thumping so hard in her chest, she thought it might actually jump out.
They all reined back to a trot, following Milly’s lead as they arrived at the barn. Milly waited until they had caught up to her and were riding three abreast before she spoke in a low voice.
‘The door must be around the other side.’
Poppy tried to catch her breath but her mouth felt too dry, like she’d swallowed a bucket of sand.
‘Should one of us stay around this side and keep look out?’ she suggested, finally finding her tongue.
Katie nodded ferociously, her head moving up and down. ‘Yes.’
‘No!’ said Milly at the same time. ‘We need to stick together.’
Poppy looked from one friend to the other. Before she could speak, a loud thud caught all of their attention.
‘What was that?’ she gasped, forgetting the whisper rule.
Two pairs of scared eyes looked back at her. She knew they were wondering the same thing.
‘That sounded suspiciously like a horse kicking,’ hissed Milly. ‘I told you I heard something the other day!’
Poppy gulped. She’d heard it the other day, too, only this time it was louder.
Thump! There it was again.
‘We’ve got to get in there!’ shouted Milly.
This was it, thought Poppy. Their one chance to save the stolen horses.
‘We can’t ride our horses in,’ said Poppy. ‘One of us will need to hold them while the other two go in.’
‘Uh-uh, we all go in.’ Milly was firm.
Katie rode Cody over to a sparse row of trees and started to inspect the branches.
‘I reckon we can tether them here,’ she called.
‘Sshhhh!’ hissed Milly and Poppy.
Katie gave a shrug and dismounted, then pulled Cody’s reins over his head and wound them around a branch. He didn’t look like he was going anywhere.
Poppy followed Katie’s lead, walking Crystal over to tie her next to Cody.
Milly did the same. ‘This is it, girls,’ she said. ‘Let’s find those stolen horses.’
The barn was huge, much larger looking than when they’d been on horseback. Poppy turned her back to the barn, eyes peeled for any sign of danger.
‘I need a hand,’ said Milly.
Poppy reluctantly turned back round. The big wooden bar had to be pushed along to allow them access, and they all heaved as hard as they could to open it, the hinges creaking. Another loud thump echoed out, louder this time. It just had to be a horse kicking out for help!
With one quick glance over her shoulder, Poppy and her friends entered the barn. The door shut with a bang behind them, and Poppy’s heart dropped through the floor of her stomach as soon as her eyes adjusted to the dim light. She clung tightly on to Katie’s arm.
‘What the . . .’ Her voice trailed off. She had no idea what to say.
‘I think we’d better get out of here,’ said Katie.
Poppy still couldn’t believe her eyes. There, in front of them, were cattle. A bang, louder than any they had heard from outside, vibrated through the huge barn. Then another. Poppy scanned the interior, sure that she’d see a horse somewhere, but then her eyes locked on what was making all that noise.
A big, huge, ginormous bull was kicking the wall of the barn as hard as he could, and was now looking in their direction. He looked angry. Mean, even.
‘We need to get out of here now,’ whispered Poppy, squeezing Katie harder.
All the cows were huge, but this big beast was on another level. Poppy had been on enough farm rounds with her uncle to know the difference between a cow and a bull, and that, most definitely, was a bull. She was just pleased all the animals were behind high dividers, so the bull couldn’t hurt them.
‘What are these cattle doing in here?’ asked Milly. ‘Don’t people usually keep cattle in paddocks rather than hidden away in dark barns?’
‘Let’s just go,’ Poppy said.
But when another loud thump resonated through the barn, one glance at the now-still bull sent a shiver up and down Poppy’s spine. It was a
bang that sounded nothing like the others had.
‘Katie . . .’ Poppy’s voice was cut off by a thundering voice.
‘What the heck are you girls doing in here?’
They all turned to find a man in the entrance to the barn. He’d opened it up fully, and the big door was swinging from its hinges.
It was Old Smithy, and the light behind him was making him look scarier than ever before. His hair stood on end. He looked even angrier than the bull. He was old, but he was tall and wide. He looked strong, stronger than them.
The cattle moved behind the girls, but Poppy didn’t dare turn around. The animals were secure. They couldn’t hurt them. But this guy? She shuddered, scared of him. They hadn’t even found the stolen horses!
‘I asked you what you’re doing here!’ his voice echoed around the barn, making them all jump.
‘Run!’ screamed Milly, making a lunge for the open space between Old Smithy and the door. ‘Run for your lives!’
Poppy didn’t need any further encouragement. She sprung from her toes and made for the door. She could feel Katie right behind her. Katie darted out to the left, following Milly, and Poppy went right. But the old guy was fast. He lunged first for Milly, grabbing her by the arm, and then he made a grab for Katie. Their screams echoed in the big barn, Milly’s the loudest of all.
‘No!’ yelled Poppy, grabbing hold of Katie and fighting to keep hold of her
Katie held on to Poppy, as if worried he would grab her, too. But Milly took them all by surprise. She bit down hard on Old Smithy’s arm. He yelled and let her go, looking shocked. It was just a second before he pulled himself together again, but it was all they needed.
The girls ran as fast as they could, back to where they had left the ponies tethered. But the ponies weren’t there.
‘Oh no!’ Poppy yelled, running ahead of the others, panic surging through her as she scanned the land, searching for Crystal. ‘Where are they?’
Milly was running next to her, and Poppy could hear Katie behind her crying, sobbing between breaths as she ran, but Poppy didn’t slow down.
Pony Detectives Page 8