The rosettes were given out and Ellie led the lap of honor around the ring. She cantered out to be met by Luke and her uncle. Len was smiling. “Not bad riding, lass. Not bad riding at all.”
Luke met her with his hand raised in a high five. “Way to go!”
Ellie smacked his hand with her own, then jumped off and hugged Milly fiercely. “You were brilliant!” she told the mare.
Luke grinned. “Told you, you could do it!”
Ellie glowed.
The rest of the day passed in a blur of activity. Ellie and Oliver Armstrong were both in the Show Hunter Pony Championships and, to Ellie’s utter delight, Milly was chosen as the Champion. It was an amazing feeling to be presented with a massive rosette and have a sash placed around Milly’s neck.
Luke completed the great day for the team by winning the Intermediate Championship on Zak, and then it was time to start the long drive home.
As they headed back on the motorway, Ellie found herself thinking about Spirit more and more. How was he? Had he eaten his feed that day? Joe had promised to make him a bran mash and stay with him while he was eating, to see if that helped.
Deep in the pit of her stomach she felt a gnawing, worried sensation. Horses didn’t usually stop eating for no reason. She wanted to get back, stroke Spirit, talk to him, check he was all right.
By the time they reached the yard, it was almost dark. Joe came out of the house to help them unload and pack away.
“How’s Spirit?” Ellie asked as she jumped down from the horsebox.
“He hasn’t eaten much. I stayed with him while he ate, but it didn’t seem to make much difference. Guess I’m not you.”
“Thanks for trying,” Ellie sighed.
Luke stretched and got out of the trailer. “Get moving, you two. I’m out tonight.”
“You’re going out?” It was nine o’clock, and after the long day with all the driving and the adrenalin of the show, Ellie was looking forward to collapsing on the sofa in front of the TV once the ponies were sorted.
Luke grinned. “Of course. The night’s not even begun yet and I have a hot date.”
Ellie shook her head. “Why not wait until tomorrow to see Sasha?”
Luke grinned again. “Who said anything about Sasha?”
Ellie fixed him with an unimpressed look. “You’re Sasha’s boyfriend. You shouldn’t be making a date with someone else.”
“And you really should live a bit more,” he told her. He turned and strode around the trailer to help Len who was starting to walk the ponies out.
She felt a rush of irritation and turned to Joe.
“So you had a good time at the show?” Joe asked as they took Fizz, Bill, and Milly up to the barn.
Ellie nodded. “It was great.” She told him all about her day as they put the ponies away, putting on their lightweight cotton rugs and feeding them.
“So what shall we do tonight?” Joe asked as they finally finished and fastened the stable doors.
“Watch some TV?” said Ellie.
“Sounds good to me,” Joe agreed. “There’s pizza to eat too.”
Ellie smiled. Just what she felt like—pizza and TV with Joe. “Can I just see Spirit first?”
“Sure.”
But as she turned to leave him, Len appeared in the barn door, his figure silhouetted against the darkness outside. “You two are taking your time here. What’s going on?” Ellie blinked as she heard the faint note of accusation in his voice.
“Nothing, we’re just finishing the ponies off,” she said in surprise.
“Are they done?”
“Yes,” Joe replied.
“I was just going to see Spirit,” said Ellie.
Len looked from her to Joe, then back to her again. “Go on then,” he grunted. She felt his eyes watching as she walked past him. Why was he being so weird? Suddenly she remembered how he’d caught her holding Joe’s hands the day before and her eyes widened. Surely he didn’t think there was something going on between them? It would certainly explain why he’d given them such an accusing look just now. But if he was thinking that, he was so wrong. Shaking her head, Ellie felt glad that she and Joe had decided they were just friends.
Letting herself into Spirit’s stable, Ellie put her arms around his neck and pushed aside thoughts of her uncle.
Spirit breathed out softly, his muzzle exploring her face.
Ellie shut her eyes. Even though their minds weren’t connected, she could feel the energy that swirled through him. She frowned slightly, something about his energy was different from how it used to be. She couldn’t put her finger on it, but it felt as if the force flowing was jagged somehow, uneven not smooth.
Pushing aside her own tiredness, she moved her hands lightly over his body, focusing on the strange feelings and letting herself explore the sensation. She’d never felt anything like it. What did it mean?
She moved to his head and let her mind open to his.
Is there something wrong with you? she asked anxiously.
A feeling of reassurance flowed from him. She had a strong impression that he was telling her not to worry.
But you’re not eating and something feels wrong, she said to him. Can’t I do anything?
No. Do not worry. He sent her a picture of the show, asking what she had been doing.
She told him all about the day, about winning the class and how the other horses and ponies had done.
Spirit listened. Finally, she gave a yawn, becoming aware how tired she really was. She let the connection fade and kissed his forehead, feeling love swelling through her. “I’m going in now. See you in the morning,” she whispered.
Her eyes fell on his ribs. Spirit might say there was nothing to worry about, but why wasn’t he eating and why was she picking up these strange sensations? Trying to ignore the anxiety twisting through her, she left his stable and went into the farmhouse for the night.
Chapter Three
ELLIE COULDN’T CONCENTRATE the next day at school. Spirit had only eaten about a third of his feed that morning. Even though she had been with him, he had turned away, uninterested, after a few mouthfuls. It just wasn’t like him. But when she had spoken to him about it, he’d told her once again that he was all right and said he would like to go out for a ride that evening. Surely he wouldn’t have wanted to do that if he was feeling ill?
As Mr. Henson, her math teacher, droned on about tangents and cosines, Ellie thought about how she could fit everything in. Milly would be having a day off, but she would have to ride Gem and Picasso. Maybe after that, though, she could take Spirit out into the woods.
“Ellie, perhaps you can tell me the answer?”
Ellie jumped guiltily as Mr. Henson approached her desk. She went red, not having a clue what the question was.
“Um… I…”
The teacher fixed her with a look. “If you can’t pay attention in my class, then you’ll have to pay attention after school during detention.”
“Sorry,” Ellie muttered. To her relief, Mr. Henson moved on, choosing one of the others to answer the question on the board.
Ellie sighed and forced herself to listen. The last thing she wanted was a detention and even less time to see Spirit!
Joe was on study leave from school because of his exams, so Ellie traveled back on the school bus alone. She hadn’t made many real friends at school. It was hard joining when you were fourteen and in Year Ten. Most of the time she kept her head down and just wished each day to be over.
When she got off the bus, she saw Luke in Len’s car, waiting to drive her back. Sasha was in the front with him. As Ellie came nearer, she frowned. Sasha looked furious and seemed to be shouting at Luke. He was rolling his eyes.
“Hi,” Ellie said, opening the back door.
Luke smiled, but Sasha didn’t even turn around. “But you kissed her!” she hissed at Luke, obviously not wanting Ellie to hear. “My friend Lucy’s just texted me—she said she saw you with her. Don’t deny it!”
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“OK, so I kissed her. It’s no big deal.” Luke shrugged.
“No big deal? We’re supposed to be going out, Luke!” Sasha threw herself back angrily against the seat.
Luke started the engine. He held the steering wheel easily with one hand and turned the music on with the other. Catching Ellie’s eye in the mirror, he made an apologetic face.
She frowned back at him, refusing to let him think he could get away with behaving like that. Ellie didn’t particularly like Sasha, but right now she felt sorry for her having Luke as a boyfriend.
They drove home with only the music to break the silence. When they arrived, Sasha shut the car door with a bang and stomped away. Luke watched her go, shaking his head. “Sorry about that.”
Ellie looked at him pointedly. “But you’re not sorry for kissing whoever it was.”
“Anna Hallett as it happens—and nope, I’m not.”
“Anna Hallett!” Ellie gaped. Anna Hallett was Lucifer’s owner, and the daughter of one of Len’s biggest sponsor’s, Jeff Hallett. Jeff’s company Equi-Glow paid for all the horse feed at High Peak Stables and Len had warned Luke to keep away from Anna Hallett as it might affect the sponsorship deal if he upset her. “Anna Hallett!” she repeated, picturing the very beautiful dark-haired nineteen-year-old.
Luke nodded. “I saw her at the show on Thursday that Lucifer went to. We thought we’d hook up last night—and we did.”
“Luke!” Ellie stared at him. “Len will be totally mad and Sasha is really upset.”
“Len will never know and Sasha’ll get over it,” Luke said, sounding supremely unbothered. “It’s not as if Sasha and I are that serious. I’m not hearing wedding bells with her, you know.”
“But you shouldn’t treat people like that. You really shouldn’t. It’s wrong!”
Luke’s mouth quirked into a grin. “You’re telling me off?”
“Someone has to!” Ellie responded sharply.
Luke chuckled and walked away. With a sigh of exasperation, Ellie went into the house to get changed.
Ellie’s bedroom was on the top floor, while Joe, Luke, and Len all had rooms on the first floor. She changed her clothes and headed back downstairs. Joe looked out of his bedroom as she passed.
“Hey there.”
“How come you’re inside?” she asked.
“I thought I’d do some work while Dad’s out. You know what he’s like—study leave to him just means I’ll have more time to work the horses.”
Ellie couldn’t imagine choosing to do school work instead of being outside. “But why are you bothering to study? It’s not as if you’re staying on at school and need good grades.” Joe’s GCSE exams were in a few weeks’ time and after he had done them he would leave school to work on the yard full time. She wished she was as old as him, but she still had another year at school. It wasn’t her birthday until the end of July.
“I know, but I still want to do as well as I can,” said Joe.
Ellie shook her head. It was typical of him. He was so different from her. He reminded her of her dad in many ways.
“I’d better get on. I think Dad’s planning on being back by five with Ray.”
“Who’s Ray?” Ellie asked.
“Ray’s an old friend of Dad’s. He used to produce show horses like Dad, then he moved to Canada. He and Dad have kept in touch. Dad really respects him. He has some massive stables out there and is doing really well.” Joe stretched. “OK, work time for me. When this is finished I need to ride Wisp. We could go out for a hack on him and Spirit after I’ve schooled him if you feel like it.”
“Definitely!” Ellie hurried on down the stairs and went to bring Spirit in from the field. White clouds were floating across the blue sky and the warm summer air smelt of grass and horses. Honeysuckle and dog roses scrambled through the hedges that bordered the path down to the fields, and in the nearby trees she could hear the birds calling to each other. She breathed in happily. She loved early summer when everything was growing and fresh.
Climbing the metal gate, she spotted Spirit. He seemed to be watching for her because even before she called his name he was trotting over. He coughed as he stopped, and she frowned as she saw his ribs move under his skin.
“Oh, Spirit, you really do need to eat more,” she said as he pushed his nose against her chest. She stroked his gray face, noticing that he’d been bitten by flies—there were little lumps on his chest. “I should have put fly repellant on you,” she said, angry with herself for forgetting. “Have the flies been bothering you? Come on, let’s get you in.”
Sasha and Helen were in the tackroom. Ellie could hear Sasha’s voice as she reached the yard.
“I can’t believe he kissed her! He didn’t even say sorry!”
“It’s awful, I know, but that’s what Luke’s like,” Helen’s softer voice said.
“Do you think he’s seeing her?”
“I don’t know. Maybe it was just a one-off thing.”
“I bet he’s arranged to meet up with her again,” Sasha said angrily.
Ellie tried to block out the voices. Whatever was going on was none of her business. She concentrated on Spirit instead, brushing him over, talking to him all the while.
She was just finishing off when Luke came to find her. “Have you time to look at Gabriel, Ellie? I think there’s something up with him. He’s been fighting the bit and throwing his head around the last few days. You might be able to figure out what’s wrong with him for me.”
Ellie hesitated. She was still feeling angry with him and was tempted to say no, but she pushed aside the irritation. A horse needed helping and, after all, as she’d just thought, Luke’s love life was absolutely no concern of hers. “OK.”
“Thanks. He’s in his stable, should I take him up to the school for you?”
“No, I’ll have a look at him in his stable first. Give me ten minutes on my own with him.”
Luke looked surprised. “Why? What are you going to do?”
“I just need some time with him. Can you put Spirit’s grooming kit away for me?” Not waiting for an answer, Ellie left him standing there and went to Gabriel’s stable.
The big bay gelding gave her a curious look as she went in. He was a confident and friendly horse who liked people. His eyes were alert and interested. He came over to Ellie as if wondering what she was doing there, his muzzle searching her pockets for treats. Ellie rubbed his forehead. “Hi, boy.”
He accepted the fuss, and then when he was sure she didn’t have a treat for him, he turned away. Ellie stood back against the stable wall. She had to relax, gradually tuning into his energy and waiting to see if he would talk. Shutting her eyes, she let all the other thoughts that were filling her brain fade away. This was always the hardest bit for her—she was such an active person, never still. It was an effort to just stand quietly, thinking about the horse, breathing and waiting. As she breathed in and out, she gradually became aware of the energy pulsing through Gabriel.
Do you want to talk? she thought to him. There was silence in the stable, he wasn’t moving in the straw and he had stopped eating his hay. I’m here if you want to speak to me. I’ll listen. I want to know if you’re all right.
Ellie felt a flicker of impatience when he didn’t reply, but she pushed it away. Spirit had taught her that she must offer to listen and then wait, be patient.
She sent all the love she could to the horse. I just want to help.
Suddenly she felt it, a change in the atmosphere, a connection opening. Gabriel?
Yes.
She opened her eyes. The big bay was staring at her. I can hear you, she thought.
His nostrils quivered in a faint acknowledgement. She felt as if his dark intelligent eyes were absorbing her, drawing her in. She walked over and touched his neck. Tell me what’s wrong…
Ellie lost track of how long she was speaking to Gabriel, but eventually she sensed he’d had enough. Thank you, she told him and, with a shake of her head, she s
tepped back and let the connection close.
“You finished yet?” She jumped as she heard Luke’s voice and, swinging around, saw him looking over the stable door. “What are you doing?” he said curiously.
“Just being with him.”
“Talking to him? Doing your horse-whispering stuff you mean?”
“It’s not like that. Anyway, I know what’s wrong with him,” she said, changing the subject and patting Gabriel. The horse pushed against her.
“Really?”
Ellie nodded. “He’s bored. You’re just schooling him in the same old routine time after time.” The bay horse had been very clear in his thoughts about how fed up he was with Luke always repeating the same movements. Luke wasn’t really into schooling, preferring jumping, hacking out, and showing. He saw the everyday schooling they did as a chore. “It’s why he’s started being resistant, ducking out and avoiding the bit. He just wants a change.”
“But you haven’t even seen me riding him. How can you possibly know that?”
Ellie’s eyes met the horse’s. “I just do. Oh…” She turned back to Luke. “And he doesn’t like you riding with your cell phone. He doesn’t like the buzz it makes when it rings—he can feel it down the reins.” She hid her smile at Luke’s stunned face. She was telling the truth; it was what Gabriel had said to her, but she could understand Luke’s astonishment.
“My cell phone…” He trailed off and grinned. “OK, nice one, Ellie! You almost got me there!”
“No, I mean it, Luke. You can’t ride him with it,” insisted Ellie. “Not if you want him to go better. Trust me. Take him up to the school, don’t have your cell phone and ride some different schooling exercises to see.”
Luke stared at her for a moment, then shrugged. “OK, why not? It’s crazy-mad but what’s to lose?”
Ellie smiled to herself as he collected the tack and dumped his phone in the tackroom. That was the good thing about Luke—he was always ready to try things out. He never saw the arguments for why something shouldn’t be done; he just did it.
Ten minutes later, they were up in the school, with Luke riding around Ellie as she stood in the center. She knew exactly the routine of schooling exercises he usually did on Gabriel because Gabriel had sent her pictures of them, along with feelings of intense boredom. “OK, instead of doing lots of circles and serpentines, work on his transitions today,” Ellie called. “Mix things up, make it interesting—ride the corners, rectangles.”
Hopes Page 3
