For Sale or Swap - Alyssa Brugman [32]
'You didn't wash her?' Shelby asked.
Mrs Crook shook her head. 'As it turns out there wasn't much point. We'd just put down a couple of bags of lime – seeing as the stable was empty. It dries it out and makes it smell better. I'd forgotten all about it until she got in there and rolled.'
Shelby's eyes had adjusted, and she could see now that it was a fine layer of white dust that covered Brat all down her side.
'Thank you for looking after her.'
'It's our pleasure,' said Mrs Crook, giving Shelby a quick rub on the arm. 'I wouldn't worry about her too much. The swelling has gone right down, and she's putting weight on it this morning. I think she might be one of those horses that gets selectively lame – a bit of a princess. Where did you get her, anyway?'
Shelby scuffed her foot on the sill of the stable floor. Everybody would find out sooner or later, so she might as well confess.
'I swapped Blue for her. It turns out she's stolen. Her real owner is coming to pick her up in a few days.'
'No!' said Mrs Crook. 'Really? What about your other little horse?'
Shelby shook her head. 'I don't know where he is. The police haven't been much help either.'
Mrs Crook put her arm around Shelby's shoulder. 'You just can't cut a break, can you, kiddo?'
Shelby shook her head. She was afraid she was going to cry again. All morning she had been steeling herself for some kind of combat with Mrs Crook, but it had turned out to be quite the opposite. It caught her off guard. She bit the inside of her cheek, trying to keep her emotion in check, but it wasn't working. Tears welled in the corner of her eyes. She tried to blink them away but one escaped and rolled down her cheek. Shelby quickly turned her face so that Mrs Crook couldn't see, but it was too late.
'Cheer up, chicken,' said Mrs Crook, giving her shoulder a squeeze. 'Things will be all right. Trust me.'
Shelby held her hand under her nose, trying to keep it together. 'Thanks,' she whispered.
'You haven't got a float, have you? We can drop her back around to your place tomorrow if you like.'
'That would be great,' Shelby replied. She had always thought Mrs Crook was a bit of a dragon lady, but it seemed she'd been wrong.
She walked back down the gravel driveway to where her father was waiting in the car. 'How did you go?' she asked.
He lifted up a bag from the passenger seat. 'I finally found the perfect floor pedal dust boot. I've been looking around for ages. What about you?'
'It wasn't as bad as I thought.'
'What did I tell you' he asked, reaching out and ruffling her hair.
Shelby gave him a grim smile. Grown-ups kept telling her that it was going to be all right, but she still had an empty hollow feeling in her stomach that wouldn't go away. It wasn't all right and it wasn't going to be until she knew where Blue was.
15 A Favour for Santa
As promised, Hayley and Mrs Crook delivered Brat to Shelby's paddock the next day. After Hayley climbed out of the car, she put her hand on Shelby's shoulder. It was an awkward gesture and Shelby wasn't quite sure how she was supposed to respond, but then Hayley said, 'Mum told me about Brat being stolen. How terrible for you. I'm so sorry.'
If it had been Erin, Shelby probably would have leaned towards her and they would have hugged, but she and Hayley were too new friends for that. Instead Shelby just nodded.
Once they had the float gate down, Brat backed out without any fuss and Shelby let her go inside the paddock. Mrs Crook looked with her hands on her hips, and Shelby was embarrassed about her rickety fences.
'You've got plenty of feed in there, anyway,' Mrs Crook said.
'Any news about Blue?' asked Hayley.
Shelby shook her head.
'I'm sure he'll turn up,' Hayley said.
Before she got into the car, Hayley called out to her. 'We're not going to be able to watch McLeod's Daughters on Wednesday night after all.'
Shelby knew this would happen. They'd been nice