For Sale or Swap - Alyssa Brugman [8]
'Maybe you could buy him, Shel?' suggested Erin.
Hayley shook her head. 'He's not really for trail riding. He'll probably go to someone who'll show him.'
'I'm thinking about getting into showing,' said Shelby. 'How much do you want for him?'
Hayley curled her lip. 'About ten grand.'
'Ten grand!' Erin let out a low whistle. 'Are you serious? That's way out of your price range, Shel.'
'Not necessarily,' said Shelby, tossing her head.
'What do you mean not necessarily? Ten grand! If your parents had a spare ten grand lying around they'd get a car that actually worked – or two new cars. They'd get a new house!'
Shelby frowned. 'Dad would never sell his car. He loves it.'
'Yeah, but what about your mum's heap of rubbish?'
Sometimes she wished Erin would shut her trap. 'Is Ditto warmed up enough for a trot yet?' she asked, changing the subject.
Hayley nodded and primly pushed him forward into a trot. Erin and Shelby followed. Blue threw his head up, straining at the reins.
'Cool it,' Shelby said, and he settled down behind the other two horses.
As they came around the bend the trail widened out again. Shelby could see a long, thick tree trunk had fallen across the path. It rested about fifty centimetres above the ground and she could see daylight underneath it. She pushed Blue forward, past the other two horses. He tucked his feet up and skipped over it. Erin and Bandit popped over too, but Hayley reined in Ditto just shy of the trunk.
'Are you coming?' asked Shelby, wheeling around.
Hayley looked left and right, trying to find another way around, but there was nothing but thick scrubby bush on either side.
'Just jump it. There's nothing on the other side,' Erin said.
Hayley shook her head.
'You're not going to get around it,' said Shelby.
'I might go back then. You two can go on ahead if you want.'
Shelby raised an eyebrow at Erin, who sighed and jumped Bandit back over the other side. 'You go, Shel. I'd better be getting back anyway.'
'No, I'll come with you guys.'
They walked all the way back to the stables. When they reached the laneway, Mrs Crook came out of the tack room and helped Hayley with Ditto's saddle.
'Do you want to go for a real ride now?' asked Shelby, lowering her voice so the Crooks couldn't hear.
Erin shook her head. 'I'm going to have some lunch. How about later in the week?'
Shelby said goodbye and took Blue home. She went the long way, around the edge of the gully past the Pony Club grounds, and looping back again, but still arrived home in the early afternoon. Her father was lying on the driveway under the car.
'Want to give me a hand with this?' he asked, sliding out from under the bonnet on his little trolley.
'Not really,' Shelby replied.
'Well, I hope Blue's pulling-trained. We might have to hitch him up to the front of the Spydey.'
'You mean harness-trained, and I don't think he is, so you'll just have to figure it out for yourself,' Shelby said.
'Oh, I don't know. He might be good in front of one of those sulky thingos. You kids could take him to school when you miss the bus, or Mum could take him to the supermarket. It's about time he earned his keep.'
'Oh, hardy, ha, ha,' Shelby said.
'I didn't expect you back so soon,' said her mother as she folded washing on the dining room table.
'Yeah. I went riding with a couple of pikers,' she grumbled.
'Didn't you go with Erin?'
Shelby grunted. 'She's under piker-power now.'
'Well, it's nice to have you home, anyway.' Her mother handed her a pile of clean clothes.
'Chores!'
'I'm only asking you to put your clothes away. It will take you two minutes.'
Shelby snorted and made her way up the hall, dragging her feet. She dropped the clothes on the end of her bed and sat down on the floor flicking through Erin's magazine. She had folded down the corner of the page with the for sale or swap ad and turned to it, spreading the magazine flat with the heel of her hand.
It couldn't hurt just to inquire.
4 The Inquiry
The man picked up the phone more quickly than Shelby anticipated, with a brusque, 'Yep.'
'I'm