Hot Potato (Shelby and Blue) - Alyssa Brugman [14]
She remembered the ride home in the truck, and Lindsey singing 'la, la', because she didn't know the words. She could imagine Erin singing Gwen Stefani songs to her and Lindsey shaking her head, mystified. Then Erin probably said, 'You know, super hot female?' and finally Lindsey would have understood.
Erin and Lindsey were so different. If they didn't have horses in common they would never be friends. Thanks heavens for horses! Shelby thought, smiling.
10 Talking Too Much
In the afternoon Erin and Shelby met Lindsey in the feed shed at the stables. 'My mum's got a hair appointment in a little while,' Lindsey told them. 'We can work Bess in the arena.'
Lindsey and Shelby made up the evening meals while they waited for Mrs Edel to leave. Erin sat on an upturned feed bucket. One of the feed-shed cats – a cinnamon-coloured Burmese – sprawled across her lap, belly-up, with its tongue poking out. She stroked its tummy and it purred so loudly Shelby could hear it from the other side of the shed.
'Did you make the file?' Erin asked.
Lindsey nodded. 'This morning when Mum was riding Diablo.'
Mrs Edel had a warmblood stallion. Shelby had been scared of him at first because he was so grand and powerful, but she was getting used to handling him now. She changed his rugs when she worked in the mornings. He was so tall that she had to stand on a crate.
Mrs Edel had asked her to hold Diablo the last time Clint trimmed his feet. Being a barefoot specialist, Clint always took a long time with his measuring tools making sure the angles and proportions were right. Diablo was restless and Shelby had been worried that he might charge straight over the top of her, but Clint taught her how to shake the lead rope to get the big stallion's attention. After that she felt much more confident.
She still didn't know how Lindsey's mum had the courage to actually ride him.
'I was so worried that she would come in and see, but it's all done now. I made up a fake address. Mum usually sends me to the post box with the monthly invoices, so I can always fish out the bills that are for Gwen. And if I miss one then it will be returned to sender anyway. I also put in Erin's mobile number. Her voice mail is an automatic one.'
'Good thinking,' said Shelby. She put her hand in her pocket and felt a small piece of paper there. She drew it out to see what it was. The fifty-dollar note – she had forgotten about it.
Lindsey had seen it, so Shelby handed it across as though that was what she had meant to do all along. 'This is for you.'
'I'll bring mine tomorrow,' Erin promised.
When they combined their efforts they made the feeds up much more quickly – even when they were laughing – and before long they were tipping the buckets into the bins in the stables.
Mrs Edel emerged from her office and crossed the driveway to where the girls were working. 'Going now, love. Here's the phone.'
Lindsey put the cordless phone in the pocket of her sleeveless riding vest.
'Have fun. Don't forget to buy me a treat,' said Erin, waving as Lindsey's mum climbed into her ute. Mrs Edel shook her head as she slammed the door.
Once she was out of sight the girls grinned at each other. Erin agreed to finish putting the dinners in the stables while Lindsey and Shelby rode out to the back paddock to collect the pony.
The two girls doubled on one of the riding school horses – a big, old, grey Percheron gelding. His real name was Beaumont, but Lindsey always called him Blockhead because his head was so huge.
Shelby had to climb up on the fence to reach his back. Once aboard she wriggled backwards so that Lindsey would have room. He was so much broader than Blue. She felt like she was sitting on a barrel.
When she was settled Lindsey handed her the bridle that she and Erin had used on the pony the day before, and they set off.
There were two sand arenas at the stables. The larger one was set up with jumps, while the small one closer to the stables was used for flatwork, or dressage training. That was where Miss Anita usually held her classes and trained horses, although