Hot Potato (Shelby and Blue) - Alyssa Brugman [4]
Clint led the mare in a circle again and then headed for the ramp. She put one hoof on the tailgate and then spun backwards, pulling the lead rope from his hands. He lunged for it and caught it.
One of the men lounging against a truck nearby cupped his hands around his mouth and shouted, 'Why don't just pick it up, mate? Take it home on your lap.'
'You could fold her up and put her in your pocket,' suggested another man leaning out of his cab window.
The group in earshot laughed. Clint scowled.
'I'm surprised that Brenda didn't talk to me about this,' he remarked, bringing the horse around for another try. Clint had been tending to the riding school ponies for many years, so he and Lindsey's mother were old friends.
This time the pony dug her hooves into the ground, thrusting her head in the air. Shelby could see the whites of her eyes.
'Maybe you should try that natural horsemanship stuff that you always talk about,' suggested Erin.
Clint gave her a dark look. 'We're going to be here all night,' he muttered.
'Hey, Clint,' shouted the man in his cab, 'if you put her in water does she swell to a proper size?'
'No, no,' said the man next to the truck. 'You pump her up like an air mattress.'
By this time all of the rest of the horses had been loaded. It seemed to Shelby that the people were only hanging around to poke fun at Clint.
Shelby and Lindsey exchanged a glance. 'What should we do?' Shelby mouthed.
'There's nothing we can do,' Lindsey whispered. She was right. None of the girls were more qualified than Clint for this task.
Erin huffed and sat down cross-legged.
'Get up,' hissed Shelby. 'He's doing this for you, Erin.'
'Me? You bought the horse,' she retorted.
'Shut up.' Lindsey frowned at both of them.
Just when it was beginning to look hopeless, the little horse bounded up the ramp and into the truck.
The spectators cheered and clapped. Clint shook his hat at them, shooing them. 'Show's over. Move along. Nothing to see here.' The crowd reluctantly dispersed into their various trucks and four-wheel drives, waving goodbye as they went.
'See you when you bring that filly back again,' said one of them.
'Maybe I'll have a go with her next month,' chuckled another. 'I tried miniature trains once.'
Clint stood with his hands on his hips waiting for them to go and then he sighed.
'That filly has done this a hundred times before,' he told the girls as he closed the tailgate. 'She's not afraid, she's just plain naughty.'
'Yes, but she's so pretty!' Erin grinned.
Clint double-checked the bolts and then rubbed his eyes with the heels of his hands. 'Pretty only goes so far.'
On the way back to the stables Clint seemed to lighten up. He even laughed when the girls sang along with Gwen Stefani on the radio.
Shelby and Erin knew the words but Lindsey just sang, 'La, la, la,' along with the tune until she got the hang of it, and then she turned to the other two girls and sang, 'Tick, tock, tick, tock,' waving her hands like robot arms on a clock face. Erin and Shelby cracked up.
Clint chimed in. 'I'm still a super-hot female!' Which made Erin and Shelby laugh even more.
When they pulled over for Lindsey to go to the ATM they could hear thumping and bumping in the back. The truck swayed. One of the horses let out a shrill whinny.
'Let's guess who's making that racket?' Clint said.
The mood changed quickly. Lindsey climbed back into the cab and handed Clint the cash. He slipped the notes into his wallet and shifted the truck into gear. 'I'm looking forward to hearing what Brenda thinks of this mare you've bought for her. I think I'll stay for a coffee and see what she has to say,' he said, heading out into the traffic.
Lindsey's face turned bright red. She tried to hide it by looking out the window. 'Mum said she was going shopping this afternoon.'
'I can wait,' he replied.
'What about your new horses?' Shelby asked. 'You can't leave them on the