“It all sounds great, Aunty Hess!” Issie said. “And I’m sure Stella and Kate will be keen and we can find a fourth girl to ride with us…”
“Excellent!” Hester said. “So what’s the best way to organise this? Do you want to put your mother on the phone? I think she’s more likely to say yes if I ask her, don’t you?”
“Actually, Aunty Hess, I wouldn’t bet on it. She’s still mad at you after last time,” Issie said.
“Oh, I was hoping she would have forgotten about that by now.”
The last time Issie had stayed with her aunt she had caught and ridden Destiny, a wild stallion that led a herd of wild ponies at Blackthorn Farm. Issie had returned home from her adventures with her arm in a sling–a fact that her mother was none too happy about.
“Your mum is such a fusspot,” Hester sighed. “It was only a little sprain. Put her on the phone. I’m sure she’ll say yes once I talk her round.”
“Muuum!” Issie called with her hand over the receiver. “It’s for you!”
As Mrs Brown took the phone out of her daughter’s hands with a quizzical look, Issie held her breath and hoped Aunt Hester would be able to make her mother say yes.
Issie’s mum and Aunt Hester were sisters, but the two women were the complete opposite of each other in every way. Hester was, as her mum put it, a “bit too bohemian for her own good”. She had been an actress before she gave up the movies herself and started training animals to act instead. She had curly blonde hair that tumbled over her shoulders and always wore lots of jewellery and scarves, even when she was riding. Hester had been married three times–“All of them wonderful weddings!” as she told Issie–but she had no children of her own.
Issie’s mum had only been married once–to Issie’s dad–although they split up years ago and Issie hardly ever saw him. And Mrs Brown looked nothing like Hester–she looked just like Issie, with long, straight dark hair and tanned olive skin.
The most important difference between the two sisters though, as far as Issie was concerned, was horses.
Aunt Hester was horsy through and through. Right now she had twelve horses in her stables at Blackthorn Farm. Issie’s mum, on the other hand, didn’t like horses one bit. Issie had to beg and plead for years before her mum finally caved in and bought Mystic for her.
Issie could hear her mum on the phone now with Aunty Hess and it sounded like Hester was getting a telling-off. She could only catch snippets of the conversation but it clearly wasn’t going well.
“You must be joking!” she heard her mum say. “…Yes, Hester, I know she’s an excellent rider but she’s also my daughter and after last time…”
Issie slunk away to the kitchen and waited for her mum to finish yelling at Hester and get off the phone. Finally, she heard the receiver being hung up and Mrs Brown appeared in the kitchen doorway, her arms crossed and her brow furrowed in a deep frown.
“I have a feeling that you already know what that phone call was about,” she said.
“Uh-huh,” Issie said.
“So you really want to help Hess with this movie?”
“Uh-huh.”
Mrs Brown sighed. “I’ve told Hester that if I see so much as a sticky plaster on you when you come home this time I will hold her responsible. She insists that it’s perfectly safe. There’s a bit of riding apparently, but you’ll mostly just be grooming the horses and mucking out the stalls.”
“Wait a minute!” Issie said. “Does that mean you’re going to let me go?”
Mrs Brown nodded. “Your Aunty Hess is very convincing. You start work as a stunt rider on The Palomino Princess next Monday.”
Issie whooped with delight. “Thanks, Mum! I’ll be fine, honestly. Wow! This is so cool! I’m going straight over to see Stella. I’m sure her mum will say she can do it too! And Kate! Oh, this is going to be great!”
“Hey, hey wait!” said Mrs Brown as Issie tore off towards the front door. “Kate and Stella make three. Hester told me she needs four girl riders. She’s relying on you to find her a fourth girl.” Mrs Brown gave Issie a cheeky grin. “You know, I can think of one girl who would love to work on a film like this.”
“Oh, very funny, Mum! I know exactly who you mean and don’t you dare say her name. Don’t even think it!” Issie groaned. “I’m sure we can find someone else. I’m not that desperate.”
Her mum might think it was funny to lumber Issie with Natasha Tucker for the holidays but Issie couldn’t think of anyone, or anything, worse. Mrs Brown didn’t understand why Issie didn’t like Natasha. After all, the girls were the same age–thirteen–and they were both members of the Chevalier Point Pony Club. But Natasha had it in for Issie and she was such a snob. No, there had to be someone else that Issie could ask. There was no way she was asking awful Stuck-up Tucker. It was never going to happen. No matter what. Not in a million years.
Stella’s cheeks were as red as her hair. She looked like she was about to explode.
“You’ve done what?” she spluttered in disbelief.
“I’ve asked Natasha Tucker,” Issie groaned.
“But why, Issie? It was going to be such fun–you, me and Kate. Why would you ask Natasha?”
“Because Aunty Hess really needed a fourth rider and it had to be a girl because we’ll be stunt-doubling for the actresses in the film. Natasha is a good rider and she was the only other person I could think of.”
“What about Morgan?” Kate offered. “Couldn’t you have asked her instead?”
“She’s away on the showjumping circuit right now with her mum,” Issie said.
“This is a nightmare!” Stella fumed.
“I can’t believe Natasha wants to come with us,” Kate said. “She usually ignores us at pony club.”
Issie shrugged. “I know.” She had dreaded turning up at the River Paddock this morning to break the news to Kate and Stella. She knew they would take it badly.
“What a nightmare!” Stella groaned again.
“Oh, Stella, get over it. Don’t be such a drama queen,” Kate snapped.
“Natasha will have to behave herself,” Issie pointed out. “Aunty Hess will be there running things and so will Aidan…”
“Aidan?” Stella said. “Ohmygod, Issie! You didn’t tell me Aidan was going to be there. You haven’t seen him since last summer.”
“Yes, Stella, I know. I don’t need reminding,” Issie replied, trying to shut Stella up.
Aidan was Aunt Hester’s stable manager. The last time Issie saw him was the morning they left Blackthorn Farm. She still remembered Aidan’s kiss, the way his long dark fringe had brushed against her face and she had felt her heart race. She had been so shocked that she hadn’t known what to say. Then Aidan had got all embarrassed and run off and they hadn’t spoken since. Only Stella and Kate knew about this–she had told them once they got home. Although Issie was beginning to wish she hadn’t said anything about it to Stella at all. Stella was her best friend but she was also boy-mad and could be a bit of a twit sometimes–she was bound to blab to Aidan and embarrass her!
“Don’t say anything to him about it, OK, Stella?” Issie begged her.
Stella