Opal Dreaming by Karen Wood Read Free Book Online

if he was to go. Jess knew there was no way Lawson would miss out on this trip for the sake of a scrawny, chance-bred foal. It was his way of saying goodbye to Harry. Ryan had already headed off and was organising permits and camping gear, but Lawson and Luke needed to finish up work with several of their clients before they left.
    As Jess and Shara jumped up into Lawson’s truck to leave the vet’s, another car pulled into the surgery carpark. It towed a white float with the letters RSPCA on the side of it. In the back of the float, Jess could make out the knobbly spine of a white horse. She gasped. ‘It’s Chelpie!’
    â€˜Oh my God, Katrina’s going to spew! ’ Shara stared at Jess, scandalised.
    â€˜Get ready for some nasty phone calls,’ said Craig.
    Jess chuckled. ‘We’re going to need a new private number!’ She strained around in her seat and looked out the window. A woman was opening the front door to the float. She quickly jumped back as a white nose lunged at her, baring an angry set of teeth.
    â€˜Yep, that’s Chelpie, all right,’ said Shara.
    â€˜Wow, Chelpie taken by the RSPCA . . .’ Jess could hardly believe it.
    â€˜Talk about falling from grace,’ said Craig.

    After school the next day, Jess visited Opal at the vet’s, and was annoyed to find that Chelpie occupied the stall next door to her filly’s. Chelpie was alternating between biting and chewing on the timber door and rocking from side to side with her head between her legs.
    â€˜She’s a basket case,’ said Jess, peering over the stable door at the wretched white horse.
    â€˜I’ve never had one so bad,’ said John, joining her.
    â€˜She’s been stabled since she was a week old. No herd to run with.’ He shook his head. ‘Totally dysfunctional.’
    â€˜Does she have to be next door to my horse?’ asked Jess.
    â€˜It’s the only other horse she likes,’ said John, apologetically. ‘She won’t eat unless she’s next to Opal.’
    â€˜Wouldn’t she be happier in a paddock?’
    â€˜Undoubtedly,’ said John. ‘She just needs a few days to pick up and then we’ll try to integrate her into a herd, if we can find one.’
    Jess moved on to Opal’s stall. The filly rushed to hide behind her mother as soon as Jess opened the stable door, where she stood with her ears back and a hind leg raised. She was jittery and nervous, impossible to catch, and John had to sedate her again to handle her. Jess tried to help John while he updated her needles and checked her over. It did seem that Opal was looking healthier. Her temperament, however, was a different story.
    As the filly grew stronger she became more difficult to handle. The following day, John was able to catch and restrain her, jostling her to the ground. Jess had to hold Opal down by the neck while the vet checked her temperature and injected antibiotics and other drugs. But the whole forceful episode just made Jess wish he had sedated her again.
    On the third day, the filly rushed at Jess as she approached the stable, slamming hard against the stable door. Jess backed away, hurt and distressed, and waited for John to come and help. When she did manage to get a look over the stable door, she noticed that Opal’s head stayed slightly tilted, and one ear seemed to lop unevenly to one side. As John finished another round of X-rays, Lawson arrived with a horse float to pick up Marnie.
    â€˜You promised you would leave her here until Opal was better,’ said Jess, as he walked towards the stable with a halter in his hand.
    â€˜I promised I’d leave her for a few days, Jess,’ Lawson corrected her. ‘And you promised me I could bring her back into work after seven months. It’s already been ten. Sorry, but I need my good mare back.’ He looked through the stable door just as Opal rose groggily to her feet. As John