put a hand out to help her, she reared away from him, shaking her head violently and stumbling backwards.
Lawson watched the filly pull itself up off the ground, his face grave. âAre you sure all this is worth it?â
âWhat do you mean?â asked Jess.
âI mean, look at her,â said Lawson. âSheâs got her fatherâs temperament. Sheâll be totally unpredictable. Why do you think Iâm selling her to you so cheap?â
âSheâs just sick, thatâs all,â said Jess.
At that moment, Opal lunged at John. âWhoa!â he said, waving her away.
âSick horses donât do that,â said Lawson, opening the stable door and walking in. He raised an arm at Opal and yelled, âGet out of it! â
Then he haltered Marnie, led her out of the stable and looked Jess in the eye. âThere are a lot of other good fillies out there, Jess. I can help you find one if you like. You donât need to pay me for this one.â
Jess looked at him, bewildered. âWhat are you saying?â
âIâm just saying it might be kinder to . . . find something else.â
âNo way!â said Jess. âHow could you even think that?â She looked around for John, who was letting himself out of the stable.
âI donât think we need to consider that yet,â said John, frowning at Lawson.
âGo away,â said Jess, angrily. âTake Marnie and just go home, Lawson. Iâll drop your money off later this afternoon.â
Lawson tried a gentler tone. âIf you want my opinionââ
âI donât want your opinion,â said Jess, her voice rising. âI already know what your opinion is!â
âNo, you donât, so shut up and listen,â snapped Lawson.
Jess set her jaw hard, folded her arms tightly across her chest and glared at him.
âIf you really want her to get better,â Lawson began, âthen we should wean her as soon as possible. Donât leave it until sheâs on a truck and on a long stressful journey to Longwood. Give her a couple of weeks at Harryâs place to bond with the other young horses, and then let me take her out to the station. You should still put her out there and see if she heals. Do or die. If sheâs got any heart, if sheâs worth her salt at all, then sheâll fight. Sheâll get through it.â
Jess looked to John, who stood listening with his hands in his pockets. He nodded at her. âI think Lawson could be right, Jess. Sheâs obviously had some sort of knock around the head, but thereâs nothing showing in her X-rays. Iâve treated her with some long-acting antibiotics and pretty much done all I can for her. Itâs up to her now. She needs to go and heal.â
Jess looked at Opal, pacing anxiously around the stable, occasionally stumbling with the lingering effects of the sedatives. She would be a mess when they totally wore off. But she looked generally upright and alive â there was no way Jess was giving up on her yet.
âCan you leave Marnie here for just one more night? Please?â
He dropped his shoulders and let out a slow, unimpressed sigh.
âCome on , Lawson,â she begged. âJust one more night and I promise I wonât argue anymore. Tomorrow Marnie and Opal can travel together to Harryâs place and Iâll put her in with Lukeâs brumbies. Then you can take Marnie home.â
She also wanted to get Opal away from Chelpie. She had a gnawing feeling that the filly would come good if Jess could just get her away from that psycho white horse. She looked pleadingly at Lawson.
Lawson gave a reluctant nod. â One more night, then.â
6
JESS STUCK TO her word and helped wean Opal the next day at Harryâs place. They put the filly in with Lukeâs two brumby foals, Rusty and Tinkerbell, and Jess spent the afternoon listening to her scream piteously for her mother while
Lightnin' Hopkins: His Life, Blues