Taking Flight by Sheena Wilkinson Read Free Book Online Page B

were sweaty with trying to get the tiny rubber bands round the uneven red plaits I had finally managed to coax his thick mane into. He pulled away and laid his ears flat and the last plait sprang out into a useless frizzy pompom. I dropped the plaiting bands.
    â€˜Damn!’ I could have cried. This was just too difficult. I couldn’t manage without Fiona. How was I going to survive the show? The snakes started somersaulting inside me.
    â€˜Having trouble?’
    I stuck my head over the half-door of Flight’s stable. It was Sally. ‘I need to plait him for Mossbrook. We’re jumping in the schools’ provincial league,’ I explained. I hoped she would be impressed.
    She looked in and laughed. ‘Not with those plaits!’
    â€˜I’ve never done it before,’ I admitted. ‘Fiona’s away and Cam’s busy.’
    â€˜I’ll help.’ She was already in the stable, pulling out my pathetic attempts. Flight looked at her in a long-suffering way. ‘Poor old son,’ she said. ‘It’s a bit boring, isn’t it? Never mind, we’ll soon have you looking gorgeous.’
    She made it look easy. Flight had been as jittery as a rabbit with me but with Sally he just stood with his lip drooping and never moved a hoof. I handed her the mane comb and bands when she asked for them.
    â€˜I’ve been riding Joy this week,’ Sally said.
    â€˜Oh yeah. Fiona said.’
    I felt a bit guilty thinking about how much I didn’t want her to ride Flight.
    â€˜OK, all done.’ She slapped Flight on the shoulder. He looked amazing. He flexed his neck as if he knew it and Sally gave him a Polo mint.
    â€˜Thanks, Sally, I owe you one,’ I said. I’d ask Mum to get her a bottle of wine.
    â€˜No worries.’ She went off to see to Nudge.
    Old Jim came grumbling into the yard pushing a wheelbarrow. ‘You still in that stable?’ he called.
    â€˜Well, it is my stable,’ I pointed out.
    â€˜I need to get the beds finished. Can’t muck out if you’re standing there.’ He frowned at me over his wheelbarrow.
    â€˜You can do it later. I’ll be away pretty soon. I just have to –’
    â€˜I won’t have time later. If I can’t get in to do it in the next five minutes you can do it yourself.’ Grumpy old git.
    â€˜That’s not what my father pays full livery for,’ I said. Jim looked at me with his mouth open and my cheeks burned. Where had that come from? That’s the sort of thing I thought from time to time, but never actually said . And I’d never have said it to Cam.
    It was probably lucky that I looked up to see Mum’s car pulling into the yard.
    She had her usual panic about getting the box hitched up. ‘I can never remember what goes where,’ she admittedwhen Cam, thank goodness, took pity on us. The back of the car was packed with Flight’s stuff – gleaming tack, sweat rug, boots – and my show jacket, white jodhpurs and stuff like that. I was paranoid about forgetting something. Declan would just have to fit in round it as best he could.
    I’d only had Flight in the box a few times, and he’d loaded OK, but of course today was the day he decided to make a fuss. And Cam was late for a private lesson so she had to leave us to it. We tried everything – a bucket of feed, a lunge whip – but he just kept pulling back and digging his feet in.
    Mum stood around looking nervous.
    â€˜Mum, could you help?’ I begged. ‘I’m going to try a rope round his backside.’
    She drew back. ‘Vicky, you know I’m not very –’
    Declan stepped forward. ‘I will.’
    Well, I didn’t have much choice. I showed Declan what to do and whether our teamwork defeated Flight or whether he just got bored fighting, he gave in and sauntered up the ramp.
    â€˜Brilliant!’ I said. Declan grinned at me. It was the first time