The Palomino Pony Wins Through by Olivia Tuffin Read Free Book Online Page A

alone.
    She halted Lily. Suddenly Lucy reached out and ran a hand down the palomino’s face, gently scratching just under her chin. Lily didn’t seem nervous or worried but Lucy’s eyes were bloodshot and she looked exhausted. She was a pretty girl but she had dark rings under her eyes and was swaying slightly as she stood in front of Georgia. Her hair was matted and she looked as if she hadn’t slept for nearly a week.
    “Honey, oh, Honey…” Lucy croaked, her voice cracking.
    “She’s not Honey!” Georgia said as firmly as she could, pulling Lily’s head closer to her.
    Lucy laughed bitterly, snapping out of hertrance. “No, of course she’s not. Honey was killed by that girl. Maybe she should know what it feels like to lose something you love.”
    The grief and hatred on Lucy’s face was clear to see. Georgia had never been in a situation like this before. On one hand she could totally sympathise with Lucy – the girl had had to endure the sight of her beloved pony dying. But on the other hand, it had been a terrible accident. She felt sorry for Lucy, but at the same time she felt quite scared of her.
    “Honey was my world.” Lucy was crying now. “I’ve nothing left,” she sobbed, turning and stumbling away.

    For the Smalley show team, the event went well. Porridge won his class, and the other Smalley ponies both excelled in their novice classes, coming third and fifth. Georgia had given eachof the ponies a big hug and a carrot, pinning their rosettes proudly to their bridles. Lily had once again won her class. People were starting to recognise her now. Georgia was thrilled, but it didn’t feel right without Melanie and Dan to celebrate with her. Curled up in the lorry on the way home, Georgia laid the rosettes on her lap. She must email Melanie tonight and let her know how Lily had got on.
    Her phone gave a familiar beep. It was Dan.
    “What are u up 2 tonight? Fancy a trip to the cinema? X”
    She thought for a moment before texting back regretfully.
    “Sorry I can’t tonight, I’m not going to be back in time X”
    It took ages for Dan to text back, and when he did it was fairly short.
    “Another time then X”
    Georgia sighed, feeling guilty. She texted back, deliberating whether to add one kiss, or two.
    “Sorry X”
    Settling for one, she pressed send, and waited for another beep. But Dan didn’t reply this time.
    Georgia knew that she had promised Dan a trip to the cinema but she was just so busy with her job the whole time. It was hard at times, being so committed to her riding. She hoped Dan would understand.
    Shelley was glued to her phone as well, texting her friends who were grooms at other yards.She gave a little gasp, waking Fergus who was sleeping next to her, a copy of
Horse and Hound
over his face.
    “What?” he said curiously.
    “It’s Lucy.” Shelley squinted at the screen on her phone. “A friend has texted to say that Lucy has been sacked from the yard where she’s been working as a rider! And she’s been saying she’s out for revenge…”

C HAPTER T WELVE
    T here was a feeling of unease in the yard over the next few days as the news from the text sunk in. According to Fergus, Lucy still had keys to the tack room.
    “Surely she wouldn’t do anything to hurt the ponies though?” Georgia asked.
    “I would hope not,” said Shelley. “But you saw her at the show. She’s gone off the rails. Honey’sdeath hit her very hard, and now that she’s lost her job… It’s just too easy to find someone else to blame for everything.”
    Georgia tried to push any fears to the back of her mind. It wouldn’t be long until she was back at Redgrove, and maybe Emma was right – this was for Josephine to sort out, not her. She had been thrown into an impossible situation – Alice would never ride again and Lucy would always hold the death of Honey against the Smalleys – and as much as she wanted to help, realistically it was not Georgia’s problem to solve.
    As Georgia