Loving Spirit

enthused Ellie. She could just see Joe doing it. ‘You must.’
    ‘Can you really imagine Dad letting me?’
    Ellie frowned. ‘If you want to do it, you shouldn’t let him stop you.’
    ‘Easy to say.’ Joe shot her a sideways look. ‘Though, actually, if it were you, you probably would just goahead and do it anyway.’ He smiled suddenly. ‘I think it’s cool what you’re doing, Ellie. Dad’s mad that you still aren’t riding the ponies but what can he do? And you work hard so he can’t complain.’
    Ellie didn’t say anything. She was beginning to find it harder and harder to be on the yard so much and yet not ride. But there was no way she would give in. A bit of her knew that it was goading her uncle and she felt a secret, silent pleasure in that. She didn’t think she’d ever met anyone she liked less than her Uncle Len. He might be good with the horses, but everything she’d seen in the first day had been confirmed – with people he was badgering and domineering, expecting them to do exactly what he said.
    She sighed. ‘I’m so glad you’re here,’ she said to Joe. ‘It would be an awful place without you.’
    Joe looked pleased. ‘I’m glad you’re here too. It’s much better than when it was just me, Dad and Luke.’
    Ellie rolled her eyes. ‘Luke is so annoying!’
    Joe chuckled. ‘He’s not that bad. He didn’t have an easy time when he was younger. His parents aren’t great and he hated boarding school. And having him here keeps Dad off my back a bit.’
    Ellie studied him. She knew Joe’s own life hadn’t been easy either. He had told her that he had really missed his mum when she left. He still saw her sometimes, just not often because she lived a long distanceaway in Devon and he was usually kept too busy on the yard to go and visit her.
    ‘You know, you have to be the only girl under the sun to think Luke’s annoying,’ Joe went on with a certain satisfaction. ‘Normally, girls all fancy him like mad.’
    Ellie pulled a face. ‘Ugh. No way. He’s so arrogant.’
    ‘Did you have a boyfriend in New Zealand?’ Joe asked her curiously.
    ‘Not when I left.’ Ellie had been out with a few boys, but the longest she’d been out with anyone was six weeks, and since her parents had died, going out with someone had been the last thing on her mind. Her face shadowed over instantly at the thought and she had to fight back the bleakness that swelled up inside her. She stared at the bale of hay, counting to ten in her head, concentrating on the numbers as she pushed the grief back down. It was always like that. She would feel OK for a little while, not thinking about what had happened, but then something would bring it all flooding back. When she reached ten, she cleared her throat, back in control enough to speak. ‘We’d better get going. Your dad will be out on the yard soon.’
    Joe looked troubled. Ellie had a feeling he was about to ask her how she was and she didn’t want that. She didn’t want to talk about it. She climbed quickly down from the bales. ‘Come on!’
    But Joe wasn’t to be put off. ‘Are you happy here?’ he said as he jumped down on to the thick layer of hay and straw that covered the barn floor.
    Ellie turned back and stared at him. Happy . The word felt strange in her mind, as if it was a foreign language she didn’t quite understand. What could she say? There were times when she felt all right, usually when she was with Joe or busy with the horses, but she never felt really and truly happy. Every night she still cried as she thought about everything she had lost. But she wasn’t going to tell anyone else that, not even Joe.
    ‘Well?’ Joe pushed when she didn’t reply.
    ‘Um …’ She saw his concerned look. ‘Y-yeah. Kind of,’ she stammered. ‘Come on!’
    She hurried off, leaving Joe watching after her, a frown on his face.
    On Thursday morning Ellie was just getting ready for school when there was a knock on her bedroom door. She looked round in surprise. No one ever came up to her room. ‘Who is it?’
    ‘Me. Joe.’
    Ellie opened the door. Joe grinned at her. ‘I think we should have some fun today.’
    She wondered what he had in mind. ‘Doing what?’
    ‘Let’s bunk off school.’
    ‘Bunk off?’ Ellie echoed uncertainly. She stillstruggled with a few of the unfamiliar English phrases. ‘You mean not go to school?’
    Joe nodded. ‘Dad’s out for the day looking at some horses. We can miss the bus and take fake