Loving Spirit

I can put him out with anyone. Horses like that are worth their weight in gold on a yard.’
    Ellie glowed. It was rare anyone said anything nice about Spirit. She knew Sasha and Helen didn’t likeSpirit because he put his ears back and threatened with his teeth if they went in the stable with him. Luke just laughed at him and called him ‘the old nag’. Len ignored him.
    ‘You’ve done a good job with him,’ Stuart went on. ‘He’s not an easy horse, but you’ve made a real difference so far. Have you tried riding him yet?’
    Ellie shook her head. She was longing to but she didn’t want to rush things.
    ‘You should.’ Stuart patted Picasso. ‘Right, that’s you ready, lad.’
    ‘Do you think he’ll go into the horsebox?’ Ellie asked.
    The bay pony was still completely refusing to load.
    ‘If he doesn’t, there’ll be no show tomorrow. Joe and I are planning to have another try at getting him in at lunchtime today. If we take our time, hopefully we’ll manage it.’
    Ellie went to put the grooming kit away in the tackroom. Luke was in one corner with Sasha. He had his arms on the wall on either side of her and she was smiling up at him. Their faces were very close together, and Ellie had the feeling that if she had come in a moment sooner she would have caught them kissing.
    She expected them to spring apart guiltily but they didn’t. Luke gave her a lazy grin.
    ‘Well, don’t mind me!’ she muttered, marching across the tackroom to put the bridle away.
    ‘Thanks,’ Luke said, turning back to Sasha. ‘We won’t.’
    Ellie felt a rush of irritation. They could at least have the decency to look embarrassed.
    ‘I should go,’ she heard Sasha say.
    ‘Stay,’ Luke said, his voice holding a smile.
    Sasha giggled and pulled away. ‘I can’t!’ She ducked out under his arm. ‘See you later,’ she said, and then she vanished out of the tackroom door.
    Ellie looked at Luke in disbelief. ‘I thought you had a girlfriend already.’
    ‘Yes,’ he agreed.
    ‘And that’s not a problem for you?’
    ‘Jealous?’ he said, raising his eyebrows.
    A cross exclamation burst from her. ‘In your dreams!’
    ‘Don’t you mean my nightmares, Ellie!’ Luke grinned at her outraged expression. ‘So, how’s that old nag of yours doing?’ he went on, turning to pick up a bridle.
    ‘He’s not an old nag!’
    ‘OK, so how’s –’ Luke made his voice sound deep and dramatic – ‘ Spirit .’
    Ellie glared at him. ‘Fine.’
    ‘You’ll never make your money back when you sell him.’
    ‘I don’t want to make my money back! I’m not going to sell him.’
    Luke raised his eyebrows. ‘Have you told that to Len? He’s not going to budge on that one, you know. If I were you, I’d get used to the thought of that horse of yours leaving. After all, it’s almost six weeks since you bought him, isn’t it?’
    Luke’s words sent a prickle of foreboding through Ellie. Her uncle hadn’t said anything recently about Spirit going, but that didn’t mean he had forgotten the deal they’d made.
    He won’t really make me sell Spirit , she thought anxiously. Will he?
    Ellie tried not to think about it. At lunchtime she put Spirit’s bridle on and took him for a walk down the drive. As she led him through the courtyard, several of the other horses whinnied to him. Ellie smiled, remembering what Stuart had said earlier. ‘They all like you, boy.’
    When she reached the car park, she saw Stuart and Joe trying to load Picasso. They were looking hot and the bay pony’s coat was streaked with sweat. He was refusing to go anywhere near the horsebox. Ellie could feel the waves of fear coming off him every time he looked at the lorry.
    Since she had started communicating with Spirit she’d found that even though she might not be ableto talk to other horses in the same way she could to Spirit, she could often feel their emotions very clearly – even more than she had before.
    ‘Come on, Picasso,’ Joe said, sighing and sitting on the ramp. ‘Look, there’s nothing to be frightened of.’
    But Picasso rolled his eyes and tried to cart Stuart away. He whinnied as he caught sight of Spirit and pulled towards him. Stuart let him come over.
    ‘No luck then?’ Ellie said.
    ‘No.’ Stuart shook his head. ‘I don’t know what we’re going to do. He’s got himself into such a state he’s never going to go in. The boss will go mad. I reckon we just have to give him a break now and then try