Loving Spirit

‘You’re such a good boy,’ she said, patting Spirit’s neck. ‘And I love you so much!’
    Just as they got near to the yard, she heard an engine. Her uncle was driving away from the yard towards her. Her heart sank. He was bound to tell her off for riding bareback on the lane. It was toolate for her to get off now. She knew she just had to brazen it out. As he drove up, he slowed the car down and lowered the window.
    Ellie waited for him to snap but to her surprise he didn’t, although his face looked tense.
    ‘So, you’re up on him then?’ he said.
    She nodded warily.
    ‘Good. He’s looking better too. You might get an OK price for him now. The next sale’s Thursday. We’ll get him there for that.’
    Ellie felt sick. ‘No …’
    ‘That was the deal,’ Len said curtly. ‘We said six weeks, you’ve had five. Next week he’s at the sale and off this yard. You’ve done well, though. If you want to buy another and bring it on, then I won’t stop you.’
    The compliment went completely over Ellie’s head. All she could think about was the fact that her uncle was going to make her sell Spirit. She’d been pushing the thought to the back of her mind, assuming it wouldn’t happen. Five days? That was no time at all!
    Her uncle drove on. Heart thudding, Ellie slipped off Spirit’s back. Sensing her tension he pushed against her questioningly. She stroked him, her thoughts swirling round.
    I’ll refuse to sell him .
    We did have a deal .
    So? I’ll break the deal .
    As if he’d let you .
    Ellie turned to Spirit and he nuzzled her anxiously. ‘I’m not letting you go,’ she whispered fiercely. ‘I’m not!’

Chapter Twelve
    Ellie led Spirit back on to the yard. Her legs felt shaky and her thoughts were racing. What was she going to do?
    Joe came round the corner from putting Picasso away and saw her face. ‘You OK?’
    ‘Yes.’ Ellie bit her lip. ‘No … no, actually, I’m not.’ The words tumbled out of her. ‘Can we talk?’
    ‘Yeah, sure,’ Joe said in surprise. ‘Do you want to go to the barn?’
    Ellie nodded unhappily. ‘I’ll just put Spirit away.’
    Five minutes later, she ran into the hay barn. Joe was sitting on one of the bales that were sticking out at the bottom of the pile. ‘What’s wrong?’ he asked as Ellie joined him.
    Ellie felt her eyes well with tears. ‘It’s Spirit.’ She quickly told him what his dad had said. ‘What am I going to do, Joe? I can’t sell him.’
    Joe looked worried. ‘I know you don’t want to, but Dad is going to make you stick to the deal.’
    ‘There’s got to be some way round it.’ Ellie remembered what she had first thought when she’d bought Spirit. ‘Maybe I could keep him somewhere else?’
    ‘But there isn’t another stables for several miles. How would you get there?’
    Ellie searched for an answer. ‘Cycle?’
    Joe shook his head. ‘It’s just not possible. You couldn’t cycle there and back in the dark. It would be much too dangerous on those little lanes. Dad would never let you.’
    ‘I’d like to see him try and stop me!’
    ‘Ellie, fighting him isn’t going to work,’ Joe said quickly. ‘You’re going to have to just accept this.’
    ‘No way! Come on, Joe,’ Ellie appealed desperately. ‘You can help me think of something. I can’t sell Spirit!’ A sob burst from her. She turned quickly away, shutting her eyes tight to stop the tears.
    ‘Oh, Ellie.’ She felt Joe’s arm round her shoulder. He pulled her against him.
    A wave of emotion overwhelmed her. She sobbed into Joe’s chest, feeling the comforting strength of his arms. ‘I can’t bear it! I can’t!’
    He stroked her hair. ‘It’ll be OK, Els. Don’t cry. We’ll think of something.’
    Gradually Ellie’s tears slowed down. She rubbed Joe’s fleece where it was damp from her crying. ‘I’m sorry.’
    ‘Don’t be daft,’ he said softly.
    Glancing up at the sound of his reassuring tone, she was caught by the intensity of his gaze. As his eyes searched hers, she suddenly felt as if she was seeing his greeny-grey eyes, his tousled hair and his slightly crooked nose, all for the first time. Joe hastily pulled away, clearing his throat.
    ‘OK. We’ll try and work out a plan. A deal, like I said. An offer Dad can’t refuse.’ His words sounded deceptively normal. But Ellie knew him well enough to hear that there was an unusual tightness in his voice.
    She felt confused. This was just Joe in front of her, her best