And besides, even if her mum hadn’t been there, Issie thought, Aidan was acting kind of odd. She would have expected him to come up and at least give her a hug, but he was being all cool, sort of distant and aloof.
“So,” he said, hiding his eyes under his fringe, acting casual in a really awkward way, “how have you been? How was the trip back from Spain?”
“Good,” said Issie, suddenly feeling uncomfortable. “I sent you a postcard. Didn’t you get it?”
“Yeah,” Aidan said, “I got it. Why didn’t you call me? I thought you’d call me when you got back…”
“I was going to,” Issie said, “but I’ve only been back for, like, a day.”
“Sure,” Aidan said, “you’ve been busy. I understand…” But he didn’t look like he understood at all; in fact, he looked rather put out.
“What are you doing here anyway?” asked Issie.
Mrs Brown put down the teapot and placed her hands on her hips. “See? I told you!” she said to Aidan. “Issie had no idea you were coming either. Oh, this is so typical of Hester!”
Issie didn’t understand. “What are you talking about, Mum?”
Mrs Brown shook her head. “It appears that your Aunt Hester had another one of her genius plans that she forgot to tell us about. She’s sent poor Aidan here out of the blue. He was just explaining it to me when you arrived.”
“Aidan?” Issie was still confused. “What’s going on?”
“Ummm,” Aidan began, “there seems to have been a bit of a miscommunication. I thought you and your mum were expecting me. Didn’t you get the email that Hester sent you?”
Issie shook her head. “I only got back from Spain yesterday. I haven’t checked my emails for days.”
“Oh,” Aidan said, “so I guess you got a bit of a shock finding the piebald at the River Paddock?”
“Totally!” Issie said. “How did you know? I turn up at the paddock, Coco is missing and instead there’s this crazy piebald lying on the ground fast asleep, snoring like a train.”
“I don’t have a clue about the Coco part,” Aidan said, “but I can explain the piebald. I drove him up from Blackthorn Farm in the horse truck this morning and dropped him off at the paddock.”
“But why is he in the River Paddock?” Issie was still confused. “Who does he belong to?”
Aidan groaned. “That’s the thing…Hester was supposed to tell you…I thought you already knew.” He paused. “Issie, I don’t know how to say this, but…” Aidan winced, “he’s yours. I brought him here for you.”
By the time Issie was on to her third chocolate biscuit, she had managed to make sense of Aidan’s explanation.
It appeared that Issie’s lovely but utterly mad Aunty Hester was in trouble yet again. The last time Issie had visited Blackthorn Farm, a rambling old country manor high up in the hills near Gisborne, she had been helping Hester out of a tight spot. Her aunt ran the Daredevil Ponies, a troupe of stunt horses who were the best in the movie business. When film work had suddenly dried up earlier in the year Hester hit hard times and was on the brink of selling Blackthorn Farm and her menagerie of four-legged movie stars.
Luckily for Hester, Issie and Aidan, her farm manager, had come to the rescue. They both entered the Horse of the Year Show—Issie on Comet and Aidan on Destiny—and between them they won enough prize money to help Hester save the farm. Hester had been so grateful she had made the two of them her business partners.
It turned out that Comet had put in such a superstar performance at the Horse of the Year that Hester’s ponies subsequently became hot property on the showjumping circuit. Every showjumping rider in the country wanted a Blackthorn Pony in their stable and they were prepared to pay big money for them. Hester and Aidan suddenly found themselves with a lucrative business on their hands, schooling up and selling Blackthorn Ponies.
“Hester and I have been really busy training half a dozen up-and-coming young jumpers,” Aidan told Issie. “We’d planned to sell them at the end of the season. Everything was going really well until that movie, the same one that was cancelled earlier in the year, suddenly sprang back to life. Now it’s all on again and filming starts in two weeks.”
“I know. You emailed me about it in Spain. But that’s brilliant news, isn’t it?” Issie asked.
“Yes—and no,” said Aidan. “Hester has been working like crazy behind the scenes, trying to get the stunt horses ready in time for the cameras. She doesn’t have any time right now for the farm and it will only get worse when filming begins. I’ve been left behind to look after the Blackthorn Ponies. Some of them are at a crucial stage in their schooling, plus I’m snowed under with farm work. I was beginning to panic that I wouldn’t be able to cope, and that was when Hester decided we needed to involve you.”
“Me?” Issie squeaked nervously.
“Yeah, well, you are a partner in the business.” Aidan smiled. “So Hester had the idea of bringing a few of the young horses up to Chevalier Point for training.”
“A few? You mean there’s more of them?” squeaked Issie again.
“Uh-huh. I brought three of them with me in the horse truck. You’ve met the piebald. The other two are a chestnut and a dark brown—Jasper and Marmite. Both of them need loads of work too.”
Aidan grinned at the look of horror on Issie’s face. “Don’t worry. I’m not going to ask you to look after them as well. You’ll have your hands full with the piebald. I’ve asked Tom if he’ll take care of the other two. I’ve just taken them to Winterflood Farm.”
“Is that where your horse truck is?” Issie realised that she hadn’t seen it parked outside when she arrived.
“Uh-huh. I’m going back there shortly to help him settle them in, but I thought I’d better come here and see you first to explain about the piebald.”
“What’s up with that pony? He’s totally kooky,” Issie said.
“He’s a Blackthorn Pony, born and bred,” Aidan said. “So I figure he’s got a huge jump buried in him somewhere, but I really haven’t had the chance to do any schooling on him yet. He’s been broken in, but apart from that he’s just been turned out for two seasons now. I’ve only ridden him a few times in the past six months. I got on him for the first time in ages last week. I thought I’d better try him before bringing him here. Anyway, I thought he’d be all fizzy after not being ridden for so long, but he just about fell asleep under me. The only thing he loves, as far as I can tell, is sleeping.”
“I noticed!” Issie said.
“He’s kinda…quirky,” continued Aidan, “but he’s got no vices. He doesn’t buck or rear or anything, he’s just, well…you’ll see…he’s a bit of a…character. He needs someone like you, Issie. Someone who can focus on him and bring out the best.”
“But I already have Blaze and Comet! How can I focus on him when I have two other horses I’m supposed to be riding?” Issie protested.
“I’m working six horses a day at the moment,” Aidan pointed out. “I’m only asking you to manage with three.”
“Yes, but that’s your job!” Issie objected. “I’ve got school to worry about.”
“Well, that’s good to hear,” Mrs Brown said wryly as she reached between Issie and Aidan to restock the chocolate biscuit plate. “I’ve never noticed you being particularly concerned about your horses getting in the way of school work before, Isadora. You have grown up since you got back from Spain!”
Her