Spirit, the skinny gray horse whom Ellie loved so well, has passed away. But the special mental bond they shared has not weakened, and she can still communicate with him clearly. Spirit helped her discover that she could communicate with horses and heal them with her hands, and now she must use that power to help other horses.
While at a horse show, she hears a mare crying out for help. When the horse throws her rider, she seems destined for the slaughterhouse, but Ellie convinces her uncle to buy the troubled animal. Ellie will give her all to heal this horse who needs her—and Spirit will be there by her side.
Spirit, the skinny gray horse whom Ellie loved so well, has passed away. But the special mental bond they shared has not weakened, and she can still communicate with him clearly. Spirit helped her discover that she could communicate with horses and heal them with her hands, and now she must use that power to help other horses.
While at a horse show, she hears a mare crying out for help. When the horse throws her rider, she seems destined for the slaughterhouse, but Ellie convinces her uncle to buy the troubled animal. Ellie will give her all to heal this horse who needs her—and Spirit will be there by her side.
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Overview
Spirit, the skinny gray horse whom Ellie loved so well, has passed away. But the special mental bond they shared has not weakened, and she can still communicate with him clearly. Spirit helped her discover that she could communicate with horses and heal them with her hands, and now she must use that power to help other horses.
While at a horse show, she hears a mare crying out for help. When the horse throws her rider, she seems destined for the slaughterhouse, but Ellie convinces her uncle to buy the troubled animal. Ellie will give her all to heal this horse who needs her—and Spirit will be there by her side.
Product Details
| ISBN-13: | 9781497642560 |
|---|---|
| Publisher: | Open Road Media Teen & Tween |
| Publication date: | 06/24/2014 |
| Series: | Loving Spirit , #4 |
| Sold by: | Barnes & Noble |
| Format: | eBook |
| Pages: | 216 |
| File size: | 790 KB |
| Age Range: | 8 - 12 Years |
About the Author
Linda Chapman and Steve Cole are both bestselling authors in their native England; between them, they have written more than a hundred books for children. Be a Genie in Six Easy Steps was their first collaboration. Linda's books include the series My Secret Unicorn, Unicorn School, Stardust, and Not Quite a Mermaid, while Steve has created the Astrosaurs and Cows in Action series as well as Thieves Like Us and Z. Rex for older readers.
Read an Excerpt
Secrets
Loving Spirit, Book Four
By Linda Chapman
OPEN ROAD INTEGRATED MEDIA
Copyright © 2012 Linda ChapmanAll rights reserved.
ISBN: 978-1-4976-4256-0
CHAPTER 1
ELLIE PATTED GEM, a blue roan hunter pony.
"You're such a good boy," she murmured as she rode him back to the horsebox. "You did so well today."
A second-place rosette was tied to the string around her waist. Gem was only young and he could be nervous, but she'd been working hard with him and he'd performed really well just now in the ring in his first big open class. The show ground was buzzing—children were being mounted on to ponies, grooms putting the final polish on hooves and coats, parents talking into cell phones, and horsebox ramps clattering as horses were led in and out. The July sun blazed down and Ellie felt hot in her show jacket and yellow jodhpurs.
It was only eleven thirty in the morning, but already she had competed in two show classes and had helped prepare three other horses. Her uncle, Len Carrington, owned a very successful hunter showing yard in north Derbyshire and show days were always madly busy. More often than not the team would leave the yard at a very early hour of the morning with a string of horses and ponies, some owned by her uncle, others that he looked after and prepared for clients. Despite the early starts, Ellie loved show days. There was nothing to beat arriving at a new show ground just as the sun was rising in the sky, feeling the excitement at the day ahead, seeing horses and ponies being unloaded from trailers, greeting the other competitors. Now it was the summer break, there were shows every weekend and often in the week too. It was so different from her old life back in New Zealand. Ellie shook her head at the thought. A year ago she'd never even visited England and, although she had always ridden, she hadn't known anything about English horse and pony showing. Now it felt like her whole life.
"So how did you get on?" Sasha, the junior groom, came out of the trailer as Ellie rode Gem over. Sasha was carrying a rug, her make-up perfect as always, her blonde hair poker-straight.
Ellie showed her the blue rosette and dismounted. He was really good."
"Excellent." Sasha smiled.
When Ellie had first come to live at her uncle's yard, she and Sasha hadn't got on, but in recent weeks Sasha had seemed to thaw towards Ellie and was now quite friendly.
"I'll fetch his headcollar and wash him down," the blonde girl offered. "You get changed."
"Thanks." Ellie went up the steps into the living quarters. Her uncle's horsebox was one of the smartest on the show ground. It was glossy white and silver on the outside and the living quarters were like those of a very luxurious caravan. There were walnut cabinets, a leather sofa, a shower and two beds, one above the horses and one above the driver's cab. A sandy terrier was lying curled up on the sofa.
"Hey, Pip." The little dog's stumpy tail thumped against the sofa, but the only person she would run to greet was her owner, Luke.
Ellie pulled on her jeans over her show jodhpurs, took off her jacket and shirt and put on a T-shirt, then shook her long, wavy, dark blonde hair free from the hairnet that kept it neatly in place.
She went back outside, checking her watch, wondering how everyone else from the yard was doing. Her uncle had three clients there that day—she knew he would be off with them, dealing with their horses.
"Luke should be getting Gabriel ready for the intermediate working hunter," said Sasha. "Have you seen him?"
Ellie shook her head. "No, sorry." Luke was her uncle's eighteen-year-old nephew from the other side of the family to her. He lived with them and worked full time on the yard.
Sasha rolled her eyes. "Guess he's probably so busy chatting up some girl he's forgotten he has a class." Ellie gave her a look. Sasha and Luke had been going out for a while, but they'd split up some weeks ago. Sasha had a new boyfriend now and Luke was going out with a girl called Anna Hallett. "You know, I am so over Luke!" Sasha huffed. "Rob treats me much better. Luke only cares about himself."
She glanced at Ellie, inviting her to join in with criticizing Luke, but Ellie didn't. Tall and broad-shouldered, with dark hair and a mocking smile, Luke could be arrogant and very annoying, but Ellie knew there was another side to him too. When Spirit had been diagnosed with cancer and had to be put to sleep the previous month, Luke had been a rock of support. "He's not that bad," Ellie said.
Sasha raised her penciled eyebrows. "Really?"
Ellie sensed the older girl's prickliness but decided to avoid an argument. She shrugged. "Look, I'll see if I can find him."
She set off. As she walked around the horsebox she heard the sound of raised voices and clattering hooves and paused. None of those sounds was unusual on a show ground, but there was something this time that made her hesitate.
Help me!
The voice came clearly into her head. Ellie's gaze fell on a woman and teenage girl with a dapple-gray horse, just a few horseboxes away. Ellie had seen the people before but not with this particular horse.
"Lexi, stand still!" the girl was shouting, shaking the reins.
The gray mare pulled her head sharply back, her rear hooves clattering into the ramp again. Ellie could feel tension and pain pulsing off her.
"Stand still, you stupid thing!" growled the square-set woman. Her hair was dyed blonde, cut short. Her tanned face had deep wrinkles.
"I don't know why you bought her, Mom!" the girl complained. "She's a total nightmare. All she's done today is shake her head."
"She just needs teaching some manners." The woman yanked the reins hard.
The horse shot backwards, her eyes rolling, her ears flat back. Help me! her voice said again.
Ellie blinked. She had a special gift—an ability to communicate with horses—which meant she could hear what they were saying, ask them questions and understand their answers. Spirit had shown her how to use this ability. But she'd never had a horse speak to her first; she'd only ever heard them when she had asked them if they wanted to speak to her.
The gray tossed her head, stamping a front hoof in agitation. Help me, help me, help me.
Ellie realized that the mare wasn't talking specifically to her. She was just sending out a panicked message so strongly that Ellie was picking it up. She broke into a run.
"Stop it!" she exclaimed as the woman pulled on the horse's bridle again. "Stop doing that!"
The woman and girl turned, surprise on their faces.
"It's OK, beautiful." Ellie reached out her hand gently to the horse. The mare touched Ellie's fingers with her muzzle and instantly Ellie felt a pain sear across her own head behind her ears. She knew without question she was experiencing what the mare was feeling right then. "She's in pain!"
The woman frowned, wrinkles deepening. "And who the hell are you? A vet?"
"I just know she is!" Ellie said hotly. "She's got a head injury. You've got to listen to me. You can't take her in the ring."
"I think you'll find I can!" The woman's hard eyes narrowed. "You're Ellie Carrington, aren't you? Len's niece?"
"You live with Luke Black?" the girl said, looking interested.
Ellie could only think about the mare. "You mustn't ride her."
"And you can mind your own flamin' business!" The woman pulled the mare around. "Get changed, Katie. I'll find a martingale; that'll keep her head down."
"Stop being so stupid—just listen to me!"
The woman glared. "Who are you calling stupid?"
Ellie gave her an angry look. "Well, if you won't listen and—"
"Ellie!" A hand closed on her arm. She swung around, her eyes travelling upwards and meeting Luke's blue gaze. His dark hair was falling over his forehead, his expression curious. "What's going on here?"
"She's got a screw loose that's what's going on!" snorted the woman. "Telling us we shouldn't ride our horse. That it's got a headache."
"She's a she, not an it!" snapped Ellie. "And I'm right! You shouldn't ride her today!"
Luke gave the woman an apologetic look, flicking his eyes towards Ellie. "Sorry, we try to keep her under control, but sometimes the drugs wear off. Come on, Ellie." He bundled her away. "See you, Ann."
"No!" Ellie tried to break free from him.
Luke responded by lifting her up and putting her over his shoulder in a fireman's lift.
"Luke!" Ellie struggled, thumping his shoulder furiously. "Put me down!"
Luke strode a few horseboxes away and dumped her on the ground. "Sure."
The breath bumped out of her. "You ... you ..." Ellie spluttered as she scrambled to her feet. "Look, I have to stop them riding that horse!"
"Ellie!" Luke grabbed her arm and stopped her as she tried to dodge past him. "Whoa! Look, just wait a second. I don't know what's got into you, but you can't go around telling people not to ride their own horses." He shook his head. "Girl, you have seriously flipped!"
"I haven't! I just know there's something wrong with their mare. It's one of my feelings—you know the hunches that I get, Luke!" No one else knew she could talk to horses; they all thought that she worked out what was wrong with them because she had good intuition and horse sense. "Maybe if I just spent some time with her I could help ..." An idea sprang into Ellie's head and she grabbed Luke's hands, her tone changing. "Luke, I've got it! Give me a distraction," she wheedled.
"No." He was shaking his head.
"Yes!" she insisted. "You can do it. Just give me five minutes! Come on!" she pleaded, dragging him back to the box. Ann and her daughter were both in the living quarters now. The mare was tied up, still tossing her head. "Just five minutes, please!"
Luke gave in just as she'd hoped. "You're a nutjob, but go on then ... you've got five minutes."
"Thanks!"
Ellie saw him walk to the jockey door and knock on it. "Hey, Katie," he said as it opened. "Just thought I'd come back and say hi." He leaned against the door frame, and from the tone of his voice Ellie could almost picture the disarming smile on his face. "You and I haven't caught up for ages, and Ann, you're looking well. Sorry about Ellie just before. She can be a bit weird." Ellie glared at his back but then focused on Lexi, who was watching her.
"Hey there." Ellie went closer. Putting her hand on Lexi's neck, she caught her breath as the pain shot through her head again. It wasn't just the physical pain that made her wince. She could sense deep swirling emotions—unhappiness, panic, agitation. Often it took a while for a horse to open up and share its feelings, but she could feel the mare wanted help so much she was reaching out desperately, seeming to know that Ellie was able to understand her in a way no other human could.
Ellie's mind was flooded with images sent by Lexi as the mare tried to communicate. She saw the mare falling at a jump while doing a cross-country course, felt the injury to her neck, saw her afterwards when she resisted having a bridle put on ...
No one knows. Lexi's voice echoed in Ellie's head. Help me. Please.
Aware that time was ticking away and that Luke wouldn't be able to keep Ann and Katie talking for long, Ellie made a decision. She couldn't do much. Lexi wasn't hers. But maybe she could help her a little. Just before Spirit had died she'd discovered that as well as being able to talk to horses, she could often help them feel better with her hands. She quickly focused her mind on healing. Her fingers tingled. When she did this, she felt as if she was a channel, allowing new energy to flow from outside her into the horse, easing pain. She moved a hand to Lexi's chest and the mare's head dropped, her back relaxing. Ellie touched Lexi's forehead lightly, sensing the mare's energy changing—
"What the ruddy hell do you think you're doing?" Ann Turner's voice snapped out.
The mare jerked her head up. Ellie swung around to see Ann and Katie both staring at her. Luke was spreading his hands apologetically.
"Get your hands off my flamin' horse! I'll be talking to your uncle about this!"
Ellie felt desperate. She'd done her best, hopefully given the mare some relief, but Lexi was still hurting.
"Please don't take her in the class," she pleaded. "She really has injured herself—you must have her checked by a vet."
Ann went red with rage.
"And with that, I think we'll say goodbye," said Luke hurriedly. Grabbing Ellie's shoulders, he steered her away.
"You didn't give me long enough!" Ellie protested.
"Gratitude please? I gave you five. What were you doing anyway?"
"Just trying to help. That horse is in pain."
"From what Katie was saying she is a pain," commented Luke. "They haven't been able to put the bridle on her all week. I reckon they won't be keeping her."
Ellie had an idea. "We should get Uncle Len to buy her. She's lovely. She's injured—that's the only reason she's playing up. Will you help me persuade him? He'll listen to you more than me."
"So, not only have I got you away from Ann and stopped her killing you and had to spend five minutes talking to her, you now want me to persuade Len to buy a horse? What's it worth?" His eyes teased her suddenly. "A kiss?"
Ellie felt heat rush into her cheeks. "I'll ... I'll buy you a can of Coke."
"Gee, now how can I refuse that?" Luke said dryly. To Ellie's intense relief, they had reached the trailer and she ran the last few strides.
Sasha had Gabriel tacked up. "Where have you been?"
Luke grinned. "Aw, have you been missing me that much, Sash?"
Sasha shot him an unamused look. "It's almost your class."
"Then isn't it lucky I arrived just in time? Thanks for getting Gabe ready." Luke grabbed his hat and took Gabriel's reins. The bright bay hunter nuzzled him affectionately. Luke glanced at Ellie. "Now, do you think you can avoid getting into trouble for five minutes? Or am I likely to come back and find you've decided to pick a fight with half the show ground?"
Sasha looked curious. "What?"
"Ask that headcase there!" said Luke cheerfully as Ellie glared at him. "See you later. And, Ellie ..."
"Yes?" she said warily.
"I still think a kiss would persuade me!"
Ellie's cheeks blazed as Sasha swung around and stared at her.
"Later!" With an infuriating grin, Luke rode away.
CHAPTER 2AFTER HAVING TO ANSWER Sasha's curious questions and completely deny that there was anything going on with Luke, Ellie tacked up Barney, the next pony she was riding. It felt strange to get him ready. Her cousin Joe, Len's son, had always ridden him before, but Joe was now in Canada, working on a yard that specialized in natural horsemanship techniques.
"I know you miss him, don't you, boy?" Ellie said, patting Barney's liver-chestnut neck. "Me too." The pony picked up the bottom of her T-shirt in his teeth and pulled it up, exposing her tummy.
"Hey!" Ellie exclaimed, hastily pulling it down and checking no one had seen.
Barney snorted, sending a splatter of water droplets all over her.
"Barney!" Ellie could have sworn Barney winked. He was the cheekiest pony in the yard and if not watched would undo his stable door and the doors of the ponies around him, and let them all out. Ellie hoped he'd behave for her in the ring. "You'd better!" she warned him.
Barney gave her a wounded look, as if to say, Would I ever do anything else?
Leaving him tied with a double knot, Ellie got changed and then rode him to the working-in area. He strode out, his ears pricked. He loved competing and had a brilliant jump. As a working hunter pony, Barney had to tackle a course of jumps and would be marked for how well he jumped them, as well as on the individual show where the judge marked his conformation and way of moving. The working hunter pony class was Ellie's favorite because it gave her the chance to jump. She loved showing, but she secretly dreamt of being a show jumper one day.
The aim that afternoon, though, was to qualify Barney for HOYS—the Horse of the Year show—which would take place in October. There were two big shows in the showing season: HOYS and the Royal International Horse show, which was on in a week's time. Barney had already qualified for the Royal International. As well as the class that day being a chance to qualify for HOYS, it was a practice run for the following week, although it hadn't been decided yet if Luke or Ellie would ride him. Ellie could feel the butterflies in her stomach. Barney had won so much in the last two years with Joe that if he went in the ring and didn't perform well today, it would be completely obvious she was to blame.
(Continues...)
Excerpted from Secrets by Linda Chapman. Copyright © 2012 Linda Chapman. Excerpted by permission of OPEN ROAD INTEGRATED MEDIA.
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