Comet and the Champion's Cup (20 page)

Hester looked at her sister. “What exactly are you suggesting, Amanda?”

“I'm suggesting that you take Issie and Aidan on as your junior business partners.”

Hester stared at the envelope on the table and then she picked it up and put it in her pocket. “Well,” she said, extending a hand to an astonished Aidan and Issie, “I guess we should shake on that, don't you? I'm sure your mum can do some paperwork, Issie, and make it all official.”

Aidan and Issie both took turns shaking her hand in stunned disbelief.

“Congratulations,” Hester grinned at Issie. “You are now the proud owner of one skewbald gelding–and shareholder in an utterly barking mad horse farm!”

Leaving Blackthorn Farm was much harder this time. It wasn't just because it was Issie's farm too now. It was everything. The manor, the ponies, the kids…

“Even Kelly-Anne?” Stella had asked Issie teasingly “Well, maybe I won't miss Kelly-Anne,” Issie said, “but even she hasn't been so bad lately.”

In fact, since Stella had got Kelly-Anne to help out as groom at the Horse of the Year, there had been a real attitude change in her. On the last day of the riding school they had held a Blackthorn Farm Ribbon Day,
and it was Kelly-Anne who had stayed up late the night before helping Issie, Stella and Kate to make homemade rosettes for all the riders.

There was a red rosette for first, blue for second and bright yellow for third place. Each rosette was made of ribbon with a round cardboard disc at the centre with
Blackthorn farm Rising Club
written on it in scripty handwriting.

Issie, Stella and Kate were the judges for the Ribbon Day and they gave out prizes for loads of events. Kitty won most improved rider; Tina and Trisha won the prize on the palominos for the best dual jump. Sophie and Lucy had Molly and Pippen so shiny and well-plaited that they tied for first place in the best-groomed. George won the bending and Arthur won the flag race. Even Kelly-Anne joined in the competition in good spirits and won Best Rider over Hurdles, which she seemed to be completely thrilled about.

An official prize-giving was held on horseback at the end of the day and the rosettes were tied on to the ponies' bridles before all the riders did a victory lap together around the arena. Sophie was so thrilled with her yellow rosette that Issie noticed she was wearing it in her hair when she came to dinner that night.

Before they sat down to eat their dinner, the kids all raced off into the living room and returned with a cardboard box. “We've made prizes for all of you too,” Sophie explained. From the box they produced a purple sash made out of crêpe paper for Kate that said Best Instructor. Stella got a homemade badge that said Most Fun Horsey Friend and Hester got one that said Favourite Holiday Organiser Ever.

“Well, they wouldn't give her one for her cooking, would they?” Stella whispered to Issie.

“We've got one for you too, Isadora,” Kitty said. The kids gathered around the box and pulled out what looked like an old china teacup with a saucer underneath it. “It's a cup,” Kitty said. “Well, I know it's only a teacup, but we thought it could be, like, a cup for winning the Puissance–and we've had it engraved and everything.”

Issie looked at the teacup. It was cracked and it had a chip out of the saucer. “We found it in a pile of rubbish down by the stables,” Kitty said. “It's not actually for you to drink out of or anything. It's to sit on your mantelpiece like a trophy.”

“Thanks!” Issie smiled.

“Look at the engraving!” Lucy said.

Issie looked on the side of the teacup. The “engraving” was done in green felt tip. It said,
The Champion's Cup: awarded to Isadora Brown for Winning the Puissance and Loving Blackthorn farm
.

Issie grinned. “Thanks, everyone–it's the best prize I've ever had.”

The cup was placed alongside the other prizes in the centre of the table and Mrs Brown served up pizza and chips on to everyone's plates.

“I don't believe that this is our last dinner together before you all go home,” Hester said. “It will be so quiet here when you are all gone. It's been so loud and full of life for the past few weeks. There's never been a quiet moment.”

Actually, Issie thought, a quiet moment was exactly what she needed. A nice quiet moment when she could finally talk to Aidan about what had happened after Dan won the showjumping that day. She hadn't been able to talk to him when they were at the Horse of the Year. And then she was in Avery's truck sitting with her mum for the ride home. Since they'd been back at Blackthorn Farm it was just as Aunty Hess had said–there was never a quiet moment. It had been impossible to get some time alone with Aidan. Issie had finally resigned herself to the fact that she would
never get a chance to tell Aidan how she felt.
Maybe that's a good thing
, she thought. If Aidan was really meant to be her boyfriend then wouldn't he have said something by now?

On their very last morning at the farm, Issie set her alarm clock for 5 a.m. It had become her ritual now, that every time she left this place she woke up before dawn and spent some time alone, feeding the animals breakfast, saying her own quiet goodbyes to all the horses before the rest of the world woke up and joined her.

When her alarm clock woke her up it was still pitch black outside, but by the time she was dressed and had pulled her farm boots on, the dawn light was already filtering through the trees on the horizon.

Down at the stables, Issie unbolted the stall doors one by one and watched as the horses all stuck their heads out to see who was there. Diablo stuck his head out first, and then Paris and Stardust.

“It's me,” Issie whispered, moving down one side of the barn, feeding each of them in turn. “I've got carrots.” At the mention of the word “carrot” there was a nicker from the first stall and Comet stuck his head over.

“Hey, boy,” Issie grinned at him. “I'm taking you home today. You're coming to live with me. I can't wait for you to meet Blaze and Storm.”

“So you're choosing him then?” Issie turned around to see Aidan standing behind her.

“Aidan!”

“I thought this was a competition between me and Dan,” Aidan grinned at her, “but I can see now that the only one who's ever going to really win you over is Comet.”

“No!” Issie felt her tummy somersaulting with nerves. “Aidan, that's what I've been trying to tell you, about the bet, the one you made with Dan…”

“It's OK,” Aidan said, stepping closer to her. “I already know. I spoke to Dan and he told me what you said to him.”

Issie was shocked. “You talked to Dan? When?”

“At the Horse of the Year,” Aidan said. “I went to shake his hand and say congratulations on winning our bet and all that. He told me that the bet was off. He seemed to think that you wanted me to win…”

“I did…I mean, I do…” Issie was trembling as Aidan moved closer to her. Before she could say anything more he had put his arms around her and…

“Issie! There you are!” Avery's voice boomed through the stable.

Aidan jumped back at the sound of his voice, letting go of Issie. He tried to act casual. “I was, ummm, I was just feeding Comet a carrot…”

Avery raised an eyebrow at him. “Come on, you two!” he said briskly. “Breakfast is ready and Hester asked me to come and get you. We don't have much time. I want to be packed and out of here by 9 a.m. It's a long drive back to Chevalier Point with five horses in the truck.”

Issie and Aidan both hesitated, hoping that Avery would walk on ahead and leave them alone again for a moment, but the instructor stood at the door waiting to escort them back to the manor.

“Well? Come on? What are you waiting for?”

The rest of the morning was much the same. “It's a big farm,” Issie grumbled to Stella and Kate. “You'd think there'd be enough room for me to be alone with my boyfriend for five minutes.”

“Boyfriend?” Stella's ears pricked up. “Issie, is Aidan really, finally, your boyfriend?”

Issie shrugged. “I don't know. I guess so.”

“I thought he was your business partner,” Kate grinned.

“That too,” Issie grinned back.

It was a departure on a grand scale that day. Aidan was driving Hester's horse truck with all the kids in it to take them back to their homes now the camp was over. And Avery, Mrs Brown and the Chevalier Point gang were going home together in Avery's truck at the same time.

“That's the last of it,” Issie said as she threw a sleeping bag into the storage box in the back of the horse truck. “You can bring the horses on now.”

As Dan and Aidan walked Madonna and Max up the truck ramp, Issie, Stella and Kate went to get Toby, Coco and Comet.

Issie looked around the stables longingly one last time. She had almost kissed Aidan here this morning. She had been hoping that she might see him here again and get the chance to say goodbye, but it looked like there was no hope.

“Come on, Comet,” she said as she led the skewbald out of his stall. “It's time for us to go home.”

The horses were loaded, and so were the kids. Aunt Hester had handed everyone bundles of inedible jam
scones to see them through the long drive through the Gisborne gorge, and they were all ready to go home.

“Right,” Avery said. “Are we all onboard and ready?”

Issie jumped up into the cab next to Avery and did up her seatbelt. “Uh-huh. Everyone is in their seats. We're ready to…” There was a loud tapping on the driver's window. It was Aidan.

Avery wound his window down. “What is it?” he said. “We need to get going; we've got the horses onboard.”

Aidan took a deep breath. “I know that, sir. It's just that I need to talk to Issie for a moment. It's something I wanted to say to her earlier, but we got interrupted and, well, I really need to talk to her.”

Avery looked annoyed by this, but he turned to Issie. “Aidan's got something he wants to talk about, apparently. You've got one minute.”

Issie leapt down out of the cab and Aidan grabbed her by the hand and dragged her back across the lawn so that they were standing a few metres away from the trucks underneath the falling petals of the cherry trees.

“Listen, Issie, about before,” he said. “I never finished saying what I wanted to say and, well, I wanted to let you know that…I hope you'll be…” He stopped talking and looked up. Peering out of the
two horse trucks were a dozen faces, all pressed up against the glass, watching them.

“Oh, great!” Aidan groaned. “Just what I needed. An audience!” He looked back at Issie. “I'm not going to talk about this any more,” he said. “You know what I mean and you know what I'm trying to say. Now this is it. I don't care any more. I'm going to kiss you, OK?”

“But, Aidan!” Issie objected. “I can't. They're all watching us!”

Aidan smiled and pulled her closer. “Close your eyes then,” he told her.

And she did.