Free Nightstorm and the Grand Slam by Stacy Gregg Page A

give me the paper.”
    Issie made a swift grab and managed to wrench it out of Stella’s hands.
    She flipped the pages back to be greeted by an enormous photo of Natasha Tucker sitting astride Victory wearing her trademark purple jodhpurs and a self-satisfied grin. Beneath the picture was the headline Victory for Natasha.
    â€œWhat does that mean?” Issie frowned. “She hasn’t actually won anything!”
    Stella sighed. “You might as well read the story…”
    Issie skimmed over the text beneath, eyes widening with every word.
    Glamorous Natasha Tucker, girlfriend of footballer Lance Emmanuel, is back on track in her bid to compete at the Olympics – but first she has her sights set on winning the ultimate eventing competition – The Burghley Four-Star.
    But the dedicated rider, who was a superstar back in New Zealand, is up against some nasty competition from the snobby equestrian world. Isadora Brown – a posh, top-class rider who has already won four-stars in Kentucky and at Badminton, has made no secret of her dislike for the lovely Natasha. The pair clashed publicly in the past and their rivalry has now reached fever pitch. Isadora is bitter and jealous that her former mount, Victory, has been snatched off her in favour of beautiful Natasha!
    â€œThis isn’t professional – it’s personal,” a source close to both riders revealed to the Mail. “Their rivalry goes way back. Isadora is insanely jealous of Natasha.”
    Envious Isadora is also said to be furious at the successof Natasha’s new fabulous equestrian clothing collection which her wildest dreams jodhpurs…
    Issie couldn’t read any more. She threw the newspaper across the kitchen in disgust.
    â€œHow can they publish that rubbish!” Issie was beside herself. “I’m not the posh one – she is! She used her father’s money to take my horse off me!”
    â€œStay calm,” Avery told Issie. “The papers don’t know the real story. I’ll give them a call straight away and we’ll sort this out.”
    The next day, the Daily Mail arrived with another massive photo of Natasha and a new story on page five. This time the headline read: Beautiful Natasha’s Burghley dream – and the bitter pony-club instructor who wants to destroy it.
    If Natasha was the hero, then the newspapers needed a villain to pit her against and they had decided that Issie was perfect for the role. And with Lance Emmanuel in the middle of renegotiating a multi-million-pound contract with Chelsea, it seemed that no story about Lance and Natasha was too trivial to qualify as newsworthy.
    Issie was horrified one morning when she poppedout to get some milk and discovered paparazzi photographers lurking in wait for her! Natasha, on the other hand, was clearly lapping up the attention. Every day there seemed to be a picture of her at some new event, and the papers were filled with images of the bratty blonde posing like a Hollywood superstar on the red carpet.
    The stories that really drove Issie bonkers were the ones that focused on Natasha’s preparations for Burghley. Apparently she was sparing no expense for the competition.
    Stella, who had her ear to the ground with the grooms at the other stables around the district, was the one that discovered just how star-studded Team Natasha had become.
    â€œShe’s employed the world’s best showjumper, Hans Shockelmann, to give her lessons!” Stella told Issie incredulously, “Plus, I heard from Louise down at the Goldin stables that Natasha’s also got the gold medallist Arianna O’Hurley to give her dressage instruction twice a day! I wouldn’t be surprised if she’s booked Lucinda Green to train her for cross-country!”
    Avery wasn’t perturbed. “She could hire the entireBritish equestrian team for all the good it will do her,” he harrumphed. “You can’t become