Free Fortune and the Golden Trophy by Stacy Gregg

his tummy and paused to eat. Issie looked hard at the hole in the fence. The wires had been deliberately cut and the palings had been pulled away. There was no way this was an accident. Someone had wanted Fortune to get out tonight. But why?

Chapter 7
    When Avery arrived the next morning with some number eight wire to fix the hole in the fence he was shocked by the size of it.
    “When you told me the fence needed mending I was expecting a broken strand or two,” he told Issie. “Look at the way the wire’s been cut and bent back. It’s definitely been done on purpose.”
    Avery put down his tool kit and walked through the hole to examine the state of the golf green. “It doesn’t look too bad,” he said. “If you hadn’t caught Fortune as quickly as you did, he could have badly damaged the golf course.”
    “I thought you’d be worried about the horse, not the grass,” Issie said.
    Avery sighed. “Under normal circumstances yes, but not when you’re dealing with Gordon Cheeseman.”
    “Who’s Gordon Cheeseman?”
    “The golf-club manager. He absolutely loathes the pony club. He’s had it in for us for years, looking for any excuse to start yet another war with the pony-club committee. All we’d need is hoof prints on one of his precious putting greens and he’d go ballistic.”
    “Lucky for us then that Fortune is such a greedy pig and just headed for the long grass,” Issie said.
    Avery frowned at this comment then opened up his tool kit, selecting a wire tightener and getting to work on the fence.
    “So,” Issie continued, “who do you think has done this?”
    Avery pondered this question as he worked. “Vandals perhaps, trying to let horses loose on the golf course as some kind of stupid joke. Or maybe it was someone who was planning to steal a horse? It wouldn’t be the first time, would it?”
    Issie shook her head. “I can see why they’d want to steal Blaze or Comet, but I can’t imagine anyone in their right mind wanting to steal Fortune.”
    Avery stopped work and turned to look at Issie. “You know, that’s the second time in this conversation thatyou’ve insulted Fortune. In fact, come to think of it, I haven’t heard you say a single positive thing about that piebald since he got here. I imagine you think it’s funny, making jokes about him, but I think there’s something more serious going on here, don’t you?”
    “What do you mean?” Issie was taken aback. Avery seemed really serious.
    “I heard you talking about Fortune at the rally day too,” he continued, “making jokes about him. You run him down all the time, Issie. It’s clear you don’t like him.”
    “It’s not that!” Issie defended herself. “I don’t mean to be like that. It’s just, well…look at him! He’s not a star like Comet or Blaze, is he? He’s totally nutty. All he seems to want to do is eat and sleep. Besides, Aunty Hess just dumped him on me and he’s—”
    Avery cut her off. “I know you didn’t ask to be given the responsibility of training Fortune. But you agreed to take him on when Aidan brought him here, and now you have to do that, for Fortune’s sake.” Avery paused. “You know, I seem to recall that when I brought Blaze to you and asked you to look after her, she wasn’t exactly in top condition either. So why aren’t you treating Fortune the way you treated her?”
    “I don’t know,” groaned Issie. “It’s just such bad timing. I’ve already got two horses—I don’t need another. If I want to win the Tucker Trophy, I should really be focusing on Comet or Blaze. I don’t stand a chance on Fortune.”
    “Is that really what’s worrying you?” Avery said. “Winning that trophy?”
    Issie nodded. “I know I shouldn’t care about it, but Natasha has been winding me up no end. It’s all right for her. She has her really expensive sport-horse and I’ve been lumbered with this crazy piebald. He’s going to ruin my chances of winning.”
    Avery shook his head