Free The Palomino Pony Comes Home by Olivia Tuffin Page B

they lazily swatted flies away with their tails. There was a faint hum of bees in the distance, and the sickly-sweet perfume from the nearby oilseed rape fields, now a vibrantyellow, hung heavily in the air.
    Georgia gave each pony a pat and then counted the chickens to ensure they were all present and correct, scratching around in the dusty earth beside the stable yard. Happy that all the animals were content and peaceful, Georgia made her way into the cool of the house. She had a couple of hours to spare until it was time to give the ponies their supper, and with Emma and Dan both busy for the afternoon she thought she’d read for a while.
    Settling herself on the kitchen sofa, she took out her book, shading her eyes against the afternoon sun. Pip stayed in the cool by the back door, idly thumping her tail at Georgia. It was warm in the kitchen and gradually Georgia felt herself growing sleepy.
    She could only have been asleep an hour at most, when all of a sudden she was woken by ferocious barking. Pip was on her feet, hackles rising andteeth bared, flanked by the terriers, who were growling at her side. Feeling a chill run through her, Georgia raced out of the back door and, seeing nothing unusual, quickly made her way round the side of the house to the front door.
    A boy was standing there, seemingly just about to ring the doorbell. She didn’t know him from the village and he didn’t look like he was delivering anything. He was wiry and medium height, with dark hair. For some reason he kept glancing around, as if on the lookout for something. Georgia instantly felt uneasy, but politely asked him what he wanted.
    “I’m looking for Mrs Hayden,” the boy answered. Georgia noticed that he smirked as he said these words. He was definitely behaving strangely.
    She thought fast. “Mrs Hayden’s out at the moment. But she’ll be back later,” she added confidently. “Can I give her a message?”
    The boy stared at Georgia for a long moment, before looking past her at the paddock beyond the house where Wilson, Lily and Callie were watching the visitor with interest. “Nice horses, those,” he said. “Especially the palomino – bet she’s worth a bob or two.”
    Georgia opened her mouth to reply but no words came out.
    The boy laughed quietly to himself as he turned back down the drive and walked off.
    What was all that about?
Georgia thought.
Don’t be silly
, she told herself firmly.
It was probably nothing
. Even so, she felt quite shaken as she walked quickly towards the ponies. She checked her watch. It was half past five. She’d call Dan.
    “Georgia?” Dan answered his phone straight away. “I was just on my way up.”
    Quickly Georgia told Dan all about the boy and their weird conversation.
    “Look, don’t panic,” he said reassuringly. “I’m sure it’s nothing. But I’ll be with you in five minutes.”

    When Dan appeared through the yard gates that afternoon, Georgia didn’t think she had ever felt so pleased to see anyone. She ran over to him and greeted him exuberantly, much to his amusement.
    “There’s really nothing to worry about,” he said confidently. “We get unexpected visitors all the time on the farm. They usually turn out to be sales reps.”
    “But this wasn’t a sales rep!” Georgia exclaimed. “I’m sure of it. He was far too young, for a start.”
    “All right, all right,” said Dan. “Listen, I’ve been thinking about what Jemma said. If you’re still worried, well…” He indicated a large canvas bag that he’d left by the gates.
    “What’s that?” said Georgia, puzzled.
    “Tents,” Dan replied. “I borrowed them from my brother. I thought we could keep watch over the ponies tonight. If your mum agrees, of course. And we’d need to check it out with Simon, but I can’t see why he’d mind, can you?”
    “That is a brilliant plan!” Georgia smiled warmly at Dan. He was so thoughtful!
    “And not only that, but I’ve brought sleeping bags and food