Sleepover Girls on the Range Read Online Free PDF Page B

drew loads of lassos because she said that she was rubbish at doing people. We all cracked up when we saw one of Fliss’s paintings. She said it was a line-dancer but it looked more like someone who was bursting to go to the toilet!
    We were just picking which pictures we should cut out and stick round the edges of the poster when Stuart, my oldest brother, appeared.
    “What are you lot up to, then?” he asked, peering over our shoulders. “You’re not usually this quiet.”
    “Charming!” I laughed. “We’re designing a poster for the Open Day at Mrs McAllister’s stables, if you must know.”
    “Oh, right. What are all these?” Stuart was pointing to our drawings.
    “Well there’s going to be line-dancing and a lassoing competition and a fancy-dress competition,” Fliss explained.
    “You know what you need?” Stuart looked at us. “You need a Bucking Bronco. They’re brilliant fun. You’ve got to hold on and it spins round faster and faster like those wild horses at American rodeos.”
    “What, you mean it’s a real horse?” Fliss looked horrified.
    “No Felicity, it’s a metal one on a stand and someone controls the speed. They’re excellent, trust me.”
    “Well that’s all very well, Stu, but where are we going to get hold of one of those? For free?” I asked.
    “Well sis, I might just be able to help you out there.” Stuart looked very smug. “My friend Sam’s father hires things like that out, and it just so happens that I’m going to be seeing Sam this evening.”
    “That’s brill, Stu! Do you think he’ll lend it to us?” I asked breathlessly.
    “Yeah, Sam’s father’s a pretty cool dude!”
    “Excellent!” I slapped Stuart hard on the back.
    When he’d gone we were all
totally
hyper.
    “This is going to be even better than we thought!” Rosie giggled.
    We all settled down to work on the poster. We pasted the best of our designs round the edges, then it was time to write in the middle. After ages of deliberation (and arguments) we came up with this. Pretty good, huh?

    “How do you know about the pony trek on the Sunday?” asked Rosie when I’d written that bit in.
    “Mrs McAllister told me about it when I went to the farm this morning,” I explained. “She mentioned it before, but now it’s official. It’s the only thing she seemed really enthusiastic about, to be honest with you. Anyway, she’s arranging the pony trek so it’s nothing to do with us.”
    “But we will be going on it, won’t we?” Kenny asked.
    “Yeah, ‘course!” I agreed.
    Then I saw Fliss’s face. She didn’t say anything, but she didn’t have to. She looked terrified! But I didn’t have time to argue with her about that now. We had more important things to do. It was almost four-thirty and we had to start preparing for Operation ‘Cowboy Dad’!
    We all piled into the lounge and I put on a video. It was one of Dad’s very favourite Westerns, starring this bloke called John Wayne.
    “Aw man, what’s this?” Kenny moaned.
    “This is our secret weapon,” I explained. “When your dads come in, you’ve got to pretend that you’re really enjoying it, OK?”
    Kenny made a being-sick face, and the others looked dead bored.
    “Couldn’t we just put it on when they come?” Rosie asked.
    “Nope – I want them to think we’ve been watching it for ages.”
    We slumped back on the settee and watched. After what felt like an hour, the doorbell rang. I heard Dad answer it – then he came into the lounge with Frankie’s father.
    “Oh it’s
True Grit!”
Dad exclaimed. “I love this film!”
    “Me too,” agreed Frankie’s dad, and they both perched on the settee to watch.
    Bingo! We all exchanged glances and carried on pretending we were totally absorbed in it too.
    When Kenny’s father appeared, Mum showed him through.
    “Isn’t this
True Grit?
” he asked, and settled down to watch as well.
    Rosie’s mum and Andy appeared at the same time, and they came into the lounge