The Palomino Pony Comes Home Read Online Free PDF

Miss,” Dan started, thinking on his feet. “Georgia’s feeling dizzy. Can I take her back to the centre?”
    “Oh, Georgia, are you OK?” The teacher looked concerned and reached out a hand to feel her brow. “You do seem a bit warm.” She hesitated. “OK, go on then. You’d better have a lie down. And perhaps it would be best if you kept an eye on her, Dan, if she’s feeling dizzy.”
    Dan shot Georgia a look and the pair of them hurried away triumphantly.
    Once back at the centre, Georgia grabbed her mobile from her overhead locker and hurriedly scrolled through her contacts for Melanie.
    “Come on, Melanie … please be there,” she murmured as she punched the call button.
     Almost immediately there was a familiar voice at the other end. “Hello, Georgia! This is a nice surprise!”
    “Oh, Melanie!” Georgia felt so relieved that she started to sob. “It’s the pony. The one I texted you about – she’s going to be collected for the sales tomorrow.” The words tumbled out one after the other. “And I’m so worried that because she’s not in very good condition, she’ll probably go for meat! But, Melanie, she’s such a special pony. You should see her—”
    “OK, calm down a minute, Georgia,” Melaniesoothed her, from the other end of the line. “Slow down.”
    “Can you come and see her? Please? There’s something about her…”
    She heard Melanie take a deep breath.
    “OK, listen to me, Georgia,” Melanie said. “When did you say she was being sold?”
    “Saturday,” Georgia replied. “Only she’s being collected tomorrow afternoon.”
    There was a silence at the end of the phone. Melanie was clearly thinking. The seconds seemed like hours. Time hanging in the air as delicate as a spider’s web. Lily’s life hanging in the balance.
    Finally Melanie spoke. “OK, here’s the plan,” she said. “Simon always tells me I’m reckless and that I follow my heart too much, but you’ve helped me so much in the past. Look, I’m going to come and see what I can do. I trust your instincts – you have an eye for a good horse – and I’d love to havea palomino at Redgrove. But if I don’t think she’s right, you’ll have to accept that she could be sold.”
    Georgia took a sharp intake of breath. She could hardly believe what she was hearing.
    “I’ll drive the lorry down tomorrow morning,” Melanie was saying now. “So I should be with you mid-afternoon. Would it be possible for you to go and sit with the pony? So you can explain if someone comes to take her away before I get there. When does your course wrap up?”
    “Um,” Georgia said hesitantly, thinking fast. “I think we finish around lunchtime and then have a free afternoon. I’ll go and watch Lily as soon as I can.”
    “Great. I’ll ring you tomorrow when I’m nearly there,” Melanie said. “I’ll give your mum a call now and let her know what’s going on.”
    “Thank you, thank you so much,” said Georgia. “I don’t know what to say.”
    There was a silence at the end of the phone before Melanie spoke again. She took a deep breath. “Don’t thank me – yet…”
    “Wow!” Dan said when finally Georgia ended the call and told him what Melanie had said. “Wow, wow, wow! We’re going to save her!”
    “We certainly are!” grinned Georgia.
    And without thinking, Georgia flung her arms around him and gave him the most massive hug, sheepishly drawing back with embarrassment as she realised just what she had done. But she couldn’t help herself. There was a real chance that they were going to rescue the gorgeous palomino – and she was over the moon!

C HAPTER N INE
    I t was quiet on the mountainside the next afternoon as Dan and Georgia sat on a grassy tussock overlooking Lily’s field, quietly waiting. No one was about as the sun valiantly tried to make an appearance through the black clouds. Georgia had been right about having the afternoon off, which meant that they hadn’t even had to miss