Come on it’s time to get you out to pasture The mare clip-clopped out into the corral then stopped dead Okay I know you don’t need this rope Alisa agreed as Diabolo dug in her heels and tossed her head She unbuckled the halter You’re a big girl you can walk there all by yourself But you do need me to get the gates Freed from the lead rope Diabolo waited patiently for Alisa to pull the tall metal lever and for the first gate to swing open Then she walked through her chestnut brown coat gleaming long tail swishing Gate number two would give her access to cool water from Elk Creek and to the meadow beyond She waited while Alisa released the second catch and then walked to the water’s edge She paused again raising her head to smell the smoke from the barbecue further upstream Go Alisa urged
Diabolo glanced back at her and blew out through her lips Go eat some grass At last with a toss of her head Diabolo stepped into the creek and waded across Alisa watched her as she reached the far bank launched into an easy trot and joined the other horses grazing in the meadow Then Diabolo turned and whinnied as if to say Your turn now go eat Alisa laughed Okay I hear you I’m out of here But she stood there just a little longer reflecting on the great day she had had working with Diabolo in the round pen on vaults and saddle falls Her wonderful talented horse hadn’t made one mistake Lizzie had praised her and Jack co-owner of Stardust Stables with Lizzie had told her there would soon be feedback from the Wildfire audition they’d done a week earlier
You’ll get the job no problem Kami had assured her earnestly Jack had agreed They’d be crazy not to want you and Diabolo for that movie Let’s hope she said out loud as she came back into the present She started walking across the yard to join the others at the cookout She smelled barbecued steak and heard people laughing and having fun But first let’s eat Slabs of meat sizzled on the grill under Tom’s careful watch Zak came around with a bowl of fruit punch More he said to Hayley Hayley quickly gulped down the remaining contents of her cup Then she nodded and held it out Sooo thirsty after all those saddle falls
she croaked I got dust in my throat up my nose and you don’t even want to know where else Yuck Alisa said putting her hands over her ears So how come you don’t eat dirt like the rest of us Hayley asked Alisa She put her cup down and untied her long braids shaking out her hair I do Alisa protested You don’t look like you do Hayley said Although only thirteen she’d been a junior stunt rider at Stardust for the last couple of years She’s right Kellie agreed as she sat down beside them Kellie Hayley and Alisa were the some of the most successful riders on the team Now Kami was more than happy to join them Alisa you could fall from your saddle roll on the ground and still jump up looking like you just stepped out of the Wrangler store all crisp and shiny
