Hot Potato Read Free

grinned.
    Clint double-checked the bolts and then rubbed his
eyes with the heels of his hands. 'Pretty only goes so far.'
    On the way back to the stables Clint seemed to
lighten up. He even laughed when the girls sang along
with Gwen Stefani on the radio.
    Shelby and Erin knew the words but Lindsey just
sang, 'La, la, la,' along with the tune until she got the
hang of it, and then she turned to the other two girls
and sang, ' Tick, tock, tick, tock ,' waving her hands like
robot arms on a clock face. Erin and Shelby cracked up.
    Clint chimed in. 'I'm still a super-hot female!' Which made Erin and Shelby laugh even more.
    When they pulled over for Lindsey to go to the ATM
they could hear thumping and bumping in the back. The
truck swayed. One of the horses let out a shrill whinny.
    'Let's guess who's making that racket?' Clint said.
    The mood changed quickly. Lindsey climbed back
into the cab and handed Clint the cash. He slipped the
notes into his wallet and shifted the truck into gear.
'I'm looking forward to hearing what Brenda thinks of
this mare you've bought for her. I think I'll stay for a
coffee and see what she has to say,' he said, heading
out into the traffic.
    Lindsey's face turned bright red. She tried to hide
it by looking out the window. 'Mum said she was
going shopping this afternoon.'
    'I can wait,' he replied.
    'What about your new horses?' Shelby asked. 'You
can't leave them on the truck.'
    'I'll put them in one of the yards.'
    Shelby tried to think of a reason why Clint
couldn't stay for coffee. She glanced at the other girls.
Erin shrugged.
    The truck rumbled on. Occasionally the pony
whinnied and kicked the wall of the truck. They
weren't far from the stables now.
    Since Shelby couldn't think of a reason why Clint
shouldn't stay, she concentrated on coming up with an
excuse as to why they bought the horse in the first
place. Perhaps Lindsey's mum wouldn't be angry. She
might even like the horse and congratulate the girls on
making such an excellent choice.
    Shelby sighed. No matter how good the mare was,
Mrs Edel would still think it was irresponsible of them
to buy a horse without first discussing it with an
adult. At the very least they should have consulted the
adult who was actually there .
    But we couldn't ask Clint , Shelby thought. He would have said no.
    She recalled the times she had seen Mrs Edel cross.
Lindsey's mum wasn't one of those adults who dished
out big punishments, or yelled a lot. She was scary
because her trust and respect was hard to earn, and
therefore more valuable once you had it.
    When Lindsey broke her collarbone Shelby had
started working at the stables every afternoon, and
mornings too, when one of her parents could drive
her. In return Blue's agistment was free. Now that
Lindsey was better the two girls worked together. At
first Shelby had been nervous because Lindsey's mum
could be abrupt. When Mrs Edel was cranky Shelby
felt ashamed, as though she had let herself down even
more than she had disappointed Mrs Edel. That was
much worse than yelling.
    What would she say when she found out about the
pony?
    Shelby glanced over at Clint and he winked at her.
What did that mean? Did he know they were lying, or
was that just a random wink? She tried to remember if
he had ever winked at her before. Did he have something
in his eye? Should she confess?
    Clint was very easygoing. He might not be cranky
about it. He could find a way to break it to Lindsey's
mum so that she wouldn't be angry.
    Nobody said anything. Shelby wondered if she was
the only one feeling the weight of the silence in the
truck. She squirmed in her seat.
    Clint put on the blinker and turned onto Lindsey's
street.
    Owning up was probably the best option, before
things became any more complicated. Shelby opened
her mouth and shut it again. She should really talk it
through with the others first. She tried to think if
there was something cryptic she could say that only
the girls would understand.
    Ouldshay eway