Stables S.O.S. Read Online Free Page B

Bean’s wishes. James leaned forward to give Moth the go-ahead and Drummer pulled the reins out of my hands as he stuck his head down and went for it, neck and neck with Bambi. Only Bluey, well-mannered, polite Bluey, set off at a canter for Katy before easing gently into a gallop. James overtook Bean halfway up the field, and Bambi and Drummer reached the top in a dead heat because neither of them wanted to beat the other (see what I mean about nauseating?).
    We all stood at the top of the field and looked around at the countryside while the ponies got their breath back. No wonder the Romans had settled here , I thought, drinking in the view. No wonder there had been large houses built around here for centuries after the invaders had sailed back home to the warmth of their native Italy. It seemed strange to think of so many generations of people all looking down from more or less where we all stood now, all seeing—give or take a few trees—the same view as ours on this beautiful May morning.
    â€œDid anyone hear that?” asked Tiffany, lifting her head, her ears twitching.
    All the other ponies groaned.
    â€œYou need to get the vet to look at your ears,” Bambi told her.
    â€œIt’s my nerves,” Tiffany explained.
    â€œ Your nerves get on my nerves,” Drummer told her, and he and Bambi put their heads together and sniggered.
    â€œOK,” said James, loosening Moth’s reins so she could stretch her neck, “now we need to think about this other little concern we have, namely, the proposed development at Laurel Farm.”
    â€œSophie’s friend’s husband has confirmed that we can’t do anything legally,” sighed Katy.
    â€œBut we have to stop the development,” I said. The thought of moving to another stable now, when Drum and I had made friends at Laurel Farm, was too much to bear.
    â€œHow, exactly?” Cat asked, dropping Bambi’s reins and fiddling with the strap on her riding hat. “We can’t even come up with any workable ideas for the Keep Bambi Campaign.”
    â€œWell, we’re the only people who will care enough to get it stopped,” I said, remembering Drummer’s words. “If we don’t do anything, we’ll lose Laurel Farm. No one else will bother.”
    â€œS.O.S., that’s what it is,” said Katy. “Save Our Stables! There, that’s the name of our new campaign.”
    â€œWe’ll have more campaigns than Napoleon at this rate,” remarked James.
    â€œIsn’t he dead?” asked Bean, confused.
    â€œIf he wasn’t, we could hit him up for some ideas,” mused Katy.
    â€œThank goodness Dee isn’t here,” I said. “She’d be all for calling up Napoleon on the Ouija board.”
    â€œOh, please no,” groaned Bean, “I can’t speak French!”
    â€œCan you all do me a favor?” yelled Cat, her green eyes flashing. “Either fill me in on the séance story or just shut up about it!”
    â€œDo you think anyone else will care?” asked Bean, changing the subject hastily. “About Laurel Farm, I mean, not the sé…”—she looked across at Cat and changed her mind— “the S word.”
    â€œNot really,” said James. “Laurel Farm is just one of lots of stables in this area. I can’t see anyone bothering about it. They’ll just say we can take the ponies elsewhere. Besides, not many people know Laurel Farm even exists. It’s so well hidden from the road. They’re not likely to miss it.”
    â€œPoor Mrs. Collins,” said Bean.
    â€œYeah,” agreed Cat. “I bet she’s feeling terrible. She won’t want to go into some home and lose the stables, not to mention her cats and Squish.”
    â€œBut it sounds like she doesn’t even know about her son’s plans,” Katy reminded us.
    Drummer edged toward a bush and tried to eat it.