Diamond Spirit by Karen Wood

horses and have a crisis talk in the tackroom.’
    ‘Yeah,’ said Grace, kicking off her stirrups and jumping off Legsy. ‘This is really bad .’
    ‘The feedroom would be better,’ said Luke, climbing down from the rails. ‘There’s not much to sit on in the tackroom.’
    ‘Yeah, and it’s more out of the way, too,’ said Tom, turning to glance at Katrina. ‘Not so close to you-know-who’s stable.’
    ‘Okay, let’s put these horses away and meet in the feedroom in ten minutes,’ said Rosie, leading Nosey towards the gate.

14
    WHEN THE HORSES were hosed off and munching at their haynets, Jessica and her friends gathered in the feedroom. Grace peered down the stable aisle. ‘Just checking that the poo-magnet isn’t around,’ she said, closing the door. ‘I think she’s gone for a trail ride with Tegan Broadbum.’ She sat down next to Jess on a hay bale, wriggling her bottom into place.
    Rosie turned a tall white bucket over and inspected its underside. ‘That’s very unkind, Grace,’ she said, dusting off some dirt. She placed the bucket upside down and sat on it.
    ‘I know. It was meant to be.’ Grace gave a wicked little chortle and nudged Jess in the ribs.
    Jess gave her a semi-distracted grunt of approval. She was too busy imagining Walkabout with whip marks up her flanks, a cut and bleeding mouth and spur welts all over her ribs, as would surely be the case if Lawson Blake bought her.
    ‘Okay, guys,’ said Tom, bringing them to order. ‘We’re having this meeting so that we can help Jess save Walkabout.’ He pointed a straw at Jess, getting straight down to business. ‘So, Jess, when did you find out about this? Who told you Lawson was going to buy Walkabout?’
    She was careful to tell the truth, the whole truth, and not to exaggerate as she told them about Lawson’s visit to the mares’ paddock with the stranger, and how the two men had roped Wally and forced her to the ground.
    ‘I can’t believe anyone could do that to a foal,’ said Grace, disgusted. ‘There was no need to go anywhere near her.’
    ‘Yeah, that’s what bugs me so much,’ said Jess. ‘It was just so pointless. Now she has terrible rope burns up her neck and she won’t let me near her to check if she’s okay.’
    ‘Poor little thing,’ said Rosie. ‘I hope she doesn’t think all humans are like that.’
    ‘I hate Lawson,’ said Grace.
    ‘You shouldn’t say that about your own cousin,’ said Rosie.
    ‘Well, he shouldn’t be so cruel. I don’t care if he’s the Queen of Sheba, I hate him,’ snorted Grace.
    ‘You mean the King of Sheba,’ Rosie corrected her.
    Tom interrupted. ‘Jess, did you tell Harry about this incident? He’s responsible for that mare’s care while she’s here, and that includes her foal.’
    ‘I did,’ said Jess, ‘and that’s when he told me that the strange man was her owner and that Lawson was going to buy her.’
    ‘Harry does have the right to kick him off the property if he’s mistreating the horses.’
    ‘Harry had a look at her neck and said it should heal okay by itself,’ said Jess. ‘And anyway, I’d rather he didn’t do that. The guy would take Wally with him.’
    ‘Good point,’ said Tom, looking thoughtful. ‘And her price is two thousand, you say?’
    ‘That’s what Harry said.’
    ‘Reckon the owner would lower his price?’
    Luke spoke up. ‘If there are two people bidding for her, he wouldn’t lower the price.’
    ‘But she would go to a much better home,’ said Rosie. ‘Surely that’s worth more than money.’
    ‘I don’t think the owner cares about that,’ said Jess.
    Luke spoke again. ‘You could make things worse if you bid against Lawson. The price might go even higher.’
    Jess was shocked. More than two thousand?
    ‘Do you have any money saved?’ asked Rosie.
    ‘Two hundred and forty-six dollars,’ Jess replied. ‘That leaves one thousand, seven hundred and fifty-four.’
    ‘Oh, is that all,’ said Grace.
    The