Page 68 of The Making of Jonty Bloom
“Don’t you wantmeto have fun?”
“You’ll get your fun, don’t worry. Are we really going riding?”
Jonty could hear the excitement in Devan’s voice. “Yep. I hope you’re good, or Gill, who owns the stables, is going to chop me up and feed me to her dogs. She has four Chihuahuas and it’ll take them ages.” Jonty whined.
“I was really good when I was six. I got two rosettes. One formost fences demolished in a single roundand one that saidwell done for not crying.”
Jonty grinned. “You have to let me be the funny one or I’ll get depressed.” He climbed out of the car and left his jacket and backpack in the footwell.
“Will it be warm enough without a jacket?” Devan asked.
“If we don’t end up hot and sweaty, then we’ve not been doing it right.”
Devan threw his jacket back in the car.
“Hi, Jonty!”
He turned to see Gill, Tay’s aunt, heading towards them. She flung her arms around him and hugged him hard enough to hurt. “How are you?”
“I’m fine.”
She sighed. “You should come by more often. I can always find you a ride.”
“Thanks, Gill. This is Devan. He has rosettes for—er what was it?—getting lost after fence twoandbest dive into the water jump.”
Gill laughed as she shook Devan’s hand. “Can you ride? Because this isn’t for beginners. We’ll be cantering and most likely galloping at times.”
“I don’t do it regularly, but I can ride.”
“Good. Let’s go and get you introduced to Mungo. You need helmets?”
“Yes, please.” Jonty handed her the envelope of money. Whenever he and Tay had been riding, Tay had always paid for him. Even with the discount Gill gave, riding was an expensive hobby, and not one Jonty could afford. This was costing him a hundred pounds from his savings fund.
“Mungo is slow to get going and then off like a lunatic, if you let him have his head,” Gill said. “If he feels like it, he can outrun everything in the stable.”
“I’m guessing he doesn’t often feel like it,” Devan said.
She smiled. “That’s true and why I’m letting an unknown rider take him out. Basically, he’s a lazy bugger. Though he’ll follow Blue anywhere.” She paused. “Are you okay riding Blue, Jonty?”
He nodded.Tay’s horse.Devan began to stroke Mungo’s neck and talk to him. Jonty slipped Devan a sugar-free polo mint and he put it in his mouth.
“That was for Mungo, not you.” Jonty put on his outraged voice and gave him another.
Gill handed them helmets and Jonty put his on.
“Hello, Blue.” Jonty gave him a mint, then scratched him on the neck behind the ear, and it was almost as if Blue purred. “Have you missed me?” Jonty gave him another mint.Have you missed Tay?Blue leaned into him, pushing his nose to Jonty’s face, sharing the air between them. “Ooh minty breath. You can have a kiss.”
“Mount up,” Gill said and watched Devan.
Devan clipped on his helmet and swung himself up into the saddle. When he bent to adjust the stirrups, Gill nodded. First test passed. Jonty knew she’d have set them too long. He climbed onto Blue and patted his neck. His stirrups were fine. Gill had a good memory.
“Blue lead, Mungo follow and I’ll bring up the rear on Shadow,” Gill said. “Once I’m happy you know what you’re doing, you can ride on. Jonty, you know not to go too far, right?”
“Yep.” Jonty wished he’d forgotten how much he loved riding, but he hadn’t. In their teens, he and Tay had spent hours helping Gill, mucking out, feeding the horses, cleaning the tack. Tay’s aunt took care of Blue in return for help in the yard. Jonty usually rode Mixie, but she’d been sold.
Strange that he didn’t feel the urge to have Tay with him today. He still thought about him, how could he not when he was riding Blue? But his head was full of Devan, buzzing with what this day might bring, maybe more than this day.
And how’s that going to work?
