‘I love it,’ declared Olivia as she gave Rebecca a hug.
One of the Labs growled as Ivy tried to step forwards for her hug.
‘Gonzo! What’s wrong with you?’ Rebecca tugged on Gonzo’s collar. ‘Be nice to Ivy.’
Ivy smiled sheepishly. ‘Dogs don’t usually like me,’ she admitted as Rebecca hugged her.
‘Nonsense,’ Rebecca replied. ‘Gonzo likes everybody.’
That doesn’t exactly make me feel better, Ivy thought, glad that the wind was whipping her hair in her face so that no one could tell she was disappointed.
‘You didn’t have to drive, Charlie,’ Rebecca said. ‘I would have been happy to pick them up.’
‘It wasn’t any trouble,’ Mr Vega replied. ‘Besides, I wanted to see this place that Susannah talked about so much.’
Ivy saw Rebecca wince at Susannah’s name. She must miss her every day, Ivy thought. I don’t know how I could live without Olivia.
‘I just wish there was more of her presence here,’ Rebecca said sadly. ‘But we were here so long ago that it seems it’s only my memories that keep her here.’
Mr Vega looked miserable, too. ‘Sometimes the memories just aren’t enough.’
Ivy didn’t want this to turn into a funeral.
‘Can we go and see the stables, now?’ Olivia asked, clearly not wanting it to feel gloomy either.
It’s not what I would have suggested, Ivy said, but at least it will change the subject.
‘Of course,’ Rebecca replied, perking up.
‘I’ll wait here and unload the luggage,’ said Mr Vega. Ivy guessed he was feeling uncomfortable around the animals as well.
The four of them crunched across the dirt and gravel towards the huge wooden structure that seemed the size of a small supermarket.
It was cool and dark inside, with a long central walkway dividing a dozen individual stalls on either side. Two stable hands waved, one a man as old as their dad and the other was probably a high-school student. They were shovelling hay with pitchforks.
‘That’s Hank.’ Rebecca pointed to the younger one. ‘And that’s John.’
There was a huge tackroom filled with saddles, buckets, blankets and other things.
‘Wow,’ Olivia breathed.
‘We’ve got twenty-two horses in twenty-four stables,’ Rebecca explained. ‘It takes a lot of looking after.’
Ivy looked down the row at the horses. Every single one of them was giant, magnificent and kind of scary. The nearest horse, tan with dark hair, shuffled and looked at Ivy warily. Ivy knew there were special terms for the descriptions of horses but she had no idea what they were.
‘This is Coco,’ Rebecca said of the tan one as they walked down the aisle. ‘And this one is Admiral.’ Admiral was all black with wise, cautious eyes.
Olivia greeted each one like a new best friend, and the horses whinnied and nuzzled back. Ivy kept her distance, not wanting a repeat of the scene with Gonzo.
‘Come on, Ivy,’ said Rebecca, walking over to a grey horse who had poked his nose over the stable door. ‘Say hi to Leo. He’s as gentle as a lamb.’
Ivy forced a smile. A lamb three times the size of me with stompy feet, she thought.
Rebecca opened Leo’s stall, took hold of his harness and led him out into the wide aisle. The horse tossed his dark grey mane and snorted. His hooves clomped on the floor and he kept watching Ivy.
She gulped.
‘Don’t worry,’ Rebecca said. ‘Give him a pet.’
If Olivia can do this, Ivy thought, and if my mother could do this, then so can I. She shuffled forwards, and held out her hand but it was shaking.
The horse side-stepped away from her, and Ivy’s heart sank.
Rebecca clicked her tongue and Olivia was smiling encouragingly. Ivy took a deep breath and the horse seemed to calm down a little.
Ivy reached out again and this time, she touched the side of the horse’s neck. The short hair was almost wiry and Ivy could feel the strength in the animal’s muscles.
Wow, she thought. That’s amazing. Ivy had always thought horses were beautiful, but she’d never been close enough to touch one.
Bang!
The door to the barn slammed open in the wind, which startled several of the horses, including Leo. He reared up, kicking his front feet and jerking his head. Rebecca lost her grip on his harness and he bolted out of the open door.
Ivy leaped back, falling against a wooden pillar, and Olivia dived out of the way into a pile of hay.
The two stable hands jumped to attention, rushing out into the yard to try to catch the frightened horse.
‘Oh my goodness, girls!’ Rebecca rushed over to Ivy. ‘Are you OK?’
Ivy nodded and looked for Olivia.
Olivia brushed herself down. ‘I’m fine,’ she confirmed.
‘Leo is never usually jumpy,’ Rebecca said, helping Ivy up.
I know exactly what’s making him jumpy now, Ivy thought. Rebecca had no idea that Ivy was a vampire, but the horse could obviously sense it.
As they rushed towards the open stable door to see what had happened to the horse, Ivy wanted to keep on running, just like Leo.
I’m a walking farm disaster! Ivy thought.
Chapter Five
Standing in the stable doorway, the bright sunshine blinded Ivy momentarily.
She heard a sharp whistle and a horse whinnying. Then her eyes adjusted – and nearly fell out of her head.
She saw her father holding on to Leo’s harness, stroking his neck and talking to him softly. Leo seemed perfectly at ease now, not at all afraid of her dad.
Great, Ivy thought. It’s not vampires; it’s just me. And how does Dad know how to stop a runaway horse?
Mr Vega led Leo back towards the barn.
‘I didn’t know you handled horses,’ Rebecca said to him.
‘Susannah loved to ride,’ he said simply.
Ivy guessed that it was also because he was born close to two hundred years ago, when everyone rode horses instead of motorbikes.
‘What happened in there?’ Mr Vega wanted to know.
‘I –’ Ivy began but Rebecca leaped in. ‘I don’t know. Leo just bolted,’ she said.
Mr Vega looked concerned. ‘You know my girls are not experienced horsewomen.’
‘Of course,’ Rebecca spluttered. ‘I would never do anything to endanger them.’