Storm and the Silver Bridle by Stacy Gregg Page A

sounded like they were arguing. She could hear Francoise complaining, “Your honour is all very well and good, but Miguel plays dirty.”
    Then she heard Roberto snap back. “I don’t want my hacienda seen brawling with a common horse thief like Vega.” Then suddenly the door swung open and Francoise D’arth came stomping out. She strode straight past Issie, muttering something to herself in French. She was heading straight for the kitchen and didn’t cast a backwards glance, so she didn’t see the girl crouched on the other side of the door frame, even though she swept so close to her that Issie felt the flounces of her flamenco dress as she breezed past. Francoise had left the living-room door open behind her, and this meant that Issie could hear Roberto and Avery’s conversation. They were speaking to each other very seriously.
    “
Madre Mia
, my friend!” Roberto said. “No one will listen to me today!”
    “They’re just trying to help. You know that, Roberto,” Avery said.
    “I know, I know,” Roberto sighed, “but they underestimate Vega. Thomas, the man is a fat fool, buthe is still dangerous. I don’t want them to get involved with him and get hurt. You can see that, can’t you?”
    “What about the race?” Avery countered. “Couldn’t Alfie get hurt then?”
    “That is different,” Roberto said. “The race is our tradition. It is the right way to win your colt.”
    “Issie just wants her horse back,” Avery said. “She doesn’t care about tradition.”
    “You must watch her closely,” Roberto warned him. “She must stay away from Vega.”
    “I think you’ve made that clear to her,” Avery said, “but yes, of course I’ll keep an eye on her. You mustn’t be too tough on her though, Roberto. She’s in love with that colt.”
    “She is impetuous and too spirited…”
    “… just like we were at her age,” Avery responded. Then his tone grew serious. “She’s the most talented rider I’ve ever trained, Roberto. I think she could be great one day. She’s got what it takes.”
    “
Si
,” Roberto said, “yes, I can see that. You were right about her. Everything you said has proven to be true. And the colt, he too is just as I expected, a true son of Salome and Marius.”
    Avery said something else that Issie couldn’t hear and then Roberto spoke once more.
    “Does the girl know that you are her
bonifacio
?”
    “No,” Avery said. “Not yet. The time has never seemed right. And now that we are here, with the colt in this much danger…” He paused. “Roberto, what is your plan for getting Storm back?”
    “There is no plan. We will simply run the race,” Roberto said. “Marius is the best stallion in Spain and my son may be a headstrong boy, but he is our best rider. He will run the race and bring honour to El Caballo Danza Magnifico. That is how the colt will be returned to us.”
    Pressed back against the wall listening, Issie felt her breath catch in her throat. Avery was her
bonifacio?
What did that mean? And was that really Roberto’s only plan to get Storm back? She wasn’t going to sit back and wait for them to win the race. For all she knew, Vega could be putting the
serreta
on Storm right now! The race was not the answer. She knew now what she had to do. Vega was so arrogant, after the fiasco today the last thing he would ever expect would be for someone to fight back. Well, that arrogance would be his downfall. She was going to get her colt back the same way that he had been taken from her. She was going to steal him.

    In her room, Issie quickly pulled on her jodhpurs and grabbed her
vaquero
hat before heading back down the stairs and out of the front door. The moment she was outside she was struck by just how hot the sun was. It was mid-afternoon, the time when the Andalusian sun reaches its peak and the
vaqueros
, weary from the heat, take a siesta. This afternoon nap would last for a couple of hours, until the sun sank lower and they could return