Chapter 1
The Presenter
“That’s just what you’ddo, Reggie!” Emma chuckled, pointing at the TV.
Her English bulldog was sleeping next to her on the sofa. The animal’s deep snores sent ripples through his voluminous jowls, and they undulated like fins on a manta ray.
Emma stroked his rotund stomach. But her attention was on the popular programme No Problem Riding
Its presenter was the main reason she and her horsey friends sat glued to the screen every Friday night. Jason Etaloni was a lean man in his mid-thirties, with rugged, Crocodile Dundee good looks. Tales of his having run away in his teens from a strict Sicilian family added to his mystique.
He was highly respected in the horse world. As a young stable lad at an English racing barn he’d shown exceptional skill with highly-strung Thoroughbreds. And when he grew too tall to remain healthy at a jockey’s required weight, he was quickly poached by another racing establishment as a trainer.
Despite his new boss’s attempts to keep Etaloni’s talents hidden, the public soon learned of his magic with difficult horses. He helped produce many a winner out of other barns’ rejects.
Those equines that were not fast enough soon found second homes. Etaloni trained ex-racers were in great demand, and succeeded in their new lives as eventers, show jumpers or dressage horses.
Etaloni eventually bought his own barn. No Problem Farm was a fifty-acre facility where he retrained horses of all types, sizes, ages and disciplines. He was continually being bombarded with requests to take on problem animals.
His increasing fame caused the BBC to approach him about making the TV series No Problem Riding. Etaloni’s gentle approach to horses, coupled with those handsome features and toned physique ensured the show became an instant success with female riders of all ages.
Since women made up the majority of equestrians, this resulted in a record number of viewers for a documentary. Every lady rider dreamed of having Jason Etaloni take in her horse for retraining—whether the animal needed it or not.
In that night’s episode, a woman had driven her black Range Rover and smart trailer through the wrought-iron gates of Shoestring Farm. She stepped out of her vehicle, leaving the driver’s door open.
Dressed in immaculate riding clothes, she held out a gold-bangled arm. “Hello, I’m Valerie Mason,” she purred.
Mr Etaloni responded by taking the proffered hand and raising it to his lips.
This was his trademark. He would kiss the back of the owner’s hand—except, of course, on the rare occasions when a man brought in a horse—run a hand through his tousled blond hair and ask in a quiet voice: “What would you like me to do for your horse?”
At this, an English bulldog fell out of the Range Rover.
He landed face first on the gravel, with both hind legs strung out on the seat his owner had just vacated. The dog looked up sadly, tongue protruding to one side of his mouth.
Ms Mason hastily retrieved her hand from r. Etaloni’s and rushed—as gracefully as possible under the circumstances—to the aid of her hapless hound. “Oh, Bertie!” she sighed.
The presenter reached the animal in three long strides. “Allow me.”
“Oh, thank you!” Valerie said breathlessly, and watched him deftly arrange the stout animal in an upright position. “Thanks everso!”
“You’re welcome. But you’d better put a lead on him—we don’t want him getting squashed by a horse.”
Emma smiled down at the canine flatfish on her sofa. “That’s exactlythe kind of thing you’ddo.”
The rest of the programme dealt with retraining Valerie’s horse to respect her personal space on the ground and listen to her aids when in the saddle.
A happy Ms Mason then loaded her horse, her hound, and herself into their respective modes of transport before driving out through No Problem Farm’s impressive gates.
The camera zoomed out from the Range Rover and trailer as they blended into the English countryside, and the credits rolled to the strains of Beethoven’s Pastoral Symphony
Emma lifted the heavy head from her lap. “Time for your final potty break, buddy.” 2: The Bargain Mule
Emma was excited. It was Saturday and she was having a cross-country lesson on her Thoroughbred gelding, Wisdom.
‘Solomon’s Wisdom’ in his steeple chasing days, he’d won a fair amount of money before being retired at age twelve.
His present owner had failed to turn the energetic little horse into a trail-riding animal. He’d never been asked to go slowly in his former life, and this lady lacked the patience and expertise to teach him. Her dislike of and desire to get rid of the animal drove his price down.
Emma picked up ‘that lousy mule’ for very little money.