though.”
“I know,” Jody agreed. “Do you think she would be ok taking care of Star?”
“Well, let’s go out to the pasture and talk about it, like I said. Or…wait! Let’s bring Lady and Gypsy and go for a ride while we’re at it. We’ll ask their opinion, like old times.”
Soon Mary and Jody were at the gate whistling for the ponies, who purposely ignored them, preferring instead to graze quietly under the weeping willow tree at the far end of the pasture. After several minutes of whistling and calling the girls resigned themselves to the fact that they would have to walk all the way out and catch them.
“Good thing we brought lead ropes,” Mary grumbled, carefully avoiding the “cow pies” as she traipsed across the green grass of the pasture. A few curious cows lifted their heads and sniffed the air as the girls passed but just as quickly went back to the business of grazing.
“Lady! Gypsy!” Jody admonished as they drew near to the ponies. “How dare you make us walk all this way?”
Both ponies raised their heads as one and, still chewing, turned and looked lazily at Jody as if to say, “what? We didn’t hear anything.”
Lead ropes were clipped on halters and the ponies were led to Lucky Foot Stable where they were soon groomed and tacked up, ready for a jaunt down the lane. As girls and ponies were turning to exit through the back doors of Lucky Foot, Star thrust his head over the dutch door at the other end of the stable and nickered mournfully.
“Oh, Star, we’ll be back, buddy,” Mary called. “Next time we’ll take you out for a walk.”
“We’ve got to start working on riding him,” Jody said. “He doesn’t mind us putting weight on his back, and he’s used to the saddle and bridle. I think we could just hop right on him, and he wouldn’t mind a bit.”
“We’ll talk to Willie about it,” Mary replied. “I think we’d better get this premiere over first before we start thinking about anything else.”
Jody nodded her agreement as the girls mounted up just outside the stable doors. They rode up the lane at a lazy pace until the McMurray farmhouse came into view and a familiar figure could be seen crouching in the vegetable garden.
“It’s Mrs. McMurray!” Mary exclaimed, urging Gypsy into a trot. Lady, not to be left behind, followed closely. Mrs. McMurray stood and turned at the sound of hoofbeats clopping up her lane, grinning at the sight of the girls and ponies.
“Hi, Mrs. McMurray! How’re you doin’?” Mary yelled, even though she was only feet from the gray haired woman.
“Well, I’m just fine, and you, Mary?” she said, wiping her brow and dropping a handful of freshly picked green beans into a basket at her feet.
“We’re fine, just going out for a ride to talk about the trip coming up, you know.”
“I do know, and it’s very exciting, isn’t it then?” Mrs. McMurray answered in her lilting Irish voice.
“Is Mr. McMurray excited about going too?” asked Jody.
“Oh, dear, we aren’t going!” Mrs. McMurray chuckled with a wave of her hand. “We’ve got to stay back and mind the farm, you know.”
“But, Mrs. McMurray, you should come! They used your farm for the movie! You should be the guests of honor on the red carpet!”
Mrs. McMurray laughed out loud at this outburst from Mary. “Mary, the only red carpet I know is the one in the front hallway of the farmhouse, and it’s faded at best. I’m happy to stay back and hear all about the festivities from you girls when you come back. You’ll promise to take lots of pictures, won’t you?”
“Oh! That’s the other thing we have to figure out,” Mary said, looking wide-eyed at Jody. “I dropped my camera in the water trough that day I brought it up to take pictures of Star. I leaned over to fill the trough and if fell out of my shirt pocket!”
“My dad has a camera,” Jody laughed. “He likes to take pictures, too. We promise, Mrs. McMurray.”
“Well, we have to get a move-on – lots of plans to make!” Mary said, turning Gypsy and giving her a gentle squeeze.
“But I think you should change your mind, Mrs. McMurray. It’s going to be a once-in-a-lifetime experience!” Jody called over her shoulder, leaving the kindly woman looking after them with a shake of her head and a smile.
4.
Asking Annie
By the time Mary and Jody arrived back at Lucky Foot Stable after their ride around the McMurray farm, decisions had been made and plans in place for the trip to New York City. Now it was just a matter of making them work, and the first step was to pay a visit to Annie.
“What do you think she’ll say?” Jody asked, putting the finishing touches on Lady’s coat with a soft brush.
“Guess we’ll find out,” Mary replied, hanging Gypsy’s bridle carefully on her bridle rack. “Let’s turn the ponies out and go find her.”
“Hey, I have an idea,” Jody said. “Let’s take Star with us. He’s been out in his paddock by himself all day.”
Just at that moment, Star hung his head over the dutch door of the stable and nickered as if to say, “yes! I would like to have an outing, if you don’t mind.”
So Lady and Gypsy were released at the pasture gate to go trotting off to their favorite spot under the weeping willow tree, and Star was led from the stable. Jody held his lead rope while Mary walked alongside, patting him on the shoulder. The first thing the trio saw as they approached the house trailer where Annie lived was her little brother Heath, throwing a ball onto the trailer roof and catching it as it rolled down.
“Wow, that boy’s getting big,” Mary commented. “Remember how little he was when they first moved here? He was just starting to walk and Annie had to put a leash on him to keep him from running off around the farm!”
Heath had just thrown the ball once more on the roof when he heard the girls behind him. When he turned around to face them, the ball rolled down and whacked him squarely on top of the head.
“Hey!” he yelled, and began giggling uncontrollably. The girls couldn’t help but join in, and all three laughed hysterically when the ball stopped rolling at Star’s feet and he snorted and kicked it with his hoof.
“What’s going on out here?” Annie poked her head from the trailer door and frowned.
“Nothing, Annie,” laughed Mary. “We were just coming to talk to you about something, and the ball hit Heath on the head, and...”
“Talk to me about what?” Annie said, stepping down into the tiny yard. She held her hand out to Star, who immediately snuffled her palm and started licking it. Mary and Jody looked at each other, always baffled at the effect Annie seemed to have on animals.
“Well,” Jody began, “you know how we’re going to New York and everything…”
“And you know
