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.’ Mr Vega passed Leo over to the older stable hand.
