“I know this isn’t a good time to bring this up,” she said.
“Then don’t,” I grumbled.
“But,” she carried on, ignoring me. “I’ve been thinking that maybe it is time for Harlow to find a new home.”
“No,” I cried, jumping up. “You can’t do this to me. Do you know how bad it is that Mickey’s parents are trying to sell Hampton? You can’t get rid of Harlow right now, you just can’t.”
“I’m not getting rid of him,” she sighed. “I’m just thinking of trying to find him a home where he will be happy. I can’t use him here. It’s not fair to make him work in the lessons with his bad leg and you know that he will never jump again. I’m sorry but it’s the truth and you’ll have to face it sooner or later.”
From where I sat, I could see Harlow in his stall. His sweet white face and his dark gray mane. I remembered all the rides we’d had together and how they’d pinned the blue ribbon on his bridle at the Fox Run show. I couldn’t imagine what it would be like without him in the barn nickering for his grain in the morning or waiting to go out in the field, always eagerly stuffing his head into his halter. But then I knew. It would be the same as it would be without Hampton and Mickey here either. My world was changing and I didn’t like it one bit.
“I’m going home,” I said.
And I got up and rode my bike back to the home that used to be mine but wasn’t any more.
CHAPTER SIX
“What’s the matter with you?” Cat said.
She was sitting in the kitchen, waiting for my mother to cook her something. I didn’t know why she couldn’t just get a sandwich like I did. My mom didn’t even really cook and yet here she was, attempting to make Cat scrambled eggs because she was trying to be a good stepmother.
“Nothing,” I said.
“Don’t lie,” Cat probed.
Today her hair was neon green. It seemed to change every week. I didn’t know how she did it. I kept looking in the trash for a can of spray or packet of dye or something but I never found anything. The only logical conclusion was that she must have kept them hidden under her bed. It drove Derek mad but I was sure that was why she did it in the first place. Even though I wasn’t too keen on messing with my hair, I filed that away under secret weapons that would annoy my stupid stepfather.
“Come on,” Mom said. “Share.”
“I don’t have to share,” I grumbled.
“Yes, you do,” she said.
“Esther wants to find Harlow a new home,” I sighed.
“Harlow?” Cat said. “Who the heck is Harlow?”
“He’s a horse,” I said. “Not that you would care.”
“You’re right,” she said. “I don’t. You’re moaning and groaning over a stupid horse?”
“He’s not stupid,” I said, my voice rising.
“But he’s not yours, right?” she said, stuffing egg into her mouth. “So you can’t do anything about it.”
“He’s kind of mine,” I said. “At least, he used to feel like he was mine when I rode him.”
She rolled her eyes.
“Forget about it,” I said. “You wouldn’t understand.”
“You’re right, I don’t.”
She finished her egg and tossed her dirty plate in the sink without washing it.
“You never cook for me,” I told Mom.
“I’m sorry about Harlow,” she said. “But you have Bluebird now. Maybe you could just focus on him and be happy that Harlow will be getting new people who love him and want to take care of him.”
“It’s not like that Mom,” I said. “People who buy horses don’t always take care of them.”
But she didn’t understand either. I went to my room and sulked for a while but I knew that Mom was right. There was nothing that I could do about Esther selling Harlow. I couldn’t sabotage two sales. It was impossible. I needed someone to talk to and the only person I had left was Becka, my partner in crime from the clinic. She would know what to do, after all, she was the person who just about punched Jess in the face.
“What do you mean, she’s in a coma?” she asked when I called her.
“A coma,” I said, sprawling out on my bed.
“Like, a real coma?”
“Yes, like a real coma.”
“What the heck happened?”
“I don’t know. Remember during the clinic when I told you that she was mad at me? Well she wasn’t mad at me at all. She was in the hospital. She tried to ride her horse to the beach and she fell off.”
“Oh no,” Becka said.
“Yeah,” I sighed. “And now her parents want to sell her horse and Esther wants to get rid of Harlow and everything is falling apart and I don’t know what to do.”
“You just have to try and focus on your riding,” Becka said. “That’s all you can do.”
“But Mickey needs her horse when she wakes up,” I said. “I can’t let her parents sell him.”
“Yeah but what exactly can you do?”
“Try and sabotage the buyers.”
“Good luck with that,” she said.
“I know, right?”
“So did you hear anything about Blue Midnight?” she asked.
“As a matter of fact, I did,” I said. “I ran into Amber, Jess’s sister, and she said that someone from the insurance company was going to come and get him.”
“I bet they are,” Becka said. “They probably paid out bundles of money for him. What about Jess?”
“Oh, I’m sure she will be getting another new horse any day now.”
“You’d better watch out,” Becka said.
“Why?”
“Because she’s so spiteful that she may just try and buy your friend’s horse.”
“But he’s not a jumper,” I said.
“Somehow I don’t think she will care.”
“Great.”
And just like that I had something new to worry about. I was pretty sure that my hair was going to turn gray before I ever got a chance to ride in the Olympics.
CHAPTER SEVEN
Sunday brought a new crop of people to look at Hampton. A girl who was used to riding western and couldn’t get Hampton to do anything but canter around the ring completely out of control and a timid girl who actually seemed to like him. She rode okay, getting Hampton to do what she wanted but it wasn’t pretty and when Esther set up a couple of jumps, Hampton proceeded to deposit her into them. Despite not being hurt, the girl started to cry.
“Hampton doesn’t even need my help,” I whispered to Ethan. “He’s managing to sabotage everything all by himself.”
“I guess he really does like Mickey after all,” he said.
We had a joint lesson in which Esther made us ride without stirrups and then she mentioned a show but I said that I didn’t want to go.
“Because of Mickey?” she asked, leaning on the fence.
“No,” I said. “Because Bluebird is still tired after the clinic and I don’t want to push him too much right now. Especially while I’m waiting to hear from Miguel about getting on the junior jumper team.”
“Alright,” she said.
But Esther was right. Part of the reason that I didn’t want to go was because of Mickey. Showing wouldn’t be the same without her. I was hanging out in the field with Bluebird when a battered old car came down the drive. The bumper was hanging on by a strand of duct tape and black smoke billowed out the back. Every now and then it let out a bang and as it got closer, it sent Bluebird galloping and snorting around the field.
“It’s okay boy,” I called out. “They’re probably just lost.”
I trudged through the deep sand to where the car had parked, hoping that it wasn’t someone else who had come to look at Hampton. I didn’t have the energy to deal with anymore people who thought they could ride but couldn’t. It was exhausting.
My hopes lifted when I saw that the woman who got out of the car looked nothing like a horse person at all. Her long, purple skirt billowed back an
d forth in the breeze like a kite and a million bangles on her wrist clattered like wind chimes.
She looked around, taking in her surroundings, then she closed her eyes, took a deep breath and spread her arms out. Then she blew out the breath she had been holding and smiled. The woman was a nut job. She was quite obviously lost. Couldn’t she see this was a stable? I had no idea what she was looking for but she wasn’t going to find it here.
“Can I help you?” I asked doubtfully.
“I don’t know, can you?” she smiled, her bright green eyes taking me in.
“That’s what I said,” I frowned. “Can I help you? Are you looking for something?”
“Yes,” she sighed. “A horse.”
“A horse? You’re going to have to be a bit more specific. We have lots of horses here.”
“Well, he’s white with dark spots and a gray mane and tail. I think his name begins with an H.”
“No,” I said. “We don’t have any horse like that here.”
But as those brilliant green eyes pierced into me, I knew exactly who she was talking about. She was talking about Harlow. But what could she possibly want with him?
CHAPTER EIGHT
“That’s funny,” she said. “Are you sure?”
“Yes,” I said. “You must have the wrong barn.”
For a moment I thought that the woman was going to get back in her falling apart car and drive away but I should have known that I would never be that lucky. She looked around the fields, squinting her eyes like she was trying to recall a dream.
“No,” she shook her head. “This is the place. I’m sure of it.”
And then she just walked off towards the barn.
I ran after her.
“Hey, wait,” I called out but she didn’t stop.
Esther came out of the office and gave the woman the same look that I had. She wasn’t the kind of person who usually came to the barn to inquire about boarding or lessons.
“Can I help you?” Esther echoed the same words that I had.
“Yes,” the woman said, still looking around like she was expecting to see something. Then her gaze fell on Harlow’s stall. “There he is.”
I looked at Esther, panic on my face. She just shrugged.
“He is for sale, isn’t he?” she said.
“Well, yes,” Esther said. “But I haven’t even advertised him yet.”
“Is it okay if I go in with him?” she asked.
“I suppose,” Esther said. “Do you ride?”
“No,” she said, sliding the door open.
I watched as Harlow checked her out with his usual curiosity, sniffing her skirt and then licking her outstretched fingers. He liked her. No. This was never going to fly.
“If you don’t ride,” I said coldly. “What do you even want with him?”
Esther nudged me hard with her elbow. “I’m terribly sorry,” she said. “I’m Esther, I own Sand Hill Stables and this is Emily, who is not too happy that I’m thinking about selling Harlow.”
“Liesl,” she said, sticking out her hand to shake Esther’s.
“What, like in the Sound of Music?” I said.
We’d done the play last year at school and Mickey and I had fought over who got to play Liesl because it was the best part. After all, she did get her own song. But I didn’t want the real Liesl to know that I thought her name was kind of cool. I wanted her to think that I hated her so that she would go away.
“No,” she said. “Not like the Sound of Music at all.”
I had no idea what she meant.
“He’s a beautiful animal,” she said, running her hands over Harlow’s sleek coat. “He’s sad that he can’t jump anymore.”
“Me too,” I mumbled.
“Yes,” she looked at me. “He’s sad for you. He feels like he let you down and he wants you to know that he’s sorry.”
“He shouldn’t be sorry,” the words came tumbling out. “I’m the one who is sorry. I never should have jumped him at that stupid show. It’s all my fault that he injured himself.”
As I took in a ragged breath, I realized what she had just said.
“Hang on a minute,” I crossed my arms. “What are you saying? That you can talk to him or something?”
“In a way, yes,” she said.
Esther and I looked at each other. She raised an eyebrow. I knew that she didn’t believe in any of that stuff and I didn’t either. At least I hadn’t until two minutes ago when this weird woman had said things that no one could have known. Or could they?
“Did Jess send you?” I said. “To get back at me? That’s it, isn’t it? She sent you to mess with my head. Well you can go back and tell her that it’s not going to work.”
I ran out of the barn to Bluebird’s field and threw myself down on the grass like a toddler having a tantrum. I couldn’t help it. My world was falling apart. My friend, her horse and now the first horse I ever really gave my heart to were all disappearing. The only thing I had left was Bluebird.
He came over to where I lay sobbing into the ground, and pushed his nose into my hair.
“Oh boy, promise me you’ll never leave me,” I jumped up and threw my arms around him.
When I’d finished crying, I grabbed a handful of his mane and sprung up onto his back. He walked off and started to graze and I just sat on him, his back warm beneath me, knowing that I shouldn’t be doing it but not even caring. And when a truck backfired out on the road and he startled into a canter, I wrapped my legs around him and grabbed a handful of mane. I couldn’t believe how in that one single moment I could feel so free and yet so connected to the pony beneath me. Like we really were one spirit with no tack between us.
“See,” I said. “You didn’t even need that expensive saddle, did you?”
Only when I saw Esther come to the entrance of the barn, I slid off and into the grass. She would take a dim view on things like galloping around the paddock bareback with no helmet and I didn’t need her to get even madder with me than she probably already was. But she wasn’t even looking out to the fields. She was waving goodbye to that horrible Liesl who was walking over to her piece of junk car. I laid down low in the grass, hoping that she wouldn’t spot me but just as I thought that I was safe, she looked over and waved.
“Goodbye Emily,” she called out. “I’ll see you soon.”
“Not if I can help it,” I mumbled.
And when she had gone in a puff of smoke, I trudged back to the barn to get my punishment from Esther who I knew wouldn’t be impressed that I was ruining her livelihood.
CHAPTER NINE
A week later and I was still being punished, cleaning a mountain of tack that Esther kept adding things to thanks to not quite Sound of Music Liesl. Despite my constant complaints, Esther said that no Liesl did not live in Austria and frolic about on the hills learning to sing and dance. Instead she was an animal empath and did equine massage on the side.
“Don’t you think it would be nice for Harlow to go to someone that could take care of him like that?” she asked, leaning against the door watching me scrub sullenly.
“No,” I sulked. “So she can rub his back. Big whoop. Does she know how to do all the other stuff that comes with owning a horse? Important stuff like picking his feet out and grooming him and making sure he gets the right amount of food to eat?”
Esther wasn’t so sure that Liesl could do all those things either. I could tell by the way her face got that wrinkled frown.
“She probably won’t even come back,” she said. “Not after the way that you treated her but I don’t want any more of that behavior from you. Understand? I know that you want to keep Hampton here for Mickey and I get that but we can’t keep every single horse that you fall in love with.”
“Why not?” I said.
“Because honey, my farm isn’t big enough.”
She pulled me to my feet and enveloped me in a big bear hug. She smelt of horses and strawberries.
“It’s not fair,” I
said, my voice all muffled.
“I know but that is life. You know that horses will come and horses will go. The day you win the lottery? That’s the day that you can keep them all but until then? This is how it is going to have to be. I just can’t afford to keep Harlow around if he can’t be a lesson horse anymore but I’m going to make sure that he gets the best possible home and I want you to help me with that. Can you do that?”
She pulled me away, looking serious.
“Can you?” she said again.
“I suppose,” I said. “If you promise that you won’t sell him to that crazy horse talking Liesl person.”
“Well I can’t make any promises,” she said. “But you know you have to look at it from Harlow’s point of view. Think of what a good life he would have. He wouldn’t even have to do any work.”
“I guess,” I said.
“Good. Now come on, buck up. Why don’t you leave all this for now and saddle that crazy pony of yours. I’ve set up a new course in the ring.”
The course reminded me of the days when Helga had been here, slapping up jumps in odd configurations that we all laughed at, until we realized that they actually made us better riders. Bluebird and I had a few early rails down because I wasn’t really paying attention, or expecting it to be that hard but by the time we were done, we had nailed it.
“I really think you should reconsider the show,” Esther said. “You need something to take your mind off all of this. It’s not going to do Bluebird any good to sit around here for a month while you wait to hear from Miguel and for all you know, it could be longer than that. And what if you don’t get picked at all? Then all those weeks will have been wasted.”
“I know,” I said, sliding to the ground. “I’ll think about it. Okay?”
“Okay,” she patted me on the back like I was a good little horse.
“Esther wants me to go to a stupid show,” I told Becka on the phone that night.
“Which show?” she asked.
“I don’t know. Rose Gate something or other. It sounds stupid.”
Sale Horse (Show Jumping Dreams ~ Book 5) Page 3