by Leigh Hutton
‘Oh my God!’ Jasmine said, slapping her spandex-clad thigh. ‘You look like a big pom pom!’
Ebony shuddered when she looked in the mirror, and ducked back into the change room.
‘Oh, Mees Ebony,’ Winnie said, knocking on the door. ‘Eet not that bad.’
‘I’m afraid it is,’ Abia said. ‘But I think I know a store she’ll like.’
On the way to the other end of the mall, Jasmine linked Ebony’s arm with hers. ‘Sorry to ask,’ she said, dropping her voice to a near whisper. ‘It might be too soon to talk about a new horse…’
‘It’s okay,’ Ebony said.
‘Good!’ Jasmine said, clapping her hands. ‘’Cause I’ve heard that Poseidon’s gonna be offered for sale! Apparently, Mantina has called it quits.’
‘How interesting …’ Abia said from beside them.
‘Could be a good option,’ Ebony nodded, ‘but I don’t think I want to spend that much. That, and I’ve already got my eye on one …’ She winked at Jasmine.
‘Awesome!’ Jasmine said. ‘Who?’
Ebony smiled. ‘I’ll keep it as a secret for now.’
‘Ahhh, no!’
‘I’ll see if we can organise a trial for after the party,’ Ebony said.
‘Sounds great! Can I please come?’
‘’Course you can, Jazz.’
‘You our star client,’ Winnie said. ‘’Ave to keep you happy!’
The girls all linked arms and laughed their way down the corridor of the shopping centre. They paused at a jewellery store, just a few doors down from the ‘punkish’ store that Abia had suggested they visit, and Jasmine ducked inside. Ebony was drawn to the bright cabinets out front, and found herself searching the glittering rings and necklaces. When her eyes halted on one particular earring, her heart stopped.
‘You better go get eet,’ Winnie said, resting a hand on her shoulder.
The shop assistant told Ebony that they only had the one, and apologised for not being able to offer her a normal set, but Ebony didn’t mind. Her birth mother had already provided her with one, and finally, she would have the matching pair.
Soft flakes of snow fell swiftly in the twilight, catching in Ebony’s up-styled hair and settling on the shoulders of her black blazer as she made her way across the parking lot to the entrance of the Calgary Tower, to attend the Poplar Ridge Farm’s and Star Monster Stables’ Christmas party.
When Ebony entered the room, everyone stared, and she suddenly doubted her choice of outfit: a fifties-style red dress with black polka dots, a wide skirt and black belt cinching in at her waist, a cute black jacket, her skull bandana around her neck and her killer black leather heels, a few strokes of mascara and thin sweep of eyeliner — her skin was clear and milky smooth, her green eyes shining. She’d even visited Abia’s hairdresser, who had done her hair up in victory rolls, with half swept down and curled in at the nape of her neck. Her matching lightening bolt earrings seemed to complement the outfit perfectly when she’d checked herself out in her bathroom mirror.
‘You’re lookin’ smoking!’ her date, Abia Takahashi, said from beside her.
‘Everyone’s staring …’ Ebony whispered.
‘They tend to gawk at the most gorgeous girl in the room.’ Abia laughed and led her over to the bar.
‘Shirley Temple, please.’
‘Make that two,’ Abia said to the bartender.
The girls perched up on stools, and Abia leaned close, wrapping an arm around Ebony’s shoulders. ‘Cecile would be so proud of you.’
Ebony took a sip of the drink that her and her mother had once loved, and was suddenly struck with a strong sense of nostalgia, like Cecile was there, too, on the opposite side of her, enjoying this momentous occasion for their barn, together.
‘I’m so proud of you,’ Abia said. ‘And excited for our future.’
Ebony smiled and rested a hand on Abia’s arm. She really loved this woman, and was so glad she’d found her.
‘Life doesn’t deal everyone an equal hand,’ Abia said, looking down into her red and orange drink and twirling her straw around. ‘But that’s the exciting part. People like us, we will succeed, and make our own luck. Then there’s people like Mantina, who had the ace card from day one, and wasn’t able to do anything with it. Success is down to us and what we choose to make of what we’ve been given.’
‘I’m so lucky to have such a smart partner,’ Ebony said, resting her forehead against Abia’s.
Abia looked up as Marcus stalked in, in a black leather jacket, scarf and suit pants, and kissed both girls on the cheek. ‘You pair scrub up alright,’ he said, smiling at Abia. Ebony nodded and turned to the bar, to let the pair catch up. It was so satisfying to see Marcus showing Abia the attention she deserved.
She swivelled on her stool, and looked out over the room. Jasmine and Leslie waved from a crowded middle table, as did a few of Marcus’s new clients. She spotted Winnie, sitting on Clancy’s lap on a lounge in the far corner, but the view out the windows wrapping the room stopped her from searching any further. She could see as far as the mountains, with the tall buildings and the lights of the city all around, the homes on the outskirts, and the foothills, creating a perfect picture of this beautiful place she called home. She was sure she could see the gap in the hills where Star Monster Stables could now be found.
She enjoyed the view, sipping her Shirley Temple, watching as the sun tucked behind the mountains for the night, and the snow came faster and heavier, turning the view beyond the glass into a dotted sea of falling white.
The entrance door opened, with the cool, fresh night air sweeping in from beyond. Most people dropped their conversations to see who’d arrived. Ebony finished her drink, before turning to see who had stolen the room’s attention.
The most handsome man she’d ever seen stood in the entryway, with a single, red rose in his hand and black and white tuxedo fitted to his tall, strong frame.
She choked on her drink, and looked away, to wipe her mouth with a napkin. Her face went hot with embarrassment, surprise and a deep, burning happiness, as Winnie appeared next to her.
‘He came!’ Ebony grinned, biting her bottom lip. ‘I have no idea how he knew, but — I can’t believe how lucky I am, Win.’ She kissed her friend on the cheek. ‘Thank you for always being here for me.’ Winnie squeezed her arm, nodding at Dallas.
Ebony took a deep breath, then dropped her glass on the bar, squared her shoulders and rose from her seat, making her way across to room, instantly meeting with his sparkling, green eyes.
‘Where have you been?’ she asked, accepting the rose; it smelled divine. She looked up slowly, fighting the urge to grab him and kiss him.
‘I’m so sorry.’ He kissed her cheek, resting a hand on her arm. ‘I was up in Alaska and my stupid phone erased all my contacts, and then it died completely. I only got your messages and saw your missed calls this morning when I picked up my new phone and they sorted out my SIM card.’
Ebony’s heart dropped, tears clouding her eyes. She didn’t dare look up again. ‘So you’ve taken the deal there, then?’
‘They wanted me too.’ His lips brushed her ear, and he pulled her into a warm, firm hug. ‘But I told them there was no way I could.’
‘Why not?’
‘Because the love of my life lives in Calgary.’
The breath caught in Ebony’s throat, and she looked up into his warm, loving eyes. ‘I’m so sorry,’ she said, blinking back tears, ‘for how I treated you.’
‘I’m sorry about everything that’s happened to you,’ he kissed her gently on the forehead, ‘I’m going to be here for you, forever. You look incredible, by the way. I’m loving you in a dress!’
Her face caught fire, and she hid her blush with her hand. ‘Thank you … um, how did you know about tonight?’
He stroked his fingers across her cheek, kissing her on the nape of her neck — shivers shook her, and lightening bolts raced to her core. Dallas moved in close, whis
pering, ‘the post on your stable’s Facebook page made it pretty obvious.’
Ebony grinned, pulling away. ‘You been stalking me, Cash?’
‘You blame me, sexy?’
‘But who will you play for?’
‘The Flames signed me yesterday. Oh, and I expect to be invited to come live in your mansion.’
‘As long as you don’t mind mucking out stalls …’ Ebony grabbed him by the shoulders, her fingers creeping up the back of his neck, tugging at his hair. She kissed him hard, pulling his body against hers. The man of her dreams. ‘Or sharing my bed.’
I can’t thank my parents enough for everything they’ve done for me; for their boundless energy and support, and for always getting behind me, no matter what I’ve set my mind to.
My years as a show jumper were simply incredible: the friends I made, the horses I had the pleasure of loving and competing on. It is a sport of such extremes: highs when you win, lows when you lose, and devastation when it all comes crashing down. I will never forget the day I spent watching my promising six-year-old German Warmblood mare being cut open in the operating theatre of our vets after she coliced. She pulled through, but ten days into recovery developed severe complications and had to be put down. She was the most stunning, sensitive, talented horse I’d ever known. We were jumping bigger than I’d ever jumped before — we were going places. I was just 14, and Monty’s death left me utterly crushed.
Many horse people have felt this pain, but I can’t say that the pain is what I remember the most about my days as a show jumper. I remember getting my first ribbon from Mrs. Marg Southern in the pony jumper field at Spruce Meadows aboard the white-faced, huge-hearted Rock Candy. I remember trotting Scooby Doo out into the North American Ring, the rain pounding us and wind whipping and freezing us to the core. I remember the unparalleled thrill of jumping a new horse over a big fence. I remember riding pit bikes around the show grounds, checking out jump crew guys, hitting the outlet malls in Colorado, laughing, exploring, competing and finding myself as a person alongside my younger sister and our great horse friends. Thank you, Rosie, and everyone from Teesdale Stables and St George’s for these wonderful memories.
Writing JUMP GIRL gave me the opportunity to relive these amazing days and to indulge in my love of the sport and its incredible athletes, both human and equine. I feel so honoured to have had the opportunity to tell Ebony’s story and in doing so, to tell a bit of my own. A good book stays with you, in your heart, forever, just as a horse does. I hope you were able to fall in love with this story and its characters as much as I did, and thank you so much for having a read. We now share some great friends and an exciting adventure in common.
I would like to thank all of the people who have supported REV GIRL, JUMP GIRL, and The Go Girls Chronicles. I am so excited to be writing these books and to be connecting with so many like-minded girls and women, who are adrenaline junkies, love to go fast, compete, and mix it with the guys. Thank you to all the #realliferevgirls and #reallifejumpgirls for sharing your stories and your passions. Thank you to my beta readers: Sarah Clarke Fairbairn, Lisa Denyer, Carolyn Martinez, Sarah Johnson Butler, Krista Weir, Jane Griffin, Jodie Gore, Jacinta Ludlow, Rosie Lalonde and to all of the fabulous bloggers who have supported my books, including Kelly (Diva Booknerd) and Katie (Queen of Teen Fiction). Thank you also to Fiona Palmer, Edwina Shaw, Cheyanne Young and Christina Channelle for all of your support and encouragement. Thank you to my husband and our gorgeous kiddies.
And a huge thank you to YOU, my readers ☺ I feel so honoured that you have chosen my book and I so hope you’ve enjoyed it. Please let me know what you thought by leaving a review at Amazon or Goodreads, and please connect with us on Facebook a review helps tremendously to get the book out there and we absolutely love hearing from you!
Lots of Love,
About the Author
Leigh Hutton is a former News Ltd journalist and champion dirt bike racer and horse show jumper. She was born and raised in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains near Calgary, Alberta, Canada, and now lives with her husband and three children in southeast Queensland, Australia. Leigh is especially passionate about promoting the growing number of girls and women in all action sports, and is thrilled to draw on her experiences to bring you the exciting stories of The Go Girls Chronicles …