“Fabulous. I love him. Thank you.”
“I know Serena would be happy that you have him.”
I feel so bad for this guy. I can’t even imagine what it would be like to lose the person you’d planned to spend your entire life with, all the plans they must have made.
We follow Christian into the tack room, where a few boxes are stacked and sealed up.
“You packing this place up on your own?” Kayla asks.
“Yeah.”
“Do you want some help?”
“No. Thank you. In a strange way, going through all of this is kind of healing. I feel like she’s here with me.”
Kayla nods.
“That box there has both Harmony and Timmy’s blankets. I can carry it out for you.”
“Sure. Thank you.”
We walk back to the Range Rover, and Christian sets the box in back. Then he turns to me. “You know what? I almost forgot, there’s a really nice leather halter with Harmony’s name on it in the tack room. I think it’s hanging on the left-hand side. Would you want to have it?”
“Of course,” I reply. “Thanks.”
I run back down to the tack room and decide to say hello to Bart, the little palomino. Harmony’s nameplate is still on the stall door directly across from his. “Hey Bart, how are you?” I rub my hands down his face. His ears prick forward. “I have your friend Harmony now.” I bring an image of Harmony up in my mind. “She is afraid of something. Do you know what she’s afraid of?”
The man.
Oh boy! That was clear! “Which man?”
He is a bad man. Do you have a carrot?
“Is that all you have for me?”
I still want a carrot.
I look around to see if there are any horse treats and find a bag of pellets. I feed a couple to him. “Sorry. Can’t find any carrots.”
These are good. The man is bad. Good night.
Bart may not be the smartest horse. He isn’t like Harmony, who I sense is very intelligent but too afraid to communicate. I thank him again and collect the halter, which is really nice.
The barn light shines out onto Christian and Kayla. Whoa! They’re in an embrace. And it is not just your average friendly goodbye hug. No way.
I step back but take a longer look.
Yep.
I get the feeling that Kayla and Christian are more than just friends.
CHAPTER twenty-one
What to think about what I witnessed back at Dr. Miller’s place? I like both Kayla and Holden. And Christian, he seemed so torn up about Dr. Miller’s death. None of it makes any sense. And what about what Bart “told” me about Harmony and the bad man?
Who was this bad man? Harmony had shown me a baseball cap. Christian had a baseball cap on today, and he once had Harmony in his barn. Had he been abusive to my mare? And there was the ladder that Timmy had shown me, the one I had been dreaming about.
“I’m sorry you had to see all of that,” Kayla says, breaking into my thoughts. “There are greedy people who come out of the woodwork when people die and who think they are owed something just because they’re related. Serena’s brother Jim is a loser who has done nothing with his life. It is good that Christian had Serena draw up that will.
“Anyway, it’s all adult drama. Nothing for you to be concerned with.” She pulls into an In-N-Out Burger. “You have to have one of these burgers. They’re a California institution.”
“Sounds good to me.” I try to take the nervous edge out of my voice.
We eat our burgers and fries, and as I am wiping my hands off, she says, “I have a proposition for you.”
“Okay.”
“We do some work with Christian, and as you know, he is renowned and a fine coach. Holden and I have asked him if he would be willing either to come out to Fairmont next summer and coach the Young Equestrians team, or, if he can’t make it out here, to have that same group come out and work with him in Virginia. The way time flies, next summer will be here before you know it. One way or the other we do plan to put this program into effect, and because you received the scholarship, we want to extend Christian’s program to you next summer.”
I am speechless. “Really?” I finally squeak.
“Really. You are one of the most talented young riders I have seen in a long time, Vivienne. And your essay about what you want to do in the future was so impressive, you are definitely at the top of the list. We’ll only be able to send six of you, but just know that you will likely be one of the six. That is, if you want to do it.”
“Oh my gosh! Yes. That would be incredible.” I can’t believe what she’s offering me. But wait, I had planned to be home over the summer. Dean. Mom. Cole. The crew. “But…”
“Is something wrong?” she asks.
“I don’t know if my family can afford it.”
“As I said, it would be included in the scholarship. But you have to maintain your grades, and obviously how well you do this year as a competitor will play into it.”
Wow. That she and Holden would offer this to me is mind-blowing. Then I think about Holden and what I just saw. And I pray that it isn’t what it looked like between Kayla and Christian.
“This is really incredible. Thank you.” I take a sip from my soda and decide that since Kayla and I are here alone and chatting, I’ll just go ahead and ask what I’ve been wanting to know all evening. “I hate to ask this—or even change subjects, because this is really exciting—but can I ask you something?”
“Shoot.”
“What exactly happened to Dr. Miller? How did she die?”
Kayla sets her napkin down. “Serena was apparently up on the ladder changing lightbulbs in the barn. She lost her balance. The ladder came down, and so did she. She hit her head hard and that was it. No one really knows if she lost her balance and then the ladder fell with her, or if the ladder was just not stable. I guess no one will ever know.”
I stare at her. My hands are cold and my stomach suddenly hurts.
“Vivienne? You okay? You look a little pale.”
“I’m sorry. That is just so awful. Do you think any of the horses saw what happened?”
“Probably. But it’s not like they can fill us in on any of it.” She raises an eyebrow, and in that split second I wonder if she knows what I know: that horses can talk.
“Right.” It makes some sense to me now. Harmony witnessed Serena falling off the ladder and dying. It has traumatized her badly. The situation around the “bad man” is still confusing. It could easily be a separate piece of information that Bart, the palomino quarter horse, gave me. It could be as simple as Harmony not liking men who wear baseball caps. Maybe a ranch hand at one time had worn one, and she’d been in his way while cleaning corrals, and he’d poked her with a rake.
But I also have another thought. It’s quite a bit more sinister. I can’t help wondering if the ladder, the man in the cap, and Dr. Serena Miller’s death are somehow entwined.
CHAPTER twenty-two
Friday arrives, and I am thrilled to be having my first lesson out on cross-country with Newman Becker. Actually, I’m beginning to get a handle on each riding instructor’s style. Holden is tough and analytic. He likes to pose a lot of questions to his students and expects them to know the answers on cue. When a student answers correctly or is riding well, he is full of praise.
Kayla is always enthusiastic and tends to work from a positive reinforcement angle. If you aren’t getting a lot of praise from her, you know there’s something you need to work on. She allows her students time to figure out what needs to be corrected before gently nudging them in the right direction. After every lesson, she goes over what each of us should be focusing on. There are times when she’ll ask one or the other of us individually to give instructions. I have not been asked to be the instructor of the day yet, and I have not been a victim of an instructor of the day. Kayla also has us take turns videotaping one another so we can view the videos later.
Then there is my id
ol—Newman Becker. As mentioned, he can be a bit hard to take. Newman has a completely different style from either Holden or Kayla. It’s one that I’m going to have to get used to. He doesn’t usually praise, and he yells a lot. But the yelling seems to be effective, as it appears to scare the crap out of most of us. And I think everyone wants to impress Newman. He seems impressed by Lydia. I receive an occasional “good job,” but I know I’m not his favorite. Newman tends to favor the kids who belong in the DZ, and I am curious why. Has being an Olympian made him a snob?
Nonetheless, I want badly to impress Newman. In my five stadium lessons with him so far, Harmony and I have done a decent job, but cross-country always steps things up a notch. Our first event is only a week away. Per the curriculum, we will have an event at the school once a month. The first event will be a two-day: dressage and stadium on Friday, cross-country on Saturday. Sunday is the Homecoming dance, and we’ll have Monday off. Because of our sport, Fairmont doesn’t follow the traditional school calendar.
These two- and three-day events will factor into the selection of Fairmont’s Young Equestrian team in my senior year. The team travels and competes outside of the academy and at major events. Only seniors are on the team. Thus, I’m nervous.
I’m happy that Riley is in my group for the day out on cross-country. I am not happy that Tristan and Lydia are, too.
As I tack up Harmony, I whisper to her, “I met Bart.” I show her his face.
Darkness. Oh God, are we back to square one? Then I get—
He’s not the sharpest tool in the barn. I laugh, hoping she will feed off my happy energy.
I place the saddle on her back. “He told me about a bad man, Harmony. That you’re afraid of a bad man.”
Her body tenses. Veins pop out on her neck, and she moves uneasily in the cross-ties. “Hey, it’s okay.” I stroke her neck. “Can you tell me who the man is?”
Now, the black darkness turns to red, as if a bucket of red paint has been tossed onto it. The thing is, I am pretty sure that it’s blood. I so want to continue asking her, but her anxiety is rising, and the last thing I need out on cross-country is a wound-up horse.
“Hey, Vivvie, you ready?” Riley rides up on his horse, Santos.
“Yeah. Let me just get her bridle on.”
We have been told to spend fifteen minutes in the warm-up arena before meeting Newman down at the start box.
Tristan and Lydia are already there, and she’s laughing at something he’s saying. He looks at us and smiles.
I put Harmony to work. After fifteen minutes, we make our way out to the course. Lydia rides up next to me. “Isn’t this sweet? Me and Tristan? You and Riley?” She giggles.
I glance past her without responding.
“Oh, what, you’re too good for me to make small talk? I’m only being friendly.”
I eye her as Harmony sets the pace. “You haven’t been friendly toward me since the day I got here. I’m hugely doubtful that you want to start now.”
“Fine. Have it your way. I just thought that since our guys are roommates and all that, maybe you and I could try and be friends. I could give you a makeover, and then you could come sit with us at lunch and dinner. We all miss Riley.”
“Lydia, I don’t want a makeover. I don’t want to eat lunch or dinner with you. And Riley and I are just friends.”
“Really? Just friends, huh? Oh, I get it. You are those kinds of friends.”
“What?”
“Word travels fast around here.” She puts her mare into a trot and moves ahead of me.
I don’t want to think what I’m thinking, but I’ve been in high school, and even though the crowd I used to run with is very different from any of the kids at Fairmont, I do know that rumors happen. Is there a rumor going around that Riley and I are sleeping together? I glance over at Riley, who has already made it down to Newman. Boy, he and I have a lot to discuss. Tristan made a similar comment to me as well. Why is everyone under the impression that Riley and I are a thing?
Newman stuffs his hands into the pockets of his breeches and looks over at all of us. “Okay. Tristan, you’re up. Let’s do the log first, to the roll top, and then into the water and out over the brush.”
Tristan and Sebastian are in the start box. Newman gives them the ten-second countdown. Their ride is essentially perfect. Lydia claps her hands.
And me? All I can think is, Oh my God! They are so beautiful! Then I remind myself how much I do not like Tristan.
“Nice,” is all Newman says.
As Lydia heads to the start box, Tristan winks at me! He actually freaking winks, oh-so-casually, at me! What the hell? I look down at Harmony’s mane.
Lydia has a beautiful ride, too. Ah, well.
Riley goes next. Santos refuses at the roll top. Newman yells, “Where were your eyes? How long have you been riding, Riley, and you look down? What the hell is wrong with you? What do you think that beast is going to do when you look down? Are you an idiot? You look like an idiot! Come back around and do it the right way!”
See what I mean? I feel really bad for Riley. But he circles around, clears the jump, and takes the other two smoothly. Even as he trots back, Newman continues to berate. “You want to become a top rider, Reed? Not like that, you won’t! Maybe I should send you back to beginner novice! You got work to do if you don’t want to waste your parents’ money, son. All right, Vivienne, you’re up.”
God. My poor friend. Riley’s face is red, and he looks a bit like a beaten dog. I know that Newman’s words must have hurt his pride, and I want to comfort him. But, I need to focus now. As I set out toward the log, I feel hesitation from Harmony, so I put my leg on and give her some encouragement. She takes off a stride early at the jump, but clears it. I do a better job setting her up and riding her to the roll top. Coming out of the water and over the brush, she finally is in a groove, and we feel in sync as she flies over it. I know I’m going to get blasted for the log, but I am still elated, because as we come off the brush it’s clear to me that this mare can easily take me up through prelim and beyond. Her scope is awesome. I pat her on her the neck. “Good girl. Good girl.”
I ride up to Newman, who between pursed lips gives me, “Horrid ride over the log. You need to ride her to it. What was the hesitation all about?” He crosses his arms. “I’ll tell you what it was about—confidence. You have to ride this horse with confidence. I’m not seeing that out there. If you want to keep your scholarship, you better learn to ride to the fence and set that horse up properly. Okay, let’s move on.”
I just nod. Newman is right about the first fence, but the rest of it was damn good, and I am thrilled to learn that Harmony is as athletic as I had hoped she’d be.
The rest of the lesson goes pretty well for me, but Riley continues to have a rough time of it. By the time we’re told to walk back and cool the horses off, I want to hug him—and ask him if he started a rumor about the two of us. Kind of conflicting impulses.
“You okay?” I finally ask.
“That guy is such a hardass.”
“That, he is.”
“You know what, let’s ride over to the Olympic House. I don’t want to go back yet,” Riley says.
“Okay, I’ve been wanting to get out there.”
“As Horace said, let’s ‘seize the day,’” he replies.
“Actually, Horace would say ‘carpe diem.’”
“Damn, you know your Latin, too?”
“I am here on scholarship.”
“She rides! She thinks!”
We both laugh, and Newman’s negativity is left behind. “I just have to be back in an hour. I’m going with Martina to her parents’ house tonight for dinner.”
“Nice!” he says, then sighs. “Mine will be here tomorrow for parents’ day.”
“You don’t sound too happy.”
He shrugs slightly. “My dad is… difficult.”
“Yeah. I get that.”
We leave it at that and continue to ride. I be
gin to relax. The air is warm, the soil a reddish clay color against the backdrop of greenery, and I can see the ocean out in the distance. I remind myself what a lucky girl I am.
Since it’s only Riley and me and he seems to have mellowed out from his scolding, I finally say, “Hey, Ri?”
“Yeah?”
“Lydia made some kind of remark about us being together, implying that we’re having sex—and that other kids are talking about it.”
“Oh man! Don’t listen to her. She will do whatever she can to get under your skin, Vivvie. She’s probably the one who started the rumor—if there really is one. I’ll do what I can to set it straight.”
“Thanks. I’m actually… I’m a virgin.”
“Makes two of us.”
“Really?”
“Really,” he replies. “Hey, maybe we should let them all think we’re doing it.”
“Riley!”
“Giving you a hard time, Viv. Relax. Here we are.”
We come upon a stone cabin. There’s a porch out front, and around back, a two-stall barn. “Looks kind of haunted,” I say.
“Perhaps it is.” He wiggles his eyebrows.
I slide off Harmony. We put the horses in the open stalls.
“Come on,” he says.
The place is unlocked and kind of dusty. There is a table and four chairs, a small kitchen, and an old sofa in front of a fireplace. As I look around, I’m mesmerized. There are photos of Olympians and their horses going all the way back to the 1930s.
I stop in front of Newman’s photo. “This is cool.”
“He’s still a hardass.”
“I agree, but—Riley!”
“What?”
“We should film some of our documentary here for our history project. Think of it. Inside the Olympic House. We can interview Newman.”
“You can do that part.”
“Fine. But we can totally ace this thing.”
“Maybe,” he says. He walks over to the fridge and takes out some sodas, handing me one.
“Thanks.”
“I think it’s a good idea,” he continues. “You know we’ll have to be careful. Word on campus is that Lydia is twisting Tristan’s arm to bring her here for their first time. We wouldn’t want to stumble on that scene.”
Silent Harmony: A Vivienne Taylor Horse Lover's Mystery (Fairmont Riding Academy Book 1) Page 10