Stealing the Prize

by Suzanne Weyn

  Almost as if he’d overheard her, Prince Albert swung his head toward Taylor, pulling away from Eric again. Inwardly, Taylor cringed at the look of betrayal she thought she detected in her horse’s soulful dark eyes. “A person can have more than one friend,” she stated firmly, addressing what she was sure was his unspoken accusation.

  “Not as far as he’s concerned.”

  Taylor turned toward the voice that had spoken from just outside the corral.

  Prince Albert sputtered unhappily, registering his unease in the presence of men, especially an unfamiliar one. “Easy, boy,” Eric soothed him.

  The man sat in a wheelchair, and Taylor realized he must be the driver of the van. She saw that crutches lay across the wheelchair’s arms and was impressed that he’d obviously gotten himself out of the van and into his wheelchair without help. Taking in his dark blond hair and round face, Taylor felt positive that he had to be Jimmy LeFleur.

  “Lend him your scarf,” the man suggested.

  Taylor fingered the yellow scarf at her throat. “This?”

  “Yeah,” the man confirmed. “Let your friend wear it. Let that other horse graze awhile. And you come stand here by the black horse.”

  Eric turned toward the man. “We’re trying to get him to accept me as a rider when the only one he wants to ride him is —”

  “Yeah, yeah,” the man said quickly, cutting Eric off with a touch of impatience. “I figured that out.”

  Taylor wrapped her scarf around Eric’s neck.

  “Good,” the man prompted. “That scarf has your scent on it. What’s the horse’s name?”

  “Prince Albert,” Taylor told him. “And I’m Taylor and he’s Eric.”

  “Hi. I’m Jim.”

  I knew it! Taylor thought triumphantly. It was Mrs. LeFleur’s son!

  “Okay,” Jim went on. “Now stand beside Eric while he does the breathing thing. That’s what you guys were about to do, wasn’t it?”

  “Yeah,” Eric confirmed. He and Taylor faced Prince Albert. When Eric stroked his forelock, Prince Albert whinnied and shifted uneasily. “It’s okay, boy,” Taylor said gently.

  “Keep talking, and you pet him, too,” Jim coached.

  Taylor soothed Prince Albert with soft words of encouragement while she and Eric touched his sides and muzzle. “Okay, Eric, while Taylor keeps talking, you breathe into the big guy’s nostrils,” Jim instructed.

  They stayed that way with Taylor crooning to her horse and Eric breathing for almost ten more minutes. Prince Albert sputtered into Eric’s face, causing the boy to screw up his features as he wiped off the spray. “Don’t stop breathing,” Jim called.

  After another few minutes, Jim told Eric to climb onto Prince Albert’s back. “You stay right in front of him, Taylor,” Jim added.

  Eric stuck his foot in the stirrups and swung up into the saddle.

  Prince Albert nickered uneasily.

  Taylor’s eyes darted nervously to Jim. What should they do? Would Prince Albert throw Eric again?

  “Take the reins and walk him, Taylor. Be very firm with him,” Jim advised.

  With a nod to Jim, Taylor clicked for Prince Albert to walk. Prince Albert neighed and pulled back. “Walk on, boy. Right now. Walk on,” Taylor commanded.

  Prince Albert stepped forward, and soon Taylor was walking him around the corral with Eric on his back. When she was about to pass Jim, Taylor looked to him for more instruction.

  “Keep going,” he said. “You’re doing great. Just keep going around and around.”

  “Can we stop now?” Taylor asked after she’d been walking for another ten minutes.

  Jim shook his head. “Keep going.”

  As Taylor walked she noticed Mrs. LeFleur and Devon Ross coming out of the main building. They weren’t arguing, but both women scowled and spoke to each other seriously. Again, Taylor longed to know what they were saying.

  “Now pass Eric the reins and slowly back away,” Jim told Taylor when she passed him again.

  Prince Albert whinnied anxiously when Taylor stepped back four paces. She glanced to Jim for advice. “Keep going, but slow,” he said.

  Prince Albert kept an eye on Taylor as she made her way painstakingly to the fence. Jojo picked up his head and neighed.

  Taylor could barely breathe as she leaned into the fence and watched Eric ride Prince Albert at a steady walk. They made it around the ring once … twice….

  “Now take him to a trot,” Jim called.

  Taylor swung her head around to look at him questioningly. Was it too soon for this?

  Jim’s reply was to jut his chin toward the ring. Taylor turned to see Eric riding Prince Albert at a smooth trot. She smiled with relief. It really seemed to be working.

  Not only was Prince Albert accepting a new rider — but he was allowing a male to ride him!

  Impossible!

  Amazing!

  Taylor turned toward Jim LeFleur. “He usually hates men,” she informed him.

  “It’s okay. He’ll get over that as long as he smells your scent. It’s like you’ve given your approval. The new rider has been marked as part of your herd.”

  Taylor looked at Jim LeFleur with admiration. “Are you a horse whisperer?” she asked. She had read about people who related to horses astoundingly well based on their deep understanding of how horses thought and felt.

  Jim LeFleur smiled. “I’m flattered you think so. No, I’ve just been around horses all my life, and I know them. Maybe that does make me a horse whisperer of sorts. That horse doesn’t hate men, he’s just afraid of them. If you tell him this guy is okay, your horse will believe you. It’s clear he’s devoted to you.”

  Taylor watched Eric ride for a few minutes before turning back to Jim. She was about to once more say how amazed and thrilled and grateful she was, but she snapped her mouth shut when Mrs. LeFleur appeared beside Jim, staring at him angrily.

  Taylor stayed quiet so she wouldn’t miss a word.

  “So, I hear you’re working for Aunt Devon now,” Mrs. LeFleur said with a note of accusation in her tone.

  “Yes, I am, Mom. Do you have a problem with that?” Jim asked.

  “I might,” Mrs. LeFleur said coldly. “But I suspect you already knew that.”

  “Aunt Devon offered me a job. I needed one. I just wasn’t ready to move to Kentucky.”

  “There are a lot of other people you could have gone to work for,” Mrs. LeFleur said, her voice rising with anger.

  “I couldn’t find any jobs that were available,” Jim replied. “Were you and Aunt Devon able to come to an agreement?”

  Mrs. LeFleur folded her arms and turned away. “I’m still thinking about it.”

  Jim nodded. “Well, don’t take too long. There are other people we can go to, you know.”

  Mrs. LeFleur looked at him once more. “Good to see you, Jim. You’re looking well,” she said stiffly before heading back toward the main building.

  “Same to you, Mother,” Jim mumbled even though Mrs. LeFleur had gone out of hearing distance.

  Taylor took a moment to absorb what she’d heard. So Jim hadn’t stopped being involved with horses, not even after his fall. He obviously knew what he was talking about, too.

  He sat there lost in his own thoughts until Taylor coughed to get his attention. “Should we do the same thing with Jojo?” she asked him.

  He looked at her as though he didn’t understand.

  “The other horse,” Taylor explained. “He’ll only let Eric ride him.”

  “Oh, yeah. Sure. You wear something Eric has worn, and you guys try the same approach I showed you.” Turning his wheelchair toward his van, he reached into his pocket and tossed Taylor a horse treat. “Be sure to reward Prince Albert.”

  “Thanks! Thanks so much for your help,” Taylor said.

  Jim waved as he continued toward his van. “Good luck!”

  Eric came to a halt alongside her. Taylor nuzzled Prince Albert, stroking his mane. “What a good, good boy you
are.” She held the treat to his lips, and he eagerly lapped it up.

  “Success,” Eric cried as he dismounted. “What a smart guy!”

  “He’s Mrs. LeFleur’s son,” she told Eric.

  “No way! Really? Yeah, the guy in the wheelchair! I remember now.”

  “He’s working at Ross River,” Taylor added.

  “I wonder how Mrs. LeFleur feels about that.”

  “Not great,” Taylor said. “I heard them talking.”

  “Hey, listen, I feel bad that you’re not getting to practice.”

  “But we need to work with Jojo,” Taylor reminded Eric.

  “It can wait for another day. Why don’t I set up some rails? I know some about jumping. I could work with you.”

  “That would be awesome! I have to get some practice time in. The Gypsy Trails event is this Saturday, and I am nowhere near ready!”

  On Saturday Taylor was at Wildwood by six a.m. getting the horses ready and doing barn chores before the big show at Gypsy Trails. Show days always started before the sun came up and ended well after it set.

  She, Eric, Mercedes, Daphne, Mrs. LeFleur, and even Plum all pitched in to get as many barn chores done as possible before leaving. Then they loaded the horses up, gathered their gear, and hit the road.

  Daphne, Eric, and Mercedes went with Mr. Chang in his car. Taylor was dying to squeeze in with them but took pity on Mrs. LeFleur, who would be driving the horse trailer alone with Plum. She glumly headed toward the front of the horse trailer and climbed into the front seat, followed shortly by her competition.

  They drove in silence through the sleepy streets of Pheasant Valley until they were just out of town and about to turn on the highway. “I have to get my half-skim, half-soy, venti mocha latte, or else I just can’t compete today,” Plum insisted as they were about to pass a fancy coffee shop.

  “Are you kidding me, Plum?” Taylor griped. “We don’t want to stop now.”

  “I have to have it,” Plum said. “Mrs. LeFleur, please pull in.”

  “Plum, I can’t park this trailer in that crowded parking lot, and we really don’t have time,” Mrs. LeFleur told her. “How about the drive-through just ahead?”

  Plum sighed. “They don’t have exactly what I want, but I suppose so.” As they pulled in, Taylor giggled at the absurdity of a horse trailer in the drive-through lane, the people inside staring wide-eyed and confused.

  When they finally arrived at the Gypsy Trails barn, the sun was creeping into the sky, spilling a soft purple light on the show grounds as the trailer rumbled to a stop amid a cloud of dust.

  Plum was the first to pop out of the truck, sipping her iced coffee with a look of disdain. “Ugh. I think I’m allergic to the cheap stuff. I can feel myself breaking out in hives.” She opened her cup and spilled its melted contents on the ground.

  Taylor came out of the truck, scowled at Plum, but decided to ignore her. Eric, Mercedes, and Daphne were already there. Taylor joined them as they went around back to unload the horses from the trailer.

  Mrs. LeFleur and Plum came around to join them. “I’m going to go check you all in for your respective classes and get your numbers,” Mrs. LeFleur told the group. “After you unload the horses, give them some water, and let them stretch their legs for a bit, okay?”

  Plum was busy shining her tall boots and barely seemed to hear Mrs. LeFleur.

  “Let’s see, Daphne and Mercedes, you’re both in the advanced over fences group, and Plum and Taylor, you’re in the beginner-novice over fences, correct?” Mrs. LeFleur asked, checking her registration form. The girls all nodded, and Mrs. LeFleur made some scratch marks, erasing something from the registration forms.

  “Plum, why are you in the beginner group again? You’ve competed at much higher levels.” Mrs. LeFleur squinted at the form, making sure she had written the correct information.

  “Shafir could use the practice. Lower levels are great for her to warm up to the show season with, after all,” Plum said smugly, cocking her head at Taylor.

  Taylor turned and stared at Eric, as if to say Do you see this? Do you?! Eric just shook his head as he stuffed some hay into the feeder for Jojo. Mrs. LeFleur shrugged and walked off toward the registration booth.

  Mercedes and Daphne were grooming the horses on the other side of the trailer, getting them show ready, and Taylor joined them. It had taken hours this morning to braid and pull all of the horses’ manes into neat little clusters in an even row. It had paid off, though — all the horses looked elegant and clean. Daphne called out to Plum as she picked up Mandy’s leg. “Aren’t you going to groom Shafir?” she asked, bending over the horse’s large hooves.

  Plum just shrugged. “I’ll get to it. I groomed her just before we left,” she said, picking at a cuticle.

  “Well, just so you know, it’s good practice to groom before and after. Grooming helps you give the horse a once-over and check for any cuts or swelling,” Daphne said as she picked out a small piece of rock from Mandy’s hoof. “And you want to remove anything that gets lodged in their feet during the trip.”

  Plum shrugged again and began to walk away. “Yeah, that’s true. I’m going to go see if the breakfast vendor is open yet.”

  Mercedes looked up from braiding Mandy’s tail as Plum walked away. “You’re going to need to get back here and groom soon anyway,” she shouted pointedly to Plum.

  Without turning, Plum continued on toward the vendor’s cart. Taylor couldn’t tell if Plum was too far away to hear Mercedes or was simply acting as if she hadn’t.

  Mercedes gritted her teeth and mumbled something under her breath.

  “I know,” Taylor agreed, shaking her head ruefully. “Whatever you just said, the same goes for me.”

  About an hour went by as they continued to ready the horses. “I have to go,” Daphne said, checking the time on her cell phone. “I’m a judge in this first event.”

  “I want to see the little kids, too,” Taylor said, hitching Prince Albert to a rail. “They’re so cute.”

  Mercedes and Taylor followed Daphne down to the ring to watch the mini stirrup class get led around by older riders. “This is more of a cuteness competition,” Mercedes remarked as though she disapproved.

  Taylor didn’t care. She loved watching the little girls in their tiny hunt vests and their hair in braids and bows. They made Taylor say “awww” with each lap. Their ponies trotted around the ring, the person leading each girl barely at a jog herself.

  “How can Daphne ever judge these guys?” Taylor wondered aloud.

  Daphne awarded the first place ribbon to a girl with big blue eyes and pink bows in her and her pony’s hair.

  “Well, that was difficult,” Daphne joked when the last ribbon had been given out and the little girls had left. “Now I’m free until my event.”

  The three girls went back up the hill to where the trailer and the horses were. Taylor walked around to the far side of the truck, planning on changing into her show clothing. It was almost time for Plum and her to start warming up, since their division was starting soon. Although she had no idea where Plum was, she didn’t want to be late.

  Two men in jeans and T-shirts approached her. One of the men stuffed a notepad into his back pocket and said something to the other man, who nodded in agreement and looked over at Mrs. LeFleur’s trailer.

  Reporters, maybe?

  Taylor brightened at the idea. If she won, she would probably be in the newspaper! She smoothed back her hair and smiled brightly as the men came closer.

  “Hi!” she said, flashing her best smile.

  “Hello, I’m Inspector McCarey and this is Inspector Carter.” He lifted his badge and identification card to her.

  Taylor’s brows shot up in surprise. Cops?

  “We’re here looking into a lead we’ve received as to the whereabouts of some stolen horse goods. Have you seen or heard of any recent suspicious activity lately, in regards to blankets, grooming materials, or anything of the sort?”
>
  “Um … no, I don’t think so,” Taylor said uncertainly. Stolen horse goods? Why were they asking her?

  Inspector McCarey looked toward the trailer where Prince Albert was munching peacefully on some grass. “You wouldn’t mind if we had a look around, would you?” he asked, eyes fixed on where Prince Albert was standing.

  “Uh … yeah, sure, go ahead, I guess.” Taylor said, shrugging in response. She hadn’t done anything wrong, so she didn’t see the harm in letting the officers look around. “What exactly are you looking for?”

  “About ten Kensington turnout sheets, a few Collegiate English saddles, some Oster grooming items, and some other stuff that was stolen from PetWorld.” The officer paused and strode over toward Prince Albert. Taylor shot up from where she was resting against the truck and hurried after him, not sure what his sudden interest in her horse might be.

  “In fact, sheets that looked a lot like this one,” he said, reaching out and fingering the blanket Prince Albert was wearing. The gelding lifted his head and looked at the new person, nostrils flaring and taking in the unfamiliar scent.

  Taylor hurried over next to them. She didn’t want Prince Albert freaking out on the detective. “You’d better not touch him,” she warned. “He doesn’t like men.”

  Inspector McCarey gazed at her quizzically but backed away from Prince Albert. “As I was saying, where did you get this horse sheet or blanket or whatever you call it?”

  “A lot of people here have turnout sheets like this,” Taylor pointed out. “I mean, it’s a horse show.”

  “Looks pretty new. No stains or anything yet,” the detective remarked, glancing over Prince Albert’s body. “When did you get it?”

  “A few days ago …” Taylor said, trailing off at the end as she realized how suspicious this was all making her sound.

  “May I ask from where?” Inspector Carter pressed, taking out the notepad and pencil.

  “U-u-um,” Taylor stammered. If his friend was the one who had stolen all of the blankets and tack, Eric could be in big trouble. And so could she! “Um,” Taylor murmured once more. What should she say?