“You mean right then, when I called?” He looked surprised. “Like, you were talking to me from the saddle?”
She had to laugh at his astonishment. “I do still get reception way up there,” she teased. “Anyway, yeah. I was riding Legs, my new training project.”
“Your what?”
Tommi realized that despite all their conversation last night, she’d never quite gotten around to telling him about Legs. She hadn’t mentioned her fall, either. She still didn’t feel like going into that, but found herself telling Grant the rest—about Legs, the deal with her father, and her plans for the future.
He listened without comment until she was finished. “Wow,” he said. “Have to admit, I didn’t think you were serious about going into the horse business.”
“What do you mean? I said I was at dinner that night.”
“I know. It’s just …” He shrugged. “I don’t know. Seems like a tough life. You have so many other options.”
She unfurled her napkin, avoiding his gaze. “Now you’re sounding like my dad.”
“Sorry.” He laughed sheepishly. “I guess I just don’t get it. You can still ride and show without going pro, can’t you?”
“Sure.”
“So why not do that? Skip the grunt work and the early mornings and all the other stressful crap, and just enjoy the fun parts.”
Just then the waitress finally returned. “Thanks for your patience,” she said, sounding harried. “What’ll it be?”
Tommi skimmed the menu and ordered something pretty much at random. Her mind was focused on what Grant had said. Not that she hadn’t heard it all a million times before—from her father, her sister, her mom.
But hearing him say it made her wonder. Was it weird to want to do this with her life? Did all her nonhorsey friends secretly think she was crazy?
Suddenly it all just seemed too hard and complicated to figure out. Maybe Grant was right. Maybe she should just go with the flow, ride for fun, accept that she’d never make the Olympic show-jumping team. Go to college, get a job, get married—maybe to someone like Grant. Okay, so he didn’t exactly make her drool with lust when she looked at him. But he was a good friend and a nice guy, and there was a lot to be said for that. Hadn’t her own father learned that lesson the hard way? He’d married her mother after some whirlwind romantic two-week courtship, and look how that had turned out.
When the waitress left, Grant sat back in his seat. “So how was your ride this morning on the Invest-o-horse, anyway?” he asked.
“Fine. He was a good boy.” Tommi thought back over the schooling session. There had been at least half a dozen other riders in the outdoor ring. No surprise on a summer Saturday right before an important show, but Tommi had wished it was a little quieter. Legs had done his best, but he’d been more distracted than she would have liked.
She played with her fork, wondering if she should ask Jamie to hop on Legs once or twice before they left for Hounds Hollow. The last thing she wanted was screw up the talented gelding’s training, especially now that she had her father’s deadline to meet.
But she immediately shook her head. It was tempting, but she couldn’t do it. This was her thing now; she was the one who was supposed to be training her new investment horse. If she backed off after one bad ride, she might as well hang up her Vogels and start perusing the Georgetown course catalog.
And that thought scared her way more than galloping down to a five-foot oxer ever could. A life filled with nothing but shopping and charity luncheons or some boring office job or whatever everyone else thought she should do? No way, that wasn’t for her. She belonged in the saddle, bringing out the best in her horse.
How could she ever imagine doing anything else?
SIXTEEN
Kate’s days at the barn were always long. But that Monday was even longer than most. The barn was leaving for the Hounds Hollow show early the next morning, and there was a ton to do before then.
“Did you pack the extra lead ropes?” she called to Javier as he flew by with an armful of haynets.
“Sí, already in the truck,” the groom replied without slowing down.
Kate checked that task off her mental to-do list and headed toward the tack room to make sure nothing was still on the racks and hooks that shouldn’t be. Most of the clients were supposed to take care of packing their own tack trunks for shows, but Jamie never took any chances. Kate was checking everything against the list in her pocket when her phone rang.
“Hello?” she answered without bothering to check the number.
“Kate? That you?”
“Nat?” Kate blinked, her friend’s voice catching her by surprise. “Oh, hi. What’s up?”
“I was going to ask you the same thing. Haven’t heard from you since that day at the mall.”
“Sorry.” Kate wedged the phone against her shoulder, her fingers flying as she rearranged a stay-behind bridle into a proper figure eight. “I’ve been kind of busy, I guess.”
“What else is new?” Natalie laughed. “But listen, I have the perfect way to help you chill out. Party at the barn this Friday. Wanna come?”
For a second Kate was confused. How could there be a party when the entire barn would be away at the Hounds Hollow show?
Then she caught up. Duh. Natalie was talking about her barn—Kate’s old lesson barn, Happy Acres.
“Oh,” she said. “That sounds like fun, but—”
“It’s going to be totally fun!” Natalie interrupted, sounding excited. “The Tanners are going out of town and leaving Marc in charge of the farm, and you know what that means. So what do you say? We can down a few, then hop on a couple of ponies bareback and race them across the field—just like old times.”
Out of the corner of her eye, Kate saw Miguel hurry past the tack room door, struggling under the weight of a large grooming box. “Wish I could,” she told Natalie hurriedly. “But I’ll be at a show all week until Sunday.”
“So take one night off.” Natalie’s voice took on a steely edge. “What’s the big deal? Can’t that fancy barn run without you for one measly night?”
“I can’t,” Kate said. “The show’s like four hours away, plus Friday night Jamie’s riding in the Grand Prix and I really want to see him go.”
“Whatever.” Nat sounded pissed off now. “I forgot you’ve got more important things to do than hang out with the little people.”
Kate saw Miguel rush past again. She bit her lip, knowing she could probably jolly Natalie out of being mad. But that would take time that she didn’t have right now.
“Sorry,” she said again. “I really have to go. I’ll call you when I get home from the show, okay? Maybe we can do something then.”
“Don’t do me any favors, big shot.”
Kate winced as the line cut off. But she didn’t have time to worry about it. She’d just have to make things right with Natalie after the show.
She spent the next few hours working like crazy to get everything done. Finally Jamie found her sorting polo wraps and ordered her to go home and get some sleep.
Kate yawned as she headed out to the parking lot. There were only a couple of cars still there—the grooms mostly lived on-site and those who didn’t parked over by the equipment shed.
She blinked as she saw a tall, shadowy figure leaning against the back of her car. For a second all her father’s grim warnings leaped into her mind.
Then the figure straightened up so she could see his face in the light leaking out of the barn buildings. “Fitz!” she blurted out. “What are you still doing here?”
“Waiting for you.” He smiled and took a step toward her. “I know you’ve been busting your ass getting ready for the show. I wanted to show you that at least one guy appreciates it. Let me take you out for something to eat.”
“I—um …” Kate checked her watch. Almost ten o’clock. She really needed to get home and to bed.
“Come on,” Fitz wheedled. “You’ve got to eat, right? And
the diner’s close.”
A hollow rumble from her stomach made her realize he was right. She hadn’t eaten a bite since breakfast. There hadn’t been time. And who knew what the food situation would be at her house? The way her mom had been lately, she might have decided to toss anything that wasn’t divisible by four.
“Okay,” Kate said cautiously. “I guess that would be okay.”
Tommi dropped another pair of Ariat breeches into her suitcase. She’d be showing in all three divisions at Hounds Hollow—hunters, eq, and jumpers. That meant three times as many show clothes to pack. Not to mention almost a whole week’s worth of regular hanging-around clothes. Normally she probably wouldn’t go up on Tuesday and stay the whole week, since most of the junior divisions didn’t go until the weekend. But this time, with Legs her responsibility, she wanted to be there. Besides, there was a warm-up class she thought would be perfect for her and Legs to do to get comfortable with the venue.
As she was debating whether to bring a dress in case everyone went out for dinner somewhere nice, her father stuck his head into her room. “Still packing?” he said. “You’d better get to bed soon if you’re getting up at the crack of dawn.”
“Almost done.” Tommi added the dress to the suitcase, then flipped the cover shut.
Her father watched as she struggled to get the zipper closed. “So how’s our horse doing?” he asked. “Making progress?”
Tommi hesitated, flashing back to that disastrous first lesson. True, things had been going better since then. How could they not? But it hadn’t exactly been all smooth sailing, either. Jamie said she was doing fine, but Tommi was finding it kind of daunting to be the one in charge of the training plan. Not that she was about to admit it to her father. That would probably be all the excuse he needed to withdraw his not-so-enthusiastic support.
“Legs is great,” she said, forcing a smile. “He’s really coming along. I’m expecting good things from him at this show.”
“Fantastic.” Her father shot her a thumbs-up. “Good night, Tommi.”
“Night, Dad.”
She held her smile until he disappeared, then let it go with a sigh. She didn’t feel guilty about the lie, because it really wasn’t one. No more than Jamie was lying whenever he assured his less successful Ammies that they’d do better next time after a disappointing show.
It was all just part of the game.
Zara hated being nervous. It usually made her angry and kind of aggressive.
Sometimes that worked out for her. Like when she was stepping into the ring for a challenging jumper course.
But right now, in her empty loft without a horse in sight, it wasn’t doing her much good, and she wished there was someone around to talk her down. For a second she missed her mother so intensely that it hurt.
But Gina was still on location and hard to reach even when she wasn’t actually working. Zac might pretend to listen, pasting on that serious-artist expression that had served him so well over the years. But Zara sometimes wondered if her father ever really heard anything she said.
Besides, he wasn’t an option at the moment, either. He was off somewhere with his whole posse, probably making plans for the European minitour.
Zara wandered over to the floor-to-ceiling wall of windows, staring moodily out at the lights of downtown Manhattan. Why was she so nervous, anyway? She wasn’t even leaving for the stupid show until Thursday, though Jamie and the horses were heading up in the morning. She was looking forward to finally getting Keeper back in the ring now that he was all settled in. She liked the hunters well enough, but jumpers was the thing that really gave her the rush she was after. Then there was Ellie …
She closed her eyes, thinking back to their last lesson. It had gone pretty well—she and Ellie were starting to reach an understanding, at least most of the time. Jamie had even complimented their steady pace through the last course, saying he thought they were ready for their 3’6“ debut together.
Still, Zara could tell that everyone at the barn was watching her. Remembering what she’d done. Waiting for her to screw up again.
“It’s not fair,” she said aloud as she opened her eyes.
Nobody answered. She was all alone. Another thing she hated. It made her feel restless and irritable.
She thought about calling some of her old friends in LA. But she dismissed the idea even before she’d figured out the time difference. None of them had bothered to call or text much since she’d left; it was as if she’d ceased to exist as soon as she crossed the Rocky Mountains.
Her mind jumped next to the girls at the barn. They all seemed really tight; she could imagine them all calling each other when they had problems, talking each other through stuff like characters on some TV show.
But she couldn’t quite picture herself as part of the scenario. She was still an outsider—the crazy bitch who’d almost burned down the barn and killed all their horses. No way could she just call up any of them out of the blue, though for one crazy second she was tempted to give it a try.
“Shit,” she muttered at last, turning away from the window. She had to do something to distract herself, or she’d really go crazy.
Heading to the liquor cabinet over near the stairs, she yanked open the doors. She spotted her father’s beloved bottle of forty-year-old Glenfiddich and smiled. Perfect. Her dad would freak when he realized it was gone. Talk about two birds with one stone.
Pulling out the bottle, she uncapped it and took a chug. The stuff burned going down, but that was okay. No pain, no gain.
“What’s the matter?” Fitz glanced across the Formica table at Kate’s plate. “Something wrong with your sammy?”
“No, it’s fine.” Kate forced herself to pick up the tuna melt she’d ordered and take a bite. Ever since they’d arrived at the diner, she’d been too nervous to do more than pick at her food.
What was she doing here? She wondered if the exhaustion had gone to her head, made her think it was any kind of good idea to accept Fitz’s invitation.
Fitz tossed a french fry into his mouth. “So you’re heading out to the show tomorrow with Jamie, huh?” he said. “Almost makes me think it’s worth going early myself, even though I don’t show until Thursday.”
“Why are you doing this?” Kate blurted out, finally too confused and tired to try to figure it out on her own.
“What?” He blinked at her across the table. “Doing what? Talking? Eating fries? Having dinner with a gorgeous girl?”
“Yeah, that last one.” She frowned, knowing her face was probably bright red but actually not caring that much. “It’s flattering and all, but I don’t have time to waste being, like, a notch on your belt or whatever, if that’s what you’re thinking.”
“Kate, stop.” His smile faded. “Look, I know I’ve messed around a lot in the past. But that’s not what this is about. I know you’re not like that.”
“What is it, then?”
He shrugged, his eyes suddenly uncertain. “It’s different this time, with you,” he said, poking at his burger. “I’m not sure why. I guess I just see something in you—something different from all those other girls.”
Kate wasn’t sure what to say to that. There was a look in his eye that she’d never seen before, and it made her more uncomfortable than ever. She grabbed her glass and took a gulp, but her hands were shaking and she ended up dribbling iced tea down her chin.
Fitz looked up in time to see it and grinned. “Looks like you’re developing a pretty serious drinking problem there,” he quipped, sounding much more like his normal self. “Let me give you a hand.”
He reached out and dabbed her chin gently with his napkin. Kate didn’t move as she felt his fingers brush her face. She would be the first to admit she wasn’t used to getting up close and personal with guys very often. But she couldn’t remember ever feeling that quiver before when one touched her.
“So how about it?” Fitz asked, dropping his napkin and leaning forward. “Will you give me a sho
t, see what happens?”
Even under the fluorescent lights of the diner, he looked handsome and sincere staring at her like that. She couldn’t help smiling.
“Um, sure,” she said. “I guess. Why not.”
“Cool!” He flopped back in his seat, grinning. “Then I guess this is our first official date, huh?”
“Okay.” Kate sneaked a peek at her watch. “But I’d better cut it short. Sorry. But I need to be back at the barn in like six hours.”
Fitz looked disappointed, but shrugged. “Okay. Don’t want to get you in trouble with the boss.”
He paid the check and they headed back to the barn. Fitz had driven to the diner, and pulled his racy red convertible in right next to Kate’s car.
“Thanks for dinner,” Kate said, suddenly feeling shy again.
“You’re welcome.” Fitz unhooked his seat belt and leaned toward her. Kate closed her eyes, knowing what was coming and not sure if she was ready for it.
She felt Fitz’s hand touch her arm and then his lips gently brush hers. “Good night,” he murmured. “Sweet dreams. I’ll see you on Thursday.”
Kate opened her eyes, her heart beating faster. “Good night,” she whispered. Then she climbed out of the car and hurried to her own, fumbling with her keys. She was very aware of Fitz watching her until she’d started her car, then he revved his engine and followed her down the winding drive. Glancing into the rearview as she paused at the end, she saw him wave as they prepared to turn in opposite directions down the quiet country highway.
Soon she was speeding toward home, her mind buzzing with everything that had just happened. Fitz thought she was special. He wanted to be with her, see what might happen between them. Was he for real, or was that just another line? She had no idea, and suddenly didn’t really care. She spent way too much time worrying and wondering and trying to figure things out ahead of time. Maybe this time she just needed to go with it for once, be a little more daring. Kind of like Zara seemed to be—going for what she wanted without worrying about the possible consequences, or what anyone else might say.
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