by Toni Mari
Most of the equipment was already packed on the trailer, thanks to my parents and Cory. We pulled Windsong’s tack off and loaded it on. After dressing him in his travel sheet and boots, I led him into the trailer. He nudged my shoulder, so I gave him the treat in my hand. He seemed happy to get on the trailer. Did he know the next stop was home? My body was humming, but all that glory and exhilaration couldn’t overcome my exhaustion. In the truck, I leaned into Cory. He put his arm around me and I was asleep before we hit the highway.
Chapter 3 1
I slept most of the ride home. When we arrived at the barn, I unloaded Windsong first. After undressing him and putting his stable blanket on, I led him into his stall. I could swear he was smiling as he sank down into the clean, fluffy bedding, groaning happily as he rolled. He stood up and shook his whole body like a wet dog would. I laughed. At the sound of my voice, his ears pricked up and he strode over to the doorway where I was standing. I handed him the rest of the treats I was holding and patted his neck. “Nighty night, Elton. You can have the next few days off. You definitely deserve it.” I slid the door shut.
The long nap in the truck refreshed me and I was full of happy energy. I thanked my parents for helping unload, gave them both hugs and watched them climb into the car. Kate had already left. It was my job to put all the equipment away and clean out the trailer. My parents had piled everything in the middle of the barn aisle. My body was humming, and my mouth kept lifting in spasmodic smiles. I walked over to the pile to fill my arms. Cory picked up my saddle and gave me a tired smile.
He was such a doll, helping me and offering to take me home so that my parents could leave earlier. “I can do this, if you want to just take a break. Did you sleep in the truck at all?”
“No, I was awake the whole time. And to quote you, I’ve done a horse show or two, I’m fine.”
He didn’t sound fine. He sounded tired, and he was avoiding looking me in the eye. “You okay?”
“I’m fine.” This time he sounded impatient. I let it go and worked on putting my stuff away.
After we had cleared the aisle, I took my ribbons to Windsong’s stall. Traditionally, we hung up our ribbons to share with our barn friends. I held the blue first-place ribbon in my hand, smoothing the silky tail between my fingers. A shiver ran down my spine. Thanks to that precious animal in there, I really had a shot. My heart swelled and my eyes filled as I gazed at him peacefully munching hay. Jane Mitchell, member of the National Junior Rider Team. It sounded good. I hooked the ribbon on the rim of the bars.
My blood hummed for another reason. Cory had stepped up behind me. I spun around and threw my arms around him and buried my wet face in his shirt. “I might be able to do this,” I whispered.
“Of course you will.” Cory tipped my chin up with his finger. “You rocked this weekend. You were …” He shook his head and looked away.
“Only because of you. Maybe I can do this if I have you by my side.” I squeezed him tighter.
He shook his head harder. “You don’t need me. You’re in a class by yourself. You handled that Melinda girl, the ambulance, Windsong. You’ll make the team, maybe even win it, and then you’ll realize you never needed a piece of trailer trash like me.”
My mouth dropped open. I took his face in my hands. “Trailer trash? How could you say that? You’ve helped me so much. You are going to Europe, you have accomplished everything. I wish you weren’t leaving. I can’t imagine doing any of this without you, even for a little while.”
“The World Games.” He shrugged. “If only you could come with me.” He softly kissed my lips, and when I held on and deepened the kiss, he pushed me back against the wall. I wanted every part of my body touching his. I pressed into him, wrapping my arms around his shoulders. My knees turned liquid and my chest heaved with labored breath. Suddenly, Cory broke the kiss and pushed away.
I needed him. I would miss him horribly when he left in two weeks. I wanted to wipe away that unworthy look in his eyes. “Don’t stop. Let’s do it, Cory. I don’t want to let you go.”
For a second, I thought he was going to take me up on it. His eyes slitted with desire, his breath making soft huffs as it quickened. But he squeezed his eyes shut and shook his head. “What you’re feeling isn’t real. It’s just the victory, the thrill of winning. We can just forget you said that. I’ll take you home.”
“Don’t you want me, Cory?” I asked softly. I wanted him, and this wasn’t victory talking. His eyes widened. He was fighting himself, not me. I flicked his hat off and tossed it down. I pulled his hips into mine. I let what I was feeling pour out of me, no holding back. “Please.”
I watched the conflict flicker across his face. He was putting up a noble fight, but I cheated, wiggling my hips against him and smiling wickedly. He groaned. He grabbed my hand and pulled me to the hayloft ladder. I had a moment’s panic as I climbed the ladder. At the top, Cory turned. “We could still forget you said that and I’ll take you home. I wouldn’t be mad,” he hurried to add.
He meant it. I could back out. But no way. I trusted him, I wanted him. I hoped this was love, because all I could feel was Cory. I shook my head and slid my hands under his t-shirt.
Chapter 3 2
I let the door slam behind me as I ran down the front steps. I had tossed a hurried goodbye over my shoulder as I passed my mom in the kitchen. Funny how she didn’t ask for a million details when it was Cory’s truck I was climbing in. Had it been anyone else, I would have had to stand there for five minutes telling her the who, the what, the where, the when. I tried to shove my arms in the sleeves of my hoodie as I ran.
It was a beautiful April day with bright sun shining. A light breeze gently tugged my sleeve out of reach, making me stop to get my other arm in. I pulled open the door of Cory’s pickup, grinning. I slid over the seat right into his arms. When he finally released my lips, I said, “Hi.”
“Hi, beautiful lady.”
We stopped for cappuccinos on the way to the barn. This time it was me, sipping my drink, sitting on the fence watching Cory have a lesson. Chase’s voice drawled across the ring and his instructions were short and softly given. I listened closely and was surprised to learn that reining was just as precise as dressage. They were concerned with exact foot placement and balance in the moves, just like we were. Their adjustments to finesse a movement were just as subtle. Of course Cory and Jet were a joy to watch.
I glanced across the arena toward the pastures. Windsong was just a little black dot out in his pen. He lifted his head. Was he looking in this direction, at me? My heart swelled and I smiled. Horses had good distance vision, it was possible, and we had a connection these days, for sure.
Cory rode up to me, stopping within kissing distance. I wanted to, but not in front of Chase.
“Want to hop on for a few minutes?” Cory asked.
“I don’t want to mess him up. You guys just fine-tuned him.” I shook my head.
“You won’t mess him up if you’re on him with me.” Cory grinned slyly, patting the saddle in front of him.
I grinned back and climbed on. We meandered up to the other barn, not really wanting to make Jet do too much more work.
Together we untacked Jet and rubbed him down. After watching him roll immediately after we turned him out in his pen, we held hands and walked down the path into the woods.
“I’m already missing you. You leave in less than a week,” I started, squeezing his hand.
He whirled me around and into his arms. “I haven’t left yet.” Wriggling his eyebrows, he kissed me.
“You’re going to meet some amazing people. And the French girls are going to love you.” I poked him. “When you’re just getting over there I have to go to Virginia for a show. Alone. Without you.”
“I’ll only be thinking of you and this.” He kissed me again. “Plus, you don’t need me. Remember, only you and Windsong.”
I toyed with a string hanging from his jacket. “You won’t forget me and hook up
with some French girl? You know, when you’re feeling that victory thing?”
“There probably won’t be any victory thing. After the Games, I don’t know what there will be for me. Not college and I don’t have a job. When I get back, I have to figure out what I’m going to do. But I know one thing. I want you in my life.”
I lost the struggle to smile and a tear slid down my cheek. “I’ll really miss you,” I whispered.
Cory caught the wet drop with his thumb. “Me too. I know I’m on the verge of the biggest thing I’ve ever done in my life. And it is really important, right? But I don’t want to leave you.”
We were too new, too young. His leaving for two months felt like forever. I wanted him to know how much he meant to me. “I won’t forget you and everything you’ve done for me. I love you, cowboy.”
“You won’t have to forget me.” He crushed me to him. “I’ll be back.”
Chapter 3 3
Just as I was about to unclip Windsong’s cross ties, my cell phone rang. “’Lo.”
“It’s me. Hi, darling.” Cory’s voice oozed out of the phone. I didn’t know I had been worrying about him since he left two days ago until the weight lifted off of my shoulders at the sound of his voice.
“Cory! How was the trip? I am so happy to hear from you!” I gushed.
“Long. Really long. And when we finally got here, Jet wouldn’t eat. I had to take him for a walk around the grounds. I thought he was colicking again.” Cory’s voice sounded tired.
“Oh, no. Is he okay?”
“Yes. You won’t believe it, though. We were standing by the show arena, which is huge by the way. The stands must hold a couple thousand people. Anyway, I told him we were there to do our thing in the ring and that it was just another horseshow, and after we were done, we would head back home. It was the darnedest thing. He looked me right in the eye, nodded his head, then put it down in the grass to eat. That was the first thing he ate since we left the farm.”
“No way! You’re exaggerating!”
“No, I’m not. He didn’t understand what was happening. Once I told him, he was fine with it. You can ask Beth, she saw the whole thing.”
“Who’s Beth?” He was already hanging around with a girl? A fist squeezed my heart.
“Brett Landers’s groom. He’s on the team. His horse is young, needs Jet’s Zen thing, you know,” Cory explained quickly. A little too quickly.
“Oh.”
“Listen, I should go. I don’t want to use all my minutes on our first call. I’ll call you again in a couple days.”
“I don’t mind if you call collect, Cory. I wish I could hear from you more often than the sixty minutes you bought on that disposable phone.”
“No, I won’t call collect. If I can, I’ll buy more minutes. I miss you.”
“Me too. Give Jet a kiss for me.”
“I see how you roll. A kiss for my horse and none for me?”
“I’ll have more than a kiss for you when you get back here. Good luck, cowboy.”
I couldn’t make myself press the end button, so I watched the screen on my phone until it said “Call ended. 00:07:18.”
I took a minute to set the ringtone for Cory’s phone number to “Candle in the Wind.” I pushed the phone into the pocket on the inside of my jacket and went back to putting Windsong’s bridle on, but struggled to focus.
Outside at the mounting block, I climbed up and quickly got on Windsong before he did his dance move away from the steps. I missed Cory, but I especially missed his calm horse sense. When he watched me ride, his relaxed easiness was like a breeze in the arena. I let Windsong walk on a long rein while I waited for Kate. I closed my eyes and imagined Cory saying, “It’s just you and Windsong, nothing else.” I let the thought of his smile clear my mind. I leaned forward and rubbed Windsong’s neck, and he looked back at me, nudging my boot. His manner was much less tense these days.
“You working or just enjoying the sunrays?” a deep voice inquired.
I opened my eyes and smiled at Brandon. “Dude, no better place to be than on top of this horse.”
“Unless you’re in France, on top of ole Jet,” Brandon shot back at me. “Speaking of the guy, have you heard anything from Cory? How’s it going over there?”
“I just spoke with him. He’s a little tense, and Jet had trouble not eating, but they figured it out. We don’t get to talk long.”
“Yeah, well next time you talk to him, tell him I said thanks for being so far away. It gives us a chance to win some at the rodeo. Actually, Len and I qualified to ride in the roping finals Saturday. Do you want to come?”
I smiled. Cowboys. What a different breed they are. Brandon had his boot up on the bottom rail of the fence, was leaning his elbows on the top rail, and his cowboy hat was tipped down low over his eyes. He talked with a drawl, never in a hurry. Last year at this time, I would have thought of Brandon as rough and coarse and wouldn’t have given him the time of day. I knew better now. He was sweet and polite, and he cared for his horse, and here he was worrying about me because his friend wasn’t around to. “Absolutely! I would love to go. Meet you here?”
“You bet. See you then.” And he tipped his hat toward me. Did they teach that move in cowboy school? It might have seemed corny, but its charm never failed. I returned the gesture with a smile.
So I had the rodeo to look forward to on Saturday and my next show the day after. This one was not so far away and only a one-day event.
At the sound of Brandon’s horn I gave Windsong a last handful of treats through the bars of his stall and stashed the bag of treats in my tack trunk. “See you tomorrow, bud,” I called as I jogged out to the truck.
“Hop in,” Len said. He held the door open and let me climb over him to sit in the middle of the front seat.
“Hi,” Brandon said with a big smile.
“Are you nervous, boys?” I asked with a smirk.
“Hell no,” Brandon said. “We have this wrapped up since Cory’s not here. We practically have it won. Ain’t that right, Len?”
“You bet,” Len answered with a cocky grin. “You’re hanging with a couple of winners here.” He slipped his arm around my shoulders and gave me a friendly squeeze. “You think Doreen will notice me when I have that big first-place check in my hand?”
“Nope, I don’t think she will,” Brandon teased. “How was your ride, Jane?”
Sweet, asking about my ride. “It went well. I think we’re ready for tomorrow.”
“Good. I’m sure you’ll do great.” Brandon smiled at me.
When we arrived at the rodeo, I helped the guys unload their horses and tack up. “I’ll go find the girls and meet you afterward, ’kay?” I called. It would be great to hang out with Brenda and Jill again. “Good luck! I’ll be cheering for you.”
“Wait,” Brandon said. “Give me a good luck kiss. I need all the help I can get.”
I laughed and gave him a peck on the cheek. He pretend pouted, leaned down and gave me a quick kiss on the lips. “There, that’s better.” He swung up on his horse and rode off after Len.
Poacher. I climbed into the stands and found Brenda and Jill. They jumped up with squeals when they saw me and gave me hugs.
“We didn’t think we’d see you here since Cory’s away and all,” Brenda said.
“I came with Len and Brandon. Couldn’t miss the last rodeo with my friends just because Cory’s in France.”
“How’s he doing?” Jill asked. “Or who is he doing, is what I should ask.”
“Jill!” Brenda scolded.
“I’m sorry, Jane. You are fabulous. He’s the pig. I wouldn’t trust him at all. But anyway, how is he doing in the championships?”
I was quiet and slid my arms back to my sides. Do I answer honestly, or pretend everything is fine? I looked at Jill’s skeptical face. Cory deserved my loyalty and my faith. I smiled. “He’s settled in. Today is his first competition, so I should hear from him later. What events are your guys doing ton
ight?”
“Well, I’m sure he’ll do amazing and come back to you a champion,” Brenda said. She squeezed my shoulder and continued to tell me about the events her boyfriend was riding that night, kindly responding to my clear change of subject.
The announcer’s voice booming out of the speakers caught our attention. We stopped chatting and turned to the arena. I held my breath when Brandon and Len were setting up in the chutes. Brandon’s horse wouldn’t settle down, so he just nodded and they started anyway. He had to do some fancy riding to get himself lined up on the calf, but almost faster than I could see, he had his rope around the heel of the steer. Then Len let his rope fly, lassoing the calf’s neck.
As they flicked their ropes to unhook them from the calf, I watched the scoreboard for the time. Yes! They had the fastest time so far. Brandon and Len high-fived each other. As they loped out of the ring, Brandon found me in the audience, grinned at me, and tipped his hat. How cute. I raised my fist with my thumb up, grinning, then turned my attention to the next pair lining up in the chutes.
“Thought you were with Cory?” Jill questioned.
“Huh? I am.” I looked back toward Brandon riding out of the ring and then looked at Jill again. “He’s a friend.”
“Well, that sure looked like Brandon moving in while Cory’s far away,” Jill pushed.
“No, he’s being nice to me just because Cory’s away,” I tried to explain. My face burned when Jill tsked in disbelief. The kiss Brandon stole by the horse trailer flashed in my mind.
“I’m just saying, looks like the guy thinks you’re available,” Jill insisted.
I wasn’t, was I? I pulled my phone out and stared at the blank screen. No missed calls.
Brandon and Len won their event and walked away with the first-place check.
Len had also entered bareback bronc riding. He made the bell but didn’t score high enough to be in the money. Right after Len’s ride, Brandon showed up in the stands. “Hi, girls. Hey, Jane. Want to go to the snack stand? I’ll buy you something. I’m rolling in money now!” he exclaimed.