The A Circuit 04- Rein It In

by Georgina Bloomberg

  As for Summer? Zara was skeptical. The girl was so self-absorbed that Zara couldn’t imagine her bothering to post about anyone else. Especially people like Kate and Joy.

  “Can I help you, dear?” The woman sitting in the booth stood and wandered toward Zara with a polite smile on her face. “That’s a lovely piece, isn’t it?”

  Zara blinked, realizing she was still staring at the painting of the hound. “Uh, yeah,” she said. “It’s great. I’ve got to go.”

  She hurried on down the aisle, tempted to just give up on this whole stupid quest. After all, the rumor about Zac had blown over already; the tabloids had moved on to the scandal du jour. No harm done. Why not forget about it and enjoy the rest of the show?

  Zara wandered toward the nearest entrance to the ring, where the Small Pony Hunters had started up a little while ago. She stood in the doorway staring at the tiny gray Welsh type zipping around the course.

  “Hey,” a voice broke into her thoughts. “We were looking for you.”

  It was Dani. “You found me,” Zara said. “Where’s everyone else? What have you guys been doing?” Most of Saturday’s schedule didn’t have much going on for the older juniors; just ponies and miscellaneous award ceremonies and stuff. Basically, they were all marking time until the main event tomorrow.

  “Mostly studying.” Dani shrugged. “But Mackenzie’s up soon—we should try to catch her rounds.”

  Zara had only a vague idea of who Mackenzie was—Pelham Lane’s pony kids all kind of looked alike to her. But she nodded and followed Dani into the arena.

  Zara’s barnmates had taken over a whole section of seats about halfway up. Summer was typing away on her laptop, while Marissa’s schoolbooks were spread all over the seats in front of her.

  “Ugh, homework.” Zara glanced at Marissa’s math book with a shudder. “Don’t remind me.”

  She’d barely opened her books since arriving in Harrisburg, mostly because she’d been too busy with her investigation. Not that she needed much of an excuse to skip Spanish or algebra—or any other class, for that matter. Still. This stupid blog wasn’t worth blowing her GPA, was it?

  She flopped down beside Summer, leaning her chin on her hands and staring out at the ring. Nobody else seemed that interested in finding out who was writing the blog. At least not interested enough to do anything about it. So why did she care?

  She had no clue. It wasn’t like her to stick with something like this when it stopped being fun. Why bother? But this time, for some reason, she just wasn’t sure she wanted to let it slide.

  “More coffee, anyone?” The waitress paused beside the booth where Tommi was sitting with Marissa, Dani, Zara, and Fitz. The five of them had spent the past half hour chowing down on Mexican food and talking about tomorrow’s eq finals.

  “Not for me.” Marissa put a hand over her cup. “I’ll never fall asleep tonight if I have any more caffeine.”

  Tommi pushed her cup toward the waitress. “I’ll take a refill, thanks.”

  “Getting jazzed up for your late-night schooling session?” Dani grinned at her across the table. “I get it. You don’t want to look sleepy for Mr. Hot Stuff from California.”

  Tommi rolled her eyes, reaching for the sugar. “More like I don’t want to be too sleepy to handle Fable.”

  “Uh-huh.” Marissa smirked, trading an amused glance with Dani. “You’re amazing, Tommi. I wish I had cute guys falling all over me everywhere I go.”

  Tommi ignored her, sipping the hot coffee. She was definitely planning to get some serious work done with Fable tonight. And if Scott happened to be there, too? Well, that was just a happy accident. Her only regret was mentioning it to Zara and the others, who hadn’t let up on her all through dinner.

  “By the way, I meant to ask earlier—where are Summer and Kate tonight?” she asked, hoping for a change of subject. “I tried to call Kate’s room before I left to meet you guys, but there was no answer.”

  “Summer’s having dinner with some relative who lives near here tonight,” Marissa said.

  “And I left Kate a note in our room.” Dani glanced up from her food. “She didn’t come back while I was getting changed. I figured she stayed behind at the show.”

  “She did.” Fitz scooped up the last bite of his enchilada. “She wanted to stick around and help with feeding and stuff so Miguel can focus on getting the trailer gassed up and ready to head back tomorrow night.”

  “Really?” Tommi felt a pang of concern. For a while over the summer, Kate had pretty much stopped eating. It had never quite turned into a real eating disorder as far as Tommi could tell, but she still kept an eye on her friend’s food intake, especially during stressful times. “What’s she going to do about dinner?”

  “Already had it,” Fitz said. “I picked up some nice greasy show food and ate with her while we watched the schooling rounds finish up.”

  “You mean this is your second dinner?” Zara stared at Fitz’s plate, which was empty except for a few stray blobs of rice and salsa. “Gross.”

  Fitz just grinned at her. “Anyway, it sounds like Jamie wants us on the road as soon as possible after finals is done tomorrow night.” He made a face. “For some reason he seems to think we all want to be super well rested for school on Monday.”

  “Ugh, I can’t even think that far ahead.” Tommi waved the idea away with one hand. “First I need to survive tomorrow.”

  “You’ll be awesome.” Zara raised her water glass in salute. “We’ll totally be cheering you on. Right, guys?”

  “Woo-hoo!” Dani whooped, pumping her fist. “Goooo Tommi!”

  “Hey, what about me?” Fitz pretended to pout. “I’ll be out there too, you know.”

  Marissa laughed. “Goooo Fitz!” she cheered.

  “That’s better.” Fitz smiled, then leaned closer to Tommi, taking on a mock serious air. “So Tommi, tell us about this young man you’re seeing tonight. What are his intentions?”

  Tommi drained the rest of her coffee and slid out of the booth. “I think that’s my cue to leave,” she said, ignoring Marissa’s giggles. “Someone cover me for dinner and I’ll pay you back, okay? I want to get back over there and get ready to ride.”

  There were at least half a dozen other riders in the ring when Tommi rode in a few minutes before eleven, but her eyes went straight to the jet-black horse trotting along the opposite rail. Or, to be more accurate, that horse’s rider.

  Scott. Her gaze lingered on him for a moment, admiring the way he sat in the saddle like he belonged there. The coffee hadn’t really kicked in yet and the heavy Mexican food had made her a little sleepy, but now she felt buzzed just watching him ride.

  Then the black horse circled toward Tommi and she turned away, not wanting Scott to catch her staring. She let her gaze wander, taking in the rest of the place. She recognized most of the other horse-and-rider pairs as well—her competition for tomorrow. The stands were mostly empty, though a few die-hard juniors were still up there studying and one or two trainers were watching their students ride.

  Tommi walked Fable along the rail, and a moment later heard hoofbeats. Scott pulled up beside her.

  “Hey, you made it,” he said. “I just got here too.”

  Tommi nodded, shortening her reins. As glad as she was to see Scott, she had to remember she wasn’t here to flirt. She had work to do, and no guy—no matter how cute—was going to distract her.

  “Fable’s feeling good,” she said with a smile. “I’d better get him moving.”

  “Cool. Ace is ready to go, too.” Scott grimaced as his horse jumped to the side, almost crashing into Fable as another horse cantered past nearby. “Maybe a little too ready.”

  He pushed the black horse forward, trotting off before Tommi could respond. She watched for a moment, then nudged Fable into a trot as well.

  For the next few minutes she almost forgot Scott was there as she and Fable did their thing. Almost.

  After Fable cleared the big oxer at the end
of their latest practice line, she brought him back to a walk and patted him. “Good boy,” she murmured, feeling pleased with their progress. Considering she’d only ridden the horse a few times before this weekend, Tommi was feeling good about their chances tomorrow.

  Once again, she found Scott riding up beside her. “Taking a walk break?” he asked. “Me too.”

  Tommi glanced over at his horse, Ace. “Your guy’s a little spooky, huh? Has he been to Indoors before?”

  “Nope.” Scott grimaced. “It shows, huh? He did jumpers when he was younger, but he wasn’t quite fast enough to bring it home in the jump-offs. For some reason my trainer thought he’d make a good eq horse, which is why I bought him. But I’m starting to wonder.”

  Tommi shrugged. “He got you this far, right? He must be pretty good.”

  “Yeah, I guess.” Scott glanced at Fable. “So yours is a sale horse, huh? Is he young?”

  “Not really. He’s around nine or ten, I think—did the hunters for a while, but he’s not a flashy enough mover to do that well.” Tommi steered around a girl trotting past in the opposite direction. “So when his owners moved to Europe and left him with Jamie to sell, he convinced them Fable was perfect for the eq ring and they agreed. My friend Kate has been bringing him along all summer.”

  “Cool. And now here you are.” Scott grinned. “Any chance you’ll buy him if he gets you the win tomorrow?”

  “What, you’re actually admitting I’m going to beat you?” Tommi looked over with a sly smile. “About time you accepted the truth.”

  Scott laughed. “No way! I was just being polite. Seriously, though, you guys look good together. I just thought maybe you’d decide to add him to your barn on, you know, a more permanent basis.”

  Tommi kept her smile steady, but Scott’s words had reminded her of her business plan. Other than looking at that one horse of Kara Parodi’s, she hadn’t really done anything about that yet. Sure, she could use Indoors as an excuse. But if she wanted to do this for real, she couldn’t let any excuses stand in her way.

  “Nah, not going to happen,” she told Scott. “I’m happy with Orion—that’s my eq horse, the one with the abscess. If I do the eq again next year, it’ll be on him.”

  “If?” Scott raised an eyebrow.

  Tommi shrugged. She hadn’t really meant to say that. It was just something she’d been thinking about lately. If she wanted to get serious about training and selling horses, was there enough time to keep competing in all three rings? On the one hand, next season would be her last junior year—the one everybody talked about, the one that really counted. But most people ended up going off to college after that last hurrah, usually giving up riding and showing at least temporarily, if not forever. Tommi definitely wasn’t planning to do that. So what was the big deal if she narrowed her focus a bit, dropped eq and just did hunters and jumpers next year? Those were the rings where she was most likely to find prospects for resale, and dropping the eq would give her more time to focus her business while still getting to show. Maybe that was more important than another year chasing points in the eq and trying to win finals.

  But this wasn’t the time to worry about that. She slid a challenging look at Scott. “Don’t get your hopes up,” she told him. “I’m definitely riding tomorrow, and that’s all you should be worrying about right now.”

  Scott looked amused. “I’m thinking you’re the one who should be worried. After all, you’re the one on the new horse. What’s his breeding like, anyway?”

  “I’m not sure.” Tommi swallowed a yawn as she tried to remember if Jamie or Kate had ever said anything about Fable’s bloodlines. Her brain was feeling a little fuzzy around the edges—it had been a long day, and tomorrow would be even longer. “I’m pretty sure he’s registered, though.”

  “Doesn’t matter if they can do the job, right?” Scott said. “That’s what my trainer always says.”

  “Jamie too.” Tommi glanced down at Fable, who was wandering along with his neck stretched out and relaxed. “Guess we should get back to work, huh?”

  Scott glanced around the ring. “I have a better idea.”

  “What?” Tommi couldn’t help noticing that suddenly his expression looked oddly devilish.

  “I don’t see any trainers in here that I know, do you?”

  Tommi scanned the arena. Several of the riders had left while she and Scott were riding, leaving only three other horses besides theirs.

  “I don’t see any trainers in here at all right now,” she said. “Why?”

  “This could be our chance to see who’s really the better eq rider.” His voice held a definite challenge now. “Let’s switch horses.”

  “Huh?” Tommi blinked, not sure she’d heard him right. “What are you talking about?”

  “We’ll probably have to do it tomorrow anyway as part of the final test if we both make the cut.” Scott shrugged. “So let’s get a sneak preview. You can hop on Ace here, and I’ll take Fable for a spin. Come on, it’ll be fun!” He grinned, raising his eyebrows. “Unless you don’t have the guts?”

  Tommi hesitated. She knew Jamie wouldn’t approve if he were here. She was supposed to be using this time to get to know Fable better, not to ride random other horses.

  But Scott was still staring at her with that challenging look in his eye. She couldn’t let him think she didn’t have the guts to ride his horse. No way.

  “Sure,” she said. “Let’s do it.”

  “Great.” Scott grinned and led the way to the middle of the ring, out of the way of the few remaining riders. “Need a leg up?”

  Soon they were both mounted again. Scott’s horse felt forward and very alert, but no worse than Toccata on a good day. Tommi didn’t push the black gelding too hard—she trotted a few big, loopy circles and figure eights, just testing the controls. It was kind of fun—Ace was a very different ride from Fable, and figuring him out actually made Tommi feel a little more awake.

  After a few minutes she glanced around to see how Scott was doing. To her surprise, he had Fable going at a brisk canter, heading for a good-sized vertical. Tommi blinked in surprise. Sure, if the judge had them switch horses tomorrow they would have to jump, but somehow she’d assumed she and Scott were sticking to flatwork right now.

  Fable pricked his ears at the jump, clearing it out of stride and landing well. Scott immediately turned and aimed the big gray at an oxer.

  For a second Tommi felt a flash of unease. What if Scott really was trying to sabotage her? She’d heard of stranger things happening at finals. Maybe he’d lured her into liking him just so he could convince her to switch and let him wear out her horse, maybe crash him through a jump or two …

  But once again, Fable jumped well, landed softly, and cantered away with his ears up. Scott brought him back to a trot, collecting the gait around the short end of the ring and then lengthening down the long side. Tommi relaxed, feeling foolish for her moment of panic.

  “Come on, buddy,” she said to the black horse. “If this is how we’re playing it, I might as well see what you’ve got, too.”

  She spent the next few minutes testing all of Ace’s buttons. He was solid at lateral work and transitions, but could be iffy when it came to collecting at the canter. And he refused to move past a particular mostly white banner at any gait without skittering away from it and tossing his head.

  Overall, though, he was a lot of fun. And hey, it never hurt to ride other horses—that sort of thing could only help her eq, right?

  Tommi brought the horse to a walk and patted him, glancing around for Scott. As she did, she noticed Kate standing at the rail near the gate. Probably stopping by to check on how Tommi was doing with Fable, maybe seeing if she needed any more tips to help get ready for tomorrow. Yikes. What was Kate thinking right now, seeing somebody else riding him?

  Tommi felt oddly guilty, though she wasn’t sure why. “Hey,” she called to Scott, urging the black horse back into a trot to catch up with Fable. “Time to trade
back. I need to finish schooling and get out of here before I fall asleep in the saddle.”

  Scott turned Fable into the center and pulled him up. “Okay, if you insist.” He kicked his feet out of the stirrups and leaned forward to give Fable a pat on the neck. “But it was fun, right?”

  “Sure.” Tommi slid down from the black horse, quickly adjusting the stirrups back to Scott’s length. “It was cool.”

  As she remounted, she sneaked a peek at Kate, who was watching with a puzzled expression. Oh well. Tommi would explain it to her later.

  Chapter Sixteen

  Kate bent to brush a stray bit of hay off Fable’s legs. “Ready to tack up?” she asked Tommi, who was staring fixedly at the horse’s broad hindquarters as she brushed the same spot over and over. “I’ll go get your stuff.”

  “Thanks.” Tommi continued brushing, even though the gray gelding’s coat was already so clean you could eat off it. Kate and the grooms had seen to that, arriving even earlier than usual to make sure her and Fitz’s horses were ready to go.

  Kate hurried to the tack stall and grabbed Tommi’s saddle. On the way back she passed Fitz, looking handsome in his tall boots and dark jacket. He was frowning and fiddling with his tie as he walked.

  “Hey,” he greeted Kate, one corner of his lip turning up in a half smile before his expression turned serious again.

  “Hey,” Kate replied. “I’ll be over to help you tack up in a sec, okay?”

  “Thanks.” Fitz strode off without pausing for a kiss or a flirtatious comment. That was unusual for Fitz, of course, but still not particularly surprising. Everyone in Pelham Lane’s stabling area was very serious at the moment. No wonder. It was Medal Finals morning. This was the day Tommi and Fitz had worked toward all year.

  When Kate got back to Tommi and Fable, Elliot was there. “I’ve got this,” he said, reaching out to take Tommi’s tack. “Why don’t you go help Fitz. He’s up before Tommi, and I think he’s running behind as usual.”