Ride a Dark Horse

by Laura Moore

  “Well, that doesn’t close too many doors, now does it?” she shot back loudly at his retreating form. Exasperating young man.

  Caleb didn’t bother checking his answering machine. The odds were pretty slim that anyone would be calling him at this hour of the morning. But out of habit, he clipped his beeper to his belt on the off chance Mark Winterer or someone from the hospital needed to contact him. Even though he’d worked out this arrangement with Mark covering for him during the weekends he was at shows, Caleb nonetheless felt responsible as the senior and founding partner of the hospital.

  He couldn’t just disconnect.

  He and Cassie met in front of the Jeep.

  “Hi. Got all your stuff?”

  Cassie nodded. His eyes swept over her. Still in her grey sweatpants, she’d put on paddock boots, a T-shirt that looked about a thousand years old, and a frayed, faded Yankees’ cap. Going for the relaxed look, he guessed. Wisely, he made no comment other than, “Gotta do something about that cap, Slim. You could get into some serious trouble wearing a Yankees’ cap around here.”

  She shook her head vehemently. “Never in this lifetime. This hat is precious, it was my brother Tom’s. He gave it to me for my seventeenth birthday after I bugged him for it for months.”

  “All right then, we’ll just make you an honorary Orioles’ fan. That means you get special dispensation.”

  “Whew ” Cassie exclaimed. “Now I’ll be able to sleep at night. Before we go, I want to run back and give the kids a kiss good-bye. They just woke up.”

  Caleb fell into step beside her. “Good. I’m ready for a couple more slices of that banana bread.” Ten minutes later they were on the road, Cassie having insisted on driving, claiming she was too wired to sit idly in the passenger seat, promising Caleb he could drive on the way home, when adrenaline was no longer making her feel like an overwound wristwatch.

  After they’d left the town limits, Caleb directed her to the interstate. “We’ll be on this for the next fifty miles, so you can open her up a bit, if you want. The show grounds are about fifteen miles from the interstate.”

  Cassie glanced over at him and smiled. Her eyes sparkled under the navy brim of the cap. She eased her foot down on the gas pedal, and the Jeep shot forward in response.

  She drove fast, and competently. Caleb had been pretty sure she’d be a good driver, given her quick reflexes. Reaching forward, he turned on the radio and found the college station they always played in the barn, letting the music fill the interior of the car.

  He waited.

  It took only a few minutes before Cassie overcame her self-consciousness and began singing. Leaning back into the bucket seat with a small smile on his face, Caleb let himself enjoy the sensation of being taken for a ride by Cassie.

  A little over an hour and a quarter later they pulled into the showgrounds. Rows of horse vans were parked in bright green fields. Horses were being schooled in small circles on longe lines. Wooden-fenced riding rings were filled with the fluid movement of riders exercising their mounts, some on the flat, others over jumps of varying heights. The tinny blare of the PA system was a background accompaniment, announcing classes and results. In the far distance, they could see little ponies filing into one of the show rings, signaling the start of a children’s class. Beginners’ and children’s classes were generally held in the early morning, with the jumper classes later in the day.

  Cassie slowed the Jeep to a crawl as she negotiated the ruts and bumps made by the heavy vans over the soft spring ground.

  “You see the van anywhere?” Her eyes scanned the rows of trailers and larger horse vans.

  “Yeah. Way over on the end there. You might as well park here and save your suspension. By the end of the afternoon, these bumps are going to look like war trenches.”

  Cassie found a spot near the base of a large elm. She and Caleb climbed out. Caleb took the opportunity to stretch his long frame as he waited while Cassie opened the trunk door to grab her gear bag.

  “Need a hand carrying that?” He nodded at the large duffel bag Cassie had hefted over her shoulder.

  “No thanks. I’ve got it.”

  Caleb eyed the bulk of the bag and reached out, tugging the strap from her shoulder. Cassie scowled at him as she felt it slip down her arm. “Really, I’m fine.” She stepped to the side in an effort to keep hold of the bag.

  “Sorry, Slim. Employer’s privileges. You get to ride my horse, I get to boss you around.” He gave a slight tug. “Now give it over.”

  Cassie let the bag drop to the ground with a thud. Smiling sweetly, she watched as Caleb lifted the bag over his shoulder and his expression turning to disbelief.

  “Christ, what have you got in this thing? Cinder blocks?”

  “Just a few essentials. Let me know if it gets too heavy for you.”

  “If I’d known you were bringing The Encyclopaedia Britannica with you, I’d have let you park within spitting distance of the van.”

  “What a whiner. You’re the one who wanted to be macho and carry the bag.”

  “You’ve got to be kidding. Hercules himself would think twice about hauling this sack around. You going to let me see what you mean by essentials when we reach the van?”

  “Not on your life.”

  “Hah! I thought not.” Caleb’s good-natured grumbling continued as they crossed a field that had been transformed into a trailer parking lot and came within sight of the dark blue horse van with the name Five Oaks emblazoned on its side.

  Raffael, Five Oaks’s stable manager, and Tony, the groom, were busying themselves with Orion when Cassie and Caleb approached. Tony was unbuckling the light blanket from Orion’s back while Raffael was kneeling beside the stallion’s forelegs, his quick hands unwrapping the thick cotton bandages protecting them.

  “Morning, Tony Raff.” Caleb greeted the two men as he and Cassie came within hearing distance.

  “Hi. You just missed Hank. He went over to the officials’ tent to pick up Cassie’s number.”

  “How’d Orion do in the van?”

  “Settled down pretty well. Doesn’t seem too excited by the commotion.” His glance swept toward Caleb. “That eucalyptus stuff you gave us is working real well.”

  “What eucalyptus stuff?” Cassie inquired.

  Caleb shrugged. “It’s a salve I found to rub on the inside of his nostrils. So he won’t be bombarded by all these distracting scents.”

  Cassie walked over to the stallion and stroked his sleek neck. Her fingers stole up to the row of neat braids along his neck and she scraped her fingernails lightly around them. Orion flexed his muscles against her, encouraging her to scratch around the braids some more.

  Raffael laughed. “He’s like a cat rubbing against your pants legs. Doesn’t have a clue he weighs about a thousand pounds more. Careful, Cassie, Hank’ll kill you if you mess up those braids.”

  “They must be so itchy, but I suppose even horses have to suffer to look beautiful. You did a great job, Raff. I always love it when a jumper’s braided, it’s so elegant.” In the jumper division, braids on a horse were optional, but Cassie personally thought it made everything that much more special.

  “Oh, Tony he looks just spectacular ” Cassie exclaimed. She was right. Tony had pulled off the blanket, and Orion’s coat gleamed in the morning sunshine like dark satin, the white markings on his legs spotless.

  “Yeah, he’s really going to stand out. What a looker you are, big guy.” Caleb patted the horse’s neck affectionately. “Why don’t you put Cassie’s saddle on him while I go hunt for Hank. The farthest practice ring over there doesn’t seem too crowded. That okay with you, Slim?”

  “Sure. I’ll pull on my breeches and boots and we’ll meet you over there.”

  19

  C assie didn’t hurry Orion as she and Raffael led him to the exercise ring, allowing the horse time to take in the unfamiliar surroundings. She could tell by his gait and posture that he was excited. There was a coiled energy in
the spring of each step, in the carriage of his head, and in the busy twitching of his ears. So Cassie allowed her pace to be casual, almost lazy, as if the three of them were out for nothing more exciting than a weekend stroll.

  Hank had chosen the first couple of shows as a warmup for Orion. These first few shows were held on Saturdays rather than Sundays, meaning that the Grand Prix courses were slightly less challenging and the prize money significantly more modest: ranging anywhere from five to fifteen thousand as opposed to the really large purses of twenty-five to over seventy-five thousand. Those were reserved for the Sunday Grand Prix events, shows Cassie would start competing in toward early summer.

  Sam Waters, Cassie’s old trainer back in New York, always referred to these smaller horse shows as leaky-roof shows. Not classy, big, or rich enough to attract the elite riders and horses, but an excellent place for a young or inexperienced horse or for riders who wanted to build their horses’ confidence and, perhaps, give them a shot at some prize money.

  Cassie found herself scanning the crowd to see whether she knew any of the other riders. Although she thought she recognized one or two faces as vaguely familiar, she wasn’t inclined to move any closer and verify their identities. She’d find out later who was who as the PA system announced each rider. Caleb had been right, though. Without a doubt, Orion was the classiest looker in the place. He’d already turned quite a few heads as they passed by, riders and grooms alike flicking their professional eyes over his powerful build.

  A number of the male riders also let their eyes linger over Cassie, taking in her long legs, her slender waist encased in the snow-white breeches. She ignored them, indifferent to the appreciative glances she was generating.

  “She’s moving well out there. Orion’s settled down pretty quickly.”

  “Yeah,” Caleb agreed, standing by the railing of the practice ring, watching Cassie warm up the stallion. “He’s nice and collected. That flat work she’s been doing with him seems to be really paying off.”

  “His jumping’s been looking real sharp, too.” Hank grinned. “God, I can’t wait to see them in the show ring.”

  “Slow down there, partner.” The corner of his mouth lifted at his friend’s impatience. “Let her school him over a couple of fences first.” He glanced at his watch. “Her class is scheduled to start in about an hour.” Caleb bent to duck between the railings of the fence. “I’m going to see whether she needs any of the jumps adjusted. Come on and give me a hand. It’ll keep you from getting antsy.”

  “Antsy my foot. I can tell by that gleam in your eye that you’re just as excited as I am.”

  Caleb grunted but didn’t bother to deny it.

  * * *

  “How’s he feel, Slim?”

  Cassie had spotted Caleb and Hank and trotted over Orion to the center of the ring where they stood. A few other trainers and riders stood near, talking among themselves.

  She shrugged. “Stronger on the bit than usual, but that’s to be expected. He’s listening, even with all this commotion about, so that’s a good sign.”

  Hank spoke. “Caleb and I were wondering whether you wanted anything done with the jumps.”

  Cassie considered the fences that had been set up to warm up the horses. “No thanks, they’ll do. But after I’ve finished, I want to walk the course.” She paused, hesitating. “Would either of you mind coming with me? I find it really helpful to talk to someone as I’m walking. It’s one of my show rituals . . .” her voice trailed off, feeling somewhat self-conscious at having to explain.

  Hank clamped his back molars tight to keep from volunteering. Strategy. He loved it. Going into the ring to count out the strides, checking the shallowness of the cups, discussing angles of approach.

  Instead, he turned to Caleb. “Uh, why don’t you go over the field with Cassie. I’ll take Orion back and give him a bit of water and check his boots and all.”

  “You sure about that, Hank?”

  Hank thought of his wife, Melissa, and nodded. Man, she was going to be so proud of him, he just knew it. She’d sit on the edge of their bed in her pretty flowered cotton nightgown and tell him how clever he was to have let Cassie and Caleb have this time together, to pull them closer together, to . . . what was that word she liked so much? Oh, yeah, to bond. And then he’d lean back against the headboard and watch while she slowly took off her nightgown so that they could do a little bonding of their own.

  Yeah, he thought as he caught the look that passed between Caleb and Cassie. Bonding was a good thing.

  She was up next and Caleb’s gut was suddenly knotted in a twisted snarl of anxiety. Christ, he hadn’t felt this nervous since he’d had the lead role in the eighth-grade play. He’d certainly never been this anxious when he’d competed in shows himself.

  He concentrated on keeping his features relaxed as he swallowed the panic threatening to overwhelm him. Damn it, if he was feeling this way now he was going to be a basket case by the end of the afternoon.

  Eight riders had gone around the course already. Three of them had knocked down poles and another rider’s horse had balked at a neon striped double oxer. But that left four riders with clean rounds already, so a jump-off was inevitable. Caleb glanced up at Cassie astride Orion and swallowed once again, amazed at how composed she looked. Since the beginning of the jumper class, she’d sat still as a statue, her gaze focused with intense concentration as she followed the progress of each rider.

  He guessed he’d underestimated her. Or perhaps he’d just never glimpsed this facet to her personality. He’d recognized that she was an incredibly gifted rider, but he hadn’t foreseen just what a ferocious and intense competitor she would be.

  Cassie gathered up her reins a slight notch as the rider before her approached the second to last fence. She walked Orion in a circle and then began making her way toward the gate. Hank and Caleb fell in step beside her and Hank spoke quietly to her as they approached the entrance to the ring. Caleb’s terrified heart was pounding too loud for him to make out the words, but he saw Cassie nod her head in agreement and smile.

  This was it. The previous rider trotted out of the ring, his face reflecting the disappointment of the seven faults he’d accumulated. Cassie nudged Orion gently behind the girth. They moved toward the in-gate.

  Clearing his throat forcefully, he got his tongue working well enough to blurt out, “Cassie.”

  Turning her head, her eyes a deep blue under the rim of her velvet hunt cap, she stilled the horse. “Yeah?”

  “Break a leg.” His lips felt wiggly as he formed the words, like pudding that hadn’t quite set.

  She laughed, the sound full of confidence and daring. “Thanks.”

  She was gone. Caleb gripped the fence boards tight, the grain of the wood imprinting itself like tracks upon his flesh.

  “Looks pretty as a picture out there, doesn’t she?”

  They were watching as Cassie trotted Orion toward the judges stand and drew him to a halt. They paused a moment, in that brief instant taking on the grandeur of a magnificent Renaissance equestrian statue. Then Cassie dipped her head toward the judges’ stand in salutation and moved Orion into a controlled canter at the far end of the ring.

  Caleb dropped his head and muttered a mangled prayer. “Hank?” The older man’s eyes remained fixed on Cassie’s form. “Yeah?”

  “You nervous?”

  “Yup. My knees are shaking, and my hands are trembling so bad you’d think I’d come off a three-day binge. How about you?”

  “I think I might puke.”

  Hank let out a chuckle and glanced at him out of the corner of his eye, then returned to Cassie’s distant form. “Now that you mention it, you do look a little green around the gills.” He fell silent at the sight of Orion moving into an elegant, rolling canter, the horse’s tail fluttering behind in the light breeze. “Funny isn’t it, here we are, nervous as two old grannys, and there she is, cool as a cucumber. It’s not as if we haven’t been in the business for so
me time now. Longer than her, come to think of it.”

  “It’s different now. There’s Orion and there’s . . .”

  “Yeah, I know. She’s kinda special.”

  “Yeah.”

  Hank smiled to himself, not needing to reply and the two men fell silent as Cassie approached the first row of jumps.

  God, she loved this! She’d missed the excitement of competing, the hours of hard work and training finally coming together for this one moment, the feeling of power and glory as she and the one-ton animal beneath her flew over the ground and into the air.

  She kept Orion balanced in his canter, her thigh muscles gripping the saddle beneath her as she rode him around in a circle. Fluidly she moved into a two-point position, inclining her body forward slightly, bringing her hands forward a mere fraction on Orion’s neck, increasing the tempo of his canter with a light pressure from her legs, readying him for the first set of jumps.

  Orion felt good. His canter was strong yet controlled, his enormous strength waiting to be tapped, like a rich vein in a gold mine. She kneed him forward as they rounded the curve and then straightened into the first line of jumps.

  She felt the surge of energy beneath her as Orion sighted the first fence. Ears pricked forward, his gallop ate up the ground. Cassie checked him slightly, bringing his pace under more control. Orion snorted impatiently, and Cassie pictured the massive muscles underneath her bunching and flexing in anticipation. But she maintained the tempo, determined not to rush her fences.

  “Steady Orion . . . okay, here we go.”

  She let her fingers open fractionally, relaxing on the reins, and squeezed, supporting him from behind with her legs. She counted off the strides as the first jump came nearer and nearer, her heart pounding to the rhythm of Orion’s hooves, her entire being focused on his every move.

  They flew they landed, they moved on, Orion negotiating each fence with the ease that his strong body promised. Jump by jump passed underneath his hooves, Cassie bending and rising, shifting her weight to follow the rhythm of his takeoffs and landings. Jumbled words and thoughts raced in and out of her head now as fence after fence loomed ahead.