by Ann Hunter
Brooke and Laura grinned, speaking simultaneously. "We know."
Alex passed her skewer to Laura, and licked some of the melting chocolate off of her fingers. She backed away toward the log where Carol sat staring out on to the lake.
She sat beside her and casually offered the s'moreo to Carol, following her gaze to the water, darkly gleaming beneath the last of the daylight.
Carol shook her head. "No thanks. I'm on a diet."
Alex whipped her head, eyes boring into Carol. "Are you freaking kidding me? It's your birthday."
"I know. Thanks."
"And we're thirteen… Wait. Are you thirteen or fourteen?"
"Fourteen," Carol said quietly.
"Okay, so fourteen. We shouldn't be dieting."
Carol's troubled expression made Alex think Brad Soon-to-Be-Dead Hopkins did this to her. "Marshmallow—"
Carol turned to her, eyes watering. "Why do you call me that?"
"I— I wasn't. I was going to say— "
"It hurts y'know. I hate it." Carol wiped her wrist against her eyes. "I don't want anyone to call me names anymore. I just…"
"Are you crying?" Alex squinted. Frick, she’s crying.
Carol sniffled. "Smoke in my eyes."
They watched the water ripple and beat against the shore. The gentle lapping softened the silence between them. What was Alex supposed to do?
She took a deep breath, grabbed Carol's wrist, and shoved the s'moreo into her hand. When she let go, she folded her arms over her lap and leaned against them. "Shut up and eat the damn s'moreo."
Carol raised her hand to chuck the darn thing into the water.
"Don't even think about it," Alex warned.
Carol stiffened then shuddered. She lowered the s’moreo to her mouth and bit into the demon dessert. Alex smiled to herself.
Carol covered her mouth with her hand, half-way through. Her words were a little garbled, "This is scho good I don't wanna luff it."
"They come up with crazy stuff."
Alex pressed her palms into the log, drumming her fingers against the bark. She inched closer to Carol, bumping her knee with her own. "Hey."
Carol locked eyes with her, sucking chocolate and gooey melted sugar from her fingers. She raised an eyebrow.
Alex folded her hands in her lap. "I really like marshmallows."
INDIAN SUMMER
Carol sat in Alex's window seat, gazing across North Oak. Broodmares grazed in a paddock close to the Showmans' home while the foals bucked and raced with one another. The mid-June sun beat down on their glistening coats.
"It's too hot to brain," Alex moaned, sprawled across her bed.
Carol pressed the back of her head against the wall as a fan in the corner hummed back and forth from its stand, doing little to move the thick air around.
"Heat travels up. It's got nowhere to go." She opened the window, but even a breeze passing by didn't seem to help.
"Science."
Carol smiled. "Hey she got one."
Alex half-heartedly fist pumped. "What was the first question?"
Carol looked down to the textbook in her lap and wiped away a bead of sweat beneath her bangs. "If The Mulholland Express is headed north at fifty miles an hour, and the two o'clock creeper left an hour late headed to the same station from the east, but is thirty miles away—"
"A train wreck."
"What?"
Alex sailed her knuckles through the air toward eachother and pretended they exploded when they met. "Pshhhh."
Carol groaned, trying not to laugh. "I give up."
"I'm hopeless," Alex conceded. She leaned up on one elbow. "Want to go for a ride?"
"You mean a lesson? Are you sure Brooke isn't busy?"
Alex grinned fiendishly.
Carol tucked her braid, the one with the feather, behind her ear as she ducked into the boarding barn behind Alex. A zip of nervous energy scurried down her back. "Are you sure we should do this?"
Alex dove into the tack room and tossed Carol a helmet. "Yup."
Alex slung two bridles over her shoulder, then loaded two saddles and pads over her arms. She dropped one near Thorne, and the other by Approved's stall. "We'll brush them down afterwards. Hurry before someone sees us."
There was a new glint in Alex's eye Carol hadn't noticed before. A touch of an imp. Alex had a shadow of a smile as she hummed along to Approved.
"I don't know about this," Carol said hesitantly. She had continued lessons with Brooke despite the drama with Thorne, and they had worked things out.
She wasn't sure if Alex had heard or was pretending not to. Carol led Thorne from the stall and tacked him up quickly. She remembered the way Brooke had shown her and felt like she had the hang of it now.
Alex led Approved outside and circled him a few times before halting him to tighten his girth.
"Psst," Alex hissed to Carol. "Gimme a leg up."
Carol patted her mount and jogged down the aisle to Alex. She stooped and cupped her hands, hoisting her into the saddle. Alex gathered her reins and smiled down at her.
"How am I going to get up?" Carol asked.
Alex circled Approved again. His hooves crunching against the gravel beneath them. "There's a big rock behind the barn."
Carol hurried back to Thorne and finished up, then led him outside. A huge stone nearly as tall as she was sloped just enough to scurry on top. She guided the dark bay up beside it and swung into the saddle.
Alex waited for her a few feet away. "Let's go."
She followed Alex into the sunshine. It was hot outside, but not as stifling as the bedroom. A breeze brought some relief and the horses snorted softly, moving at a brisk walk.
They found a shaded lane that seemed to tunnel down the side of the farm. "How big is this place anyway?" Carol asked.
Alex grinned at her. "Wanna find out?"
The nerves dissipated from Carol as she had an idea. She urged Thorne into a trot. Alex pulled up beside her, then put her heels to Approved and sent him into a canter.
Carol bit her lip. Her hands tightened on the reins, not entirely confident in her riding yet.
Alex glanced behind. "Come on!"
Carol let Thorne have his head and he rolled into a canter. She grabbed the pommel of the saddle, unsteady at first, but settled. Her idea was still buzzing when she caught up to Alex.
"Hey. If a horse canters fifteen miles per hour, and we ride for ninety minutes, how far away will we be?"
Alex's face contorted. "Uh. I don't know." She shot a look to Carol. "Twenty-four-ish miles?"
Carol let out a crow. "Whoo!"
"Why are you so happy?"
She found her bravery and urged Thorne ahead. "You just did algebra!"
She laughed aloud and let out another whoop. "Race you."
They flew down the shady lane, manes flying, breaths lost on the heat of the day, too deaf from thundering hooves to hear much else than laughter.
Occasionally they would slow and give their mounts a rest.
"Let's see," Carol said. "If one side of North Oak is five miles, and the place is roughly squarish. Can you figure out how many miles around it is?"
Alex blew out the same sort of breath as Approved did just then. "Twenty-five?"
Carol nodded. "Good. Now if each side is six hundred and twenty-five acres, how big is the whole farm?"
"Aaaaaaand you broke my brain."
They rounded a bend that ascended steeply. "But you're curious aren't you?"
"Maybe. Kinda."
"It's twenty-five hundred acres. Just a little bit bigger than Ashford Stud in— Whoa."
They halted before a monstrous tree clawing the sky, with a canopy of lush green leaves.
Alex dismounted slowly, her eyes fixed on the branches. She chucked her helmet aside. "I bet you can see the whole lake from up there."
Carol took Approved's reins. "It's an oak."
Alex placed her hands against the trunk, walking around it, eyes still pinned o
n the treetop above.
"You're not going to climb it, are you?" Carol chewed her lip.
Alex gave her that same impish grin she had when they left for their ride.
"Please don't. You could get hurt. I've never seen a tree that big."
Alex pointed at it. "A tree this big demands to be conquered."
"Come on. We should get back before they notice the horses missing. We're going to get into trouble."
Alex somehow managed to scuttle up the trunk to the lowest branch. She stood on it and reached for the one above. "Trouble is my middle name."
"Really?"
"Actually it's Paige," Alex confessed. "But don't tell anyone, cuz I think it's dumb." With a rustle of the leaves, she disappeared above.
Carol sat back in her saddle, trying to catch of glimpse of Alex. She braced herself on the cantle and shaded her eyes, but no sight of the imp.
"Hey, look. They bounce," Alex called.
She still couldn't see her, but a few twigs snapped and leaves fluttered to the ground. Carol yelped. "You're going to break your neck."
Alex appeared upside down, gripping the thick branch and hanging with her knees over it. Her dark hair swung back and forth as she dangled. "Hi."
"Alexandra Paige Showman, you come down this instant or I'll… I'll…"
Alex smirked at her like there was nothing in the world Carol could do to get her back down to earth. She let go of the branch and hung from her knees.
Carol squealed. Thorne and Approved bumped into each other.
"Anderson," Alex said when the horses settled.
Carol bit her lip, trying to keep hold of them. "What?"
"My last name is Anderson. And even if you say all three of my names, I'm still going to hang out right here."
She linked her hands behind her head like there was nothing more relaxing than hanging from a tree. "Hey you want to come over early tomorrow? Brooke's taking Promenade for his first spin around the track."
"Would you just come down already?"
"Say yes."
The geldings danced nervously, picking up on Carol’s distress. "Alex…"
"Say yes or I'll make you tell me another reason I need math."
"Without math, how would you know the amount to feed your horse."
"Someone else's job. Posted to the stall door."
"But they used math to figure it out."
"Sucks to be them."
Carol put her hand on her hip as the horses finally calmed and dropped their heads to graze. "What about how many yards in a mile?"
"Why do I need to know that?"
"Because there are furlongs in a mile, and I know you care about furlongs."
Alex opened her mouth to speak, but shut it again. She grabbed the branch and worked her way down, then reached toward Carol, wiggling her fingers. "Give me his reins."
Carol passed Approved's reins to her and watched her ease into the saddle from the lowest branch. She gave Carol a hard look. "Why would I care about furlongs and miles and yards and crap?"
She bumped Approved into a trot as Carol called after her, "I don't get you. You act like the world's got it out for you one minute, and happy the next. What gives?"
Alex circled Approved. "Not happy." She readjusted the reins and kicked him into a canter. "Free."
TRIANGLES
Sunlight streamed into Alex’s bedroom. She bolted upright and shaded her eyes. What time was it?
She squinted at her alarm clock and threw back her covers. Morning workouts started two hours ago. Frick!
Alex threw back the covers, but caught one of her feet in it and fell onto the floor. She kicked the covers back and pulled herself up on her nightstand. Double frick!
Dashing to her dresser, she changed into a t-shirt and cut-off jean shorts as fast as she could. Would Brooke have started without her?
Alex pounded down the stairs. The Showmans were seated at their dining table.
"Morning," Hillary said. "Breakfast?"
"No time." Alex slammed the door behind her and sprinted to the training barn.
Brooke stood in the aisle, tightening the girth on Promenade's exercise equipment. She smiled brightly at Alex. "Today's the day. The last few months of our work put to the test."
She took hold of Promenade's reins and unclipped the cross tie. "Ready to see what he can do?"
Alex nodded and crossed to Brooke, giving her a boost into the saddle.
They'd spent the last several weeks between lessons, and Alex's tutoring, lunging the yearlings under tack in the arena, and finally with riders. Today was their first day on the track as future racehorses.
Alex followed a length behind them, watching Promenade's white tail sway gently to his rangy gait. He chomped at the bit, and Alex wondered if he knew what he was in for.
Even though it was mid-morning, and workouts started a good five hours earlier, there were still a few horses finishing up their drills.
Promenade's ears perked as an older trainee galloped by on the rail.
Alex reached out to pat him. "See that boy? That's gonna be you."
Brooke fastened the strap on her helmet and regathered the reins. "Let's do this."
Alex nodded and gave Promenade a firm pat on the flank as he went by. He leaned into the bit, pulling on the reins.
Brooke sent him into a trot and gradually guided him to the inside rail. They rounded the far turn and she rose in the stirrups and let the reins loose a notch. Promenade broke into an eager canter.
Alex glued her eyes to them. Promenade’s ears stayed up, head high, as he glided over the track. To see him do what he was bred for, what made him obviously happy, made her happy for him. But part of her felt disappointed as she watched Brooke crouch over the colt's shoulders.
If Promenade sold at auction, Alex would never know what plastered the determined grin on Brooke's face. She saw it as they cruised around the bend. That look of exhilaration on both of their faces. Promenade stretched out his whole body when Brooke gave him his head. He reached for ground, blasting down the lane, nostrils flared to devour air.
Brooke let out a whoop as they blew past Alex. She rose in the stirrups and tugged back on the reins. Promenade fought her, but slowed to a jog by the time they went round again.
She rode up to Alex breathlessly, tossing her helmet to her. "This is the kind of horse North Oak dreams of. Everything we want in a racer."
She slid from the saddle and passed the reins to Alex. "Go cool him out. I gotta tell Pop."
Alex grimaced. All that work for a minute or two of adrenaline. She boxed up this feeling of anti-climatic let down and shoved it into a dark corner with the other feelings she didn't want to deal with.
She was proud of Promenade for doing exactly what he was supposed to, but, well… she just thought she’d feel more. Alex chewed her lip guiltily. Was she being ungrateful?
There was that gnawing feeling of thinking she should be happy. Compared to her life before, this one was perfect. Wasn't it? Why aren't I happy then?
Promenade snorted and shook his mane. He danced sideways and bumped into Alex. She braved a smile, torn between losing him and the way she thought she should feel… but didn't.
Alex thought of the grove of bluebells by the high pasture. Maybe it was time to take Laura up on that offer and run away to think.
Carol was sort of glad Alex hadn't noticed her standing near the trees at the track. She'd been waiting for them quietly, wondering if she'd shown up at the wrong time.
Alex cared about Promenade, even if she pretended not to. That much was clear. Carol saw it in the way Alex looked at him when Brooke and the colt headed off.
Carol studied Alex a long time, watching her expression change from pride to sadness. She felt like she'd made some progress teaching her what she needed to know for school, but there was still a wall around her that Carol couldn't break through. Little things still tipped Alex off.
Promenade snatched Carol's attention when he came a
round the turn at high speed, passing boards hung from the inside rail in neat succession, marked with feet and inches. She scrutinized them and watched as the colt pass by.
When Alex left with him, Carol jogged over to Brooke who was headed up the track.
"Hey," she said.
Brooke jumped. "Holy Hannah. When did you get here?"
Carol pointed to the marker. "What's that?"
"Hmm?" Brooke looked. "Oh, we use that to measure stride on our horses."
"Why is stride important?"
"The more ground you naturally cover, the less effort it takes to cover it. But it takes efficiency too. A yearling may have a big stride, but it may not be as efficient as a more seasoned racer whose figured things out."
"What's a good stride length?"
"Secretariat, he won the Triple Crown in seventy-three, had a twenty-five foot stride."
"Wow."
"Yeah."
"How big is Promenade's?"
Brooke raised an eyebrow. "I don't know. This was his first time out."
"His speed is important to his sale, right?"
Brooke nodded.
Carol gripped the rail, squinting at the red ticks on the white boards. "Does stride efficiency effect speed?"
Brooke stopped and looked straight at her. "Yes. Why are you asking all these questions?"
Carol grinned with a cat-got-the-canary feeling. "No reason."
Brooke found Alex in the boarding barn, brushing Thorne. How’d she get here so fast?
"Did you cool Promenade down?"
Alex hunched over, holding the gelding’s hoof digging out debris from the hoof between her knees. "Cooled him down, groomed him, took him down to the paddocks."
Brooke leaned against the stall, arms folded. "Ready for a lesson? Carol's here."
She didn’t look up. "Sure."
"Are you getting him ready for Carol?"
Alex shook her head, setting down Thorne’s foot and picking up the next one. "I want to ride him today. Thought a change of pace might be nice."
Brooke kicked forward with a nod. "Fair enough."
She had Carol follow her into the tack room then down to Approved's stall.
"I wonder what she's up to," Carol said.
Brooke gathered up Approved's tack and handed Carol a helmet. "Why would she be up to anything?"