“How do you know that?” she said.
“Because she told me,” I said. “And I believed her.”
“Well that’s just fine then,” Mickey cried. “First you’re best friends with Becka and now you’re best friends with Jess? How about having my back for a change?”
“I can’t have the back of someone I think is acting like an idiot,” I shouted.
“Well why don’t you just stand over there on the other side with your new best friend then?” she said.
I looked helplessly from Mickey to Jess.
“I know how to settle it,” the boy from Fox Run said. He had a pinched nose and freckles. I already didn’t like him and I didn’t want to hear what he had to say.
“We settle it by everyone finishing the ride,” I said.
“No,” he grinned. “A race. Winner keeps Hampton.”
“Don’t be ridiculous,” I cried.
“It’s not ridiculous,” Mickey said. “I think it’s a great idea.”
“If it will get you off my back,” Jess said. “I’m in.”
And I knew that this race was about the worst idea in the history of all bad ideas.
CHAPTER TWENTY NINE
“Start at one end of the field, gallop through the water, circle the tree at the end and then back again. Winner takes all,” the boy said.
But I didn’t see the point. Mr. Eastford had paid for the lease on Hampton and he wasn’t going to give him up after paying all that money whether Mickey won this stupid race or not. I told her so but she wouldn’t listen to me.
“Why don’t you just go away?” she said.
“Because I don’t want anything bad to happen to you.”
“Nothing bad is going to happen to me, now get out of my way.”
Mickey had made up her mind. There was nothing I could say that would change it but I still tried to reason with her.
“Think about Willow,” I said. “She doesn’t even belong to us. If she gets hurt then what is Esther going to say to Granny Mae?”
“She won’t get hurt,” Mickey said, adjusting her stirrups.
“You don’t know that,” I told her. “Besides, you don’t even like to gallop.”
“I’ll gallop and I’ll beat Jess and then you’ll be sorry that you didn’t believe in me and that you didn’t take my side.”
She yanked the reins and pulled Willow away from where I sat on Bluebird.
“You know I don’t really want to do this,” Jess said as she came over.
“I know,” I sighed.
“But this isn’t going to end unless we do something about it.”
“There has to be another way,” I said.
“Look, it’s too late now,” Jess said. “I can’t lose face in front of my barn mates or I’ll never live it down. I have a reputation to uphold, remember?”
I did and I wasn’t sure when exactly Jess had become the sensible one and Mickey had become the nut case but the tides had changed and the roles reversed.
“I really do like him,” Jess said, patting Hampton’s neck. “He’s a big old softie.”
“Well I don’t really care who wins,” I said. “Just make sure the horses don’t get hurt.”
But that was something no one had any control over. We didn’t know if there were potholes in the field or how deep the pond water really was and Jess and Mickey wouldn’t find out until they were galloping along at a breakneck speed and it was too late.
I thought about calling Esther and telling her that it was all falling apart and I couldn’t stop it but by the time she got here the race would be over. All I could do was watch in horror as Jess and Mickey lined up together at one end of the field and the boy from Fox Run held his arm up and then dropped it as a signal for them to go.
The hunter pace was long forgotten and Mickey was out for blood or her horse. I just wasn’t sure which.
CHAPTER THIRTY
They took off at a gallop. Bluebird fussed and pranced as he fought to join them. I stroked his neck and tried to calm him while my stomach did sick flops. If something happened to Mickey or Willow then she could give up all hope of ever riding again. In fact it would be better for everyone if no one ever found out about this stupid challenge race.
But as I strained to see Mickey and Jess as they galloped away from us and into the sun, I saw the light reflect off something in the bushes. Like a mirror, it pushed the light back at me and for a moment I thought that was what it was, a piece of mirror, broken and abandoned by the side of the field. But it was too high up for that. And then it moved.
It was the stupid people from the news channel. That horrible woman Candy and her camera man hiding in the bushes and filming everything that was happening out in the field. I didn’t know how they knew that we’d be there or if it was just chance that they decided to film in this very spot and then happened upon the news story of a lifetime. Two girls competing in a secret race for the love of a horse.
Hampton and Willow were neck and neck. Willow making up for her shorter stride with speed. Mickey was crouched on her neck like a jockey. I’d never seen her ride like her life depended on it before but Jess rode with just as much determination. I’d never known her to even like a horse, let alone actually love one but I was pretty sure that my best friend and my old enemy were both in love with the same one and whichever way this ended, it wasn’t going to be pretty.
CHAPTER THIRTY ONE
They came to the water at a gallop. Willow sucked back and dug in her heels, dancing about in front of the long, wet grass and spooking at her own reflection. Mickey dug her heels in and kicked the mare on and they splashed behind Hampton as he charged through as if he had been doing it his whole life. A horse that hadn’t even liked to leave the ring now galloping hell bent for leather with Jess on his back, his ears pricked like he was enjoying himself. He really was a different horse with Jess. A better horse. Not that Mickey would ever admit to that.
They were neck and neck as they reached the tree but Jess had the inside track and she used it to her advantage, circling Hampton tighter and coming out of the turn ahead. Even from the other end of the field I could see the determination on Mickey’s face. She wanted this win more than anything and part of me wanted her to win too. Partly because it would make my life a whole lot easier and partly because while I knew Jess was being nice now, just like a snake she could turn and bite you in a split second. You’d never even see it coming.
They reached the pond again and this time Willow didn’t balk at it. This time she was going through. Water spraying up around her legs like crystals in the sun. Then the unthinkable happened. The camera man stood up, probably hoping to get a really good shot of the two horses galloping through the water. Even though I was terrified, I had to admit that it was a pretty cool sight. Willow and Hampton galloping side by side as the water sprayed up around them. But Willow saw the light reflecting back at her like a shiny eye in the bushes and it startled her. She spooked sideways, away from the scary sight and Mickey slipped off to the side.
“Hold on,” I yelled but it was too late.
She fell off in slow motion, suspended in air for a moment before splashing down into the pond.
For a moment I froze, not sure what to do. Go to Mickey or go after Willow? In the end the horse won. It wasn’t her fault that Mickey had done something stupid and the last thing I wanted was for her to get hurt because of it. I could already see Mickey getting up as I galloped past after Willow so I knew she wasn’t seriously hurt, although she would be by the time Esther was done with her. Their stupid little race was going to be plastered all over the news and she’d be lucky if she was ever allowed back at the barn again. But for now all I cared about was that Willow didn’t make it back out to the lane where there was every possibility that she could run into a car. Or that a car could run into her.
CHAPTER THIRTY TWO
Willow had taken off across the field and was heading back the way we came. She was galloping flat ou
t, stirrups flapping loose against her sides and encouraging her to keep going. I held onto the hope that she would stop when she got to the fence but instead she ducked out through the gate. I kicked Bluebird into a gallop and followed after her. It was all I could do. Willow had been entrusted to us and was only on loan. We were supposed to be taking care of her. How could Mickey be so stupid?
But I didn’t even care if Mickey was okay or not. I was so mad at her that it burned in the bottom of my stomach like I’d swallowed something that was on fire. I wanted to shake her for being so stupid. I told her this was what would happen and she’d done it anyway. How could someone with so little regard for the safety of her horse, really be my friend? She was just as bad as Jess.
Willow had a pretty good head start and I couldn’t see her anymore but the ground was wet and her galloping hooves had cut deep marks in the ground. We followed them and I held my breath, listening for the horrible thud and crunch of a falling horse or the squealing brakes of a car.
We trotted down the lane, Bluebird’s hooves tapping on the asphalt. When we got to the row of houses the little girl with the plastic pony was hanging on the gate.
“Did you see a horse go by here?” I asked her breathlessly. “Without a rider?”
She nodded.
“Which way?” I said.
She pointed further down the lane.
“Thanks,” I said as we trotted on.
Willow was following the path we had taken and so I followed it too. We galloped where we could but each time I urged Bluebird on, I felt guilty. I could tell he was getting tired. We were meant to be finishing up the course, not going back the way we came. He was fussing, jiggling his bit and tossing his head. I let him walk for a while, worried that I was going to ruin my own pony if I pushed him too hard.
“Willow,” I called out. “Come here girl. Everything is okay.”
But she didn’t really know me. I’d never even ridden her. It was Mickey she had formed an attachment to and Mickey who had let her down. Why should she come for me?
I hoped eventually she would tire like Bluebird had but fear was fueling her on now. Adrenaline that would make her run for miles and not even feel if she was sore or hurting.
Then something buzzed in my pocket and practically gave me a heart attack. It was my cell phone. I let Bluebird stand while I pulled it out and saw that it was Esther. I thought for a minute about not answering it but I wasn’t the one who had done anything wrong and there was no way I could have stopped the train wreck from happening.
“Hello?” I said.
“Tell me everything is okay?” she said.
“Everything is not okay,” I sighed.
“Ethan’s back. He told me what was going on. How bad is it?”
“Mickey fell off and Willow has gone. I’m tracking her but she has a good head start and I don’t want to run Bluebird into the ground trying to catch her.”
“Where are you?” she said.
I looked around, trying to figure out where I was. It was starting to get so that all the trees and fields looked the same but this time I wouldn’t get lost. This time I had a charged cell phone and GPS tracking. I’d learned my lesson the hard way, like Mickey would when she had to deal with the fallout of her actions.
“Almost back at the halfway point,” I said. “At least, I think I am.”
“Okay,” she said with a sigh. “I’m going to tack up Saffron and start from this end. Call me if you find her first.”
“Okay,” I said. “But there is something else. Something worse.”
“How could anything be worse?” she asked.
“The news crew have footage of the entire thing.”
There was silence on the other end of the line and I thought for a moment that we had been disconnected. Then I heard Esther sigh.
“We’ll deal with that later,” she said. “Our first and only priority is to find that mare before something happens to her.”
“I know,” I said. “I’ll find her.”
“And Emily,” she added. “I know this wasn’t your fault.”
“Thanks,” I said but it didn’t make me feel any better.
The repercussions of what would happen if the news channel decided to air the secret race were starting to dawn on me. Not only had Mickey made herself look bad, she’d made Esther and Sand Hill look bad too. Kids solving their problems by challenging each other to horse races wasn’t exactly the kind of image she wanted for Sand Hill. The hunter pace was supposed to show how the barn was organized and professional and instead Mickey had made us all look like a laughing stock. She sure had a lot to answer for.
I pushed Bluebird on, hoping that Willow couldn’t possibly be too far away but she wasn’t at the halfway point. The ground was pretty churned up but I could only guess that she had carried on, back along the path to the woods. We walked through the trees but she wasn’t there either.
I imagined that Mickey and the Fox Run team must have made it back to Sand Hill by now. I wondered if Esther would yell at Mickey. Ban her from the property or something. If she did, I wasn’t even sure I would mind. Mickey had gone from being my best friend to just a regular friend and now I wasn’t sure what she was at all.
I was feeling all dejected and hopeless again when I heard something on the wind and it sounded like a horse. A trumpeting whinny that cut through the sound of everything else. It had to be Willow.
CHAPTER THIRTY THREE
Willow was at the creek. Without a rider to encourage her she was reluctant to cross the streaming water again. She was pacing back and forth, her reins broken and dangling around her legs and her neck lathered with sweat but other than that she looked relatively unscathed except for a few scratches.
“Hey girl,” I called out soothingly.
She looked over at us desperately and whinnied. Bluebird replied, his head up and ears pricked. I got off and led him over to her. She trotted over to us like she was so happy not to be alone anymore that she wanted to be caught. I gently reached out to stroke her head, careful not to make any sudden moves and spook her again and she let me rub her chin and snag the reins.
“You silly thing,” I told her as I ran up the stirrups and loosened her girth. “Where did you think you were going?”
She just nickered softly and tried to rub necks with Bluebird who snapped his teeth at her.
“Come on guys,” I said. “Try and get along. I have to get you both back to the barn now.”
I tied a knot in Willow’s reins and then mounted Bluebird. I’d have to lead her from the saddle as there was no way I was walking the rest of the way back. My legs already burned as it was. I was pretty sure I wouldn’t be able to move at all tomorrow.
Following Bluebird’s lead, we waded through the water. Now that she wasn’t alone, Willow was content to follow alongside quietly, for which I was grateful. The last thing I needed was a reluctant horse pulling my arm out of its socket every five seconds.
The creek was well behind us when I heard hoof beats approaching and saw Esther and Saffron cantering into view. The Paint mare had her ears pricked and let out a whinny as soon as she saw us. Willow answered while Bluebird ignored them both.
“You found her,” Esther said, as she pulled Saffron up. “Is she okay?”
“I think so,” I said. “Just a few scratches from what I can see.”
“I’m going to kill that kid,” she sighed.
“And you thought Faith was going to be the one who caused all the trouble,” I said.
“I should have known better,” she shook her head.
Esther took Willow’s reins and led the mare alongside Saffron, which was a relief. I was glad not to be responsible for her anymore. We walked in silence for a few minutes before I dared ask anything else.
“Did everyone make it back okay?” I finally asked.
“You mean did Mickey make it back and did I kill her with my bare hands?”
“Something like that,” I said.
“Yes,” she said. “They made it back in one piece.”
“Including Mickey?” I said.
“Including Mickey, who wasn’t too happy that she had to walk the rest of the way back on foot in wet clothes.”
“It served her right,” I said. “She was so stupid. It’s like she doesn’t even care about horses at all.”
Esther was quiet for a moment.
“Well she was stupid, wasn’t she?” I said again.
I’d expected Esther to go off on a rant about how Mickey was the worst student she’d ever had and how she never wanted to see her again but that didn’t happen. Instead she just shook her head.
“You girls and your horses,” she sighed. “What am I going to do with you?”
“Well I think Mickey was stupid,” I grumbled. I was annoyed with Esther. Why wasn’t she as mad with Mickey as I was?
“She lost something she loves,” Esther said. “Would you be any different?”
“But it was her own fault,” I cried.
“Some of it, yes,” she said. “But it took this bad thing happening for Mickey to realize how much she loves horses and loves Hampton.”
I gritted my teeth and rode on in silence. I wanted Esther to be as mad at Mickey as I was and I couldn’t understand why she wasn’t. Maybe she was just in shock over the whole thing and relieved that Willow was safe. When all that wore off and the news story broke then she’d be mad. Especially if it affected her business, which I knew it would. There was no way that showing the race on the news would be good for Sand Hill.
We finally made it back to the barn where the party we had planned was in full swing, despite all the drama that had been going on behind the scenes. Either people didn’t know or they didn’t care because everyone seemed to be having a good time. Delicious smells wafted off a barbeque that one of the dad’s was cooking on and I realized that I was starving. Someone had brought a guitar and music filled the air along with the sounds of happy, chattering voices. As soon as people saw us coming back down the trail and into sight, a cheer broke out.
Hunter Pace (Show Jumping Dreams ~ Book 7) Page 9