Dressage Dreaming (Horses Heal Hearts Book 1)

by Kimberly Beckett

  As Jessica and Charlotte, Michael, Lionel and Mendelssohn watched, Liz started out her ride walking Tempest on a long rein to allow him to loosen his back and legs. After a few minutes of that, Liz started shortening the reins and collecting Tempest for more advanced work. The stallion appeared cooperative as Liz shortened the curb and snaffle reins, but suddenly, the stallion gathered himself and with a loud grunt, leaped into the air, kicking out with his hind legs once he was airborne. He squealed loudly and bucked twice in a straight line toward the middle of the riding arena. While all of the spectators’ eyes were riveted on the pair, Liz showed her experience by staying calm, and easily moving with the stallion, maintaining her balance as she eased off a bit on the contact from the reins so that Tempest wouldn’t feel trapped.

  Once she had the stallion back under control, Liz looked over to the spectators, and heaved an exaggerated sigh, and grinned. “Piece of cake!” she called out.

  The group of spectators all laughed at Liz’s blatant attempt to diffuse a very tense situation, and the tension that Tempest’s explosion had created among the spectators quickly disappeared.

  The rest of Liz’s ride warming up Tempest went smoothly, and after 10 minutes of work, Liz halted the stallion, dismounted, and led him to the mounting block and motioned Jessica to join her. Jessica, with some significant trepidation, strapped on her own safety helmet, squeezed between the fence rails surrounding the riding arena, and slowly approached the pair.

  In a low voice, so the rest of the group couldn’t hear, Liz instructed Jess, “Despite what you saw, Jess, he’s pretty straightforward. To avoid what I experienced, you have to be careful not to hold him too rigidly with the reins. He has a very sensitive mouth, you need to approach him thinking you have his mouth in your hands. Keep your fingers moving and your wrists soft, you will do fine.”

  Jessica nodded and stepped into the left stirrup, lifting herself into the saddle. She immediately felt Tempest’s strength, as he danced a bit in place, adjusting to her weight in the saddle. It was then she felt her cell phone in her back pocket, and quickly removed it and handed it to Liz. She hadn’t turned it off, however, because she wanted to make sure if Hailey called, she would know right away. Her attention turned back to Tempest, and she carefully asked him to move forward. He complied, though his back seemed tense, and his head came up, hollowing his back underneath her.

  “Relax your seat, Jess. He’s sensing some tension from you,” Liz said a bit more loudly.

  Jessica immediately eased her grip on the reins, and loosened her hip and lower back muscles so her seat could better follow Tempest’s movement, and the stallion visibly relaxed and rounded into the contact. From that moment, Jessica relaxed, and easily blocked out the spectators, and everything else outside of the horse beneath her and Liz’s voice providing occasional instruction. Thankfully, Liz stayed quiet for the most part, allowing Jessica to find her own way with the magnificent animal she was riding. And he was magnificent. Powerful, ground-eating strides carried her through the trot and canter portions of a mini Grand Prix Special test, which Jessica and Liz had decided they would use to gauge Tempest’s readiness to compete at the Grand Prix level.

  Michael watched Jessica’s ride with rapt attention. As he had suspected, she was a talented rider, with a natural feel for the horse, soft, steady hands and a balanced seat that moved with the horse easily. The picture the pair presented was most impressive. Michael listened as Elizabeth offered occasional guidance as Jessica rode through the test, but mainly he and the other spectators watched in admiration as Jessica handled the stallion with relative ease. To his surprise, Michael found himself wishing he and Jessica were not competing against each other for this horse. For the first time since Emma left him, he found himself desiring another woman for more than just a one-night stand. This woman was different in so many ways from any other woman he had encountered. He was definitely intrigued.

  When Jessica trusted Tempest enough to give him a long rein and see how his extended walk looked and felt, she was ecstatic. She could do this. Her confidence soared. Since her ride had been so successful, Jessica relaxed in the saddle and allowed her thoughts to drift to Hailey, and how she was doing back home. Jessica had tried several times to reach her doctors, then her physical therapists without success, and she was frustrated because she was concerned that Hailey’s poor-quality prosthetics were getting in the way of her progress.

  Tempest, who had started getting bored at the lack of challenging work in the past few minutes, noticed right away that Jessica’s attention was no longer on him. His focus strayed to the activity outside the arena, looking for anything of interest that might occupy his mind, and possibly give him an opportunity to assert himself to test this new rider’s resolve. At that moment, Jessica’s cell phone, which Liz had placed on one of the fence posts surrounding the riding arena, rang loudly. Tempest, knowing instinctively at that moment that he had the upper hand, reacted more dramatically to the sudden sound of the cell phone than would have been expected, and suddenly, without warning, he violently dove his head between his knees, at the same time throwing a powerful buck. Then he immediately spun and bolted away from the noise.

  Jessica was taken completely by surprise, as were the observers. Liz, seeing that Jessica was in some trouble tried to intervene. “Take it easy, Jess!” Liz shouted. “Shorten the reins, gradually!”

  Jessica really tried to do what Liz had instructed, but she apparently had shortened the reins too quickly, because Tempest suddenly stopped and reared to avoid the tension in his mouth, and Jessica was too off balance to remain in the saddle. She pitched off of Tempest’s back and hit the ground hard, her hips and low back hit first, her helmeted head whiplashing back and striking the ground soon thereafter.

  The spectators all rushed to her aid, Liz and Michael getting there first, while Mendelssohn and his groom were catching and calming Tempest.

  “Are you all right?” both Michael and Liz asked simultaneously.

  Jessica did a quick inventory of her body, and felt nothing broken, but her hips and back ached, and she had a dull ache in her head.

  “I’m fine, I think,” she responded. “My pride has taken the biggest hit, along with my butt,” she said and blushed with embarrassment.

  “Take your time, and let us know when you’re ready to get up,” Michael said. “We can help you if necessary.”

  “Thanks,” Jessica said, taking a tentatively deep breath to test the integrity of her ribs. “I think I can get up now.”

  Liz took her left arm and Michael took her right, and she slowly lifted herself to standing. Jessica was more than a little embarrassed and gently disengaged her arms from Liz and Michael, brushed herself off, and made her way gingerly to Mendelssohn and Tempest.

  “I’m sorry, Herr Mendelssohn. Is Tempest all right?” Jessica asked.

  “He is fine, Miss Warren,” Mendelssohn assured her. “Are you all right? That was quite a spill.”

  “I’m fine. A little bruised, but there’s nothing broken as far as I can tell,” Jessica said. Then, in a worried voice, she added, “I hope this doesn’t disqualify me from contention for Tempest.”

  “Of course not,” Mendelssohn responded. “I must say that I am surprised that Tempest reacted that way to the sound of a cell phone. He isn’t normally that sensitive.”

  Liz smiled. “Herr Mendelssohn, I think Tempest had gotten bored with the rather routine work we asked of him today, and when Jessica gave him a long rein, he decided to take the opportunity the cell phone ring gave him to test her. It doesn’t surprise me at all that a sensitive and intelligent stallion would behave in such a way with an unfamiliar rider.”

  Michael smiled. “I think you’re right, Mrs. Randall. My former mount, Romeo, would act up that way occasionally as well – especially if I allowed my mind to wander during our work. I lear
ned to never lose my focus when riding him.”

  Lionel had watched Jessica’s ride with interest. He had been encouraged with the talent Jessica had shown with Tempest, but her lack of control at the end of her ride concerned him. He needed her to be Mendelssohn’s choice for Tempest. Michael could not succeed. It was clear that Lionel needed an alternative plan should Jessica not be good enough for Tempest, and Mendelssohn elected to sponsor Michael after all.

  Chapter 7

  August Mendelssohn had been in the business of breeding warmblood sport horses for nearly thirty years. He knew that producing a horse with the confirmation, gaits, and temperament for international competition in dressage might happen once in a lifetime. Tempest was just such a horse. That being said, Mendelssohn also knew that the horse was only a part of the total equation. If the perfect horse was paired with an incompetent, insensitive or ignorant rider, that horse’s chance to achieve greatness was almost nil. It was the perfect communication and harmony between horse and rider that created champions. That was the primary reason Mendelssohn had ended his sponsorship of the German rider Hermann Wolfe. The man was completely at odds with Tempest, and hadn’t a clue how to ride the stallion with the sensitivity he required. What disturbed Mendelssohn most in hindsight about the experience with Wolfe was that when Wolfe test rode Tempest for Mendelssohn, he rode the horse very well. There was no hint of the problems the pair later developed. True, Tempest was hotter than the majority of horses in international competition today, but Mendelssohn was certain that he could be ridden in competition, and ridden well, by the right rider.

  Having now come to that conclusion, Mendelssohn was frustrated. Today, not just one, but three dressage professionals had ridden Tempest very well, but it was just one ride. Thus, his dilemma. His past experience told him that one ride wasn’t enough to determine which rider would be best for Tempest for the long term. His experience with Wolfe had proved that to him. Mendelssohn had assumed that Michael Stafford, the clear favorite in his mind because of his Olympic success, would be the best match for a horse like Tempest, but Stafford had come straight out and told him he didn’t have the funds, or the backing of a wealthy sponsor recruited by the British Equestrian Team, and therefore couldn’t purchase Tempest for the amount Mendelssohn was asking: $1 million. Instead, he wanted Mendelssohn to sponsor him. Not to mention the added difficulties Michael’s questionable mental and emotional stability added to the equation. He was grateful, but somewhat troubled that Lionel Hayes had detailed Michael’s difficulties to him in confidence over dinner just last night. If Lionel was so worried about Michael that he was willing to share his concerns with a near stranger, his problems must be serious.

  On the other hand, he considered Elizabeth Randall and Jessica Warren. Elizabeth, clearly the experienced professional, also rode Tempest well, almost as well as Michael had. Jessica, under Elizabeth’s supervision, also rode Tempest competently, but her approach was more tentative. Tempest took advantage of that lack of confidence by unseating her. Given the circumstances, however, the stallion’s testing of a new rider was understandable, and Jessica’s failure to maintain her seat was also understandable. Mendelssohn didn’t hold that against her. Her mental state, specifically a lack of confidence, however, did concern him.

  With both of the competitors for Tempest capable of riding him, Mendelssohn was left with the one significant difference between the two: the American rider was backed by an influential trainer and the U.S. Equestrian Team with a sponsor able to transfer $1 million into Mendelssohn’s bank account in a matter of days. Those funds would provide a very comfortable retirement for himself and his wife for the rest of their lives. If money were his only motivation, Mendelssohn’s decision would be easy, but he felt a tremendous amount of responsibility for his magnificent stallion. Was he willing to trust his once-in-a-lifetime horse to someone who had money, but had proven herself to be comparably inexperienced and lacked confidence on the international stage, especially when compared with Michael Stafford who had that experience, proven success and an uncanny rapport with the horse?

  Mendelssohn sighed. He had invited all of his guests for dinner this evening. They would expect him to make a decision between them. As he mulled over the possibilities in his mind, weighing the two alternatives, knowing that the future of his prize stallion would rest on this decision, he remained frustrated. No clear choice presented itself.

  An intriguing third possibility came to mind. He examined the idea over from various perspectives and yes, it could work. If both parties agreed. The more he thought about it the more convinced he was that this was the only way he would find the right rider for Tempest. Now, to convince the others that he was right when he addressed them after dinner tonight. He was not looking forward to it.

  ~ ~ ~

  While Tempest was being put away following Jessica’s ride, Mendelssohn had told Michael and Lionel as well as Jessica, Liz and Charlotte that he would make a decision about Tempest’s future and announce his decision at dinner that evening. Dinner would be served at 7:00. The group signaled their agreement, and while Jessica, Liz and Charlotte went back to the Inn to shower and change, Michael and Lionel went back to their room at Mendelssohn’s guest house. Michael checked his cell phone and noticed that his mother had tried to call him. He immediately returned her call.

  “Michael,” his mother said. “I’m so glad you called. I wanted to keep you up to date with what has been happening with Ian. We deposited Ian’s bail money with the police yesterday, and they’ve released him into our custody, but they will not let him leave Surrey. We’ve set him up in your house and we’ve promised to stay with him until you return from your trip. He is wearing an ankle bracelet to monitor his location at all times, and he is not permitted to leave your property without the court’s permission. Even then, he can only go to certain approved locations, such as his attorney’s office.”

  “How is he, Mum?” Michael asked. “When I saw him last, he had physical injuries and his mental state wasn’t much better.”

  “I’m worried about him, Michael,” his mother responded. “He’s withdrawn and doesn’t say more than two words in response to our questions. He does appear to have gotten medical attention before he left the jail. His ribs are wrapped, and the cuts on his face have been bandaged. A couple of them have stitches. We’ve offered to drive him to the attorney you retained, but he doesn’t want to go without you. Do you have any idea when you will be back?”

  “It will be soon, Mum,” Michael replied. “The stallion’s owner is going to announce his decision tonight. I might be back as early as tomorrow night if things don’t go my way.”

  “I hope things work out for you, Michael,” his mother said. “It’s time you had something good happen for you. This family certainly needs some good news about now.”

  “Agreed,” Michael said. “I’ll call you tomorrow when I have more definite plans.”

  ~ ~ ~

  The hour had arrived for the group to gather in Mendelssohn’s spacious dining room. Jessica, Liz, and Charlotte arrived just as Michael and Lionel were being seated. Jessica noted right away that the room was decorated in a hunting lodge style, with pine paneled walls upon which were hanging various paintings of horses being ridden or running free. The largest painting was on the wall opposite the entry to the room behind the head of the dining table and portrayed horses ridden by red-coated gentlemen and ladies in 19th-century garb surrounded by hounds clearly preparing for a fox hunt. The table was set with decorative china and silverware, and placed along the center of the table were silver candleholders holding lit taper candles. Jessica glanced over at Liz, and noted that she was equally impressed with the formal atmosphere. Jessica was glad that she had dressed for the evening. She wore a comfortable, but stylish wrap dress in emerald green that matched the color of her eyes exactly. The dress hugged her figure and fell loosely about her hips
ending just above her knees. Around her neck, she wore a simple gold chain that Hailey had given her as a gift last Christmas. Liz and Charlotte had also dressed for the evening. Liz wore a charcoal gray pant suit, and Charlotte work a black sheath dress with very expensive-looking pearls. Jessica noted that Michael and Lionel had also dressed for the evening, Michael in a black suit with a designer-brand tie, and Lionel in a slightly more casual tweed sport coat, open-necked dress shirt and navy slacks. Jessica couldn’t help but notice that Michael looked even more handsome when dressed in a suit and tie, and his striking blue eyes reflected the candlelight, looking luminous, and she felt captured by his gaze. She realized that he had caught her staring at him. She blushed with embarrassment, and dropped her gaze to the floor. When she looked up a couple of seconds later, she noticed Michael was grinning at her, and winked mischievously.

  Michael’s eyes had instantly been drawn to Jessica as she entered the room with her companions. The dress she wore clung to her slim, athletic but feminine figure, and made her eyes look even more green than they had earlier in the light of day. He also noticed that Jessica was staring at him with admiration—a look he had seen from women many times before—but in Jessica’s case, the look wasn’t predatory or avaricious, it was instead simply and honestly admiring. When she blushed and looked away at the realization he had caught her staring at him, he found himself charmed and drawn to her lack of pretension and obvious innocence. He rewarded her interest by grinning at her and winking.