“And our final new addition for the summer lives and works here in Virginia. He’s been touted as one of the top event trainers in this part of the world . . .” Suddenly, my heartbeat is pounding in my ears and I realize there’s no way I’m going to be able to just sit here and politely applaud for the father who left me and my brother. So, as my father comes from around the corner to say his niceties to the crowd, I back away and turn around, going out the side door.
I know I was noticed. How could I not be in such a small group?
But I’m sorry. I had to get out of that room. I start walking quickly, not wanting anyone to come after me, and then I start running, hoping that I don’t barf. As I run, the tears begin—and the only place I know to go to for solace is my mare’s stall.
I make it to the barn and open up the stall door. Harmony is in her run and she turns, walking toward me. She knows I’m upset as she reaches me and nuzzles me, and I bury my head into her neck, crying and saying over and over again, “I hate him . . . I hate my father.”
CHAPTER nine
I’m not sure how long I’m in Harmony’s stall, because the first thing I do is curl up against the wall and drift to sleep with her standing over me.
It’s Riley’s voice that brings me fully back to the moment and the harsh realities. “Thought I might find you here,” he says. He comes into the stall, closes the door, and sits down beside me.
I sit up, rubbing the sleep from my eyes. “Where have you been?”
“Had to go to church camp for the two weeks I was home before I was allowed to come here. It’s been solidified that I’m going to hell.”
“No, you’re not,” I reply.
“If my parents knew the truth about their little choirboy, then yes, I’m sure hell would be the next stop for me.” I shake my head, wishing he didn’t have to go through such difficulty. He puts an arm around me. “What gives, Viv? I was walking into the meeting room when I saw you bound out of there like you were a rabbit being chased by a coyote.”
This makes me a laugh a little. “You do have a way with words, Ri.”
“I do, don’t I? Come on, what gives, my little warrior? It takes a lot to make you go running. I know how tough you are. Seen it firsthand. But it is good to see you, even if you were bolting away.”
I lean my head on his shoulder. “It’s good to see you too.” Harmony nudges me. She wants more attention. I run my hand over her nose and proceed to tell Riley about my father’s presence. Having him next to me, being the friend I’ve grown to love, makes me question how I could ever suspect him of being involved in Joel’s death. It’s hard to keep my guard up, because I believe that Riley is a good guy. But what if the facts turn out to prove otherwise?
“All summer long your dad will be teaching here?” he asks, raising his eyebrows. “Wow, Vivvie. That does suck. That sucks big time.”
“I know,” I reply.
“All right, we can do this one of two ways.”
“We can?”
“Yes,” he says. “One, you can totally act like you don’t know who he is and just be a student and take the lessons . . .”
“You think that’s realistic?”
He shakes his head. “Probably not. I am really good at ignoring things, but I’m not you. You probably need to face this one head on, Viv. It’s time to confront your dad. It’s been how long?”
“Almost eight years. My birthday is coming up in August.”
“Right. It’s time. You’re going to turn eighteen and technically you’ll be an adult. I say that you need to be an adult in this situation and handle it.”
“I don’t know if I can. I don’t know if I want to. What I want to do is run and hide—bury myself behind a rock.”
“No can do. I won’t allow it. I think you can deal with this better than you realize. I think you have to. You never give yourself enough credit. The only option you have if you can’t ignore him is to go home. That’s not a good option. That would be like running and hiding. You don’t really think that’s a good idea, do you?”
I shake my head slowly. “No. I know what being here can do for my riding career. I’ve got to focus on those goals, and you’re right, the only way to really deal with this is to face it.”
“Right. Deal with it then.”
I sigh. “There’s more. Joel’s stepmonster is one of our coaches. And did you know that his dad bought this place for her? They own Liberty Farms!”
“Tiffany?”
“Yep.”
“Shit. That’s pure insanity. She’s a nut job, Viv. You’ll see. I can’t believe it.”
“I know, and her daughter, Paisley, is a working student. Isn’t that weird? And to top it all off, Chris Haverly is here too.”
Riley is quiet for a long time. He finally says, “I can’t stand that guy. And Paisley is a working student? What is going on? That girl has always had grooms. I can’t imagine her lifting a finger to do any of the dirty work around here.”
“I know. None of it makes much sense. Riley . . .” I lift my head and look at him.
“Yeah?”
“What happened between you and Joel and Chris Haverly? Both of you guys told me to leave it alone last semester and now Joel is dead, and I really can’t . . . I don’t believe he killed himself. Do you know something? Does Chris?”
Riley again grows quiet. He finally responds in a whisper. “I’m not sure what I know, Viv.”
“Do you think Joel killed himself?”
He shrugs.
“You’re still afraid, aren’t you? I can tell.”
He stands up and reaches for my hand. “What I don’t want is for you to get hurt. Joel and I told you last semester to stay out of things, and that was good advice. If we started digging, we’d probably find something, but we are better off leaving it alone. I’ve lost one friend, and I’m not going to lose you too.”
I start to say something when another voice interrupts us. “I thought I heard someone talking.” Chris Haverly stands outside Harmony’s stall. “Hey, Reed. You made it. Going to be like old times, my man. Good deal. Too bad Joel isn’t here for it. RIP. That’s all I can say.”
“We were having private conversation,” I say.
“Oh, lookie here—isn’t that Miss Vivienne Taylor? We met at the championships. Delighted to see you again.”
“Right. Feeling isn’t mutual.” I give him my best “you disgust me” look.
“She’s a feisty one.” He looks at Riley.
“Leave her alone, Chris.”
“Ah, it’s okay. She’ll learn to like me soon enough. They all do. You’ll see, sweetheart. I’m a really nice guy. Your roomie Janna has already discovered just how nice I can be.”
“Don’t hold your breath when it comes to me.” I cross my arms and feel as if I’ve been violated by him. I’ve got to warn Janna away from him. This guy is bad news no matter what.
He grins. “It’s been a real pleasure, Vivienne. Now I’ll let you two get back to your private conversation.”
Haverly leaves us and I look at Riley, who has gone pale. “Don’t mess with him, Viv. Promise me. Please don’t mess with him. He’s from a powerful family, and no matter what he does, he’ll always get away with it. You’ve got to trust me.”
I shake my head. “I can’t promise you anything when it comes to that guy. I’m sorry . . . no one is above the law, not even someone as rich as he is. Here’s the thing: I think Chris Haverly knows what happened to Joel. And I plan to prove it, whether you want to help me or not.”
CHAPTER ten
After my discussion with Riley, I walk back to the Commons House to get my schedule, feeling a little dejected. I wasn’t expecting to give Riley an ultimatum about helping me, but my emotions ran away with me. And if he knows something about Joel and Chris, I refuse to let him pretend that he doesn’t. He h
as to make a choice, and either get on board to help find justice for Joel or admit that he’s too cowardly to try.
When I walk inside, Faith is the only one still around. She comes over and pats my arm. “Are you okay?”
“Yep. Just felt a little bit sick to my stomach and needed some air,” I say.
“Just remember, Vivvie,” she says, her face kind. “You’re here to improve yourself as an equestrian. That should be your main goal. Keeping your focus is even more important when you encounter unexpected challenges.”
I shoot her a grateful look. “Thanks,” I say. “Maybe I just need a pep talk.”
“I think tomorrow will be an easier day,” she says, handing me my daily schedule for the week. My eyes scan the paper. At least I won’t be riding with my father today. Then, for the first time, I wonder: Does anyone, other than Austen and Riley know that he is my dad? I hope it’s not common knowledge, because one thing for sure is that I don’t want to chitchat with someone horrible like Lydia about my childhood issues.
I stash my schedule in my bag and say good-bye to Faith. Then I head back to the barn to tack Harmony for my jump lesson—with none other than Tiffany. Going into the jump arena, I spot her with Paisley, setting the jumps.
I’m happy to see that Riley is also in this lesson. Wills, who looks perfectly ironed and totally Ivy League as usual, is also with our group.
“Hello, Vivienne,” says Tiffany, walking toward me. “Nice to see you again.” I feel Harmony tense up as she reaches my side. That tension could be pure feedback of the feelings my horse is getting from me, but if I had to guess, I’m thinking that Harmony is one amazing judge of character. She knows that this woman is not a good person—at all. “I know that our initial introduction at dinner with Joel was not ideal, and I want to apologize.” She looks down. “It may not have seemed like it at the time—because, like every family, we have conflicts—but I really did love Joel and am sorry he’s gone.”
A chill runs through me as she says these words. Fact is—I do not believe her. She can’t even look me in the eyes. Nobody who loved Joel would treat him the way she’d treated him that night, coldly telling him she was going to take away his horse and give it to Paisley. I don’t buy her act. Not one little bit.
However, for the sake of achieving justice for my friend, I muster my best fake smile and say, “I understand. Those were tough times. No hard feelings. I’m just here to learn, and I’m so excited to be learning from someone like you.” Yeah—I kind of taste the puke in my mouth, but I’m going to get those answers that I’m seeking, and if that means I have to make friends with my worst enemies, then so be it.
“Good. Good to hear.” Now she looks up at me, and mimics my fake smile with her own. “Fresh start and bygones. Good, good.” She claps her hands. “Let’s get started, shall we? Why don’t you go ahead and begin your hack while Paisley and I finish setting the jumps.”
I nod and glance over at Paisley, who is glaring at me.
Riley already has Melody up into a trot, but I notice right away that the horse isn’t showing her usual calm. She hops up and down, so Ri halts her, backs her, then coaxes her forward again. They do several transitions together that don’t look quite right, and as Harmony and I trot past, I say, “Everything okay?”
“Yeah. She’s a little wound up. Probably from the long haul out and not being exercised for a few days.”
“Probably. Be careful,” I reply. It’s totally possible that Melody’s mood is due to her not getting enough exercise over the past few days. Horses who are used to working almost daily can get a little pent up and act kind of nutty when they’re first let out again. But, if I’m going to trust my gut here, I’d be willing to bet that what’s making Melody nervous is Tiffany. If I can get some time alone with Melody later, I’ll be able to find out—hopefully, anyway. I also need to ask Riley about how he convinced Kayla to send Melody here for him to ride—or did Kayla offer? I’m curious as to how that all transpired. I didn’t ask earlier, because our conversation had seemed intense enough.
“Okay, guys,” says Tiffany. “Let’s go up into a canter and into your two point.”
We do our hack around for a few minutes and then Tiffany calls us over. “Okay, gang. Today we’re going to work on a six-stride line and the goal is to do it in seven and not six. The purpose for this is to get your horse rounder. I want nice and round and for you to compress the stride. Sometimes these event horses can get a little flat after being out on cross-country, and I want you to work on collecting them. What I especially want you to work on is putting your leg on the horse, without increasing speed. Vivienne, want to give it a shot?”
“Sure,” I reply with some trepidation. Not because I’m intimidated, but because it’s Tiffany and she kind of freaks me out.
I put Harmony into a nice collected canter and come around the turn heading to the oxer.
“Good. Count the stride. Sit up; leg on. Compress,” Tiffany says.
Over the oxer and the vertical . . . we finish the exercise.
“Nice job. But she really bulged that shoulder on the outside around the bend to the oxer, didn’t she? Let’s do it again and I want you to counter bend her in that turn.”
I nod in agreement and go back out onto the rail and start over. This time our approach is better.
“Still popping that outside shoulder some, but better. Very nice on the collection, though, and getting her round. I liked your leg. I liked the cadence. Pretty. We’ll keep working on getting her straighter on the approach to the oxer. Riley? You ready?”
“Yep.”
Riley heads out with Melody to work the exercise, but Mel is really wound tight and rushes the jump. Instead of doing a seven or six stride, the horse does it in five.
“Let’s do it again,” Tiffany says. “Think compress. Stretch up and ride each stride. Ride the line.”
Riley nods and goes back out to try again. Melody is too quick and rushed on their next two tries, though, and leaves a stride out, so Tiffany directs Riley to do some halt transitions and really work on getting the mare to slow it down. It takes some time for Tiffany to talk Riley through it, but after working the exercise repeatedly, Melody finally seems to relax and does the line correctly.
Forty minutes later, as we are cooling our horses down, I privately admit to myself that Tiffany’s lesson wasn’t half bad. I hate to say it, because I don’t like the woman, but I try to always be honest with myself and others when possible. And the truth is that Tiffany did a good job in coaching Riley and Melody through the hard stuff. She even helped Harmony and me on our approach. But she isn’t winning me over yet. Not by a long shot. I’m aware that she was just a little too nice during our lesson—a little too approving. I’ve been riding most of my life, and compliments don’t easily fly off a coach’s tongue. You have to really earn it, so the flattery she was doling out seemed a little fake. Still. I won’t ignore the fact that maybe I did learn something, and that Harmony and I improved our performance.
“Thanks, guys,” Tiffany says, interrupting my train of thought. “I’ll see you in a few days. Good job today. And if you need anything before that, feel free to visit me up at the house.” She turns and points to the imposing mansion on a knoll in the distance.
I raise my eyebrows. “Nice place,” I say.
“It is. You should come by and visit. Take a dip in the pool with Paisley and some of her friends. In fact, I’ve invited some of the working students to come over this weekend for a swim party on the Fourth of July. I’m sure it’s fine if I also invite some of the students.”
“Thank you,” Riley says.
“Yeah. Thanks,” I answer back.
Wills pipes in, “I’ll so be there!”
He is someone, like Lydia, who I may have to learn to ignore. My impression of Wills is that he’s the kind of kid who’s a little insecure and likes to hid
e behind his preppy clothes—and act like a joker to fit in. The type who puts a whoopee cushion on someone’s seat and thinks it’s hysterical even while he’s wearing a perfectly ironed oxford and acting like he’s completely innocent. The thing about Wills is, I’m not sure he’d know an actual serious life problem if it smacked him in the face.
Riley and I leave the arena together and I can’t hold my tongue for much longer. I finally say, “Why the hell was she so nicey nice to me?”
He shrugs. “Who knows? Maybe she’s changed. I haven’t ridden with her since right before I moved to Fairmont at the start of freshman year. Maybe the allegations about drugging ponies, not to mention what happened to Joel, caused her to actually become a better person.”
“Call me a cynic, but tigers don’t change their stripes.”
“Cynic.”
“I’ll own that,” I reply. “Change just doesn’t come all that easily, Ri.”
CHAPTER eleven
I’ve got Harmony in the wash rack, and she’s happy. My horse loves being rinsed off. She doesn’t like her face being squirted, but she does love when I hold the hose up to her mouth so she can take a sip of water and play with the running stream. I can’t help but laugh at her when I do this.
Riley is just putting Melody into the wash rack next to us when his phone rings. “Hello. This is he. Yeah. Hi, Dr. Moore. Okay. Okay.” He pauses. I’m trying not to eavesdrop. “What? No. That’s . . . Oh my God.” He smacks his forehead with the palm of his hand and looks down at the ground, shaking his head. “I’ll talk to my parents. I’ll see what I can do. Yeah. Okay. Thank you. I understand.” He hangs up the phone and I look over to see him shake his head, looking pretty forlorn.
“Everything okay?”
“Not really. Santos has a suspensory tear at the sesamoid. He’s done. There’s no way my dad will do what it takes to rehab him, especially knowing that it’s a risk. My dad is going to freak out at the cost. I need to call home and talk to him. I mean, maybe . . . maybe if I beg him.”
Perfect Harmony: A Vivienne Taylor Horse Lover's Mystery (Fairmont Riding Academy Book 3) Page 6