Chasing Gold

by Catherine Hapka

“No, that’s enough for now.” Haley loosened her reins and rubbed his withers, keeping him to a walk with her seat and voice. “We don’t want to wear you out, or you won’t have anything left for our dressage lesson in the morning.”

  She glanced down at Bandit, who’d stopped to scratch his ear. Haley couldn’t wait to tell her Pony Post friends about the dog’s cross-country schooling! She only wished they could have seen it for themselves.

  That gave her an idea. Her cell phone was in her back pocket, as usual. Pulling it out, she quickly snapped a few photos of Bandit.

  “Okay, Wingsie,” she said. “Maybe we can do one more jump. . . .”

  She trotted him toward a stack of logs. The pony tried to break into a canter, but she kept him at a trot.

  Just as she’d expected, Bandit raced ahead of them, barking loudly. Holding the reins in one hand, Haley snapped another photo just as the dog sailed over the log jump. She laughed as Bandit landed—and immediately spun around, jumping the logs again coming toward her! Luckily, Haley’s phone was still in position, and she got off another couple of shots before Wings reached his takeoff spot.

  On the far side of the jump, Haley stopped the pony and scrolled through the pictures. She couldn’t see the tiny monitor very well in the bright sunshine, but she was pretty sure she’d captured some good shots.

  “Next time I’ll have to try taking some video,” she told Wings and Bandit with a laugh. “Too bad Nina isn’t closer—she’s such a good photographer, I bet she could film us. Or maybe I could talk someone else into coming out sometime with a camera.”

  Her smile wavered slightly as her mind flashed from her Pony Post friends to her local ones. Now that they were all about boys and parties, would Tracey or Emma still be interested in watching her ride?

  But no—she wasn’t going to think about that right then and spoil her happy mood. Gathering up the reins, she nudged Wings into a trot.

  “Okay, you win,” she said. “I suppose we still have time for a few more jumps before we have to head back.”

  “Urgh,” Haley grunted as her phone buzzed in her pocket. She set aside the wide, square-headed shovel she’d been using to chip away at the dried chicken manure on the henhouse floor. Mr. Broom had gone off to dump the tractor bucket, which he and Haley had filled with yet another load of soiled bedding. Outside in the attached pen, Haley could hear the chickens clucking and burbling irritably, clearly wondering why the door into their house was shut. It was after six thirty already, and they would be wanting to roost soon.

  Peeling off one glove, she carefully fished the phone out and hit the button to answer it. She stepped outside, taking in a breath of welcome fresh air.

  “Hello?” she said.

  “Are you sure you’re not coming? Ems and I are at her house getting dressed. We’re leaving in like ten minutes.”

  Haley sighed. She didn’t need to check the readout to know who it was. Tracey sounded hopeful, as if she might actually be expecting Haley to change her mind and come to the dance.

  She wouldn’t think that if she could see me—or smell me—right now, Haley thought, glancing down at herself. Her jeans, shirt, and skin were spattered with ick, and a thin layer of the dust that always seemed to hang around chickens covered her from head to boot.

  “Sorry, still can’t,” she told Tracey. “You guys have fun, though. I want to hear everything tomorrow.”

  “For sure.” Tracey hesitated. “So you’re still coming to my party, though, right?”

  “Of course,” Haley answered, not allowing any impatience to creep into her voice.

  “Cool. So you’re really not coming tonight?” Tracey sounded as if she still couldn’t quite believe it.

  “Really.” Haley could hear the sound of the tractor heading back her way. Her stomach rumbled, complaining about her delayed dinner. “Look, I have to go. Have a great time, okay?”

  Haley didn’t get home from Mr. Broom’s place until almost eight. All she wanted to do was gobble down about three pounds of food, then fall into bed, in that order. Okay, maybe she’d slip a shower in there somewhere—she hadn’t felt so filthy since the last time she’d helped move the manure pile.

  “I’m home!” she called to her uncle, who was washing dishes and singing along with the radio. Aunt Veronica was nowhere in sight, which meant she was probably in her office getting some work done. The sound of the TV drifted up from the basement, and Haley hoped that meant both boys were down there. The last thing she was in the mood for was teasing from them about her current state of stinkiness.

  She said hi to Uncle Mike and then dragged herself up the steps, grabbing a fresh bath towel from the linen closet as she headed down the hall to her room. Her nightgown was slung over the back of her desk chair where she’d dropped it that morning. As she grabbed it, she noticed her laptop sitting on the desk and flipped it open.

  I’d better check the Pony Post now, she told herself. I’ll be too tired later, and who knows if I’ll have even an extra two seconds tomorrow.

  For a moment, she felt even more exhausted as she thought about everything she had to fit in the next day. But she banished the thought, her fingers flying over the keys as she logged on to the Pony Post.

  As usual, there were plenty of new messages. Haley skimmed most of them, but her gaze caught on one from Nina.

  [NINA] Big news, pony peeps! Breezy and I had a lesson today, and guess what? I found out there’s going to be a horse show at my barn next month!

  [MADDIE] Cool! Are u going to enter?

  [BROOKE] Of course she is! Wait, N, will this be yr 1st show?

  [MADDIE] I think it is! Nina? Paging Nina! Don’t leave us hanging!

  [NINA] lol, sorry I was offline for a few hours. A girl has to eat, u know! Anyway, ya, this will be my first show. Well, my first horse show, anyway. I’ve been in lots of other kinds of shows!

  [MADDIE] lol, we don’t want to hear about all yr dance recitals or whatev right now, OK? Spill! What kind of show is it going to be?

  Haley skimmed another few entries from Nina, detailing what she knew about the coming show. She was excited for her friend—Nina had owned her Chincoteague pony, a stout bay pinto gelding named Bay Breeze, for less than two years now. She hadn’t been riding for as long as Haley or Brooke, who had both learned to ride almost before they could walk. But she was learning fast, and Haley was sure she couldn’t wait to show off what a good team she and her pony had become.

  Kind of like me and Wings, she thought as she scrolled down to the next post. I just hope Zina Charles sees that next weekend!

  She shivered, thinking of the clinic, just one week away now! Then she returned her attention to the computer screen. She spotted her name in Maddie’s next post.

  [MADDIE] U can get some show pointers from Haley. She’s prolly been in more shows than the rest of us put together!

  [BROOKE] That’s for sure! I’ve only been in two—a student show where I used to take lessons, and then the one at the end of camp this summer.

  [MADDIE] I did a student show with Cloudy last spring too. Of course, Haley prolly thinks we’re all big wimps since the jumps in our shows fall down if we hit them, unlike those crazy XC things she and Wings jump!

  [NINA] lol, ya. Well, that’s why she’s getting ready to ride in a clinic with a future Olympic champion, and I’m just hoping I can hold on over a few crossrails w/o embarrassing myself or my pony! LOL!

  [BROOKE] LOL! Don’t worry, u can do it!

  Haley smiled. That was the latest post, sent just an hour or so earlier. Opening a new text box, she started typing.

  [HALEY] Nina, that’s awesome news! I know u will do great at yr show. Can’t wait to see pics of u and Breezy showing yr stuff!

  She sent the message. It appeared on the screen, blinking at the bottom of her friends’ long list of posts. Haley reached for the touch screen to sign off, but instead moved her hand back to the keyboard and opened another text box.

  [HALEY] btw, sor
ry I haven’t been posting more. It’s crazy how busy things are right now. I don’t know how ZC and other pro riders do it!!! I’ll prob be even busier for the next wk, but I promise to make up for it after the clinic!

  This time she did sign off as soon as the message showed up. Her friends were probably all in bed by now, so she shouldn’t expect a response until tomorrow.

  Besides, Haley already knew what they’d say. She knew they’d understand why she’d been a little out of touch—and they wouldn’t mind. After all, they all took turns posting more or less often on the Pony Post. When Maddie had been so busy trying to buy Cloudy, she hadn’t posted nearly as much as usual. And of course, Brooke hadn’t been able to log on very often when she and her pony, Foxy, were at that sleepaway riding camp over the summer. Nina had a fancy smartphone that let her check in easily anywhere, but even she sometimes got busy with school and art lessons and all the other stuff she did in her exciting big-city life.

  But no matter how busy any of them got, they all kept coming back to the Pony Post. Because even though they lived far apart and were very different in some ways, their love for their ponies was one thing they’d always have in common.

  After a shower and a quick dinner, Haley could barely keep her eyes open. She set her alarm, grimacing as she counted out the hours—not nearly enough—until she had to get up for her dressage lesson. She’d only managed to give her tack a quick once-over after that day’s ride, but she figured Jan would understand.

  She climbed into bed, her tired brain buzzing with everything she had to do tomorrow. If only she didn’t have to fit that stupid party in with everything else! For a second she thought about telling Tracey she couldn’t make it after all.

  But no. For some mysterious reason, that party seemed to be just as important to Tracey as the clinic was to Haley. All Haley had to do was get through it—and everything else on her overcrowded schedule—for a little while longer. Because exactly one week from tomorrow, the clinic would be here, and all the hard work and lost sleep would be worth it.

  CHAPTER

  8

  “GOOD BOY!” HALEY SAID AS Wings lengthened his trot stride along the fence. “Good, good boy!”

  “Excellent!” her instructor called from the center of the paddock Haley used as a riding ring. “You’re looking good today—both of you.”

  “Thanks!” Haley brought Wings back to a walk and gave him a pat, feeling pleased. Jan Whipple was only in her midthirties, but she definitely took after the old-school horsemen who’d taught her when she was Haley’s age. That meant she wasn’t the type of instructor to give compliments unless she meant them. The first time Haley had attempted the lengthening, all Jan had said was, “Hmm. Again.” But this time, a wide grin split her tanned, freckled face beneath its battered old Wisconsin Dairy Association ball cap.

  “Okay,” Jan called out. “Now pick up left lead canter at A.” She winked. “Well, where A should be, anyway.”

  Haley had moved all the jump rails and standards out of the paddock a couple of days earlier after their last show jumping school, but she hadn’t had time to lay out a real dressage ring, with letters marking the spots where transitions were supposed to happen. But that didn’t really matter. They weren’t practicing tests today, just schooling various movements.

  And so far, Wings was doing great! When he’d first come to live with Haley, learning to jump had come easily to him. But he hadn’t had much patience for the slow, intricate dressage work she’d started asking him to learn as well. In his old life with the neighbor’s daughter, he hadn’t been asked to do much other than run and circle around the barrels—turn and burn, as some barrel racers called it—with a little easy trail riding in between competitions.

  But dressage was different. Riding a successful test involved performing specific gaits, figures, and transitions as accurately as possible, and precision hadn’t exactly been Wings’s forte at the beginning. Or Haley’s, either, for that matter. She loved running and jumping—that was why she’d been attracted to eventing in the first place. At first she’d considered dressage as just something to get through on the way to the fun stuff.

  Then she and Wings had entered their first competition. It hadn’t been anything big or fancy or recognized—just a tiny, informal starter horse trials at a lesson stable over in the next county. Wings had been a superstar at the jumping parts. He’d gone double clear in cross-country and stadium, barely seeming to notice the tiny elementary-level obstacles.

  But the dressage test had been another matter. It was just a walk-trot test, and aside from memorizing it, Haley had barely bothered to prepare for it at all outside of her occasional lessons with Jan. And it had shown—they’d blown a couple of transitions, with Wings jumping into a canter once when he was supposed to be trotting. He’d also jigged through the halt, and their circles were shaped more like melting snowballs. They’d ended up with a pretty terrible score, which had dropped them out of the ribbons completely.

  After that, Haley had taken dressage a lot more seriously. She’d even started to enjoy it most of the time. It helped that Jan was so enthusiastic about it, constantly pointing out all the ways that getting better at dressage would also improve their jumping. For instance, she’d first started teaching them lengthenings by asking Haley to trot or canter Wings between two poles or small jumps in different numbers of strides—doing the same distance once in five strides, then in six, then in four. Both Haley and Wings had found that exercise a lot of fun, and Haley had soon discovered that being able to adjust her pony’s stride could come in handy out on cross-country as well.

  They’d come a long way since then. Now their circles were mostly round and their transitions usually came at the right place. But there was always something new to work on!

  The rest of that morning’s lesson flew by. Haley was surprised when she checked her watch at the end and realized they’d gone fifteen minutes over the allotted time.

  “Thanks so much for coming all the way over here to teach us today,” she said as she stopped Wings beside Jan.

  “You’re welcome.” Jan rubbed Wings’s nose as he nudged at her, looking for treats. “I didn’t mind a bit. It’s not every day that a student of mine is getting ready to ride with Zina Charles.”

  Haley smiled. “I know, right? I can hardly believe it’s really going to happen.”

  At least it will if I get everything done and earn enough money, she added silently, though she didn’t say it to Jan.

  “Well, I think you two are ready. I can tell you’ve been working hard,” Jan said. “You and Wings have made a lot of progress since our last lesson.”

  “Thanks.” Haley beamed and leaned forward to rub the pony’s withers. “He’s a superstar!”

  “That he is.” Jan dug a slightly dusty carrot-flavored horse treat out of her pocket and fed it to Wings. “I’ll expect a full report after the clinic, okay?”

  “Promise.” Haley slid down from the saddle and ran up her stirrups. She’d pretty much forgotten about the rest of the world while she was riding, as usual. But now she was back to thinking about everything she still had to do before the clinic. There was no time to dawdle, especially today.

  “Stay, Bandit.” Haley closed the picket gate in the dog’s face.

  He whined at her from the barnyard, wagging his tail hopefully. But Haley knew better than to let him into the garden. The last time he’d sneaked in there, he’d dug up half of Aunt Veronica’s prized irises and eaten all the blooms off her roses.

  Haley reached over the gate to give Bandit one last ear scratch. Then she headed into the house. It was after four thirty already, and she would have to hurry if she was going to have time to take a shower, change clothes, and grab something to eat before Emma’s mother came by to pick her up for Tracey’s party.

  Uncle Mike was still out in the barn changing the oil in the tractor, but Aunt Veronica was in the kitchen getting dinner started. “Tracey came by an hour or so ago,” she
told Haley. “Left you something. It’s in your room.”

  “Okay, thanks.” When she got upstairs, Haley found a garment bag lying on her bed. Unzipping it, she pulled out a flouncy floral skirt and a pale green blouse. A note was pinned to the front of the blouse, written in Tracey’s big, loopy handwriting.

  Surprise! I know u r busy, so I thought u could wear this. It will look cute on u! See u at the party!

  After that came several hearts and flowers and smiley faces, followed by Tracey’s signature. Haley glanced at the clothes, feeling both touched and annoyed. It had been nice of Tracey to take the time to figure out something for her to wear and drop it off, especially since she had to be pretty busy herself today. But couldn’t she see that this outfit wasn’t exactly Haley’s style?

  She dropped the garment bag on her bed and wandered to her closet. Swinging open the door, she stared blankly at the clothes inside.

  Then she sighed and returned to the bed. She didn’t have the energy to come up with something else to wear. Tracey’s outfit would have to do.

  Half an hour later, Haley was showered and dressed. She headed downstairs, following the scent of roast beef.

  When she entered the kitchen, everyone else was already at the table. “Wow!” Aunt Veronica said with a smile. “You look beautiful, Haley!”

  Jake glanced up from shoveling mashed sweet potatoes into his mouth. “That’s not Haley,” he said through a mouthful of half-chewed food. “That’s a girl.”

  “Yeah, where’d that girl come from?” Danny smirked. “We don’t allow those around here.”

  Aunt Veronica shot them a sour look. “Enough, boys,” she said.

  “Sit down, Haley,” Uncle Mike said. “Have some grub before you go.” He winked at her. “Shrimp cocktails and dainty tea sandwiches won’t fill you up after the long day you just put in.”

  Haley giggled as she slid into her seat. “I don’t think Tracey’s serving shrimp cocktails and tea sandwiches,” she said. “But thanks, I am pretty hungry.”