by Toni Mari
It worked: I laughed. He really was a nice guy. I was glad he attempted to ease the awkwardness that could have resulted after our kiss the night before. We were going to be working together for six days, and it would be too difficult to have to avoid him that whole time.
Finally, we loaded the horses on the trailer and climbed in the truck. Shawn and I stuck our heads and arms out the back windows and waved like little kids to Joe. Erica turned out of the driveway, and we were on our way, with my stomach butterflies partying and adding to the general holiday atmosphere.
Shawn and I shared a set of ear buds and settled in to watch a movie on my phone. I swiped past the text message icon to find the app I needed. Now was not the time to call Cory, too many people and I didn’t trust myself to stay in control during my next conversation with him.
We were about an hour into the trip when both of us popped out our ear buds as the truck lurched sideways. Erica’s shrill voice filled the cab. “What happened?”
The Bluetooth was on, so we could hear the whole conversation. A woman’s placating voice echoed through the truck, “Amanda is okay, but I do believe she will require stitches. It was purely an accident. She lost her balance on the beach and fell onto a sharp seashell, cutting the palm of her hand. I know she’s only been here for a few hours, and we can take her to the emergency room if you would like, but she is asking for you.”
“Stitches? Emergency room? My poor baby.”
The official voice responded, “She’s acting like a trooper. What would you like me to do?”
“Let me think. Mark is heading to Baltimore, may already be there. I’m on the road, but technically I’m closer. I can have Noreen come pick her up, and I will meet them at the hospital.”
The camp nurse took a moment to speak with someone in the background. “Yes, we see a Noreen on your approved list, that’s fine.”
After settling a few more details, Erica hung up.
“Poor Mandy.” I patted Erica’s shoulder.
“I have to call Noreen, and Mark. I can’t believe she’ll need stitches. She’s never been to a hospital before. I have to be there for her. I’m sorry you guys.”
After another sharp swerve, Michelle said, “Pull over, Erica. Let me drive while you make your phone calls.”
“Right.” She whipped the truck over two lanes of traffic and braked on the shoulder. “Drop me off at the hospital, then you can keep going. I don’t know how long it’ll take in the emergency room, but I’ll leave later and catch up, or I’ll catch a plane or something. You’ll be fine, only an hour or so behind.”
All of us assured her it was no problem. Mandy came first. Michelle pulled the trailer right into the parking lot of the hospital and agreed to stay behind while we all ran in. Mandy looked tiny sitting on top of the dazzling white sheets. Her relief was obvious as we pushed through the curtains surrounding the examination area. Even though she was trying to put on a brave front, her voice cracked when she said, “Mom, I’m so glad you’re here.”
Erica hugged her. “Of course I’m here, Mandy Girl. You’re my baby, I’ll always be here for you.”
When Erica stepped out to find a nurse, I held up my hand. “Let me see. Ouch, that must have hurt.” A jagged line stretched across her palm.
Shawn held her hand as he examined it. “Well, girl, you are going to have a fabulous scar. I will make up an appropriate fascinating story for you tell everyone when you show it off.” He pressed the bandage back over it.
With a wobbly smile, she hugged her arm to her chest. “Thanks, Shawn.”
“You better get going.” Erica said to us as she followed a nurse back to Mandy’s bed. She pointed toward the door. “You’ll be fine. I’ll call Mr. McBride and have him there to help you check in. Robert will be around, I’ll call him too. I’ll come as soon as I can.”
Shawn and I left, with last hugs and assurances that we didn’t mind and we would be fine.
It was after dinnertime when we exited the highway. Shawn navigated Michelle through twenty minutes of bumpy back roads before we pulled into the driveway of the facility.
Michelle stopped next to a kiosk just inside the park. The man pointed out our assigned barn, the third in a line of four very long and very tall buildings lined up next to each other like railroad cars. He explained where to unload, urging us to hurry. Then, he pointed beyond the barns to a far lot where the trailer had to be parked. Michelle thanked him and guided the trailer forward.
Mr. McBride was waiting at the wide door to our barn. “You missed dinner and a meeting.” He announced without saying hello.
Shawn sighed. “We know. We had something to eat, already. You can fill us in after we unload.”
Glaring at Shawn for daring to issue an instruction, Mr. McBride gave us orders in an authoritative tone that brooked no arguments. “Bed the stalls and set up the tack room first, then put the horses in. We will have a team meeting in fifteen minutes at my trailer.”
Refusing to be intimidated, Shawn smiled. “Sure thing.”
I opened the trailer windows and put my hands over my ears. Windsong’s loud voice was answered by multiple woeful animals inside the barn. Good to know he wasn’t the only nervous one. Melinda, with Alison trailing her, rushed out to meet us. I gave Melinda a quick hug while fixing a cool, flinty-eyed stare on Alison. She wasn’t even looking at me because her eyes were fastened on Shawn. He grinned and gave each girl a hug, but Alison pushed him back.
“What are you doing here?” she asked through clenched teeth.
He lifted his eyebrows and cocked his head sideways. “Uh, I’m here to win the gold medal.”
She shook her head, pressing her lips together and refusing to be amused. “No—with her? Together on the same trailer?” She waved her arm at the rig.
He chuckled. “Always the happy one, Alli.” He threw an arm around her shoulders. “We’ve been training together.”
Her eyes widened. “You left Erica?”
“No, Jane came to Erica’s. Erica will be here in a few hours. She had a family emergency.”
Alison stopped moving. “When? When did she come to Erica’s?” She spit the word she out like it was poison.
I stepped around Melinda, opening my mouth to answer. Shawn gave a tiny shake of his head and tapped his chest with his hand. He spun Alison toward the barn and leaned down over the top of her head. “Now, Alison, don’t be jealous. We were working to make the team better.” His voice faded as they entered the barn.
Melinda turned to me. “This is about to get interesting.” She picked up a bucket and waltzed into the barn.
Wiping my brow, I mumbled, “That’s what I’m afraid of.” I took the shavings inside and got Windsong’s stall bedded.
#
Chapter Forty-One
Melinda hung around chattering, but after several attempts to provoke me with blazing glares, Alison finally left us alone. We got the horses settled in, leaving Michelle to finish organizing our equipment and to park the trailer. Conditioned to having a trainer orchestrate our actions, Shawn and I had dumped the feed and tack into an unruly heap in front of the stalls.
Melinda walked with us to the McBrides’ rig. Slipping an arm through Shawn’s, she asked, “So, what did you say to Alison? I could have roasted marshmallows in the flames coming out of her head.”
Shawn darted an apologetic glance to me. “She does seem to have a weird hatred for Jane. She swore to get her off the team.”
Melinda snorted. “She’s such a spoiled brat. The competition has started. You can’t change the roster for the team, or get rid of anyone at this late date.”
“Yeah, not unless their horse doesn’t pass the vet inspection tomorrow or if they violate the rules.”
Frankly, I still couldn’t figure out how I had become Alison’s hated enemy. “Was she like this last year?” I asked.
“No,” Shawn said.
“Yes,” Melinda said. They both looked at each other with surprise.
“We par
tied all the time. She was fun,” Shawn explained.
“She kept you hung over so she could beat you. She knew Courtney and I couldn’t beat her, so she just ignored us completely.”
Still didn’t quite explain why she hated me. “Is she mean to you this year?” I asked Melinda.
Melinda said pointedly, “Nope, still ignores me.”
She turned toward a giant RV-style trailer. As tall as a bus, the shiny rig was thirty-something feet long. A warm glow leaked from the windows, and the hum of a generator throbbed in the air. An awning stretched over folding chairs and a table. Mr. and Mrs. McBride were there, and so was Melinda’s mother, a plump red head with an appeasing, dimply smile. Alison’s back was to us, but her pale blonde hair was luminous in the low light.
“Wow! It’s like a hotel on wheels,” I breathed, hating that I was impressed.
We approached, and Mr. McBride rose, greeting us and offering seats. Being the team captain, he was in charge of our paperwork. He had show packets for each of us, which he passed out. He went over some of the rules, reminding us that we signed a code of conduct and that our behavior reflected on the team as a whole. He gave each of us, including the parents, an avocado-green polo shirt embroidered with the team name.
“You are to wear the team shirt and khaki pants for the vet inspection tomorrow. Be on time, with your horses braided and fully groomed, no leg wear, and polish your own boots. Girls, wear make-up and neat, conservative hairdos. Any questions?”
Melinda was holding up her shirt with a horrified expression on her face. “Yeah, who picked out this color?”
Mr. McBride rounded on her. “Alison took the time to choose something that would reflect our team spirit and make us stand out.” He smiled dotingly on his daughter. “I appreciate her effort for the team. Nice job, honey.”
The size of my shirt was extra large. Since I was usually a small, it must have been mixed up with someone else’s. I tentatively raised my hand. “Umm, I think you accidentally gave me the wrong shirt. I need a small.” I held it out to him.
“Alison made the order and I’m sure there are no mistakes. Tuck it in, it will look fine.”
He just commanded me to be neat and then he expected me to wear the same size shirt as my father. “But . . .”
“Listen, young lady. I know you don’t have adult supervision right now, but that doesn’t mean you can talk back to me. And I expect you to go right to bed after this meeting.” He looked pointedly at me. “I am in charge, and I will take whatever action necessary to report any rule infractions, even on our own team, and that includes no drinking or smoking any of the marijuana.”
I had never smoked pot in my life, why would I start tonight? Then, I spotted Alison’s self-satisfied little smile and a spear of apprehension coursed through me. With a quick goodnight, I pulled Shawn away from the group, striding quickly in the direction of the barn.
“Shawn, did you see Alison’s face? I think she told her father I smoke pot! She probably planted some pot in my stuff. We have to go back to the barn and search everything!”
“What? Do you hear yourself? I don’t understand this paranoia of yours. First, at Erica’s you were double-checking on Joe and Michelle constantly, and now, you’re accusing someone of planting drugs on you.”
He didn’t believe me. Heck, I barely could believe someone would go this far either. But my gut feeling was bad. Alison was trouble and she had it in for me. “Regardless, I am going to search everything myself, with or without you.”
Michelle swore that no one had touched any of my stuff, that she had stayed by the horses and the tack since we’d left. No matter, I looked through everything. When I didn’t find anything, they both were quiet, but I could see I told you so in their eyes.
I slumped into the chair by Windsong’s stall, puzzled. Alison’s look meant something, I just knew it. I would have to stay here in the barn. I wouldn’t risk her trying anything else on Windsong. After giving Windsong a few treats, we went to set up the living quarters.
Shawn was on the phone with Erica while I changed into sleep sweats. I explained to Michelle that I wanted to check on Windsong a few times through the night. She rolled her eyes and said there was a flashlight in the storage compartment beneath the seats of the kitchenette. I lifted the cushion and gasped. “I found it!” I shouted.
Shawn looked over my shoulder and went silent. A plastic bag with a rolled joint and teaspoonful of dried green leaves was flattened on the bench.
Bam! Bam! Pounding on the camper door, Mr. McBride called, “It’s me. I’m here to do bed checks.”
Ice sizzled through my veins. If he caught me with that bag, he could kick me off the team. The code of conduct we all signed clearly stated that we would not do drugs, besides the fact that he had just threatened me in the meeting.
Shawn snatched up the bag and hissed, “Fix the cushion. Michelle answer the door.” He slipped into the bathroom and slid the door shut.
Mr. McBride strode up the steps. “Since Erica is not here to supervise you two young people, I am checking up on you. Where’s Shawn?”
The dry suction glurp of the commode in the bathroom preceded Shawn banging the bathroom door open. Tucking in his shirt, Shawn smiled. “Right here.”
Mr. McBride stared at the three of us. “Do you have drugs and alcohol in here?”
“No, sir.”
He started opening cabinets and drawers. He whirled suddenly and pointed at me. “Get up.”
Crossing my arms, I slid silently out of the booth and moved out of his way. He flipped the pillow up, then leaned closer, running a hand into the corners of the bench. He did the same with the other side. Finding nothing, he slammed the cushion down and pushed us aside to peer in the bathroom. Eyes wide, I clutched Shawn’s arm. He smiled confidently. “No worries,” he whispered.
The toilet lid was slammed down, and Mr. McBride appeared in the opening. His ruddy cheeks were red with frustration and his gaze dropped to Shawn’s waist. “Pull your shirt up,” he commanded.
“What? Have you gone crazy? If Erica was here, you wouldn’t dare act like this.” Shawn leaned over Mr. McBride, hands on his hips.
That incited the shorter man’s rage. He grabbed the front of Shawn’s shirt and wrenched it out of his pants. That’s when I caught the glint of amusement in that cocky boy’s eye. I covered my mouth to hide a smile. Shawn lifted his arms, allowing the man access to his body. Mr. McBride looked like he considered searching Shawn’s shorts, but reason returned. He pointed at me. “Go right to bed. I have my eye on you, young lady.”
I held my breath for a full minute after he slammed out the door, and then deflated like a hot air balloon. “What did you do with it?”
“Down the toilet.”
“What was that all about?” Michelle moved for the first time since Mr. McBride had entered the camper.
“Alison. She planted pot in the bench and then told her father.”
“Why?”
I shrugged. “She wants to get me kicked off the team.”
Shawn ran a hand through his hair, dazed. “Stupid man. I have smoked and drank a million times with Alison. Especially last year during the Championships. He is clueless about the real Alison. Jane, I’m sorry, I guess you were right.”
I wished I wasn’t right. I knew for sure that Alison was actively trying to frame me, but if I told someone official, wouldn’t they wonder whether I was the one lying to get her off the team? I looked between Michelle and Shawn. There was no clear-cut way to report her and not incriminate ourselves. If we kept the drugs as proof, Alison would say they were mine. And without the drugs, it was our word—a groom and two teenagers—against the team captain’s and his daughter’s. And because her plan failed, what would she do next?
“I’m sleeping at Windsong’s stall,” I announced and rummaged in the storage compartment for the flashlight.
#
Chapter Forty-Two
“I wish Erica was here.” S
hawn sighed. “She would back you up, I know it.”
“If she was here, none of this would be happening. By the way, what did she say? How is Mandy?”
“Mandy’s fine. She needed eight stitches, but they were at the hospital for four hours.”
“Oh, man, I hate the emergency room.”
“Erica is going to catch an early flight in the morning, rent a car, and she thinks she’ll make it here in time for the jog.”
“Cool. And until she gets here, I will be glued to Windsong’s side.”
I tucked my phone into my pocket and pulled a blanket from the cabinet. Shawn reached past me and grabbed one too. “I’m coming with you.”
I nodded, relieved I wouldn’t be alone.
We set up the chairs side by side with my tack trunk in front of them to rest our feet on. Windsong’s rhythmic chewing and the sound of crickets soothed my nerves. I began to breathe normally until Shawn captured my hand. Running his fingers lightly over the back and up my arm, he sighed. “Why don’t you sit on my lap and keep me warm.”
Shivers ran over my skin right down to my toes, and the butterflies partied in my belly. I didn’t move, still resisting the attraction, too confused to make a choice. “I’m fine over here.”
“I’m not.” He tugged on my arm. “I can’t stop thinking about that kiss last night.”
I blew out a shaky breath. “I just . . . I’m not, well, it’s hard.”
Studying my hand, he asked quietly, “Did you like it?”
“Yeah.” I pulled my sweaty palm from him and dried it on my jeans. “But I’m, I don’t know, confused.”
A soft, slow smile dawned on his face. “Okay, but I still get to hold your hand.”
I woke up in the morning on Shawn’s lap, with my head on his shoulder. I sat up, blinking.
“Good morning.” He rubbed his hands over his face and through his hair.
Windsong poked his nose through the bars, nickering softly. I stood up. “Good news, I guess nothing went down last night.” What seemed so comfortable in the still dark felt like a big mistake in the light of morning. I got busy giving Windsong and Donner their breakfast. Shawn grabbed the water bucket from my hand. “I got this.”