High Hurdles Collection Two

by Lauraine Snelling

  “Just like magic, huh?” Bridget left the arena. “See you out at the jump in ten minutes. I have some things I can do while you warm him up, now that you have him cooled down.” Her laugh drifted behind her.

  DJ mounted with smooth grace and moved Herndon into a walk, then a slow trot. But while she thought they were both calmed down, out in the jumping ring, Herndon ran out. When she brought him up to the jump again, he did the same.

  “Okay, we will now go back to the basics.” Bridget put all the bars on the ground, and DJ spent the hour trotting around and around, over the cavalletti and crossrails and around again. If she heard “Focus, keep him between your hands and your legs,” one more time, she thought she might scream. She jogged home after giving Major another treatment just to wear off her frustration. Frustration she didn’t dare show when Bridget was around.

  “Mom, can I take my dinner upstairs so I can get on the books?”

  “I guess.” Lindy took another look at her daughter. “What’s the matter?”

  “Herndon kept running out, so we did the ‘basics.’ ” She put a sneer on the B word. “That horse might drive me to … to … I don’t know what.”

  “How’s Major?”

  “That old sweetie, he’d never act like this. He’s getting better. He puts some weight on that foot now. I thought you were going for the boys.”

  “Mother asked if they could have dinner there so Joe could teach them how to groom General. I’m not sure who is having more fun with that pony, him or the boys.” Lindy looked around the kitchen. “Since Robert won’t be home until late, why don’t you bring your books down here, and we’ll eat out on the deck? Just the two of us. Maria went to see her sister.”

  “Okay.”

  Comfortable on the loungers, they both read their books while they ate. Queenie crawled up by DJ and stretched out by her crossed legs.

  “Darla Jean, you better come in before you get too cold.” Lindy touched her daughter’s shoulder.

  DJ opened her eyes and blinked, then blinked again. “Oh … what happened?” She looked around for her book and pushed off the throw that now covered her.

  “You fell asleep.” Lindy sat down on the other lounger and faced her daughter. “If you are this tired, something has to give. How long since you went to bed at a decent hour?”

  DJ shrugged and pulled the fleece throw back up around her shoulders. Queenie licked her hand, so DJ stroked the dog’s silky head.

  “Okay, this is what I propose. You cut back on classes—”

  “But, Mom!”

  “Only until school is out. And that Arab show that is coming up this weekend is out.”

  “But I told Brad I’d—”

  “I already talked with him. He called about the USET thing. He agrees with me that your studies and your health come first. You can take care of the horses and exercise Herndon, but for the next two weeks, only one class a week and the one you teach. That will give you study time, and I want the lights out at 10:00.”

  DJ glared at her mother, but the yawn that made her jaw crack lessened the impact. As if a glare would do any good. She pushed back the throw and got to her feet. “Thanks a lot.”

  Sarcasm didn’t work, either. Lindy stood and, taking the throw from DJ’s hands, put it around her shoulders. “I’ll bring you some hot chocolate, or would you rather have a soda?”

  “Orange soda.” With Queenie Velcroed to her knee, DJ climbed the stairs to her room, yawning twice along the way. She’d slept for two hours.

  She glared at the face in the bathroom mirror. “Sheesh, you dope.” But the circles under her eyes made her look like a raccoon, and she knew it.

  The days leading to finals fell over each other in their rush to get past.

  On Sunday night Brad and Jackie stopped by after he came to pick up the ultrasound machine.

  “Thanks so much for letting us use it,” DJ said. “It worked like magic. Major is so much better, I can hardly believe it.”

  “Most likely your love and good care had something to do with it.” Brad laid a hand on her shoulder.

  “Prayers too.” DJ laid her cheek on her father’s hand. “Thank you again.”

  “You are very welcome.”

  “How about staying for dinner. It’ll be ready in just a few minutes.” Lindy invited. “Robert will be barbecuing.”

  So as dusk fell, they were all sitting out on the deck, Gran and Joe included. Talk turned to summer vacation and how they were going to work it all out.

  DJ went upstairs and came back down with a paper in her hands. “I wrote down how I think my summer ought to go. You want to hear it?”

  “Sure.” Robert moved the table lamp over to where she’d sat before.

  “As soon as school is out, Amy and I are going to your house for a week, right?” She nodded to Brad and Jackie, who both nodded. “Okay, then I’d like to go to summer school at Mount Diablo Community College for their art courses like Gran suggested. That would be for six weeks in the mornings. I have three shows in those weeks also, including the Arab show you talked about over the Fourth of July weekend.” Again DJ nodded at Brad.

  “Sounds good,” he said.

  “Then there is that A-level show in Sacramento, if Herndon and I are ready for it.” She glanced back at her paper. “Then I want to go to the class Ms. Gant is teaching. I could take BART in for that every day.”

  She glanced at her mother, wondering what she would think of DJ’s riding the Bay Area Rapid Transit alone. But Lindy just nodded and ran the tip of her tongue around her cheek.

  “And after that the USET.” She looked from Robert to her mother and back again. “I know you want us all to take a vacation, and I thought maybe the week before school starts again would work.”

  DJ laid her paper down on the table. The boys were giggling, Queenie yipping at them off in the grass by the jungle gym set Robert had built for them. A bird made a sleepy call in the tree up above, and sprinklers ratcheted in the neighbor’s yard.

  “Sounds like a good plan to me,” Robert said, nodding and reaching for the paper at the same time. “I can tell you put a lot of time and thought into this.”

  Now it was DJ’s turn to nod.

  “Doesn’t look to me like there is much time here for kicking back.”

  “No, it sure doesn’t.” Lindy looked over Robert’s shoulder at the list. She looked up at DJ. “You aren’t going to try to go on the wilderness pack trip?”

  “Can you see Herndon on a trail?”

  That brought chuckles from everyone.

  “Besides, even if Major were well enough, which I doubt, I just don’t have time.” While she and Amy had talked about going for the last couple of summers, and two of her girls and their families were going, DJ knew it wasn’t for her. At least not this year.

  “You’ll need time for your card business, too,” Lindy reminded her.

  “I know. And I want to teach the boys how to ride right, but I can do that in the early afternoons.” DJ looked around the group, then lifted her paper up. “So is this all right with everybody?”

  “I hope you can spend some more time with us,” Jackie added, “although I know we get show times together. Maybe a few days after USET?” She looked at Lindy and Robert for permission.

  “Could be.” Robert looked over at DJ and nodded. “I think you’ve done a good job on your plans. Maybe I should hire you in my business.”

  “Robert!” Lindy play-punched his shoulders.

  “Just kidding.”

  DJ slept around the clock after finals were over on Thursday. She staggered over to the barns to care for the horses that afternoon, returned home, crawled into bed, and slept through the night.

  “Welcome back to the land of the living,” her mother said the next morning when DJ entered the kitchen.

  “What day is this?” DJ stuck her head in the fridge for something to eat. “I’m starved.”

  “I’m sure you are. I think you forgot to eat last ni
ght. When I went up to call you, you were sound asleep again, so I left you alone.”

  DJ stood up and looked back around the refrigerator door. “If it’s Friday, how come you are home?”

  “I’m taking a couple of vacation days.” Lindy stretched her hands above her head. “That’s part of my three-week notice. In fact, I only have one more week in the office.”

  “You what?”

  “I quit my job.”

  “You did?” DJ slammed the door and did a jig step over to her mother. “Really?”

  “I decided you kids needed me at home and I needed to be here. So Maria can have a few extra days off this summer if she wants, and I plan to start my book on young entrepreneurs. You and Amy and that business club have inspired me. Mr. Mann is excited about sharing kids from the last few years with me, too.”

  “I can’t believe this!” DJ put the back of her hand to her forehead. “God, do you hear me? This is like super way cool wonderful.”

  “Maybe I’ll even make a baby quilt for the little one here.” Lindy patted her barely rounded belly.

  DJ grinned.

  Brad picked up DJ and Amy, along with Herndon, on Sunday afternoon. By the time they arrived at Gladstone, his ranch north of San Francisco in Santa Rosa, they’d talked about showing, plans for the summer, USET, and how the card line was coming.

  DJ enjoyed pointing out landmarks to Amy, especially those high-water marks left from the flood the winter before.

  “I told Stormy you were coming, and she said she was glad—it’s been too long since she saw you.”

  DJ and Amy shook their heads and gave each other the look. Stormy was a little filly that DJ helped keep alive when she was born during the flood. The river had taken over the barns, and the horses they couldn’t get hauled to higher grounds earlier were kept up by the house since it was on a knoll higher than the rest of the farm. After the flood receded, Brad gave Stormy to DJ as a gift. Stormy now starred in the line of cards through DJ’s drawings.

  “You think I’m kidding, right?”

  “Yep. But that’s all right. If you understand horse language that well, we could make a fortune off you.”

  “You could go on TV,” Amy continued with a sober face that twitched with the need to giggle.

  “Better’n our cards, huh?”

  “All right, you two, rule number one of this week: no picking on the male member of this household.”

  “Sure, I’ll just ask Jackie to make sure this rule is really in effect.”

  Still laughing, the three of them drove up to the long, white main barn. Herndon walked out of the trailer and stood looking around as if he were glad to be home. He whinnied once and whinnied again when several horses answered him.

  “Okay, what did he say that time?”

  “Hey, guys, I’m home, so you better watch out.”

  “Right.” DJ led her horse into the barn. “What stall do you want him in?”

  “His stall, where else?”

  Herndon knew it was home. He walked in as if he owned the place and all the others were his subjects waiting to greet him. Nickers, whinnies, and scuffling feet made DJ and Amy laugh again.

  “Where’s Stormy?” DJ asked as soon as they had Herndon fed and settled in.

  “In the other barn. Come on.”

  Stormy’s mother came right up to get her treats, but Stormy hung back, too big now to hide behind her mother but not taking any chances with the strangers.

  “I thought she was excited for me to get here?” DJ nudged Brad with her elbow.

  “She said she was. I guess you can’t trust the word of a filly.” Brad held a horse cookie out for the youngster, but she would have none of it.

  “She is so pretty. Look at her, all legs still.” Amy rubbed the mare’s nose and watched the baby.

  “But can she run.” Brad held out her treat, and she finally reached forward to snatch it out of his hands. “She’s a real show-off. I can’t wait for you to take her into the ring. I’m hoping you can show her at the Arab show in Prescott in July. That would be an ideal show for her, and Jackie’s been teaching her manners and to lead like she should. Of course you can’t tell that now.”

  DJ knew she would sit in the corner again and wait for Stormy to come to her. It shouldn’t take as long as last time. If only she could come up here more, but life was so busy.

  As they reached the house, Brad told them a joke, so the three of them entered the house chuckling.

  “Sounds like some happy people who are just in time for dinner.” Jackie gave both DJ and Amy a hug. “You know where to put your things. I’m sure glad you are finally here.

  “John will be here first thing in the morning to work with you and Herndon,” she went on. “I told him you are having trouble jumping, so he’s been thinking on it.”

  “I know it’s my fault. I’m just not doing something the way he is used to.”

  “Not necessarily.” Working with a new horse always takes time.

  After dinner and cleanup, the four of them ambled back to the barns to check that all was okay. Herndon greeted Jackie with a nicker and toss of the head.

  One day, horse, DJ promised herself, you’ll greet me like that.

  But all through the videos and shows and events they watched, DJ fought to ignore the bite of jealousy. After all, Herndon had been Jackie’s horse for years.

  John Talbot arrived promptly at 9:00 Monday morning. After listening to DJ’s tale, he nodded his head. “Let me show you what I think you are doing and how we can make it work.” He checked the stirrup length and mounted Herndon. “Riding is a feeling thing,” he said with a smile down at the girls. “I call it strength under control. Now, I know you know this, but let me review. Your seat and legs are always driving him forward. Some of the most common problems are uneven reins, being left behind …” DJ nodded at that one. “And I can’t seem to change that.” “Or you’re dropping him. When you get left behind on one jump, then many times one of your reins gets uneven when you try to get back together. You have to make sure you look where you are going, too, always to the next jump. He will go the way you look.”

  DJ nodded again. She’d heard all this before with Bridget, but she didn’t care. If this man could help her, she’d cheer forever.

  “Now, watch carefully. I have a video camera here, so you can see the same thing over and over this afternoon. The moves are hard to see at regular speed.” He took Herndon over the three jumps they had set up. “Did you notice how he rounds over the jump? You must, too. Now watch again.”

  DJ concentrated on watching his hands one time, legs the next, and seat the third.

  “Okay, your turn.” He dismounted, adjusted the stirrup leathers, and stepped back.

  After an hour of working with him, DJ felt like she had cooked spaghetti for legs. Her timing had improved, but she still didn’t feel like she had it.

  “It will come,” Talbot promised. “The two of you are going to be hard to beat one of these days. Just concentrate on the basics. You have to ride this horse to get the best out of him, but it’s there.”

  “Herndon,” DJ muttered after the trainer left, “if we don’t get our act together, we won’t be showing next weekend, let alone going to USET.” The thought of either or both made her stomach do flips again.

  Chapter • 14

  “Here she comes.”

  “I know.”

  DJ and Amy lay in the grass in the pasture Saturday afternoon, watching the clouds tagging across the blue sky. They could hear Stormy coming, one foot swishing through the grass, then another. The filly and her two mates inched closer and closer, sniffing at DJ’s outflung hand, then her arm.

  DJ barely dared to breathe. The whiskers tickled her skin. A dished face with velvet nose and big brown eyes with eyelashes to die for blocked the sun. Stormy sniffed DJ’s hair and her face. The filly’s whiskers tickled her nose. DJ knew she was going to sneeze and scare them away.

  “A—a—choo.” The t
hree colts leaped back as if they’d been bit by horseflies.

  “Fiddle.” DJ sat up and dug in her shorts pocket for a tissue. “Come on, sweetie. We didn’t hurt you.”

  “If only I could have a camera at the ground angle and get that picture. It would be priceless.” Amy sat crosslegged and held out her hand. “Come on, Jackson, you can come back now.” The near black colt that looked so much like his sire, Matadorian, sidled forward again.

  DJ flopped back down. “I don’t want to go home tomorrow. I haven’t gotten half enough drawing time in, and I’m going to miss Stormy like crazy.” The filly came up and nuzzled DJ’s hair again, then searched her pockets for goodies. “Sorry, baby, you ate them all. See?” DJ pulled out her pockets. “Not a crumb left.”

  “I’ve taken five rolls of film. Can you believe that?”

  “Easy. You’ve lived with the camera glued to your eye.” DJ scratched the filly’s neck, pulling out the furry baby hair that flew away on the breeze. “Look at this undercoat. She’s going to be fiery red.” DJ turned to Amy, who played with the other foals. “What am I going to do with her? She can’t be a jumper, she won’t be big enough.”

  “Ah, but you’ll show her in the Arabian shows, and she’ll make a wonderful riding horse. Do you think you’ll ever take Herndon up in Briones?”

  “Probably not. He’s too valuable and too high-strung.”

  “I rest my case. Or up in the Sierra?”

  “I get the point.”

  “Besides, she’ll make a wonderful brood mare someday. Then you can have babies like this to play with every year.” Amy tickled the nose of the gray foal with a long blade of grass. “This one is going to be on our cards, you watch.”

  “I bet the one with them all sound asleep in the grass will be a keeper, too.” DJ got to her feet. “Come on, I’m hungry.” She checked her watch. “And I have another lesson in an hour.”

  “I hate to take you home again,” Brad said Sunday as they neared Briones Academy.

  “But I’ll see you next weekend.”