Sapphire: New Horizons

by Heather Brooks

  Emily was nearly in tears when she rushed out of the barn and almost ran smack into Meredith. Meredith was running the hose over Sapphire’s injured leg to take some of the heat out of it.

  Emily’s heart stopped for a moment as she stared at him. His coat was glistening in the sun, he was playfully trying to chew on Meredith’s shirt even though she kept pushing him away, and his black forelock flopped between his eyes, making him look like a giant teddy bear.

  Jealousy swelled inside her as Meredith giggled and patted Sapphire. Then Sapphire’s head snapped up, and he looked directly at Emily. His ears went forward as he stared at her, and her breath caught at how majestic he looked with his head held so high and his lush tail swishing lightly.

  Then he nickered softly.

  Emily smiled, warmth spreading over her body. “Hi, beautiful,” she whispered.

  He stared at her for a moment, then dropped his head and shoved Meredith so hard she went flying onto the gravel with a shout and dropped the lead shank. Then he whirled around and trotted right over to Emily, pressing his head against her belly.

  Joy leaped through her, and she wrapped her arms around him and laid her cheek against his forehead. “I missed you, too, Sapphire.”

  “I’ve never seen him run over to anyone before.” Meredith pulled herself to her feet. “Do you have treats or something?”

  Emily smiled as Sapphire lifted his head to peer at Meredith but not take even a single step toward her. “No treats. Just me.” She ran her hands over his ears, and smiled at how soft they were.

  Meredith set her hands on her hips. “I’m so jealous. I wish he liked me like that.”

  Emily’s grin got bigger. “You think he likes me?” Sapphire nudged her softly, and she started scratching behind his ears.

  “Well, of course. No one’s holding on to him, but he’s not trying to run away. He ran to you and isn’t even thinking about going anywhere else.”

  Emily saw the lead shank was dragging on the ground and realized Meredith was right. She grinned. “He runs away a lot, huh?”

  “Whenever he gets the chance, which is why Debby makes us ride him in the ring, instead of the fields, in case we fall off.” She gave Emily a sympathetic look. “I heard you got banned from him. What a bummer.”

  “I know. Do you, um, get to ride Sapphire much?” She rested her cheek against his soft coat, breathing in the horsey scent that was so him.

  “A few times.” Meredith walked up and aimed the cold water toward his fetlock again.

  Emily sucked in her breath. “Did you jump him?”

  A huge grin split Meredith’s face. “Yeah. It was awesome.”

  “Ooh…” Emily held her hand over her heart and moaned. “I’m so jealous.”

  Meredith’s eyes sparkled. “He’s an amazing jumper. He snaps his knees so high and cracks his back.” The water was completely missing Sapphire’s ankle now, but neither of them cared.

  “Cracks his back? What’s that?”

  “He rounds it, so that his nose goes way down between his front feet when he’s in the air. It’s hard to stay on when he does that, but man…” Meredith sighed. “He’s so beautiful to watch.”

  “Isn’t he?” Emily sighed, too. “I saw him gallop across the fields.”

  “With his tail up?”

  “Oh my gosh, yes! He looked like he was flying!”

  “I know what you mean!” Meredith squealed and clapped her hands, startling Sapphire into a quick sideways jig. “I saw him do that in a field once when he was turned out! Isn’t his tail beautiful the way it streams behind him, all black and glossy?”

  “Yes!” Emily grabbed Sapphire’s lead shank and clutched it to her chest. “It’s so thick!”

  “I know! And shiny! Have you noticed his dapples?”

  Emily felt like her heart was going to stop. “His are the best! Right on his bum, these light brown spots that you can see only when the sun catches them. They’re soooo beautiful. And don’t you love the way his neck arches?”

  “Um, yeah. How could you not?” Meredith got a smug look on her face. “I got to help trim him once.”

  Emily screamed. “No way! Whiskers or ears?”

  “Both!” Meredith shouted. “His ears are soooo soft!”

  “Meredith!”

  They both spun around to see Uncle Rick sticking his head out the window that opened to Precious’s stall.

  “Yes?” Meredith said. “What’s up?”

  “I need your help with Precious. Can you come in here right away?”

  Meredith paused, then shot a sly grin at Emily. “Is it okay if I let Emily put Sapphire away?”

  “It doesn’t matter. Just get in here. I need you to hold her.” He jerked his head back inside, and Emily and Meredith stared at the window for a second.

  Then they exchanged glances and grinned.

  Emily squealed and hugged Meredith. “You’re the best.”

  Meredith grinned. “You owe me now.”

  “Absolutely!” Emily leaned against Sapphire’s shoulder, basking in the strength of his rippling muscles as Meredith ran into the barn to help Uncle Rick, leaving Emily and Sapphire alone.

  Emily grinned and wrapped her arm around his neck, just taking a moment to enjoy being with him out in the sunshine. It wasn’t the same as the freedom of rushing out in the fields, but just being with Sapphire made even the driveway seem special.

  The water from the hose began to pool at her feet, so she finally made herself move. She took Sapphire to the faucet and turned off the hose, then she led him into the barn. She thought she heard Aunt Debby’s voice and froze, even though she had Uncle Rick’s permission.

  When Aunt Debby didn’t appear, Emily hurried Sapphire to the storeroom, wincing each time her cast clomped on the wood. She hung on to the end of his lead shank while she popped in and retrieved a dry towel and some bandages, laughing when Sapphire grabbed a paper bag of molasses horse treats and starting shaking it, trying to rip it open.

  “You are such a pig.” She retrieved the bag, pulled out a couple treats for him, and then scooted him down the aisle toward his stall, her heart starting to pound again when she realized her aunt was in the tack room.

  She got Sapphire safely in his stall, cross-tied him like Aunt Debby had ordered, then carefully rubbed down his leg until it was dry. The swelling was almost gone, and his leg didn’t feel hot to the touch.

  Relief made her legs weak and she knelt in the shavings, resting her forehead against his upper leg. He is going to be okay. Her ankle was throbbing from the weight of her sitting on it, but she didn’t even care.

  He nudged her, and she lifted her head. “I love you, you know.”

  His lips flicked over her pants, checking for ice cream, and she smiled and rubbed his blaze. “I would love to hang out, but I think I better wrap you and get out of here. I’ll show Aunt Debby I can be responsible when it comes to you.”

  She grabbed the thick white fleece, wrapped it carefully around his leg, making sure to wrap inward around the back of his leg so as not to bow his tendon, then secured it with a smaller flannel wrap and some masking tape. Then she repeated it on the other leg for balanced support and sat back on her heels, admiring her work. The wraps were tight, neat, and looked as professional as any she’d ever seen. Even her coach, Les, would be proud, and he was a huge critic when it came to wrapping.

  Stretching a kink out of her back, she stood up and unhooked him from the cross ties. She gave him a hug and a promise to come back as soon as she could, then she slipped out of his stall, jumping a mile when she heard Aunt Debby say her name.

  20

  Emily cringed and turned toward her aunt, who was standing right behind her. “Uncle Rick asked me to put him away for Meredith. He needed her help.”

  Her aunt gave her an aggravated look. “Emily, it doesn’t matter. You knew my rules, and it was your responsibility to adhere to them. You could have found someone else to take Sapphire or helped Uncle Rick
yourself.”

  Emily bit her lip, realizing her aunt was right. She hadn’t even thought of it. She had no defense, and stared at her cast, unable to meet her aunt’s stern look.

  “One more time, Emily, and I’m taking him out of here.”

  She jerked her gaze to her aunt’s face. “What do you mean?”

  Her aunt pointed behind, and Emily turned around in time to see Sapphire slide the bolt open with his teeth. “Sapphire!” She ran over to the door and slid the lock shut all the way, making sure it was latched, patting his nose when he lifted his lip in protest of being thwarted.

  “Because of things like that,” her aunt said. “He would have gotten out again because you weren’t careful enough shutting the door. If he gets seriously injured before I can sell him, the farm’s in trouble. I already have an offer from Black Dog Farms, a barn in California who buys a lot of my horses.”

  Emily’s stomach dropped. “California?”

  “Yes. I showed him to them when they picked up a horse a couple weeks ago. They made me a nice offer that’s probably a little more than he’s worth today, though I was hoping for more by the time I’m finished training him. I’m seriously thinking about taking the offer, and having to worry about you getting him injured just adds to my concerns. If I can’t trust you to keep your hands off him, then it makes sense to sell him before he can get hurt. They’re going to be here on Friday to drop off a horse for training, and I’ll make a decision by then.” She held up her finger. “One more incident with him, Emily, and you’ll have made my decision for me.”

  Then she turned and walked away.

  Emily stared after her, her mouth open in shock. “But—”

  But her aunt was already gone.

  A heavy hand came down on her shoulder, and she looked up to see her dad. “Did you hear that?”

  “I did.”

  He turned Emily and started walking her out of the barn in the other direction. “Aunt Debby’s stressed about money right now and she’s trying her best to make the right decisions for the barn.”

  “Why is she holding me responsible?”

  “She isn’t. She’s just trying to find a way to make the right decision.” Her dad paused at the ladder to the loft. “Come on up.”

  Emily frowned, but climbed the ladder, brushing aside hay bits as she climbed into the loft where some of the hay was stored. She took a deep breath while her dad followed her up, inhaling the scent of fresh, green hay. Bales were stacked to the ceiling, and stray clumps of hay dusted the wooden floor. It was hot and stuffy, but in a wonderful way, because the odor of freshly cut hay permeated the entire area.

  Her dad motioned her to the big doors used for loading hay from the giant trucks, hauled them open, and then sat down in the doorway, hanging his feet over the edge. He patted the floor next to him, and Emily braced herself on his shoulder while she eased herself down, trying not to fall out the window by tripping on her cast.

  When she was finally sitting next to him, her dad motioned outside. “Gorgeous view, isn’t it?”

  She gazed out and realized it was. There were fields and trees as far as she could see, rolling hills, everything a lush green. She could see the paddocks off in the distance and black and white specks that were horses roaming around munching on the grass. There was even a mountain in the horizon, with a snow-covered top. It was truly magical.

  “Aunt Debby’s afraid she’s going to lose this place. You can see why that would upset her.”

  Emily nodded, her heart tightening at the thought. She heard the thud of hooves, and she looked down and to her right. Alison was riding Moondance over some jumps, her aunt giving her instruction. The jumps were at least three feet high, and Moondance was leaping over them with ease.

  She sighed with envy, wanting to be able to do that, too.

  “Debby’s right.”

  She glanced at her dad. “Right about what?”

  “Grandpa was more concerned with saving horses than running a business. The farm’s in bad shape. They really might lose it, especially now that all these other horses are here. They’ve had to hire some temporary help to get all the chores done, and that costs money, too.”

  Emily swung her feet, watching the bits of hay drop off her cast. “What would happen to all the horses if they lost the farm?”

  “We don’t know.”

  “Oh.” She bit her lower lip. “Jaws and Precious need us right now.”

  He smiled. “I know they do, hon. Can you understand now why Aunt Debby’s coming down so hard on you? She’s a great person, and she’s trying her best to sort out this mess. I’m helping, but it’s not that easy.”

  Emily shrugged. “I guess. But it’s not my fault.”

  “No, it’s not.” Her dad started swinging his feet as well, and she stared at the big boots he was wearing, so unlike the polished dress shoes she was used to seeing him in. “She loves you, Em. I just thought you should know that.”

  She looked at her dad. “Do you think she should sell Sapphire to those people this week?”

  “I’m still deciding. I have some decisions to make.”

  “We can’t buy him?”

  “No, not today.”

  She sighed. “So, what, then? How do I keep her from selling him?”

  “Try not to increase her stress.” He smiled. “I know that’s difficult for you, but give it a try.”

  She nodded. “I guess I can do that.”

  He put his arm around her shoulders and hugged her. “I knew you could.”

  She leaned into him, resting her head on his shoulder while she stared out at the vast fields. “Dad?”

  “Mmm?”

  “Caitlyn says Aunt Debby wants us to stay here forever. Is that true?”

  He didn’t say anything for a long minute, then he turned his head slightly. “Why? Do you want to stay?”

  She chewed her lower lip. “I don’t know. I hadn’t really thought about it. I was just curious. Do you?”

  “Sometimes. I forgot how much I loved being here until I came back.”

  She peered up at him. “You’re a totally different person. Riding horses, shoeing them, wearing jeans and boots. Why didn’t you ever tell me?” She touched his face where she could see whiskers. They prickled under her touch. “You don’t even shave when you’re here. You look like a cowboy or something. I feel like I don’t even know you. How could you keep all those secrets from me?”

  He rubbed his jaw for a moment while he thought about his answer. Finally, he said, “When your mom and I left town, I wanted to earn lots of money and live an exciting life. I was tired of the farm scene, and a little embarrassed by my background.”

  “Embarrassed?” It was difficult to imagine her dad embarrassed about anything. He was always confident, so much so that sometimes she’d even wondered if he’d understand her feeling uncomfortable about things like not belonging at the barn. “Really?”

  “Really.” He looked at her. “And then when your mom died, the farm reminded me of her, and I didn’t want to remember. So I left it behind.” He sighed. “Now that I’m back, I really regret shutting it out for ten years like I did, and I regret not making you a part of it.”

  “Oh.”

  He picked up a piece of hay and stuck it in between his teeth. “But now that I’m back, I realize it was a great place to grow up, and I was sort of thinking it might be good for you, too.”

  She caught her breath. “You’re seriously thinking about staying?”

  “Not forever, but for a while. Maybe. I haven’t made any decisions. It would be a team decision for both of us. Our plane tickets are transferable, and now that everything is in such an uproar with Trooper’s friends, I feel like we should stay a little longer and help out. Is that okay with you?”

  “I don’t know.” She bit her lip. “I have all my friends and Rhapsody….” But here she had Sapphire and Meredith, and she was starting to feel more comfortable with her relatives. And here she had a barn
full of horses that needed her. It would be months before Trooper’s friends wouldn’t need extra help.

  He patted her knee. “It’s too soon for a major decision. We’ll plan on staying a few extra days, and then see how we feel. I can easily keep up with my company from here. Okay?”

  “Yeah, okay.” She copied her dad and stuck a piece of hay between her teeth.

  “And in the meantime, try not to add to Aunt Debby’s stress.”

  She grinned. “I can try. I’m not always that good at stuff like that.”

  He laughed and hugged her to his side. “Oh, I know. That’s one of the things I love about you, Em. Aunt Debby will get used to you, I promise. Let’s just break her in gently, okay?”

  She saluted him. “I’ll do my best.”

  They sat in the loft, watching the sun until it set. The reds and oranges were breathtaking, the way they turned the trees orange and lit up the sky as the sun sank below the hills. It was truly the most amazing sight she’d ever seen.

  And she almost managed not to think about how much more amazing it would be if she was out in the hills riding Sapphire when she was watching it.

  Almost.

  21

  Emily was late to dinner that night because she had to finish brushing Precious. Her coat was getting softer from all the attention Emily was giving it, and it was turning into a pretty light-chestnut color. She was the sweetest horse, but she looked so miserable being so fat and so skinny at the same time that Emily had spent extra time with her.

  By the time Emily slid into her seat at the dinner table, everyone else was half done eating. She’d hobbled as fast as she could all the way from Precious’s stall when she’d noticed the time, but she was way late.

  Her dad rolled his eyes at her. “You couldn’t make it on time once this week?”

  Emily grinned as she picked up her fork and plunged it into the meat loaf, knowing her dad wasn’t actually mad. “Lost track of time. I was brushing Precious.” She glanced around at the table, giving Alison a shy smile. “Hi.”