The Canterwood Crest Stable of Books

by Jessica Burkhart

  “Try this one,” she said. She thrust a wooden spoon in my face.

  “Paige,” I moaned. “I’ve been tasting for an hour. I’m going to explode!”

  “Just one more,” she begged.

  “One. Then I have to change and get ready to meet Callie for a trail ride.”

  I took the spoon and Paige watched me with hands clasped, waiting for a yes or no.

  “Very good,” I mumbled with a mouthful of berry. “Tangy.”

  “Excellent.” Paige made a check mark on her pink clipboard and moved to the fridge.

  Livvie poked her head in the door. She caught a glimpse of the bowls, pans, and flour containers on the counters. “You are cleaning this up, right?”

  “The second I’m done,” Paige said.

  “And you know where the fire extinguisher is?” Livvie asked.

  “Under the sink,” Paige and I chorused.

  “Homework done?”

  “Livvie,” Paige said. “It’s Friday.”

  “It doesn’t hurt to get an early start,” Livvie said, turning away and disappearing down the hallway.

  “Anyway …” I laughed. “What else are you going to make?”

  Paige consulted her list. “Apple strudel, triple-berry pie, and butterscotch cookies.”

  I headed for the door. “Save me some.”

  When I got to the stable twenty minutes later, Nicole had her gelding, Wish, crosstied in the aisle. Troy and Andy, two guys from the intermediate team, stood with her and they were all laughing.

  “Going trail riding?” Nicole asked me when I got closer.

  “Yep,” I said. “Callie’s coming with me. You guys want to come?”

  Andy groaned. “Thanks, but no. We just finished an insane lesson with Mr. Conner. I don’t know if I’ll ever ride again.”

  “Yeah, right,” Troy said. He shook his head, but his spiky hair didn’t move. “You’ll be the first one at lessons on Monday—after Ben, of course. We all know why he gets here early.”

  I shrugged. “Why?”

  “To see his girlfriend,” Andy said. “Juuuuulia.”

  “What?!” I said. “No. Are you sure?”

  Nicole nodded and her blond curls bounced. “They’re totally going out.”

  “Wow,” I said.

  Julia and Ben. I’d seen him around before—he was pale with short black hair and arms toned from riding.

  “I’ve got to tack up, but thanks for cluing me in!” I told Nicole.

  “Anytime.” She smiled and turned to Troy and Andy. “One of you guys has to carry my saddle.”

  I sighed. Were everyone else’s relationships less complicated than mine?

  *

  Later, Callie and I led our horses out of the stable and into the grassy yard.

  “Trail ride, ho!” Callie said. We’d gotten permission from Mr. Conner to practice cross-country as long as we stayed together and had our phones.

  “Yes, we’ll gallop our steeds and hunt for hounds,” I added. Canterwood did kind of look like the English countryside with its stone walls and rolling hills. We mounted Charm and Black Jack. The two horses were on their toes. They eyed the trail ahead and broke into a trot before we even gave the signals.

  “Guess they’ve had enough of lessons, huh?” I asked Callie.

  She nodded and adjusted her padded cross-country vest. “No kidding. At least the snow is melted for now and we could get them outside to practice cross-country. Even though I’m not showing in that class, I’ve still got to practice.”

  “Didn’t Mr. Conner say if we make the Youth Equestrian National Team, we can do three-day eventing?”

  “Yeah,” Callie said. “That means at each show, we’ll have to compete in three classes—cross-country, dressage, and show jumping. If that happens, I’ve really got to work harder on show jumping.”

  I looked at Callie out of the corner of my eye.

  Charm walked under a low-hanging tree branch and I leaned forward. “Charm and I will have to do more dressage. But I guess for now we’ll just focus on regionals.”

  Callie nodded. “I’m glad I don’t have many other activities this semester. Just riding and yearbook club.”

  “And endless studying,” I said.

  “How’s bio?” Callie asked.

  “Hard,” I said. “I’ve got a big quiz coming up and I’m studying twenty-four/seven.”

  Callie gave me a sympathetic smile. “It’ll get easier.”

  “I hope so. Okay, we talk about school too much! Want to warm them up and take a few jumps?”

  “Let’s go!”

  Callie heeled Black Jack into a canter and Charm and I shot after her. Charm’s mane, almost fully grown in since he’d doubled as Aristocrat’s chew toy last fall, whipped against my arms. His gait was smooth and even. We powered forward and Charm and Jack playfully challenged each other to see who could keep his nose in front of the other. Callie and I looked at each other for a quick second before we split around a maple tree and let the horses quicken their canter. This was the best way to spend a Saturday! Sunlight streamed through the trees and helped keep off the winter chill. Charm relaxed beneath me—I could feel his muscles warming up.

  Callie and I slowed Jack and Charm to a walk. We wandered into the middle of a large clearing. Woods surrounded us and made the jumping space private. I looked around the perimeter to check for deer. The grass was brown and dry, but the ground wasn’t frozen, so we were safe to jump. “What’s our jumping order?” I asked.

  Callie paused and surveyed our options. “Hmm. How about taking the log first, then the brush, the creek, and finally over the gate.”

  “Perfect. Want to go first?”

  Callie nodded and tightened the chin strap on her helmet. She turned Jack in a circle. “Let’s pretend it’s a real cross-country course. I’ll take Jack near the clearing’s opening. Yell when you want me to start.”

  “Okay.” Charm and I walked off to the sidelines and waited for Callie and Black Jack to get into position.

  I gave her a few seconds to settle him before screaming, “Go!” The second the word was out of my mouth, Jack burst into a collected canter. He moved easily over the grass and Callie guided him toward the log. He tucked his legs under him and leapt strongly over the two-foot-high log. Callie kneaded her hands along his neck and asked him to canter faster as they swept around the outskirts of the clearing and headed for a line of brush.

  Charm craned his neck to watch them. Jack didn’t hesitate before the brush, and landed smoothly on the other side. I urged Charm into a trot and we stayed well behind Jack and Callie. Jack trotted down a gentle incline and the grass changed to dirt. Callie pulled Jack to a slow canter and his hooves struck the hard ground before he reached the creek bed. She leaned forward, signaling Black Jack to take off. He jumped over the frozen creek and cantered up the embankment.

  Charm and I took the creek at the skinniest point and then followed Callie as Jack cantered the final strides to an old wooden gate. The fence and gate separated Canterwood’s property from an old abandoned farm. Mr. Conner had said we could jump the gate as long as we didn’t explore the property. Jack didn’t even hesitate when he saw the gate. Callie’s blue coat bunched as she leaned forward on Jack’s takeoff. Jack bounded over it and Callie pulled him up on the other side.

  “That was great!” I called from my side of the fence. “Perfect!”

  Callie leaned down and rubbed Jack’s neck. The gelding was barely winded. “Well, not perfect, but he did a good job. He didn’t even look at the creek when we took it!”

  I rode Charm up to the gate and unlatched it so Jack didn’t have to jump it again. Once Callie and Jack rode through, I nudged Charm forward and I latched the gate to the fencepost, locking us inside.

  Callie walked Black Jack in circles while I rode Charm back a few yards and got ready to take the cross-country course backward. “You ready, boy?” I asked Charm. He nodded once and we turned to face an old red-and-white
barn. My muscles tensed as I readied myself in the saddle and prepared to wheel Charm around and head for the gate.

  Callie counted us down. “Three, two, one, go!” On “go,” Charm whirled around and went for the gate. We were a stride away before I knew it and then his body lifted into the air. We landed roughly on the ground and I gripped the saddle tighter with my knees as Charm raised his head and found an even stride. I forgot that Callie and Black Jack were behind us and concentrated on Charm. He soared over the creek and the brush, then cantered toward the log. His hooves pounded evenly over the ground and I gave him more rein. I tensed in the saddle and almost signaled Charm to jump a second too early. Wait, I wanted to cry, but he already knew.

  He ignored my signals and took the jump at the right time. We landed on the other side and I stayed glued to the saddle. My timing on the log was awful, but Charm did great. “Good job!” I told him. Charm slowed to a trot and I patted his neck. He danced in a semicircle, proud of the jumps he’d tackled. That would have been a better round if I hadn’t tensed before the log.

  “Perfect!” Callie said, as she and Jack reached our sides.

  But she was wrong. Her ride had been perfect. Not mine.

  “Yeah, but didn’t you see?” I shook my head and pointed to the log jump. “I totally froze. If Charm hadn’t known better, we could have slammed into the log.”

  Callie rode closer as we turned the horses back toward Canterwood. “But you didn’t. Charm did great and you only tensed a little bit.”

  “But there will be tons of solid fences at regionals, so I can’t mess up like that.”

  “You won’t,” Callie promised. “You’ll do great.”

  As we meandered down the frigid trail, past bare trees and dead brush, all I could think about was that second of fear that had made me overreact when we’d approached the log.

  And the worst part? I’d frozen in front of Callie.

  *

  Half an hour later, I was finishing Charm’s cooldown when my phone buzzed in my pocket. I flipped it open and saw a text alert from a blocked number.

  I opened the message and immediately felt my heart begin to pound in my chest: it was a clear photo of Heather and Jacob in the library. Heather’s head was bent toward Jacob’s—and her smile was unmistakable. Jacob was leaning over a book, his face just inches away from Heather’s.

  I slammed my phone shut and looked over my shoulder half-expecting Heather to be cackling behind me. But no one was there.

  They were probably just studying, I told myself.

  But I couldn’t calm myself down. I was the exact opposite of cool. My fingers shook as I speed-dialed Jacob.

  “Hey, Ebert,” Jacob said. His friendly tone made me relax a bit.

  “Hey, Roeper,” I said. “Um, I was wondering if you wanted to film our project tomorrow.”

  “Definitely! Is ten okay?”

  “Great,” I said, with a sigh of relief.

  “You’re not a bad partner,” Jacob said.

  I smiled.

  “You know, for a girl,” he added.

  My smile slipped. His tone was teasing, but it didn’t feel that way. For a girl. Why did he say that? Unless … he’d wanted one of his friends to be his partner. OMG. And now he was stuck with me!

  Jacob is a guy, I reminded myself after we hung up. Guys don’t want to hang out with girls twenty-four/seven.

  But no matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t get the picture of Jacob and Heather out of my head—it sure seemed like he wouldn’t mind hanging out with her twenty-four/seven.

  STARRING…

  THE AIR WAS FROSTY ON SATURDAY MORNING. Outside the stable, I checked my phone again. Jacob was only five minutes late—but still.

  I looked over to the small outdoor arena. Eric was riding Luna through figure eights. I watched as his legs made her flea-bitten gray body bend and switch directions with ease. His body position was perfect in tall boots and matching helmet, black breeches, and a tan coat.

  I left the stable entrance and climbed the fence to watch. Eric was so focused on Luna that it took him a while to notice me. He beamed at me and put the reins in one hand to wave. He turned Luna toward me and trotted her up to the fence.

  “So what’s the verdict,” he said. “How bad am I?”

  “What?!”

  “C’mon, superstar rider. Just tell me!”

  “Eric—no, you’re amazing.” He looked at me doubtfully. “I’m serious. Your turns are excellent. Luna really listens so well to you.”

  “Thanks, Sash,” he smiled. “Hey—I’ve got to take her through a few more exercises … but maybe we can trail ride together sometime?”

  “Definitely,” I said.

  Eric touched his crop to his helmet and turned Luna away from the fence. He was one of the quietest riders I’d ever seen. The movement of his fingers was slight and his leg aids to Luna were barely visible. He guided her through a sitting trot and several laps of a smooth canter before halting her in the center and backing her straight to the fence.

  “Here you are.”

  I turned my head and saw Jacob standing a few feet behind me.

  “Hey! You have to watch this for a sec—Eric’s riding so well.”

  Jacob stepped up and peered over the fence. “That guy?”

  I nodded. Eric was beyond good. There was no way he wouldn’t make the advanced team next year.

  After a few more circles in the arena, Eric slowed Luna and trotted her up to us. Luna’s chest was darkened with sweat that made the darker gray spots on her chest and legs stand out.

  Jacob tipped his chin at Eric.

  “Hey,” Eric said. “I’m Eric.”

  “Jacob.”

  I waited for Jacob to say more, but he didn’t. He adjusted the camera bag on his shoulder and tapped the feet of the tripod with his sneaker. A cloud passed in front of the weak sun and it cast a shadow over the arena.

  Okay, so one-word responses were popular. Guess they weren’t going to say anything else to each other.

  “I’ve never been crazy about flea-bitten grays, but her coloring is great,” I said to Eric.

  He nodded. “I love it, too. Her coat doesn’t show dirt, either.”

  “Don’t you worry about that spreading to other horses?” Jacob asked.

  Eric and I looked at him. “What?” I asked.

  “The fleas,” Jacob said. “Isn’t that bad?”

  I held back a laugh and locked eyes with Eric for a second.

  “Well, there actually aren’t any fleas. The color, with all of those spots, is called that because the dots look like flea bites.”

  I tried to say it without making him feel stupid. It wasn’t his fault he didn’t know anything about horses. If he’d asked me about something he knew a lot about—like football—I would have been just as clueless.

  “Oh,” Jacob said. He backed away from the fence and kicked his black sneaker in the grass.

  Eric shifted Luna closer to me and Jacob’s jaw tightened. Jacob stood straighter and out of the corner of my eye, I watched as Eric mirrored him.

  “So, you guys don’t have any classes together?” I asked with forced cheerfulness. Maybe they’d seen each other in class and hadn’t talked before.

  “No,” Eric and Jacob said at the same time.

  “Maybe next year,” I said.

  The boys glared at each other.

  “How did that bio quiz go? You know, the one I helped you with?” Eric asked.

  Jacob turned to look at me.

  I shook my head. “Not great. But it wasn’t your fault. I should have studied more.”

  “I’ll help you with the next quiz, if you need it,” Jacob said.

  I smiled at him. But he wasn’t smiling. His eyes were on Eric. Eric stared right back.

  “Uh, well, we’ve got to go,” I told Eric. “We’re doing a film project.”

  “Okay, I’ll see you later.” Eric said. “I’ll be around the stable all weekend.” He threw me
a grin and urged Luna forward.

  Jacob jumped to the side to get out of Luna’s way and stood a little closer to me.

  “Is he …” Jacob paused. “ … on your team?”

  “No,” I said. “He’s on the intermediate team.”

  “Oh,” Jacob said with a half-smile.

  “Ready to go?” I started to walk into the stable.

  “Sure,” Jacob said. He lagged behind me as we stepped inside the stable and walked down the aisle. A couple of horses were crosstied ahead of us. I ducked under the ropes and I turned to talk to Jacob, but he had stopped before the ties.

  “What’s wrong?” I asked.

  “Nothing,” he said quickly. “Are we supposed to walk around the horses like that?”

  “Oh, yeah. It’s fine. They’re used to people doing that.”

  A palomino mare in crossties shook her head.

  “Uh, this blond horse looks upset,” Jacob said.

  I hid my grin and ducked back under the crossties. “Actually, we call her a palomino. I’ll hold her head. Go ahead.”

  Jacob shot me a grateful smile and hurried under the crossties.

  “Good girl,” I said, patting her neck.

  I caught up to Jacob and pointed down the aisle. “Charm’s stall is this way,” I said. “Charm,” I called to him. I unlatched the door and grabbed a lead line off the hook. Jacob stood in the aisle with his arms crossed. “This is Jacob,” I said. I led Charm out of the stall and Jacob took two steps back.

  He looked at Charm and nodded. “He looks nice.”

  Nice? Oh, God. He hated me. He wanted a different partner—anyone but me. He didn’t even want to pet my horse!

  “If you want, we can take him to the arena and film there. It’s empty right now.”

  “Let’s do it,” Jacob said. “Which way?”

  “To the right.”

  Before Charm and I walked two steps, Jacob was down the aisle and walking to the arena. He obviously couldn’t wait to get away from me.

  This was such a disaster. Disappointment burned in my throat and I tried not to cry. If he hadn’t wanted to work with me, he should have told Mr. Ramirez. Something must have happened between now and yesterday when we’d talked.