Jock

by CM Foss

“Okay, yes.” I spoke without thinking and immediately wanted to take the words back.

  “Good. She ships in tomorrow.”

  “Wait, what? How?”

  “I knew you’d say yes.”

  She arrived the following day on a large, plush transport van, covered in fuzzies and bandages for the trip. Her eyes were bright and her ears were pricked and she looked like… Well, like more trouble than she was worth.

  I’d spoken to her veterinarian back home and had his suggestions and her rehab protocol in place. I had a horse.

  I grew up on a horse farm. We had ponies and horses and foals and all sorts of stuff run through. But… this was my first horse.

  It was like a schoolgirl crush. I had butterflies and nausea, and I kept having to bite my lip to hide the smile that was threatening to break free. She was beautiful.

  “Hey, princess,” I whispered as I stroked up her forehead, around her eye, and down her cheek. She ducked her head and pressed her nose against my belly, giving me a nudge.

  I used my hand to press where her neck met her shoulder, pushing her one step back, then poked a finger at her nose.

  “No pushing.” I smiled. “You’re gonna be a pain in my ass.”

  I swear she nodded.

  With another scratch on her forelock, I led her back to her stall for the duration of our stay. If she was going to be mine, she’d have to become a gypsy with me.

  Of course, she was already used to travel and settled in to her new digs easily, munching on hay and rolling in the fresh straw with a snort.

  I watched her longer than necessary before Cooper toed the backs of my knees.

  “We running?”

  I spun and wrinkled my nose. “Yeah.” I looked back at Trouble, who had her hind end toward us, completely uninterested.

  “Can you handle some company?”

  Cooper raised her shoulders and began to stretch. “As long as it doesn’t have a penis, sure.”

  I snorted. “Now you’re off the peen?”

  “Maybe forever.”

  “Well, you’re in luck. I have a girl joining us.”

  I walked into Trouble’s stall and fastened a leather halter around her head, then looped a chain shank over her nose to keep her from escaping.

  “My ass is not running if you’re riding.” Cooper pointed at the filly.

  “She’s running with us.”

  She shook her head but didn’t seem altogether surprised. “Just when I didn’t think you could get weirder… You’re actually so weird it’s normal.”

  I just shrugged and led Trouble from her stall.

  We got a few odd looks, jogging with a horse at our side. Maybe more than a few. But the filly mostly behaved, nipping only occasionally and never trying to get loose. She seemed to enjoy the outing, keeping our pace and encouraging us when we tired. I was tempted on more than one occasion to bum a ride but held off, only because Cooper would have murdered me. Scary redheads.

  We returned to the stables, sweaty and panting but laughing and satisfied. Cooper left to go on about her day while I spent untold amounts of time bathing and fussing over my horse until the grooms kicked me out and told me she was annoyed and wanted to sleep.

  I arrived back at our apartment to find all the lights on, music blaring, and what seemed to be a party going on. I opened the door cautiously, peeking my head in to see… no one except Cooper, who was dancing and drinking all on her own, barefoot and half-naked.

  I shut the door behind me with my foot.

  “Whatcha doin’?”

  She stopped while the teenybopper country music continued, her eyes wide and frozen. She stepped over and powered off the sound, the quiet deafening. “Just exercising.”

  I made a face and raised my eyebrows. “Really?”

  “Basically.”

  “You scare me.”

  She propped her hands on her hips. “Says the girl who jogged with a horse today.”

  “Touché.”

  Chapter 37

  The next few days settled into a funny kind of routine where every moment of my spare time, and even some of my busy moments, was spent with my new steed. Instead of checking my phone, I went to Trouble. She continued to go on jogs with us, and we’d become rather known for it. Infamous or famous, not sure which.

  Today I’d start hacking her out, and I was looking forward to being on her back again.

  As a jockey, I had unique access to trainers and grooms, and they had all played a role in making this endeavor possible. What I did not own, however, was a saddle meant for sitting. All I had was my postage stamp piece of leather with stirrups attached to it. It was the smallest saddle you could get, and it weighed the least.

  I stood outside her stall, contemplating my next move. Sure, I could go bum a saddle off someone easily, but I wondered if she’d let me on her bareback without dumping my ass. I went in and smoothed my hand down her back, pressing gently to see if she was twitchy. Most girls are.

  She didn’t seem to mind, so I was fairly confident she’d allow it. I slipped her bridle over her head, fastening it in place, all the while marveling at her calm demeanor. Of course, in the past I’d mainly seen her on race days when she was naturally more excited, but even in these barns with all the ruckus and activity, she was chill. My kinda girl.

  I made sure my helmet was fastened tight and patted her back again before hopping up and lying across it. When she didn’t mind that, I dropped back to my feet and jumped again, this time landing straddling her. We walked a few circles around the stall just to make sure this was a good idea, and then I rode her out into the open. She pricked up her ears and swished her tail as we passed by horses being washed and bandaged and hand walked, most everyone getting ready to feed supper and settle the horses in for the night even though it wasn’t quite four in the afternoon.

  “You gonna ruin that horse.” Javier’s voice floated over, intruding on the pleasantness of my ride.

  I pulled up and looked down to him. “Seriously? Coming from you, that’s laughable.”

  “You turn her into a pet, she’ll never run.”

  I fiddled with her mane in my fingers. She was standing quietly, content to do whatever I asked of her at the moment. I can’t say Javi’s words hadn’t crossed my mind.

  “That’s my risk to take. I’m doing this my way.”

  He shook his head, dismissing me as he walked away. “This is why woman jockeys are ridiculous.”

  “There’s a hole in your pants,” I called to his back.

  “Huh?”

  I heard him scuffle, trying to find the nonexistent problem, as I nudged Trouble away. I laughed to myself the rest of our ride.

  And the rest of our ride was tremendously pleasant. She didn’t spook much, just looked at a few things she’d never seen before, or thought she’d never seen before.

  It ended far too quickly, her current allotted exercise time limited. I saw Drew scribbling on a newspaper with his back to me, so I rode over and poked the back of his head with my foot. He ducked and cursed, turning on me.

  As soon as he saw me, he rolled his eyes and groaned. “Don’t get hurt on that thing.”

  “I won’t. She’s a good girl.”

  “Yeah. That’s why they named her Trouble.”

  I wrinkled up my nose. Actually hadn’t thought about that. “Did you get her papers yet?”

  He went back to scribbling. “Yeah. It’s all back at my place.” He didn’t offer up anything after that, despite my waiting patiently.

  “Well… can I get them from you?”

  “Yeah, I’ll try to remember tomorrow.”

  “Want me to remind you?” He was being weird.

  “What’s the rush?”

  I shrugged. “I dunno. Just feels more official.”

  “Oh, don’t worry. She’s yours all right. Otherwise you wouldn’t be doing what you’re doing right now.”

  “Point taken.”

  I stood for another minute until he lo
oked up, clearly exasperated. “Can I help you with anything else?”

  “No, not really. You talk to Cooper?”

  He frowned. “Probably earlier. Yeah. Why?”

  “No reason. Just wondering.”

  “You talk to Jace?”

  I scowled at him and rode off.

  Chapter 38

  “Why hasn’t he called?” I practically screamed while I grunted and struggled my way out of my boots.

  Cooper walked over and grabbed my foot, wiggling the boot heel to toe, heel to toe, until it finally slipped off. “It’s only been a week. You said he sounded busy.”

  “He sounded annoyed. There’s a difference.” I stuck out my other foot for her to assist, which she did without question.

  “He said he’d call back. I’m sure he will.”

  “I’m not.” I got up and started organizing my gear, shoving it into a bag.

  “You could always make the first move.”

  “Again?” I shook my head. “I already did. I’m not making the first and second move.”

  “Then you wait.”

  “I hate waiting.”

  She snorted. “We’re adding yoga to our program.”

  I made a face of disgust. “Ew. No. Why?”

  “Flexibility, lightness, toning.” She ticked off points on her fingers. “Need I go on?”

  “I can get all those things with sex.”

  “Which you’re not having. Nor am I. So until then…” She held out her hands.

  “I hate yoga. It’s so slow.”

  “Exactly. Think of it as therapy.”

  “When are we even gonna do it?”

  “There’s a class at seven p.m.”

  “Oh. No. Hard pass.” Seven p.m. was pajama time.

  “It’s not that bad. Come on. I don’t wanna go alone.”

  “Then do something else. How ’bout swimming? It’s yoga-like. And we don’t need a class.” The idea of getting into the water and stretching out through some laps actually sounded great, especially if I could swap out some of my running time. “Plus swimming is good for your lungs and your joints, and we don’t have to talk to other people.”

  The last point was key to winning over my fellow introvert, as evidenced by the way her eyes lit up.

  “I do like the sound of that. Let’s go.”

  “Now?”

  “Yes now. It’ll be a good stretch.”

  “I can stretch on the couch.” I didn’t really have the energy for much more.

  “Don’t be such a pussy.”

  “I hate you.”

  “The alternative is a run.”

  I stuck my lower lip out in a pout. “I still hate you.”

  I grumbled for the next half hour, tired and hungry as we went home to gather our suits and eat a snack, which was ants on a log, Cooper-style. That was a carrot sliced lengthwise, covered in almond butter and topped with currants. I was officially seven years old again. It was so good.

  Swimming, however, was not nearly as fun as it was during the kid stage. There was no Marco Polo, Fish out of Water, or Dolphin Fetch. Nope. There was just up and back, flip-turn, up and back, ad nauseam. Exercise swimming wasn’t really as cool as kid swimming.

  And I was sweating in the water. How the heck was that even possible? My sweat mixing with the chlorinated water I tread through. My body felt cool but my cheeks were hot.

  But I could feel my shoulders rotate and lubricate, my ligaments stretch and elongate. Much like Cooper thought yoga would, it felt therapeutic. And my mind felt quiet.

  The reality of jockey-hood was that you learned to keep going. There’s never a point where pain or fatigue makes you stop, because the results of that lapse could be deadly to you or your mount. So you needed an external mindset to tell you when to stop, off the horse. Underwater speakers played music I couldn’t really make out, but when I could decipher the lyrics and tune, that’s when I realized that a rest was prudent.

  I glided to the edge of the lap pool and propped my elbows on the edge. I turned to see Cooper still swimming the opposite direction. I thought about a few more laps but remembered that I still had Trouble to ride and races the following day. Hanging off the edge, my feet floating out behind me, I took the time to relax. My meditation, if you will. I people-watched, seeing the variety of bodies busting their asses at the gym to better themselves. Or trying to meet someone who might do the bettering for them.

  Some had practiced strokes and smooth breathing, some were sloppy and splashy. Some were fat and some were thin and there was no rhyme or reason on what matched with what. The guy in the far lane was worth watching. He wore dark trunks and nothing else. His blond hair, darkened by the water, was slicked back, held there by a pair of goggles. Goggles shouldn’t be sexy but they certainly weren’t hurting the situation, especially because I could only see the strap on the back of his head. His muscles rippled and strained, and his movements sent a wave of familiarity washing over me, but I shook it off. Wishful thinking didn’t make dreams come true.

  Cooper slapped the water beside me, splashing me in the face. I let out a little yelp and laugh, totally caught out.

  “Who you checkin’ out?” she whispered, but not quietly.

  “Shut up.” I shoved her shoulder across the lane. “Are we done? I gotta go ride my girl and meet with Drew.”

  She nodded and lifted herself gracefully from the pool. I felt like I heaved myself out in comparison. She looked thoughtful as she wrapped herself in a towel, flicking her eyes from me to that far lane and back again. I glanced over my shoulder and saw the man still swimming his steady laps.

  “What?”

  She raised her eyebrows. “Nothin’. Just looking.”

  “You need to get laid.”

  “Maybe I already did.”

  “No you did not.”

  She twisted her lips to the side. “No, I did not.”

  Chapter 39

  “Why am I not getting charged for any part of this horse? I’m not even getting a grain bill.” I propped my hands on my hips, staring suspiciously at Drew.

  He sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. “I don’t know.”

  “Well, you’re the one who set this whole train in motion. It’s just getting bizarre. I don’t think anyone likes me enough to give me such a good deal.”

  My phone buzzed in my pocket, startling me into forgetting about my questions for the moment. I’d taken to carrying it around in the hopes that Jace would call. I was pathetic. And I still wasn’t used to it, the pathetic and the phone.

  It was stuck in my jeans and I cursed as I tried to wriggle it free, cursing at my thick fingers and the too-tight denim. I tried to press the answer button without even looking at who was calling, but it flicked off before I got to it.

  “Ah!” I screamed in frustration as it blinked a missed call from Jace. Drew was watching me in undisguised astonishment and amusement as I kicked the dirt and hit the callback key immediately. Of course it went straight to voice mail.

  I threw the phone into the bushes without thinking, and Drew doubled over in laughter, sputtering and holding his stomach. I glared at him and then stomped into the flower bed to retrieve it.

  “I can’t believe you just threw an iPhone.”

  “I’m sure it’s fine.” I parted the prickly leaves of the bushes and bent in, the phone just out of reach. With a grunt, I straightened and was walking around to the other side when the sprinklers came on. My jaw dropped and I was stunned frozen, instantly soaked. I made a dive for my phone but it was too late. It was in direct line with the spray.

  I looked over at Drew, who was now collapsed on a bench, apparently out of breath with all the energy he’d exerted making fun of me.

  I stomped to him, dripping and scowling, and dropped my phone on his chest. “I need a new phone.”

  “Outside my job description.”

  “I thought nothing was outside your job description.”

  “I have things to do, Te
ssa. Go get your own damn phone. You’re the one who threw it in a huff.”

  “I have things to do too. And I wasn’t huffing.”

  “You’re right. It was a flat-out temper tantrum.”

  I stomped my foot, then paused. This was bad. “Drew. He called! What do I do? I don’t even know his number.”

  After a breath of laughter, he sat up and looked me in the eye, his amusement fading. “You drop whatever else you had planned and you go get a new phone, right now. And then you call him. Stop wasting time.” He turned away and muttered under his breath, “Fucking both of you.”

  I scowled. “Both of us what?”

  He thrust my phone toward me. “Go. Now. I can’t take it anymore.”

  I took it slowly, feeling like the girl who’d missed too many days of school. “I thought we were meeting with the man about a horse.”

  He chuckled despite still wearing a truly irritated expression. “I’ll take care of it. Please go fix yourself.”

  “You mean my phone.”

  “Whatever.”

  Several painful hours later, hours where I felt like I’d wasted years of my life at the Apple store, I was sitting out on the balcony, a brand-new and extremely expensive phone in hand. I had minimal contacts because I hadn’t backed the thing up in about a year and there was no reviving the damaged phone. I did not understand the cloud. But I did have all the important people, the most important person.

  Cooper sat across from me where I was toying with the screen. She passed me a plate filled with steamy white fish topped with tomatoes and grapefruit. Well, filled was maybe a strong term. Still, it looked and smelled delicious and it made my stomach rumble in anticipation.

  I set my phone aside and dug in, ever aware of Cooper’s watchful and disapproving silence.

  She couldn’t hold out for long. “I can’t believe you haven’t called him back yet.”

  I let my fork clank onto my plate. “I’m hungry.”

  “You’re always hungry.”

  I pouted. That was true.