Home Sweet Drama (9 page)

I rummaged through Charm's tack box for his body brush and laughed as he pawed the aisle floor with his right foreleg.

“Feeling extra good today? It was the carrot, huh,” I said.

I ran the brush lightly over his body—he hadn't gotten dirty since yesterday's grooming. After just minutes, his coat was new-penny bright and his sock was stark white. I combed his mane, tail, and forelock. They detangled easily and I inspected Charm's bridle path and whiskers.

“It's going to be trim time for you soon,” I said. “We'll have to get out the clippers.”

Charm wouldn't mind that. The buzz of the clippers
never bothered him—he loved any kind of attention. After I wiped his eyes and muzzle with a damp cloth, I tacked him up and put on my helmet.

Mike walked down the aisle toward us and smiled at me.

“Mr. Conner wants you to meet in the stable yard,” Mike said. Charm stretched his neck toward his favorite groom.

“Okay, thanks,” I said. I led Charm past him. Just outside of the stable exit, Heather and Aristocrat were waiting.

“Hey,” Heather said, giving me a half smile.

I mounted and rode Charm next to her. “Cross-country, maybe?” I asked.

Heather shrugged. “Maybe. Either that or practicing in the arena. But we haven't done cross-country in a while.”

We grinned simultaneously when we saw Mr. Conner leaving the stable—on horseback. He trotted Lexington, a sweet gray gelding that he was training, in our direction. Mr. Conner didn't have much time to ride and when he did, it was to train horses—not ride with us. He was carrying a stack of something, but I couldn't see what they were. Then they came into focus.

“Cross-country vests!” I whispered.

“Hi, girls,” Mr. Conner said, drawing Lexington to a smooth halt. “We're going to work on cross-country today. I thought we'd take a new course through the back woods and since it's different, I'll lead the way. Sound good?”

“Yes!” Heather and I said in unison.

Mr. Conner smiled. “Good. We won't be taking a ridiculous amount of jumps, but rather focusing on stamina. I chose the back woods because it's hilly, so keep that in mind. Don't let your horses burn out early since the we'll cover over fifteen jumps and several miles.”

I wanted to go
now.
I was so ready for this! Charm would almost rather do cross-country than eat, which was saying something.

Mr. Conner handed us our black vests and we buckled them on. I tightened the chin strap on my helmet and was ready to go.

“Follow me,” Mr. Conner said. He tapped his heels against Lexington's sides and the gelding broke into a smooth trot.

Heather and I followed on Aristocrat and Charm. The horses snorted and stretched as they trotted over the grass. I could feel Charm's excitement over not going to
the arena. His ears pricked forward and he tugged on the reins, asking for more.

A few strides ahead of us, Mr. Conner let Lexington into a canter. Heather and I shot smiles at each other, then let out our horses. Charm and Aristocrat charged after Lexington and the horses drew even with each other.

I was beside Mr. Conner and Heather was on my right. Charm's mane whipped back and the sunlight glinted off his shoulders. Mr. Conner drew ahead and Heather and I held our horses back so we could follow him. We cantered away from the stable and started up a gentle hill that led to the woods. I leaned forward so I'd keep my balance as Charm started up the climb. He shifted his weight and used his hindquarters to move us up the hill.

When we reached level ground, Mr. Conner slowed Lexington a fraction to line up with Heather and me. “Let them into a
slow
gallop,” he said. “We'll gallop until a few yards before the woods, then pull them up to a canter. From there, we'll take the obstacles that cross our path. I've already ridden this way a few times to test it, so it's safe.”

Wind whooshed in my ears and when Mr. Conner nodded, we all let our horses out a notch. Charm raced
forward, wanting to be in front of Aristocrat. But the darker chestnut wasn't about to let Charm get away with it—he tugged on the reins and quickened his pace. Heather and I were ahead of Mr. Conner and Lexington in seconds and we glanced at each other. If we let the horses go faster, he'd make us go back to the arena.

I sat deeper in the saddle and pulled lightly on the reins, asking Charm to slow. Charm's muzzle dropped back by Aristocrat's shoulder and he shook his head. I thought Heather wasn't going to slow Aristocrat, but she pulled him to a hand gallop and our horses drew even.

Their hooves thundered over the grass. There wasn't anything I'd rather be doing. Charm, happy now that he was even with Aristocrat, settled into a smooth gallop. Mr. Conner galloped Lexington between Charm and Aristocrat, preventing Charm from having such direct eye contact with his nemesis.

We galloped for several yards and Charm's breathing seemed to match my own. Everything—Homecoming, Jacob, Callie, Eric, Paige—seemed to fall away and all I felt was a sense of security and comfort. It felt good to let Charm go and to be away from campus. The three horses' hooves pounded over the ground and all too soon, the woods loomed in front of us.

“Pull them to a canter,” Mr. Conner called. “And follow me single file, please.”

Heather and I slowed the horses and she let me move Charm behind Lexington. It was a nice gesture—Charm wouldn't be fighting to keep up with Aristocrat, but it also meant Heather was watching me ride. I fought back my nerves. So what if she was? Cross-country was my forte and Heather saw me ride every day in lessons. I wasn't going to mess up.

The horses cantered slowly into the woods and reached a dirt path. Sunlight filtered through the trees and cast shadows on the trail. The path was straight for yards and we started up another hill. We swept past trees that lined the path and Mr. Conner eased Lexington into a trot as we reached a gentle curve. I followed him and when the path straightened, we were trotting next to the creek. Sunlight caught on the multicolored pebbles and I made myself look away, but it was too late. I remembered how just before YENT testing, Charm had developed a fear of going through the creek. Callie had helped me get him over his fear. I blinked furiously, trying to erase the memory from my brain.

Ahead of me, Mr. Conner gathered Lexington and they jumped a fallen tree no more than a foot and a half high.
A few strides later, Charm and I reached the tree. I eased my hands up along his neck and he jumped the tree without pause. A few seconds later, I heard Aristocrat land behind us and we kept trotting down the path as it twisted through the woods.

Mr. Conner turned toward the creek and I leaned back as Charm started down the creek bank. Lexington reached the creek bed and splashed through the knee high water. Water darkened his coat and he looked like steel as he trotted up the bank.

Charm didn't even blink at the creek—he went right in. The coolish water probably felt refreshing to him after cantering and galloping. His shoes clinked against the pebbles and he charged up the bank after Lexington.

When we reached level ground, I pulled Charm to a halt and waited for Heather and Aristocrat to clear the creek bed.

“Go ahead,” I said, waving my hand in front of her.

She nodded and let Aristocrat trot by Charm and me. We followed her; Charm's earlier need to overtake Aristocrat had been calmed by this point in the workout.

Mr. Conner let Lexington into a canter and Heather and I followed him. The path straightened and one by one we jumped a stack of hay bales that had been placed
across the path. A few strides later, we cleared a log and then I saw the next jump: I almost bounced up and down in the saddle. It was a zigzag—a jump I'd only done a couple of times. The wooden jump had logs that formed a zigzag pattern and the odd shape could cause a refusal if the horse didn't trust the rider. The logs were surrounded by a wooden box and the box was filled with wood chips. The jump wasn't high—it didn't have to be, because the pattern was what often threw off the horses.

I wondered if this was how the rest of the course was designed. Maybe Mr. Conner had set us up with a completely new course that we'd get to use more.

Charm's ears flicked back for a second as we reached the zigzag. Yards in front of us, Mr. Conner moved Lexington, who started to sidestep, back in front of the jump. The gelding shuddered for a second, but took the obstacle. Charm, who'd been watching Lexington, tensed beneath me and I pushed him forward with my hands and legs. I wasn't going to let him stop.

“You got it,” I whispered. “C'mon.”

Charm's back relaxed and his stride became confident. In front of us, Aristocrat leaped the jump easily and that seemed to give Charm incentive. He approached the zigzag and I kept both legs steady against his sides so he
knew running out wasn't an option. He lifted into the air and tucked his forelegs under his body as we cleared the low jump.

We cantered for several minutes down the trail, weaving around trees until we reached an open clearing. Mr. Conner let Lexington into a faster canter and Heather and I copied him. The field of green looked as if it stretched on forever.

Charm showed no signs of slowing down as we moved over the ground. He hadn't started to sweat yet, but my T-shirt was sticking to my back. We'd lost the shade of the woods when we'd hit the clearing.

We cantered up another hill and the ground leveled. Lexington and then Aristocrat took a brush fence. Charm hopped it easily. A few strides later, we approached an old wooden park bench. All three horses jumped it without pause and we cantered toward the next jump.

I
loved
this! Not only did Heather and I get to observe Mr. Conner ride, but we also got to jump a new course. I loved arena lessons, but sometimes things got stale. And coming out here to a new place where Charm wasn't familiar with his surroundings was good for him.

Mr. Conner started to turn in a half-circle and we were facing the campus, even if we couldn't see it. He eased
Lexington to a trot and we went down a sharper hill. At the bottom of the hill we trotted for two strides before leaping two tiny brush jumps in a row. I watched Heather and Aristocrat for a few seconds, marveling at Heather's form over each jump. She never wavered, and her confidence transmitted to Aristocrat.

“Last jump,” Mr. Conner called back to us.

I was sorry the course was over so soon. I knew Charm would take it again if I let him.

Mr. Conner let Lexington canter a bit faster to gain enough momentum to make it over a wooden gate with a small shrub on each side. Lexington, still greener than Charm or Aristocrat, started to rush the fence. Even though Heather was well behind Mr. Conner and Lexington, she slowed Aristocrat a notch in case the gray refused the fence. But Mr. Conner knew how to handle Lexington. He did a half halt and Lexington kept going at the same pace for a few seconds before listening to Mr. Conner. He slowed, collected himself, and lifted into the air. He cleared the gate without even coming close to touching it.

Aristocrat and Heather went next and, as expected, had no problem. I gave Charm rein to let him canter fast. He hadn't lost a bit of energy since we'd started the course.
I counted down the strides in my head and at the right second, Charm leaped into the air. He hit the grass softly on the other side and we joined Heather and Mr. Conner at a trot.

“That was excellent, girls,” Mr. Conner said. “Both of you are strong in cross-country and you didn't let any of the new obstacles or the new path become an excuse for allowing your horse to refuse a fence or get nervous.”

“Thanks,” Heather and I said.

“Let's keep them at a trot to cool down on our way back to the stable,” Mr. Conner said. “And be sure to check their legs for heat or any sign of stress after that ride.”

We trotted the horses side by side back to the stable. I was pumped after that round. But with every step closer to the stable, I wanted more and more to go back to the woods until Homecoming was over.

When we got back to the stable, I dismounted and loosened Charm's girth. He was going to need extra walking and I wanted to give him a bath. It had been a while since the last time when—
no.
Did not want to think about that. But I couldn't stop the memory. The last time I'd bathed Charm, Eric had helped me because Jasmine had turned
out Charm in the back pasture after it had rained. It had been minutes before my lesson and I'd found Charm coated from ears to tail in mud. Eric had helped me wash him in the outdoor wash stall and we'd ended up turning the hose on each other.

I couldn't help but smile when I remembered the look on Eric's face when I'd swiped mud across his cheek. He'd retaliated and by the end, Charm was the cleanest of all of us. I sighed. Did not want to think about Eric. It didn't do any good. There was no chance of getting him back and I had to let him move on. I'd done enough damage.

I removed Charm's tack and he waited for me just outside the door while I hung up his bridle and put away his saddle. I grabbed a bucket, container of horse shampoo, coat conditioner and a sponge. I untied Charm's cotton lead line from the tie ring and we started walking outside. We passed Black Jack's stall and I slowed. The stall door was opening and Callie led him out into the aisle. I looked at her face and knew immediately that something was up. I was her former BFF—I could tell when there was something going on. Her lips were pressed together and she stared at the ground. I couldn't walk away without saying
something
.

“Callie?” I asked, my voice barely above a whisper. “Everything okay?”

Callie's expression changed from worry to anger. She shook her head. “Are you kidding me? You're the
last
person I want to talk to. Don't say a word to me again. Ever.”

My throat tightened and I led Charm down the aisle and outside. I hated this. Every second of it. But I'd done what I'd had to do to protect Callie. And I couldn't go back on that now.