Razor's Edge (6 page)

When I'm done at Dad's, I sprint over to A-barn. Jasper and Ryan are carrying on a loud conversation while they work. Ryan is in Romeo's stall, and Jasper is out in the aisle, getting the horse ready to go.

“How'd you sleep?” I ask, grabbing the hose to start filling water buckets.

“Lousy. These damned horses never shut up.”

“Didn't do much good,” Ryan says.

“What do you mean?”

“The thieves got two more tails!”

“Seriously?”

“Would I lie to you?”

“Whose?”

“One from Sue Ellen's big mare. The other one was Chico.”

“Chico?” I turn and look down the aisle. Chico is in Pete Hennigan's stable down at the far end of A-barn. “You didn't hear anything?”

Jasper adjusts a buckle on Romeo's harness. “Not a thing. Well, not a thing that sounded like a tail thief. I was up a dozen times, but I guess whoever it was must have done it when I dozed off.”

“Dozed off?” Ryan asks. “More like bulldozed off. I've heard how loud you snore.”

“Yeah. Lucky you didn't start a stampede!” I add, pleased to be doing the ribbing for a change.

“Hey, at least I
tried
to stay awake!” Jasper protests. “Not like you two.”

Ryan ignores Jasper's retort. He pushes the wheelbarrow down toward Dusty's stall. “Shall we watch our pony run?” he asks.

“Sure,” I say as I snap the training cart shafts to Romeo's harness. Jasper has the lines and walks alongside Romeo when he moves off.

Jasper steers Romeo around the corner and outside. He hops onto the seat and swings his legs into the jog cart. We have to walk fast to keep up with Romeo's long, easy stride.

“Where's your girlfriend?” Ryan asks.

“She's not my girlfriend.”

“Hmm. That's not what it looked like.”

“Yeah, I didn't see any coffee mugs between you and that little firecracker,” Jasper says, laughing over his shoulder.

There's not much I can say. “Well, it's not what you think.”

“What should we be thinking, man? You looked like you were going to swallow her whole!”

My cheeks burn. For the hundredth time I wish I had never agreed to go out for coffee.

“Where is she, anyway?” Ryan asks. “You two look kind of cute together.”

I shrug. How can I explain I'm relieved that she hasn't been around? A real boyfriend would be worried. A real boyfriend would have called to make sure she's okay. If I don't call, that proves I'm not a real boyfriend, right?

Jasper leaves us at the gate, and Ryan and I move over to the side to watch. Romeo jogs off down the track, his gait smooth and easy.

“How long do you think it would take for someone to cut off a tail?” Ryan asks when he sees one of the tail-less horses go by.

“How would I know? I guess it would depend if you used scissors or a razor blade or whatever.”

“Did you ever find out what someone would need tails for?” I ask.

Ryan shakes his head. “My laptop died. I haven't had a chance to get online. The whole thing creeps me out. Whoever's doing it could steal anything. Maybe we should start locking our stuff up.”

The idea that anyone would steal from us is just too bizarre.

“And how are they getting in past the security gate?” Ryan asks.

“This is a big place. It wouldn't be so hard to cut through the chain-link fence. Or crawl under or over somewhere.”

“Unless whoever it is just strolls past security,” Ryan says.

“The only people who get into the barns are people who—”

“Who work here,” Ryan finishes for me.

I shove my hands deep into the pockets of my jeans. We watch Jasper and Romeo go past. Romeo's ears are relaxed, tipped out sideways. They bob gently with each stride.

Sassy's suggestion nags at me. No. Not Jasper. It couldn't be Jasper. But no matter how hard I try to erase her words they won't completely go away. I hope Jasper catches the thief, whoever it is. Then maybe Sassy will drop her crazy ideas and get to know Jasper better. Of all the thoughts that chase around and around as I watch the horses work, this last one is the strangest. If I'm thinking that Sassy should get to know Jasper, then I'm thinking I really do want to see her again. That idea is going to take some getting used to.

chapter eight

We get part of an answer to the tail question that afternoon. After morning chores, Ryan goes to the library to use one of their computers. At our weekly meeting, he tells us what he's found out.

“Did you know there are bow makers who sell these amazing hand-made bows for thousands of dollars?”

“What do you mean? Like bows and arrows?”

Ryan rolls his eyes. “No, like violins and cellos, or whatever.”

“So? What does that have to do with anything?”

“You know what the string part of the bow is made of?”

“Cat guts?” I don't know where I heard that.

“Not cat guts, horse hair.”

“Oh, come on! How many fancy violin bows do you think get made around here?”

“Ever heard of eBay?”

“So?”

“So someone in the violin-bow capital of the world—wherever that is—could buy horse-tail hair from right here. Why not?”

“I guess…”

“And guess what color tail hair is most valuable?” Ryan goes on. We both stare at him blankly. Then Jasper's face lights up.

“White!” he says.

“Bingo!” Ryan nods. “For making bows. That's not the only thing people make with horse-tail hair. I found these websites where people make fake tails for show horses.”

“Are you serious?” I can't believe anyone would buy fake tails.

“Yeah, and they are expensive! The show people kind of blend them in with their own horses' natural tails…like hair extensions.”

“No way. Really?”

“Yeah, and, there are other people who make these amazing braided ropes and stuff. I even found one place that makes these fancy rocking horses with real horse tails.”

Jasper nods. He doesn't seem surprised by all the things people do with tail hair. “My grandma makes some cool stuff with horse hair, like bracelets. She does this special kind of braiding—it's kind of tricky. She tried to teach me once, but I didn't have the patience. I just get the tail hairs for her.”

Both Ryan and I turn to stare at Jasper.

“Not that way, morons,” he says. “Ever noticed how many tail hairs get caught in the brushes every day? I collect them for her.” Jasper lifts Dusty's back hoof and picks it out. Shavings and manure fall to the ground. Ryan and I exchange a look. Then something—or someone—catches Ryan's eye.

“Well, look who's here,” he says.

“Hey, boys,” Sassy says. “Miss me?” Before I have a chance to say anything, she plants herself at my side and casually slips her arm around my waist. I feel like an idiot, standing stiffly beside her. Somehow, my arm floats around her shoulder.

“Hey, Sassy. Long time no see.” Ryan winks in our direction.

“I've been busy. My mom needed me to babysit on the weekend. She wouldn't let me out. She's such a cow. And I had a big test in English today, so she wouldn't let me come down here before school either. I hate school. I should quit.”

“Hey,” I say, giving her shoulder a little squeeze, “don't talk like that.”

“Be a fool. Stay in school,” she says. “I missed you.” She grins. “Did you miss me?”

I can feel my cheeks flushing again. I have not blushed this much since…since… well, ever.

“Jeez, Travis. You look like a tomato!” Ryan chirps up. I shoot him a dirty look.

“You want to go for a walk?” Sassy asks.

Ryan and Jasper gawk at us.

Sassy smiles up at me. “Will your bosses let you go?”

“We'll manage without him.” Jasper laughs.

Once we've left the barn, Sassy takes my hand and leads me down to the far end of the barns.

“Where are we going?” I ask.

“Shh,” she says. “Do you like chocolate?”

“Sure. Why?”

She pulls a bar of fancy dark chocolate from her purse and tears off the gold foil. “Here.” She stops walking and snaps off a square. “Open wide.”

I open my mouth and she slips in the piece of chocolate. I let it sit on my tongue for a moment before I begin to suck. “That's delicious,” I say.

“I love this stuff,” she says, sucking on a piece of her own. “Chocolate. Food of the gods.”

We start walking again, enjoying the dark, bittersweet taste of chocolate on our tongues. There's no sound except for the crunch of gravel under our boots.

When we reach the end of the last barn, Sassy ducks around behind the building. Someone has stored some bales of hay against the back wall under the roof overhang. There's a gap between the bales and Sassy disappears into the space, pulling me in behind her. There's just enough room for the two of us to squeeze in together. She doesn't wait for me to say anything but climbs up on a hay bale, so her eyes are level with
mine.

“I really did miss you, Travis,” she says sweetly. Then she leans forward and kisses me. My hands reach around her waist and pull her close. She draws in a breath and then kisses me again. What choice do I have? I kiss her back. She doesn't stop me when my hands wander up her back, under her loose sweater. She sighs and pushes into me. Sassy is soft and warm and delicious. When we pull apart, we are both breathing quickly. The taste of chocolate lingers on my lips. When Sassy reaches up to touch my cheek, I catch her hand.

“Sassy…I should get back to…” My voice is husky. Dark like the chocolate we've just shared.

“What could be more important than this?” she asks, her eyes shining. Then she's kissing me again as I push my fingers into her soft hair. My nostrils fill with the smell of peaches, of fresh hay, of chocolate. I close my eyes and every other thought disappears from my brain. All I can think of is how very good it feels to be kissing a girl as gorgeous as Sassy.

“So, I hear you and the Calloway girl are an item?”

An item
? Who says that anymore? My dad, apparently. His comment at the dinner table makes both my mom and Angela stop eating.

“Ooohhh…Travis has a girlfriend?” Angela says.

“Who is she?” Mom asks.

“Ian Calloway's daughter.”

“Why is that name so familiar?”

“Nasty bit of work,” Dad says. “Did some time for beating up the girl's mother.”

“Her name is Sassy,” I say.

Dad corrects me. “It's actually Sassafras. She's named after a horse.”

I had no idea.

“A horse?” Angela says. “That's crazy.”

“Her dad is crazy,” Dad says. “Drank too much. Gambled too much. And hit women. Ian Calloway was never a friend of mine.”

“Whatever happened to him?” Mom asks. “Is he still in jail?”

“I don't think so. I thought he moved to Saskatoon. All that trouble happened when Sassafras was quite young.”

“So, what's she like?” Mom asks, turning to me.

Soft. Warm. Lovely. I have no idea how to answer Mom's question.

“She's trouble, if you ask me,” Dad says. He spears a piece of chicken when he says this. “Don't look at me like that, Travis. I'm just saying she's a little messed up. Who can blame her? She's had a tough life.”

“People get over stuff,” I say. I'm wondering about Saskatoon, whether Sassy ever sees her dad.

“Just be careful,” Dad says. “Think with your head, not your—”

Milk shoots out of Angela's nose.

“Angela! Please!” Mom passes Angela a napkin. Angela's shoulders are up around her ears. She folds over in her chair, she's laughing so hard.

Not again! For the thousandth time my cheeks blaze. “I'm full,” I mumble as I push my chair back from the table. A minute later I'm in my room with the door shut. Even lying on my bed with my pillow over my head I can hear the rest of my family laughing and talking in the dining room. I'm exhausted and don't know which direction to turn my thoughts. If I think about Sassy, everything is a confused mess in my head. I don't want to think too hard about horse tails or Jasper. School is something I
should
think about, but right now homework seems like the least important thing on the planet.

Like I've done for years, I think about the horses to escape from whatever else is bugging me. I imagine leading Dig in to Win from his stall, his big head at my shoulder, his huge dark eye level with mine. The rhythmic
clip-clop
of his hooves on the concrete aisle is as familiar as my heartbeat. My breathing slows. In my imagination I lead Dig in to Win out to the patch of grass beyond the last barn. The tips of my fingers touch his shoulder. Sun-warmed, the horse's glossy coat is smooth and soft. I doze off, listening to the sound of the horse's steady chewing as he grazes on the fresh grass.

chapter nine

I wake up in the middle of the night, confused. Where am I?

It takes a minute, but then the edges of the furniture and my clock come into focus. I don't have to be at the barn for a couple of hours. The way my heart is pounding, I know that thinking about horses isn't going to be enough to get me back to sleep. My brain is so jumbled that even math looks good.

I get up and switch on the light at my desk. It turns out that trying to do my math homework is a good distraction. It's so irritating that I wake right up and stay busy until I stumble down to the kitchen to grab some breakfast and put on a pot of coffee.

Dad comes into the kitchen, sniffing the air. “Smells good,” he says.

I wait for him to say something else about Sassy. Instead, he says, “Can you give me a ride to the track? Your mom is picking up the deck railings with my truck today.”

Dad and I have made good progress with the deck. We even managed to finish the steps. The biggest job left is to install the railings and stain the wood. After that, Mom keeps mumbling about planter boxes and benches. She might wind up building them herself.