The a Circuit (6 page)

Zara debated throwing a tantrum, but decided it wasn’t worth the effort. Not yet. It was already looking as if Jamie was going to be tougher to handle than her old trainer, who had pretty much let her do whatever she wanted. What was the point of taking a lesson—or riding at all, for that matter—if it wasn’t fun? Pelham Lane might be the best, most prestigious, and winningest show barn in the area. But that didn’t mean it was going to work for her. Jamie did seem to know his stuff, so she figured she’d give him a little longer, see if he chilled out once he got to know her. If not, she’d just have to find a barn with a more relaxed trainer.

Zara jammed her feet back in her stirrups, gathered up her reins, and nudged Ellie into a walk. For now, she’d go along for the ride and see what happened.

“Hi, Javier,” Tommi said, poking her head into the feed room. “You seen Jamie?”

The young groom looked up from mixing feed and smiled. “
Si
, he’s in the indoor, Miss Aaronson,” he said.

“Thanks.” Tommi returned his smile, then headed for the indoor. When she entered, she saw that Jamie was teaching a private lesson. It was the new girl, Zara, riding Ellie through a simple gymnastic exercise. Not wanting to interrupt—and a little curious about the newbie—she leaned against the bleachers and watched the last few minutes of the lesson. Finally Jamie called for a halt.

“Well done, Zara,” he said. “I think you and Ellie will make a good team with a little work. Let’s quit there for now, okay?”

As he left the ring, Tommi stepped forward. “Want me to ride Legs today?” she asked him.

“Hi, Tommi.” Jamie sounded distracted as he checked his watch. “Yeah, that would be great. You didn’t see Mrs. Walsh on your way over here, did you? I’m late for her lesson in the jumping ring.”

He rushed out without waiting for an answer. “Hey,” Zara complained. She’d just dismounted and run up her stirrups. “I thought this was a full-service barn. Where’s the groom?”

“Jamie usually expects us juniors to cool out our own horses and bring them back over to the barn when we’re at home,” Tommi explained. “Then if you don’t have time to untack, you can ask a groom to do it.” She reached over the fence to give Ellie a rub on the nose. “You two looked pretty good out there,” she added. “I’m always tempted to float the reins through a gymnastic with a forward horse like Ellie, but I’ve found she actually goes better with a little more support.”

“What are you, the junior trainer or something?” Zara rolled her eyes. “I know how to ride a gymnastic, okay?”

Tommi frowned. So much for being friendly. With that attitude, Zara wasn’t going to fit in too well at Pelham Lane. Sure, the juniors who rode there were competitive, but that wasn’t synonymous with bitchy or cutthroat. Not here. Jamie liked to foster an atmosphere of teamwork, expecting them all to challenge, push, and support one another. Zara had better figure that out fast, or she wasn’t going to find too many friends here. For a second Tommi was tempted to tell her exactly that.

But she bit her tongue. Why stress about it? Jamie would whip Little Miss Rock & Roll into shape soon enough.

“Oh wow, there you are, Zara!” Summer rushed into the indoor, pushing past Tommi as she headed straight into the ring, finally skidding to a stop in front of Zara. “I heard it was your first day actually riding here and stuff, and I totally wanted to, like, officially welcome you to the barn!”

“It’s about time. Here.” Zara tossed Ellie’s reins in Summer’s direction.

Summer caught the reins, looking startled. She stared down at them, then at the horse attached to them, as if she wasn’t quite sure what to do with either.

“Make sure my tack gets put away in the right spot,” Zara ordered. “That’s an expensive saddle.” She gave Ellie a quick pat, then spun on her heel and marched out of the ring.

Tommi smirked at the look of astounded confusion on Summer’s face. “Wow,” she said with barely contained amusement. “Bet it’s not every day you get mistaken for a groom, huh, Summer?”

“That’s not what happened.” Summer recovered quickly. “Um, I’m sure she just realized I wanted to help her out. You know, as like a friend.” She shot Ellie a slightly nervous look as the mare jerked her head, nearly yanking the reins away. “Come on, sweetie pie!” Summer cooed. “Come with Mummy and we’ll find Miguel so he can hose you off.”

She gave a tentative tug at the reins, causing Ellie to toss her head again. Tommi was tempted to step in before someone got hurt. But at that moment Kate came rushing in, pink-cheeked and breathless.

“Here I am!” she exclaimed. “Sorry I’m late, I was getting the ponies ready for my next lesson, and …” Her voice trailed off as she stared at Summer holding Ellie.

“Here.” Summer thrust the reins at her, looking relieved. “Zara says make sure Ellie gets taken care of really well. Now I’d better go see if she needs me to show her around or anything.”

She rushed out of the ring. Kate glanced at Tommi. “Okay, what’d I miss?”

“Tell you later.” Tommi grinned. “I don’t want to keep you from your orders.”

“Good boy!” Tommi exclaimed as the horse she was riding arced over a fair-sized jump. As he landed, the lanky bay gelding sped up, flagging his tail and tossing his head joyfully.

Tommi laughed as she pulled him up and gave him a pat. Legitieme, barn name Legs, was a young Dutch Warmblood that Jamie had imported recently from Europe. He was super talented and scopey, but also green and quirky. Most of the other juniors didn’t like riding him much, but Tommi found him a fun and interesting challenge. She enjoyed trying to figure him out, working with him to bring out his best. Jamie had noticed how well they got along and made the gelding her personal project.

“If you keep jumping like that, we’re going to tear up the Training Jumpers at the show this weekend,” she murmured, sending the horse around the outdoor ring at a walk on a loose rein to cool out. It was a hot afternoon, and they’d worked hard. Both horse and rider were sweaty and a little tired, but content. Legs ambled around for a moment, then suddenly leaped into a trot, pricking his ears at the nearest jump.

Tommi laughed again, pulling him away from the jump and making him slow down. It was fun to ride a horse that loved to jump as much as she did. And Legs definitely loved it. He was no hunter, that was for sure—too hot, too fast, too high-headed. But he was perfect for jumping the big sticks, if his rider could channel his energy and keep him under control.

As they made their third circuit of the ring, Tommi saw Kate walking toward the gate at the head of a little parade of ponies. Kate was helping a tiny eight-year-old girl lead the first pony, a fancy dapple-gray medium that kept tossing its head. Three more ponies were behind them, led by their small owners, who ranged in age from six to eight.

“Hi,” Tommi called, steering Legs toward the gate and then dismounting. “Don’t worry, we’re finished. The ring’s all yours.”

“Thanks.” Kate looked harried. “Okay, girls. Stand back until Tommi’s out of the ring, okay?”

Tommi shot her a sympathetic smile as she led Legs out. She was sure this was going to be an interesting lesson. The pony Kate was leading was young, green, and opinionated. His owner was a tough little rider who’d cleaned up in the Smalls for the past couple of years, but she definitely had her hands full with her new mount.

Stopping just outside the ring, Tommi loosened Legs’s girth. When she turned around, she almost jumped out of her skin. Zara was standing about six feet away, watching her. How long had she been there?

“Nice horse.” Zara flicked her moss-green eyes at Legs. “Yours?”

“No, he’s Jamie’s.” Tommi felt cautious, considering their previous exchange. “But thanks, he’s a good boy.”

Zara nodded. “He looks like fun. I liked how you handled him over that tricky combination.”

“Thanks,” Tommi said again, trying not to sound surprised. She wondered if she’d misjudged Zara earlier. Maybe the tough exterior was just that, a way to protect herself. Tommi knew as well as anyone that it wasn’t easy coming from a well-known family.

Before she could think about it much, she heard a shout from nearby. Zara heard it, too, and spun around.

“Shit,” she spat out.

“What?” Tommi turned, too—just in time to see a pair of paparazzi types rush toward them, cameras raised.

SIX

“Don’t forget to tighten your girth,” Kate told little Gigi Jones, who would probably forget her own head if someone didn’t keep after her. “I’ll check it in a second.”

As she turned to help Mackenzie with her green pony, she heard someone let out a yell from the direction of the nearest building. Glancing that way, she saw two strange men running at full speed toward the ring.

“There she is!” one of them hollered. “Zara, wait! We just want to talk to you!”

Confused, Kate glanced at Zara. The girl’s face had gone hard. Without a word, she turned and dashed away, disappearing into the quarantine barn.

“Get out of here!” Tommi yelled at the men. “You’re going to spook the horses!”

The first man ignored her. “Go after her!” he shrieked, waving his arms in the air. The other man obeyed, vaulting over the ring’s post-and-board fence, clearly seeing that as a shortcut to catch up to Zara.

“Stop!” Kate cried in alarm. She’d let go of Mackenzie’s pony, Dazzle, once they were all safely inside the ring. Now she lunged toward him, trying to grab his bridle before he spooked.

Too late. Seeing the large man come hurtling over the fence had blown the sensitive pony’s mind. He yanked loose from Mackenzie and reared, snorting with panic. When he landed he spooked violently to one side, almost knocking Mackenzie down before crashing into Gigi’s pony.

That pony, a cute little flaxen chestnut, was a pretty quiet type, but it had to lurch and fling its head up to keep from being knocked over, which startled the other two ponies. One of them, a fancy but rather ornery Welsh cross, let a kick fly at the chestnut, missing its hock by a hairsbreadth. The other pony, a stout pinto, threw its head in the air and started backing up.

“Get out of there!” Tommi screamed at the man, who’d stopped to stare at the upset ponies.

He shot her a look, then shrugged and sprinted across the ring, dodging around the pinto, which stopped backing up and started prancing in place instead. The little girl holding it shrieked with fear, dropped the reins, and ran away.

“Hey!” the other man said loudly. “Aren’t you Rick Aaronson’s daughter?”

If Tommi answered, Kate didn’t hear her. She had her hands full. Dazzle was rearing again, his hooves waving dangerously close to Mackenzie’s face.

“Get back, sweetie,” Kate ordered tersely. “I’ll catch him.”

Mackenzie backed away. Kate eased past her, waiting until the pony’s front end landed and then grabbing his dangling reins before he could go up again. “Easy, boy,” she said. “Chill out, little man.”

Out of the corner of her eye, she could see Tommi hanging on to Legs with one hand as he spun around her in circles. With her other hand, Tommi was texting madly.

Good. That meant help would be here soon. But would it be soon enough? The first photographer had disappeared into the quarantine barn after Zara, but the other guy was snapping pictures of Tommi as she attempted to hold on to her horse, who was becoming increasingly agitated.

Keeping a tight hold on Dazzle, who was still threatening to rear, Kate glanced around the ring. The girl with the pinto was clinging to the rail, crying as she watched her pony trot around with its reins dangling. Gigi was still holding on to her pony, though his head was up and his ears on alert as he clearly weighed whether it was worth the effort to act up. The last little girl was trying to grab the Welsh cross as it lunged at the pinto with teeth bared.

Worst-case scenarios flashed through Kate’s mind before she could stop them. Dazzle pulling away from her and bucking around the ring. The other ponies getting away from their owners, trampling them, and then running around wildly until they all ended up with suspensory injuries or worse. Tommi getting knocked over by Legs, who could easily clear the perimeter fence and end up on the highway …

Stop it, Kate ordered herself. If you freak out, it’s only going to make matters worse.

“Hey! What’s going on here?” a familiar voice broke through the hubbub.

“Fitz!” Kate blurted out.

Fitz had just ridden into view aboard his semiretired children’s hunter, a placid older Appendix quarter horse named Beacon. He liked to ride the chestnut gelding around the farm under Western tack for fun. Kate suspected most of that fun came from Fitz teasing Jamie by saying he was going to give up showing and become a cowboy.

Taking in the scene, Fitz vaulted off his horse, leaving him ground-tied. Then he ducked into the ring.

“Go help the littles,” he told Kate. “Let me deal with Dazzle.”

“Thanks.” Kate had never been so grateful to someone in her life. Hurrying over to grab the Welsh cross before it could rile up the other two ponies any further, she quickly got the situation back under control.

By the time she glanced back at Fitz, he’d taken Dazzle out of the ring. “Hey, you,” Fitz said to the photographer, who was still hassling Tommi. “What do you think you’re doing?”

“Trying to earn a living, kid.” The photographer smirked. “Guess none of you trust-fund brats would know about that.”

“Okay, you’ve had your fun. Time to get lost before someone gets killed.” Fitz maneuvered Dazzle around, forcing the agitated pony to sidepass toward the man.

“Hey, keep that thing away from me,” the man complained, suddenly looking a lot less cocky.

At that moment Dazzle tossed his head, almost breaking loose from Fitz’s grip. “Uh-oh!” Fitz shouted. “Dangerous horse! Clear the decks!”

Mackenzie’s eyes widened in alarm. “Don’t worry, sweetie,” Kate whispered, sidling closer. “Fitz is just kidding around. Dazzle will be fine.”

She watched as Fitz continued to angle the pony toward the man. Finally Dazzle reared in annoyance, letting out several loud snorts. Fitz let the reins slip through his hands, then reeled the pony back in. The photographer was frozen in place, looking terrified.

Kate noticed that Tommi had taken advantage of the distraction to slip off toward the barn with Legs, who was jigging a bit but behaving well otherwise. Unfortunately the photographer noticed, too.

“Hey! Miss Aaronson!” he called, darting around Fitz and the pony.

Great. So the pony’s antics hadn’t totally distracted him. Still, Kate wasn’t too worried. Tommi could handle herself. At least now that both intruders were gone, she should be able to get things back under control.

“Everything all right in here?” Fitz asked, leading Dazzle back into the ring and kicking the gate shut behind him.

Kate shot a look around. Dazzle had settled as soon as he was back in with the other ponies. Mackenzie had already caught the pinto and returned it to its owner.

“Yeah, I think so,” Kate said. “Thanks to you. I don’t know what would have happened if you hadn’t shown up when you did.”

“I aim to please.” Fitz handed Dazzle’s reins to Mackenzie as she hurried over. “But if you really want to thank me, I can think of a good way.”

“Really? What?” Kate was a little distracted as she watched Mackenzie croon to her pony.

“With a kiss.”

“Huh?” That got Kate’s attention—and the attention of all four pony girls, who immediately started giggling.

“Kiss him, Kate!” Gigi cried.

“Yeah!” another girl added. “Give him a big smooch!”

Kate felt her cheeks go hot. “Girls, he’s just kidding around,” she said quickly.

“No, I’m not.” Fitz grinned at her, looking as completely comfortable as she was embarrassed. “Come on, Kate. I thought I was your hero. Doesn’t that deserve a measly little kiss? You know, like in all the Disney movies?”

“Kiss him! Kiss him!” Mackenzie chanted.

Glancing around at the giggling girls, Kate felt trapped as she realized Fitz had done it again. After what had just happened, she’d expected to spend at least three-quarters of the lesson coaxing the riled-up, nervous little riders onto their mounts. But now, with his simple request, Fitz had them all laughing. That would make her job a lot easier.

So what choice did she have? It was the least she could do to thank him.

“Fine, if you insist.” Kate did her best to sound casual and amused, though she had a feeling she hadn’t really pulled it off. Her face was still flaming, and her heart was thumping so hard and fast that it sounded like a herd of galloping horses. She could only hope the girls’ giggles covered it so Fitz couldn’t hear.

She stepped toward him, feeling awkward. He leaned a little closer, still grinning. Taking a deep breath, Kate stood on tiptoes just long enough to give him a quick peck on the cheek. Up close, his skin smelled surprisingly sweet, like fresh hay and citrus.

“Very nice, but you missed,” Fitz exclaimed. He tapped himself on the lips. “A little to the left …”

“Hey, Fitz.” Mackenzie pointed outside the ring, where Fitz’s horse was wandering off toward the nearest patch of grass. “You’d better get out there. Beacon is leaving without you!”

“Almost there, buddy,” Tommi whispered to Legs, keeping a tight hold on his reins as she led him down the barn aisle.

She was all too painfully aware of that photographer still following them. He was just a few steps behind—well within range if Legs happened to feel like kicking, she couldn’t help noting.

But alas, the horse behaved himself, and the man was still with them as they reached the gelding’s stall. Tommi led Legs inside and stopped, not sure what to do now. She’d already texted Jamie and Miguel, so help would be there soon. In the meantime, the last thing she wanted to do was stand in the cross-ties untacking and grooming the horse while this loser snapped pictures. Instead she slipped off the gelding’s bridle, slinging it over the stall’s Dutch door. The saddle could wait.

“Hey, Tommi!” the photographer called, leaning in over the door. “What was it like growing up the daughter of the richest guy in New York?”

Tommi turned away, patting Legs and keeping her eyes trained on the back wall of the stall.

“Come on, Tommi. It’s a simple question. Don’t you owe your fans an answer?”

Legs nuzzled at Tommi, looking for treats. She dug into the front pocket of her Tailored Sportsmans, finding a chunk of an apple-flavored treat, which she fed to him. But she didn’t change positions as the man kept shooting questions at her despite the lack of response.

After what felt like a million years but was probably less than five minutes, she heard stern voices moving rapidly toward them. Thank god. Miguel and Elliot to the rescue.

After a few polite but serious words from Elliot, the biggest and most muscular groom in the barn, and a whole lot of swearing and complaining from the paparazzi guy, all was quiet again. Miguel had taken Legs off for a bath and grooming, and Tommi was free. She headed straight back outside, wanting to make sure none of the ponies or their riders had been hurt. When she thought about what could have happened, it made her angry all over again.

Halfway to the door, she ran into Zara. “The ugly one gone?” Zara asked, shooting a look around.

“Yeah. The guys just tossed him off the property,” Tommi said. “What about the other one?”

“Ditto. Couple of grooms turned up and booted the jerk.” Zara shook her head. “Man, took them long enough, though.” She shot Tommi a rueful look. “Sucks dealing with that kind of shit, doesn’t it?”

“Yeah, well, we’ve never had much trouble with it here,” Tommi said. “You know—until now.”

Zara’s expression darkened. “What, you blaming me for those assholes?”

“Who else would I blame?” Tommi realized she was being kind of harsh, but she couldn’t stop herself. Zara had to know that this wasn’t cool. “I’ve seen the tabloids and the TV stuff. You’ve never exactly gone out of your way to avoid the press, have you?”

“You don’t know anything about me!” Zara retorted hotly.

“I know this,” Tommi said. “You’d better figure out how to keep it away from the barn. Because the rest of us don’t want it here.”

Zara glared at her. “I thought of all people,
you
might actually understand. Shows what I know!”

She spun on her heel and stomped away. “Hey!” Tommi called after her, already feeling bad. Those loser paparazzi deserved her temper; Zara didn’t. Not really. Not for this.

But she did her best to shrug off the guilt. It was too late to take it back now. Zara was already gone.