Heart Horse (Show Jumping Dreams ~ Book 27)

by Claire Svendsen

  “Let’s do this,” I said, trying to psyche myself into seeing Jess again.

  It didn’t really matter anyway. I’d see her in a few weeks at the show where, if she was nice, she’d actually get to ride instead of being the alternate. But this was going onto her home turf and she’d have the upper hand and I didn’t like the sound of that. It felt like we were about to walk into a lion's den where we were the tasty snack that the lion was going to eat for lunch.

  CHAPTER THIRTEEN

  I thought that we should take the truck, that way if we needed to make a quick getaway, we could. But Dad insisted that we walk, saying that if we went the way the fence was broken then maybe we’d find tracks. Some evidence that Wizard had gone that way. Proof. And proof was what we needed but I was afraid that even if Wizard had made it to Jess’s barn, he wouldn’t be there now. She was too cunning to keep him there knowing that one day we might just show up. She could have him stashed anywhere.

  We stepped over the fallen fence boards that Dad and Jordan hadn’t fixed yet and made our way through the tall brush. Most of it was dead weeds and dried up grass. It was brown after the last cold spell and crunched beneath our feet. It was far too overgrown to see if a horse had come through.

  “Maybe there.” I pointed to a section where the weeds had been flattened.

  “Could be,” Dad replied. “Or maybe it was just a pack of wild dogs or a bear.”

  “Maybe,” I said, hoping that if there was a bear around here, Mr. Eastford didn’t know. He liked to shoot things that were bigger than he was.

  We trekked across the field and got to the other side where the fences were white, freshly painted and glinting in the sunlight.

  “Well their fence doesn’t look like it’s broken,” I said with a sigh. “I guess he didn’t come this way.”

  “Or maybe he did,” Dad said. He stuck his thumb on one of the boards, pressing hard and when he pulled it away his thumb had traces of wet paint on it.

  “These boards have been recently painted,” Dad said.

  “Coincidence?” I said.

  “I don’t believe in coincidence,” Dad said. “And neither do you.”

  I had to admit that he was right. I was suspicious but just because their fence had come down in the storm just like ours had, that still didn’t mean that Wizard had come this way.

  We climbed over the fence and into the next field, being sure not to get paint on our clothes. This one was full of lush grass thanks to an expensive sprinkler system and the fact that Jess’s horses hardly ever went outside, sort of like Oscar. I wondered if they’d all become barn sour like he was too. Probably. Or maybe they were just glad to get out every once in a while and away from Jess.

  There was a horse grazing in the field and as we made our way closer it picked up its head, surprised to find people traipsing across its field. It snorted and galloped off to the gate.

  “What on earth is that thing?” Dad asked as he pointed at the Cremello.

  “That’s Jess’s latest flashy useless horse,” I said. “In fact I’m surprised he’s still around after his performance at the last show.”

  “Can he jump?” Dad asked as the horse stood by the gate and banged it with his hoof, begging to be let in, desperate to get away from us though I wasn’t sure why. We had to be nicer than anyone at Jess’s farm.

  “No,” I said. “That’s the point.”

  In response to the desperate clanking at the gate a girl came out of the barn. She strode over and quickly put a halter on the horse, then glared at us.

  “What do you think you are doing here?” she said. “This is private property and you are trespassing.”

  CHAPTER FOURTEEN

  The girl was older than I was, maybe in her early twenties. I could tell because she still had that fresh look that said she could save all the horses and do all the things that the older barn hands didn’t have. She had short red hair and thin lips but she didn’t really seem mean or mad, more concerned, probably for her own safety and that of the horses she was in charge of. I’d have been the same way if I’d found two strangers walking casually across my fields like they owned the place.

  “We didn’t mean to scare you,” Dad said.

  “I’m not scared,” the girl replied. “But that doesn’t mean I won’t still call the cops.”

  She already had her phone in her hand. Things were going from bad to worse.

  “Wait,” I cried. “We live over there.” I pointed back the way we had come. “At the old farm. I’m Emily and this is my Dad. We lost a horse during that bad storm. Some of our fences went down and we were wondering if he’d come this way, if maybe you’d seen him?”

  “Well,” the girl said. “I guess that’s okay then.”

  But she looked up at the big house anyway. I did too, wondering if Jess or her father were watching us from behind the velvet curtains.

  “You’d better follow me,” she said.

  The girl quickly and efficiently put Blue Morning Mist in his fancy stall, pulling off his boots with practiced ease.

  “You behave now,” she told him as she slid the door shut.

  It didn’t make a sound, sliding on well-oiled runners unlike ours that squeaked no matter how much grease we applied.

  “I’m Sam,” she said, sticking out her hand to shake my father's. “I’m in charge here, well sort of. There is another groom, Dotty, she’s here when I’m not.”

  “And were you here the night of the storm?” Dad asked.

  “No I’m afraid I wasn’t,” she said. “Dotty was though and the next day too.” She paused for a moment. “This horse you lost. What does he look like?”

  While Dad gave her a detailed description of Wizard, all I kept thinking was how she knew that Wizard was a he? We hadn’t mentioned it at all. Our missing horse could have easily been a mare. Sam was hiding something. I could already tell.

  “Well I haven’t seen any black horses,” Sam said when Dad had finished. “Only this one.”

  She pointed down the row of stalls and we walked down the paved aisle to see a black stallion standing there all big and proud.

  “He just came out of quarantine a couple of days ago,” Sam said. “Jess’s new jumper.”

  “She’s riding a stallion now?” I said.

  “Well she hasn’t ridden him yet,” Sam said and the way she said it let me know that she was doubtful Jess would be able to handle the horse at all.

  And all I could think about was Jess loose on a stallion at the next show, completely out of control as her horse ignored her and spent all his time chasing the mares that were in heat. I was suddenly very glad that Bluebird was a gelding.

  CHAPTER FIFTEEN

  “The barn really is quite lovely,” Dad said. “We are thinking about getting someone in to work on ours. Do you know who the builder was?”

  “No, sorry I don’t.” Sam shook her head. “But I guess I could show you around if you like.”

  I knew that Dad had no intention of having anyone come and work on our barn and that the sort of builder that Jess’s father had used would be the kind we could only imagine affording in our dreams. But he was trying to be nice to Sam and since she didn’t seem like she was mean, just wary of us, I think Dad was hoping the same thing I was, that maybe Sam could become an ally. Not that Jess would allow her to talk to us again if she ever found out that we’d been here.

  We walked up and down the barn. It was a lot bigger than the one that used to sit on the same plot of land. There were twelve stalls, two wash racks that doubled as grooming and tacking areas and a large tack room. There didn’t seem to be an office. I had a sneaking suspicion that after Mickey and I broke into the last one to look at their records, Mr. Eastford had moved all the important information into an office in their house.

  “It’s amazing,” I said, running my hands over the polished wood.

  I couldn’t help but be impressed. I didn’t want to like Jess’s barn. I wanted to hate it. I had ima
gined that it was probably all gaudy and over the top and so that way I wouldn’t be jealous but I was. It was beautiful and it was exactly the sort of barn I would have built if I had the money. The stalls on one side were empty, probably waiting for more fancy imports but the horses that were in the stalls on the other side stood there all regal and expensive. They belonged in a barn like this. I wasn’t sure that my horses did.

  There was Valor next to Blue, two horses that I didn’t recognize and then Beauty and Belle, the twin black mares which I thought would have been shipped off long ago. They were Amber and Jess’s horses back when I first met them. When we talked to them over the fence while we were still at Sand Hill and I’d thought that they were the most beautiful horses I’d ever seen, matching in every way, sort of like Jess and Amber until Amber disappeared. Maybe the sisters were sentimental after all. Perhaps these were the two that were untouchable even if they weren’t ridden anymore. I peered in closer and thought that the mares were getting a bit fat in their retirement.

  “They’re pregnant,” Sam said, leaning in next to me to look at the mares.

  “To the same stallion?” I asked. “That one?” I pointed to the one we’d just seen that was eyeing us warily.

  “No, to different stallions. Both accomplished jumpers though,” she replied.

  “Of course,” I said.

  If Jess couldn’t buy a horse that would consistently beat me, she’d breed one. It made perfect sense. I thought of poor gangly Phoenix back at our farm, all stunted with his Arabian mother and unknown father. He’d probably never turn out to be a jumper but we loved him all the same. Cat loved him most. I really hoped Dad wouldn’t make us sell him.

  “Is Jess around?” I asked casually, hoping that she wasn’t going to walk into her barn any minute and blow a gasket, claiming that we were spying on her.

  “They took the trailer and one of the other horses for a lesson,” Sam said.

  “Right.” I looked into the stalls on the other side of the barn and saw that two were dirty. “She took two horses with her?” I asked.

  “No, just one,” Sam said. “But I really should finish up here before they get back.”

  “And we should be going,” Dad said. “Thank you for your help and if you see or hear of a black horse that has shown up somewhere he shouldn’t, please let us know.”

  “I will,” Sam said, taking the business card that my father held out to her.

  “Bye,” I said.

  I wanted to like Sam but I got the feeling she was lying to us.

  CHAPTER SIXTEEN

  “Did you see?” I asked Dad as we walked back the way we came. “There were two dirty stalls on the other side of the barn but Sam said that Jess had only taken one horse to her lesson.”

  “That doesn’t prove anything,” Dad said. “Maybe she put one of the other horses in there while she was cleaning its stall.”

  “Why would she do that?” I asked through a cough.

  “Maybe the horse kicks or perhaps one of the waterers broke and flooded the other stall.” He paused to look at me. “Are you okay?”

  I was bending over now, trying to catch my breath. It had been a while since I’d had a coughing fit. I thought maybe I was over it already. The fever didn’t seem as bad because at least I wasn’t shivering all the time but the cough was bad. When it started it was like I couldn’t stop and it felt like I was going to cough up a lung.

  “Must be grass seeds or something,” I said when I was finally able to catch my breath.

  “There are no grass seeds in winter,” Dad said, looking around at the dead brown grass.

  “Well mold then,” I replied. “Come on, let's get back.”

  The police came later and sat at our kitchen table while we told them all about Wizard and how he had disappeared. They didn’t seem overly bothered. One of them kept looking at his phone and the other made a few spotty notes but that was about it.

  “Here is a picture of him,” I said, sliding across a copy of the picture Jordan had given my father.

  Dad said that Jordan was going to make flyers and stick them all over town. My heart stuck in my throat as I looked at him on the back of his black horse at a show. A crooked smile on his face as a blue ribbon fluttered from the black horse's bridle.

  “Great,” the cop said, shoving it in the folder. “We’ll keep an eye out but I’m sure he’ll show up. He’s probably out munching on a farmer's carrot patch.”

  “You’re joking, right?” I said. “He’s not a rabbit.”

  Dad kicked me under the table as the cop glared at me, then thanked them for their time and hustled them out the door.

  “You can’t say things like that,” he said as we watched them drive away.

  “Why not?” I said. “They didn’t even care and they obviously don’t know anything about horses. How are they going to find Wizard if they don’t even know where to look? A carrot patch? Really?” I shook my head.

  “They probably have more important things on their minds like murderers and missing children,” Dad said.

  “Wizard is a missing child,” I grumbled.

  “Somehow I don’t think the cops quite see it that way,” Dad said.

  CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

  While Jordan was out making flyers and looking for his horse, I threw myself into working both Bluebird and Arion. The next show was having regular classes as well as the team one and I’d decided to take Arion to enter him in a money class. Of course that meant Faith also wanted to take Macaroni.

  “Does she have to come?” I said as I tacked up my gray horse in the barn. “With two horses to ride and the team stuff to concentrate on, I don’t have time to babysit a little kid.”

  “Faith isn’t exactly a little kid anymore,” Dad said. “And after everything she’s been through with her arm, she deserves to go. Besides, I don’t think that pony will last out the summer. She’s too big for him already and with his sweating issues, he’s going to have to go if she wants to keep riding. What if this is her last show? Do you want to take that away from her?”

  “No, I guess not,” I said sullenly.

  I liked Faith, it’s just the pressure was getting to me. Jess had a new horse and I just knew that would be the one she’d bring to the show, the big, black imported one that had probably won millions of dollars and could step over jumps in his sleep. There was also the nagging guilt over Wizard, the fact that Jordan seemed like he wasn’t talking to me and the fact that by now his mother had to know that something had happened to her son’s horse.

  “Why do you think that Taylor hasn’t come over here to yell at us yet?” I asked Dad as I tightened Arion’s girth.

  “Maybe she doesn’t know,” Dad said.

  “If Jordan was making flyers, she knows,” I said.

  “Well let's just hope she doesn’t know,” Dad said.

  But as though my words had floated through the air all the way to Taylor’s Tack Emporium and into Taylor’s ears, she showed up that afternoon while I was schooling Bluebird. I saw the familiar truck pull down the drive and at first I thought that it was Jordan but the person who got out was too short to be Jordan and had spiky hair and a mean expression.

  I pretended to ignore Taylor but she didn’t come over to the ring anyway, she went right up to the front door and knocked on it loudly. Dad appeared looking a bit disheveled and Taylor immediately laid into him, yelling that he was incompetent and that he was a bad influence on her son and that if we didn’t get her horse back then she would sue us for everything we owned. Too bad for her we didn’t own much in the first place.

  I let Bluebird walk around on a loose rein so that I could listen to what they were saying.

  “The storm wasn’t exactly our fault,” Dad said. “It was an act of nature.”

  “The fact that your fences are falling down is not an act of nature,” Taylor snapped back.

  “Well then your son shouldn’t have brought the horse here in the first place if the facilities
are not up to your standard,” Dad told her.

  “I didn’t know that he had brought him here and you can bet if I had then I would have done everything I could to stop him,” Taylor replied.

  “Your son is almost eighteen,” Dad said. “He hardly needs mommy's permission to do things with his own horse.”

  This sent Taylor into a rage, obscenities coming out of her mouth that would have made a drunken sailor proud. Dad just stood there and took it, which was all he really could do because he couldn’t get a word in anyway. When Taylor finally stopped, because she’d either run out of words or air, Dad tried to placate her.

  “We’ll find Wizard,” he said. “He can’t have gone far.”

  “You know as well as I do that the horse is either dead or stolen by now,” Taylor said. “And if he’s not back in my barn in a week, you’ll be hearing from my lawyer.”

  She got back in the truck and roared down the drive, her tires spraying up stones and narrowly missing Bluebird’s face. He spooked sideways and I almost fell off.

  “That went well,” I said as Dad made his way over to the ring.

  “Are you okay?” he said.

  “Are you?” I asked him.

  “Taylor is just full of hot air,” Dad said. “She doesn’t mean half of what she says.”

  “I think she meant it about the suing part,” I replied. “But it's not like we have anything worth suing us for.”

  “No, we don’t.” Dad shook his head and looked around. “But she could take from us what little we have left and the legal fees alone would bury us in a mountain of debt that we’d never be able to pay off.”

  “Jordan wouldn’t let her do that,” I said. “I know he wouldn’t.”