by Leigh Hutton
‘Yeah,’ she said, looking Dallas in the eye. ‘It is weird.’
‘We need to get a copy of her Will,’ he said, his eyes flaring.
‘Wait — wait!’ Ebony sat up straight in the saddle, and crossed her arms across her chest. ‘I’ve only just met you, and now you’re trying to help solve all my family, money — all my problems?’
‘What?’ Dallas rested a hand on her thigh, and the heat from his palm sent shocks all the way up her leg. She shivered with excitement. ‘Don’t you trust me?’ he asked.
She was about to say, ‘I don’t know you!’ But that wouldn’t be true, she felt like she did know Dallas. Quite well, in fact. She studied his face, the warmth in his eyes. ‘Okay, Dallas,’ she said, reaching her head down to his. ‘How do you propose we get a look at said Will, huh?’
‘Who’s Annika’s lawyer?’
‘I haven’t met him, but I’ve heard her talking to him,’ she said. ‘I’m sure she’s after him. I’m pretty sure his last name’s, Harry? No … H-a-rl … Harlton. Harlington. It’s Harlington.’
‘No way?’
‘Way. Why?’
‘I’ve got a deal for you,’ he said, his hand gripping her thigh. ‘Promise me another date, and I’ll get you a look at that Will.’
‘Deal.’ Ebony reached out to shake Dallas’s hand, but shrieked instead, as he grabbed her around the waist and pulled her off the side of Hook. He swept her up, and carried her across the snow, to the fence line. ‘Now that’s what I wanted to show you,’ he said, nodding down the wide ravine that snaked its way deep into the prairie, and back towards the Rocky Mountains.
Ebony nuzzled into his chest, and cuddled there, as they watched the sunset, now brilliant orange and deep red, as the sun sunk away to rest for another day. She listened to Dallas’s strong heartbeat, feeling bright beams of hope for her and her horses’ future.
Ebony was fifteen minutes late to her shift at Tim Horton’s, but Cindy was sympathetic towards her explanation of a ‘family issue’. It wouldn’t have been hard for Cindy to believe that Ebony was indeed experiencing a family issue, considering she was as pale as a ghost and distant in her eyes and expression; she was taken aback by her reflection in the staff bathroom mirror when she checked after changing her clothes. She hoped she could get through her shift without burning her hands on the coffee machine or worse, spilling hot coffee on a customer. But she wasn’t holding high hopes. Her time with Dallas had given her so much to think about, too much to think about, actually.
She hadn’t had a boyfriend for years and never one as serious as she could already feel Dallas Cash was going to be. He was so perfect and she was so damaged, so anti-perfect, she was sure. Her fits of anger and anti-social behaviour (aka. she wouldn’t take any crap from anyone) had been pointed out to her by nearly all of her teachers at the city schools she’d attended, by her ex-trainer, Luther, and of course, Annika, but none of it had worried her before. She was well aware of how she was perceived and it had served her well; protecting her from bullies at school, keeping her safe from the worst of the girls in the horse show world and all of the gossip and back stabbing behind the scenes. But it had also kept her from making any friends, and all of that was before Dallas Cash. Everything had changed, and now, she could only wish she’d be good enough. It horrified her that he might find out just how prickly she could be. She was already falling in love with him, and Ebony had always lost the things she loved.
She was almost hoping never to hear from him again, be let off the hook and saved the certain excruciating pain of love lost, when her phone showed a message, on the third time in an hour she’d snuck from the drive through window to check it:
Wheels are in motion. Give me a bit of time… How’s about dinner next week? Speak soon, Dallas
Oh, right. Then there was the whole issue of the unusual inheritance left by Cecile and the fact that this unbelievably perfect guy was also keen to help her get a hold of the Will. To find out the truth. As if she didn’t have enough to think about.
It was late and there were no cars waiting to be served, so Ebony asked Cindy if she cared for a coffee, and took hers to her ordering window, to sip and think while watching the cars passing on the nearby street. She found the questions she’d been too scared to ask appearing from the darkness within her mind and aligning, clearing, the answers all within her reach.
It was very weird, that Cecile hadn’t left anything to her. Not that she’d expected anything. She still couldn’t believe she’d been lucky enough to meet a person like Cecile, which was probably why she hadn’t questioned the situation after her death. It had all seemed too good to be true, anyway. And how ungrateful of everything Cecile had done for her would she have seemed if she started asking questions about what she should gain from her death? It wasn’t her style. But, she needed to make it her style — Dallas had made her realise this. Cecile would have wanted her to have the horses, she was sure of it. Deep down, in her heart, she knew that something was awry. Had Annika somehow changed Cecile’s Will? Had Sampson, Cecile’s horrible ex-husband — who just so happened to be a Supreme Court Judge — done something to it? Annika was definitely crazy enough, and Samson had known everyone, even been old friends of Cecile’s personal lawyer …
Next came the question that Ebony hadn’t let herself ask, as it was just too painful to consider … What had happened to Cecile? The woman was a force of nature, always smiling, laughing, and deriving immense pleasure from helping others. She couldn’t possibly have taken her own life like the policemen said she did. But, if she hadn’t, then who did? Who could possibly have hated Cecile enough to want her dead? Ebony decided to call Dallas the next day, or night, maybe, so she didn’t seem too obsessed, as she really wanted to talk to him more. She couldn’t wait for their next date.
‘Hell-o?’ It was a man and he sounded annoyed. ‘Is anyone there?’
‘Ah.’ Ebony jumped, literally, from her thoughts and straightened her ear set. ‘I’m sorry, welcome to Tim Horton’s. What can I get for you?’
The next morning, Ebony woke before her alarm. Her eyes felt clear and well rested, and she found herself hopping out of bed, excited to get the day underway. Then it struck her. She’d slept through the night. A deep, restful sleep. She hadn’t had nightmares, of being chased through the woods and losing her horses into the darkness, hadn’t woken drenched in sweat or chilled with tears as she had pretty much every night since Cecile was taken from her. Instead, she was sure she could remember chasing someone … She was the one doing the chasing now, and it made her feel an intense, light hope.
She skipped her drive through coffee; she was too keen to get to the barn and would grab one with Winnie from the lounge.
The barn was buzzing with energy and anticipation as training was ramped up in the lead up to Florida, and the all-important team announcement loomed. The riders were doing everything within their power to get their horses going as well as possible before the first North American Nations’ Cup event of the season.
About two weeks out, the farrier was called in to put fresh shoes on all the horses. Extra feed was ordered and packed for the trip. Flat sessions were intensified, as were the height and difficulty of the jumping courses practiced. The grooms went about finalising all of the details from accommodation for riders and horses to who they’d be taking to the rider’s ball, which was an event Ebony would be avoiding like the plague, as usual.
There was an amount of vehicle maintenance to complete, also, with the mini dirt bikes and scooters used by the riders and of course, Marcus, to zip around the vast show grounds dug out from storage, washed and serviced with fresh oil and re-oiled air filters. The grey-haired farm hand, Georgie, was the man for mechanical jobs. But Ebony washed her little Yamaha TTR90 mini-bike herself, out in the sun one calm afternoon. She couldn’t wait to ride the bike again; she hadn’t been on it since the Master’s tourney at Spruce. A lot of the other riders had scooters, but her and Marcus had dirt bike
s, which allowed them to go off-road and cut across lawns and curbs and such if they were really late for a class.
Just a few days before they were set to leave, and the nervous energy around the barn was palpable. Team announcement day had finally dawned, and everyone was to gather around the barn computer in the lounge to learn who had made the various Nations’ Cup teams.
Ebony, thankfully, had brought her own iPad with Bluetooth to her mobile phone, so she and Winnie could check in the comfort and privacy of their tack room.
‘No nervous,’ Winnie said, resting a hand on her shoulder as Ebony flipped her black iPad case over and set the device in her lap. Winnie sat down next to her on one of the tack boxes.
‘Hey, guys!’ Jasmine bobbed in from the corridor, followed by Clancy.
Winnie’s body tensed, and Ebony placed a hand on her leg, reassuringly.
‘We thought we’d find you in here,’ Jasmine said. ‘Let’s have our own little selection party!’
‘G’day, girls,’ Clancy said, winking at Winnie. ‘Mind if we join?’
‘Si, seet next to me.’ Winnie hopped onto the second tack box and patted the space next to her.
Jasmine and Ebony’s eyes met, and they both smiled. Jasmine took a seat beside her. ‘Hey, I’ve been hearing some rumours,’ she said, glancing across at her slyly.
‘Spit it out, Kassedy,’ Ebony said.
‘We leave you for a min’ute.’ Winnie linked arms with Clancy as they strolled from the room.
Jazz looked down at her hands, studying her nails, which were painted as Canadian flags. ‘Ah, um … Sorry this is awkward!’
‘Jasmine,’ Ebony said, giving her shoulders a squeeze. ‘I’m not generally into girls, but you are very cute, so ask away.’
‘Ebony!’ Jasmine punched her on the shoulder, grinning. ‘I’m not gonna ask you out!’
‘So, what? We’ve got stuff to do, girl.’
‘I
know, um … Are you dating Dallas Cash?’
‘Ah …’
‘Has he mentioned me?’ Jasmine asked.
‘Do you know him?’
Jasmine’s cheeks went pink. ‘Sorry … Maybe I shouldn’t have said anything …’ She turned away.
‘Why? What’s wrong, Jazz?’
‘Oh, God! He’s told you about me, and my sister, hasn’t he?’ Jasmine jumped up, grabbing her long braid and running her hands down it, clearly mortified. ‘I’m so sorry, Ebony! I couldn’t believe it when I saw him at the indoor at Spruce it’s such a small world, just like Mom’s always saying. Then I heard you talking on the phone and you said the name Dallas and some of the grooms were saying that you were dating a hockey player; they’re friends with some of the guys on the team, and I kinda put it all together. So sorry to be nosy, I hope you’re not mad!’
‘Wow, word travels fast,’ Ebony said. ‘We’ve only really had one date.’ And talked on the phone every night …
‘I’m sorry!’ Jasmine squealed.
Ebony smiled, and laughed. ‘It’s fine!’ She grabbed Jazz and pulled her back onto the trunk. ‘Settle down! So how do you know Dallas?’
‘Well, you know we lived in the States for a while, right?’ Jasmine said, crossing her long, slender legs, and letting out a deep breath. ‘We only moved back about two years ago, just after my older sister, Clover, moved to Australia to race dirt bikes… Dallas, he’s from Silvertown, where we used to live, before we moved back home. He and Clover went to high school together, and he was her first boyfriend.’
‘Okay.’ The kick-ass country girl Dallas had mentioned, no doubt.
‘He was pretty cut up when she moved away,’ Jasmine said. ‘She wouldn’t talk to him after they broke up, and he told me that he knew he’d made a mistake, and to tell Clover he was sorry. He moved up here just after she decided that she wasn’t coming back.’
‘Your sister lives in Australia now, does she?’
Jasmine nodded. ‘And now I’ve run into Dallas again! I’m really sorry I didn’t say anything last week when I figured it all out. I guess I was afraid that you’d be mad at me, or feel strange that my sister used to date your new man, or something like that ’
‘Goodness, no!’ Ebony said, wrapping an arm around Jasmine’s shoulders. ‘Everyone has a past, and Dallas seems to have come to terms with his. It’s cool that you two know each other, actually. We’ll have to go out to a movie, or something.’
‘That would be awesome, thank you!’
‘All good in here?’ Clancy asked, popping his head in the door way.
‘’Course,’ Ebony smiled, reaching for her iPad. ‘Let’s get down to business.’
‘The moment of truth …’ Jasmine took a deep breath, as Ebony brought up the Jump Canada website.
Her body shrank with disappointment, as she scrolled down the names on the list for the senior team … She was desperate to make it, as there was a chance at greater prize money and the acclaim of being a senior, representing Canada — a crucial transition if she had a hope of making the team for the World’s and being sent to Normandy. She would also be chasing points towards qualification to attend the World’s, as riders only had until the middle of July to score enough clean rounds in the right events to qualify.
Silence befell the small tack room as everyone read the story off of Ebony’s bright screen:
CANADIAN SHOW JUMPING TEAMS NAMED FOR NATIONS’ CUPS IN WELLINGTON, FLORIDA
Ottawa, Ontario, February 26 - Jump Canada is pleased to announce the riders chosen to represent Canada in the International Divisions during the CSIO 4* Winter Equestrian Festival in Wellington, FL, February 26 March 2.
Senior Team
The Canadian Team that will compete in the $75,000 Nations Cup, presented by Golden Palm Farm, will be comprised of four of the following six riders and horses:
- Marcus Frank, of Calgary, (AB), on Poplar Ridge Farm’s Saudi Sahara, a 12-year-old Holsteiner mare; and Poplar Ridge Farm’s Le Magnifique, a 10-year-old Selle Francais mare.
- Trey Taylor, Hamilton (ON), on Taylor Farm’s and Shoalhaven Timber’s De Ja Vu, an 11-year-old Belgian Warmblood gelding.
- Winter Shoalhaven, Hamilton (ON), on Shoalhaven Timber’s S’il Vous Plait, an eight-year-old Selle Francais mare.
- Abia Takahashi, Calgary (AB), will ride her own Samurai, a 12-year-old Holsteiner stallion; Cochise a nine-year-old Zangersheide mare owned by Clarkson Park Worldwide; and her own Fairyland Eleven, a nine-year-old thoroughbred mare.
- Natasha Giebler, Calgary (AB), will ride her own Anna, a 13-year-old Russian Warmblood mare; and her own Lucky Irish, an eight-year-old Irish sport horse.
- Luther Hammerstein, Calgary (AB), on Vorherrschen Corp and Black Pond Stables’s Lutweig, a 13-year-old Holsteiner stallion; and Bree Waterhouse’s Tex, an 11-year-old Holsteiner stallion.
The remaining two riders will compete as individuals …
‘It’s Okay,’ Jasmine said, resting a hand on Ebony’s thigh. ‘I’m sure you’ve made the young rider team. And you’ll definitely make senior for Spruce.’ Ebony was startled to see that she’d rested her own hand over Jasmine’s, which was lovely and warm.
She felt awkward for a moment, then noticed that everyone else was still absorbed with reading, so let herself relax, and got back to the task at hand …
Young Rider Team
Canada will be represented by the following four combinations in the $10,000 Young Riders Nations Cup, presented by Hidden Creek Farm, on March 1 in the International Arena:
- Ben Cuthbertson, of Calgary (AB), on Jenny Pedrosa’s and his own Nick Skitz, a nine-year-old thoroughbred gelding.
- Kourtney Alcock, Kettleby (ON), on her own Fast Firefly, a 10-year-old mare; and her own Northern Lights, a nine-year-old Oldenburg gelding.
- Kenny Alcock, Kettleby (ON), on his own Eiffel Tower, an 11-year-old Selle Francais gelding; and Chester, a nine-year-old Dutch Warmblood.
- Ebony Scott Harris, Calgary (AB), on Enerco and Appassionata
Enterprises’s Johnny Cash, a 10-year-old Hanoverian gelding.
‘Ya-hoo!’ Winnie jumped up from the box, hugged Clancy, blushed like mad, then grabbed Ebony by the hands. ‘We make Team Canada!’
Ebony hugged Winnie tightly, fighting the disappointment of not seeing her name on the senior list. Then Winnie reminded her that the Young Rider team was better than no team at all. It would be her third time representing Canada and her first aboard Johnny. And she should be excited.
Suddenly, Jasmine was squealing with delight, her hands flying to her face. ‘Look, Ebony — look!’ She pointed at the screen.
Ebony was expecting to see a correction and apology stating she was indeed on the senior team, when Jasmine’s name caught her eye. Her friend had made the Junior Team, the final of the three categories for the Nations’ Cup. She was sure it was the first time Jazz had been named, and she felt sick for not realising this sooner. She jumped up and gave Jasmine a hug, then released her instantly. ‘Sorry, Jazz — sorry!’
‘For what?’
‘You know …’
‘Ebony, please don’t say you just apologised for giving me a hug.’
Winnie and Clancy were cracking up, and whispering something.
‘Come here!’ Jasmine grabbed Ebony by the shoulders and hugged her tightly. ‘It’s because of you, you know,’ she said quietly, so the others wouldn’t hear.
Ebony looked at her, eyebrows furrowed.
‘It’s because of you that I’ve finally made the team! Hanging out with you and helping with Monster and watching you ride, it’s all rubbed off on me!’
Ebony opened her mouth, but only a stammer came out. It was like her heart was bursting at the seams, as the adorable Jasmine Kassedy, in her french braid and breeches well worn from riding, looked up at her with an emotion that she hadn’t seen in the eyes of another human being, with the exception of her dear Winnie, in a long time. Compassion, respect … and love.
Ebony had never had a sibling, and hoped that, one day, Jasmine might consider her a big sister, as in a role model kind of way, maybe. If she wanted to.
