by Toni Mari
He came back and handed me the pan, and then followed me into the stall. I started to lean down to place it under Windsong’s body, but the horse began to move away. “Whoa,” I commanded. It didn’t work and he stepped away. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Cory’s hand swing up. I straightened up. “Don’t hit him!” I shrieked.
Cory froze and gave me a funny look. Then, as he stroked Windsong’s neck, he said, “I’ll go on the other side. When you get his foot in the pan, let me know. I’ll hold his other foot up for the time we need to soak it.” He ducked under Windsong’s neck and rubbed his hand down the left leg.
I slid the pan under Windsong, picked his foot up and lowered it into the water. “Now!”
Cory, hunched in half, lifted Windsong’s left leg bent at the knee, and held it firmly. As long as he was holding that leg, Windsong wouldn’t be able to take the other hoof out of the water. Once in a while, Windsong tugged, testing Cory’s hold. “Why did you buy this crazy-ass horse anyway?” His voice seemed like it floated out of his butt, the way he was standing.
I softly rubbed Windsong under his chest. He lifted his head and twisted it sideways, wanting me to stroke his whole neck. “He’s not crazy. Just misunderstood.”
“Oh, and you’ll be the one to understand him? You can’t even lead him.”
I ignored his sarcasm. “Kate understands him. And I will too. I just have to get used to him.” I was standing next to Windsong’s face, rubbing under his jaw. His eyes were half closed and he was actually pushing against my hand.
“Get ready. When I let go, grab that foot and don’t let it go, no matter what. If it hits the ground, we have to start all over.”
I leaped back toward Windsong’s leg.
“Now!”
Not wanting to mess up, I clutched the leg so hard that Windsong whipped it up really fast. I used both arms to grab it and hugged it to me. I was bent in half, with my head pressed into Windsong’s belly. I heard Cory chuckle as he pulled the pan out from under me. “Hold on tight, Princess. I’ll get the wraps.”
Cory slid in behind me and reached an arm around me to take Windsong’s leg. “I’ve got it,” he whispered in my ear.
It took me a second to untangle my arms and I stepped back into him. My cheeks heated as I bumped into private parts, then I stepped away quickly, pretending to be unaffected.
His head was down as he concentrated on the foot. “Hand me the cotton.”
I started handing him the supplies but couldn’t stop peeking at his tight jeans, his straining arms, his muscular thighs, his cowboy hat. How did he keep that thing on even when he was leaning over?
“Duct tape.”
“Huh?”
“Duct tape.” A bemused smile curved his lips.
My face burned. I handed him the duct tape and cut it without looking at him. My heart beat wildly. Maybe I needed to wear a hat to hide under.
“Done.” Cory dropped the hoof and straightened.
I grabbed up the supplies and whirled toward the door. “Great. Thanks. I’ll clean up. See you tomorrow.” I didn’t turn back, just shouldered my way out the door and down the aisle. I lingered putting the supplies away and preparing Windsong’s meds in his feed. I peeked down the aisle and sighed. Cory flung the dirty water out the barn door, and set the pan down in front of Windsong’s stall. He walked down the aisle toward me. I sucked in a breath and got busy with the feed. He continued past the feed room without stopping. Air whooshed out of my mouth like a balloon deflating. I finished my chores and headed out to look for my mom.
I carried the pan of water carefully, determined not to wear any today. Concentrating on not letting the water slosh around, I had my arms wrapped around the rubbery tub, holding it close to my chest.
“Hey.”
My head snapped up at Cory’s voice right in front of me. Ocean waves sloshed in the tub.
He wrapped his arms around mine and the tub to steady it before I dumped it on both of us. “Easy there. Remember, this is for bathing Windsong’s foot, not you.” He grinned. “I thought you could use a little help, again.”
That smile. It transformed his face. His eyebrows went up when I didn’t respond immediately. I tore my eyes away and said, “Uh, sure. Thanks.” I released the tub into his grip.
I tried to be angry as I followed him to Windsong’s stall. That didn’t work, so I tried to make fun of his hat. That didn’t work, so I tried to blank my mind and not care.
With one-word commands from Cory, we took care of the foot. I held Windsong’s face between my hands and was kissing his soft nose when my bestie, Megan, stuck her head in the stall.
“There you are, darling,” she cooed.
“What are you doing here?” I laughed. “You might get dirty, or worse, break a nail.”
Megan was a cheerleader and the complete opposite of me. She dressed like a fashion model, rarely had a hair out of place, and wasn’t interested in horses. She knew all the right people, said all the right things. But somehow she still loved me, with my jeans and messy ponytail. She even understood about me being more comfortable around horses than people.
“I have the most fabulous news. Nice view.” She had just noticed Cory’s rear end as he leaned under Windsong.
“Thanks,” he mumbled.
Megan started to step into the stall but spotted a poop pile. “Eww! Can you come out here, Jane? I’ve got to talk to you.”
Cory dropped Windsong’s foot and turned around. His hat tipped down then up as he checked Megan out from head to toe.
Megan returned the inspection, and then she smiled at him. “The face matches the ass,” she whispered in my ear.
“Cory, this is my best friend, Megan. Megan, Cory,” I said reluctantly.
“Hi, nice to meet you. You don’t mind if I borrow Jane for a minute.” She beamed.
He shrugged.
Megan grabbed my arm and pulled me down the aisle into the tack room. “Why are you kissing a horse when you could be kissing that?”
“Who, Cory? No way. He’s a jerk , a cowboy, for goodness sakes,” I sputtered. “I’d rather kiss a horse. Plus, he just met you. What’s up, anyway? Must be big for you to come find me at the barn.”
Megan’s eyes lit up. “It is! It is! John asked me to the Snow Ball next week!” She grabbed my hands and started bobbing up and down, squealing. High school dances were not for me, and I didn’t question the relief I felt that she was interested in some other guy.
“Eeeeeeehhhh!” I squealed with her. Then I reached over and gave her a hug. They would be the perfect couple.
“There’s more,” she continued, grabbing my hands. “John asked if you would double date with us and his friend, Bobby. Please, Jane. I know you hate dances and stuff. But will you do this for me?” Megan pleaded. “I’ll lend you some clothes and Friday we’ll leave school early and go to the salon. It’s my treat to get our hair and nails done. It’ll be so much fun to do it with you. I love you!”
It wasn’t a flimsy offer. Megan’s closet was like a clothes boutique instead of a rack at Wal-Mart, like mine. She guarded her clothes like they were threaded with gold. Lending me something was a big deal. Although I wasn’t keen on going to the dance—let alone with Bobby, a football player—all the other stuff with Megan sounded great.
“Okay, okay.” I laughed. She grabbed me in another hug and swung us around in a circle. I bit my lip. John and Bobby were seniors, Megan and I were juniors. Megan was already eighteen and I’d be eighteen in a month, but I still felt like I was so much younger. These were the most popular people in school. I didn’t even know how to dance or hang in social situations.
“It will be fine,” Megan said. “I’ll stick by you all night, I promise. You are the best friend ever. I’m gonna call John and tell him it’s a go. See you later!” And she gave me another squeeze.
As she sailed out of the barn, I watched Cory watch her. Figures. He was standing in front of Jet’s stall next to Windsong’s.
> “Thanks for putting the stuff away,” I said as I walked past without even looking at him.
“No problem. How is it that you two hang together? She’s so . . . And you’re so. . .” He held his hands far apart.
“What would you know anyway?” I huffed as I grabbed Windsong’s feed bucket. Once again I lingered over Windsong’s feed, hoping Cory would just disappear. He was nice to me for a while, then wham! He made a comment like that and I felt stupid.
Chapter 6
The following Friday, I stared at myself in the mirror, wondering how in less than an hour the stylists were going to turn the Medusa looking back at me into a presentable date for the Snow Ball. Shiny foil papers with tufts of hair stuck out all over my head. My toes were starting to ache from the foam separators between them. A woman painted my nails as I tried to stay very still. My only consolation was seeing Megan looking just as frightening in the mirror next to mine. She was pretty calm, so this must be normal. I tried to look past the girl’s shoulder at my toes but couldn’t see much.
Another woman tapped me on the shoulder. “You’re ready to be rinsed. Head back to the sink.”
I duck-walked back to the sink, holding my hands out to the side with my fingers spread. My head was rinsed. The stylist guided me to another seat but turned me so that I wouldn’t see myself in the mirror. Once again, I watched Megan, who was going through the same routine, to keep myself calm. She smiled and chatted with her stylist, seeming at ease. After all, Megan wouldn’t let anybody make her look less than perfect, right?
My hair was blown dry, ironed, and sprayed. Then my chin was pinched as the woman moved my face right and left to apply makeup. While my eyes were closed, the foam was tugged from between my toes and a flip-flop carefully slid on my foot.
“Oh, yeah!” Megan said from in front of me. “Wait until you see yourself, movie star.”
The stylist turned my chair to face the mirror. For a second, I wondered who I was looking at; it didn’t look like me. A pretty girl with serious green eyes gazed back. Her dark blonde hair had soft streaks of lighter blonde and fell softly, perfectly, framing a heart-shaped face. Her skin glowed and sparkled with expertly applied makeup. Staring, I mumbled, “Who is that girl?”
“You’re gorgeous,” Megan breathed softly.
When we got back to the house, Megan had already picked out clothes she wanted me to wear. I picked up the tiny shirt. Not exactly what I would have selected, but I agreed to trust her and slipped it on. I was careful of my fancy hair. I reached up to check it and it felt stiff and crisp.
Megan laughed. “She put enough hair spray on you, that style will survive a wind storm. Don’t worry about it.”
“Well, good. Mom is going to run me to the barn to take care of Windsong. I won’t be long.”
“What?! But you’ll ruin your nails!” Megan wailed. “Can’t you get someone else to do it?”
“No. He’s my horse, my responsibility. And I’ll wear gloves. It will be fine.” Despite what I said, I gingerly opened the door, trying not to let a nail touch any part of it.
I did the same thing after I climbed out of my mom’s car, gently pushing the door shut with my hip. I needed to hurry so that I would get back to Megan’s on time. I power walked into the barn.
Cory leaned against Windsong’s stall. He stared at me but didn’t move.
I glared back at him. “I’ll grab the stuff,” I called as I sped past him. “Sorry, but I’m in a hurry tonight.”
“Jane?”
I stopped, impatiently. “What?”
He walked up to me, spread my coat open. He looked me up and down. “I barely recognized you.”
I rolled my eyes as I snatched my coat out of his hands. “I said, I’m in a hurry.” I stared pointedly at him.
He grabbed my hand and lifted it, inspecting my polish. “Hot date, tonight?” He tipped his hat up and blue eyes met mine.
I went still. Suddenly, I couldn’t remember what I was going to do. Cory didn’t let go of my hand. I curled my fingers and tugged, finding it impossible to look away. His grip gently tightened and he uncurled each finger one at a time, dropping his eyes to my hand. His thumb softly rubbed back and forth over my fingernails, then he pushed my sleeve up and fiddled with the sparkly bracelet I was wearing. I watched his hands on mine, feeling those feathery touches travel up my arm to my thumping heart. His gaze met mine. “You look real nice.”
“Snow dance,” I stuttered. “School.” I swayed toward him; he was close enough to kiss. A little smile tugged at his lips, and his eyes dropped to my lips. I shook my head, what was I thinking? I pulled my hand away. “I have to hurry.”
“A dance, huh. I’ll take care of Windsong for you. I wouldn’t want you to mess up those pretty nails, darling. You go ahead.” He let go of my hand.
I didn’t move. “He’s my responsibility.” Right, this was Cory: one minute he’s really nice and the next he’d use that tone that I knew meant he was laughing at me.
There was that half smile again. “I am happy to do this for you, Princess. I’ve got it. Really. Go!” He stepped forward, put his hands on my shoulders, leaned in toward my ear and breathed a warm, soft, “Go” right into my ear. Then he firmly turned me around and let his hands slide down my arms before giving me a little push toward the door.
I started walking on wobbly legs. I hesitated and looked back. I didn’t want to leave; the dance was the last thing on my mind. Cory waved his hands. “Go.” I started walking again. At the door of the barn, I turned back one more time. Cory was watching my butt. Oh god! I swung back around and wobbled out to the car.
“That was quick,” my mom said as I slid in.
“Cory is going take care of Windsong for me.”
“Are you alright? Who’s Cory?” Mom snapped her fingers in front of my face.
I shook my head, but the warm, fuzzy feeling didn’t go away. Did I almost kiss Cory? Mean, grumpy, cowboy Cory? Those eyes—that wasn’t the first time I was stopped cold by those eyes. It was a dangerous thing because there was no way I would go out with a cowboy.
I glanced over at my mom. She smirked at me. “No, it’s not like that. He’s been helping with the foot this whole time. Anyway, he’s doing it for me. Let’s go.” I turned toward the window, hoping she would take the hint and not ask any questions. If she did, I wasn’t sure what I would answer.
Megan was in her room doing something to her hair when I got back. It looked great to me, but Megan demanded perfection.
“That was quick,” she commented.
“Yeah. Cory volunteered to do it for me. Unbelievable, huh?” I mimicked his drawl and pretended to tip an imaginary cowboy hat. “‘I’ll be happy to do it for you, Princess.’ I don’t know what possessed him, but I know a good deal when I hear it.”
Megan laughed. “I know. Have you looked in the mirror? Let me see your nails, did you mess them up?”
As she inspected my nails, I looked at our reflections in the mirror. Who was that girl standing next to Megan? I could feel the makeup on my face; the mascara felt heavy on my lashes. Megan handed me a lipstick. I was overly aware of each movement of my lips with the wet, sticky feel of it on them. How did girls wear this stuff all the time?
The doorbell rang. “Girls, they’re here!” Megan’s mom called.
I started for the door, but Megan grabbed my arm. “Let them wait a few minutes, then we’ll make a grand entrance.”
As I walked down the stairs behind Megan, I carefully placed each foot on the steps. I arranged my disconnected lips into a smile and held my heavy eyelashes open, blinking every other step. There was John, tall, slender, and well dressed, in the foyer staring at Megan. And standing next to him was an even bigger, burlier guy with short cropped blonde hair and a dopey expression.
“Megan, you look beautiful. You take my breath away,” John gushed. I looked at Megan ready to roll my eyes at his corniness. World wise Megan stared back at him, blushing slightly. My god, she was ea
ting it up. Bobby nodded at me. Same dopey expression. Either he doesn’t know the word hello or he was struck dumb by Cinderella dressed for the ball. Because he was a football player, I thought it must be the first one. I pointed my chin at him, still clutching the stair rail so I wouldn’t wobble in my high heels.
When we got to the dance, Megan kept her word and hung close. In fact, we were in the thick of things. A glob of senior girls hung around us, giggling and gossiping. The guys stayed on the other side of the gym, leaning against the wall trying to look cool. The only time I saw Bobby was when he followed John over to where Megan and I were standing. John asked Megan to dance every slow song. Bobby looked at me and cocked his head toward the dance floor. I shook my head no. He seemed content to just stand a few feet away watching the other dancers.
Finally, Megan pulled me aside. “John asked us back to his house. His parents are home, but the basement is fixed up. We can hang out.”
“Okay.” I let her drag me to the door. Anything would be better than this dance.
It was just the four of us. John pulled his SUV past stone pillars and a wrought iron gate to park it on a circular drive in front of his house. We followed him as he jogged up the wide, wooden steps onto a wrap-around porch. Without slowing down, he pushed the door open and ushered us through the sweeping foyer, past a curving stairway, and down a long hall to the basement door. We called a polite hello to John’s parents, and then clambered down the basement stairs.
“Wow, this place is great,” I said. There was a bar and a pool table. Soft brown couches flanked a large flat-screen. John picked up a remote and switched on the television. He went behind the bar, opened a mini fridge, and put four bottles of beer up on the bar. The others took one, but I asked for soda. As a rider, I considered myself an athlete and didn’t like to poison my body with alcohol. No one cared that I didn’t want a beer. John stuck it back in the fridge, and we started arguing over which Wii games to play first.
Bobby still hadn’t spoken to me other than “Your turn” or “Great job” when John playfully tossed Megan on the couch and started cuddling with her. Bobby tried the same thing with me. Really? I had said four words to him all night and now he thought he could get friendly. I fell back onto the couch but rolled away from him and sat straight up.
