Ground Training

by Bonnie Bryant

  Seconds later they were both in the saddle. As Stevie checked to make sure she’d tightened her girth enough, she flashed back and realized that A.J. hadn’t done the same. Had he remembered to loosen it when they’d turned out the horses? She had no idea, and she was afraid to think about it too much. If his saddle slipped while he was galloping full tilt along the twisting, rocky trail…

  “Be careful, Stevie,” Phil shouted as they both urged their horses forward at a swift trot. “Don’t take any chances with your own safety.”

  “Don’t worry.” Stevie clucked to Blue, who seemed a bit startled at their sudden departure. “Come on, girl. Mush!”

  She led the way after A.J., whose yells were still drifting back faintly from the trail ahead. Behind her she could hear Phil talking to Teddy, urging him forward. Peering ahead through the trees, Stevie tried to judge how fast she could risk going on the trail. It was narrow, flanked on both sides by thick shrubbery, thorny berry bushes, and large boulders. But the ground directly underfoot seemed clear and solid enough. There hadn’t been much rain lately, so the ground was dry and packed hard. Stevie could only hope that the trail didn’t get rockier or otherwise more difficult somewhere past the twists and turns that hid it from view a little farther ahead.

  When she was sure that Blue’s footing was secure on the trail, Stevie nudged the mare into a canter. At that pace Blue had a long stride that ate up the ground beneath them. It was no gallop, but as Phil had pointed out, they couldn’t take any chances. They couldn’t help A.J. one bit if one their own horses broke a sesamoid bone or took a bad step and tossed its rider into the brambles along the trail.

  At least A.J.’s got a chance of coming through this riding Crystal, she thought, trying to find any glimmer of good news in the situation. She’s a tough little mare, sound as can be. Those sturdy legs of hers can take a lot more abuse than most horses’ legs can.

  Glancing down and forward, she caught a flash of Blue’s forelegs as they pumped forward in a swift, rocking stride. She and Phil were lucky in their present mounts, too. Blue was a solidly built grade horse with heavy legs and thick bones. And as a quarter horse, Teddy was well suited to the trail’s twists and turns. His agility, his solid knees and flexible hocks made him swift and surefooted on any terrain.

  Stevie shuddered to think what she would do if she were riding Belle at the moment. Her mare was as sound and willing as they came, but she had the slender, finely boned, delicate legs that befitted her Arabian–Saddlebred heritage. Stevie couldn’t imagine taking her over the trail so fast. Then again, she couldn’t imagine just letting A.J. gallop off into the sunset, either.

  “Come on, Blue,” she muttered, leaning closer to the mare’s neck and doing her best to concentrate on the here and now. “We’ve got to catch up to them. You hear me? I know you can do it, Blue girl. You’re the greatest, Blue baby…”

  She was so busy talking to the mare that she almost missed the sharp curve just ahead where the trail veered away from the river. The horse saw it, though, and she hardly slowed down as she spun around the forty-five-degree turn. Stevie gasped as she was thrown sideways by the sudden shift in direction. Grabbing a handful of Blue’s mane, she pulled herself up again. Her right foot had slid partway out of the stirrup, but she jammed it back in place, wedging her heel against the metal tread before it could slip away entirely.

  “Stevie!” Phil shouted from behind her. “Stevie! Are you okay?”

  Stevie made sure she was back in control, getting a grip on the reins and checking her balance. Then she removed one hand from the reins just long enough to flash Phil an “A-OK” sign with her thumb and forefinger.

  “Be careful!” he called, sounding worried.

  “Back at you!” she shouted in reply, not sure he could hear her.

  Then she returned her full attention to the trail, knowing that the next mistake could be much more serious. She strained her ears, trying to hear whether they were still on the right track. But A.J. had either tired of his cowboy whooping or had pulled too far ahead for her to hear him anymore. At least those were the only two possible explanations for his silence that she could stand to consider.…

  But what if we’re going the wrong way? she wondered anxiously. A.J. isn’t exactly following the rules here. What if he decided to crash off into the underbrush and make his own trail?

  A quick glance to either side convinced her that wasn’t likely. If a horse and rider had plowed through the tangle of vines and brush along the trail, the destruction would be easy to spot. So as long as they didn’t come upon any forks in the trail, they would just have to assume that he was somewhere ahead of them.

  Stevie leaned forward again, trying to cut down on wind resistance to avoid tiring her mount faster than necessary. “Keep it up, Blue girl,” she whispered to the horse. “All we have to do is keep going and we’ll find him sooner or later. And everything will be fine.” She crossed her fingers as she said it, praying it was true.

  A few minutes later the trail emerged into a broad meadow. Stevie cantered out into it, then reluctantly pulled Blue to a trot and then a walk. The grass and wildflowers were dried and brown now from early-November frosts, but they still covered the ground like a carpet. There was no telling what kinds of rocks, tree branches, or animal burrows might lie beneath the thick growth.

  Besides, this place might as well have a big sign saying Intersection, she thought ruefully, glancing around at the myriad trails leading out of the meadow in every direction. How are we ever going to guess which way A.J. went?

  Phil caught up to her, bringing Teddy to a walk as well. “Give me a break,” he said breathlessly, looking around. “So now what?”

  Stevie shrugged and bit her lip, still looking around for some sign of which way A.J. had gone. “I don’t know,” she admitted. “Man, why couldn’t you have joined the Boy Scouts instead of spending all your time in the saddle? Maybe then you could find some hoofprints or broken twigs or something and figure out which way he went.”

  Suddenly Phil grinned. “Hey,” he said, pointing off to their left. “I may not be an Eagle Scout, but I think it’s safe to say he went thataway.”

  Following his gaze, Stevie almost laughed out loud. Right there, visible even through the grass, was a fresh, steaming ball of manure. “Okay, you earned your merit badge,” she said, turning Blue in that direction. “Check it out. It’s practically pointing us straight at that wide trail up there.”

  “Let’s go.”

  The two of them kept their horses together until they reached the edge of the woods. The trail in question was at least twenty feet wide, but Stevie dropped back, letting Phil ride on ahead. She had learned her lesson on the sharp curve. If they wanted to ride quickly, it would be safer if they didn’t try to do it two abreast. The trail might narrow suddenly at any time.

  She kept her gaze trained on Teddy’s stocky, powerful hindquarters as Phil put him into a trot, then a controlled gallop. Blue hardly had to be told before she was keeping pace. Despite their wild ride over the first part of the trail, the mare barely seemed winded.

  “That’s my girl,” Stevie said absently, patting the mare on the neck. But she was focused once again on worrying about A.J. and Crystal. A.J. might be bombed out of his mind at the moment, but she knew that when he came back to his senses he would never forgive himself if anything happened to his horse. She was sure of that. He might have changed a lot in the past couple of months, but he hadn’t lost his old self completely.

  The sight of Teddy stumbling just ahead jerked her out of her thoughts. “Phil!” she gasped, automatically pulling up on the reins. Blue tossed her head and danced to a halt, skittering to one side to avoid plowing into Teddy.

  “Whoa, boy!” Phil cried. He had kept his seat, and he was able to guide his horse with his seat, legs, and hands. Teddy lurched back onto all four legs.

  Glancing down quickly, Stevie saw the culprit—a large, loose stone that must have been partly buried in
the dirt and fallen leaves. Then she returned her attention to Teddy as Phil slid out of the saddle and bent over his horse’s right foreleg.

  She bit her tongue, wanting to call out all kinds of questions but knowing that Phil would tell her what was happening as soon as he knew. “Feels okay,” he called without looking up, running his hands over Teddy’s leg from the knee to the hoof. But his face was still drawn and worried as he stepped to the horse’s head and hooked his fingers through Teddy’s bridle, tugging gently to start him walking forward.

  Stevie hopped out of the saddle, leaving Blue ground-tied and praying that the mare was trained to obey. Then she hurried forward. “Here,” she said, reaching for Teddy’s bridle. “Let me. You look.”

  Phil nodded wordlessly and released his grip, stepping back with his gaze trained on his horse’s legs. Stevie led Teddy forward. The gelding moved along agreeably without hesitation or resistance. That’s a good sign, Stevie thought hopefully, glancing back at her boyfriend’s face.

  “So far, so good, I think,” Phil said cautiously, echoing her thoughts. “Trot him, okay?”

  Stevie broke into a jog, clucking to the horse. Teddy shifted into a slow, steady trot. Finally Phil was satisfied that the gelding hadn’t hurt himself. “That was a close one,” he said, giving Stevie a leg up into her saddle. Blue had wandered off the side of the trail to munch on some weeds, but she hadn’t gone far. “Too close for comfort. We’d better not go so fast from now on, especially since we’re heading back toward the river. It gets pretty rocky down there.”

  Stevie nodded. She could hear the faint sound of the tumbling river somewhere ahead and couldn’t help feeling anxious. They had already lost time by stopping, and now they were going to lose even more. Glancing up at the tree canopy, she tried to judge how much daylight they had left. They hadn’t brought flashlights or heavier jackets, so they would need to turn back soon. If they hadn’t found A.J. by then, Mr. Baker and the police would have to rustle up a rescue party.

  “Come on,” she said, riding forward as Phil swung himself up onto Teddy’s back. “Let’s try a trot as long as it’s still pretty smooth.”

  She clucked to Blue and they set off once again, this time with Phil and Teddy following behind them. For the next ten minutes the only sound Stevie heard from ahead was the rushing river, growing louder with every step they took.

  But then she heard something else.

  “Help!”

  Stevie froze. “Did you hear that?” she called over her shoulder.

  “I heard it.” Phil’s voice was grim.

  “Help!” The voice came again, faint but unmistakable.

  “That’s A.J.,” Stevie said, urging Blue forward a little faster. “He’s in trouble.”

  Phil didn’t reply, but Stevie could hear Teddy’s hoofbeats coming faster, too. They rode in silence for another minute or two before suddenly emerging from the dim shelter of the trees onto a rocky plateau running down a hundred yards to a wide, boulder-studded section of the river.

  Stevie stared in horror. A.J. and Crystal had plunged into the rushing, foam-flecked water.

  TWELVE

  Her heart in her throat, Stevie pulled Blue to a halt. “A.J.!” she shouted, trying not to sound as panicked as she felt. “A.J.! Are you all right?”

  A.J. twisted around in his saddle and spotted them. “Stevie! Phil!” he cried. “Help! I—I can’t—”

  “Just hold on, buddy,” Phil called over the roar of the current. He urged Teddy forward. “We’re coming. Hold tight.”

  Stevie followed him across the rocky shore to the water’s edge. There was a shallow, sedge-choked area where the muddy water hardly moved at all. But only a couple of feet out, she could see that the riverbed dropped off steeply. Crystal was floundering desperately against the current, trying to keep her footing in the rapidly rushing water, which splashed over her withers. A.J. had lost his hard hat sometime during his wild ride, but at the moment he was still keeping his seat in the slick, wet saddle. But just barely. He had dropped the reins and was clutching his horse’s mane with both hands, his chest pressed against her neck and his knees gripping the saddle tightly. Water splashed his face every time Crystal moved, and his reddish brown hair was sticking to his forehead in soggy clumps.

  “Don’t let go!” Stevie shouted to him, pulling Blue to a halt at the water’s edge.

  Phil dismounted quickly and hurried up to the edge of the river. “See if you can get her turned around!” he called. “You’ve got to get her out of there.”

  A.J. nodded. Leaning back a little in the saddle, he reached down into the water, scrabbling for the reins. A moment later he came up with them in his hand, and he quickly tightened up on them and used them to guide Crystal’s head back around toward the shoreline.

  The mare lumbered awkwardly in a tight circle in the water, rolling her eyes and snorting in terror. “He’s doing it,” Stevie said tensely, sliding out of Blue’s saddle while keeping her eyes glued to the waterlogged pair. Taking a step closer to Phil, she grabbed his hand for comfort. “He’s aiming her back this way.”

  “Yeah,” Phil agreed, squeezing her hand. “He is. Now if they can just—”

  “Aaah!” A.J.’s terrified cry interrupted Phil’s words. For a second Stevie couldn’t see what the problem was—as far as she could tell, Crystal was still making her way slowly against the current, toward the shore.

  But then she saw A.J. drop the reins and grab wildly at the horse’s mane again, and her whole body went cold as she guessed what had happened.

  “The saddle,” she gasped. “It’s slipping, isn’t it?”

  Phil didn’t bother to reply. He was already moving forward, still gripping Stevie’s hand tightly, splashing into the shallows without seeming to notice the cold water swirling around his feet. “Grab her neck!” he shouted. “Just hold on!”

  A.J. turned his head slightly, seeming to hear Phil. Unfortunately Crystal heard him, too, and shied away from his loud voice. She lost her footing on the rocky riverbed and nearly fell, thrashing wildly with all four legs. A second later she found her balance again, bracing herself against the jagged outcropping of a huge boulder that jutted out of the water just downstream. But her efforts had made the saddle slip even farther to the side, taking A.J. with it. He was still clinging to her mane, but Stevie could see that his hips were wedged between Crystal’s body and the huge boulder.

  “There’s no way he can get up on her back,” Stevie cried, her fingernails digging into Phil’s palm. “Not in the condition he’s in. If he slips down farther and she steps on him…”

  She didn’t dare finish the sentence, but it was enough for Phil. “Stay here,” he said grimly, dropping her hand and shoving her gently away from the water. “I’m going in.”

  “No!” Stevie grabbed at his arm, but it was too late. Phil had already shrugged off his light nylon windbreaker and tossed aside his hard hat and was now wading determinedly through the shallows. A second later he took a big step down, the water surging from his ankles up to his waist. After a few more steps, he was all but swimming.

  Stevie debated quickly about what to do. Her first impulse was to plunge into the river after him, but she knew that wouldn’t do any good. It had been foolish for Phil to go in. The water was cold and the current could be deadly. It would only make things worse to have all three of them splashing around in there.

  Phil was still inching toward his friend, forcing his way through the rushing current. The water was swirling around his chest, but he was wet to the top of his head because of the spray.

  Stevie glanced out toward A.J. to see how he was holding up. Just as she looked their way, Crystal shifted her weight again and A.J.’s head slipped beneath the water. “A.J.!” Stevie screamed. “Phil, he’s going under!”

  Phil stopped trying to wade. He pushed himself forward, stroking strongly toward his friend. The current pulled at him, spinning him from side to side. But he kept swimming, fighting the swirli
ng water with every kick. A.J.’s head popped above the surface and he gasped for breath before another surge swept over him and he disappeared again. At that moment Phil reached the boulder, grabbing at it just in time to stop himself from being swept right past.

  Stevie bit her lip and watched Phil slowly, slowly pull himself around until he was close enough to duck under the water by Crystal’s neck and grab A.J. He emerged with his friend’s head in the crook of his elbow. A.J. sputtered and gurgled, but he seemed to be in one piece.

  “Can you get him out of there?” Stevie yelled.

  Phil didn’t answer for a moment. He was too busy trying to yank A.J. out from behind his horse. Crystal wasn’t helping much—every time Phil shoved at her, she leaned toward him stubbornly, still looking terrified. Finally Phil glanced at Stevie over his shoulder. “He’s stuck!” he shouted back. “His foot. It slipped all the way through the stirrup. But that’s not the worst of it—the reins got all tangled around his wrist somehow, and I don’t think I can get them off. Plus they’re also caught in this big knot of water vines or something down below Crystal’s chest, so even if we could get the bridle off I don’t know how much it would help. We’ve got a real mess here.”

  Stevie felt panic overtaking her. She started to shake, and her mind refused to work right. What were they going to do? From what she could tell, it was taking all Phil’s energy just to keep his own head and A.J.’s above the water. They couldn’t move. They couldn’t get themselves out of the freezing-cold river. And even if she rode for help as fast as she could, with no thought for her own safety, they were miles from civilization. She knew it would take too long—far too long—for her to return with help.

  What are we going to do? she thought desperately, wincing as a wave crashed against the boulder and washed over Phil and A.J., hiding them momentarily. What in the world are we going to do?

  “I had fun,” Lisa said, smiling at Alex as she stepped up onto her front porch. “I’m glad your parents let you out.”