The A Circuit 04- Rein It In

by Georgina Bloomberg

  Tommi blinked at Zara. “Wait, shouldn’t you be getting Ellie ready? You guys are doing the Older Smalls this morning, right?”

  “Yeah, but Jamie just told me we’re late in the order of go,” Zara said. “He’s going to text me when the guys have her ready to start warming up.” She grimaced. “Wish I’d known the schedule before I dragged myself out of bed at the crack of dawn.”

  Scott was leaning on the rail, rubbing Fable’s nose. The friendly gelding was snuffling at him, clearly hoping that a carrot or other treat might appear.

  “So this is the future eq superstar, huh?” Scott said. “Looks pretty nice.”

  “He is. Like I said, he’s going to help me kick your butt on Sunday.” Tommi shot him a challenging look. “He did some dressage before he got imported and became a hunter, so his flatwork’s amazing. Check it out.” She sent Fable into a trot, lengthening and shortening his stride and then throwing in a few lateral movements for good measure. Hey, why not show off a little? It couldn’t hurt to intimidate the competition before the class started.

  When she rode back over to the rail, Zara was grinning and Scott actually looked kind of impressed. “Okay,” he said. “But can he jump?”

  “What do you think? Watch and learn.” Tommi rode off again, this time aiming Fable at one of the warm-up fences. For the next few minutes she schooled him over all the jumps available. Fable was in a cooperative mood and seemed happy to do whatever Tommi asked, though he threw in a small buck when she flubbed the distance to the oxer, forcing him to land awkwardly. Tommi quickly got his attention back and spun him around in a dramatic rollback turn, galloping back to the oxer and clearing it perfectly this time.

  There. That should impress Scott, she told herself as she brought the horse to a prompt, square halt.

  She glanced over and saw Scott shooting her a thumbs-up. When she rode over, a little out of breath, he was grinning.

  “Nice,” he said. “Looks like he is the real deal—lucky you. Did you say he’s one of Jamie’s sale horses?”

  “Uh-huh.” Tommi rubbed Fable’s neck, giving him a loose rein so he could reach for the treat Zara had just dug out of her pocket. “He’s had him in the barn for maybe six or eight months, I think.”

  “Lucky you,” Scott said again. Then he checked his watch. “Listen, I’ve got to go. Maybe I’ll text you later?”

  “You know where to find me.” Tommi tried not to sound too eager. No sense letting him think she was all that interested. Even if she was.

  “Cool. Later, ladies.” He loped off toward the door.

  “You two are so cute it’s sickening.” Zara glanced after Scott, then smirked at Tommi. “See? I told you it was love at first sight.”

  Tommi gathered up her reins. “Whatever,” she said, though she couldn’t help smiling. “I’d better finish before people start coming in to warm up for your division.”

  Zara hung out at the rail and watched Tommi finish her ride. Every few minutes, she pulled out her phone and refreshed the blog. Nothing had been posted since the previous afternoon, and she was getting impatient. Hadn’t her brilliant plan worked?

  She was staring at the phone, chewing her lower lip in frustration, when she realized Tommi was riding toward the exit. “Hold up!” Zara called, jogging along the rail. “I’ll come with you.”

  Tommi dismounted and waited while Zara made her way down from the stands. Then they walked together through the tunnellike hallways leading back to the stabling area. When they arrived, Tommi slipped off Fable’s bridle and clipped him into the cross-ties in the grooming stall.

  “I’ll help you untack if you want,” Zara offered, slipping her phone into her pocket. “Got nothing better to do until it’s my turn to ride.”

  “Cool, thanks.” Tommi reached for the girth. “Can you get his boots?”

  Zara bent to remove the gelding’s open fronts. She straightened up just in time to see Kate coming toward them.

  “Hey,” Kate said. “How’d Fable do?”

  Zara tossed the boots into Tommi’s grooming bucket. “They looked amazing out there, especially for this ridiculously early in the morning,” she told Kate.

  “Yeah, he was great.” Tommi pulled off her saddle. “He’s really a whole different horse than the one I rode last spring—way more ridable and easier to get to focus. You’ve done an amazing job with him, Kate.”

  “Thanks.” Kate grabbed a brush and started working the saddle marks out of Fable’s coat. “I’m glad it worked out so you could ride him.”

  Tommi nodded, then shot Kate a sidelong glance. “Speaking of riding,” she said. “What did you tell Kara Parodi about riding that hunter?”

  Zara had almost forgotten about that. “You’d better say you’re doing it,” she told Kate. “For one thing, I definitely want to be there when you pin higher than Fitz.”

  Kate smiled weakly. “Actually, um, I haven’t talked to Kara yet.”

  “You haven’t?” Tommi sounded surprised, and maybe a smidge disapproving. “But the division starts later today.”

  “I know.” Kate bent to run her brush over Fable’s side, hiding her face from Zara and Tommi’s view. “But I haven’t run into her since we got here, and with things being so busy …”

  “Well, you’d better track her down soon. She’ll need to know if she’s got to scratch the horse,” Tommi said.

  Zara rolled her eyes at the disapproving, almost teacherly tone of Tommi’s voice. “She won’t need to scratch, ’cause Kate’s riding, right?” Zara poked Kate in the shoulder, making her jump and almost drop the brush she was holding.

  “Um, I haven’t actually decided yet,” Kate said. “I mean, if there’s any chance that rumor about Joy’s job is true …”

  Tommi shook her head. “Come on, Kate. That rumor is totally bogus, and you know it.”

  “We don’t know that,” Zara put in. She’d been so busy with her sleuthing that she’d almost forgotten about that particular rumor for a while. But now she glanced curiously at Kate. “So does this mean you’re thinking about taking the job?”

  “Of course she’s not,” Tommi said before Kate could answer. “Kate’s not stupid enough to even consider accepting a job like that at her age.”

  Kate kept her gaze on Fable as she responded, though Zara could see that she was frowning. Her voice was quiet when she spoke. “It’s not like I asked for the job or anything.”

  “Not the point.” Tommi grabbed a brush and ran it down Fable’s legs. “Like I’ve said a million times, I’m sure it’s not even true. Jamie knows better than to ask you to drop out of school and risk, like, your whole future on something like that.”

  Kate shot her a look. “In case you’ve forgotten, it’s not like I can afford to do this any other way,” she snapped.

  Tommi blinked and straightened up. “Huh? Do what? What are you talking about?”

  “This!” Kate waved a hand at the stabling area. “Riding, showing, all of it. The only way I get to do it is by working for it. Getting an A on my chemistry test isn’t going to win me any rides on a nice hunter.”

  Zara winced at the raw ache in Kate’s voice. “It’s cool,” she put in quickly. “We all know how hard you work, Kate. That’s why it’s easy to believe Jamie would want you to take over Joy’s job.”

  “You’re not helping.” Tommi scowled at her, then returned her attention to Kate. “Look, you might think you can’t afford to turn this job down. But the best way to guarantee you’ll be able to keep doing what you love is to stay in school, go to college, all that jazz. Then you’ll have choices.”

  “Thanks, Dad,” Kate muttered.

  Yikes. Zara wasn’t used to seeing either of her friends this worked up—especially at each other. “Chill, you guys,” she said. “It’ll work out, okay? It’s not like half of the stuff on that blog is true anyway.”

  “Yeah, you’re right. I’m sure it’s not true.” Tommi kept her gaze on Kate. “But just in case it is—”

>   “I’ll deal with it, okay?” Kate’s jaw was clenched. “I don’t need you to tell me what to do.”

  “I’m just trying to help!” Tommi sounded slightly annoyed now. “I mean, everybody else around here is acting like, oh goody, Kate’s going to be the assistant trainer, whoop-di-do! It’s just not realistic—somebody has to be the one to tell you that.”

  “Okay, I think she gets it.” Zara felt kind of weird playing peacemaker. It wasn’t exactly her usual role. But Tommi was coming on pretty strong, and Zara could tell that Kate wasn’t dealing with it too well. No wonder. After what she’d confided in Zara about her parents and her grades, she was clearly a bit on edge. Having Professor Tommi lecture her about staying in school? Probably not what she needed right then. Not that it was ever much fun to have someone telling you what to do when you didn’t want to do it. Zara knew that from experience.

  Just then they all heard laughter from around the corner. A second later Marissa and Dani wandered into view.

  “Hey!” Marissa exclaimed when she saw Zara and the others. “We were just talking about you guys.”

  Dani grinned. “Well, one of you, anyway. Specifically, the one who was seen getting awfully friendly with a certain adorable West Coast eq star last night?” She waggled her eyebrows in Tommi’s direction.

  “Tell us everything, Tommi,” Marissa said with a giggle. “We want to get the scoop before it turns up on the blog later.”

  The blog. Suddenly Zara realized she hadn’t checked it in like fifteen minutes. Pulling out her phone, she hit refresh. This time the latest headline read PARTY TIME AT HARRISBURG!

  Zara grinned. Her plan had worked! Now to see which of her planted stories had done the trick.

  As she scanned the rest of the post, her heart fell. None of the stories were there. Just a fairly generic post about the party, describing some of the action and going on to mention that hotel management had broken it up and a few of the attendees had gotten in trouble with their trainers.

  Zara frowned. Her plan should have worked. Had she missed someone? Or had the blogger caught on that her story was fake? Either way, it looked like she was going to have to come up with something else.

  Just then her phone buzzed in her hand. “Uh-oh, there’s Jamie,” she said, scanning the text. “I’ve got to go.”

  “Good luck!” Dani said. “We’ll be cheering you and Ellie on.”

  “Thanks, guys.” Zara switched off her phone and stuck it in her pocket, trying to remember where she’d left her jacket and helmet as she headed down the aisle to find Jamie.

  “That’s good.” Jamie waved Zara over as she circled back after a warm-up jump. “We don’t want to overdo it—she’s ready.”

  “Yeah, she’s feeling good.” Zara grinned and patted her mare, who was feeling a little more amped than ideal for a hunter. But it was too late to work her down now; Zara would just have to hope that Ellie put the extra energy into a back-cracking jump instead of, say, bucking off her rider in the corner. Either way, it was sure to be a fun trip.

  She walked the horse beside Jamie as they headed over to the show ring. Ellie’s ears swiveled in every direction as they reached the underground hallway leading into the big main arena. Several other horses were there waiting for their turns, with nervous-looking riders listening to last-minute advice from their trainers. On either side, a wide concourse curved away around the base of the massive bleachers overhead. Rows of vendors selling tack, gifts, and other stuff were set up there, and people were wandering and shopping.

  Zara halted Ellie behind a sweet-faced dapple gray that looked like an oversize pony. Halt wasn’t Ellie’s favorite gait, and she jigged in place, twisting her head and clanking her teeth against the bit. Jamie reached up to rub the mare’s neck.

  “Just keep her quiet,” he told Zara. “And don’t forget to let her take a peek at that jump with the yellow flowers on your opening circle.”

  “I know, you told me that like three times already. I’m on it.” Zara felt a nervous little shiver go through her as she watched the girl on the dapple gray ride forward to take her turn in the ring. Ellie picked up on her nerves, suddenly spooking away from a man coming out of the tack vendor’s stall on the right with a rustling plastic bag.

  “Easy, girl,” Jamie murmured.

  Zara knew she had to take her mind off the coming round. Ellie was so ridiculously sensitive she could practically read her rider’s mind. Well, the bad parts, anyway. She certainly never seemed to be able to tell when Zara was thinking it was way past time for a lead change.

  Feeling a nervous giggle coming on, Zara cleared her throat and glanced down at Jamie. Suddenly she thought of the perfect distraction.

  “Hey,” she said. “I heard Joy’s pregnant. True?”

  Okay, that worked. Zara forgot all about everything else as she watched Jamie’s jaw twitch in shock. He glanced up at her, his blue eyes troubled.

  “Where—uh, where did you hear that?” he asked. “I didn’t think Joy had told anyone else yet.”

  Zara’s eyes widened. “So it’s true? Oh my god!”

  “You didn’t hear it from me,” Jamie said hurriedly. “And listen, Zara, it’s really not something you kids should be gossiping about, okay? Joy will make an announcement when she’s ready, and until then I hope you’ll all respect her privacy.”

  “Sure, of course.” Zara didn’t bother to tell him that ship had sailed. Her mind raced, trying to figure out what this meant. If the rumor about Joy’s pregnancy was true, was the part about Kate and the job true, too? She sneaked a peek at Jamie, trying to decide if she should just come right out and ask him. She’d probably be doing Kate a favor; not knowing was obviously stressing her out …

  “Zara.” Jamie patted her on the leg, his voice and expression suddenly all business again. “You’re up.”

  “Huh?” Zara blinked. Oh right. She gathered up her reins, kicking Ellie forward. “Okay, girlie. Here goes nothing.”

  Chapter Thirteen

  Kate was wiping down one of Jamie’s saddles when she realized she’d lost track of time. Uh-oh. Had she missed Zara’s first hunter round? She’d been planning to take a break and go watch. She always liked to cheer for her friends’ rides when she could, and Zara had been so nice to her about the whole school thing yesterday that Kate felt a special desire to support her.

  She checked her watch and winced. Unless things were running really late, Zara had probably finished already. Still, she couldn’t resist checking. After tossing the saddle back on the rack, she jogged over to the ring. There was no sign of Zara or Jamie or anyone else from Pelham Lane. She did spy another familiar face, though.

  “Kate!” Kara Parodi strode toward her, a slight frown on her face. “I was just about to come track you down.” She shot a look over her shoulder at an anxious-looking junior on a stout bay gelding. “I don’t have much time, but I need to know if you can ride that horse for me later.”

  Kate froze, feeling trapped and helpless. The truth was, she still wasn’t sure how to respond. Part of her longed to say yes. This was exactly the kind of scenario she’d dreamed about all those years ago when she was riding scruffy ponies with Nat at Happy Acres. Back then the closest she got to the A circuit was pretty pictures in glossy magazines.

  But this wasn’t just about her, was it? Kate was at this show to work for Jamie, not to flit around fulfilling all her childhood dreams. And if there was any chance that job rumor might be true, she couldn’t risk her entire future for one ride, no matter how amazing it was. Couldn’t chance having Jamie change his mind about her. Couldn’t stand seeing that much more important and practical opportunity slip away.

  “I—I meant to tell you sooner,” she blurted out, twisting her hands together so hard her knuckles cracked. “Something came up, and I can’t do it. I’m sorry.”

  Kara frowned. “Are you sure? Because when I didn’t hear back from you, I sort of assumed you were in.”

  “I’m sorry.” Kat
e couldn’t think of anything else to say, and if she tried too hard she was afraid she might start crying. “I’m really sorry. Thanks, um, thanks for the offer, though.”

  The other trainer didn’t respond, though her eyes flashed with irritation. “Kara!” the bay horse’s rider called out, sounding panicky. “Can you come here? I think my girth is loose.”

  “Coming.” Kara spun on her heel and marched over to her rider without another glance at Kate. Kate slipped away into the crowd, feeling about as worthwhile as a clump of manure on someone’s shoe.

  “Nice rounds, Zara.” Some random girl smiled as Zara hurried past. “Love your horse!”

  “Thanks.” Zara didn’t slow down. She wasn’t in the mood for small talk with strangers. Now that she was finished riding for the day, she had work to do.

  She ditched her jacket and helmet in the tack stall, grabbing the hoodie she’d left there earlier. In the pocket were a notepad and pen she’d swiped from the hotel lobby that morning. Since last night’s plan hadn’t worked, she’d decided it was time to approach the problem from a different angle. Zara slipped on the hoodie, yanking at the top few buttons of her show shirt. It was no wonder they called the collar at the top a choker.

  Now all she had to do was find a private spot where she could focus for a while. If she tried to find a spot in the stands overlooking the ring, someone was sure to spot her and come over wanting to chat. Even the warm-up ring probably wasn’t safe.

  Heading past the tiny extra schooling ring into the tunnel, she turned down one of the curved hallways of the concourse. She paused and glanced at the tack vendor on the end, tempted to go in and browse. She could use some new paddock boots.

  But no. Resisting the temptation, she hurried past, ignoring the other booths as well. She could shop after she exposed the blogger.

  She kept walking until she hit a spot where there were no vendors nearby, just a bunch of extra trash cans and a stack of folding chairs on a rolling cart. She grabbed one of the chairs, unfolding it and setting it up between the cart and the wall. She sat down, feeling pleased with herself—almost like a real detective or spy or something. There. Now the people wandering past wouldn’t even be able to see her.