Hunter Derby: (Show Circuit Series -- Book 3)

by Kim Ablon Whitney

  The Vermont Circuit was quieter, nestled in a small village with a picture-postcard mountain backdrop. Jamie had always taken her barn to Vermont so Zoe had been coming since she showed in the ponies. It was true that she’d had some pretty wild times there and not all her memories were happy ones but there was a certain comfort to the warm days and the cool nights, the clean air, and the sight of tractors parked next to old farmhouses.

  The professional divisions were light at Vermont—it was the children’s and adult classes that were chock-a-block full.

  There was no horse that could even come close to giving Gidget a run for the blue in the high performance workings. Zoe picked up two saddle pads, a halter, a scrim sheet, and a gift certificate for a bridle for winning nearly every class in the division.

  Zoe won the derbies both weeks too. There was a little more competition in those but Gidget still rose to the top. She had talent and now she and Zoe were building confidence in each other.

  The second week they were there, Callie caught her walking back from her morning hack on Gidget. “Did you hear about Lindsay?”

  “No, what?”

  “She fell off a greenie and shattered her femur.”

  “Oh no,” Zoe said, trying to camouflage the small dash of hope she felt fluttering inside her chest.

  It never felt good to take pleasure in other people’s misfortune but on the show circuit that was pretty much routine. If you were a grand prix rider, you hoped for horses to drop rails; if you were a hunter rider, you wished for horses to spook or be late with a change.

  Generally you didn’t actually wish harm on a horse or rider but in this case an injury to a top hunter rider meant a possible job opening for Zoe.

  “Yeah. She’ll be out months. She’s got pins inserted and everything.”

  Lindsay had a unicorn job in the horse show world. Not a job riding unicorns, but a job that was hard to find. She rode exclusively for a wealthy woman who had been around the show circuit forever.

  Kathleen had been a good junior rider. Then, because of her ability to buy expensive horses, she’d become one of the best amateur riders and had won nearly everything there was to win in the hunters. Championships at every major horse show from Devon to The National. She’d dabbled in the jumpers for a time but going fast and jumping high wasn’t really for her.

  Her first marriage to a professional hadn’t lasted long. In her forties, she married a Wall Street type and, after many attempts at IVF, finally had a son.

  She’d ridden off and on since becoming a mother, but lately had transitioned to owning horses that showed in the professional divisions. Among her talented horses was Three Wishes. He’d won the derbies in Wellington, Devon, Tryon, and Upperville, to name a few.

  She’d bought a gorgeous farm in Lexington and her horses spent summers there and winters in Wellington.

  Her trainer since her junior years was Grant Day. Now in his sixties, he’d once been the best hunter rider in the country. One knee and two hip replacements later, Grant just flatted the horses. Lindsay showed them.

  “Who’s going to get the ride on all her horses?” Zoe asked.

  Callie shrugged. “Someone said Jeremy.”

  Jeremy was a versatile rider, having ridden on Nations Cup teams and won plenty in the hunters too. He wouldn’t be a bad choice but Zoe could think of only one person who would be perfect: herself.

  It was all she thought about the rest of the day. Should she call Grant and offer her services? Should she text him just to say she was sorry to hear about Lindsay and that way she’d be in the forefront of his mind, or she should just tell him she was available if he needed her?

  Should she text Lindsay and maybe that would get back to Grant? Lindsay suggesting her might be the best option. She decided to do that.

  If there’s anything I can do lmk.

  Sucks, Lindsay texted back. But I heal quickly.

  After that exchange, Zoe waited and waited, hoping she’d hear from either Lindsay or Grant.

  Finally, three days later, she saw Grant’s number on her Caller ID. “Hi, there,” she said, trying to act casual. “So sorry to hear about Lindsay.”

  “I know. Real bad timing but what’cha gonna do? That’s life with horses.”

  “That’s a good way to look at it,” she said. Her heart was pounding. Just ask me, she thought. Just please.

  There was no way he was calling for any other reason.

  “So listen, I need a rider for my horses for Derby Finals,” he said. “You interested?”

  She swallowed, trying to give herself a moment so she didn’t respond too quickly, but it was no use.

  “Hells yeah!”

  “Great,” Grant said. “I think you’ll be perfect with them.”

  “Did Lindsay suggest me?” Zoe asked.

  “Yeah, we were throwing names around once Jeremy said he couldn’t do it. A lot of people are booked up.”

  Zoe wanted to kick herself for asking. If she hadn’t asked, she wouldn’t know that she wasn’t their first choice or maybe even their second or third. But it didn’t matter, she told herself. She’d ride the shit out of those horses and come in first, second, and third. Then she’d be everyone’s top choice.

  “When can you get down here?” Grant said. “We need you right away. I’m going to have you riding all the horses. I’ll pay you good money so don’t worry about that, and we’ll put you up. I could use you straight through to Florida if things go well.”

  “Um, yeah, I just gotta take care of some things up here first. But I can get down there super fast, I’m sure.”

  “You’re not committed to whoever you’re riding for, are you?” Grant asked. “No one seemed to think you were.”

  “No, no. I’m not. But I just can’t up and leave, like today.”

  “Of course, take a few days,” Grant said, like that was being generous. “Text me when you’re on your way.”

  “Okay,” Zoe said. “Great. Thanks.”

  “Sure thing, hon.”

  Zoe pressed end. She should have been ecstatic, but her initial excitement at getting what she’d thought she wanted had turned to unease.

  How the hell was she going to tell John and Linda she was leaving?

  CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT

  This was the chance she’d been waiting for. This was the call-up to the major leagues. John would have to understand that. And Linda too.

  Wouldn’t they?

  So why was she so far seemingly incapable of telling them? One day passed and then another. She could never find the right moment.

  Her secret became unbearable when John started asking her about plans for Kentucky and Derby Finals. When should they leave? How many days before the derby should they get there? What classes, if any, would they plan to do with Gidget before the derby?

  Yet she still couldn’t bring herself to tell him.

  She began to think about just getting in her car and leaving and then texting him and Linda from the road. She knew it would be so wrong, like breaking up with someone over text, but it would be easier that way.

  She’d tell him that of course she’d still ride Gidget in Derby Finals. John could keep Gidget in shape and bring her down to Kentucky. Grant hadn’t said anything about her only riding his horses in the final.

  Zoe still hadn’t told John when he came back to the tent with his jaw set. She hadn’t really ever seen him angry before but she could still tell this was high-level pissed off.

  “What the hell?” he said. “You weren’t even going to tell me?”

  “About Grant’s horses?” she said.

  “Yes, about Grant’s horses.”

  “Who told you?”

  “What does it matter?”

  “I can still ride Gidget,” she said.

  “You think I still want you to ride my mare?”

  Suddenly it was my mare.

  “I guess I thought you would, yeah.”

  “You have no idea how the real world w
orks,” John said. “You may be the most gifted hunter rider I’ve ever seen but you need some lessons on how to treat people and how to treat yourself too.”

  “What, I’m not supposed to take this job? Take this opportunity? Do you know how amazing his horses are? I could be first, second, and third at Derby Finals. Seriously, I could.”

  Zoe knew she sounded arrogant but she wanted to make John understand she couldn’t pass this up.

  “I never said you’re not supposed to take this job.” John raised his hands and shook them at her, as if he needed to demonstrate just how frustrated he was. “But you’re supposed to talk to me about it. We have a partnership going. Maybe we didn’t put it in writing but we were just talking about plans for Kentucky, and you didn’t say anything. You lied to me.”

  “I didn’t lie. I just—”

  “Please—” John said, stopping her.

  “I didn’t know how to tell you. I was trying to figure it out. Would you have said I should take the job?”

  “I would have asked you what you thought about it, about what you wanted to do. We would have talked about it. That’s what grown people do.”

  Grown people did not take off and text, which Zoe felt certain she would have done if John hadn’t found out.

  “Can we talk about it now?” she tried.

  “What’s there to talk about? You’ve already made up your mind. When are you leaving?”

  Zoe grimaced. “Um, like in the next few days.”

  “You’re serious?”

  “He needs me to start riding.”

  “Okay, great,” John said. “Then apparently everything’s all set.”

  “Wait, but do you still want me to ride Gidget at Derby Finals if I can?”

  John was pensive for a moment. He stared at the ground and only after a few beats raised his eyes to look at her again. “No, I don’t want you to ride her.”

  “Are you going to ride her?”

  “What do you care?”

  “I think she’s a great horse and it would be a shame if she didn’t show at Derby Finals.”

  “I think you should just get in your car and take off right now. Why wait a few days to leave? What I do with my horses has nothing to do with you anymore.”

  “Don’t you think you’re overreacting a little?” Zoe said. “I mean, I’m riding his horses for a few months. It’s not like we can’t have anything to do with each other ever again.”

  “It’s how you went about it. You apparently aren’t capable of thinking things through, or considering other people’s lives besides your own. And sometimes you’re pretty downright shitty about that too.”

  Zoe knew she’d done things the wrong way but it felt like John was being a little too harsh.

  She narrowed her eyes. “Did you ever think maybe you have a little problem? Did you ever think maybe there’s another reason why you never got further as a junior than your parents not having tons of money or your sister’s CP?

  “Maybe you’re scared of putting yourself out there? If you wanted to win the Medal Finals so freaking badly you would have found a trainer and done what it took to get rides. That’s what the good, hungry kids do. It’s easier for you to blame it on the mediocre horse and everyone else using shortcuts. Oh, I don’t use draw reins or over-school my horses . . .”

  Zoe expected a huge reaction but John just shook his head. “Good luck at Derby Finals. I hope you win. And don’t forget to tell Linda. And maybe give Molly a call and let her know you won’t be at any of her lessons or coming over to watch movies. Or do you want me to tell her for you?”

  “I’ll tell her,” Zoe said. “Maybe I’ll see you at Derby Finals. Or maybe I won’t?” She raised her eyebrows, taunting him.

  John waved her away with his hand, like she wasn’t even worth bothering with, and headed out of the tent.

  Zoe didn’t cry. She was pissed. Her body was filled with so much anger that she was shaking as she packed up all her stuff from the barn. She threw open tack trunks, grabbing pairs of gloves, sticky spray, hairnets, water bottle, boot-cleaning kit, phone charger; everything that was hers. She dumped it all in her car and texted Linda to find out where she was.

  Linda was at the jumper ring. Zoe couldn’t handle telling her there and possibly causing a scene so she waited till she came back to the tent. Luckily, John hadn’t returned from wherever he’d gone.

  “What’s up?” Linda said with concern at seeing Zoe’s anguished face.

  “I don’t know if you’ve heard through the horse show grapevine but you know how Lindsay broke her leg . . .”

  “Yeah?”

  “Grant called me and asked me to fill in for her, for Derby Finals, and for the next few months.”

  “Oh, honey, that’s quite a compliment to your riding.”

  “I know. I think I need to take it.” Zoe was cringing inside that she’d already accepted the position. John was right, goddamn it. She should have told Grant she needed time to think about things and asked him to at least give her time to help Linda find someone to replace her.

  “Definitely,” Linda said. “It’s a great opportunity for you.”

  “But what are you going to do?”

  “We’ll manage,” Linda said.

  “How?”

  “I’m sure John’ll ride some for me until I can find someone, and I’m going to get on the horn and find someone. There are plenty of people out there looking for work. When does Grant need you?”

  Zoe gritted her teeth. “As soon as possible.”

  Linda nodded. She understood how things worked in this business. She didn’t expect office protocol of giving two weeks notice in a situation like this, with a big finals coming up.

  “I’m so sorry to leave you hanging like this but I don’t know what else to do. I can call around and ask some people . . . see if I can get you a good rider.”

  “I think we both know all the same people,” Linda said. Zoe could sense the disappointment in her voice. But at least she wasn’t as upset as John. “What about John? Did you tell him yet?”

  “Yeah, um, he’s bullshit at me.”

  “Are you still showing Gidget at Derby Finals?”

  “He doesn’t want me to anymore.”

  “Wow, he was that upset?”

  “He kind of found out from someone else before I had the chance to tell him.”

  Linda straightened her shirt over her baby bump, pulling it down a little. “That’s not good.”

  “No, it wasn’t. I also think there was something between us so that’s all mixed up with it.”

  Linda brightened. “You two? I told you he’d be good for you.”

  “Nothing happened. Nothing. Like nothing. Which is pretty crazy for me, as you know.”

  Linda gave a kind of painful smile where she pulled her lips back and pressed her teeth together—half-smile, half-wince. “Maybe that means it was actually real?”

  “Well, whatever it was, it’s not now. It’s done, over.”

  “Really? You sure?”

  Zoe thought about the mega-fight she and John had just had, the mean things they’d said to each other. “Yup, I’m pretty sure.”

  “Are you sure this is the right thing to do . . . I mean I know Grant’s got Three Wishes and all but . . . John’s a good guy. This is temporary, whereas something with John . . .”

  Linda trailed off but Zoe knew what she meant.

  “Even if I wasn’t sure about what I was doing, I just burned the bridge with John. In fact, I think I blew up the entire surrounding area near the bridge. Decimated it. And I already told Grant yes and if I renege on that . . .”

  “Okay,” Linda said. “If your mind’s set then come here.”

  She hugged Zoe tight, rocking slightly back and forth as she did. Zoe didn’t want to press too hard for fear of somehow hurting the baby. “I’m sorry to do this to you. Such bad timing.”

  “Don’t worry,” she said. “It’ll be fine.”

  CHAPTER TWEN
TY-NINE

  But it did not feel fine as she pulled out of the showgrounds. John hadn’t spoken to her since their fight. Dakota had barely said good-bye.

  “I’m leaving to go ride for Grant Day,” she’d told her. “To take over for Lindsay.”

  “Yeah, Linda told me,” Dakota said flatly.

  “I know she’ll find someone good to replace me, and it’s not forever with Grant. I mean maybe I’ll be back,” she said, even though she doubted it. The point was to use riding for Grant to get her another job riding and showing.

  “Great,” Dakota said, giving her an unabashedly fake smile. “Drive carefully.”

  The last person she had to break the news to before she left wasn’t a person. It was Gidget. She’d gone around and planted kisses on all the horses first, Logan and Midway and even cocksure Plato.

  She found herself in front of Gidget’s stall door. The mare had her butt to the door and didn’t budge, swing her head, or even flick an ear when Zoe called to her. Zoe opened the door and went to the back of the stall. “That’s okay, I’ll come to you,” she said.

  When she was standing in front of her she whispered, “I’m leaving for a while, girlfriend.”

  Gidget finally glanced at her and then turned away again, flattening her ears.

  “You’re going places,” Zoe told her. “You’ve got what it takes but you already know that. You’ve got it all figured out, unlike the rest of us.”

  Zoe desperately wanted to hug her, to press her cheek against her coat, like she did as a child with all the horses at her mother’s farm on those sad, lonely nights.

  “I’m doing it—I’m hugging you,” she said. “Bite me if you want.”

  Instead Gidget let out a big sigh.

  “See, a little affection isn’t so bad.” As she left, Gidget actually watched her go. “You just think I have a banana somewhere that I’m not giving you,” Zoe said, her voice choking up. She hated leaving Gidget, maybe even more than she hated leaving Linda or John. She also hated leaving Molly, especially without saying good-bye.