by Laura Moore
“Here comes the triple combination. Don’t cut your corners. Let him see the full line straight as an arrow. Here’s where you pick up the pace. That’s right. Great, not even a nick. Now we’ve got that double-oxer and then the rollback. Uh-oh. I take it you don’t like the look of this oxer either. Come on, you can do it, Orion. No, don’t back off. The only way to get around this fence is over it. No detours allowed. Squeeze, Cassie, give him some extra leg . . . Holy smokes! That was a big jump. Lost my stirrup on that one, and you almost left me back there in the dirt, didn’t you? Now for the rollback, the stone wall, and then that last vertical, and we’re home free.”
When Orion’s four hooves landed clear of the last fence Cassie’s face broke into a grin. As she slowed Orion back down to a trot, she leaned forward in the saddle, thumping her open hand on his muscled shoulder, proud of his fine job.
The smiles on Hank and Caleb’s faces mirrored her own as she exited the ring.
“Good ride out there. Clean round. You’ll be in the jump-off. You looked great except for . . .”
She interrupted Hank with a laugh. “Except for that oxer. I know. That must have been one ugly sight. I thought I was going to end up in a heap on that one. We’ll have to order up some day-glo poles, or have Jamie and Sophie do some painting.” Cassie laughed, imagining the twins running around with paint buckets and dripping brushes. Shaking her head at the two men standing beside her Cassie gave a happy grin. “Wow! Your horse sure can jump big.”
“From back here it looked like he’d decided he didn’t want to be in the same zip code as that fence. Jumped about half its height again in order not to touch it,” Hank offered.
“Take off was a bit early, too,” Caleb said, thinking that was the understatement of the century. His heart had been in his throat when he’d seen Orion hurl himself into the air like that. His heartbeat only now returning to normal.
Cassie shook her head at the memory. Orion had simply jumped out of her hands, leaving her scrambling to keep up with him. She’d lost one of her stirrups when they landed, but luckily she’d caught up with the flow of Orion’s momentum as his front and then back hooves hit the ground and he galloped on. If she hadn’t regained her balance and body position, there wouldn’t have been any chance staying on his back.
Lifting her hand to her hunt cap, she pulled it off, letting the breeze cool her sweat-matted hair. “That’s about what it felt like. Like I was riding a thousand-pound jumping frog. Had me fooled. Totally out of the blue and I was slow to anticipate him . . . Sorry. Well, at least he didn’t refuse it. I just hope he feels better about it in the jump-off.”
“Don’t worry about it, Slim. Another rider would have been on the ground eating dirt. Hop off his back, and Raff will walk him around. There are about fifteen more riders to go, so you’ve got some time still.”
“Okay. Thanks, Raff,” Cassie said as she slipped from the saddle and lifted the reins over the stallion’s head. She dropped her head to place a kiss on his warm velvety muzzle. “I’m proud of you. You did super out there. We’ll nail ’em on the next round.”
She closed her hand and rubbed her knuckles against Orion’s jaw then stretched her fingers, searching out the itchy spots she knew he loved to have scratched. When she found one, the horse responded by rubbing his massive head against the front of her riding jacket, leaving dark bay hairs all over the navy blue fabric. Finally, she stepped back, laughing as she looked down her front and saw hundreds of tiny hairs stuck to her. She brushed at them with her hands, sending dark hairs floating to the ground. Slightly more presentable, she looked up to discover Caleb watching her, his dark brown eyes intense.
He was drawn like a lodestone by the wonderful contradictions she possessed: One minute a consummate professional with the talent and skill to compete at the highest level, and the next looking for all the world like an overgrown pony camper cuddling a seventeen-hand stallion as if he were the family pet.
In either guise, she was incredible. Irresistible.
Shaking his head, an enigmatic smile playing about his lips, he held out a cold bottle of water. “Here, I got Raff to pick this up at the concession stand.”
“Oh, thanks. My throat’s parched from the dust in the ring.” Cassie unscrewed the top and drank deeply. “They serving lunch yet?”
At Caleb’s nod, Cassie continued. “Great. After the jump off, I’m going to go grab a couple of hot dogs before my next event. Want to come?”
“You sure you want to eat hot dogs and then ride?”
“You bet.” She flashed a cheerful smile. “I should confess right now to my terrible, guilty secret. Whenever I’m at horse shows I’m the biggest junk-food junkie around. I can’t resist the stuff. The rest of the time I try to eat properly, but somehow the smell of all those hot dogs and hamburgers sizzling on the grill . . .”
Caleb held up his hand, halting her flow of words. “Right. I get the picture. We’ll head on over after you ride.” His stomach was still fluttery enough from watching Cassie ride that he didn’t think he could take any more descriptions of frying grease.
Caleb and Cassie joined Hank by the railing and watched the final riders in the class. Silent observers at first, they soon succumbed to the age-old habit horse people have of analyzing each rider’s style and horse’s conformation that entered the show ring. By the time every rider had finished, there were ten clear rounds, including Cassie’s.
Cassie had drawn third in the jumping order so she’d remounted Orion and was warming him up, her mind gearing up for the demands of the jump-off. The timed jump-off consisted of eight fences, including that double-oxer Orion had disliked so much. The first rider of the jump-off had just had a clean round, so Cassie knew that she would have to push the pace a little more this time round in order to beat that rider’s time. With Orion’s big strides that shouldn’t be too difficult.
What she didn’t want, however was to get him racing around the course like some whirling dervish. They’d doubtless beat other rider’s times, but they might also end up racking up points on knocked down poles. At this stage, it’d be better to go for a fast but conservative ride with Orion. They could go hell-for-leather later on in the season.
She was up. For the second time, she trotted Orion into the show ring, urging him to a canter as she headed for the far end of the ring. She wanted Orion up to speed by the time she passed the starting timers. With each stride, the stallion’s pace increased, effortlessly consuming the distance as they rode into the first fence.
In the jump-off, the altered, shortened course made for sharp turns. As Cassie and Orion cleared the first fence, she was already cutting the corner, saving time, relying on Orion’s natural balance to see them cleanly over the next set of jumps. He responded willingly seeming to understand the new urgency in their pace. At the triple combination, Cassie saw the chance to cut out a stride, and the horse took it gamely jumping wide on the second fence and recovering quickly, ready for the third obstacle.
Only four jumps remained. Heading now for the double-oxer that had troubled Orion before, Cassie kept his gallop strong, her body poised and ready should Orion decide to go for a second trip to the moon. She felt his body shift, tensing, as he, too, recognized the despised fence. Bracing herself for any unpleasant surprise, she urged him forward with her legs and seat as they came closer and closer.
Then she felt it. That split second of hesitation in his stride. Would it be a refusal this time? Instinctively, Cassie dug in her heels, urged him on with her seat, and gave a cluck loud enough to be heard back at the trailer. Orion jumped.
They were over the fence, but then, as if he’d measured the distance with a calculator, Cassie felt Orion’s back hooves lash out and strike the top pole. The crash of the fence as poles clattered to the ground resounded in her ears as she and Orion landed and thundered onto the next jump.
Oh, damn. So close. Well, she thought, let’s pick the pace up, there’s bound to be a few other rides with
four faults. At least we can beat their times.
Surprisingly unlike some horses she’d ridden, Orion didn’t seem in the least bit rattled by the knockdown of the double-oxer. They cleared the last three jumps without a hitch, galloping round the last corner to stop the time clock.
She made a beeline for Hank and Caleb, jumping off Orion’s back before he’d even come to a halt. “Check his hind legs, will you, Caleb? I’m worried he hit them against that pole on the oxer.” Her arm slipped through the reins as she knelt, fumbling with the buckles on Orion’s ankle boots.
A warm hand squeezed her shoulder. “Easy Slim. It’s all right. We saw him hit the oxer. In fact, we were standing right behind it. He shot his legs out and nailed it. Only his hooves struck it. I’ll take a look at his legs, but I’m sure he’s fine. Probably practices that kick on the walls of his stall every day.”
Cassie sat back on her boot heels and forced herself to breathe in and out in slow measured breaths. “Damn. When I finally cleared the course and got a look at that oxer—he’d demolished the entire jump. The whole thing’s lying there, scattered like match sticks. All I could think was that he must have injured something.” Disbelief crept into her voice as she repeated in stunned amazement, “He knocked down the whole thing!”
“Yup. Perfect strike. Like bowling for dollars. A pretty neat trick for a double-oxer ” Hank offered.
Caleb knelt beside her and finished removing the stallion’s boots. His long fingers moved carefully down the fetlock, probing gently around the pastern for any sign of tenderness or pain. Quietly, he moved around the stallion and repeated the same procedure with the other leg. Still anxious, Cassie watched in silence.
“Orion must have some sort of radar tucked away in that big head of his. Most other horses would need a rearview mirror to be able to wipe out an entire fence like that.”
Hank nodded, his eyes twinkling. “I told you we had a smart horse here, Cassie. Take a look at the ring. The ground crew’s only just finished putting the fence back up.”
“You’re sure he’s okay, Caleb?”
“He’s fine. We’ll poultice him when we get home. He’s a strong horse . . .”
A saccharine voice interrupted him. “He’d better be a strong horse if you’re going to let such an incompetent rider on his back. Really, Caleb, I’m more than a bit shocked to discover you intend this girl to ride Orion. You were too embarrassed, perhaps, to mention it the other day?”
He didn’t need to look up to recognize the speaker.
As he crouched beside Orion’s hocks, Caleb’s eyes lifted and met Hank’s, who shrugged helplessly. Caleb didn’t need to look at Cassie to know she’d frozen. Pamela’s brand of poison often had that effect, something akin to arsenic. Rising to his feet, Caleb patted the stallion on the hindquarters. Only then did his gaze finally rest on his ex-wife, standing there, one hip cocked provocatively.
It was incredible, the contrast between Pamela and their small group. She was dressed in shimmery blue silk go-go pants, the kind that hugged the hips and legs, so that even the slightest bulge or flaw in the figure was magnified. Of course, with Pamela there were no flaws, as she well knew. The cropped jacket she wore was made from a matching fabric, with lots of gold necklaces hanging over it. Her feet were encased in what looked like alligator-skin shoes, sporting three-inch heels. Truly amazing. He’d seen women dressed more casually for a power lunch at the Ritz. He told himself that if he’d ever caught Pamela in a similar outfit before their marriage, he would have been wise enough to avoid her like the plague.
Deliberately he wiped his hands on the legs of his jeans. With a cynical smile, he finally acknowledged her presence.
“Hello, Pamela. Fancy running into you here.” Then, ignoring her before she’d even had time to reply he turned to Raffael. “Raff, could you throw his cooler on, then walk him around for a while. You can untack him after the jump-off’s over. Cassie’s not riding again until the afternoon. We’ll come by and spell you after we grab some lunch.”
“Sure, Caleb.” Raffael nodded, leading the stallion away. Cassie’s first instinct was to go and help with the stallion’s cooler, but Pamela’s voice stopped her in her tracks.
“You know Caleb, while I can imagine what you actually hired her for, surely competitive jumping wasn’t part of the job description. It makes me wonder, too, if perhaps you’ve forgotten the terms of our agreement. I have your signature promising to keep me informed of all training decisions involving Orion.”
“Come off it, Pamela. You know you don’t care about anything to do with Orion except the money I give you every month. What does it matter to you if we hired Cassie? The riders you forced us to hire were morons. They couldn’t get a merry-go-round horse to canter in a circle.”
“Well, I certainly don’t remember any of them injuring my horse, my property. And when they rode, they didn’t demolish fences, either. If Orion hasn’t injured himself, it’s not through lack of your rider’s trying, is it?”
Not that Pamela really cared, Caleb was right about that. Actually, the possibility of Orion seriously injured delighted her. It would suit her just fine if Caleb got stuck with a lame horse. If his precious stallion were out of commission, then that would be the end of this Cassie’s so-called job.
What did Caleb see in her, anyway? Pamela wondered with a contemptuous glance in Cassie’s direction. She certainly didn’t come close to rivaling her own looks.
Bolstered by the thought, Pamela smiled confidently at Caleb. She toyed with the gold chains against her chest. “It really surprises me that you would hire such a . . . shall we say mediocrity. Surely you realize that I need to protect my investment. This being the case, I’ll expect regular reports on your new, uh, rider’s progress with Orion. Otherwise, you’ll hear from my lawyer. You remember him, don’t you, Caleb? Such a smart man.”
As a matter of fact, her lawyer would be getting a call from her that very day, thought Pamela triumphantly. She was sure he’d be more than happy to hear from her. With his hourly fees, he was always delighted to hear from clients. It occurred to her it might be a good idea if they reviewed the terms of the contract he’d written for Orion’s sale. She seemed to remember this one nifty section about null and void.
Her lips parted in a wide smile at the mental image of Caleb at her mercy. Leisurely, she let her eyes travel over lingering beneath his belt buckle just long enough to make him feel the heat of her stare. Slowly tauntingly she lifted her eyes to his, blew him a kiss, and sauntered off to rejoin her friends, pleased with the morning’s accomplishments.
It was Hank who finally broke the awkward silence that had descended on the group after Pamela’s departure. “I wish she’d go suck a rotten egg,” he muttered under his breath.
“I’m with you there, buddy. That, or step in a huge dump. What the hell, Hank, I thought you’d planned this perfectly, that this show would be too puny for Pamela to bother with.”
“What can I tell you, that ex-wife of yours is perverse as the day is long. Actually, I spotted some of those socialites she hangs out with. Somebody must have had the bad taste to bring her along,” Hank replied, an expression of disgust on his face. He couldn’t believe the stuff Pamela pulled. Made his stomach turn, the way she treated Caleb. Couldn’t have been too pleasant for Cassie to witness, either. Turning to her, he asked, “Cassie, honey you okay?”
“Yeah. Thanks.” She nodded vigorously, aware of Caleb’s eyes on her. She was darned if she was going to let the likes of Pamela ruin the day. Resolutely she blocked from her mind the image of his ex-wife staring at Caleb’s crotch like a kid in a candy store. “Owners can be a real bitch,” she quipped lightly, startling a laugh out of both Caleb and Hank. “Of course,” she continued, “if Orion had gotten injured, that would have been a different story. But if Caleb thinks he’s fine, then . . .”
“Slim, Orion’s legs are made of iron. Like I said before, he probably practices those kicks on the walls of his stall. C
ome on, let’s take a look at the other rounds. What with one thing and another, I’ve lost track of the standings.”
The altered course for the jump-off had taken its toll. Several riders had their share of mishaps. Some had poles down, one rider’s mount refused a fence, and then was given additional penalty points for exceeding the time limit. But none of the faults were nearly as spectacular as Cassie and Orion’s knockdown.
The quirky thing about show-jumping rules, however was that a rider received four faults regardless of whether just a single pole fell, or the entire fence came down, which after this morning’s ride Cassie came to appreciate in a whole new way. If they’d counted faults per pole against her, she’d have been in the double digits! Other mistakes could be costly, too. For instance, a refusal was three points, but as it generally took the rider precious seconds to get his horse over the refused fence, a time fault of four points could be expected.
Cassie knew after watching the remaining riders’ rounds and the points they racked up, that her ride with four points and a decent time would place Orion and her ahead of a number of them. While she would have loved to go clean on both rounds, all in all, she realized Orion had responded beautifully.
She’d just have to work hard on getting him to accept jumps that looked like a designer’s nightmare!
The last rider off the jump-off managed a clean round, dropping Cassie’s standing to fourth place. She was pleased that she’d had the right instinct in pushing Orion a little harder at the end of the jump course. Cassie and Orion had beat out the next rider with four points by a mere three tenths of a second.
With a whoop of joy, Hank enveloped Cassie in an enthusiastic bear hug, thrilled that they’d placed so well their first time out. Cassie stepped back from his embrace breathless, half-worried she might have fractured a rib.
