Tori brought her things into the house. She made a huge pitcher of iced tea and put it on a tray with tall glasses full of ice. By the time she had carried the tray out to a picnic table near the field, the team was finished and were dismounting. They turned their mounts over to the waiting grooms as they removed helmets, gloves, and padded leather knee guards. The sun was shining brightly, and short cropped Bermuda grass, as smooth as a plush green carpet, ran the three-hundred-yard length of the field. Tori had forgotten the sheer size of a polo field and how overwhelmingly large it looked from ground level. The field was the size of nine football fields.
Zack smiled from ear to ear when he noticed the iced tea. “You’re a life saver. I don’t know if I could have made it all the way back to the house. I think we’ve blown through two cases of water.”
“I’m sure you would have managed,” she replied with a grin.
Zack turned to his teammates, and pulling Tori close to his side, introduced them. “Hey, guys. I want you to meet Tori Aldrich. Tori this is ‘Hard Drive.’ These two jokers are Number 1, Jim Walker and Number 2, Harvey Thomas, our forwards. And this character is Number 4, Jorge Santiago, our defensive back. I play Number 3, center. We have a couple of backup guys, but they aren’t here today.”
After some discussion of the following day’s schedule, the team took their leave. Tori and Zack were alone—except for four grooms and at least a dozen horses. “Let’s leave these guys to it. They have to clean the tack, pack the equipment, and get the trailers ready for tomorrow.”
“How many horses are you taking?”
“We’ll trailer over twenty to be safe. The match is six chukkers unless we go into overtime. So we’ll need a minimum of three horses per man plus two extra in case of injuries. I’d rather have too many than not enough. We normally don’t use a pony to play more than two chukkers.”
Tori was astounded. “Zack! How many horses do you have?”
“I guess about seventy-five, more or less, at any given time. In order to field a good team, you have to have excellent mounts. There are the foals, yearlings, and the young ones that are in training, as well as the seasoned mounts.”
Tori looked shocked, so he continued, “Don’t forget I keep the string for the entire team and also train and sell ponies. Of course, I keep the very best for our team.”
“I can’t fathom the expense.”
“It’s expensive, but I have the company sponsor the team. The tax write-offs help enormously, and expenses are somewhat offset by prize money. The ranch and the polo team are businesses, after all. We have salaries for the players, ranch hands, grooms, and other staff, as well as livestock, rolling stock, other equipment and supplies, and of course, feed. We buy everything wholesale. I have sweet feed and Canadian timothy and alfalfa hay delivered by the truckload.”
“All I can say is wow! And I thought boarding Rocky cost an arm and a leg, especially at Palm Beach prices.”
“Polo isn’t cheap. Do you want to eat in or out tonight?”
“Why don’t we cook something here and relax in the Jacuzzi. You have a busy day tomorrow.”
Zack smiled an engaging grin of approval, his icy-blue eyes twinkling. It was apparent to Tori that he was relieved that they would be enjoying a quiet evening alone.
Chapter Twenty-Four
Sunday morning Tori awoke with a start. A quick glance at Zack’s alarm clock told her she had overslept. It was almost eight o’clock, and she had hoped to take a run before breakfast. Oh well, there won’t be time for that this morning. Zack had already risen, and his side of the bed was cold. She knew he was probably down at the barn supervising the early morning pre-match preparations.
Tori shivered when she rolled out of Zack’s huge bed, and her feet hit the cold floor. She had learned that Zack was a natural early riser and liked to sleep with the windows open. The room was cool as she headed for the master bath. The shower jets set in opposing walls woke Tori from her early morning daze. The shower in Zack’s bathroom was a sky-lit marvel with two glass walls angled out into a secluded, sun-dappled, wildflower butterfly garden. Tori felt like a wood nymph bathing in a forest glen. It was a totally decadent feeling to be so exposed. She giggled. I hope no garden gnomes are watching, not to mention ranch hands.
Tori made her way to the kitchen to put on a pot of fresh coffee. She took a tray of bagels and cream cheese and the Sunday edition of the Palm Beach Post to the sunroom off the kitchen. She was on her second cup of coffee when Zack slammed through the mudroom, stomped the mud off his boots, and joined her. He dropped a kiss on top of her head and ruffled the damp waves of honey-gold hair tumbling down her back.
“Manuel and the grooms have the equipment loaded and are ready to load the ponies that we’re taking to the match. Since we’re taking three eight-horse trailers, I might as well fill all the slots and take twenty-four horses.”
Tori laughed. “That’s all? Won’t the others get their feelings hurt?”
He dropped into a chair, kicked off his boots, and stretched his long legs out in the sun. “Don’t think they won’t. The veterans know the routine and which days are game days. Could you pour me a cup?”
“Sure. Can I help you with anything? You haven’t told me anything about brunch. Are you sure there’s nothing I can do?” Tori asked as she poured Zack’s coffee.
“The guys have everything under control in the barn. I’d like to leave at 10:30 if you can be ready by then. There are always a few details to take care of before the game, and I need to meet with the caterer.”
“No problem. I’ll be ready. My cross-examination skills must be slipping. I haven’t been able to squeeze one detail out of you.”
“You’re good…but you’re not that good!” He grinned as he helped himself to a bagel and the steaming mug of black coffee Tori had poured for him.
Tori left Zack reading the sports page as she returned to the bedroom to dress for the day. After sweeping her mop of wavy hair into a loose bun and applying her makeup, she went to the closet. She had been unable to decide what to wear, so she had brought two complete outfits. She stood back and checked them both out while trying to make a final decision.
The previous week Tori had made a blitz attack on the couture shops lining Miracle Mile, the famous shopping street in Coral Gables, as well as one quick trip to the Bal Harbour Shops in Aventura. The clothes in the windows had been extravagant and outrageous. The pages of Vogue seemed to come alive before her eyes. Of course, she had any number of appropriate outfits in her extensive wardrobe, but she wanted something new. This was Palm Beach Polo after all, and she hadn’t been to a match since she and Alberto had parted ways. She wanted to look good, and she wanted Zack to be proud of her.
She finally settled on the pink-and-cream floral print Balenciaga suit in light-weight wool with a fitted jacket and a radically shorter skirt than she normally wore to the office. She had chosen cream-colored Italian leather platform heels and a matching clutch bag. The outfit was topped off with a broad brimmed, shallow crowned hat that matched the cream background of her suit with a matching floral print scarf tied around it.
As she prepared to don the new outfit, Tori felt slightly ridiculous that she had spent such an astronomical amount of money on a suit that was probably far too flamboyant to wear anywhere but the Palm Beach Polo Club. She giggled to herself as she imagined strolling into Court in this getup. Oh well, every girl is entitled to a little splurge now and then. She had every intention of making a big splash in the Palm Beach Polo society pool today, and she wasn’t going to look like a poor church mouse when she did it.
Chapter Twenty-Five
After pulling into the International Polo Club and checking briefly with the grooms at the horse trailers to see that everything was in order, Zack drove his truck around to the field side near the black-and-white player’s tent at the southeast corner of the field where the team would be headquartered during the match. He looked across the field to the opposite c
orner and saw that the Greentree players had already arrived as well.
Zack opened the door for Tori with a huge grin. God, she looked gorgeous today. Not that she didn’t usually look gorgeous, but today she had an excited glow. The short-skirted suit and the beautiful Italian leather shoes were sexy as hell without being overdone. “I’ll move the truck later. I didn’t want you to ruin your shoes in the damp grass.” They walked over to the buffet tent with Zack, ever the gentleman, holding her arm.
Tori looked over the bar and beautiful buffet tables. The formally dressed waiters supplied by the caterer were busy setting everything up. The tables were complete with centerpieces of fresh flowers, sparkling crystal glasses, stacks of white china, and heavy silver cutlery. “Zack, everything looks lovely.”
“This catering company is excellent. I’ve used them before.” He seated Tori in one of the many canvas camp chairs monogrammed with “Hard Drive” in the team colors of black and white. He handed her a pair of binoculars so that she could see the action at the far north end of the field, and then he left to join the team under the player’s tent, which was set up next to the buffet tent. Greetings were exchanged with the requisite masculine hand shaking and back pounding as the team members began to arrive.
* * * *
Tori had to smile to herself. The guys were all as excited as little kids. Tori greeted the team members that she had met the day before and was introduced to their wives, kids, and girlfriends.
Zack was already dressed for the match in a black polo shirt with “Hard Drive” printed diagonally across the front and his number and name across the back in white. Tori thought he looked spectacular in the tight white polo breeches tucked into brown mule-hide polo boots. He had a crash helmet, knee pads, gloves, and mallet at the ready.
Grooms were busy tacking up and bringing ponies up to the staging area from the trailers for the first chukker as guests began to arrive. The ponies had been as carefully groomed as show horses with their manes and forelocks roached, tails bound up in black bands, and their legs wrapped in black polo wraps. Extra ponies were held in the safety zone outside the boards by grooms in case of injury or the need to quickly change ponies during a chukker. It all brought back memories of her years with Alberto. Only then Alberto had mostly tried to keep her in the background as one of his grooms.
Zack broke away from the team for a moment when he noticed the arrival of a small white-haired lady carrying an eagle-headed ebony cane. He greeted her with a kiss to her papery cheek and seated her carefully.
“Tori, come and meet my mother,” he said as he interrupted Tori’s conversation with Nancy Thomas and brought her over to be introduced to the seated woman.
“Mom, I want you to meet a special friend of mine. This is Victoria Rose Aldrich. Tori, my mother, Alicia Talbot.”
“I’m pleased to meet you, Mrs. Talbot. I believe we have a mutual friend. Zack and I recently attended a performance of La Traviata with Rhonda and John Samuelson.”
“Really? Call me Alicia, Victoria. I’m impressed. I’m amazed that you were able to persuade my barbarian of a son to attend the opera,” she replied with a warm smile that belied her caustic words. Zack scowled as he hovered over her chair. “He rarely honors me with his presence at such events.”
“Mom, give me a break here…” he said with a note of affectionate exasperation in his voice.
“I know, Zachary. You are far too busy to socialize.”
Tori grinned. She could see their mutual affection between the verbal barbs. “Well, it wasn’t easy. He tried to squirm out of it…but I was determined.”
“Good for you! A little culture won’t do him a bit of harm. Sit down, dear, and let’s chat.”
“I’ll leave you ladies to get acquainted. We’re about ready to mount.” He reached down to brush each of their cheeks with a brief kiss and whispered in his mother’s ear, “Try not to get me in too much trouble.” Then he stood and said, “It’s almost eleven thirty. Time to mount and warm up.” Zack turned his attention to the upcoming match.
Alicia smiled a serene smile and replied, “Of course, dear. Not to worry.”
As Tori chatted easily with Alicia Talbot, she kept an eye on Zack and his activities, a fact that did not seem to escape Alicia’s keen and delighted notice. She turned to Tori and continued, “Rhonda and I have been friends and charity campaigners for years. How do you know her?”
Waiters circulated with trays of mimosas and Bloody Marys as guests continued to arrive. There were over thirty people milling around, according to Tori’s informal count, when she spotted John Damien and Jacques DuBois with Muffin in tow. Thankfully they had the little dog on a leash. Tori waved them over and introduced them to Alicia Talbot, who proceeded to invite them to be seated. To Tori’s relief she seemed far more at ease with the unconventional situation than Zack had initially been.
As they sat chatting comfortably, Tori was busily checking out the fashionably dressed women. Alicia Talbot’s bright-eyed gaze darted about as well. “Sometimes I just can’t believe my eyes.” She shook her head in apparent amazement.
Tori smiled at the older woman. “Some of them have had so much ‘work done’ that they almost look like plastic people. I’m pretty sure that blonde woman in the blue dress was not born looking like that.”
Jacques grinned and remarked, “You have to wonder what they are thinking—some of the men as well as the women. It’s the Botox generation.”
“Haven’t any of them heard of aging gracefully?” Alicia asked thoughtfully.
Tori stood up excitedly. “Oh, the teams are coming out on the field.” Everyone’s attention came back to the field as the opposing teams galloped out to center field and lined up for the National Anthem followed by the invocation for the safety of the players and their mounts. Tori silently said a little prayer of her own for their safety. As much as she loved the game, Tori, after her experiences with Alberto, had a keen appreciation of the dangers involved in polo. She quickly turned her head to check that the requisite ambulance had arrived and was parked field-side.
After the opening ceremonies, both teams took the field, and the first two chukkers flew by. The score was Hard Drive 2, Greentree 1 when the teams took a short break to change horses and mallets. The grooms quickly distributed bottles of water and re-checked the ponies’ equipment.
The teams took the field again for the third chukker, which was full of hair-raising close encounters of the horse-and-mallet kind but resulted in no new scores. The players dashed from one end of the field to the other on sweat-lathered ponies then charged back in the other direction. Mallets flew as the ball was dribbled, driven, stolen, and returned over and over again. Hard Drive, sensing another Greentree goal in the offing, began an aggressive defense, staying hard on the hooves of Greentree’s center and forwards, putting themselves and their mounts between Greentree and another score, until Hard Drive’s Number 1 forward, Jim Walker, in an overzealous attempt to halt Greentree’s forward momentum, fouled Greentree’s Number 1 forward, Pablo Escobar. The resulting penalty shot tied the score, Hard Drive 2, Greentree 2, at the end of the third chukker.
At half time, the crowd of spectators moved out onto the field, champagne glasses in hand, and began to stomp divots while the tired players took a brief break. Tori, John, and Jacques, joined the crowd in treading in the divots of grass churned up by the flying hooves and stomping them back into place.
Tori kept her eye out for a glimpse of Zack. She had hoped to have a brief word with him, but there wasn’t time. After half-time, the fourth chukker commenced with the score tied 2 to 2. Hard Drive was determined to regain the lead, and Zack pulled out all the stops. The ball continued to change direction and hands without another score as the fourth chukker ended, and the players quickly changed ponies again.
In the fifth chukker, galloping from one end of the field to the other, both teams reversed direction as possession of the ball changed from one team to the other repeatedly. Both
teams played hard, and each scored another goal. The score was now 3 to 3.
The sixth and final chukker began with a foul against Zack by the Greentree Number 1 forward, Pablo Escobar, who crossed the line of the ball in front of Zack, almost causing a wipe out. Tori nearly lost her breath. Although he came close to losing it, Zack managed to maintain his seat. The penalty shot brought the score to Hard Drive 4, Greentree 3. Play continued to go back and forth, and although Greentree valiantly tried to catch up, Hard Drive regained possession of the ball in the final minute and started a seventy-five yard drive through Greentree territory that culminated in the final goal. The score was Hard Drive 5, Greentree 3 as the final horn sounded ending the match.
* * * *
It was obvious that the two teams had been pretty evenly matched. Zack was pleased to have been able to maintain the lead throughout the match. He was also very pleased that Tori had been there to watch.
After the team had dismounted, the grooms took the tired and sweating horses back to the trailers to be cooled down. Tall cool drinks and sweat towels were handed around to the exhausted players as they began to cool off and settle down. Zack saw that Tori was still sitting with his mother and that they were chatting comfortably. John and Jacques had joined the multitude of spectators on the field stomping divots in preparation for the second match of the afternoon, White Rock vs. Michelob.
The spectators were invited to join the players on the field for the presentation of the traditional silver loving cup awarded to the victorious team and the customary drink of champagne. Tori and Alicia made their way over the grass toward the presentation stage for the closing ceremony.
Afterward they returned to the tent, and Zack signaled the head waiter to begin serving brunch. He escorted Tori and Alicia to the buffet table, which was laden with a tempting display of classic French picnic fare while waiters with drink trays continued to circulate through the tent. The delicious food was consumed at a furious rate by the starved guests and players.
The Appearance of Impropriety [The Horsemen] (Siren Publishing Classic) Page 13
