Headed for the Win (Nadia and Winny Book 1)

by Rachael Eliker

  Wonderful, I rolled my eyes. Pulled a shoe.

  Danika and Ms. Diederich were intently discussing something, probably the disaster that was Winny and me. It was fairly obvious they weren't pleased by their unwavering gaze locked directly on us. I felt like I could cry but the tears wouldn't come. All of the hard work I'd put in for weeks—missing school dances, movie nights with friends, sacrificing any resemblance of decent grades—and it was all going down the drain. Even Winny's charismatic attitude seemed to be waning. She sat limply in the cradle of the saddle. We were beat.

  “My dear, I want you to go take a break,” Danika instructed. “I can clearly see you are not yourself and you are not focused.”

  Winny nodded silently.

  “Have Mike fix that loose shoe and you go clear your head before we walk the cross-country course.” She smoothed back the wisps of blond hair that danced in the wind. “Meet me at the starting box at eleven, sharp.”

  Winny slid from my back and grabbed the reins. She shuffled her feet out of the arena and towards the stalls.

  Out of the corner of my eye, Chuck leaned against an oversized cherry-colored truck, shaded by his trademark hat. He laughed lightheartedly and nodded in my direction. The twinkle in his eye and grin concealed beneath his mustache suggested he knew my little secret and seemed to be enjoying it. I needed to talk to him, but how?

  Chapter Fourteen

  “Looks like you got lucky,” Mike messed with his overgrown hair. “She could have torn a good chunk of her hoof if the whole shoe came off. I wouldn't have been able to fasten another one on without a lot of glue.”

  “That's lucky,” Winny said apathetically. The realization that we were doing awful must have been sinking in. I could tell Winny enjoyed a good competition as much as anyone but in the face of almost certain, humiliating defeat, we were a sad pair.

  “I'll have her ready in about half an hour. Let's check her other shoes too, just to make sure.”

  Winny shrugged. “I'm supposed to walk the course with Danika and Gretchen in forty-five minutes. I think,” she paused. “I guess I'm going to go lie down for a bit. Clear my thoughts.”

  “Alright. I'll put her back in her stall for you.”

  “Thanks.” Winny dragged her feet back to the trailer to the cramped makeshift bedroom. My heart ached but it was hard to distinguish between the pity I felt for her and my own self-defeat. I didn't want to look like a fool the entire show. With the only two practice days almost finished, I wasn't doing so hot as rider or horse.

  “Let's see what we got here,” Mike ran his hands down my neck and patted me square on my chest. His hands sent shivers down my spine and my massive body shook.

  I was obedient for him, lifting my feet as he asked and trying to stand steady. It was sometimes a challenge to maintain my balance if I didn't have my legs evenly spaced. Fortunately, Mike was a patient farrier.

  “Hey there,” Gretchen crooned in her seductive voice. She played with a curl at her shoulder. My ears flicked back and she looked defiantly at me like she knew I didn't care for her.

  “I see you're fixing the rescue horse's shoe. I'm surprised that's all the damage she did.”

  Mike was cold hammering a new shoe for me over the anvil. The veins on his forearms protruded as he broke into a sweat but it didn't slow him down.

  “Yep, she was lucky. She's not lame either, so Nadia's set to go for tomorrow.”

  Gretchen scoffed a little and leaned up against Isis' door with her hands tucked behind her back. The yellow tank top she wore was her signature color.

  “You don't think she's ready?” Mike read into her mocking laugh.

  “Have you seen her? Them, I should say.” She flicked her tresses behind her shoulder and picked at her nails. “Something is not right and they are going to make themselves the laughingstock of Gallant Meadows. The entire eventing community if they aren‘t careful.”

  “Have a little faith.”

  Gretchen took three long, cat-like strides towards Mike and wrapped her arm around his neck. “Oh, I've got faith in lots of things. Just not them.”

  They locked in an intense gaze for a moment before Mike shrugged her arm off and picked up my foot to measure the shoe. I swung my tail, agitated that Gretchen showed no restraint in her attempts to steal Mike's affections. Didn’t she know he liked me?

  She slid around Mike and ran her hand delicately across my ribs and over my hindquarters. My quiet annoyance at her presence flamed into an unquenchable rage at her mere touch. I swung my hips and pinned her thin body between me and the stalls.

  “Help!” Gretchen shrieked for Mike. I rolled my eyes at her drama. I wasn't crushing her, just teaching her a lesson.

  Isis, who had been quietly observing screamed, “Let her go, Nadia! You're hurting her!”

  Ignoring her request, I leaned in a little harder. Gretchen deserved every bit of it. Mike grabbed my halter and tried to pull me forward. Stretching my neck as far as I could go, I refused to budge. He reached to my armpit and poked his thumb in my side. The jab startled me enough that I shifted my weight, allowing Gretchen to escape.

  Mike grabbed her hand and let her lean on his shoulder for support. I stood rigid and proud, the adrenalin still coursing through me. It was the closest I’d come to a fight, though it wasn't exactly fair. Even in my haughtiness, I was surprised at how close my emotions floated to the surface. It took so little for me to react. Was it because I was in the body of a horse, whose survival depended on quick reaction, or was it the jealous teenage girl inside?

  Gretchen trembled, her fair blue eyes wide with fear. Isis nickered from behind her door, asking her if she was hurt. Mike hammered my shoe on in record time and led me to my stall where he slammed the door. He attended to Gretchen, calming her nerves with a gentle caress. It looked like my plan was backfiring.

  “She didn't mean it,” he told her. How sweet of him to think me innocent.

  “I saw the look in her eye. That mare,” she spat. “That nag should have been sold for slaughter as far as I'm concerned.”

  She stormed off without a word of thanks to Mike. Under his breath, he muttered, “Women.” He looked at me. “Mares.” He obviously was perplexed by both.

  My stomach growled like I hadn't been fed for days. I stuck my nose deep in my hay, soaking up the sweet clover perfume that clung to each blade. Chewing, I had found, was very therapeutic.

  “What were you thinking?” Isis was staring straight at me.

  “Look, Isis, I was just…”

  “Just what?” she harshly interrupted. Her black eyes were piercing, her ears pinned and teeth bared.

  “I'm sorry. I snapped. “I just couldn't stand her with her hands all over Mike like that.”

  “So you were going to crush her to death?”

  “Not to death. I just…just snapped.” I couldn't vocalize my feelings. Reflecting on it, I could see how irrational I'd been but still felt justified.

  “I know how you feel about Gretchen. It's no secret.”

  “Really?”

  “The way you mutter about her when you're mucking out my stall. How you glare when she takes Mike's attention from you.”

  I huffed, feeling myself grow defensive. “So, you understand where I'm coming from. You know I have feelings for Mike, too.”

  “But do you understand where she's coming from?”

  “What's there to understand?” I flipped my mane, starting to get annoyed again. “Rich, beautiful, perfect girl has everything anyone could ever want so what does she do? She decides to steal the one thing the lowly working student might have a chance at.”

  Isis shook her head, scattering her wavy black hair over the crest of her neck. “You don't know her at all.” Curious, I stood silent, awaiting her continuation. She sighed wearily and turned her back to me. “Forget it. I'm not wasting my breath.”

  I wagged my head, unsure of what she was getting at. Gretchen was spoiled. She'd never been disappointed in her life be
cause of her looks and talent and family money. End of story.

  After filling my belly with hay and water, I slumbered. Even then, it was hard to nap. The blood-thirsty stable flies had found our row and constantly chewed my fetlocks.

  Winny and Gretchen returned after walking the course for a second time. Gretchen departed with Kristi and Sidney, who'd arrived a few minutes earlier. They squawked excitedly about the fun they were going to have and how much money their parents had given them to blow. Kristi's paint, Willow, was stalled kitty-corner to Isis. Like their owners, the two caught up on the latest gossip, leaving me to my self-pitying thoughts.

  My snooze was interrupted by the grinding shriek of my stall door sliding open. Winny walked in, threw my halter on and led me out. She didn't utter a word while we walked past the stalls, past the arenas, past the food stand to a quiet, secluded meadow. The smell of fresh grass, legumes and flowers was overwhelming. I dove in, mouth open. Grain paled in comparison to the sheer divinity of flavorful green grass. I greedily yanked the plants tips up and chewed as fast as I could.

  “That course,” Winny broke the silence, “is going to be tough. I don't know how we're going to pull this one off.” Her skin was clammy and pale.

  “Thanks for your vote of confidence,” I whinnied, knowing she couldn't understand my sarcasm. Ready or not, the show started tomorrow.

  Winny sat on the ground and tucked her knees into her chest. I ate in silence while the day gathered to a close. The sky to the east darkened and while the sun slowly relented toward the horizon.

  When I'd filled my gut again and slowed my chewing. Winny stood up and brushed the dirt from her seat, announcing, “I'm going to go lie down. Laying down on that soft pillow seems to relieve my worries. We're going to have to figure something out. And soon.”

  Halfway to my stall, Winny tossed the lead line on to my back and patted me gently.

  “You know the way back.”

  Before I could protest, she opened the trailer door and slammed it behind her. I felt self-conscious, standing in the open, free from a person guiding me along. Without another alternative, I began walking back to my stall, quicker than normal in case I got caught.

  “Winny, what are you doing out?” Mike caught the line dangling from my halter. He turned a complete circle, searching for Winny but unable to find her. “We'd better put you back before you get into some mischief.”

  I rested my head on Mike's shoulder and let him play with the velvety soft part of my muzzle. Human or horse, I couldn't get enough of his touch.

  Evening continued without excitement. Butterflies lodged themselves permanently in my stomach, fluttering wildly every time I dared to think about what the next three days was going to bring. Even if I managed how to work these four legs, to move gracefully and confidently over jumps and on the flat, Winny was going to have one heck of a time staying on and looking good while doing it.

  Winny showed up to do the nighttime chores and tossed us all another couple flakes of fresh hay and a scoop of sweet feed which we ate faster than half-starved hogs. I tried to keep my stall tidy but it was hard when I kept knocking my shavings around with each step. It was a bit embarrassing watching Winny pick up the mounds of poop scattered in my stall but I reminded myself excrement wasn't nearly as disgusting when it was from a horse. Winny did her job and left as quickly as she came.

  The nearly-moon showed up like a mirage in a lavender and periwinkle sky, eventually lighting up as bright as a spotlight. In the cool night air, I could hear the staccatoed screeches of bats as they hunted the mosquitoes lazily humming about. An owl hooted from within a rotting ash tree, staying hidden from my view and a few early fireflies flickered on and off around the grounds.

  I circled in my stall and settled my heavy body into the middle, right on top of a heavenly fluff of shavings. Falling carelessly into a deep and dreamless sleep, my rest was broken by the snap of a twig and the heavy panting of some unknown creature out in the dark. Isis and Dodger were laying down too, completely ignorant of the threat that approached.

  I heaved myself to my feet and thought of neighing to raise the alarm though the human part of me tried to reason. No one liked crying wolf. I told myself over and over that I was perfectly safe behind my stall but my newly acquired equine instincts were shouting at me to kick down the wall and make my escape while I still had a fighting chance.

  The footfall grew faster and louder until they halted behind a set of picnic tables. The figure was crouched, hiding itself from view. As I searched in the darkness, I startled at a pair of glowing eyes dead set on me…

  Chapter Fifteen

  “I've figured it out,” hissed Winny. My heartbeats slowed and I sighed, relieved to see her racing to my stall rather than the hungry, rabid wolf I imagined.

  I perked my ears, ready and willing to listen for Winny's masterful plan. “We need to practice.”

  I hoped she could read the disbelief on my face. “Duh,” I replied.

  Winny snapped the saddle pad open and threw it over my back. I nipped it with my teeth and pulled it off. She couldn't possibly be serious. Where were we going to practice?

  “Nadia,” Winny quietly warned, “what's your problem? The moon is incredibly bright and I know you have excellent night vision. I've been able to see in darker than this. When I was a horse, anyway.”

  She was right. The moon blanketed the landscape in a pale blue glow, softly contouring everything from the trees to the park benches to the row of trailers.

  Winny had me tacked up and ready to go within ten minutes, nervously looking out the stall on occasion in case anyone might have spotted us.

  A few of the other horses whispered to each other as the iron horseshoes on my feet ground into the gravel outside our stalls. “Where's she going?” they asked one another. I didn't bother responding. It seemed obvious my rider was a lunatic.

  “Let's start in the arena. If I fall,” Winny giggled a little, “or should I say when I fall, the sand softens the blow.”

  I couldn't help but chuckle too. Winny's charismatic attitude was contagious. We chose the arena furthest from the rest of the show grounds. Before entering, Winny halted me and adjusted herself in the saddle. She sat up straight, shortened the reins and balanced her head squarely between her shoulders. With one squeeze of her calves, she silently told me to walk. Obediently, I stepped forward.

  I tried to keep my body in line, remembering what Danika had instructed me to help the horse do when I was the rider. Keep my shoulders in line with my hips, my haunches tucked underneath, the crest of my neck rounded and slightly to the inside. It was amazing how difficult it was to balance my whole body, not to mention move.

  My muscles burned like I was mixing yoga, dance, long distance running and Pilates. Still, I put my effort into looking graceful and effortless. Winny rubbed my neck frequently, knowing firsthand how difficult dressage was for a horse.

  When my muscles were warm and I was able to walk without tangling my feet, we moved into the trot. Poor Winny clenched to my back with her legs, balancing as best she could in the saddle. But with my springing trot, she flopped like a rag doll from one side to the other. It seemed like hours were passing by as we tirelessly rehearsed. I watched the stars twinkling in the sky rotate as we worked. They looked like scattered pieces of glitter in a velvety blue blanket.

  Winny brought me back to the walk and gave me the free rein, allowing me to stretch my sore neck and back muscles. She too looked up at the stars and let a billowing breath escape her chest. There was so much to do and our precious time was sprinting to an end.

  “Nadia,” Winny scratched the peak of my withers, “I've had a bit of an epiphany. It's not nearly as simple being a human as I always imagined it would be. I assumed you just sat on my back and let me do the work.”

  I tossed my head. “Yeah, not as easy as it looks, is it?”

  Winny laughed, reading my expression. “Not so easy to be a horse either?”

 
Snorting out my nostrils, I had to agree with her. Four legs was more challenging than two and if I ever thought it was hard to control my emotions and mood as a teenager, being a mare was infinitely more difficult.

  “Whatever happens, I've had a good time so far,” she pulled my head around and rubbed the star on my forehead.

  “Me too,” I nickered.

  She gathered up the reins and I felt the steady but gentle connection of the bit in my mouth to her hands. She squeezed my sides and I picked up my feet, daintily trotting around the arena.

  Without pomp and circumstance and only me as her witness, Winny blossomed into a beautifully elegant rider. She was more stable on my back, feeling the rhythm of my trot and posting without so much as a wobble.

  In the glow of the early morning moon, we began to truly dance. We passed diagonally across the arena at a half pass, my feet crossing each other without clipping. I sat back and circled on my haunches in a pirouette then broke into a collected trot, regally lifting my hooves high and tight in the air.

  I could feel the smile on Winny's face through our connection on the reins. Her hands were light and easy, never harsh. It took little more than a wiggle through the bridle and a slight pressure from her boot for me to understand what she wanted. Finally, things were clicking.

  Winny trembled with excitement on my back and cued me into the canter. I collected my body together and rolled into a relaxed stride. Winny rocked back and forth with me, feeling the cool breeze on her face. Without warning, a holler of sheer joy screeched from her throat. She threw down the reins and pushed me into a full gallop. I obeyed and let my legs stretch as far and long as they could.

  We raced out of the arena and tore along the empty fields towards the cross-country course. Winny tipped her head back and opened her arms to the sky. I resisted the desire to buck. Galloping was powerful. In a single bound, I could pass dozens of yards as my legs stretched through the air.

  Eventually, I slowed to a jog on the side of a hill nearing the end of the course. Winny draped herself over my shoulders, exhausted from our romp in the dawn.