Winter Blues (Show Jumping Dreams ~ Book 3)

by Claire Svendsen

  “That won’t help,” I said.

  “Why not?”

  “She’s watching her weight for the wedding.”

  He was following me down the hall but pulled on my arm to stop me before we got to the kitchen.

  “You really think she’s going to go through with it?” he asked.

  “I hope not,” I said.

  “Me too.”

  Suddenly I didn’t care where he’d been all these years. I just knew that Uncle Carl was someone who was on my side and that was something I sorely needed.

  Mom stood in the kitchen looking like the picture perfect hostess. Too bad Uncle Carl hadn’t arrived a few hours earlier when everything had been rapidly falling apart.

  “Carl, how nice to see you,” Mom said.

  “Sis,” he grinned, throwing the chocolates on the counter where they slid into a bowl of cranberry sauce and enveloping her in the same bear hug he gave me.

  For a fleeting moment I thought I saw a look on Mom’s face, her mask slipping out of place and revealing how much she’d missed him too. But before I was even sure what I’d seen, she put the fake smile back on and Derek was walking into the kitchen mumbling greetings.

  I took that as my opportunity to get out of there. It wouldn’t be long before Mom was moaning about all of Uncle Carl’s mistakes and Derek was nodding in the background. I hoped they didn’t chase him away too soon. I liked Uncle Carl.

  Dinner was like one of those television commercials where everyone is pretending to have a good time but as soon as the camera shuts off, everything falls apart. We hadn’t got to the falling apart bit yet but I knew it was coming. People couldn’t be that fake for that long without finally snapping.

  “So what do you do for a living Carl?” Derek asked, stuffing an overloaded fork into his mouth.

  “Oh a bit of this and a bit of that. I mainly fix up bikes and sell them.”

  “So a mechanic then,” Derek frowned.

  “Not really,” Uncle Carl shook his head.

  “Carl could fix anything when we were kids,” Mom said. “Remember that time you built a go kart out of a pile of trash.”

  “Beat all the neighborhood kids with it too,” Uncle Carl grinned.

  But sweet moments like that were filled with silent interludes where no one spoke and the food on our plates was far more important to look at than other people’s faces.

  “So Emily,” Uncle Carl said. “How is the riding going?”

  “Fantastic,” I said, finally glad I had something to talk about that wasn’t school or my apparent lack of tidiness. “My pony, Bluebird, has qualified for the Blizzard Challenge. It’s a series of three shows where riders have to make the cut to go on to the next one. It ends in the Snowball Cup and the prize is two thousand dollars.”

  “Two thousand dollars,” Uncle Carl whistled. “That’s not too shabby.”

  “No one ever told me there was money involved,” Derek said, dollar signs flashing in his eyes.

  “I haven’t won it yet,” I snapped. “And Bluebird needs a winter blanket.”

  “Well if he needs the blanket to win the cup, why don’t we see about getting you one then?”

  An icy chill ran down my back. “No,” I said. “I don’t want anything from you.”

  “Emily,” Mom sighed. “Please don’t start this now. Can’t we just finish our food in peace without some horse drama ruining everything?”

  “I’m finished already,” I pushed my plate away.

  I couldn’t believe I’d been so stupid. Telling Derek about the prize money was a sure fire way to make him stick around and if I was lucky enough to win? Well then I was pretty sure he’d talk my mother into taking my money. All of it.

  CHAPTER FIVE

  “How about you take me out to the barn and show me this wonder pony of yours?” Uncle Carl asked.

  We’d finished washing up the dishes and everyone was full of food and kind of sleepy. All I wanted to do was lie down and take a nap but the prospect of escaping the house was too good to pass up.

  “Not on that bike of yours,” Mom said. “That machine is a death trap.”

  “Well, let me take your car then,” Uncle Carl said.

  “I seem to remember the last time I lent you my car, you wrecked it.”

  “That was fifteen years ago. Are you ever going to let that go?”

  Mom threw her dish towel down on the counter. “No bike. No car. No barn,” she said. “I made apple pie and we’re all going to eat it.”

  “She didn’t say anything about bicycles,” I whispered to Uncle Carl. He winked back.

  So we ate the pie and then made our escape while Mom and Derek were discussing the merits of a DJ versus live music.

  “Are they usually like that?” Uncle Carl asked.

  “No,” I said. “They’re usually worse. Here, you can ride Mom’s bicycle. Is that okay?”

  “It’s a crushing blow to my dignity,” he said as he looked at the hot pink handlebars. “But I’ll make the sacrifice for you.”

  “Thanks Uncle Carl,” I said. “I’m really glad you’re here.”

  “I’m sorry,” he said. “I should have come sooner.”

  “It’s okay,” I said but really it wasn’t. I could have really used an uncle all these years.

  The barn was quiet. There were no lessons today, a fact for which I was sure the horses were immensely grateful. Esther was nowhere to be found. She’d probably got hungry and gone off in search of turkey. The horses were all in their stalls, munching quietly.

  “So which one is yours?”

  “He’s out the back,” I said.

  “Out the back? He doesn’t get to live in the barn like the other horses?”

  “He has an issue with stalls,” I said. “It’s a long story.”

  “An outcast with a tragic past?” Uncle Carl smiled. “Looks like he fits right in with our family.”

  “This is the horse I used to ride,” I said, stroking Harlow’s soft nose.

  “Used to?” Uncle Carl lent against the stall door and pulled a carrot from his pocket.

  “I thought Mom used all the carrots up?” I said.

  “I managed to steal a few,” he grinned. “I can see I’m going to have to teach you a thing or two about dealing with your mother.”

  “Yes please,” I said. “I don’t know how you could stand her when you guys were growing up.”

  “She wasn’t always like that.”

  “She wasn’t?” I asked.

  But Uncle Carl didn’t elaborate.

  “So why don’t you ride this guy anymore? He’s mighty handsome.”

  “He’s also recovering from an injury,” I sighed.

  “So how long before he gets to go back to work? A few weeks?”

  “More like a few months. He could be back jumping at the level he was before in a year or he could never jump again. It’s too soon to tell.”

  “That’s too bad,” he gave Harlow another carrot.

  “I know,” I said, feeling sad. “Come on, wait until you see Bluebird.”

  But when we got to Bluebird’s paddock, he wasn’t there.

  “Is he an invisible pony?” Uncle Carl joked but I didn’t think it was even remotely funny. My heart was pounding a million miles a minute. This couldn’t be happening. Not again.

  “The gate is closed,” I said. “His halter is still here. Where could he have gone? Do you think he’s been stolen?”

  My words were all running together as I looked at Uncle Carl’s calm face. He didn’t seem worried at all.

  “Don’t panic,” he said. “Let’s look for him. Maybe he just jumped out and went for a stroll.”

  “Ponies don’t go for strolls,” I grumbled but he was right. Bluebird loved to jump and it would have been easy for him to get bored and go over the fence.

  I grabbed his halter and lead rope while Uncle Carl divided up the carrots between us.

  “Do you have one of those rope things for me?” he
asked, pointing to the halter.

  “Do you know how to put one on?” I said.

  He shrugged and shook his head so I gave him a rope with explicit instructions to approach Bluebird slowly and quietly and slip the lead rope around his neck without making any sudden moves.

  “He’s not going to attack me or something is he? You’re making him sound like a wild animal.”

  “If he jumped out of his paddock then he’s probably all hyped up and acting crazy. He may take one look at you and gallop away. Or maybe he’s been stolen,” I added quietly.

  Sand Hill Farm wasn’t a big place but the way it was laid out, there were lots of places for a pony to hide that you couldn’t see. After making sure the feed room was securely locked and he hadn’t gorged himself on food, I was more worried about him remembering his last escape attempt. Esther had fixed the fence where he got out but he probably could have jumped over it if he wanted to.

  “I’m going this way,” I pointed to the trail that led to the back of the property. “Go down to the fence along the road and make sure he hasn’t broken through somewhere. Oh and there is a pond in that field over behind the barn that he likes to go and splash in sometimes.”

  “Yes Ma’am,” he said and saluted.

  “Sorry, please Uncle Carl?”

  “Of course,” he squeezed my arm. “Don’t worry, we’ll find him.”

  I knew we’d find him eventually but even on a property like Esther’s that was well maintained, there were still a million things a pony could hurt himself on. The metal rake that had blown over in the wind by the shavings or the pile of fencing that had been replaced after the last storm but not hauled away yet. Any one of those lying in wait to break a wayward pony’s leg.

  “Bluebird,” I called for him as I ran down the trail. “Bluebird?”

  Halfway down, in the thick of the trees, I got a stitch in my side and had to stop. I knew I shouldn’t have eaten so much turkey. I was sitting at home stuffing my face while Bluebird was in danger. How could I ever forgive myself if something happened to him?

  The breeze was warm as I walked on, still clutching my side. I should have called Esther. Asked her when she last saw him. Got her to come back and help look. But it was too late for that now. My new cell phone was lying on my bed at home and I certainly wasn’t going to go back to the office now. I’d call her if we couldn’t find him on the farm. No need to worry her unnecessarily. I’d probably find him standing at the fence line, looking out across the fields. Sally’s farm was out there and it was a familiar place to him. Maybe he was trying to get back there again. But he wasn’t at the fence and there were no hoof prints in the soft ground. He hadn’t come this way and he hadn’t jumped over. If he had there would have been evidence.

  I looked over at Jess’s barn, all painted and pretty like a picture. It looked deserted. No way she would be down at the barn on Thanksgiving Day. She was probably sitting in her palatial dining room, trying to figure out how many calories were in the stuffing their chef made. Must be nice to have such pressing problems. I trudged back to the barn feeling more than a little despondent.

  “I found him!” Uncle Carl said.

  He was standing by the barn with his rope around the neck of a pony that was completely covered in mud. The only things that weren’t were his eyes and his mouth, which I was pretty sure was grinning at me.

  “You evil pony!” I ran forward and hugged him. “Don’t ever do that to me again.”

  “Found him rolling around in the pond. Gave me a right run for my money too. Thought I was going to have to lasso him.”

  Poor Uncle Carl was covered in almost as much mud as Bluebird. The two of them looked like they’d been in a wrestling match.

  “Thought you said he was going to be all scared and confused,” Uncle Carl wiped a muddy hand across his forehead as I slipped my halter on Bluebird’s head.

  “I thought he might be,” I tried to stop from laughing.

  “That pony was mocking me,” he said but I could tell he wasn’t really mad.

  And despite Bluebird covering him in mud, Uncle Carl decided to stick around.

  “But we don’t have a spare room,” Mom said later that night, looking pale.

  “I’ll sleep on the couch. It won’t be the first time or probably the last.”

  “And there is so much to do before the wedding. I really don’t think it’s a very good idea.”

  Derek nodded his agreement, as usual not man enough to say anything.

  “I want to watch Emily ride in the next show and I’m staying,” Uncle Carl said. “Now if I’m not welcome here then I’ll find somewhere else to crash but I’m going to support my niece and there is nothing you can do or say to stop me. Don’t you want to support your own daughter? I know you know how much this means to her.”

  I was sitting out of sight on the bottom step of the stairs. I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. Uncle Carl was sticking up for me in a way that no one ever had before, except my father. I stuck my head around just enough to see my mother standing there with her mouth open.

  “Well don’t you?” Uncle Carl said again.

  “It’s complicated,” she finally said.

  “Life is complicated. Supporting Emily is not.”

  “Now hang on a minute,” Derek said.

  “You don’t understand,” Mom added.

  “I understand perfectly,” Uncle Carl said as he left the room.

  I was halfway up the stairs when he came around the corner and saw me but he wasn’t mad. He just grinned and winked. I had to hand it to the guy. He was good.

  CHAPTER SIX

  “He said what?” Mickey mumbled from under her saddle flap.

  “He pretty much told her she was a bad mother for not supporting me and that he was going to come to the show and cheer me on whether she liked it or not.”

  “Wow,” Mickey stuck her head out and grinned. “I like him. Too bad he can’t stick around permanently.”

  “I know! He even found Bluebird yesterday too.”

  “And that worked out pretty good,” she said.

  Esther had not been impressed to hear that Bluebird had jumped out of his paddock. As a result, she’d begrudgingly given him access to the back field which was full of grass for him to munch on.

  “I don’t see why he couldn’t have just gone in there before,” Mickey said.

  “Well it’s the dry season now,” I said. “The grass is all shriveling up and dying. Now is the time you are supposed to rest your paddocks.”

  “Let me guess,” Mickey rolled her eyes. “You read that in a book?”

  “The Barn Managers Companion,” I said. “It’s pretty neat. You should check it out. There is all kinds of good information in it.”

  “Like what? How to clean the perfect stall?” she teased. “No thanks.”

  “Suit yourself,” I shrugged.

  Mickey may not have cared about barn management but I was preparing for the day when I owned my very own barn.

  I dragged a sparkling Bluebird out to the ring. After the bath he got yesterday, he’d managed to keep himself pretty clean, which was at least something. Ethan’s sister Faith was sitting out there on Princess looking smug.

  “I get to come to the show with you guys,” she grinned.

  “You do?”

  “Yup. Esther said that I’m good enough to ride in the short stirrup classes and not embarrass her too much.”

  “That’s awesome.”

  Faith had been the best student at our summer camp and it was only when camp was over that Ethan had admitted that she was his sister. The only problem was that even though she rode Princess, she was completely infatuated with Bluebird. They’d been a couple of times that I’d caught her in his paddock, trying to sneak up onto his back. As long as she concentrated on Princess and left Bluebird alone, then everything would be fine.

  “As you all know, the Harmony Horse Park show is tomorrow,” Esther said as she came into the rin
g. “We’ll be leaving bright and early at five in the morning so don’t be late. I want your mounts bathed and braided tonight and everything loaded up in the trailer. I do not want a repeat of the last show where a certain someone forgot their bridle,” she glared at Mickey.

  “It wasn’t my fault,” Mickey started to say but Esther held her hand up to stop her.

  “Now you all know how important this show is. Emily has to win her class to continue on in the Blizzard Challenge and I expect you all to support her in that. I also expect you to win your own classes as well.”

  “I thought it wasn’t all about winning,” Mickey whispered as Esther told us to warm up on the rail.

  “She does seem a little more manic than usual,” I whispered back.

  “No talking,” Esther yelled.

  “Task master,” Ethan winked at me as he rode by.

  I grinned back but inside I was worried. Esther had never pushed us so hard before and the fact that she was taking Faith to the show as well proved that she wanted a broad range of students to represent her and to win. The farm had been doing better lately. At least I thought it had. Now I wasn’t so sure.

  “Your leg Emily,” Esther screamed. “For goodness sake, how many times do I have to tell you?”

  And as she yelled out instructions, I forgot about everything except winning my class tomorrow.

  The next morning was crisp and clear. I’d slept over at Mickey’s house so that her mom could drop us off at the barn and Uncle Carl had promised that he would come to the show whether my mother did or not.

  Mickey was still yawning as I ran through the dark to get Bluebird from his new field. He was waiting at the gate, his hair standing up in the cold.

  “If you had a blanket,” I groaned. “You’d still be clean this morning like all the other horses in the barn.”

  He just snuffled my pocket for carrots and then blew his nose on me.

  “Thanks a lot,” I hustled him into the barn.

  Show day was never a quiet, relaxed affair. I longed to be one of those girls in horse movies who groomed her horse without getting a speck of dirt on her and arrived at the show with a gleaming mount and spotless clothes. The reality was that the barn looked like a bomb had hit it. Mickey was tossing junk out of her trunk because she couldn’t find her bridle again. Princess wouldn’t stop pooping in the aisle and Faith was making more of a mess trying to clean it up than Princess had made in the first place and Ethan was desperately trying to scrub a manure stain from Wendell’s hindquarters.