Love's Everlasting Song

by RaeAnne Hadley

  Chapter Fifteen

  Rebecca lay in the hospital bed, anxious to be discharged. The fire had happened on the tenth of October, she had found out the morning of the eleventh that Kip was dead and she was able to talk with Luke a few hours after that. He’d been adamant about coming back to be with her but she insisted that he stay and finish his tour. It was the hardest thing she did, wanting to feel his arms around her, but she knew if he flew out, he would disappoint millions of his fans by cancelling the rest of his tour and that he wouldn’t want her to go to her show.

  She felt the weight and the guilt of taking another person’s life and she wasn’t sure how she would deal with that for the rest of hers but she also knew that if she hadn’t fought back, she would have been the one who’s life had ended. It had been divine intervention, luck, whatever you wanted to call it, that had save her. Her initial blow to Kip’s neck with her riding crop had weakened the wall to his jugular and when she had hit him there again, in that exact same spot, it had burst and he had bled out internally, killing him almost instantly. Kip’s mother had of course been devastated but with all of the facts that the Sherriff’s department had gathered, she had slunk back to her home to grieve privately.

  They had found Kip’s car parked just beyond the trees, a can of gas almost empty, sitting in his trunk. It was assumed that he saw her run to the barn when the fire had started and knowing it didn’t have enough time to consume the barn, had gone after her. Traces of gasoline had been found on his hands and clothes during the autopsy.

  Rebecca’s mother and Megan had helped convince her that she needed to follow through with her dreams, that she couldn’t let Kip win. Her cheekbone had been fractured but no surgery was required. Though it was swollen and sore, she could still ride.

  Luke had been more difficult to convince but after talking with Megan and Rebecca’s mother, he had finally agreed that he would finish out the tour and keep their plans.

  The hospital had kept her for two days for observation before releasing her. Her doctor cleared her for the show with the promise that she come back in for a recheck when she got back from the show. It was now October seventeenth and she was excited to get ready for her trip. She was dressed in the clothes her mother had brought and was relieved when the nurse finally came in with her discharge papers. Her mother, who had never left her side, was down bringing the car around. Rebecca was wheeled out to the entrance, blinking against the bright sunlight. She got into the family Explorer, comforted by the fact that she was going home.

  Her mother babbled about how all of the horses were fine, happily grazing at the ranch and enjoying the last of the pasture grass.

  Rebecca knew she was trying to distract her with the positives. Deputy Heather had already visited her in the hospital and let her know the barn had been a complete loss. The insurance company would pay for a new barn but it would have to wait for spring. Rebecca thought she’d mentally prepared herself for the sight but when they pulled into her drive and she saw the blackened skeleton of her once beautiful barn, she burst into tears. It was completely destroyed.

  “It’s not a total loss, Rebecca.”

  She heard the tears in her mother’s voice and reached over to grab her hand, touched that she was affected by the pain her daughter was going through.

  “The community heard what had happened and they started delivering hay out to our place. There’s about ten tons of hay, enough to feed this winter. And look, they stocked your trailer too. You’re loaded and ready for your trip.”

  Rebecca looked at her trailer and saw it loaded with bright, green alfalfa, the top covered with a travel tarp to protect it from the elements. Her jaw dropped when, instead of her old Ford truck hooked up to it, there was a brand new F-350 diesel.

  Her mother smiled, tears brimming in her eyes. “Luke and the local dealership decided you deserved a break. They got you a new truck to go to the show in style. And the Johnson’s said you can use their barn as your breeding facility until you get yours rebuilt. You won’t have to lose any of your bookings. Everything is going to be alright, Rebecca.”

  She smiled at her mother and nodded. “Yes, it is, Mom. My dreams are still going to come true.” And they both sat there and cried tears of happiness.

  * * *

  As she pulled into the fairgrounds in Kentucky, she was still filled with gratitude at the outpouring of generosity from her community. She had enough hay to feed all of her horses this winter, they had warm barns to stay in and the smell of the new truck she was driving was heavenly.

  Though she appreciated all of the gifts bestowed upon her, her heart was still heavy with the knowledge of why she had these blessings. She shook her head, trying to clear the tears and focus on why she was here. This was her chance, her opportunity to make her mark. She found the barn she was assigned to and parked near it. Leaving Othello in the trailer, she made her way into the barn and found the stall and tack spaces that were marked for her use. After getting Othello settled in his stall, she began to unload her tack and hay, falling into her familiar routine.

  She wasn’t due to show until tomorrow night but she’d sent in Luke’s sheet music weeks before so the live orchestra could familiarize themselves with the music and prepare for the live show. All she had to concern herself with now was making sure she and Othello were ready.

  Because her horse trailer had living quarters in the front, she was only a few yards away from Othello’s stall in the barn. She was relieved that she was so close, especially after the recent turn of events. Logically she knew she had to move on with her life and that Kip’s death had been a result of self defense but her subconscious couldn’t seem to accept it. Her nights were filled with nightmares, always starting out the same, the sound of her horses screaming and the smell of the fire, but that’s where the facts ended and her imagination took over. Various scenes played out, all as horrific as the other. One night, her dream had been that she hadn’t gotten to her horses in time and she had to listen to them scream as they perished in the flames, with her only being able to watch, unable to do anything. In another one, she got her horses out and was confronted by Kip but this time she hadn’t been able to escape. He had raped and beaten her repeatedly before closing his hands over her throat, choking off her life’s breath. Each night she would wake up screaming and flailing and the only thing that eased her mind had been going down to her parent’s barn and petting Othello. She hadn’t been able to stay at her house, she was afraid of being alone so her mother helped her pack up some things and getting into her new truck, she drove the trailer over to her parent’s house until she left for the show.

  She knew her mother was worried about her, Rebecca’s screams brought her running and she would sit and hold her daughter, rocking her as she had when she was a child, until Rebecca calmed down. When Rebecca got back from her nightly visits to the barn, she always had hot tea ready and she sat there in silence with her daughter, drinking her tea.

  She had suggested after the second night of the terrors that Rebecca get a prescription for a sleep aid from her doctor but Rebecca declined. She didn’t like drugs and wanted her head clear of chemicals so she would be able to do her best at the show.

  A couple of those nights, Rebecca called Luke on his cell phone, hoping he would answer. The first time she reached his assistant, who just happened to be Dwayne, who had been promoted right after the Tonya fiasco. She was delighted to hear from him and he quickly ran down how the tour was going, the beautiful cities they were seeing and asking when she was going to come join them on the tour. She explained about the upcoming show and that she was hoping to be able to see Luke after that. She’d inquired about Luke and Dwayne explained that he was just finishing up his encore but that he would be calling her back within thirty minutes. Luke had called back within twenty minutes and after she had spent the first five reassuring him that she was fine, the conversation flowed into a familiar exchange, both excited to hear about what the other was doin
g. She found his voice soothing and enjoyed their talks but painfully wished that they were together. After they ended their call and she fell back to sleep, she dreamed of her and Luke reuniting and the time they would spend together. She didn’t have nightmares the nights that she talked with him.

  She was able to speak with him one more time before she left and though she enjoyed their exchange, she felt disappointed when he explained that they were getting ready to fly to the next country and he would be unable to call.

  “I’ll talk to you on the twenty-eighth, I promise. I want to hear about how you blew away the competition and that you have a fully booked breeding season in the spring.”

  She told him that she understood, not wanting him to feel guilty about doing his job. She’d was starting to become dependant on talking with him, knowing that afterwards she would have a terror free night of sleep. He’d become her own personal sleeping drug that kept away the nightmares.

  She selfishly wished she could talk with him tonight so that she would get a good night’s sleep before her big day. As she settled down for the night, she picked up her phone to call him, hoping that she would hear his voice, even if it was only on his voicemail. As she pulled up his name to dial, she was startled at a knock at her door. Warily, she looked out the window and saw a woman she didn’t recognize, holding a huge bouquet of roses.

  She opened the door and smiled. “Can I help you?”

  “Are you Rebecca Gordon?” the lady asked, a warm smile on her face.

  Confused, Rebecca nodded. “Yes, I am.”

  “These are for you, you lucky lady. Have a great night.” The woman handed her the vase and walked away.

  Rebecca brought the vase in and set it down on her little dining table, the fragrant smell of the beautiful red blooms filling the area. She relocked her door and sat down with the vase in front of her. She searched throughout the foliage and finally found the little card. As she read it, butterflies filled her stomach and she began to laugh and cry at the same time.

  My sweet Rebecca. I wish I was there to hold you tonight. I know how important tomorrow is and that you are probably picking up your cell wanting to call me but unable to. You are so amazing and the strongest woman I have ever met. No other person can do with Othello what you can do. I know you have this tomorrow, I have faith in you. If you start getting nervous when you are out there, look out at the crowd and imagine you see me there. All my love, Luke.

  She held the card to her chest and closed her eyes, imagining his voice reading the touching words. As she crawled into bed that night, she held the card in one hand and cradled one of the roses in the other as she slept. She didn’t have any nightmares that night.

  Chapter Sixteen

  The day dawned bright and beautiful as she gazed at the flowers, feeling full of hope. The round stadium was adorned with baskets of bright flowers, the arena lined with colorful ribbon that linked from one pole to another. The judges booth sat right below the stands while on the opposite side held the clamshell shaped, covered stage for the orchestra. People bustled about with their horses or carrying tack, getting ready for the big night ahead.

  Her mood quickly diminished as one catastrophe after another occurred. When she got Othello out of his stall, she saw he had thrown a shoe on his front hoof. It took her an hour to find a decent farrier and get his shoe replaced. Then, as they were practicing in the thou door arena, the girth to her saddle snapped. She dug through her tack trunk and discovered that in the chaos of the fire at home, she had forgotten to pack her spare tack box. Luckily, another rider had a spare girth and graciously allowed her to use it.

  After they were finally able to go through their routine, she led Othello over to the wash rack to be bathed before her class that night. As the wash bar swung over Othello’s head, he jerked it up and the chain that prevented the bar to swing too far caught a large portion of his long mane and ripped it out. Feeling defeated, she finished bathing him, tears mixing in with the spray of water as she watched part of his gorgeous black mane flow down the drain. She blanketed him and turned him loose in his stall, throwing in his hay so he could eat his supper before the class. She went back to her trailer to lie down. She had three hours before her class, if she stayed in the trailer, maybe nothing else would happen.

  She lay on her bed, holding Luke’s card and dozed lightly, his words on the card filling her brain. If he was here, everything would be ok. If she imagined that he was here, maybe everything would still be ok. No, she said to herself, everything is okay. She had found a farrier, she was lent a girth strap and she could trim Othello’s bridal path back a little farther and no one would know the difference. It didn’t change the fact that she had an amazing stallion, an incredible routine and a beautiful song. She was going to be fine, no one or nothing could take that away from her unless she allowed it and she wasn’t going to allow it. She had worked too hard.

  She got up and jumped in the shower, allowing the water to wash away the feelings of negativity that she had felt. She took her time getting ready, carefully applying her evening make-up. She pulled her hair up into beautiful French braid, the clip sparkling with faux rubies and diamonds that would sparkle with the night lights. She dressed in sweats and a T-shirt to go get Othello brushed and saddled, clipping his bridle path and brushing the rest of his mane and tail. His naturally wavy mane hung past his neck and his tail dragged the ground. She pulled his tail up into a clip that would be removed before the class and saddled him. She left his halter on and tied him to the trailer as she went in to get dressed. Checking her hair and makeup one last time, she went out and put his bridle on, making sure his saddle was secure.

  She walked him over to the check-in booth, giving the announcer her last name, Othello’s registered name and their show number. The female ring steward smiled at her, verified the name of the song she was using then went through her notes. Rebecca felt her heart drop as a frown flashed over the woman’s face before quickly disappearing. She looked back up at Rebecca and smiled.

  “It seems there has been a change in the venue. Instead of being third, you will be showing last.”

  “Oh.” Rebecca stammered. She knew that being last usually made a greater impression but that also meant she would be delayed another thirty to forty-five minutes. Just that much more time to allow her nerves to grow.

  The announcer lady smiled sympathetically and tried to console her. “You’ll do fine, honey. Last is always better in this case, right?”

  Rebecca smiled back. “Of course. We’ll be fine. Thank you.”

  She led Othello over to the side of the arena where she would have a good view of the other riders. Moments later she heard the woman announce the change of sequence for the riders and suddenly frantic shouts were heard that they were being moved up and were to get their horses ready. She took a deep breath and looked around the stadium. There were thousands of people filling the seats, family members of the competition and also perspective breeders. She knew that there were no family or friends there for her, her parents had their own successful cattle ranch that they had to deal with, Megan had her kids, who were in school and Luke was halfway across the world. But there were other ones there, unknown names that had traveled to watch her stallion, to see about breeding him to their mares.

  She pulled the card from Luke out of her boot and smiled, reading it again. She glanced again at the stadium and imagined she saw him there in the unseen faces. It was easy to pretend he was there, watching for her, cheering for her.

  Moments later, the lady announced a call for the first rider and then who was on deck, or up next. Rebecca watched as the gorgeous white Hanoverian stallion pranced into the arena. A portion of the crowd went wild as he stepped in and danced about, ears flicking nervously at the noise. When they walked up to the judges booth, the stallion’s rider nodded his head and after a moment of silence, the music began. The crowd cheered loudly as the Hanoverian performed to the Irish song, The Kiss, from the movie Last
of the Mohicans.

  Rebecca cringed as she saw the stallion mess up part of his routine, nervously missing his step when the crowd got loud. The stands went silent as his rider fought to control him and get him back on track. When the routine ended, the rider once more stopped his horse in front of the judges booth and nodded, indicating that he was finished. The crowd cheered, though not as loudly, knowing points were being taken off for the errors in the routine.

  As they left the arena, a new horse came in, a large bay, and this time the horse and rider performed flawlessly. There were four other horses that performed, all of whom did very well and Rebecca felt the nervousness build in her stomach. She had tough competition this year. She mounted Othello as the last stallion performed but the announcer came on and stated they had a ten minute break before the last routine and apologized for the delay.

  Rebecca felt frustration that once again, she had to wait, the butterflies in her stomach threatening to come up into her throat. She straightened her saddle, checked her vest and jacket and waited nervously. It felt like forever but finally her name came over the speakers and she moved Othello into the arena.

  “Alright big boy, we’ve been working for this since you were born. Let’s show them what we’ve got.” She cooed to Othello, patting his neck she stopped him in front of the judges booth. She took a deep breath as she gathered Othello’s reins and nodded. Luke’s music began to play and Othello automatically started his movements as they had rehearsed for so many months. They were transitioning into the first stage of the performance when she heard Luke’s beautiful voice flow out of the speakers. She jerked her head towards the orchestra area and saw Luke standing at center stage. She felt tears well up in her eyes then brought her attention back to Othello, who hadn’t missed a beat. He moved fluidly and the years of training, discipline and loving hands were put on display during their four-minute song. They rode through the routine flawlessly and when they stopped at the judge’s booth and Rebecca nodded to them, indicating that they were done, screams and whistles erupted from the stadium. Othello danced in place as if understanding the audience’s approval. Rebecca laughed out loud as she threw her arms around her stallion’s neck and started to guide him out of the arena. She looked over at Luke in the bandstand and blew him a kiss. He nodded his head and started clapping, pride obvious on his face.