Silver Spurs

by Miralee Ferrell

  Colt blew out a hard breath. “No way! I kind of feel sorry for her.”

  “You wouldn’t if she’d talked to you like she did to us,” Kate said.

  Mrs. Velasquez patted Colt’s arm. “I’m proud of you for doing the right thing, even if she isn’t a nice girl.” She turned to Tori. “Want me to take care of your ribbon so you can help Kate get ready for her class?”

  “Sure, thanks, Mom.” Tori handed the red rosette over and linked arms with Kate. “Come on. Your turn to wow the crowd.”

  All of a sudden, Kate’s pulse sped up. Wow the crowd? She didn’t expect to do any such thing. Would she live up to Tori’s second place or maybe earn a first? She hadn’t thought past entering a class and having fun. Now she knew what Tori felt like an hour ago. “I have time. I want to go outside and watch one of the jumping classes first. Okay with you guys?”

  “Sure.” Tori nodded. “You coming, Colt?”

  He shook his head. “Melissa’s got a class coming up soon. I need to get Mocha ready.”

  “What’s she doing? Can’t she get her own horse ready?” Kate frowned.

  “She can, but it’s hard when you’ve got your best clothes on, and the horse has to be cooled and groomed and tacked up between classes. It’s a lot easier if you only have one or two classes, and they’re further apart.”

  Shame tugged at Kate. “I never thought of that. I assumed she wanted a slave to take care of her because she thought she was too good to do it herself.”

  Tori hung her head. “Yeah, me too.”

  Tori’s confession made Kate feel a little better, but she still shouldn’t have gotten so angry when Melissa asked for help. Then a memory hit her. Melissa hadn’t asked them, she’d demanded, even making that weird comment about having to win the spurs. What was that about anyway? Kate raised her hand. “Have fun, Colt. And tell Melissa I hope she does well in her next class. Any idea how she did in her first one?”

  “She got a first in English Equitation. She’s pretty solid when it comes to her skills. She’s hoping Mocha will do as well in English Pleasure, but it’s the jumping class later today she’s hoping to ace.” He waved and pivoted. “See you later. I’ll be sure and watch your class, Kate.”

  “Thanks.”

  What was up with him and Melissa? He’d made it clear he didn’t want Melissa as a girlfriend, and Kate believed him. Colt was a really nice guy. Maybe he simply wanted to help someone who was having a struggle, as he claimed. Whatever it was, she was glad she wasn’t the one helping Melissa. Somehow Kate guessed the girl would be hard to please and strung as tight as a finely tuned guitar string.

  Kate, Tori, and Colt sat outside on the grass, waiting for the first jumping class to begin. Colt had finished grooming and tacking up Mocha, and Melissa had headed for the arena without a word to Kate or Tori as she passed. Kate wasn’t surprised. As Kate’s grandmother always said, she’d seen the handwriting on the wall.

  Kate turned to Colt. “Did she thank you for helping?”

  He lounged on his elbows, a long blade of grass between his lips. “Yeah. Kind of, I guess. I think she’s more nervous about the next couple of classes than Tori was about hers.”

  Tori rolled her eyes. “Right. Melissa is the queen of cool. Nothing shakes her.”

  “Not what I saw a few minutes ago.”

  “What’s up with her?” Kate had felt her own batch of butterflies dancing in her belly over her upcoming class, but now wasn’t the time to admit it. She was more interested in hearing what Colt thought about Melissa.

  “Dunno. She didn’t say much. Really uptight. Not sure what’s going on.”

  The first rider entered the arena, and all three of them sat up and leaned forward. This was the most exciting part of the show—jumping—at least as far as Kate was concerned. Part of her hoped Melissa would do well, but the ornery part of her wished she’d get taken down a notch or two. Maybe she’d quit being so snotty if she didn’t always win.

  Tori rested her elbows on her knees. “So is this a superhard course or an easy one? I’m clueless.”

  Colt looked at Kate. She smiled and said, “It’s an easy one. Low jumps and placed far enough apart to give the horse and rider time to recover. No water jumps, nothing terribly hard. It’s more for beginner to intermediate riders.”

  After the third horse exited the ring, Kate shook her head. “Only one clean round so far.”

  “Nuh-uh.” Tori wrinkled her nose. “Three horses have gone over all the jumps without knocking down a single bar.”

  “Yeah, I know,” Kate said. “But two of them were slow and didn’t do it within the time allowed, so they got time faults. That’s as bad as knocking down a bar. They were being careful—but too careful.”

  Colt shushed them. “Melissa and Mocha just came into the ring.”

  “He’s gorgeous.” Tori breathed the words with a reverent tone. “Funny. I never used to notice horses.”

  All three of them stood and edged closer to the fence, trying not to get in anyone’s way. They found a spot near the corner with an excellent view of the final run of jumps. Melissa cantered around the inside perimeter of the arena, then reined Mocha toward the first jump. As he got within two or three strides, she slowed his pace. The big horse gathered himself and launched over the obstacle without hesitation, landing gracefully on the other side.

  Tori clapped and bounced on her toes. “He makes it look so easy! And he doesn’t care about the flags waving on the standards or anything.”

  Kate kept her eyes trained on the gelding. “He’s rushing the next fence. He’s going too fast. Melissa needs to slow him down …”

  She felt Tori’s grip on her arm as Melissa tightened her hold on the big horse and brought him under control at the last second. He shortened his stride in time to adjust and clear the bar, skimming the pole but not knocking it down. Kate released her breath in a whoosh. “Wow. That was close.”

  The rest of the round, Melissa kept a tight rein on Mocha but cut a few corners to make up time. She finished with a clean round, with under two seconds before the clock ran out. She patted her horse’s neck as he trotted toward the exit, then pulled him to a stop and jumped to the ground.

  “What’s wrong? What’s she doing?” Tori craned her neck trying to see what had caused the unusual action.

  Kate shook her head. “I’m not sure. She’s running her hand down over his cannon bone.”

  “What’s that?”

  Colt pointed. “The long, slender bone between his knee and his fetlock—you might think of the fetlock as his ankle joint. She must be worried he injured himself on the course.”

  Melissa straightened, and Kate saw fear flash across her expression before she turned away and led Mocha out of the arena.

  “He’s limping,” Colt said. “Not good at all. He still has the biggest course later this afternoon. Melissa won’t stand a chance of winning the championship if she can’t enter that class.”

  Chapter Fourteen

  Kate and her friends lingered outside the barn, hoping for word on Melissa’s horse. “How long will the vet take to examine him? I’d think he’d be finished by now.” Kate turned to Colt. “You said you want to be a vet someday. Do you know what he’s doing?”

  “I volunteer, but so far I’ve mostly cleaned kennels and walked dogs at the clinic. I imagine he’s checking Mocha’s tendons and maybe doing X-rays of his bone.”

  “Seriously?” Kate hadn’t expected something like that.

  “Yeah. They have portable X-ray machines, and it’s not a big deal to bring one out. I hope Mocha’s okay.”

  “Me too.” Kate whispered the words, regretting she’d wished that Melissa would lose. She didn’t even know how many points she’d gotten or what her standing was in the class because they’d all been hanging around the barn since the injury.

  A co
uple of minutes later, Kate’s mom waved at them and walked over. “Mocha might have bowed a tendon. The vet isn’t sure. Or it could be something as simple as popping a splint on his bone, and if so, that will heal in time and won’t cause permanent injury.”

  Kate closed her eyes and sighed. “So that’s good, right? I mean, if it’s a splint instead of a tendon? How soon can she ride him again? Any chance he’ll be okay by the time Melissa needs to enter the final class?”

  “No. The vet wrapped his leg and iced it, but she has instructions not to use Mocha for the next month.”

  Tori cringed. “What a bummer for Melissa.”

  Her mother nodded. “Hadn’t you better get ready for your class, Kate? You’ve been waiting for this for a long time.”

  “Yeah,” she mumbled. But somehow her heart wasn’t in it. She felt terrible for Melissa. She could only imagine what she’d be going through if it had happened to Capri.

  Colt patted his stomach. “I’m starving. You guys got everything under control, or do you need help?”

  Kate waved her hand. “Go eat. You’re looking awfully skinny. Tori and I can take care of things.”

  “Fine.” He grinned at them both. “Want me to bring you something?”

  “Naw. I’m not going to eat till my class is over.”

  “Scared?” He quirked a smile.

  “No way. I just don’t want to spill any food on my clothes, that’s all.”

  “Right.” He winked, then sauntered off, a cheerful whistle drifting after him.

  Tori nudged Kate’s arm. “So, you’re nervous too, huh? You didn’t want Colt to know ’cause he’d tease you?”

  Kate shrugged. “I guess. Mostly, though, I’m worried about Melissa and don’t feel like eating. She’s got to be so upset.”

  “Maybe we should stop by her stall and tell her we’re sorry.”

  Kate perked up. “Good plan. Let’s go.”

  She was thankful most of the indoor classes were finished for now, and the afternoon ones wouldn’t start for another hour. Most of the spectators and participants were outside watching the final round of jumps before lunch. She had more than enough time to get Capri groomed and her tack checked out before her class.

  They neared Mocha’s stall and slowed their pace. “Do you suppose the vet is gone? We don’t want to barge in if Melissa’s still busy,” Kate whispered.

  “Right. Let’s hang here for a minute and see if we hear anything.” Tori stopped near the door two stalls down and leaned against the wall.

  Kate slid the door open, thankful the stall was empty, and beckoned Tori inside. She dropped her voice. “In case the vet comes out, we don’t want him or Melissa to think we’re spying on them. If he walks by, we’ll wait a minute or two and then go, casual like, and tell her we’re sorry about what happened.”

  Tori nodded, her eyes wide.

  Footsteps approached from the opposite direction. They didn’t come from Mocha’s stall, but from the way it sounded they stopped right in front of it.

  “Mom!” Melissa’s voice rang through the walls separating them.

  “Melissa. I got here hoping to see your first jumping class, and I was directed here. I passed the vet in the parking lot, and he told me Mocha will be fine. What’s going on?”

  Kate and Tori looked at each other, and Tori leaned in close to murmur, “Should we try to escape?”

  “I’m afraid they’d see or hear us,” Kate whispered back. “Let’s hang here for now until they leave. We’ll catch up with Melissa later, since her mom’s with her.”

  Melissa’s voice was low, but her words carried through to the empty stall. “Mocha can’t finish the show.”

  “What? But the vet said he’d be fine.”

  “He will, with proper rest and care. I can’t use him for at least a month. I’m sorry, Mom.”

  Kate arched her brows at Tori. Why should Melissa tell her mother she was sorry Mocha got hurt, as if it was something that would upset her mom more than Melissa? Weird. Kate held perfectly still, hating to eavesdrop but intrigued in spite of herself.

  Melissa’s mother’s voice went up a notch. “That is not acceptable, Melissa. You must finish your classes today. You’ve taken a first in one class. How about this last one?”

  “I haven’t heard, but I made it with no penalty points, so I imagine I’ll place, even if I don’t get first place.”

  Something that sounded like a hand hitting the wall made Kate and Tori jump. “You need a first or a second in every class to make regionals.”

  “I know that.” A note of desperation had crept into Melissa’s voice. “But what am I supposed to do? He’s lame. I can’t ride him. It’s over.”

  “It can’t be over!” Melissa’s mother said in an icy tone. “My standing at the country club is based on your success as a rider … and your father’s money. I can’t keep up this charade much longer. Finances are tight. We need this win, Melissa.” There was a slight pause, and her tone turned condescending. “Your prestige among your peers hinges on this win too—as well as your dream to make the Olympic team someday. Then there are college scholarships. This win would ensure you getting into regionals.”

  Kate and Tori, shocked, stared at each other.

  “So are you going to pull another horse out of a hat, then?” Sarcasm and fear dripped from Melissa’s voice. A sharp slap echoed through the stall. “Mom! I can’t believe you hit me!”

  “I will not tolerate disrespect, Melissa. Not from you or anyone else. How about the lesson horse at this barn? Can’t you use him?”

  Tori stiffened next to Kate, and they shot each other a look.

  “He’s not a high enough level, from what I’ve heard. He’s mostly used for flat work and low jumps—hunter-jumper, not intermediate or advanced jumping. Besides, I haven’t taken lessons on him, so I doubt Mrs. Ferris would allow me to use him.”

  “We’ll see about that.”

  “No! Mom, I told you. He can’t compete at the level I need for my final class. He’d fail going over the jumps. Would you rather I scratch the class or look foolish riding a horse that’s obviously not up to it?”

  Mrs. Tolbert heaved a deep sigh. “Neither. I want you to ride in that class and win. But I’m beginning to see that might not be a viable option.”

  “Exactly.” Melissa sounded on the verge of tears, and Kate’s heart twisted.

  “I am not happy about this, Melissa. But I believe I have a solution.”

  Silence followed her declaration. Kate and Tori exchanged glances and took a step closer to the wall.

  “Fine. If you’re just going to stand there and stare at me, I’ll tell you. I’m going to contact the vet and tell him to give Mocha a heavy painkiller so you can ride him in the final class. Since the vet said he’ll be fine with a bit of rest, I can’t imagine a ten-minute ride will hurt.”

  Melissa gasped. “No way! The vet will never agree, and I won’t either. I love that horse, and I’m not going to risk crippling him.”

  “That’s absurd. So ride him, then let him take five weeks off instead of a month, but I doubt that will be necessary, with the proper medication. Why, anything is possible with drugs.”

  “I will not ride him, Mom.”

  “You’ll do as you’re told, and that’s final.” The stall door slid open.

  Footsteps receded in the opposite direction, and Kate wilted against the interior stall wall. She beckoned for Tori to come close and put her lips against her ear. “Let’s get out of here.”

  Tori’s eyes turned toward the stall where Melissa must still have been with her horse.

  Sobs that had barely been discernible suddenly escalated into a full-throated cry. Kate grabbed Tori’s hand and slid the door open, then both girls tiptoed toward the closest exit.

  Kate could barely concentrate on her class as she e
ntered the ring. Melissa’s sobs still rang in her ears. How could her mother threaten to have her horse drugged so she could compete? She shuddered and patted Capri’s neck, thankful neither of her parents was so focused on winning that they’d do something underhanded and hurtful.

  The announcer gave the command to trot, and Kate concentrated on rising on the correct diagonal. She could do this in her sleep now, but apparently not with Melissa on her mind. She and Tori hadn’t talked much about what they’d heard. They barely had time to get Capri groomed and tacked up before Kate’s class was called. If only she’d had time to discuss it with her mom or dad, but both were busy keeping everything running smoothly, as well as watching Pete.

  “Canter, please. Canter your horses.” The announcer’s flat voice sounded over the speaker system.

  Kate touched Capri with her heel, feeling anew when her mare instantly picked up the correct lead. She’d only recently learned how to ask properly, and now she understood why Capri had fought her in the past. Getting the proper response from even a well-trained mount depended so much on understanding how to ask. Some of her friends in Spokane thought that riding a horse amounted to climbing into the saddle, kicking the horse, and hauling back on the reins when they wanted to stop.

  “Walk your horses, please. Walk your horses.”

  Kate kept Capri collected as she brought her down to a walk. She’d looked forward to this class for weeks, and now she wasn’t even enjoying it. Better to keep her mind on what she was doing for a few minutes, since she couldn’t do anything about Melissa or Mocha now—if at all.

  They made several more rounds of the arena, reversing direction and putting their horses through their paces yet again. A judge with a clipboard stood in the middle watching each rider as they passed and jotting down notes. Kate wondered if she was writing negative or positive things each time her head bent over the clipboard.

  “Form a line in the middle of the arena, please.”

  The riders did as they were told, then each one backed her horse, then moved forward, taking their original position. Kate hadn’t noticed anyone messing up, and she doubted she’d even place with over a dozen riders in this class. It didn’t matter anymore. She’d had the fun of taking part, and there was at least one more class she planned to enter later, so there was always hope for a ribbon then.