by Anthology
His short, reddish blond hair and brown eyes made him attractive but not breathtaking or stunning. With his precisely trimmed mustache and gold-rimmed glasses, he was the perfect, stereotypical computer guru. Smart and simple. She had dated many men during her adult years but found very few as compatible as Brayden. The cowboys she had dated snickered and almost seemed embarrassed that she was a dressage rider.
She had also dated “city” or urban men but quickly found out they didn’t appreciate the time required to train a horse. They quickly came to resent the time she spent in the barn instead of with them. They were bored at the horse shows and didn’t like being put on the back burner during the show season.
The small Colorado town that bordered Wyoming raised mostly roping and barrel racing riders and fans. English riders were few and far between and considered snobbish in her community. She had tried to fit in at first, showing quarter horses in Western Pleasure classes and the speed races such as barrel-racing and pole-bending, but she was overwhelmed by the beauty and elegance of dressage and gave up her quarter horses for warmbloods. The strength and size of these horses were like a drug for her and when she made them dance, she became one with her horse instead of just a rider.
Kip seemed to have understood the time she needed with her horses and used that time working on his computer programs, he spending as much time at his office as she did in the barn. When he wasn’t at the office, he was at his desk at home, working on the latest software program designed to save companies money, which is how she met him.
He had developed a program with the help of a local vet to track the fertility and breeding schedule for equine breeding facilities. She had traveled two hundred miles to attend the seminar and had met Kip after the talk to ask him more about the program. They were both excited about the new software, him because he had spent three years developing it, and her because it would make it easier to track her mares breeding cycles. Their conversation continued over dinner and they found they lived only fourteen miles apart. Now, fast-forward thirteen months from that night and here they were, their wedding day.
“Are you doing alright?” Her reverie was broken when her mother came into her room.
Rebecca broke into a smile at seeing her mother, Evelyn, dressed so elegantly and nodded. “Everything is fine, Mama. I’m ready to go. Is Kip here?”
“Yes, right on time, just like clockwork.” she said, then both of them laughed, knowing Kip’s history of punctuality.
Evelyn crossed the room and hugged her daughter, tears welling in her eyes. She knew her daughter was having second thoughts about the marriage and seeing the doubt in her eyes, wanted to comfort her and make things right. “You know that it’s not too late. We can call this whole thing off if you want to.”
Rebecca felt her own eyes fill with tears and shook her head. “No, Mama. It’s too late. And everyone is here, all the money you and Dad spent, our family spending their hard-earned money to fly out here. Plus, I want to do this. It’ll all be ok, it’s just nerves. He’s a good man and he treats me right.”
“Everyone on our side of the family would understand. We’d just turn this into one big, family party and have a blast!” her mother argued gently. “You could just, postpone the wedding, just a little longer until you’re sure.”
“No, I couldn’t do it to Kip. I do love him.” she trailed off. But even as she said the words, she felt a pang of uncertainty. “This is right.” she stated, trying to shake off the feeling and give her more strength.
“Ok, if you’re sure, honey. They’re ready for you then, the music is about to begin.” Her mother kissed her cheek.
Rebecca nodded and looked one last time in the mirror. “Okay, let’s start the wedding.”
CHAPTER TWO
“Why do you have to be such a witch about it?” Kip screamed at her. “I promise I’ll be home in time to take you out for a nice dinner and we’ll still make it to your friend’s house for the party!”
“It’s already six o’clock and we’re supposed to be at Megan’s in an hour. I know for a fact she baked my favorite cake and had her kids go over to their grandparents’ house over an hour ago.” Rebecca softened her tone. “This is a really important night for me, alright?”
“I know, and it will be, I promise. I just need ten more minutes then I’m on my way. We’ll make it, Becks, and you’ll have an amazing birthday.”
Rebecca cringed at the pet name Kip had come up with for her. Instead of making the situation more volatile, she conceded to Kip. “Ok, I’ll be ready.”
“Thanks, Love. I’ll see you in a few.” His tone became loving and she found it irritating. He used that tone every time he got his way, which lately seemed all of the time.
She immediately called Megan, who had been her best friend since childhood, and explained that Kip was running late but they were still planning on coming. An hour and a half later, Kip pulled into the drive. She didn’t say a word as she got into the car. When he tried to lamely explain how time got away from him, she put her hand up and shook her head. She wasn’t in the mood for his feeble excuses.
She was torn between being utterly furious and completely crushed at his complete lack of consideration. Her own husband blew off her birthday. He hadn’t sent flowers, given her a card or even called to wish her a happy birthday. When she had woke up this morning, he was already gone, no note, no special breakfast, nothing. She knew he was working on a new software program that excited him but the project wasn’t due for another eleven months. She’d called his cell phone at ten-thirty, wanting to catch him before lunch. He sounded perplexed at why she called and she suddenly realized that he had forgotten her birthday. Trying not to let it affect her, she reminded him that they were going out to dinner then over to Megan’s to celebrate Rebecca’s birthday.
She didn’t know if his hesitation was because he was embarrassed at forgetting her birthday or was trying to figure out how to get out of it. His actions proved to her it was the latter. She stormed out to the vehicle and got into the passenger side, looking out of the window, unable to look at her husband. He got in quietly, started the vehicle and drove into town.
She was a little surprised when he pulled into the parking lot of a nice restaurant. “What are you doing?” she asked, unable to keep the annoyance out of her voice.
“I promised my baby a birthday dinner so that’s what we are doing.” he smiled, seemingly oblivious to her irritation.
“Well, that would have been nice three hours ago but now all we have time for is drive thru at a fast food restaurant. We should have been over at Megan’s two hours ago.”
“Fine.” he snapped and whipped the Lexus convertible around, pulling back onto the street. “But don’t ever accuse me of not trying to do something nice for you on your birthday.”
She stared at him incredulously but decided to bite her tongue. They’d be at Megan’s house in a couple of minutes and she didn’t want to waste her energy fighting with him.
She felt relief as she saw Megan’s adorable, sunshine yellow house come into view. It was a two-story, Cape-Cod home with a covered wrap-around porch. The railings and shutters were a bright, cheerful white. Megan had rocking chairs and tables set strategically around the porch, so that no matter what the weather, a person could enjoy the outdoors without suffering the weather. Brilliant colored annuals bloomed from the hanging baskets, spaced evenly and safely away from the ceiling fans that lazily stirred the evening air. The home could have been the feature cover of Better Homes & Gardens. She was out of the car and at Megan’s door before Kip had a chance to shut off the engine. Megan, her best friend of ten years, met her at the door with a glass of wine in her hand, ready for her.
“Rough night?” Megan asked. “Where’s Kip?”
“I’m right here. Had to get the key out of the ignition and all.” he drawled sarcastically as he pecked Megan on the cheek. “Rob here?” he peered anxiously around Megan and into the house.
&nbs
p; “In the dining room. Cold beer in the fridge.” she smiled.
Kip disappeared through the beige-toned living room, heading in the direction of the dining room as Rebecca lingered on the porch.
“Are you alright? Things get worked out between the two of you?” Megan asked.
“He forgot my birthday! Then I had to call and remind him, then he blew me off tonight for work! Can you believe it?” Rebecca fumed, unable to hold back the tears that had been threatening all night.
“Oh, honey. I’m so sorry. Is he under a deadline? You know they don’t wait, even for birthdays.” her friend tried to console.
“Yeah, he is. Eleven months from now!” Rebecca hissed.
“Are you kidding me? Did he at least get you a nice present? Usually men will make up a big mistake with something extravagant. Remember when Rob forgot our anniversary? I got a gorgeous ruby and diamond pendant! I only wear it when the kids are at grandmas, see?” Megan pulled the neckline of her shirt to expose the delicate, heart-shaped necklace that lay at the base of her throat.
“I remember that. Veronica tried teething on it and you just about had a stroke.” Rebecca giggled, the memory of the eight-month-old baby happily gumming away on Megan’s new necklace. Her smile faded as she answered Megan. “No, he didn’t get me anything. He tried to take me to a fancy dinner fifteen minutes ago but I told him to forget it, he should have thought about that three hours ago.”
“Oh, my God! You haven’t eaten? Give me that wine back and I’ll go make you something.”
Megan reached for the glass but Rebecca pulled it away from her and shook her head. “I’m fine. We grabbed Subway sandwiches on the way over. I need my wine now.”
“Alright, so let’s talk about something you enjoy. Horses!” Megan grinned and sat down on one of the porch chairs.
Rebecca sighed and stared at her best friend. At five-foot-five, Megan had kept her petite, hourglass figure through all three of her pregnancies. Her long, brunette hair always seemed to shine with natural auburn highlights. Her cheekbones and deep brown eyes reminded Rebecca of an American Indian beauty but Megan swore she was English and Canadian.
She was pure city girl, having never ridden a horse until she met Rebecca. Though they both grew up in the small town, Megan would have fit right in with a larger city like San Francisco or New York. She was more into fashion and who was on the red carpet than which horse was destined for the Olympics. Yet here she was wanting to know where Rebecca was with her fascination. She amazed Rebecca, who in turn, could care less who was at the Grammys or Oscars, or whatever it was that Megan kept up with. Rebecca decided she would start picking up In Style magazines so she could get involved with her friend’s obsession and be able to support Megan as much as Megan supported her. Because Kip didn’t have an interest in Rebecca’s passion, it was nice to talk to someone about it.
“Othello is doing awesome! I think we’ll be ready for the freestyle competition at the Stock Show in Denver come January. I’m trying to get permission from a musician to use his music but I keep getting the runaround from his managers.” Rebecca snorted in disgust. With all of the negative press of using music without the artist’s permission, riders had to fight through miles of red tape to use just one song. “If I didn’t think Luke Grayson’s song was so perfect for our ride, I would drop it and find another artist.”
“You want to use a Luke Grayson song? Holy crap! That’s huge!” Megan exclaimed. “He has four songs on the top forty right now!”
Rebecca smiled, seeing Megan’s excitement at the mention of a top charting artist’s name. That excitement was what she was hoping she would get from the spectators during her class. In freestyle dressage, it wasn’t just about performing a spectacular routine, it was also about the music and the emotions you were able to stir from your audience. It was all judged, including the audience response. She had always listened to pop and country music but when she had heard this one particular song, it had struck a perfect chord that would naturally flow with a horse’s movement. She had played the song, Love Everlasting, over and over again, visually creating a routine in her head that she believed would be a show stopper.
She had thought that getting permission would be easy but found it was harder than she had imagined. It hadn’t been hard getting Mr. Grayson’s managers names off of the CD she bought but getting the approval was turning into a nightmare. She left message after message on the phone number she had been given and her emails were returned with vague responses, stating that her request was under consideration and they would contact her in the near future. It was turning into a very frustrating situation.
“Don’t get too excited. They haven’t authorized me to use his music yet. It seems that a lot of people want to use his music and to use it without having to pay any royalties or giving him credit. It’s really becoming a big issue.” Rebecca explained.
“It’s still so exciting! What song did you pick? Do I know it?” Megan asked excitedly, almost spilling her drink as she moved towards the edge of her seat.
Rebecca giggled at her friend’s enthusiasm. “I don’t know, it’s called Love Everlasting but I haven’t heard it on the radio yet.”
“Oh, my God! I love that song! It’s on his older album and it’s so beautiful! You have to use it! It will be a hit!”
“Don’t get too excited yet. I have to meet with them next week to see…”
“You’re meeting with Luke Grayson next week? And you didn’t tell me sooner? This is awesome! I have to go! I’ll be your counselor, or your manager, oh hell, I’ll be your luggage carrier!”
“Hold it, Megs!” Rebecca laughed, reverting to the teenage nickname had she called her. “I’m pretty sure it’s just his managers. They had me mail them a video of what freestyle dressage was and I know this is probably just a preliminary meeting. You know, to make sure I’m not some psycho.”
“Does Kip know you’re going? Is he going?”
“Yes, he knows and as usual, he doesn’t care, so no, he is not going. It’s just another “horsy thing” to him. I wouldn’t be surprised if he’s forgotten about it already.” Rebecca grumbled.
“I’m sorry, Rebecca. I’m sure he does care, in his own way.” Megan tried to soothe her but even she didn’t believe her own words.
“Nice try but even you know Kip could care less. He’s all software and computers and I’m all horses. But we knew that going into the marriage.” Rebecca added softly.
“Sorry to interrupt, ladies.” Kip surprised them both when he popped his head out of the front door. “My mom’s on the cell phone and I believe she wants to wish Rebecca a happy birthday.” He held out the phone to Rebecca and gave a slight smile. “Just bring it back into me when you’re done.”
Rebecca nodded and stone-faced took the phone. “Hi, Lorena, how are you?” she asked pleasantly.
“Happy birthday! How’s my favorite daughter-in-law?” Lorena’s voice blared through the phone and Rebecca had to hold it away from her ear.
“Doing fine and thank you.” she answered. There had never been loving exchanges between her and Lorena. Lorena had four daughters but Kip was her only son and she was very involved in his life. For reasons only known to Lorena, Rebecca had never been good enough for her son. Her sickly sweet voice put Rebecca on her guard and she wondered what Lorena wanted now. Probably to make dinner plans for the three of them.
“You’re welcome. So tell me what did my fantastic boy do for you on your birthday?”
“Oh, nothing so far. He got tied up at the office, as usual.” Rebecca could have kicked herself for adding the last comment but the anger was still boiling inside.
“Well, you have to forgive him, having to work so hard to support that hobby of yours.”
Rebecca gritted her teeth and fought back a nasty response. From the day they got married, Kip had insisted on separate checking accounts. Because Rebecca’s pride had been hurt, she agreed. They would split all of the household bills right down t
he middle and whatever each person earned, was theirs to keep. There was no community funds. For Kip, it was new cars, new computers and his attire. For her, it was an older, Ford diesel truck and her horses. Neither person knew what the other had in their account, although Rebecca’s was growing larger and larger with the sales of her foals and stud fees. She was very comfortable but lived extremely frugal. Judging her appearance and how she lived, no one would guess that she had over fifty-thousand dollars in her account.
“Well thank you for calling me. I’d better get you back to Kip.” she tried to end the conversation.
“You know, dear,” Lorena interrupted, “just between us, woman to woman, if you would just lose that twenty-five extra pounds that Kip has mentioned he might be a little more attentive.”
Rebecca felt like someone just slammed a fist into her stomach. “What?” she stumbled.
Lorena, oblivious to Rebecca’s response, continued. “And if you would be just a little more adventurous in the bedroom, I mean, you can’t expect a man to be satisfied with a missionary position all of the time. He needs variety and if he can’t get it from his wife, he may likely wander, dear.” She rambled on as if they were discussing a new cookie recipe.
Rebecca must have blanched because Megan was at her side. “What is it? What is she saying?”
Rebecca put her hand up to signal for Megan to wait as she sputtered into the cell phone. “Kip talks to you about our sex life?”
