The Canterwood Crest Stable of Books

by Jessica Burkhart

I tightened Chomp’s girth and moved to his head. “Grab the bridle, please,” I told Paige, pointing to it.

  She handed it to me.

  “So, you put the reins over the horse’s head and take off the halter,” I said. “Now we put on the bridle.”

  Paige stepped closer to see. I could do this in my sleep, so I had to think about how to explain it to her.

  “You hold the crown piece with your right hand and the bit with your left. Put the bit right under the horse’s mouth and say, ‘Open.’”

  “Crown piece, bit, open,” Paige repeated.

  “Open,” I told Chomp. He opened his mouth and I slid the bit inside while pulling the crown piece over his ears. “There. Now, we make sure nothing’s twisted or too tight and we’re ready!”

  “Wow,” Paige said. “I had no idea it was so complicated! You have to remember all of that.”

  “It’s easy now. You’d remember it after a few times too. C’mon. You need a helmet.”

  We led Chomp to the tack room and I held him in the aisle while Paige found a helmet. She put it on, pieces of pretty strawberry-gold hair peeking out, and we walked into the arena.

  “This place is huge,” Paige marveled, playing with the silver ring on her thumb.

  “Don’t worry. I won’t let go of the reins till you’re ready,” I promised.

  “’Kay.” Paige took a deep breath.

  I motioned for her to stand next to Chomp. “Grab onto his mane up here,” I patted the spot. “And put your left foot in the stirrup. Kind of bounce, then push yourself up into the saddle.”

  “You’ll hold him, right?” Paige’s eyes widened as she looked at the saddle.

  “Swear. He won’t move.”

  Paige hesitated for a second before she grabbed Chomp’s black mane and stuck her foot in the stirrup. She hopped twice, then lifted herself into the saddle.

  “Excellent!” I said. “That was perfect.”

  Keeping a hand on the reins, I moved to Chomp’s head. “Put the stirrups on the balls of your feet and push your heels down.”

  Paige did. “Like that?”

  “Yep. And hold the reins like this.” I stepped back by Chomp’s neck and rearranged Paige’s fingers on the reins.

  “How do I make him go where I want?” Paige asked, looking down at me.

  “You gently pull the rein in the direction you want to go. If you want him to speed up, tap him with your heels. To slow, just pull back gently on the reins.”

  “That’s a lot!”

  “It is, but it’ll just come to you. It’s weird. But you’ll see.”

  Paige nodded, clutching the reins. Her wide eyes peeked out from under the brim of her helmet. I swear I could see her heart beating through her sweater.

  “Let’s walk. Squeeze gently with your legs,” I told Paige.

  She did and Chomp walked forward. I kept my hands on the reins and helped guide him in a circle.

  The scared look on Paige’s face started to fade after several laps. “This is fun!” she said finally. “I’m actually riding!”

  I smiled. “You totally are! Say, ‘Whoa,’ and pull on the reins.”

  “Whoa,” Paige said.

  Chomp slowed to a stop and I patted his neck. “Start again.”

  Paige urged Chomp forward, smiling when he responded.

  “He’s listening!”

  “He better,” I joked. “He’s got Paige Parker on board!”

  I guided Chomp around the arena a few more times.

  “I’m going to let you go,” I said, releasing the reins.

  Paige’s shoulders stiffened. “Um, okay.”

  “Relax,” I soothed. “I’m right here. You’ve got it.”

  Paige squeezed Chomp with her legs. The bay ambled forward a few steps and stopped, looking back at me.

  “More leg pressure,” I said. “Tap him with your heels and squeeze with your legs. Tell him to walk.”

  “Walk,” Paige commanded, her voice firm. Chomp walked forward—right to the wall! He stopped with his face to the wall, and flicked his tail.

  “Sasha,” Paige said in a tiny voice. “I did it wrong.”

  I tried not to laugh. “No, you didn’t. I’m coming!”

  I grabbed Chomp’s reins and led him away from the wall. “Try it again,” I told Paige.

  She got Chomp to walk forward, and this time, they made several successful circuits around the arena.

  “Looking good,” Mr. Conner called, walking over to me.

  I crossed my fingers and willed Paige to ride well and not run Chomp into the wall. Out of the corner of my eye, I watched Mr. Conner looking at Paige. She made a few laps around the arena and I knew she’d nailed it.

  “You taught her well,” he said.

  “Thanks,” I said, fighting back a grin. “So…can we go?”

  He nodded. “Just stick to the designated trails and don’t go off exploring. No cross-country, either.”

  “Okay, we won’t.”

  “Nice work, Paige. Have fun,” Mr. Conner said as he left.

  Paige smiled and guided Chomp over to me. “I passed!”

  “Um, of course. I taught you.”

  Paige rolled her eyes. “Let’s go.”

  Eric, Paige, and I rode the horses side by side across the stable yard. Paige was in the middle—the safest spot for a new rider. I took a breath of fresh spring air and tipped my face toward the sun. It felt good to be out on the trails.

  “You okay?” I asked her.

  “Yup,” she said, smiling. “Fine.”

  I leaned forward to rub Charm’s neck. But when I looked up, my mood dimmed. Callie stood yards away, watching us. Her eyes landed on Paige, and shock registered on her face. Before the Jacob mess, Callie and I had planned to take Paige on a trail ride.

  I slumped into Charm’s saddle and couldn’t stop looking at Callie, who looked like she was going to cry. She started to wave at us, but her hand fell limply into the air.

  I tore my eyes away from Callie, not looking at her as we rode by. We kept the horses at a walk as we started toward the woods. Paige and Eric didn’t say anything about Callie, and I didn’t bring it up.

  “Like it?” I asked Paige.

  “Love. It.” She patted Chomp’s neck. “It’s a totally new perspective from up here. Trail riding rocks.”

  “I could ride out here every day,” Eric said. “And Luna would love it.”

  “Yeah, Charm wouldn’t mind if we never had another lesson,” I said. “He’d be supercool with hanging out in the pasture and relaxing on the trails.”

  The three of us chatted easily, and soon I’d forgotten all about Callie.

  17

  TO SNITCH OR NOT TO SNITCH

  “SO WILL YOUR MOM FREAK WHEN YOU TELL her that you went riding?” Eric asked.

  Paige nodded. “Oh, yeah. She doesn’t think riding is a ‘ladylike’ activity. Now, if the horses had pulled us in a carriage, she’d love it.”

  We laughed and I looked around, taking in the scenery. The dirt trail, worn by the hooves of many horses, twisted through the forest. Bare trees flanked both sides of the trail and cast strange shadows over us. I glanced over at Eric and saw that he was already staring at me. We smiled at each other. I didn’t look away until Charm snorted and pulled on the reins.

  “This is gorgeous,” Paige said. She looked like an expert equestrian now, easily guiding Chomp down the path.

  We’d reached the part of the trail that was separated from a large open field by a stone wall.

  “It’s my favorite,” I said.

  We edged the horses closer to the wall. Charm tossed his head and strained against the reins, begging me to let him go faster.

  “Want to trot?” Eric asked with a nod to Charm.

  I looked over at Paige. “You can handle it,” I said. “And we’ll walk whenever you want.”

  “Okay. How do I trot?”

  “Touch him with your heels and say, ‘Trot,’” I instructed.
/>   I moved Charm closer to Paige, ready to help her if necessary.

  “Trot,” Paige said. She tapped her boots against Chomp’s sides. Eric and I did the same to Luna and Charm. All three horses started trotting at the same time.

  “Good job,” I told Paige.

  Paige’s head bobbed as she bounced in the saddle. Her hands jerked up and down, and she almost lost a stirrup.

  “Try to post,” Eric said, pulling Luna beside Chomp. He showed Paige how to move in the saddle.

  Paige, her tongue sticking out of the corner of her mouth, stood up straight in the saddle, then plopped back down. “That’s not right, is it?” she asked.

  “Move forward and backward instead of up and down,” I said. “Like this.”

  Paige watched for a few seconds before trying it again. After a few more tries, her posting finally resembled, well, posting.

  “There!” I said. “You got it.”

  We let the horses trot for several yards.

  Paige pointed to the far side of the field. “Someone’s riding over there.”

  I half stood in the stirrups and squinted to see. A gray blur raced over the grass and leaped the stone wall. The rider, pumping her arms, urged the horse to a near gallop and they hurtled toward a line of brush hedges.

  “Oh, my God,” I said. “It’s Jasmine and Phoenix.”

  I looked over at Eric. His fingers clenched around the reins. His face reddened. “I can’t believe she’d do something so stupid like riding alone—especially so recklessly,” he said. “She could hurt herself—not to mention Phoenix.”

  “Isn’t she experienced enough to ride by herself?” Paige asked.

  “It’s never safe to jump alone. Especially not like that,” I said.

  Paige nodded. “But maybe she asked someone to come with her and they said no.” Eric and I exchanged a look. We knew better. Jasmine wanted to ride alone.

  We started our horses across the field. Jasmine didn’t slow Phoenix as she jumped him over six hedges. She turned Phoenix in our direction and her head snapped up.

  Jasmine kicked Phoenix forward and he galloped toward us. His speed increased with every stride. He looked like molten steel coming at us.

  Jasmine let Phoenix gallop until he was just yards away. She pulled him to a halt, his hooves digging into the grass.

  “Spying on me?” Jasmine huffed. “Really?” She dropped Phoenix’s knotted reins around his neck and crossed her arms.

  “Riding alone?” I mimicked. “Really?”

  Jasmine rolled her eyes. “So what? Like I want all of you stealing my technique.”

  Eric laughed. He urged Luna forward, stopping her next to Phoenix. He glared at Jasmine and she seemed to sink into the saddle. “We take lessons together. I see you ride every day.”

  Jasmine’s mouth flopped open for a second. “Whatever, Eric.”

  I shrugged. “Mr. Conner will flip when I tell him what you’ve been doing.”

  Jasmine adjusted the collar of her red and black tartan coat. “You’re going to snitch on me for this?”

  “Risking a horse is kind of a big deal,” I replied.

  I could tell that Eric was furious at Jas for putting Phoenix in danger. His jaw was set, his gaze was intense, and he was obviously trying to keep his mouth shut. He’d been staring Jasmine down since she’d ridden over to us. He truly cared about horses, and it made me like him even more.

  “So?” Jas asked. “Are you going to tell, or what?”

  Eric’s eyes stayed on her.

  “Ride back with us now,” I said.

  “And promise never do it again,” Eric added.

  “Or,” I said, “we’ll have no other choice but to tell Mr. Conner.”

  Jasmine stared at me for a looong time. Her face turned pink and she mashed her lips together.

  “Fine,” she spat.

  “Good,” Eric said lightly. “Let’s go.” He motioned for Jas to ride in front of him. She rolled her eyes and followed Paige and me out of the field. We got back on the trail, no one saying a word.

  Jasmine, shoving Phoenix between Charm and Chomp, rode next to me.

  “Did you drag Paige out here just so you could have an actual friend to ride with?” Jasmine asked me. “Someone other than Intermediate Eric?”

  “FYI, Paige wanted to come,” I said. “And stop trashing Eric about being an intermediate. You are too!”

  Jasmine laughed. “Please. You’re one to talk. Luck got you where you are—nothing else.”

  “Sasha’s a great rider,” Eric said. “Way better than you’ll ever be, and you know it.”

  “Ooooh,” Jasmine cooed. “How sweet. What? Is she your girlfriend or something?”

  I ducked my head and shifted my eyes to Eric. I wanted to tell Jasmine the truth, but I couldn’t. Jasmine would tell everyone. Eric just looked at me, like he was waiting for me to say something.

  “He’s being a good friend,” Paige interrupted, saving me. “I’d thought you knew something about that when we talked in the common room. Guess not.”

  Jasmine stared straight ahead, not even bothering to comment back. We were all silent for the rest of the ride.

  Back at the stable, we crosstied our horses and groomed them. Heather, Julia, and Alison walked by Jasmine without saying a word. They were obviously afraid of Violet, not that they’d ever admit it.

  Mr. Conner walked up to us, stopping in front of Paige.

  “Did you have a good ride?” he asked.

  “It was great,” Paige said. “Thanks for letting me ride.”

  Mr. Conner smiled. “You’re welcome. Anytime.” He walked toward Jasmine and she hurriedly went back to grooming.

  “Jasmine,” Mr. Conner said. “I scheduled your advanced team testing for next Saturday. If you need any advice or help preparing, let me know.”

  “Okay, thanks.” Jasmine said. “I’ll be ready,”

  I groaned. Days when riding lessons were fun? Almost over.

  As Mr. Conner walked away, Jasmine peered at me from down the aisle and grinned. “Guess who’s about to become your new teammate?”

  Groan. I flicked the dandy brush over Charm’s back, working hard not to think about how everything was about to change. And definitely not for the better.

  18

  DEFINE “SPORT”

  IGNORING CALLIE DURING ENGLISH CLASS had almost become an art. I bent over my Tuesday to-do list and didn’t look at her as she took her seat.

  “Umm, so…” Callie started. I looked at her for a second before scribbling fake notes on my paper. Sparkles. Charm. Eric. “How’s bio? One of my friends in the class said Peterson has been giving lots of quizzes.”

  I shrugged without looking up.

  Mr. Davidson walked into the room, shutting the door behind him. “Pop quiz time, everyone! Please get out a clean sheet of paper and clear your desk.

  “Question one,” Mr. Davidson started.

  I looked down at my paper, trying to remember everything I’d read last night in Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s The Hound of the Baskervilles. Well, more like tried to read while I shopped at Express online. I’d needed—okay, wanted—a new skirt for my future first date with Eric. The date I could go on the second I told people about us. I hadn’t found anything perfect enough, but it had taken me hours to discover that.

  “What year did Doyle write The Hound of the Baskervilles?” Mr. Davidson asked.

  I stared at my page. Think!

  I scribbled, 1901. That sounded right…didn’t it?

  “Question two,” Mr. Davidson said. He glanced at his question sheet. “Who narrated the book?”

  Holmes? Or Watson. Holmes. No. That sounded too obvious. I stared at my paper. Online shopping had so been the wrong choice last night!

  Mr. Davidson stepped out from behind his desk. “Question three.”

  Wait! I still hadn’t answered the second question. I wrote down Holmes, then erased it and put Watson.

  A sick feeling crept i
nto my stomach. One quiz wouldn’t kill me—I had an A in the class—but after a rocky fall semester, I didn’t want to fail anything.

  Mr. Davidson asked three more questions, and with each one, I got more confused. I had some serious work to do tonight.

  I hurried down the stable aisle to the tack room. Only a few more lessons without Jasmine, I thought.

  I pushed open the door and walked right into a Jas-bashing session courtesy of the Trio.

  “She’s beyond pathetic,” Heather said. She was sitting in a folding chair. Julia and Alison were cross-legged on horse blankets in front of her. “She really thinks that teaming up with the Belles will save her?”

  Alison shook her head. “Please. They’ll use her and kick her out of their group so fast. She’ll never be their real friend.”

  “I’d watch it,” I said, grabbing Charm’s tack. “Violet seemed pretty serious when she said that stuff to you, Heather.”

  “So what?” Julia asked. “It’s not like they can do anything to us.”

  Heather looked over, daring me to disagree. “Seriously, Silver. I just let Violet think she won that day. Like I listen to anyone.”

  Julia and Alison nodded.

  Whatever. Their funeral. I shrugged and slipped out the door.

  After my lesson I walked and groomed Charm. I turned him loose in his stall and went to the grain room for his feed.

  I finished measuring Charm’s grain and took it to his stall. “Here, boy,” I said. I hung up his bucket, then kissed his cheek. “See you tomorrow!”

  I dashed to the stable exit and found Eric waiting for me.

  “Haven’t seen you in a while,” I said.

  “I know,” he said seriously. “And I have a dorm meeting in Blackwell in a few minutes. But IM tonight?”

  I couldn’t believe I was about to say it, but…

  “I can’t,” I said, scuffing my boots as we walked. “I want to, but I messed up in English today. I’m not studying enough and I can’t let my grades slip.”

  “Yeah, you can’t mess up your shot at the YENT,” Eric agreed. “No problem—we’ll talk later.”

  “But if you happen to text me once or twice,” I said, looking at him sideways, “I think I can take a little break for that.”