The Canterwood Crest Stable of Books

by Jessica Burkhart

  Jasmine grabbed a root beer from the fridge, popped the top, and took a sip. “Well, even though Callie’s your ex-BFF, you should still care that she’s having a crisis.”

  “Omigod!” I stood up. “What’s wrong?”

  Jasmine sauntered over to the recliner by the fire, moving infuriatingly slow.

  “Jasmine!” I snapped. “What?!”

  She sighed. “Black Jack, or whatever his name is, got hurt. Callie’s—”

  Jasmine didn’t even finish her sentence before I grabbed my coat and dashed out of the room. I shoved open the Winchester doors and ran all the way to the stable. I felt sick and like I couldn’t catch my breath. Please, please, don’t let it be serious. Callie would die if anything ever happened to Jack.

  The arenas and stable yard were empty. I hurried through the stable entrance and ran down the main aisle, not caring if I got in trouble for running inside. Near the end of the aisle, I saw Callie and Mr. Conner standing by Jack. He was in crossties and Mr. O’Brady, the farrier, was bent over his right front hoof.

  “Callie!” I called.

  Callie turned to me, her eyes red and teary. I ran over to her and grabbed her in a hug.

  “I-I hurt him,” she sobbed, shaking against me.

  “No, no,” I soothed, squeezing her. “Whatever happened must have been an accident.”

  Mr. Conner, who had been murmuring something to Mr. O’Brady, turned to us.

  “It was an accident,” he said. “Callie, you did absolutely nothing wrong. These things do occur. It’s not your fault.”

  “What happened?” I asked, looking at Callie.

  She rubbed her face with her free hand. “We were jumping yesterday in the arena and Jack took a misstep. I pulled him up and checked him, but nothing felt wrong. We worked out in the arena for another half an hour and he never acted like he was in pain.”

  Callie took a shaky breath, composing herself.

  “Today, we went through flatwork fine,” she said. “I took him over one oxer and he limped.” Callie struggled to hold back tears, which almost made me cry. “I should have called Mr. O’Brady yesterday!”

  “You didn’t know,” I said. “You take the best care of Jack. The second you realized something was wrong, you got help.”

  Callie let out a shuddering breath. “I feel so bad for him.”

  Trying to stay out of Mr. O’Brady’s way, we stepped by Jack’s head. Callie rubbed his cheek and I patted his neck. The always calm Morab was obviously in pain—he rested the tip of his hoof on the ground and didn’t even react when we touched him. His head drooped and his ears flicked dejectedly.

  “You’ll be okay, boy,” I whispered.

  Mr. O’Brady straightened and looked at us. He rubbed a hand over his bristly reddish beard. “I tested the hoof for soreness and it’s definitely a bruise. It will heal, but he’s going to need time.”

  Phew. A bruise was painful, but it could have been something much worse. Callie let out a breath, and her eyes brightened. “A bruise? Really?”

  Mr. O’Brady nodded. “Yes. But you’re not going to be able to ride him for at least a week or two. In a few days, you can hand walk him over soft ground.”

  “Mike and Doug will help too,” Mr. Conner assured Callie.

  “You may also soak his hoof,” Mr. O’Brady said. “But rest is what he really needs.”

  Mr. O’Brady gathered his tools and shook Mr. Conner’s hand.

  “Call me if his condition changes,” Mr. O’Brady said. He patted Jack’s neck.

  Callie nodded. “We will. Thank you so much for helping him.”

  Mr. O’Brady left and we—Mr. Conner included—sighed with relief.

  Mr. Conner turned to Callie. “Jack’s going to be fine, Callie. We’ll all help you with him, okay? Try not to worry.”

  “Thanks,” Callie said. “I’ll be here every second that I can to take care of him.”

  “And in the meantime, for practices,” Mr. Conner said, “you’re welcome to use any of the stable horses.”

  Callie glanced at Jack. “Thanks, but I’d feel bad riding when Jack’s stuck in his stall.”

  I shook my head. “Cal, he’s going to be sleeping and healing. He won’t know that you’re riding another horse. Promise. You have to practice.”

  “Sasha’s right,” Mr. Conner said, picking up his clipboard from the table. “Come see me tomorrow afternoon. I’ll help you find the right horse.”

  Callie paused for a second. “Okay. Thanks.”

  Mr. Conner patted Jack before walking back to his office.

  “Let’s take Jack back to his stall,” I said.

  Callie and I took a spot on either side of Jack’s head. We unclipped the crossties and walked superslow down the aisle, letting Jack take his time. He limped down the aisle, bobbing his head with every step. Callie’s eyes filled with tears as she led him. I couldn’t even imagine how I would feel if this had happened to Charm. I took a deep breath, trying not to cry.

  We finally got him to his stall and Callie released him inside. Jack, not even looking at Callie, moved into the corner by the hay net and put his head down.

  “Oh, Jack,” Callie said, her voice shaky.

  “He’s going to be fine,” I said with empathy. “Promise.”

  I stood by Callie and we watched Jack for a few minutes. He didn’t move, just kept still in the corner.

  Callie was quiet for a minute. “Do you think it’s, like, karma or something?”

  “What?”

  “I was going to ride him across the yard at midnight for the Belles’ dare. Do you think this injury is payback because I almost did that to him?”

  “No way,” I said, shaking my head. “This was an accident. Stop blaming yourself. We’re gonna heal him and you’ll be riding him again soon enough. ’Kay?”

  “Okay,” Callie whispered.

  “Have you had anything to eat today?” I asked. “You look sort of pale.”

  She shook her head. “No, but I don’t want to leave him yet.”

  “If you want, I’ll run to the Sweet Shoppe and grab us something. We can have a picnic by Jack’s stall.”

  “Really?” Callie smiled and swiped at her eyes. “That would be great. Thanks.”

  “I’ll be right back. Call me if you need something.”

  I left Callie with Jack and jogged all the way to the Sweet Shoppe—my second trip there today. The sky had darkened even more since Paige and I had been out. Extra pink sprinkles were absolutely necessary.

  I texted Paige as I walked, knowing she was worried about Callie and Jack.

  Jack will b fine. Bruised hoof. Needs rest.

  Phew!! U staying w/ C? Paige texted.

  4 a bit. B back ltr.

  Inside the shop, I ordered hot chocolates, cookies, and minimuffins—all of the essential comfort foods. I moved away from the counter to wait for my order. The Trio sat at a corner table, sipping iced coffees. Their Burberry coats were draped over the backs of their chairs and they’d piled their gloves and scarves on a nearby table.

  I walked over to them, noticing most of their table was covered with Julia’s and Alison’s history books, notepads, crumpled papers, and pens.

  Heather eyed me. “What’s wrong?” she asked warily. “You’re making the damsel-in-distress face.”

  “Jack got hurt,” I said.

  Julia and Alison dropped their pens. “What?!” they asked in unison.

  “What happened?” Heather asked.

  “Callie jumped him yesterday and he landed weird,” I said. “She checked him, thought he was fine, and kept riding. Today, she took him over an oxer and he started limping.”

  Heather’s eyes were wide. “Did Mr. Conner call Mr. O’Brady?”

  “Yeah, he just left. He said Jack bruised his hoof.”

  “That’s awful,” Julia said, shaking her head. “But it could have been much worse.”

  I nodded. “I know. Callie’s still pretty upset, though. She’s ha
nging with Jack while I get food.”

  “Poor Jack,” Alison said.

  The Trio was genuinely sorry. No matter what had happened among all of us, no one wanted to see a horse get hurt.

  “We’ll text her,” Julia said, pulling out her phone.

  Heather nodded. “Yeah, and we’ll check on Jack whenever we’re in the stable.”

  I nodded, thinking about how insane it was that the four of us were actually having a real conversation. For months Heather and I had done almost nothing but argue. But when it counted, she stepped up. And so did Julia and Alison. They’d be there for Callie while Jack healed.

  “Thanks.” I motioned to Julia and Alison’s books. “How’s the studying?”

  The girls rolled their eyes.

  “We’re going to die,” Julia said. “Mr. Fields is torturing us. We’ve got a giant history test coming up.”

  The barista called my name. “See you later,” I said. “And good luck.”

  I walked away from the Trio and took my bag. Callie and I were finally going to sit down and talk. It was about time. Maybe while Jack healed his hoof, Callie and I could repair our friendship.

  21

  THE TALK

  WHEN I GOT BACK TO THE STABLE, CALLIE had spread a clean blanket outside Jack’s stall. She’d put up a webbed stall guard so we could sit in front of the door and see inside.

  I settled onto the blanket, putting the bag between us. I pulled out the snacks and handed Callie her drink.

  “Thanks,” she said. “You picked all of my favorites.”

  I smiled.

  We both picked up our chocolate chip muffins first and started to take tentative bites. Tell her you want things to be okay, I told myself. It’s the perfect time.

  “Callie,” I said after a few minutes, “I’m so tired of being mad.”

  Callie stopped midbite and looked up at me. “You are?”

  “Yeah. I hate this. I’ve been upset, but I miss you. We all messed up.”

  Callie shifted on the blanket and tucked her hair behind her ears. “I started it by not listening to you.”

  “Jack put things into perspective for me,” I said. “For a long time, I wanted you to know how I felt when you wouldn’t listen to me. But I’m done with that.”

  Callie put her face in her hands, then looked up at me. “I just wanted my friend back. I’m so glad you want me to be your friend again. And I owe you every detail about Jacob. All of it. If you want to hear it.”

  I nodded. I was ready.

  Callie took a sip of her hot chocolate and held the cup with both hands. “I called Jacob the morning after the Sweetheart Soirée just to tell him that he needed to at least let you explain.” Callie hesitated. “Jacob asked me if you really wanted to be with him or if you were crushing on Eric. I should have believed you when you said you were just friends and told that to Jacob. But I told him what I thought was the truth—I told him I thought you maybe liked Eric.”

  I just nodded. At the time I had been telling the truth—Eric and I really had been just friends. But now things were different—not that Callie knew that yet.

  “I never should have said anything to Jacob about Eric,” Callie said, curling her legs under her. “It was an awful thing to do.”

  “But you didn’t lie on purpose. You really thought I liked Eric.”

  “Still. I shouldn’t have said it. But that’s how it started. We were both mad at you and that’s how we…um, bonded. We both thought we’d lost you as a friend. Jacob wasn’t ready to get over what happened at the dance, and I was sure you and Eric were together. Every time I saw you with Eric, it convinced me that I was right.”

  “I know it looked like I was with him,” I said. And now I was. How would I ever be able to tell Callie that without making it seem like I’d always been crushing on Eric?

  “And while Jacob was home on break and I was here,” Callie continued, “we started texting and IMing. It just sort of happened. It totally freaked me out when I realized that I liked Jacob. That wasn’t supposed to happen.”

  “You were always superfocused on school and riding,” I said. “You must have liked Jacob a lot to take that step.”

  Callie put down her hot chocolate and ran her fingers through her hair. “I was so confused. I liked this guy, but I didn’t know what to do. I didn’t want to lose focus because of a boy.”

  I half smiled. “I kind of thought you’d be boyfriend-less till high school.”

  Callie laughed. “Me too!”

  This was my chance to tell Callie that I was with Eric now. She was spilling her guts and I was sitting there not saying a word. But I’d just convinced her that I hadn’t been with Eric. The truth could break us up before we even got our friendship started again.

  “Thanks for telling me all of that,” I said. “I never would have guessed it, but it does feel better to know.”

  “I really, really want you to know how sorry I am.” Callie clenched her hands. “I’d break up with Jacob if it meant we could be friends again. I still will. Whatever it takes. I’ll do it.”

  I looked into Callie’s brown eyes and knew she meant it.

  “No way,” I said. “It means enough that you offered. I want you to be happy! We all deserve that.”

  We smiled at each other.

  “Can we finally declare this awful fight over?” Callie asked.

  “Yes, please. So over.”

  “I’m glad to have you back,” Callie said. She put down her cup to hug me.

  “Me too!” I squeezed her back. “And we’re going to take care of Jack. Together. Don’t worry.”

  We peered through the stall guard at Jack. He’d taken a half step to the hay net and was munching.

  “He can’t feel too bad if he’s eating,” I pointed out.

  “Yeah,” Callie said. “That’s a good sign.”

  I held my cup in the air. “I think we need a toast.”

  Callie picked up her drink.

  “To getting our friendship back and to Jack,” I said.

  “To friendship and Jack,” Callie echoed.

  22

  GOTTA LOVE THAT SPARKLE

  THE NEXT AFTERNOON, I FINALLY HAD TIME to text Eric as I walked to the stable. Guess wht? Cal & I r friends again!

  He texted back a few seconds later. That’s great, S.:) Tell me abt it ltr.

  I’d talked to Callie this morning and she was skipping today’s class to spend time with Jack. After the lesson, we were going to find a practice horse for her.

  I led Charm into the arena. “Ready?” I asked him.

  We started toward the arena. I mounted, and he ambled inside. Soon after, the Trio came in with their horses and we warmed up while we waited for Mr. Conner.

  When he came into the arena, Mr. Conner immediately started talking. “If your horses are warmed up,” he said, “let’s canter.” He turned to grab his clipboard off the table.

  I slid my toe behind the girth and touched Charm’s side. He moved into a smooth canter. Mr. Conner made us canter, slow to a trot, and change directions before he motioned us to slow down.

  “All right, bring your horses to the center,” Mr. Conner said.

  We moved our horses away from the wall and stopped them in front of Mr. Conner.

  “We’re going to do spirals,” Mr. Conner said. “You’ll space your horses out in the arena. You’ll begin riding in a straight line, then you’ll start making a circle. Keep spiraling your horse into progressively smaller circles. When your horse can’t make another turn, you may spiral out in the opposite direction.”

  I took up the slack in Charm’s reins. Spirals would be good for us—Charm needed more work on his collection. But I really wanted to be on the outdoor cross-country course.

  “Any questions?” Mr. Conner asked.

  We shook our heads. The Trio and I separated and waited for our go.

  “When you’re ready,” Mr. Conner said, “begin.”

  I squeezed my legs agains
t Charm’s sides and he walked forward. I kept him straight for a few strides before I turned him. We made a big circle, and when we hit the point where we’d started, I pressed with my inside leg and tightened the same rein. Charm responded and our circle got smaller. I thought about Callie for a second, half wishing she was here to see Charm’s spirals. She’d see the exercise was helping him.

  Nice, Sasha,” Mr. Conner said. “Keep it up.”

  I smiled. Mr. Conner walked over to Alison and Sunstruck. The Arabian danced through the spiral—Alison was working hard to keep him at a walk.

  “Sit deeper and push more with your inside leg to encourage him to bend,” Mr. Conner instructed Alison.

  I concentrated on spiraling Charm, and after a few more rotations, his body bent into a U-shape as we made the final spiral.

  “Good boy,” I said, relaxing the reins. I let him straighten and rest. Julia and Heather finished their spirals, then we all started back the opposite way.

  After we finished the exercise, Mr. Conner called us over to him. “Great job,” he said. “So what did everyone find useful about the exercise?”

  “I had to pay attention to how I used my hands and legs,” Heather said. “If I pulled too hard, the spiral got smaller faster than I wanted.”

  Mr. Conner nodded. “That’s right. With every spiral, you had to adjust how you controlled your horse. All right. Let’s take a few jumps.” He pointed to Julia. “Julia, you’re up first. Then Alison, Heather, and Sasha.”

  Julia urged Trix into a slow canter, turning her toward the first vertical. Trix took the four jumps without hesitation. Julia rode over to us, smiling.

  Alison and Heather had near-perfect rides, which put pressure on me to do well.

  Mr. Conner nodded at me and I let Charm trot forward. “We’ve got this, boy. Right?”

  Charm shook his mane with confidence. I urged him into a canter and he moved toward the vertical.

  Three, two, one, and up! I counted. Charm launched into the air, and the rails flashed under us. We landed and his long strides propelled us to the second vertical. Charm popped over it, flicking his tail from excitement when we hit the ground. I did a half halt to get his attention—the last thing we needed was for him to get distracted.