For The Love of Horses (Pegasus Equestrian Center)

by Diana Vincent

  “What do you think…my colors?” Allison asked, holding up a hot pink, purple, bright yellow, and pumpkin orange print scarf.

  “Ugh, put that back,” Sierra cried, holding her hands up in front of her face defensively.

  “It’s not that bad,” Allison said. She fingered the scarf and placed one end next to the dark red sweater she was wearing.

  “Are you serious?”

  Allison burst into a barely contained laugh. “Of course not!” She tossed the scarf back on the table. “But this one…not bad.” She held up another in shades of dark red, yellow ochre, and burnt orange that actually did harmonize well with her sweater.

  “I like it,” Sierra exclaimed, again impressed with Allison’s ability to match colors and styles.

  They paid for their purchases and then moved on to a shoe store. After trying on five different pairs of boots, Sierra at last settled on a calf-high, dark brown leather pair with a standard heel. She especially liked the top with a buckled strap.

  “Okay, they are very nice,” Allison approved. “But I think you should buy the pair with the two-inch heel. It’s not that high and it would give you a little more height.”

  “It’s too much like a pair that Crystal wears,” Sierra stated, pushing the boot away that Allison held up.

  “So? At least Crystal dresses well.”

  “She does, but Katrina told me it’s because her mother hires a fashion consultant to go with them when they shop.”

  “Pathetic.”

  Sierra also bought a pair of brown leather flats with a Mary Jane style strap, since Allison told her she would not be able to wear sneakers with her outfits and she might not want to always wear boots.

  From the shoe store the girls wandered into a lingerie shop, and again went into hysterics as they looked through tables of undergarments, first the very sexy and then the old lady styles. Then they settled down to the serious business of selecting their own underwear. Sierra bought three new pairs of panties and two camisoles, and Allison bought a matching bra and panty set. They also found tights in colors to match Sierra’s new outfits. They both bought a pair of warm, winter leggings; Sierra’s a dark brown and Allison’s in black.

  “What am I supposed to wear with these?” Sierra asked as they left the shop.

  “You can wear them with your skirts, and…let’s go to Lavender’s.” Allison led the way to a popular, independent dress shop that had a section catering to teenage girls and young women. Allison selected several outfits for both Sierra and herself to try on.

  “It’s called a tunic,” Allison informed as both girls studied Sierra’s reflection in the dressing room mirrors. Allison had made her take out her new leggings to try on with a mid-thigh knit item in olive green and brown stripes. You can wear it with your boots or your new shoes.”

  “I like it; I’ll take it. Are you going to buy that one?” Sierra indicated the black wool dress that Allison had tried on.

  “Yeah, with this,” Allison answered and slipped on a hip length, multi-colored sweater vest over the dress.

  “Wow, it’s gorgeous!” Sierra exclaimed.

  “It is nice,” Allison agreed, smiling at her image in the mirror. “Okay, it’s a go; now try on that long-sleeved tee. You’ve got to start replacing your sweatshirts with more attractive tops.”

  “Sweatshirts are comfortable,” Sierra grumbled but obligingly slipped off the tunic and tossed it on top of her bags of purchases. “Are we done after this? I’m exhausted,” she asked, her voiced muffled as she pulled the top on over her head.

  “Nice,” Allison stated when Sierra had pulled the top down and adjusted it into place. “Do you like it?”

  “Yes I do, I’ll take it,” she said as she pulled it back off. “Are we done?” she asked again.

  “What a shopping weenie,” Allison teased as she changed back into her own clothes. “Yes, we’re done.”

  They gathered their bags of purchases and the new items and headed out to the cash register.

  “I’ve got an idea,” Allison said as they left the shop.

  “No more trying on clothes,” Sierra groaned.

  “No, no, no; much better. Let’s go to the Cheshire Cat, and get one of their brownies with hot fudge.”

  “Yes!” Sierra agreed enthusiastically. They headed to the end of the mall where the café was located. “My arms are killing me!”

  They were almost to the café when Allison said, “Huh, that looks like River.” She indicated a couple about to step out of the exit, the boy with his arm around the shoulders of the girl.

  Sierra glanced that way, and then her heart lurched. River! She knew that unruly black hair even from the back, and his slender frame in jeans and a jacket she recognized as his. The girl had to be Laila; she’d seen her before in that black coat and boots. “It is River,” she said in a tight voice, her body frozen in place as she watched the couple exit.

  “Oh my God,” Allison breathed out. “Who is he with?”

  “Laila,” Sierra said bitterly. “So that’s what he had to do tonight; he had a date with her.”

  “Maybe he just ran into her somewhere…by chance,” Allison offered, holding out a possible excuse.

  “Maybe,” Sierra said weakly. “They are friends. But why does he have his arm around her like that?”

  “Well, unless you want to chase him down now and confront him, you’re just going to have to wait until tomorrow to ask him,” Allison said, trying to sound reasonable. “Don’t get yourself all worked up, Sierra. He may have a very good explanation.”

  “Maybe,” Sierra said again and looked at her friend, an anguished expression on her face.

  “Come on.” Allison took Sierra’s arm and guided her into the café. “Console yourself with some chocolate and forget about it for now. No use getting all tied up in a knot until you hear his explanation. River has never struck me as the kind of guy who would play games with you.”

  “No,” Sierra answered, allowing Allison to lead her up to the café hostess. “I’ve always trusted him.”

  They slipped into the booth the hostess led them to, and then placed their order with the waitress who stepped up to their table.

  “I’ve never understood what he sees in that girl,” Sierra began after the waitress left. “She’s just so weird and she doesn’t even like horses.”

  “I think I remember her; she hung out with the gothic crowd. Did she graduate?”

  “Yeah; she used to help River with his homework. I guess I have to give her credit for getting him motivated to do schoolwork. But I still don’t know what their relationship is; I mean, before River and I started going out…I just…I think he might have been sleeping with her.”

  “Does it matter?”

  “No…I don’t know.” Sierra slipped off the wrapper from the straw the waitress had set down by her glass of ice water, and thrusting it into the glass, took a long drink. Her thoughts darkened with images of River and Laila in a bed together…doing things…no, don’t even picture it! “She’s just such a…”

  Allison raised her brow, as she listened to her friend, but kept silent, allowing Sierra to work out what she was feeling.

  “Listen to how judgmental I sound,” Sierra said with a short laugh. “She’s been a good friend to River. He doesn’t talk about her much, but I get the impression she’s had kind of a hard life. I guess she must have had it rough; what else would motivate a person to want to look like that?” Sierra said, scrunching up her face.

  “It’s what some people find attractive,” Allison said judiciously.

  The waitress arrived with their desserts, and they took their first few bites in silence except for a few moans of pleasure.

  “You know, I went through so much with Dean last year,” Sierra said after eating half her brownie. “He hurt me so much.”

  “I know he did,” Allison said sympathetically, looking up from her bowl.

  “I’ve really appreciated that River has never, ever
pressured me to do more than kiss. I mean, it’s nice to know he wants to be with me for something besides sex.”

  “He really cares about you,” Allison agreed through a mouthful of brownie.

  “He’s never done more than place his hand on my stomach once, and sometimes he kind of rubs my thigh when we’re kissing.”

  “Yeah?” Allison encouraged.

  “Well, it’s just now occurred to me, why hasn’t he tried anything? Maybe I don’t turn him on?”

  Allison snorted, nearly choking on her food. “Sierra, don’t be ridiculous.”

  “Well..?”

  “No guy is going to hang around with you the way River does, or kiss you the way I’ve seen him kiss you, if he isn’t attracted to you.”

  “Why hasn’t he tried anything then?”

  “Probably because he respects you,” Allison said in an ‘obvious’ tone. “Do you want him to try something?”

  “No…I don’t think so.” She ducked her head over her bowl, spooned up a bite of brownie with hot fudge covered ice cream, but before she brought it to her mouth, she looked up coyly through her lashes. “I do like it when he strokes my thigh.”

  Allison guffawed and leaned back in her chair. “You are so funny.”

  “What’s funny about that?” Sierra asked, smiling.

  “You know, it is kind of ironic how we like it when guys respect us, but then we’re offended when they don’t try anything. No wonder guys don’t know how to act sometimes,” Allison stated philosophically. “But seriously, you should know that River is attracted to you. And, you could just ask him if he wants to have sex with you.”

  “I could not!”

  “Yes, you could; not meaning that you want to, but just to know what he’s thinking.”

  “Do you think he would say no?”

  “No, because it would be the wrong answer. Sierra, I’ve seen you two kissing. Believe me, he’s interested. Now, let’s get you home and quit worrying. He may have a perfectly good reason why he was with that girl.”

  *****

  “Hey, Kitten,” Pam Landsing, Sierra’s mother, said in a groggy voice, sitting up from where she had fallen asleep on the sofa. A nursing student, she had a textbook and loose papers on the floor in front of her. Sierra’s black cat Socrates, indignant at being dislodged from where he had curled up in the curve of Pam’s legs, marched off to Sierra’s bedroom.

  “Mom, you shouldn’t have waited up for me,” Sierra said, dropping her shopping bags onto the easy chair, then going over to give Pam a hug.

  “Wow, looks like you found a few clothes,” Pam commented, noting the pile of bags. “Did you have fun?” Pam had always had to practically drag Sierra to the store when it was time to buy school clothes; her daughter complaining how she hated to try on clothes.

  “It was fun. I can’t wait to show you my outfits.”

  “I can’t wait to see them, but tomorrow,” Pam said glancing at a clock on the end table. “It’s after ten. We both need to get to bed.” She leaned over to gather up the papers on the floor.

  “Mama,” Sierra began, plopping down on the sofa. “You know River told me he had things to do tonight.”

  “Umhmm,” Pam murmured, stuffing her school work into her backpack.

  “I caught sight of him leaving the mall with that girl Laila.”

  “Yeah?” Pam still had her attention on her homework, as she sorted her notes into order.

  “He had his arm around her.”

  Detecting the note of worry in her daughter’s voice, Pam unbent herself and looked at Sierra’s face creased in a frown. “Did you talk to him?”

  “No, they were just going out the door.”

  “And you’re sure it was River?”

  “Yes. I just don’t know why he didn’t tell me he was meeting Laila, unless…”

  “Maybe he didn’t tell you because he knows you don’t like her.”

  “Still, I don’t see why he couldn’t just tell me.”

  “Sweetie, why don’t you ask him tomorrow and don’t worry about it tonight. I’m sure he will have a reasonable explanation.”

  “I guess; Allison said the same thing.”

  *****

  Chapter 8 Secrets

  There is no secret so close as that between a rider and his horse. - R.S. Surtees

  *****

  Slogging through mud, River ran; his pace slower and slower, for the muck was getting thicker and deeper. The sounds of guns and explosions filled him with urgency but could not lighten the heaviness of his legs.

  I just need to make it across the field and over that hill, and I’ll be safe.

  “River, this way!” His cousin Warren beckoned to him, suddenly running at his side and pulling River off to the right of the field.

  “No, not that way!” He could see the old house where he and Warren had lived for so many years…not a safe place.

  His other cousin Steve suddenly ran alongside Warren. “He can’t come; Mom doesn’t want him there,” Steve said to Warren.

  “Get in,” His father yelled at them, pulling up alongside in his truck. But before any of them could get in, his father jumped out and began swinging at objects around him with a tire iron, adding the sound of his knocks to the other noises.

  “Duck, get out of his way,” Warren screamed. “River…River…”

  “Reever…Reever.”

  River’s eyes flew open to dim, morning light. A dream; no a nightmare! “Manuel?” he called out, and then looked at the clock on the stand. “Oh man,” he groaned. He had way overslept.

  “You okay? You do not have school today?” Manuel asked through the door, speaking in Spanish.

  “I do,” River answered, also in Spanish. “I just woke up.” He jumped out of bed and padded in bare feet to the door where Storm stood with tail wagging. River opened the door to face the barn manager standing there with a concerned look on his face.

  “You sick?” Manuel asked.

  I must look as bad as I feel. “No, I did not get much sleep last night. Manuel, I have just enough time to get ready for school and pick up Sierra; I do not have time to help feed. I am sorry.”

  “It is no problem,” Manuel answered. “Enrique and I feed already. You sure you are okay?”

  “Yes, thanks,” River assured him, offering a weak smile. “You will turn Oberon out?”

  “Yes, but if he gives me much trouble I will leave him in the stall.” Even though Manuel had learned how to approach Oberon, he didn’t like dealing with the horse. Usually River arose early enough to feed Oberon first, and then by the time he finished getting ready for school, he could turn Oberon out into a paddock just before he left.

  “Yeah, that’s okay. Thanks.”

  Manuel nodded, but eyed him speculatively before he turned and retreated down the stairs.

  “Go ahead,” River said to Storm who looked up at him with an expression that clearly said, ‘okay if I go out?’. He squatted down and stroked her head and shoulders and added in a cajoling tone, “Why didn’t you wake me up?” She touched her nose to his chest, as if in apology, and then turned to hurry down the stairs to follow Manuel outside.

  First slipping off the boxers he had slept in, River grabbed up clean clothes from the bureau and then naked, hurried downstairs to the bathroom in the lounge. Even though he shared the room below with boarders, no one would be here this early in the morning. He usually also had the lounge to himself in the evenings when all boarders had left. Once a month Tess held an evening session with some of her adult students where they potlucked and then looked at videos of their lessons, critiquing each other. Those evenings he stayed at Sierra’s until they cleared out. Otherwise, he really didn’t mind that others came into his ‘living room’ during the day, used the bathroom, or sometimes hung out getting coffee from the pot that Rosa kept ready, or a drink or snack from the two vending machines. It was far better than the arrangement when he lived at his aunt’s house. There he had made a room for himself
in the loft space of an old barn. He had to go outside and cross the yard to go into the house and use the bathroom. Here, he only had to go downstairs, and he was happy enough with his private bedroom on the second floor. He had furniture, heat, lights, and most important, safety.

  Even though he had showered last night, with all his tossing and turning he felt too sweaty not to take another quick shower before getting dressed. He turned on the hot water – it took at least five minutes to get warm – and then took his first look at himself in the mirror. No wonder Manuel thought I was sick. Dark shadows hollowed out his eyes, giving him a gaunt appearance and his light brown skin seemed to have a grayish tinge. He leaned over the sink and squeezing his eyes closed, took in several deep breaths as thoughts of Laila and Warren assaulted him. Shaking his head to help shake away the remnants of sleep and his dream, he then quickly brushed his teeth as if to remove the taste of panic in his mouth. Then he stepped into the shower.

  The soothing hot water was too much of a temptation and River gave in to several minutes of standing under the shower head, allowing the warm cascade and the steam building up around him to seep into his pores.

  When he finally exited, he realized he was going to be late picking up Sierra. He hastily donned his clothes and slipped into his shoes where he had left them by the door. He grabbed his jacket and school bag and rushed out to the truck.

  As he pulled into Sierra’s drive, he found her waiting outside, staring down the driveway. Right away he noticed something different about her this morning, different clothes. She usually wore jeans, but today he could see her shapely, slender legs below the hem of her coat and clad in brown stockings or something, that disappeared into mid-calf boots. She looks cute.

  Sierra picked up her backpack sitting at her feet, quickly stepped up to the truck and climbed into the passenger seat. “You’re late,” she stated the obvious as River backed up to turn around and head out the drive. She didn’t disguise her irritation.