Hercules: A Matter of Trust (11 page)

B
y the time the farm came into view eight hours later, Emily was exhausted. And delirious with excitement. And more depressed than she could ever remember being.

It had been the most amazing day. Hours of riding, the picnic lunch on the edge of a beautiful pond, the laughter, the jokes…Everyone was so nice and so happy and…fun.

She'd never seen that fun side of her dad or her aunt and uncle before. And she loved it. She'd truly never had as much fun with horses as she had all day.

“Have a good day, Em?”

Emily grinned as Aunt Debby rode up beside her. “It
was fantastic! Thanks so much for letting me come.”

“For letting you come?” Aunt Debby laughed. “Emily, you're part of the family. You aren't allowed to miss these kinds of things.”

Emily felt all warm and giddy. “Really?”

“Really.” Aunt Debby cocked her head. “I noticed that you rode around all the jumps today. Your back still bothering you?”

Emily hesitated, thinking of Meredith's words. What if Aunt Debby could help her? She opened her mouth to tell the truth, then had a sudden vision of Aunt Debby's face turning away in disappointment. Of all the magic of today disappearing when Aunt Debby found out the truth about her: that Emily really and truly wasn't capable of handling the jumping. Jumping was the soul of Running Horse Ridge, and if Emily couldn't handle it, what place would there be for her?

Alison rode up beside them on Icy. “This was a fantastic day, Mom. Thanks for organizing.”

Aunt Debby nodded but didn't take her gaze off Emily, clearly waiting for an answer.

Alison glanced at Emily. “What's going on, cuz? Is my mom giving you grief? If she is, tell me and I'll ride interference. No grief-giving is allowed on field trip day.”

Emily blinked, staring at Alison. “You'd defend me?”

“Of course I would.” Alison grinned. “We have to team up to save ourselves from her, you know.”

Emily smiled at the affection in Alison's voice, at the teasing. She felt like she belonged. Like she really did.

After such a fun day, Emily couldn't handle going back to worrying what they were thinking about her, to fearing that they didn't respect her. Which meant she couldn't tell them the truth. “My back still hurts, yes,” she lied. “I can't do the lesson tomorrow. Sorry.”

Aunt Debby gave her a long look while Alison tapped Emily's leg. “Race you back to the barn, cuz.”

Emily jumped on the chance to get away from Aunt Debby's scrutiny. “You're on!” She kicked Moondance into a gallop, and her mount leaped ahead of Icy and Alison.

“No racing after such a long day,” Aunt Debby called out. “Keep it slow!”

“Hey!” Alison dug hard to catch up, and Emily laughed as Meredith shouted something and set Halo after them.

None of them were riding hard with Aunt Debby keeping an eye on them, but Emily felt great to let
Moondance's head go and feel the wind whipping across her face, to laugh with Meredith and Alison, just to have fun!

They cantered past Hercules's pasture, and Emily reined up to check on him. But the pasture was empty, and the gate was open. Emily frowned and looked around. Had he gotten out or had one of the temporary extra help moved him?

Alison and Meredith pulled up. “What's wrong?” Meredith asked.

“Hercules. He's missing.” Emily clucked Moondance forward, starting to worry. What if someone had pulled him out of the ring and had him locked down somewhere, terrifying him?

“Hercules?” Alison frowned. “Who is that?”

“A Shetland pony I was working with. Aunt Debby!” Emily flagged down her aunt as she approached, distantly trailed by the rest of the group. “Hercules is missing. Do you know where he is?”

Aunt Debby's relaxed face snapped into tense concern. “No one should have touched him. He must have gotten out—”

There was the pounding of hooves and they all turned to see Sapphire galloping toward them. He was wearing his halter, the lead shank trailing behind him.
Emily grinned. “Sapphire missed me!”

Sure enough, Sapphire pounded right up to them, skidding to a stop as Moondance shied to the left to keep from getting plowed. Sapphire nickered at Emily, prancing in place.

“Well, now we know how Hercules got out,” Alison said. “Sapphire got out and then opened the paddock gate. We need to make all the locks on this farm Sapphire-proof.” She sidled up and tried to grab Sapphire's lead shank, but he danced out of the way, keeping out of reach.

Emily snapped her fingers. “Sapphire! Come here.” She couldn't help but smile when he marched right up to her and thrust his face over Moondance's withers, giving Emily easy access to his lead shank. She quickly grabbed it, giving him a big kiss on his nose.

“He so loves you.” Meredith sighed. “That is too cool.”

“I love him.” Emily scratched his ears, trying not to look at her aunt, knowing that she still had plans to sell Sapphire.

But before she could snuggle too much, Sapphire pulled his head back and stared up at the woods behind the house. Emily tugged on his lead shank. “Come on, Sapphire, we're going to the barn.”

Sapphire shook his head and stomped his foot, still focused on the woods, his ears too alert. Then Moondance lifted her head and was staring in the same direction as Sapphire.

And so were Halo and Icy.

“What's over there?” Emily frowned and stood in her stirrups, trying to see what had caught the horses' attention, but there was only woods. She tightened her grip on Moondance's reins and Sapphire's lead shank. “You guys see anything?”

“No.” Meredith shaded her eyes as Halo danced beneath her, straining to go up into the woods. All the horses were agitated, focused on the hillside. “Alison?”

“I don't either—”

“You guys hear that?” Aunt Debby rode up next to Moondance.

“Hear what?”

“Listen.”

Emily and the other girls fell silent, watching the woods. For a moment, Emily heard nothing but the sounds of the horses shifting and breathing.

And then she heard it. The sound of a horse neighing. Again and again and again…Goose bumps popped up on Emily's arms. “Something's wrong—”

“That sounds like it's coming from the woods,”
Meredith said. “We don't have horses up there, do we?”

“No, we don't.” Aunt Debby looked grim. “Let's go.” She launched her horse into a canter, heading straight up the hillside, Meredith and Alison riding hard behind her.

Emily's stomach dropped as she hustled after Aunt Debby, remembering the empty paddock that Hercules was supposed to be in. The pony had suffered so much already.
Please let him be okay.

They galloped around behind the house, then headed up into the woods, crashing through the underbrush, Sapphire charging alongside Emily as she held on to the lead shank. “How do you know where we're going?” she asked her aunt. “Shouldn't we stop and listen?”

Aunt Debby called back over her shoulder. “Grandpa had a shed up here that he used to come to when he wanted privacy. He and Max used to hang out there all the time. It's fallen down and—”

Emily gasped as they rounded the corner and she saw a half-collapsed pile of boards and shingles that used to be a cabin. Max was standing next to the pile, and the moment he saw them, he lifted his head and nickered. Emily realized it was his whinny they'd heard
from the back pasture. She sighed with relief. “He looks okay—”

That's when she saw Hercules. The little pony was buried under the rubble up to his shoulders. All that was visible were his neck and head. His eyes were rimmed with white, his neck slathered with sweat. He was trapped!

H
ercules!” Aunt Debby vaulted off her horse and ran for the cabin, but the instant she got close, Hercules practically screamed in terror and he threw himself backward, trying to get away. Aunt Debby stopped dead as the shed shifted and moaned, and more boards fell on Hercules.

“Hercules,” Aunt Debby crooned with surprising calmness. “I'm here to help you.”

The pony continued to struggle and Emily gasped as what remained of the roof shifted. “It's going to fall on him!”

Aunt Debby quickly backed up, and the moment she did Hercules stopped struggling, but his ribs were
heaving and his eyes were still wild.

“Emily.” Aunt Debby's voice was quiet. “Come down here.”

Emily quickly slid off Moondance and led Sapphire and Moondance up to Aunt Debby. Hercules's gaze jerked toward them as they approached. “What do you need?”

“If there's any chance of him trusting anyone, it'll be you. I need you to go up there and free him.”

“Me?”

“Or at least keep him calm enough so I can do it.” Aunt Debby pulled Moondance's reins and Sapphire's lead shank out of her hands and gave her an impatient push. “Go!”

Emily swallowed hard, not at all sure Hercules would trust her any more than he'd trusted Aunt Debby, but she knew she had no choice but to try. She eased forward, whispering to Hercules. “Hey, sweetie, you've got yourself in quite the difficult spot, haven't you?”

His ears went forward to listen to her, and his body tensed, but he didn't struggle. Yet.

She took another step forward. “So Sapphire and I are here to help you. See him behind me? You know Sapphire, remember?” Sapphire whickered behind her, and Hercules raised his head to look at him. “And Max
is here, too. He trusts me, and you know you can trust his judgment.” She reached Max, saw his front feet were on some boards, as he'd clearly gotten as close to Hercules as he could.

She patted Max's neck, and the old horse's ears were pinned back, and he was trembling. “Hey, Max, don't worry, sweetie. We're going to get your new friend out of there. You're not going to lose two best friends in the same summer, I promise.”

She studied the little pony, saw the way he was trapped and how terrified he looked, and her heart started to pound. “I can't do this,” she whispered. “What if I screw up and he gets even more badly hurt?” Emily's stomach roiled, and she knew she couldn't face the results if she messed up. She turned to tell her aunt she couldn't do it. “I can't—”

Then she saw Sapphire standing beside her aunt. His black head was held high, and he was watching the scene intently, his body vibrating with energy and adrenaline. Emily realized that Sapphire would never be afraid. He would plunge right in and do whatever he felt like doing. It's what he always did, and that was what she loved about him. He had no fear, no regrets, and his commitment to everything he did was absolute.

If Sapphire were in her situation, he wouldn't hesitate
for even a second. He pulled his gaze from Hercules and looked right at Emily. For a moment he stared at her, and then a new strength rose within her. A new courage. Sapphire's courage. Sapphire's spirit.

And she knew she could do this.

Emily gave Sapphire a nod, then turned back to Max and Hercules. She trailed her fingers over Max's nose, then moved past him, climbing carefully onto a pile of boards. She stopped when she was less than two feet from Hercules, and she saw the tremors in his body. He was terrified, beyond terrified…yet he wasn't trying to run. He was watching her and Max intently, his eyes so wide they looked like they were going to pop out of his head.

“Hey, sweetie.” She eased closer as Max nickered softly and stretched his nose out toward Hercules. Hercules extended his neck, and they just barely managed to brush noses across the boards.

“Okay, so I won't try to touch you, but I'm going to pull some of these boards back, okay?” He was fixated on her now, watching every move as she reached toward his back.

She expected him to try to bolt, but he didn't move even a step as she grabbed a large board and tugged it toward her, still talking to him as Max watched closely,
periodically whickering.

The board crashed to the ground with a loud pop. Hercules jumped, but he didn't struggle or try to run. He just kept his gaze fixed on Max, as if trying to shut out the fact Emily was so close.

“I think he's going to let me help him.” She spoke loud enough for her aunt to hear.

“Good work, Emily.” Her aunt's voice was so quiet that Emily barely heard it. But she
did
hear it, and she heard the tension and relief in her aunt's voice, and realized that everyone was counting on her. She was the only one who could help him. The only one he'd trust enough.

“Okay, Hercules, let's get you out of here.” She moved more quickly now, realizing Hercules wasn't going to panic. She grabbed board after board, yanking it off him. And the little pony never once tried to move. His feet were planted firmly on the ground, his gaze plastered to Max. Hercules was still shaking, but his eyes weren't as wide as they had been when they arrived, and his ribs weren't heaving as much as they had been.

She squatted by his front feet and yanked a wooden beam out from between his hooves, realizing that as scared as Hercules was, her presence had eased some of his fear. He truly trusted her to make it better.

She ducked under his neck, patting him as she went beneath him, and he didn't flinch. “Almost done, sweetie.”

Two more boards, and then he was free.

But still he didn't try to move. It was as if he was afraid to try.

So Emily walked in front of him and wound her fingers through his thick mane. “Come on, Hercules. All you need to do is step on some boards and you'll be out.” She tugged gently on his mane, and Hercules stared at her.

Then he slowly lifted one tiny hoof and gingerly planted it on a sheet of plywood. “Good boy. Can you do it again?” She tugged gently, and Hercules took another step, never taking his eyes off Max.

Then he took one more, and another, and another, and suddenly he was out!

For a split second Hercules turned to look at Emily, and she gave him a thumbs-up. “You did it, Hercules!” She opened her arms to give him a hug, and he ducked out of her embrace and bolted past her.

But he whirled around to face her when he was only about five feet away, and he gave a shuddering sigh of relief as Max hurried over to him and started sniffing him.

Emily beamed as Aunt Debby walked up, leading Sapphire, Moondance, and the horse she'd been riding. Sapphire immediately rested his chin on Emily's shoulder, and she wrapped her arms around his nose, surprised to discover she was trembling. She sagged against him as her adrenaline left in a shaky rush, and suddenly all she wanted to do was collapse. “Thanks for being there for me,” she whispered into his ear. “I couldn't have done it without you.” Without Sapphire she knew she never would have had the courage to take the chance of failing.

Then Aunt Debby grabbed Emily in a giant hug. “You did it!”

Hercules startled and trotted away from them as Alison and Meredith let out a huge cheer. Emily grinned at them all, leaning against Aunt Debby as she threw her arm over Emily's shoulders and hauled her tight against her. “You did fantastic, Emily. You saved him.”

Emily watched Max head toward the barn, Hercules tight on his tail. “He saved himself by realizing he needed to trust me.”

“That he did.” Aunt Debby squeezed her again and then dropped her arm. “Okay, everyone, let's head back.” She glanced at Emily. “I want Uncle Rick to check out Hercules and make certain he's all right. Can
you help him with that? You need to be there. I'll put Sapphire away—” She reached out for him, and Emily grabbed his halter first.

“I'll take him with me, if that's okay. I just—” She held up her hand, which was shaking visibly. “I just need him with me right now.” She tensed, waiting for Aunt Debby to contradict her, to say she shouldn't be that dependent on him, but all Aunt Debby did was cock her head.

“You and Sapphire really have something special going on, don't you?”

Emily nodded. “Is that a problem?”

Aunt Debby sighed and tucked Emily's hair behind her ear. “No, Em, it isn't. I just don't want your heart to be broken when he leaves. That's all I'm trying to protect you from.”

And Emily saw in her aunt's eyes the truth. They were soft and warm. Her aunt really did care about her. Truly. “I'm scared,” she blurted out.

Aunt Debby frowned. “About losing Sapphire?”

“About jumping.” Emily heard a horse snort, and she jerked her gaze to the right, realizing with horror that Alison and Meredith were still there, and they were listening. She dropped her gaze to her feet, kicking at a rock with her dusty paddock boots. “Never mind—”

“I refused to canter for two years when I first started to ride,” Alison said.

Emily peeled her gaze off the forest floor. “What?”

“It terrified me. I refused.” She rolled her eyes at herself. “I used to be a major wimp.”

“Really?” Emily's shoulders relaxed.

Alison nodded. “Swear. And jumping? Forget it. I was having no part of it.”

Aunt Debby chuckled and put her arm around Emily's shoulders again. “I'd pretty much given up turning Alison into a rider until she saw the summer Olympics on television and she fell in love with one of the horses. After watching him jump those huge jumps, the little cross rail didn't look so scary, and she was hooked.”

“
Really?
You aren't making fun of me?”

“Heck no,” Meredith said. “We're all scared at some point. You remember the demon pony?” she asked Emily's aunt.

Aunt Debby started to laugh. “I have to admit, Halo had me a little worried for a while. The reason I went in his stall with you was as much to protect you as to make you feel better. You trained him well.”

Meredith patted Halo's neck with obvious affection. “Now he's a softie.”

“A softie with teeth,” Alison said. “You still can't turn your back on him.”

Emily couldn't believe the banter. Even her aunt had been worried about Halo? “So you don't think I'm a loser?”

Aunt Debby led Emily across the clearing. “No, Emily, we don't. It makes total sense that you'd be scared.” She squeezed Emily's shoulders again, then dropped her arm. “I think I know how to make you not scared anymore. Be at the ring at eight tomorrow morning.”

Emily swallowed, her hands going clammy. “For a jumping lesson?”

Aunt Debby shook her head. “Just come to the ring ready to ride. Trust me.”

“Trust you?” Emily looked at Aunt Debby. She was beaming at her, a smile that was supportive and kind, and Emily knew her aunt was on her side. So she took a deep breath and nodded. “Okay. I'll be there. I'll trust you.”

And then her aunt got the biggest grin on her face that Emily had ever seen, and hugged Emily tightly. “Thank you for saying that, Emily.” She pulled back and kissed Emily on the forehead, her eyes a little shinier than normal. “Thank you.”