Secret Star (8 page)

A
ll day, they worked Bayfire up and down the mesas.

At first the horse was a little hesitant. He moved quickly and powerfully, but his head swung from side to side, scanning the ground behind boulders and stands of pinion pine.

Inez wore a dark-green baseball cap with her black ponytail poked through the back. Her hands were quiet on the reins and she tried to ride wordlessly, so that Bayfire wouldn't search her sounds for commands. But when the horse seemed to almost tiptoe, alert to the faintest flicker of birds' wings, her lips curved into a defeated smile.

Finally, Jake rode alongside Inez.

“What's he looking for?” Jake asked.

“Cameras,” she muttered.

Sam barely heard, because she was riding ahead, but she turned in the saddle and watched.

It was weird to see a horse act self-conscious, but Bayfire definitely understood that all eyes were on him.

While she watched Bayfire, Ace picked their next trail.

“Not that one!” she gasped.

“What's up?” Jake called, before Sam had pulled Ace to a stop, her hands fumbling on the reins.

“Uh…,” Sam stalled. She wasn't about to tell Jake that if they continued up this dusty smudge in the hillside they'd pass through the tight stone tunnel she'd been thinking about just last night, the one that ended at the Phantom's secret valley.

With a scuff of hooves, Bayfire stopped, too. Ears on alert, forefeet clearing the ground, he pivoted on his hind legs.

“Uh,” Sam repeated.

She tried not to squirm beneath Jake's stare. She was a bad liar, and a lot was at stake. Her best bet was to offer some version of the truth.

“I've seen wild horses up here,” Sam said. She faced Inez and let Jake look at the back of her brown Stetson. “I'm not sure it would be a good idea for Bayfire to meet up with them. Especially with another stallion. What do you think?”

Inez leaned forward in the saddle, pressing the stallion down from his half rear, then nodded her
agreement and continued riding Bayfire just as she would any other horse who'd done something unexpected.

Only once, when he crowded Witch and got kicked, did Inez slip and call the stallion by name.

“He knows better than that,” Inez said, petting the stallion's shoulder and leaning forward to check for scratches or wounds.

“So does she,” Jake said, in a voice so tight that Sam looked over to see why.

Jake was blushing. His mahogany skin turned darker and his jaw was set. He must have been distracted, too.

“They've all worked pretty hard,” Inez said. “Maybe it's time to head toward those hot springs.”

“Good idea,” Sam said.

She didn't check with Jake, because she could see he'd already started his version of scolding Witch. He backed her, turned her, and backed again, reminding her he was the rider and she was the obedient horse.

Ace tightened beneath Sam. She felt his muscles tense as he looked at a level, open stretch of range.

“You've been a good boy all morning,” she said to him. “Wanna run?” Ace jerked his muzzle high and snorted. “I'm going to let him out here,” Sam told Inez, so that she wouldn't be surprised if Bayfire tried to follow.

And then she did.

The little gelding swept into a gallop, and Sam
heard hooves behind her, but Bayfire wasn't catching them. When Sam risked a quick glance back, she saw the stallion's gallop was more picturesque than swift, as if he heard theme music in his head, accompanying each reach and recoil of his fine legs.

When Inez and Sam finally rested the horses by stripping off their saddles and riding them bareback into the hot springs on Mrs. Allen's ranch, Jake stayed astride Witch, away from the edge.

“Are you punishing her?” Sam asked.

Jake shook his head. “No, just in case something changes, one of us should be mounted up.”

Sam wasn't sure that made sense, until Bayfire blew through his lips while watching Witch. Was he trying to get her attention?

If so, it probably wasn't working the way he wanted it to, Sam thought. The mare flattened her ears and feinted a bite his way.

“Does she like anyone?” Inez asked quietly.

“She likes Jake,” Sam said, swishing her bare feet in the water around Ace.

“Mostly,” Jake said.

Inez laughed, then threw one leg over her horse's neck and slipped off into the water beside him. With only a small splash, she let her head go under the warm water.

“This is heaven,” Inez said as she emerged, hair and clothing soaked, face beaded with water. “The bottom is kind of slimy,” she admitted, shivering as if
her toes were gripping something unpleasant, “but do you know what you'd pay for a horse and rider spa in Los Angeles?”

“I have no idea,” Sam said, wondering if there really was such a thing.

“Me either, but I know it wouldn't be free!” Inez was still laughing when Bayfire joined in the fun.

Tossing his black forelock away from his eyes, the stallion backed a few splashing steps before giving Inez a hard nudge between the shoulder blades. The push knocked Inez, face first, beneath the surface again.

Coughing and clutching her hat, Inez reemerged with a suspicious look.

“He's playing,” Sam said quickly. Remembering Inez's bruised shoulder, she couldn't blame the trainer for being cautious.

Relieved, Inez played back, scooting her palm along the water's surface to splash the stallion.

Bayfire lowered his lips and swept his head back and forth, until he'd stirred a froth of bubbles.

It might be one of his tricks. The nudge might have been, too, but he'd decided to use them for fun.

This had to be progress, Sam thought. Carefully, she rode Ace out of the slippery sided pool.

She met Jake's eyes and she must have looked expectant, because he gave a slight nod.

“He's loosening up a little,” Sam said. “It really hasn't been that hard to get him to do it.”

“Almost too easy,” Jake said.

Even though Ace picked that moment to shake like a big brown dog, splattering Jake and Witch with water, Jake looked as satisfied with their day's work as Sam felt.

 

The three riders' haze of satisfaction spiked as they approached the bridge leading to River Bend Ranch and caught the aroma of barbecue smoke.

“Oh, that smells incredible,” Inez moaned. “Tie me up and gag me if I ever again suggest opening a can of soup in my camper instead of eating your grandmother's cooking.”

“Sure,” Sam said.

Feeling their riders' elation, all three horses had broken into playful trots when they spotted something purple and realized Violette Lee had returned and stood near the hitching rail, talking to Pepper.

She must not have come by plane, this time, Sam thought, but the thought floated away like dust when Sam saw that the young cowboy, named for his chili-pepper-red hair, was enchanted by the actress.

No wonder,
Sam thought.

Today, Violette looked more like a movie star. She still wore ratty jeans and her hair looked no cleaner than it had before, but her silky lavender blouse was pretty, even if it fit as if she'd last worn it as a child actress on that Santa Claus show.

Despite her tight blouse, Violette looked truly interested in whatever Pepper was saying, Sam realized. Sam tried to shake off her critical attitude, but it was too late. Violette had sensed the disapproval of all three riders, and it was like pouring gasoline on a fire. Her tone turned chirpy and she rested her small hand on Pepper's arm.

Sam had no idea what the two had been talking about, but as Sam was dismounting in front of the hitching rail, she glimpsed Pepper's expression. He was flattered despite his discomfort.

“Oh, ma'am,” he said to Violette, “I'm all dirty from haying. You don't want to come anywhere close to me.”

“Don't be silly,” Violette said.

Jake had stopped Witch across the ranch yard, close to the ten-acre pasture, but Inez rode right up beside Sam.

“Did you hear that?” Sam demanded in an outraged whisper.

“I hope you don't expect me to do anything,” Inez answered. “I can't call her off like a trained animal, unfortunately.”

Sam's brain ticked off all the advice Brynna had given her about working with the HARP girls, remembering that bad behavior should be ignored because any kind of attention was good attention, to some people.

So Sam really tried to ignore Violette. It wasn't
like she was jealous, but it was embarrassing to watch Pepper fall all over himself simply because the actress was talking to him.

Swallowing back her irritation, and remarks that would have sounded dumb anyway, Sam was just closing the gate to the ten-acre pasture behind Ace when Violette left Pepper to trail after Inez and Bayfire.

Pepper hurried up beside Sam.

“That's Violette Lee,” Pepper gasped.

“I know,” Sam said.

She tried to sound impressed. After all, only yesterday she'd marveled at the actress walking out of Gram's kitchen. And Sam couldn't wait to tell Jen. She would have already if this entire movie thing hadn't been declared top secret. And if the telephone wasn't in the middle of the kitchen where everyone would overhear her breaking her promise to protect Inez's privacy.

“She was talking to me,” Pepper said. “Did you see?”

“I did,” Sam said, and Pepper didn't notice her lack of enthusiasm. He was still floating.

“I can't believe it,” Pepper said. “I think I'll call home and tell the folks.”

Sam didn't bother telling him the whole movie was secret. Pepper had run away from his home in Idaho several years ago and Sam had never heard him talk about his family. It was kind of cool that he
wanted to call home, and it wasn't like his parents were going to leave Idaho for Nevada, just to see Violette Lee.

Shaking his head, Pepper stared down at his forearm. His cuff was turned back and hay stuck to his sweaty skin. There was nothing worth staring at except that it was probably the arm Violette had touched.

“She's even more beautiful than in the movies,” he said.

Boy, he did have stars in his eyes, Sam thought, as she watched him set his boots meandering in the direction of the bunkhouse.

Then she saw Jake. He'd left Witch ground-tied, and maybe because he'd told her off about Violette before, she assumed he was going to do it again.

He was walking toward her, pointing. At what? Starstruck Pepper?

Sam almost growled. If Jake tried to give her one more bit of advice, he was in big trouble.

“I'm not listening to anything you—” Sam broke off as the pasture gate slammed against her back.

The impact of wood didn't hurt, but she knew at once why Jake had been pointing, and it had nothing to do with Violette or Pepper.

Because she'd been distracted, she hadn't closed the gate bolt completely.

Ace had used his nimble lips to open it, and he was shouldering through the open gate, returning
to the ranch yard.

“What a clever animal,” Violette called from where she stood beside Inez. “Did you teach him to do that?”

It was more important to stop her horse than answer, so Sam shouted, “Ace!”

She knew the horse was too weary to go anyplace. He nudged the gate every single time she locked him up. It was a habit and this time he'd caught her being careless. Thank goodness Dad had already gone into the house.

“You, there!” Violette called.

“That's Samantha,” Inez reminded the actress.

Because there was no mistaking the edge of irritation in the trainer's voice, Sam smiled at her. Violette didn't seem to notice Inez's tone or Sam's smile.

“I asked,” Violette said with false patience, “if you taught him that—oh, how precious.”

Ace came to Sam and hung his head over her shoulder.

“You are precious, aren't you,” Sam said, kissing his nose. “And you think I'm such a sucker for your hugs that I'll forgive you.”

Of course, she did.

Sam started to walk the gelding back to the ten-acre pasture, but Violette called out, “Please don't take him away yet.”

Sam stopped, and Ace whirled with wide eyes,
nostrils, and pricked ears, to face Violette.

Startled, Sam had nearly decided the actress had an uncanny knack with animals, when Violette reached in her pocket and pulled out two sugar cubes.

“Go ahead,” Sam told Ace, when he gave a low whinny and stepped away from her and toward Violette.

As if I had a choice,
Sam thought, as Violette fed the horse and spoke to him in baby talk.

“He's a smart, smart boy, isn't him?” Violette cooed as Ace licked her palm, looking for more sugar.

Then Jake's low laugh, entirely too close and too amused, made her look at him.

He held both palms toward her, as if fending off an attack.

“One more itty, bitty sugar cube won't hurt, and he'll go right back in that icky old pasture where him belongs, won't he?” Violette coaxed Ace back to the pasture and bolted the gate behind him.

This time he didn't test it, of course, and Violette looked totally pleased with herself as she walked back over to Inez.

Sam double-checked the bolt, watching as Ace trotted lazily across the dry grass. Was he on his way to share his joke with the other horses?

Jake stood with folded arms. For a second, he watched Ace, too, but then his head turned her way.

“Don't say anything,” Sam told him, and then Violette started saying things to Inez that even
Jake couldn't ignore.

She was talking about Ace.

“With some creative camera work, he could be Bay's double,” the actress insisted. “Don't you think? After all, the script calls for my character”—Violette beckoned for Sam and Jake to come closer—“which at that point is the princess pretending to be the pauper…” She tossed her lank hair without disturbing her sunglasses.