Silver Spurs (8 page)

Colt nodded. “I saw her be wicked to people at the other barn. Then she'd turn around and surprise me by doing something kind. I wonder if there's anything going on in her life that she keeps hidden. Know what I mean?”

“I suppose it's possible, but from what I can tell, she's privileged, her family has money, and she doesn't have a care in the world. The horse she rides must have cost thousands.” Kate exhaled. “I want to know how she gets through to Pete like that. He holds my mom's hand sometimes, but not very often. It's like Melissa's cast some kind of spell over him.”

“You should be happy your little brother is responding to anyone, even if it's Melissa,” Tori scoffed. “Besides, no one can be all bad and have kids and dogs take to them.”

“Yeah, but that's the problem. She screamed at Rufus and chased him. He shouldn't have let her pet him.”

Colt chuckled. “He came because Pete called him. Maybe he smelled the M&M's on Melissa's hand and hoped he'd get a taste.”

“Right.” Kate tried not to grumble, but she could barely muster a smile. If things kept going this way, everyone would be in love with Melissa.

Chapter Eleven

Three days after the workday, Kate and Tori stared as the doors on the rented horse trailer were opened. Kate squeezed Tori's hand. “Can you believe he's finally here? Our very own lesson horse!”

Stars shone in Tori's eyes as she looked from Kate to the gray horse backing out of the trailer. “It's so cool your parents were able to get him. I can't believe someone traded him for full board. I can take a few lessons on him before the show. I'm not sure I'll be ready for a beginner's walk-trot class, but I've decided to try if Mrs. Jamison thinks I am.”

“Awesome! The people who owned Mr. Gray said he's a sweet, kind horse. They would have kept him, but their daughter wants to show on the circuit, and he's too old to compete at the level she's hoping for. He's trained at flat work as well as beginner jumping.”

Tori hugged herself and shivered. “I'm so excited! Is he a Thoroughbred?”

“No, he's an Appendix. The owner said that means he's part Quarter horse and part Thoroughbred, so he has a little spunk, but he's not an airhead. He's very steady.”

“Good. I don't want to fall off again.”

Kate grabbed Tori's hand. “Let's go give him some carrots and make friends.”

The next day Kate stood by Colt on the sidelines of the arena as Tori stepped into Mr. Gray's stirrup. Tori's hands shook as she picked up the reins. Mrs. Jamison smiled and patted Tori's leg. “Don't worry. I rode Mr. Gray this morning, and he's a doll. He listened to everything, whether you use your hands, voice, or legs, and he never once tried to take advantage.”

Tori grimaced. “But you aren't a beginner. He knows he has to behave for you.”

Mrs. Jamison walked to the center of the ring. “You've ridden enough that you're not a brand-new beginner either. You're better than you think, Tori. You simply need a boost of confidence. Now gather the reins until you have light contact with his mouth the way I showed you, and barely touch him with your heel.”

Tori did as she was instructed, her face screwed into a deep well of concentration. Mr. Gray moved out immediately, ambling down the rail.

“All right, good. Now a very light squeeze with your calves. He can walk faster than that.”

“But I don't want to trot yet.” Tori gripped the reins tighter.

“We're not asking him to trot. Do as I ask, and you'll be fine.”

Kate couldn't even see Tori's legs move, but the gray horse lengthened his stride and moved into a fast walk. Kate beamed at Colt and leaned close to whisper. “She did it!”

Colt grinned in return. “Yeah. She needs to get over her nerves, and she'll be fine.”

Kate's smile faded as realization hit. “It's my fault that she's scared. She's never gotten over the fall she took off Capri. That was one of the dumbest things I've ever done.”

“Ah, you need to quit worrying about it. All you can do is learn from it and not do it again.” He waved toward the arena. “I'll guarantee she gets past her fear today after riding this horse. Your parents found a good one.”

“I think so too.” She rested her arms on the rail overlooking the arena. “So are you entering the show? They're offering a few Western classes, so you won't have to dress up in breeches.” She snickered and ducked when he tried to swat her. “Ha. You missed!”

Colt pointed to the ring. “I heard Mrs. Jamison say something about trotting. Think Tori will go for it?”

“She trotted Lulu several times, but this horse is bigger, and she isn't used to him. I'm not sure.”

Mrs. Jamison took three strides toward the walking gelding, keeping pace with him as he traveled along the rail. “Do you understand posting, Tori?”

“I think so, but I'm not very good at it.”

“Let the motion of the horse's stride help push you up. Rise as his front inside leg goes forward and sit as his outside leg, the one closest to the rail, moves forward. Don't push off your feet. Grip with your thighs and push up from there.”

“You mean I have to trot?”

“Yes. You have very quiet hands, Tori, and a good seat. There's no reason you can't trot that horse. Don't post the first circle if you're worried. When you're ready, kiss to him and lightly squeeze him with your calves. Very lightly, though, so he doesn't go into a canter.”

Tori made a kissing sound, but nothing happened. Mr. Gray continued to walk.

“Did you use your legs?”

Tori bit her lip. “I was worried he'd canter.”

“You'd have to give him a harder bump for that. Kiss and try squeezing harder with your calves instead. He should respond.”

Tori repeated the process, and the gelding moved into a smooth trot. “Oh! He's doing it!”

“How does he feel?”

“Much easier to sit than Lulu. She was choppy.”

“That's the pony you took lessons on? They're always choppy because they have short legs and a short stride. Mr. Gray's legs are much longer, and he's more fluid in the way he travels. Keep light contact with his mouth, and make a full circle. Then I want you to try posting. Don't stress if it's not perfect or even on the correct lead. Just rise and fall to his stride.” She waited several seconds, then nodded. “Good girl. You're getting it. Later we'll need to work on rising with his inside leg, but you've got the right idea.”

Kate heaved a huge sigh of relief. She'd actually seen Tori smile. It appeared her friend might have conquered her fear. If only she'd be willing to enter at least one class in the show, life would be perfect.

Capri nickered from her stall as though she'd been forgotten. Kate moved from the rail and walked a couple of yards to her mare's stall. “Hey, girl, here's a carrot.” She dug one out of her pocket and slipped it through the bars. “You're going to be the champion at the show, I know it. Maybe I'll even win the silver spurs. If any horse here can do it, it's you.”

Colt moved up beside her. “Dreaming about the show?”

Kate felt heat rise into her cheeks, and she ducked her head. “Yeah, I guess. Kind of. I've wanted to compete for the longest time. I wish I could have had jumping lessons and entered some of the hunter classes. I guess this time around I'll have to be happy with the flat classes.”

Colt nodded. “That's all I'll ever enter, since it doesn't work too well to jump in a Western saddle. I've thought about competitive trail riding, but it's not that important to me. Honestly, I'd rather hit the real trails any day than ride around in circles in a ring all the time.”

“I've never gotten to do much trail riding,” Kate admitted. “Mom worries about the traffic on the roads, even though we're not close to town.”

“Maybe someday we can put together a trail ride up toward Mount Hood. Did you know there are horse corrals up there and tons of riding trails?”

“Cool! That would be a blast as long as we didn't get lost.”

“That's why you have a guide or take someone with you who knows the area. I imagine you could get off on a trail and lose your way if you weren't careful … So back to the show. Have you heard if Melissa is entering Mocha in the jumping classes? She might be the best chance for your barn to win the silver spurs.”

Anger sparked in Kate. “Why does that matter? It's not like Melissa is riding a horse that we own or anything.”

“No, but she boards and takes lessons here. It can't do any harm if she won, that's for sure.” He leaned against the wall next to Capri's stall.

Kate moved back to the rail and fixed her gaze on Tori, wishing Colt would go home. Why did things always have to come back to Melissa and ruin everything she'd dreamed about? Sure, Melissa had a well-trained, expensive horse, but Capri had some awesome training as well. And it wasn't going to be long before Kate could keep up with the other girl. All she needed was a few jumping classes, and she'd prove to her friends that she was every bit as good as Melissa.

Chapter Twelve

Kate jumped out of bed the morning of the show and hurried to the window, praying the rain shower had stopped. She'd lain in bed late last night listening to it patter against the eaves, certain it would ruin the show. Shoving aside the curtains in her second-floor room, she pumped a fist in the air. “Yes! Sun!”

She whirled around the room in a circle, landing on her bed. The weather wouldn't ruin the show after all. She was grateful that God had listened to her prayers last night and that her lack of faith hadn't gotten in His way.

Scrambling for her jeans and T-shirt, she gathered them from a pile on the floor and tugged them on as fast as possible. She'd put clean clothes on later, but right now her top priority was to get downstairs, have breakfast, and see what she could do to help.

Excitement and fear battled inside. Her first horse show. She'd gotten to attend one before, but never to compete. What would it be like? Would she get so scared when she rode Capri into the ring that she'd throw up or pass out? Now that would be embarrassing. She giggled, suddenly seeing a picture of herself keeling over before she had a chance to climb into the saddle. Nope. Wasn't gonna happen.

Kate slowed her rush down the stairs as another thought hit. How about Tori? If Kate's nerves had nailed her, how would her best friend be feeling? She didn't have any experience at all. She'd never even been to a show. Colt was lucky. He'd attended several shows and competed more than once, so this would probably be a cinch for him.

Good thing she'd been able to take several lessons over the last few weeks so she felt more confident about taking classes. She'd have to stick close to Tori and help all she could, reassuring her if she got too scared or wanted to chicken out—that couldn't happen. They were in this together, and it was going to be fun!

Kate raced into the kitchen, then skidded to a halt. Pete sat at the table eating a bowl of cold cereal. His favorite. He rarely ate eggs or toast or pancakes. She shook her head and smiled. In some ways, it was kind of nice to have things she could depend on. She walked behind Pete and ruffled his hair. As usual, he ducked his head and mumbled. But he didn't pull away as much as he usually did, so that was something. “Hi, buddy. Good cereal?”

He nodded, and Kate's heart skipped. Another good sign. Maybe he was excited about the show as well. “You going to hang out with Dad and watch the horse show today?”

Pete dipped his spoon in the cereal and carefully lifted it to his mouth, but he didn't respond. Kate squatted by his chair and touched his arm. For once he didn't flinch, but he didn't seem to notice her presence. The spoon went into the bowl again and back to his parted lips. No show of emotion at all. She rocked back on her heels, struggling to push down her disappointment. What had she expected? For him to grin and tell her how much he was looking forward to the show?

Mom stood by the stove stirring something in a pan. She put the spatula down and took a step toward Kate, then gently set a hand on her shoulder. “Baby steps, Kate. Baby steps. Don't expect too much. Take it one day at a time, okay?”

Kate heaved a soft sigh before pushing to her feet. “Yeah. Right. It's just hard sometimes.”

Her mother gave her a quick hug, then moved back to the stove. “I know. But if it wasn't hard, it would mean you didn't care.” She gestured toward the cupboard. “Get out three plates, silverware, glasses, and orange juice. Dad will be inside in a minute, and these scrambled eggs are hot.” She pushed the lever on the toaster, and four slices disappeared inside.

Kate hurried to complete the task and looked up as her father entered through the kitchen door. “Hey, Dad, everything okay at the barn?”

“Yep. Your mother and I got up early and fed the horses so we can spend the next hour getting the jumps set up in the outdoor arena. People will start arriving by eight o'clock, and we need to be ready.”

“Thanks, Dad. That's great. I thought getting up at five would give us plenty of time. I hope Tori and Colt get here soon.”

Her father slid out his chair. When he, Kate, and her mother were all seated, he smiled at Pete. “We're going to pray, Pete. Can you join us?”

Pete stared around the table, not meeting anyone's eyes, but he seemed more focused than Kate had seen him in a while. He nodded. “Pete will pray.”

Kate froze, afraid if she moved or said anything, it would ruin everything.

Dad bowed his head, as though nothing special had happened. “Sure, Pete. Go ahead and talk to Jesus for us.”

Kate kept her eyes open, fascinated by this new turn of events.

Pete ignored her and their parents. He lifted his eyes to the ceiling. “God? Help us all be happy and good. Amen.” Then he picked up his spoon and dipped it into the cereal again as though he hadn't done anything extraordinary.

Mom raised her eyes from where she sat across the table from Kate, and tears trickled down her cheeks. She offered a wavering smile. “Amen.” She sucked in a quick breath. “Now we'd better hurry and eat so we can get outside before the early birds arrive and throw us all into a tizzy!” She laughed and wiped her damp cheeks, then picked up her fork and dug into her fluffy scrambled eggs.

After breakfast, Kate slipped over to stand beside her mother at the dishwasher. “Pete has never offered to pray before.”

Mom gave a radiant smile. “I know. It was amazing.”

Kate nodded. “I never told you, but he did something else that was unusual the day everyone came over to help rebuild the arena and the jumps. He took Melissa's hand when she offered it.”

“That is unusual, especially with someone who's almost a stranger.”

“Melissa has worked to get to know Pete since she's been boarding here.”

“That's very kind.”

“Yeah.” Kate hesitated, wondering how much of her concern to share. “I don't get her. She's nice to Pete, and sometimes she's even decent to me and Colt and Tori. Other times she acts like the Wicked Witch of the West who thinks we're her minions.”

Mom laughed and ruffled Kate's hair. “Don't let her bother you. She's one of our boarders, so we'll be courteous, regardless. You never know what's in a person's heart or what might be going on behind the scenes. Now we'd better get a move on.”

Two hours later Kate and Tori slipped into the barn wearing their riding breeches, white shirts, and boots. Kate wished they'd been able to afford real leather boots, but at least she had a complete outfit, even if it was used. At this point she was thankful they'd found an English store in Portland that carried a selection of nice-quality clothing and equipment on consignment, and both she and Tori were able to get outfitted at a reasonable cost.

Pretty much everything was done, and Kate released a sigh. She was too keyed up to be tired, even if she'd been up for three hours, and it was only eight o'clock in the morning. The first class would start in an hour, and both she and Tori needed to groom their horses and make sure all their tack was in order. She elbowed Tori as they walked down the alleyway. “Aren't you excited? It's our first show, and we both get to compete.”

Tori rubbed her belly. “I'm not sure if I'm excited or sick, but my stomach feels like it's going to heave.”

Kate slipped her arm through Tori's. “You're nervous. It will all go away as soon as you ride into the ring. I'll bet it's the same as walking onto a stage when you're in a play. You say your opening line and voilà! Everything is back to normal, and the show goes on.”

“Yeah. Or you stand there and faint or hurl all over the stage.”

“Hmm.” Kate swung Tori around and gazed at her. “This is the first time you're pastier than me, and I've got pale skin. Shake it off, girl. It's not like you're going in front of a firing squad.”

“Feels like it.” Tori groaned and pressed her hands into her abdomen. “Seriously, I'm not sure I'll get through this without being sick.”

Kate tugged her forward. “Come on. You'll forget all about it as soon as you start grooming Mr. Gray. Hasn't it been fun riding him? I can't believe how much you've improved! You know how to post now and everything.”

“I'm glad I'm only entering the walk-trot class for beginners. I don't think I could handle any more than that.”

They continued down the alleyway. Suddenly Mocha's stall door slid open, and Melissa catapulted out, almost running into Kate. “There you are. I was coming to find you.”

Kate took a step back. “What's up?” She didn't care for Melissa's scowl or the brittleness of her tone.

“I'm in several classes today, and the person who usually grooms for me and changes tack can't come. I need you to take care of that for me.”

Kate crossed her arms over her chest. “Sorry. No can do.”

Melissa seemed to look at Kate for the first time. “Why are you in riding gear? You and your parents run this place. Shouldn't you be taking care of your customers?”

Kate almost had to bite her tongue to keep from saying something she'd regret. Only her mother's warning that morning about being kind to their customers reined in her temper. “We're competing in classes too. And no, it's not our job to take care of our boarders today. This is a horse show that happens to be held at our barn. We're hosting it, not putting it on. We're as free to take part as anyone else.”

“So who's going to help me?” Melissa's voice dropped to a low rumble. “I
have
to win those silver spurs, and I think you're being mean not to agree.”

Kate couldn't keep a lid on her emotions any longer. “Well,
sor-ry
!” She grabbed Tori's hand, and they continued down the alleyway to Capri's stall. “She's got some nerve!” she hissed close to Tori's ear. “Who does she think she is? And why did she say she
has
to win the spurs?”

“Dunno. Pretty weird, if you ask me.” Tori slapped her forehead. “We didn't grab the grooming box for Capri. Guess we'll have to make a dash to the tack room and hope she doesn't see us.”

“Ugh.” Kate grunted and leaned against the inside of the stall as Capri munched hay from the feeder in the corner. “I wish I never had to see that girl again.”