The A Circuit 04- Rein It In (17 page)
“Zara.” Jamie patted her on the leg, his voice and expression suddenly all business again. “You’re up.”
“Huh?” Zara blinked. Oh right. She gathered up her reins, kicking Ellie forward. “Okay, girlie. Here goes nothing.”
Kate was wiping down one of Jamie’s saddles when she realized she’d lost track of time. Uh-oh. Had she missed Zara’s first hunter round? She’d been planning to take a break and go watch. She always liked to cheer for her friends’ rides when she could, and Zara had been so nice to her about the whole school thing yesterday that Kate felt a special desire to support her.
She checked her watch and winced. Unless things were running
really
late, Zara had probably finished already. Still, she couldn’t resist checking. After tossing the saddle back on the rack, she jogged over to the ring. There was no sign of Zara or Jamie or anyone else from Pelham Lane. She did spy another familiar face, though.
“Kate!” Kara Parodi strode toward her, a slight frown on her face. “I was just about to come track you down.” She shot a look over her shoulder at an anxious-looking junior on a stout bay gelding. “I don’t have much time, but I need to know if you can ride that horse for me later.”
Kate froze, feeling trapped and helpless. The truth was, she still wasn’t sure how to respond. Part of her longed to say yes. This was exactly the kind of scenario she’d dreamed about all those years ago when she was riding scruffy ponies with Nat at Happy Acres. Back then the closest she got to the A circuit was pretty pictures in glossy magazines.
But this wasn’t just about her, was it? Kate was at this show to work for Jamie, not to flit around fulfilling all her childhood dreams. And if there was any chance that job rumor might be true, she couldn’t risk her entire future for one ride, no matter how amazing it was. Couldn’t chance having Jamie change his mind about her. Couldn’t stand seeing that much more important and practical opportunity slip away.
“I—I meant to tell you sooner,” she blurted out, twisting her hands together so hard her knuckles cracked. “Something came up, and I can’t do it. I’m sorry.”
Kara frowned. “Are you sure? Because when I didn’t hear back from you, I sort of assumed you were in.”
“I’m sorry.” Kate couldn’t think of anything else to say, and if she tried too hard she was afraid she might start crying. “I’m really sorry. Thanks, um, thanks for the offer, though.”
The other trainer didn’t respond, though her eyes flashed with irritation. “Kara!” the bay horse’s rider called out, sounding panicky. “Can you come here? I think my girth is loose.”
“Coming.” Kara spun on her heel and marched over to her rider without another glance at Kate. Kate slipped away into the crowd, feeling about as worthwhile as a clump of manure on someone’s shoe.
“Nice rounds, Zara.” Some random girl smiled as Zara hurried past. “Love your horse!”
“Thanks.” Zara didn’t slow down. She wasn’t in the mood for small talk with strangers. Now that she was finished riding for the day, she had work to do.
She ditched her jacket and helmet in the tack stall, grabbing the hoodie she’d left there earlier. In the pocket were a notepad and pen she’d swiped from the hotel lobby that morning. Since last night’s plan hadn’t worked, she’d decided it was time to approach the problem from a different angle. Zara slipped on the hoodie, yanking at the top few buttons of her show shirt. It was no wonder they called the collar at the top a choker.
Now all she had to do was find a private spot where she could focus for a while. If she tried to find a spot in the stands overlooking the ring, someone was sure to spot her and come over wanting to chat. Even the warm-up ring probably wasn’t safe.
Heading past the tiny extra schooling ring into the tunnel, she turned down one of the curved hallways of the concourse. She paused and glanced at the tack vendor on the end, tempted to go in and browse. She could use some new paddock boots.
But no. Resisting the temptation, she hurried past, ignoring the other booths as well. She could shop
after
she exposed the blogger.
She kept walking until she hit a spot where there were no vendors nearby, just a bunch of extra trash cans and a stack of folding chairs on a rolling cart. She grabbed one of the chairs, unfolding it and setting it up between the cart and the wall.
She sat down, feeling pleased with herself—almost like a real detective or spy or something. There. Now the people wandering past wouldn’t even be able to see her.
Then she took out her notebook, pen, and smartphone. Pulling up the blog, she started scrolling through the posts again. This time, she jotted down the basics of each story—who, what, when, where, why, how. Those were the questions you needed to answer to solve a mystery. Zara had learned that during several boring weeks she’d spent on the set of one of her mother’s movies one summer. It had been a crime caper, and the guy playing the main detective had loved spouting off about all the Method research he’d done to get ready for the part. Who knew something like that would come in handy someday?
Zara quickly filled several pages with notes. First she needed to figure out how many of the stories on the blog were actually true. Anybody could have made up the stuff that wasn’t true, like the rumor about Zac. But once she’d confirmed the real stories, she could start interviewing people, trying to figure out who had been around at the time the events in question were happening. Like, who had witnessed each event, and how many people they had told. Stuff like that. By cross-referencing that information with what she was writing down now, Zara hoped she’d be able to narrow down her list of suspects and eventually unmask the blogger.
She was so focused on what she was doing that the sound of someone clearing his throat made her jump and almost fall off her chair. Looking up, she saw a guy lounging with one elbow propped on the stack of chairs, watching her.
Not just
any
guy, either. He definitely wasn’t a rider—Zara
would have known that at first glance, even if he wasn’t wearing a uniform indicating he was part of the janitorial staff. He was probably in his early or mid-twenties, lean but muscular, with floppy black hair falling over his eyes and some serious stubble.
“Hey, babe,” he said. “Nice hideout. You got room for one more back there?” His gaze slipped to the cleavage peeking out at the top of her unbuttoned show shirt, leaving no doubt as to his intentions.
She smiled automatically. Skeevy but hot? Just her type.
At the same time, she felt a flash of annoyance. Why did he have to interrupt her just when she was making progress?
“Get lost,” she said. “I’m busy, and I’m pretty sure you’re supposed to be working, not hitting on underage girls.”
The guy’s mouth twisted, and he backed up a step. “Okay, chill out,” he said. “I was just being friendly, all right?”
“Great. Go be friendly to someone else. I’m busy.”
“Freaking horse show snobs,” the guy muttered.
Zara felt a twinge of regret as he grabbed one of the spare trash cans and disappeared. Too bad. He could’ve been fun. Somehow, though, she couldn’t get too worked up about it. She just wasn’t in the mood for that kind of thing right now. Whatever.
Returning her attention to her phone, she got back to work. Just a few more posts to go through, and she’d be ready to start interviewing people.
“Kate. Can I talk to you for a minute?”
Kate jumped and spun around. She’d been so focused on sweeping up some spilled shavings in the aisle that she hadn’t
heard Jamie coming. “Um, sure.” She couldn’t help noticing the troubled look on the trainer’s face. “What is it?”
Jamie glanced at Marissa, who was fussing over her horse as Elliot tacked it up nearby. None of the other older juniors were tacking up for the Large Junior Hunters yet, but Marissa always liked to be in the saddle well before the division started. Her gelding, Miles, an experienced show horse with a placid temperament, didn’t need the extra time, but Marissa did. She always told Kate it settled her nerves to walk around for a while before beginning her real warm-up.
Jamie took Kate by the elbow and steered her around the corner into an empty stall. Kate clutched her broom in her other hand, wondering what was going on. An empty stall was about as close to a private spot as there was in the cramped indoor stable area. That meant whatever Jamie wanted to talk to her about had to be serious.
“I just ran into Kara Parodi,” Jamie said. “She told me she asked you to catch-ride something for her today, and you said no.”
Panic shot through Kate. Would Jamie hold it against her for even being
asked
to ride for another trainer? Was that why his expression was so solemn? Her mind raced, trying to come up with something to say.
“Um …,” she began.
“Look.” Jamie ran a hand over his face, suddenly looking way too tired for late morning. “Kara’s a good person and an excellent horsewoman, but she’s not the forgiving type when she thinks someone screwed her over. I need to know why you left her hanging till the last minute—and why you said no.”
“I—I—” Kate swallowed hard. Jamie didn’t seem angry,
just confused. “I didn’t think you’d want me to ride for another barn.”
Jamie sighed. “That’s what I was afraid of. Look, Kate, lots of juniors catch-ride for other barns all the time—you know that. It’s no big deal.”
“I know, but …” Kate’s voice trailed off. She didn’t dare mention that job rumor, though it filled her mind. Didn’t that change things?
“I appreciate your loyalty.” The corners of Jamie’s mouth turned up in a wry half smile. “But it’s not necessary in this case, I promise. If you weren’t sure what to do, I wish you’d come to me to talk about it. I would have told you to go for it.”
“Really?”
“Definitely. You’re the hardest worker I know, Kate—I want you to have exactly these kinds of opportunities. I’m just sorry I didn’t have anything to offer you this time myself.”
“Oh. Thanks.” Kate tried to return his smile, but it wasn’t easy. She’d really blown it this time. Kara Parodi had offered her the chance of a lifetime, and Kate had turned it down. And for what? Nothing, apparently.
Jamie was still smiling. “I hope you brought some better breeches than that,” he said, gesturing to Kate’s well-worn schooling tights. “Because Kara likes her riders turned out to the nines.”
“Huh?” Kate shook her head, wondering if Jamie had missed the point of this whole conversation. “But I—I said no.”
“I know. Lucky for you,
I
said yes.” Jamie cocked an eyebrow. “I even managed to make Kara think the misunderstanding was all my fault, so she wouldn’t think you were jerking her around.”
Kate just stared at him for a moment, not sure she was hearing him right. “You said yes?” she echoed numbly. “You mean I’m showing that horse?”
“Yeah, if you’re interested. I can still call Kara and take it back, but I hope I don’t have to. For one thing, she might never speak to me again.” He smiled to show that he was kidding—mostly—but his eyes were serious as he watched Kate carefully. “More importantly, I think it will be a great experience for you. So what do you say? You up for it?”
“Yes,” Kate blurted out, so overwhelmed by what was happening that she could barely think straight. She’d always known that Jamie was the best in the business in every possible way. This just proved it. Who
wouldn’t
want to work for a guy like that?
“Good.” Jamie looked pleased. “I hear the horse is a tough ride, though, so get your game face on.” He plucked the broom out of her hand. “I’ll get someone else to finish up here—you’d better hurry and get changed. Your division starts in an hour.”
“Good boy,” Tommi murmured, giving Toccata a pat and smiling as she heard Zara whooping from the stands nearby. She’d just finished her first hunter round, and it had gone really well. Toccata was focused and jumping like a freak of nature, and Tommi had found every spot and made it look easy.
Jamie and Javier were waiting just outside the ring. The young groom immediately took hold of Toccata’s bridle, murmuring soothing words to the horse as Tommi dismounted.