The A Circuit 04- Rein It In (21 page)

Tommi shrugged. “He got you this far, right? He must be pretty good.”

“Yeah, I guess.” Scott glanced at Fable. “So yours is a sale horse, huh? Is he young?”

“Not really. He’s around nine or ten, I think—did the hunters for a while, but he’s not a flashy enough mover to do that well.” Tommi steered around a girl trotting past in the opposite direction. “So when his owners moved to Europe and left him
with Jamie to sell, he convinced them Fable was perfect for the eq ring and they agreed. My friend Kate has been bringing him along all summer.”

“Cool. And now here you are.” Scott grinned. “Any chance you’ll buy him if he gets you the win tomorrow?”

“What, you’re actually admitting I’m going to beat you?” Tommi looked over with a sly smile. “About time you accepted the truth.”

Scott laughed. “No way! I was just being polite. Seriously, though, you guys look good together. I just thought maybe you’d decide to add him to your barn on, you know, a more permanent basis.”

Tommi kept her smile steady, but Scott’s words had reminded her of her business plan. Other than looking at that one horse of Kara Parodi’s, she hadn’t really done anything about that yet. Sure, she could use Indoors as an excuse. But if she wanted to do this for real, she couldn’t let any excuses stand in her way.

“Nah, not going to happen,” she told Scott. “I’m happy with Orion—that’s my eq horse, the one with the abscess. If I do the eq again next year, it’ll be on him.”

“If?” Scott raised an eyebrow.

Tommi shrugged. She hadn’t really meant to say that. It was just something she’d been thinking about lately. If she wanted to get serious about training and selling horses, was there enough time to keep competing in all three rings? On the one hand, next season would be her last junior year—the one everybody talked about, the one that really counted. But most people ended up going off to college after that last hurrah, usually giving up riding and showing at least temporarily, if not forever. Tommi definitely wasn’t planning to do that. So what
was the big deal if she narrowed her focus a bit, dropped eq and just did hunters and jumpers next year? Those were the rings where she was most likely to find prospects for resale, and dropping the eq would give her more time to focus her business while still getting to show. Maybe that was more important than another year chasing points in the eq and trying to win finals.

But this wasn’t the time to worry about that. She slid a challenging look at Scott. “Don’t get your hopes up,” she told him. “I’m definitely riding tomorrow, and that’s all you should be worrying about right now.”

Scott looked amused. “I’m thinking
you’re
the one who should be worried. After all, you’re the one on the new horse. What’s his breeding like, anyway?”

“I’m not sure.” Tommi swallowed a yawn as she tried to remember if Jamie or Kate had ever said anything about Fable’s bloodlines. Her brain was feeling a little fuzzy around the edges—it had been a long day, and tomorrow would be even longer. “I’m pretty sure he’s registered, though.”

“Doesn’t matter if they can do the job, right?” Scott said. “That’s what my trainer always says.”

“Jamie too.” Tommi glanced down at Fable, who was wandering along with his neck stretched out and relaxed. “Guess we should get back to work, huh?”

Scott glanced around the ring. “I have a better idea.”

“What?” Tommi couldn’t help noticing that suddenly his expression looked oddly devilish.

“I don’t see any trainers in here that I know, do you?”

Tommi scanned the arena. Several of the riders had left
while she and Scott were riding, leaving only three other horses besides theirs.

“I don’t see any trainers in here at all right now,” she said. “Why?”

“This could be our chance to see who’s really the better eq rider.” His voice held a definite challenge now. “Let’s switch horses.”

“Huh?” Tommi blinked, not sure she’d heard him right. “What are you talking about?”

“We’ll probably have to do it tomorrow anyway as part of the final test if we both make the cut.” Scott shrugged. “So let’s get a sneak preview. You can hop on Ace here, and I’ll take Fable for a spin. Come on, it’ll be fun!” He grinned, raising his eyebrows. “Unless you don’t have the guts?”

Tommi hesitated. She knew Jamie wouldn’t approve if he were here. She was supposed to be using this time to get to know Fable better, not to ride random other horses.

But Scott was still staring at her with that challenging look in his eye. She couldn’t let him think she didn’t have the guts to ride his horse. No way.

“Sure,” she said. “Let’s do it.”

“Great.” Scott grinned and led the way to the middle of the ring, out of the way of the few remaining riders. “Need a leg up?”

Soon they were both mounted again. Scott’s horse felt forward and very alert, but no worse than Toccata on a good day. Tommi didn’t push the black gelding too hard—she trotted a few big, loopy circles and figure eights, just testing the controls. It was kind of fun—Ace was a very different ride from
Fable, and figuring him out actually made Tommi feel a little more awake.

After a few minutes she glanced around to see how Scott was doing. To her surprise, he had Fable going at a brisk canter, heading for a good-sized vertical. Tommi blinked in surprise. Sure, if the judge had them switch horses tomorrow they would have to jump, but somehow she’d assumed she and Scott were sticking to flatwork right now.

Fable pricked his ears at the jump, clearing it out of stride and landing well. Scott immediately turned and aimed the big gray at an oxer.

For a second Tommi felt a flash of unease. What if Scott really
was
trying to sabotage her? She’d heard of stranger things happening at finals. Maybe he’d lured her into liking him just so he could convince her to switch and let him wear out her horse, maybe crash him through a jump or two …

But once again, Fable jumped well, landed softly, and cantered away with his ears up. Scott brought him back to a trot, collecting the gait around the short end of the ring and then lengthening down the long side. Tommi relaxed, feeling foolish for her moment of panic.

“Come on, buddy,” she said to the black horse. “If this is how we’re playing it, I might as well see what you’ve got, too.”

She spent the next few minutes testing all of Ace’s buttons. He was solid at lateral work and transitions, but could be iffy when it came to collecting at the canter. And he refused to move past a particular mostly white banner at any gait without skittering away from it and tossing his head.

Overall, though, he was a lot of fun. And hey, it never hurt
to ride other horses—that sort of thing could only help her eq, right?

Tommi brought the horse to a walk and patted him, glancing around for Scott. As she did, she noticed Kate standing at the rail near the gate. Probably stopping by to check on how Tommi was doing with Fable, maybe seeing if she needed any more tips to help get ready for tomorrow. Yikes. What was Kate thinking right now, seeing somebody else riding him?

Tommi felt oddly guilty, though she wasn’t sure why. “Hey,” she called to Scott, urging the black horse back into a trot to catch up with Fable. “Time to trade back. I need to finish schooling and get out of here before I fall asleep in the saddle.”

Scott turned Fable into the center and pulled him up. “Okay, if you insist.” He kicked his feet out of the stirrups and leaned forward to give Fable a pat on the neck. “But it was fun, right?”

“Sure.” Tommi slid down from the black horse, quickly adjusting the stirrups back to Scott’s length. “It was cool.”

As she remounted, she sneaked a peek at Kate, who was watching with a puzzled expression. Oh well. Tommi would explain it to her later.

Chapter Sixteen

Kate bent to brush a stray bit of hay off Fable’s legs. “Ready to tack up?” she asked Tommi, who was staring fixedly at the horse’s broad hindquarters as she brushed the same spot over and over. “I’ll go get your stuff.”

“Thanks.” Tommi continued brushing, even though the gray gelding’s coat was already so clean you could eat off it. Kate and the grooms had seen to that, arriving even earlier than usual to make sure her and Fitz’s horses were ready to go.

Kate hurried to the tack stall and grabbed Tommi’s saddle. On the way back she passed Fitz, looking handsome in his tall boots and dark jacket. He was frowning and fiddling with his tie as he walked.

“Hey,” he greeted Kate, one corner of his lip turning up in a half smile before his expression turned serious again.

“Hey,” Kate replied. “I’ll be over to help you tack up in a sec, okay?”

“Thanks.” Fitz strode off without pausing for a kiss or a
flirtatious comment. That was unusual for Fitz, of course, but still not particularly surprising. Everyone in Pelham Lane’s stabling area was very serious at the moment. No wonder. It was Medal Finals morning. This was the day Tommi and Fitz had worked toward all year.

When Kate got back to Tommi and Fable, Elliot was there. “I’ve got this,” he said, reaching out to take Tommi’s tack. “Why don’t you go help Fitz. He’s up before Tommi, and I think he’s running behind as usual.”

“Thanks.” Kate patted Fable on the shoulder, then did the same to Tommi. “Good luck,” she said. “We’ll be out there cheering you on.”

This time Tommi actually met her eye and cracked a tiny smile. “Thanks.”

Soon Kate was back with Fitz, who had just set his saddle on his horse’s back. Hastings was rock solid in the ring, but could be a bastard in the cross-ties. Fitz could handle that with a sense of humor most of the time, but at the moment he was cursing and scowling every time Hastings tried to nip him or lifted a hind foot as a warning.

“Here, let me do that.” Kate stepped over to the horse’s side. “You hold his head and distract him, okay?”

“Yeah. Okay.” Fitz let her take the girth he was holding, then stepped to the horse’s head. “Lay off, butt-head,” he told the horse with a frown. “Can’t you behave yourself for once in your life?”

“Be careful what you wish for,” Kate said with a smile as she did up the girth. “If he did behave, we’d all be worried he was colicking or something.”

“True.” Fitz chuckled briefly. “Then I’d have to scratch, which I’m telling you, isn’t seeming like the worst thing in the world at the moment.”

Kate glanced at him. “You okay?”

“Not really.” Fitz yanked at his tie, pulling it off-kilter. “You know, I don’t remember being this nervous last year.”

Kate finished tightening the girth, then dodged a nip from the horse as she stepped around his head to reach Fitz. “That’s because you weren’t one of the favorites last year.” She pushed his hands away from his tie and straightened it. “But no pressure.”

He caught her elbows, pulling her closer. “Maybe we should just run away right now.” He bent his head closer until his breath warmed her hair. “Get out of here, hit the road, see the world.”

“Sounds like fun.” Kate slipped her arms around him, hugging him tightly. “But I’m thinking Jamie might not agree. You’re supposed to meet him in the warm-up in like five minutes.”

Fitz groaned, squeezing her back. “Do I have to?”

“Yes.” Kate pulled back just enough to kiss him lightly on the lips. “And you’re going to do great. I promise.”

“Really?” He didn’t sound completely convinced.

“Really.” She smiled up at him. “You can do anything. I know you can.”

“If you say so.” He bent in for another kiss. “Okay, let’s do it.”

Kate pulled away, reaching for the bridle hanging nearby. Before she could pick it up, Fitz grabbed her hand, turning her toward him again. “What?” She glanced at the bridle. “We really need to get going. I wasn’t kidding about Jamie and the warm-up.”

“I know.” Fitz smiled at her, squeezing her hand. “Just wanted to say thanks.”

“You’re welcome.” Kate squeezed back, then dropped his hand. “Now let’s go.”

The warm-up went well, and before Kate knew it, she was giving Fitz’s boots one last swipe with a rag to make sure they were spotless, and Jamie was at Hastings’s head, rattling off last-minute instructions. A couple of the grooms were there, too—Miguel was dabbing a speck of green slime off the horse’s mouth while Javier watched the rider currently in the ring. Then Kate heard Fitz’s number come over the PA system and felt a shiver of nerves.

“Go get ’em,” she said, reaching up and giving Fitz’s knee a squeeze.

He smiled down at her, looking much calmer than he had earlier. “Thanks, babe. This one’s for you.” Then he glanced at Jamie, who was standing on the horse’s other side, and laughed. “No offense, dude.”

Jamie rolled his eyes. “Remember, don’t cut the turn to the skinny too short,” he said. “Now go!”

The gate swung open, and Fitz rode forward. Kate had to squint to keep her gaze on him against the bright arena lights.

She joined Jamie at the rail. The trainer’s whole body was tense, and Kate knew better than to try to talk to him. So she just watched, holding her breath as Hastings cantered toward the first fence.

She wasn’t sure she breathed again until after the last jump. Then she heard a loud whoop from beside her; Jamie was grinning now. Kate could hear cheers and whistles from the stands off to the left. She glanced that way and saw Zara, Marissa,
and Dani doing what looked like an impromptu conga line in front of their seats, while Summer clapped politely nearby. The younger juniors were up there, too, along with some of the pony kids and their parents. Kate’s heart swelled with pride for Fitz—and with gratitude for being part of such an amazing barn.

When she turned around again, the gate was swinging open to let Fitz exit. He had a grin on his face and was patting Hastings vigorously. The horse had his head up and his ears pricked, seeming to know he’d done well.

Kate smiled as she headed toward them. Amazing. And next year, if she worked hard and got lucky, that could be her out there, riding Fable in the finals. She shivered at the thought. Then she returned to the here and now as Fitz leaped out of the saddle, grabbed her, and swung her around until they were both dizzy and weak with laughter.