Join the Dance (Dancing With Horses Book 2) Page 4

  The ring was empty. Where was Shawn? Turning to look toward the barns, I could just spot him coming through the crowd. He needed to hustle.

  “Shawn’s gonna get eliminated if he doesn’t get here in the next sixty seconds.” I stood in my stirrups, waving at him so he would hurry.

  #

  Chapter Six

  Shawn’s freestyle was a disaster. His timing was off, and he was behind the music. He kept missing his marks so that his movements were sloppy. After how beautifully he rode yesterday, I was surprised that he looked so disconnected today.

  I grimaced. “What is wrong with him?” On the other hand, he was leaving first place up for grabs. I smiled. I could actually beat him.

  With slumped shoulders and all swagger gone, he turned Donner and rode past me. “Good luck, Jane. You won’t have a problem beating that score.”

  I winced at his tone. Why did I feel bad? I went to bed early, I made sure I had time for a good warm-up; I deserved to beat him, even if he was the better rider. “It wasn’t that bad, Shawn. You’ll still be high in the standings.”

  “I know.” With his head down, he rode on.

  I glanced at Alison. She was grinning. With a steely look at her, I aimed Windsong into the ring. Alison’s mare pinned her ears and snapped her teeth as we passed. My horse flinched sideways.

  “I need to win this,” I said under my breath, tightening my fingers on the reins. “Only Windsong and me.” I held my arm up to signal for my music.

  As the opening bars bellowed from the speakers, Windsong rocketed forward, spinning to the left. I lost track of the music, my entrance measure. Squaring my shoulders, I pressed my legs into Windsong’s ribs and concentrated on finding the beat as we trotted tensely up the centerline. We halted two strides after the pause in the music. Ripping off a hurried salute, I planted my heels in Windsong’s sides. He took a bunny hop forward, and I used hands and legs to squeeze him back to the trot. We needed to catch up to the music, we were behind the beat! Bouncing in the saddle, I caught the correct timing and softly thudded my calves against Windsong’s body to take control of every stride. Windsong, my dance partner, started to match my moves. Once we were in harmony, the routine came together. I let out a breath and pushed a little harder. Windsong lifted his shoulder and threw his legs forward, reaching as far as he could. His nostrils fluttered as his coat dampened with sweat. Concentrate. Squeezing the reins, I eased him down the centerline, aiming right at the judge. My heartbeat matched the music, filling me. On just the right stroke, we halted. We were motionless in the sudden silence. Then, I grinned.

  Leaning forward, I patted Windsong on both sides of his neck letting his body rock mine as we moved to the gate. “Good boy,” I breathed.

  Kate met me at the gate. She squeezed my hand. “You scared me at the beginning, I thought you were going to blow it.”

  I exhaled noisily. “Maybe I did blow it.” The top scores were only hundredths of a point apart, one wrong move made a big difference. Melinda rode toward me. I nodded at her. “The others don’t make many mistakes.”

  Kate glanced at Melinda. “She’s probably nervous. You’ve beaten her twice now.”

  I didn’t think so. Melinda wasn’t worried about me. Meeting her tense gaze, I spoke before she could say a nasty word, “Good luck, Melinda. Have a good ride.”

  She stopped abruptly, causing Belvedere to throw his head up. She looked at the sky, and then sighed. “You looked pretty good today.”

  I laughed. “That wasn’t so hard, was it? Thanks.”

  Her head snapped around, but her face softened at my friendly smile. “I’m still going to beat you. I have to. I need to beat Alison. I am so sick of her.”

  “Why? What did she do?”

  “She was all over Shawn, getting him drunk, and then they went off together. She probably kept him up to all hours. Poor guy rode like crap today.”

  “She wasn’t twisting his arm. And she was able to put in a decent ride. She didn’t seem hung over.”

  “Oh, she doesn’t drink with him. She does it on purpose to ruin his ride.” Melinda took a deep breath and blew it out. “I want to kick her butt.”

  “On purpose, to ruin his ride? Really?” Seemed a person should know not to drink no matter what someone else says.

  “She hates to lose. She’s mean. You have to watch out for her.”

  It was funny that Melinda was calling someone else mean. But she was right: Alison needed to go down, and I didn’t think my ride did it. I held my fist out. “You know what, Melinda? You can do it. Beat her butt!”

  Cory nodded and gave her a thumbs-up. A slow smile spread over her face, her eyes still puzzled, and she tapped her knuckles on mine. “Thanks, you guys.” She squared her shoulders and entered the ring. With a last glance at us, she raised her arm and signaled her music.

  #

  Chapter Seven

  Cory and I packed the trailer while Kate and the other girls were at the secretary’s office to pick up my last test and check the standings.

  I set Windsong’s feed bucket down before climbing in the back of the trailer to hang the hay net I had slung over my shoulder. As I threaded the rope of the net through the ring of the trailer, Cory climbed in.

  “You know,” he drawled, reaching over my head to fasten the clip, “Kate’s gonna be a while and we have almost everything packed. Maybe we could just shut this back door here and…” He put his hands on my waist and walked me backward against the side of the trailer. I smiled as I waited for his kiss. I pushed his hat back and slipped my fingers into the soft, curly hair at the base of his neck.

  “Hi, cowboy.”

  Cory pulled me close, nuzzling my neck, kissing me more.

  “Hey, Jane!” Shawn called from outside.

  My body jerked and I pushed Cory. His face darkened; his grip was firm but gentle. “We don’t have to go out there. He doesn’t know we’re in here.” Cory pulled me close again.

  “Cory, stop.” I shoved him aside and stuck my head out the window. “Hey, Shawn. In here. Hanging my hay net,” I quickly explained, grabbing Cory’s hand and dragging him out.

  The smile dropped off Shawn’s face when he caught sight of Cory. He looked from him to me and back again. “Did you see the results?”

  Cory still held my hand. He pulled me against his side, tugging his hat brim.

  Shawn shifted his weight, glancing at me and back to Cory. “You got a sixty-eight something. You placed third again.”

  “Third? Who won? I can’t believe I’m saying this, but I hope you say Melinda.”

  Cory’s eyebrows shot up when he heard that, and he chuckled. “I can’t believe I am hearing you say that either.”

  I flashed him a smile and shrugged. Shawn sent him an annoyed glance. “No, Alison won today, but she only beat Melinda by a few hundredths of a point. They posted the preliminary rankings and we are all in a row now. Me, Alison, Melinda, then you. You bumped Courtney out of fourth.”

  My mouth dropped open. “I’m in fourth place? Does that mean I’m on the team?”

  “Not a guarantee, but probably.”

  I leaped up in the air and did a little happy dance. “Woohoo! Yeah!” I punched my fist in the air.

  “I guess you know.” Kate chuckled as she came around the trailer waving a yellow ribbon and my test.

  “Let me see.” I grabbed the test and there on the front was my score, sixty-eight point four. “It’s true. Wow!”

  I looked at Cory. He was grinning. “Congratulations, princess.” I threw my arms around his neck and kissed him hard on the lips. I bounced off him, giving high fives to the girls and Kate. I turned to say thanks to Shawn, but all I saw was his back. “I have to go give Windsong a hug.”

  I gave Windsong a few treats and rubbed his neck. “You were a star today, big guy,” I said softly. He nuzzled my hand.

  “Remember when he wouldn’t take a treat from us? Crazy horse. Now look at him.”

  I took a step b
ack and Windsong followed me. “He has his moments, but he’s not totally insane,” I said, tousling his forelock. “I remember the day we went to look at him, Kate said to me, ‘crazy’ is unexplained bad behavior, never giving in. Windsong isn’t crazy, he’s sensitive and slow to trust. Kate was right that day. She said Windsong had the talent to win the championship. I did okay today. I know, third is really great. But if I hadn’t overshot that one pirouette and had done better transitions, I could have scored higher.”

  “So, you go home, you do more work. Today, though, you celebrate. You both have come such a long way.” Cory took my hand, tickling my palm with his fingertips. “I have an idea on celebrating.”

  I closed my hand over his. “It may be too soon to celebrate. These riders are tough.”

  #

  Chapter Eight

  I leapt out of the car, slamming the driver’s side door shut. Pounding down the barn aisle, papers fluttering in my hand, I nodded to the girls tacking up their horses. They watched me fly past without stopping to chat. Not yet. I had to show Kate first.

  I stopped at the door to the indoor riding arena. I poked my head in, but it was empty. Where was she? The office was dark, no lights shone through the plate glass. I jogged over anyway, but she wasn’t in there, so I rushed back into the barn.

  “Have you seen Kate?”

  Ashley flicked a thumb over her shoulder. “She was called up to the other barn.” She went back to picking her horse’s hoof.

  I nodded my thanks and headed up the hill to the second barn. A dirt path led past another outdoor sand arena to the center aisle where the rodeo and western horses were kept.

  I paused on the threshold to let my eyes adjust to the dark. Two horses were cross-tied in the aisle with cowboy-hatted kids working around them. Kate was standing next to one of the horses talking to Chase McMann. Chase had been Cory’s reining trainer, and he owned the farm.

  I approached them, jiggling the papers in my hand. Kate glanced at me but continued her conversation with Chase.

  “Hi, Jane,” one of the mini-cowboys said. His little face was practically hidden under the brim of his big hat.

  “Hi, who is under that hat?”

  “It’s me, Jeb. Remember, Cory got mad at me that day when I was riding a little crazy? You caught Chip for me?”

  I did remember. This kid was ripping around on his little pony, yanking him with a heavy bit and slamming him with big-roweled spurs. The poor old pony had been shook up, and an infuriated Cory pulled the kid off the horse, telling him he had better mend his ways. “Of course I do. How are things going now?”

  He grinned and held a snaffle bridle up for me to see. “I changed to a softer bit, like Cory told me. Cory gives me lessons now. Chip and me are getting good. Cory says we are a good team.”

  “Cory teaches you? That’s fantastic.” For a while, Cory had left the barn and had quit riding, training, and showing. Although he still wasn’t riding, this could be a start. Cory stepped out of a stall and rested a hand on Jeb’s shoulder. “That’s right. Jeb is one of my best students.” Jeb’s face glowed with pride.

  My heart swelled. I smiled over Jeb’s head at Cory. He was great at bringing out the best in people. He did it with horses too. “Good for you, Jeb. I’m happy for you.”

  Cory’s eyes blazed under my steady gaze. Then he broke into a promising smile. “Later.” He cleared his throat as Jeb swaggered back to his pony. Indicating the papers, he asked, “So, what are they?”

  “I wanted to show Kate, but she’s ignoring me,” I said loudly to get her attention. We both turned to stare at her.

  “What?” Kate and Chase stepped toward us.

  I held up the papers and shook them. Jeb’s pony threw his head up and flared his nostrils. I clamped the papers to my chest, covering my thudding heart. I bobbed up and down on the balls of my feet. “This is it!”

  Kate gave me an exasperated look. “This is what?”

  “An email informing me that I was officially ranked fourth and will be nominated to be on the team. I did it! We did it!” I pushed the letter at Kate.

  She took it from my hand. “Congratulations! Let me see.”

  Cory gave my shoulders a squeeze. “Good job, babe.”

  “Congratulations.” Chase nodded. He was no stranger to national competition, having coached Cory to a team gold medal at the World Games last year. The tragic death of Cory’s horse, Jet, at the games rocked him as much as it did Cory. It was good to see Cory and Chase working together again.

  “So, the other members are Melinda, Shawn, and Alison,” Kate read off the page. “Do you think you’ll be okay with Melinda?”

  I exchanged a look with Cory. “Melinda will be fine. I think it’s Alison I have to worry about.”

  “All three were on the team last year, and they know the ropes. You’ll be the newbie. It’s going to be tough. This team will be really competitive, expectations will be high. We’ve got our work cut out for us, but I still believe you have a shot at individual gold. And you can be an important part of the team.”

  I rubbed my arms, blowing out air. The buzz of victory was turning into a shrill scream of panic in my head. Leave it to Kate to pile on the pressure. I just realized that my performances would affect the whole team, three experienced, tough, competitive, high-scoring teammates. I was going to suck compared to them. My scores would be the low ones that were dropped. “Boy, Kate. You really know how to burst a girl’s bubble,” I mumbled.

  Cory leaned over my shoulder and whispered in my ear, “You don’t suck. You are an amazing rider. You can make Windsong a winner.” Then, he nibbled my earlobe.

  I leaned into his side, swallowing the annoying butterflies winging up my throat. How did he read my mind like that?

  Kate never paid any attention to my insecurities. She was all business, describing how things were going to go from here. We walked slowly back to the lower barn, leaving the guys to finish what they were doing.

  Cory met me a short while later, and we went to grab a cappuccino.

  “I’m proud of you, Jane,” he said, holding my hand as we sat at a table in the coffee shop.

  Pleasure swept through me and I glowed. “It’s not the same as you going to the World Games, that was with professionals and I am riding against juniors. I am half excited and half scared off my butt. Everyone will be watching us, watching me, when Windsong does his crazy horse things. What if I screw up, or Windsong leaps out of the ring again? What if I get disqualified?”

  Cory rolled his eyes. “You always make a big deal of stuff. It’s another horse show at another show grounds. You get on your horse and you ride it. If you do your homework, and you take care of your horse, you’ll be fine.”

  It was my turn to roll my eyes. “And you always oversimplify everything! It’s a national team competition. My teammates will expect me to keep up. Fine is not good enough. What if Windsong has a meltdown? What if I forget my test? I’m starting to freak out.”

  His warm blue eyes bore into mine. “What if you both get run over by a bus? Don’t worry so much. You will handle it as it comes. I know you won’t let anybody down.”

  My shoulders relaxed and I reached across the table to squeeze his hand. He always said the right thing, but this wasn’t that simple. It was one thing to lose on your own, but letting down other members of a team would be a disaster.

  I took a sip of my cappuccino. “Keep telling me that. I value your opinion.”

  He snorted. “About time. For a long while you didn’t.”

  “That was before I knew that a cowboy could have a decent brain underneath his silly hat.”

  “My hat is not silly!” Cory snatched his hand back in mock indignation.

  In a silky, smooth tone, I breathed, “I love your hat.”

  He smiled and took my hand again. “Show me later.”

  “Actually, I was wondering when you and your hat are going to get on a horse and come ride with me.”

  In
stantly, all teasing was over. He nodded but kept his eyes down. “I have been meaning to talk to you about that. Well, not that exactly, but something relating to that. I guess it sort of is a similar subject. Just that you reminded me of it, and there’s something I should tell you.”

  Leaning across the table, I said softly, “Cory, just say it! It’s okay.”

  My hair lifted as he blew out a stream of air. He was really having a tough time with whatever was on his mind. I gave his hand another squeeze. He slurped some coffee, wiped his mouth with a napkin, and proceeded to fold it again neatly. Really? I held in a smile and waited.

  “Those people I met with the other day, the Greens, they made me an offer. They want me as head trainer at their barn. They have three or four world-class reining horses and quite a few up-and-coming youngsters. I would have an apartment, complete control over the horses, and they offered a big salary on top of that. I could compete as much as I wanted with each horse, and they would foot all the bills.”

  “Oh, Cory! That sounds amazing. You’ll really build your reputation. You know you’ll make those horses win.”

  “They’re good people. Last trainer was with them fifteen years. He wants to retire.”

  “Did you see the horses? Oh, and the barn, what did that look like?”

  “The horses were nice. Fancy barn. The apartment is bigger than my mom’s trailer.” His voice was flat. I think I sounded more excited than he did.

  “Cory, this all sounds great. But what’s the matter?”

  He fidgeted with the napkin again. He tugged his hat brim down. “The place is six hours away from here,” he said, lifting troubled eyes to mine.

  My heart dropped to my stomach. I sat back. Six hours. That was a long drive. You wouldn’t make that drive more than once in a while. A long while.

  “It sounds like a really ideal offer,” I said softly. “We can handle it. This will help your career, and you’ll become more well-known, more famous.”