High Hurdles (18 page)

Chapter
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7

Smiling and saying thank-you when you want to cry isn’t easy. But DJ did it. She pasted on a smile, laughed in the right places, and even said something nice to Joe. But inside . . . she was a mess. DJ didn’t dare look directly at Gran. She was too good at reading eyes. And from the burning, DJ knew hers must be red. Or at the very least, sad and scared.

She held her new scooped-neck T-shirt up to her chest. Three dolphins leaped and dove across the turquoise fabric. “It’s a beaut. And the shorts are perfect. Thanks.” She admired the swirly skirt and tank top they’d brought her mother. And oohed and aahed at the pictures. Maybe she should try out for drama when she got to high school. This was turning into an Academy Award performance.

“Someday we’ll go back and take you with us to snorkel.” Gran handed DJ a picture taken under water that showed fish they usually saw in saltwater aquariums.

“It’s a whole new world under the surface.” Joe handed her another photo. “Your grandmother was a natural, took to snorkeling like a duck to water. We should call her the diving duck.” He reached over and patted Gran’s hand. “When we go again, we’ll take Shawna, too. She’d love it.” He checked his watch. “We better get going, darlin’. I’ve got first watch tomorrow.”

DJ hugged her stomach with both arms. Anything to keep it in place.
Stay here, Gran. Don’t leave me again
. But instead, she smiled and waved good-bye from the lighted doorway.

Then she headed for her bedroom at a run.

The next morning everyone hurried through their chores. DJ spent an hour and a half with Patches, making sure she focused on him entirely. He could get out of control faster than any horse she’d known, but when he decided to cooperate, he learned quickly and never forgot the lesson.

“I think the trick with him is to let him work off all his steam on the hot walker. Either that or just take him around the ring until he settles down.” Bridget had been watching the last few minutes of the session. “He has too much energy. But you are doing a good job with him.”

“I don’t want his riders to get frightened at first, especially the child.” DJ leaned forward and stroked Patches’ mane away from where it had tangled in the headstall.

“The boy is going to ride Bandit at first, like you suggested. Think I will put him in your beginners’ class.”

“But the others are already riding well.”

“He will catch up with some extra coaching. You will have him on Mondays and Wednesdays at first, then right before your girls, then with them. It will work.” Bridget turned to leave. “Johnsons are not interested in showing; they want to trail-ride as a family. Or at least that is what they are saying now.”

DJ dismounted and led Patches out of the arena. “You get an extra treat today. You’ve been a good boy.” As soon as she stripped the tack off, she fed him a horse cookie, brushed him down, and led him out to the hot walker.

James was just saddling up. “You got him looking good, DJ.”

“Thanks. What’s happening?”

James finished buckling the girth on his flat saddle. “This is my last day here.”

“What?”

“Gray Bar and I both leave tomorrow for Virginia.” He ducked his head, fiddling with the stirrups.

“Oh, James, no.”

“I gotta get her worked.” James kept his head turned toward the horse when he pushed by DJ.

“We’ll still be here when you come home for the summer.” She tried to sound cheerful, as if leaving for a military academy was the most natural thing in the world.

“You may be, but my house won’t. Mom and Dad are selling it. I don’t even know who I’m going to live with—or where.”

Was that the sheen of a tear on his cheek? She turned away so he wouldn’t be more embarrassed. What could she say? “Bridget asked me to tell you to come up to the office as soon as you’re finished.” DJ crammed her hands into her pockets. Here she’d been feeling sorry for herself because Gran now lived with Joe, and James didn’t even know who he was going to live with. Bummer. Double bummer.

“I’ll see.”

“You better—she sounded determined.”

“What did I do now?”

“Got me.” DJ turned away again, this time to hide a smile. She knew what Bridget wanted. All the student workers did except for James.

“Surprise! Surprise!” everyone hollered when James walked through the door.

He stopped as though he’d walked into a glass wall. His face turned as red as the helium balloons bobbing on strings tied to the chairs and table legs. He half turned as if to run back out the door he had just come in.

“Come on, James.” DJ stepped in his way. She kept her voice low for his ears only. “You can do this.”

He turned back. “Th-thanks. How come no one told me?”

Giggles broke out. “It’s a surprise party, that’s why!”

“Okay, everyone, line up over here for hot dogs, then get the rest of your food.” One of the mothers working behind the food table called out, “James, you get to be first since you’re the guest of honor.”

Hilary nudged James forward. “Come on, we’re starved. I didn’t have lunch yet because of you, so get with it.” The grin she wore lit up her dark eyes. “We really surprised you, didn’t we?”

James nodded. He picked up a paper plate and asked for two hot dogs.

Before long everyone had a plateful and had found a place to sit. In between bites, talk of the Labor Day horse show took over. DJ, Amy, James, and a couple of others sat cross-legged on the floor in a circle.

“So you’ll be involved in the horse program at your new school?” one of them asked.

James nodded, his mouth full of food. “I want to get on the novice jumping team. And I can ride on fox hunts in the fall.”

“Cool.” One of the other boys leaned back and thumped James on the arm. “Then you could compete Hunter/Jumper. Just think, riding behind hounds. I watched ’em do it in a movie once. Incredible.”

“Yeah, I guess.”

DJ studied James from under her eyelashes. Just a few weeks ago he was the biggest pain in her life, and now they were friends. Incredible was the word all right. And she knew who to thank. Only God worked miracles.

After the cake was served, Bridget clapped for order. She brought a wrapped package out from under her desk and handed it to James. “So you do not forget us. You will be a success at that Academy. You are really just exchanging one academy for another. And they will not be any tougher than I am, you can count on it.”

“Th-thanks.” He tore into the paper and held up a black T-shirt. Inside a circle of white letters that read
Briones Academy
, a white horse and rider cleared a triple.

“You now have the first shirt produced for our school here. The rest of my students will have to buy theirs.” Bridget handed him another box. “This one is from everybody.”

James lifted a shiny new headstall out of the box. “Thank you.” His voice cracked on the words.

DJ leaped to her feet and started picking up dirty plates and plastic cups. “Come on, you guys, put away your mess.” She knew how James felt, hating to cry and so afraid he might. And one look at his face told her how close he was.

Saying good-bye when you didn’t know if you’d ever see that person again was the pits. “I’ll write if you will.” She helped James find all his gear in the tack room.

“You got a modem?” James dug a brush with his name on it out of the tack box.

“No, I don’t even have a computer. Why?”

“I could send you messages that way.” James found an old jacket in the closet. “Faster and easier than the post office.”

“Sorry, you’ll have to use the mail. Or the phone.” She picked up a loaded bucket and lugged it over to Gray Bar’s stall. “You learn to jump, old girl, and I’ll see you in the ring next year.” She stroked the filly’s nose and rubbed her ears. “See ya.” She turned, gave James a hug, and hustled out the door. What she wouldn’t give to tell his parents what a mess they were making of their kid’s life. Military school! It was all so stupid.

Tuesday morning her eyes flew open and she leaped out of bed. No more restrictions. She was free! She could use the phone, watch TV, visit Amy. . . . Today she would ride Megs again—and this evening, Joe was taking her to meet Major, her soon-to-be own horse.

“I’m free!” she sang to Amy when she came out the door of her house.

“Do you have to be free so early in the morning?” Amy tried to grumble, but ended up grinning instead. “You get to jump again.”

“And tonight I get to see Major. What a day! What a super fantastical, awesome day.” DJ raised her face to the sun peeping over the tops of the buckeye and eucalyptus trees. “Nothing can stop me now—I’m on my way. Olympics, here I come!”

“You might want to win a couple local shows and qualify for the Grand National first.” The two pedaled side by side up the street.

“Gran always says you need the dream first. Can’t you just imagine?” DJ flung her arms straight out, causing her bike to waver from side to side.

“I can imagine you splattered all over the street if you don’t watch out.”

“Amy Marie Yamamoto, you are the most—”

“Most perfect friend you’ve ever had.”

“Right.” DJ’s thoughts flitted to James. Wouldn’t it be awful to have to move away and leave your friends behind? Especially a friend like Amy. They’d been best friends since preschool. Poor James, his flight left at 7:00 a.m. She glanced at her watch—right about now.

They parked their bikes beside the barn and checked the duty board. Who would take over James’ chores? Two new names appeared on the roster. Tony Andrada and Rachel Jones.

DJ and Amy swapped raised-eyebrow looks. “Sure hope they know how to work. We just got James whipped into shape before he left. Is Tony a girl or guy?”

“Got me. I’ve never met either of them.” DJ’s gaze scanned the board. “But Hilary is training them, so I don’t have to. And look, they’re taking some of my stalls. Good deal!”

“So what’ll you do?”

DJ shrugged. “Who knows—besides Bridget, that is. But I’m sure she has something planned. Today I have stalls, Patches, my lesson—my lesson!” She threw her hands in the air and jigged around in a circle. “I finally get to jump again!”

“It hasn’t been forever, you know.”

“Just seems like it.” She did another jig step.

“You know, DJ, one thing I like about you is your low-key personality.” Bridget stopped just inside the door. The smile on her face made DJ feel as though the sun shone inside the building. “You get Megs saddled, and I will meet you in the arena in ten minutes?”

“I’m outta here.” DJ dashed across to the barn and saddled Megs in record time. Once in the ring and mounted up, she wanted to whoop and shout. Even staid Megs caught the excitement and pranced to the side. “Thank you, thank you, thank you, God!” Her words kept time with the slow trot, one hoofbeat per word.

She felt as if she were flying. When Megs left the ground to clear each jump, DJ was sure they were going to take off and circle like Pegasus. They could have easily cleared a brush and pole or a square oxer if they’d been in the arena.

“DJ, that was an excellent performance. I could tell Megs was having as much fun as you were. When the rider is confident, the horse will do far beyond its best. Remember what this felt like and how you feel right now. Dream about it and know you can recapture this feeling. The best riding is as much mental as physical.”

“I think this was the most fun I’ve had in my entire life.” DJ leaned forward and hugged Megs with both arms. “You old sweetie. Thank you, Megs.”

Her class went the same way.

“That was fun, DJ.” Sam stopped her horse by the open gate. “I wish school wouldn’t start for months or ever. I love it here.” She leaned forward and rubbed her horse’s neck. “When are we going back up in Briones?”

“After what we went through, you want to go back?”

“Sure.” Angie stopped beside her. “A stupid ol’ bee can’t keep us away.”

“Well, we’ll see.”

“Now you sound just like a grown-up.” Krissie shook her head. “And we thought you were different.”

DJ took hold of the girl’s bridle. “Get back to the barn before your mother scolds me for taking too long. You want to get me in trouble?”