High Hurdles Collection Two (30 page)

“Hey, Stormy, how you been?” DJ held out a piece of horse cookie.

Stormy ducked under her mother's neck and ignored the offering.

“She is such a cutie. Man, has she grown.” DJ patted the mare, hoping her baby would change her mind and come for a reward. “Her mane looks like a shoe brush.”

But Stormy ignored her, ducking away as soon as she got her treat from Brad's outstretched hand.

“Jackie's been the one working with her the most, since we thought having her accustomed to a woman might make it easier for you. You watch—by tomorrow she'll be eating out of your hand. If only we could get you up here more often.”

“Now with shows starting, my weekends are going to be really busy.”

Together the two of them strolled back toward the Land Rover, listening to the horses settle down again. Brad turned off the light and slid the door shut. “Let's go eat.”

“Darla Jean Randall, I am so happy to see you I could sing and dance!” Jackie turned from stirring something that smelled wonderful on the stove and gave DJ a big hug. “And if you've heard me sing …” She shook her head.

“Not here, I hope.” Brad sniffed the garlicky fragrance. “Italian?”

“Your favorite. You want to toss the salad?” She turned the oven dial to Broil. “The bread's already in there.” Surveying the kitchen, she put a finger to her chin. “I know I'm forgetting something. Oh, DJ, would you please get the plate of antipasta out of the fridge and set it on the counter. We can munch while we finish up here. So what did you think of her?”

“Stormy?” DJ turned from the refrigerator door. “She's about the cutest thing I've ever seen. She wouldn't come to me, though. Looked at me like, ‘Who're you and what do you think you're doing giving my mom treats?' ”

“Sounds just like her. She has a mind of her own already. I can't wait to see the two of you in the show-ring.”

DJ picked up a carrot stick and an olive. “That means I have to learn to show Halter.”

“You could use the experience. At the upper-level shows you need to be in every class you can.”

DJ groaned. “Halter's boring.”

“Says the voice of longtime experience.” Brad leaned against the butcher block center island and waved a celery curl as he talked. “You ever shown Halter?”

“Once.”

“How about riding Hunter Seat?”

“Lots.”

“Lots?”

“Three or four times, I guess.”

He continued naming classes, and DJ got the idea rather quickly that she had a lot of learning to do. Bridget had said the same thing, but it all seemed in the distant future. According to Brad, that future was roaring closer, like a freight train on the loose.

“I guess we can begin working on some of those things this week.” Jackie drained the pasta and flicked off the oven. “You
can
ride again, can't you?”

“Yep.” She went on to tell about Major's limp as all three of them put things on the table and sat down.

After Brad said grace and thanked God for bringing DJ back to them, the discussion continued about what DJ needed to learn and how they could help her. The evening passed in a haze of horse talk. When she went to bed, she hugged all the new ideas to herself, thanking her heavenly Father for this man and woman who had come into her life so unexpectedly.

“God, you sure are amazing,” DJ whispered in the darkness. “I was so hung up about not wanting a dad in my life, and now I have two. Guess you wanted to make up for lost time, huh?” DJ lay staring into the darkness. “And please take care of Major; make his shoulder all better so we can really begin to work hard.” She pressed a hand to her middle. “I get butterflies just thinking about bigger shows.”

Brad had plenty of horses for her to practice on. By noon the next day, she felt dizzy from all he'd been cramming into her head. It beat algebra any day. After lunch she sat in the corner of Stormy's stall, waiting for the filly to come to her. The mare settled into a doze after nibbling her share of horse cookies, and while Stormy wanted to ignore DJ, she couldn't.

Closer and closer she'd come, then dart away if DJ made a move. Finally she planted her front feet wide apart and stretched her muzzle as far as she could to reach the treat. One step to go.

“Come on, baby, just an inch or two more.”

DJ felt a familiar tickle in her nose. She wrinkled her face, hoping …

She sneezed. “Fiddle.”

Stormy leaped behind her mother as if she'd been struck by lightning.

“Double fiddle.” DJ blew her nose and tucked the tissue back in her pocket. Back to holding out the treat. She needed a brace to prop it up, as long as this was taking. For sure, she needed to come here more often.

Once again, tiptoe, one step at a time.

Her arm wavered.

Reach, r-e-a-c-h. Soft lips tickled the ends of DJ's fingers as the baby took her treat and leaped backward, her hooves slipping and scrambling in the straw.

“Good girl.” DJ dug in her pocket and palmed another. “This time you have to come closer to take it.”

Stormy munched her goodie and nodded, the star on her nose flashing white with the movement.

“You are so cute. Now, get yourself over here and let's get together.” DJ kept up a running patter, all the while forcing herself to wait patiently while she wanted to hug the little soft neck and tickle Stormy's nose. “Sure wish Amy could see you. She'd go nuts with her camera.”

When she finally laid a hand on Stormy's neck, DJ felt as though she'd jumped a perfect round of six-foot fences. Not that she'd ever done that, but the thought persisted.

“You are one patient kid,” Brad said, leaning on the stall wall. “I was about to come and get her and tie her up so you could play with her. Wait until you see the crop of babies playing in the pasture. What a hoot.”

DJ rubbed Stormy's neck. “She is so soft. What color do you think she'll be?”

“Chestnut, I think. See that red tinge? And her mane hasn't any dark hairs. She's a show-off, too, so I'll bet she's going to love the limelight. Some horses get a kick out of showing and others just tolerate it.” Brad stroked the mare's neck. “We have an all-Arab show coming up in May. You want to enter her?”

“Where is it?”

“Up here. Not a big one. You could jump Herndon and show him in equitation. Give you a chance to show a horse you don't know well. I have a feeling someday you're going to be doing a lot of that, so you might as well get the experience.”

The offhand way he spoke made DJ realize this meant a lot to him. “I'll ask Mom. It shouldn't be a problem.”

“You know what we could do—bring Major when you come up here so you and Jackie can work with him, too. She's a good coach, even though she'd rather do dressage than jump.”

DJ looked up from rubbing her cheek on Stormy's mane. Once the little filly decided to give in, she didn't mind being handled and leaned into the stroking. “She helped me a lot with the dressage. Major and I can always use more of that.” She could hardly believe she said that, after all her heel digging about dressage. Jackie and Bridget had been right. Both she and Major were better athletes because of it.

Brad pulled a soft brush from his back pocket and handed it to DJ. “She loves this.”

“You ready to go again?” Jackie stopped at the stall. “Herndon's waiting for you.”

“Sure.” DJ gave the baby one more pat and let herself out of the stall. “Bye, Stormy. You be good, now.”

Stormy shook her head, sending her mane flopping from side to side. She twitched her tail and yawned.

“Sorry I bored you.” DJ caught herself yawning, too. When Brad and Jackie followed suit, they all laughed.

“You two go on, and after I get a couple of things done, I'll saddle up Matadorian and we can ride along the river.” He winked at DJ. “You'll need a break by then.”

Putting Herndon through his dressage paces was like flying.

“You've learned a lot since the first time you rode him,” Jackie said with a smile. “Feel what it's like when he bends around your leg. That way you'll know how it should feel for Major. The deeper you sit in that saddle, the more contact you have with him and the better you can drive him on the bit. Balance is everything in dressage, and it's the same in jumping.”

She tapped DJ on the knee. “Don't look so serious. You're supposed to be having fun.”

“I am. I just have to concentrate so hard to remember it all.”

“Some of it is already second nature to you. I can tell you've been working hard.”

I would have been further ahead if I hadn't been grounded for the last six months
. DJ knew it hadn't really been that long, but it sure seemed like it.

“Now what?”

“N-nothing.”
What? Is my face like an open book anyone can read?

“If you have any questions, remember that the only dumb question is the one you don't ask.”

“Thanks.” DJ signaled Herndon forward again. “This time we are going to do this perfect, you hear me?” The big horse's ears twitched back and forth as he listened to DJ and paid attention to everything going on around him, even the birds twittering in the rafters overhead.

“Relax, DJ,” Jackie called.

“Relax, use your seat, more leg, keep your hands steady.” DJ shook her head and Herndon faltered. “Fiddle. Do you have to be so sensitive?” She sucked in a deep breath and dropped her shoulders.
Right, relax. How come I get so tired trying to relax?

“Come on, DJ, you're trying too hard. Let's have a simple canter, staying in half the ring. If you put a smile on your face, your shoulders will relax, and he'll come down on the bit.”

Sure, add smile
. DJ kept up a running inner monologue, but what Jackie said was true. When she smiled and relaxed, she sat deeper. With that, combined with her legs and holding the reins, she could feel Herndon come down. A smile, enjoy. She wasn't riding the Olympics yet, after all.

And you can bet you'll have to be relaxed then
.

When Brad rode Matadorian into the ring, DJ was more than ready for a break. Both she and Herndon were sweating, and it wasn't because the sun was shining on them.

The next few days were repeats of the first one, with DJ dividing her time between Stormy and learning more about showing and working with Herndon both on dressage and jumping. The tall bay loved flying over jumps as much as she did. But unlike Major, who would try whatever she wanted, Herndon made her work for each jump.

If she faltered, he faltered. They had one bad takeoff, and DJ ended up on his neck.

“That was close.” Jackie stroked Herndon's sweaty neck and looked up at DJ.

Her heart was still pounding like a runaway drum.

“So what did you do wrong? Or not do right?”

DJ thought. “I was behind, not up and over him enough.”

“Good thing you have good balance, huh?” Jackie patted her knee.

Saturday afternoon DJ played with all the babies out in the pasture. They gathered around her for treats and raced her across the pasture. They quickly learned that she hid treats in her pockets and nosed her jacket after she said “no more.” Smart horses that they were, they knew there were usually more.