High Hurdles Collection Two (43 page)

“No, he really said that,” Tony added.

DJ could feel the slow boil begin down around her midsection.

Chapter • 2

Up to now it had been a pretty good day. Sorta.

“I felt like punching him out,” Amy hissed.

DJ could hear Gran's voice in her ear, as if she were standing right there with her arm around her granddaughter. Gran was a great one for quoting just the right Bible verse.
“And pray for those who spitefully use you”
DJ felt like praying for the jerks all right, praying with a two-by-four in hand. The nerve! Who gave them the right to judge Major and her dad and her?

She sent them a glare fit to burn bacon. She wanted to storm up the risers and give them both a big piece of her mind, a big
loud
piece of her mind. But then Gran would remind her that if she kept giving her mind away in pieces, what would she have left for herself? DJ slumped, all her anger going out with her air.

It wasn't Brad's fault he hadn't given her a better horse; it was hers. She was the stubborn one, wanting to show Major and not Herndon. But Major was
her
horse, her very first horse, and she'd bought him with money she'd earned herself. Herndon had been Jackie's earlier dressage horse until she bought a better one. Herndon loved to jump, and the new trainer Jackie hired for the big gelding said Herndon would make a better jumper than he had as a dressage mount.

So why didn't DJ take them up on their offer?

DJ shook her head. “I love showing Major. He gives his best all the time and reminds me to do the same.”

Tony nodded. “I know what you mean. I had a real hard time letting go of my first horse, too. The trainer I had then found the horse I have now, and my father said it was time to go on or get off. Did I really want to go places in the jumping world, or did I want to have a good time riding in the local shows?”

DJ studied the young man with the southern accent who'd become her friend after a rocky start. “You too, huh?”

“I'm glad I don't have to worry about getting rid of Josh.” Amy loved her half-Arab gelding like DJ loved Major. Since Amy rode Western, she'd come to the show to cheer for her friends. “But then, I have no desire to jump in the Olympics, either. Why can't we just have fun with our horses and not get dragged into the ‘go for the gold' thing?”

DJ looked at her with one eyebrow arched to her hairline. “Amy, how can you say that? You know all I want is to jump on the USET.”

“I know. Just glad it's your goal and not mine.”

“And mine,” Tony added.

“And Hilary's. With the three of us on the team, there won't be a lot of room for anyone else.” DJ glanced up as the two men who'd been talking walked down past them. She didn't even glare at them, which made her feel a tug of pride. She sucked in a deep breath and let it out again, feeling a wave of exhaustion that threatened to swamp her. The yawn that followed it nearly cracked her jaw. “Well, I better get on down to the trailer. Joe most likely is ready to go, and I've been lazy, letting him do all the work.”

“You know he loves it.” Amy stretched her arms over her head. “You guys coming to the Rosedale Western Show next week to cheer the rest of us on? Joe's entering Western Pleasure again, isn't he?”

“That and a cutting class. He says he still may scratch that one if he and Ranger aren't ready.”

“If you wait until you think you're ready in this business, you'll stay home all the time.” Tony got to his feet. “Since I don't have a grandfather taking care of my horse, I better get going, too. Hilary's dad should be back pretty soon and we'll get out of here. I can't wait until I have my own rig and don't have to depend on others for transporting my horses.”

“Horses?” DJ gave him a questioning look.

Tony nodded. “I'm going to be trying out another horse. The owner wants me to show him for a while whether I buy him or not.”

DJ and Amy swapped their secret
I'm impressed
look. Sometimes Tony sounded a lot older than a junior in high school. But then, since DJ and Amy were just finishing their freshman year, even a sophomore sounded a lot older, too.

DJ was just glad he'd gotten over his redneck ways and become a real member of the Briones Academy family. At first she hadn't thought that possible, not the way he had treated Hilary.

But as Gran said, anything was possible with God. And DJ
had
finally been able to pray for him.

She stood and, along with Amy, followed Tony down the stairs. DJ couldn't remember when she'd felt so tired. Unless, of course, it had been the weekend before. School, homework, riding every afternoon, and showing nearly every weekend didn't leave much time for catching up on lost Zs.

But she didn't dare tell her family that, not since they were all working so hard to help her.

DJ fell asleep in the cab of the pickup going home, even though Amy and Joe carried on a conversation. Well, they were talking the last she remembered.

“You okay, kid?” Joe asked her when he stopped the truck and trailer in the Briones parking lot.

DJ blinked and flinched a bit at Amy's dig in her ribs. “I … I guess. We're home already?”

Amy rolled her eyes and shook her head. “Not
all
of us snored our way home.”

“I don't snore.” Another yawn did its thing on her jaw. If this kept up, she'd have to go to the doctor to have it put back in place. She stumbled from the truck and watched as Joe and Amy lowered the ramp. While she knew she should be helping, she waited, then walked in to untie Major and back him out. Within minutes they had their horses fed and watered and the fresh manure tossed out of the stalls.

She barely stayed awake long enough to say good-bye to Amy when Joe dropped her off at the Yamamoto house, then drove back past the Academy to DJ's.

“You get a good night's sleep, kid, or you'll end up sick.”

“I've got homework to do.” DJ groaned at the thought.

“Right, and I plan to re-roof my house. I thought you got that done on Friday.”

“Most of it.” DJ gathered up her duffel and the garment bag that hung behind the seat. She leaned over and gave her grandfather a kiss on the cheek. “Thanks, GJ. You are one awesome grandfather. Give Gran a hug for me. I sure missed her today.”

“Me too.” Joe shook his head. “Her and her deadlines. Sometimes I wish she weren't so good at what she does.”

“Joe!”

“I know, I know.” He raised his hands in defense. “It's awful to admit I'm jealous of the time my wife spends on her illustrations, but I hate for her to miss out on things like your horse shows.”

“And
your
horse shows?” DJ waggled an eyebrow.

“She better not!” His grin deepened the creases in his cheeks and around his eyes.

“See ya.” DJ shook her head as she bailed out of the truck and slammed the door. Her feet felt as though she were wearing cement boots. She waved again as Joe tooted the horn, then dragged herself up the curving walk to the broad front entrance of her family's new home. Tonight that Jacuzzi in her bathroom would feel pure heavenly.

“We're out here,” her mother called when Queenie tore through the house, barking her welcome home, then leaped at DJ's knees.

“Hi, girl, guess you're glad to see me, huh?” DJ bent low enough for a quick doggie kiss. She set down her bags to ruffle the bouncing black dog's ears and tell her how wonderful she was. Queenie did all in her power to return the favor.

“Daddy's making sundaes.” The boys plowed to a stop in front of her. “How come you took so long? We been home forever.” The twins always ran their sentences together, a trick DJ had yet to figure out.

Queenie ran circles around all of them, her toes scrabbling for a hold on the slate-tiled entrance.

“We gots fudge. What kind you want?”

“Fudge sounds great.” DJ pasted a smile on her face. Dropping her bags on the bottom stair, she followed the dog and twins out to the deck off the kitchen-family room combination.

“Uh-oh, you look wiped.” Robert leaned back in his seat. With one hand he pulled out the chair beside him and gestured for her to take it.

DJ nodded and sank into the cushioned comfort. “I slept most of the way home, I guess. At least, that's what GJ and Amy said.” She covered another monstrous yawn with the palm of her hand.

“You up for a sundae?”

“Yes, please.” She put her arms around each boy as they leaned on the arms of her chair. “How're my favorite brothers?”

“We's your only brothers.” The twins looked at each other as if she'd gone batty.

“I know. Good thing, huh?”

“Well, that could change.” Lindy leaned forward, her elbows on the table.

DJ perked up at the tone of her mother's voice. “Okay, something's going on here, I can tell.”

“You want the works?” Robert called from the kitchen.

“Yes, please.” DJ kept her gaze on her mother's face.

“Well, Robert and I were wondering how you might like a younger brother or sister.” Lindy glanced up as Robert laid a hand on her shoulder and set DJ's sundae in front of her.

Robert smiled down at his wife, then at DJ. “As in
much
younger.” He took his seat again and handed DJ a napkin from the green wire rack that held plastic picnic forks and spoons, along with napkins and paper plates.

“So what are you saying?” DJ dug into the nuts and whipped cream that nearly hid the hot fudge dribbling down the sides. Her stomach seemed to bounce somewhere around her ankles. Surely they weren't going to say what she was thinking they were going to say.

For once, the boys were still enough that DJ could hear the birds chattering in the ancient oak tree that shaded the deck as they settled down for the night. Somewhere a sprinkler ratcheted water on a lawn. Queenie sighed as she settled down at DJ's feet, her jaw flat out on her front legs.

DJ licked the fudge from her spoon.

Robert took Lindy's hand and sheltered it between his two bigger ones. “What your mother is trying to say is that we are expecting a baby before Christmas.”

“A baby!” DJ thought her eyes might leap right out of her head.

She looked from her mother to Robert and back again. “Aren't you kind of … I mean …” Her tongue flubbed the words.

“Old, you mean?” Lindy arched an eyebrow.

“Well, ah … yes—ah … no, I mean.” Her chin hit her chest. “M-o-m!”

Robert shook his head. “You should see your face. Where's the camera when you need it?”

“DJ, you okay?” Bobby and Billy leaned against her shoulders, peering up into her face.

DJ took several bites of her sundae to give herself time to think.
A baby! I've never lived in a house that had a baby. Isn't this a bit soon? What's the matter with them, anyhow? How neat to have a baby A real live baby brother or sister. But I've already got two brothers, and I don't know what to do with them half the time
.

Robert and Lindy exchanged another one of their sappy looks.

“Mom, I know you don't know what it feels like to get kicked by a horse, but that's about how I feel right now.” She shook her head. “You coulda warned me, you know. How am I supposed to react?”

“Happy is what we hoped for.” Lindy sighed. “We'd talked about having a baby, but we just didn't think it would happen so soon.”

DJ licked more fudge from her spoon. She wagged her jaw back and forth. Then nodded again. “I
am
happy, I think. Just shocked. A baby …” She looked at the two boys, who were now rolling on the redwood decking with the dog trying to lick their giggling faces. She could feel her eyes turn into monster-sized Cheerios. “What if you have
twins?”
Her voice squeaked on the last word.

“That's always a possibility.” Robert tipped his head and winked at his wife. “But we won't know that for a while.”

Lindy groaned. “Now,
that
would really be exciting.”

“Oh, it's not so bad. Been there, done that, got the T-shirt.”

“Easy for you to say.
You
won't be the one giving birth.” Lindy punched her husband playfully on the shoulder.

DJ ate her ice cream with a million thoughts screaming through her head. Finally she nodded. “Good thing we got a bigger house.”

“Right,” Robert said. “And now maybe we can convince this woman here to quit her job and stay home with her family.” He patted Lindy's middle. “Her increasing family.”

“I'm thinking about it.”

Two shocks in one night was a bit much, even for DJ.

“But … but you said …”

“I know, I said more times than I can count that now that I have my degree, I looked forward to new positions in my company. But …” She gave Robert a smile so full of love that DJ's eyes burned.

“But?” DJ prompted.