Hunter Derby: (Show Circuit Series -- Book 3) (28 page)

“You haven’t heard anything about Chris?” Hannah asked. “I mean anything through the grapevine?”

Zoe shook her head. Maybe shaking her head instead of speaking would make it less of a lie because she had heard something. Recently, she’d heard that he’d been seen with a European rider. But rumors always ran rampant about rider hook-ups with Europeans when overseas. It was debatable how much of it was true.

Was it better than his getting back together with Mary Beth? Zoe wasn’t sure.

“He’s been doing really well,” Hannah said. “I’m so happy for him. He was right about being able to ride Athelstane.”

“Yeah,” Zoe said, glad that they had gotten away from Chris’s love life and back to a safer topic—his riding. “Everyone knows he has what it takes to be one of the best. It’s all about the horseflesh, though. I heard Delaney isn’t too happy with Tommy.”

“Really?”

“That’s what the rumor is.”

“That would have to make Chris feel better about how it ended with Delaney,” Hannah said.

That night they went out to dinner with Linda and a few of her closest friends for an unofficial bachelorette party. Dakota came too. She and Hannah hugged and went into the restaurant arm-in-arm, saying how much they had to catch up on. They sat next to each other and Zoe sat across from them, feeling left out. She sensed that Dakota was perhaps acting even more chummy with Hannah just to make Zoe feel bad.

The restaurant had a fun and festive vibe, though, and Zoe couldn’t stay glum for long, even if Hannah and Dakota talked on and on across from her. Linda looked so happy that her happiness was contagious.

Everyone had margaritas, except Linda and Dakota, of course.

“Some bachelorette party,” Linda’s sister, Heather, joked.

“Yeah, the bride can’t drink and is as big as a house,” Linda said.

“You look great,” Linda’s best friend, Dawn, a trainer from Michigan, said. “You’re still totally hot.”

Linda laughed. “Oh my God, please.”

After the appetizers, Dakota slipped away to go the bathroom and Zoe followed. She found her outside the bathroom, texting.

“Do you have to go?” Zoe said.

“What are you, the bathroom police?”

“No, I just, I wanted to talk to you . . . in private and I wasn’t sure when I’d get another chance.”

“So you followed me to the bathroom?”

“Yes,” Zoe said.

Dakota jutted out her chin. “Well, what is it?”

Man, that girl could be obnoxious when she tried.

“I wanted to say I’m sorry about breaking our pact.”

“Who cares?” Dakota said. “That was like ten years ago.”

“Well, I care. We promised each other something and I didn’t live up to it. I let you down.”

Dakota softened a little, her voice quieter and less hostile. “I just wish you’d told me. Like after? I wish you’d come to me and told me you’d had a moment of weakness. I would have totally gotten that. It was that you didn’t tell me and I heard it from someone else. I thought we were friends.”

“We were. We are! Or I hope we can be again. Next time I sleep with someone horrible you will totally be the first person I call. I just felt so gross about it and I didn’t want you to think badly of me.”

Zoe swallowed and then decided to come completely clean and confess about hooking up with Morgan the last time in Kentucky.

“See, I’m not mad because you told me this time,” Dakota said.

“I realized like right in the middle of it that I was truly done with letting guys treat me like shit. You helped me get to that point, and Linda, and John too.”

“He’s still hoping you’ll come back,” Dakota said.

“What?”

“Yeah, totally.”

“How do you know?” In all their texts, John had never even hinted about hoping she’d come back.

“Why else do you think he turned down 250K for Gidget?”

“Who offered him
that
?”

“Those people from Illinois. The ones with all the money. Margolis, I think their name is?”

“I never heard that. He never said anything about it.”

“Exactly,” Dakota said. “He’s hoping if he keeps Gidget you might come back and ride her.”

“He turned down 250K?” Zoe said, as much to herself as to Dakota.

“I wish you’d come back and work for Linda again. I mean Heather’s nice but she’s not you.”

“Me too, but I want horses to show. More than just Gidget.”

“What if I got my parents to buy one for you?”

“That’s so sweet,” Zoe said. “But you’re not asking them to do that. Congrats on getting through Regionals by the way. That was cool.”

“Thanks,” Dakota said.

When Zoe and Dakota had both returned to the table their main courses were there. A second round of Margaritas was ordered for those who could drink.

After dessert, Linda turned serious. “I can’t thank you guys enough for helping me get to this point in my life. For listening to me cry when I dated assholes.” Linda looked meaningfully at Heather and Dawn.

“For being there when I found out I was pregnant.” Here, she looked at Zoe.

Then she teared up. “I’m just so happy. I’m in love with a great guy and I’m having a baby and I’m getting married!” She wiped at her eyes. “It must be the hormones!”

But everyone was tearing up a little.

If Linda could find love and happiness then maybe someday they all could.

Back at the hotel, Zoe washed up first and was in bed looking at her phone when Hannah came back from the bathroom wearing a cute set of PJs with cows on them. Zoe told her about the offer on Gidget.

“Holy crap,” Hannah said. “Wow.”

“He needs the money too,” Zoe added.

“Did he already text you good-night?”

“Yeah.

Hannah grabbed Zoe’s phone and started typing out a message.

“What are you writing? Stop!”

Hannah gave her back the phone. There were five words.
I think I’m falling in . . .

Zoe shook her head and deleted the text. “Now he probably saw the dots and knows I was writing something and wonders why I erased it.”

She typed,
see you tomorrow,
and hit send.

CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR

Eamon wore khakis and a blazer. There were no bridesmaids or groomsmen, and only twenty or so people in the folding chairs set up in front of the barn. Eamon’s family had decided to postpone a trip until the baby was born. He had a few friends there, mostly other Irish guys from the barn he worked at and Tiernan, the Irish grand prix rider he worked for.

Zoe was acutely aware of John sitting next to her and how nice he’d looked when he’d arrived. She’d subtly elbowed Hannah and it didn’t take any more than that for Hannah to realize the man who had just walked in was John.

He had given Zoe a big hug and then said, “You must be Hannah.”

“You must be John.”

“That’s me.”

“You’re tall. Zoe said you were tall but you’re really tall.”

“Thanks?” John said, looking from Hannah to Zoe. “That’s what sticks out about me most?”

“I guess so,” Zoe said. “Maybe it’s your best attribute?”

“Ouch.” John pretended to act hurt.

“Just kidding. I also said you can ride really well and you pick good horses and you’re able to endure watching cheesy movies.”

“That sounds like one of those two-truths-and-a-lie things,” John said.

Zoe smiled. “But they’re all true.”

When it was time to be seated, the three of them sat together in the third row.

Hannah leaned over and whispered to Zoe, “You two are so cute together.”

Linda’s parents walked her down the aisle to where Eamon was waiting, hands folded a little nervously in front of him.

The ceremony itself was sweet and simple. Dakota, in a very pretty boho dress, gave a reading, and one of Eamon’s friends sang an Irish folksong.

The only thing that was formal about the ceremony was that they had a minister. Eamon was Presbyterian, not Catholic, Linda had explained, which was lucky because otherwise they would have had to jump through all sorts of hoops to be married in the Catholic Church.

Tears welled up in Zoe’s eyes as the minister took them through their vows. She was emotional not because of the words the minister spoke; that was just generic wedding verbiage,
to have and to hold, to cherish and to love, etc., etc
. It was the look on Linda’s face, and Eamon’s too. But mostly Linda’s. She looked euphoric, but also exceedingly grateful, as if even though she had hoped for this, she had never actually imagined it would come true.

Linda deserved the love of a good man and the blessing of a child on the way more than anyone Zoe could think of. In Linda, Zoe saw how things you didn’t think possible could happen. How life could surprise you . . . if you let it.

Everyone clapped when the minister told Eamon he could now kiss the bride and he put one hand behind her head and pulled her to him, kissing her exuberantly.

They walked down the aisle with everyone standing and cheering. Horse show people couldn’t help themselves from cheering. Zoe even heard a few whoops.

Eamon and Linda went off to have a few photos taken and people trickled over to where the caterers were firing up the grills.

Zoe, Hannah, and John walked over together.

“So what shows are you doing this winter?” Hannah asked John.

“Did Zoe pay you to ask me that?”

Before Hannah could deny it, he said, “Actually, I haven’t told Zoe this yet but I might go to Gulfport for a few weeks.”

“That’s cool.” Zoe was glad to hear he wouldn’t be sitting home all winter, although Gulfport was a far cry from Wellington. “Would you bring all the horses?”

“Probably. If I can scrape together the cash. I have my eye on one more too. I saw one I really like.”

“Jumper? Eq horse?” Zoe said.

“I thought he’d be an eq horse but I don’t know. I might have another hunter on my hands.”

“Really?”

“Well, maybe, we’ll see,” John said.

Hannah saw Dakota and excused herself to go talk to her. Zoe gave Hannah a quick, annoyed look because she knew Hannah was leaving her on purpose.

“Well, you totally proved you can do the hunter-rider thing at Derby Finals,” Zoe told John.

“That might be a bit of an over exaggeration,” John said. “Let’s just say I didn’t totally embarrass myself.”

“You did really well,” Zoe said. “So are you going to keep Gidget and show her?” She was fishing for him to tell her about the offer but he said vaguely, “I don’t really know yet,” and then changed the subject, asking, “What’s going on with your job?” John said, changing the subject. “Are you definitely staying through Florida?”

“It’s a good job and they aren’t crazy people like most horse show people. If anything, it can be a little boring. I can’t believe I’m saying that.”

“Boring’s probably good for you,” John said.

Zoe laughed. “Yeah, no kidding.”

“When do you leave for Florida?” John asked.

“Right after The National. The horses go straight from there. We’ll go back home and pack up and then meet them there. Any movement on the other horses? “

“You know, a few inquiries. I have them listed on BigEq and they’re on my website so I get calls.”

“If I can ever help . . . maybe just mention it to a few people. Florida is when everyone’s looking.”

“Looking to buy something on the show grounds. Not up north.”

“Well, maybe when you’re in Gulfport. If I had someone seriously interested, they could pay to ship the horse over to WEF for a week or two . . ..”

Zoe knew it was a stretch. John was right—if the horse wasn’t at WEF, or maybe Ocala, it wasn’t going to be high on people’s shopping lists.

“I guess I could consider sending a horse to Florida with you. Do you think Grant would go for that?”

“You’d send a horse with me?” Zoe couldn’t believe John would trust her that much. “I mean what if I rode it every day in drawn reins?”

“Very funny,” he said. “And yes, clearly I would trust you.”

A small cheer went up behind them from the Irish guys. John and Zoe turned to see Linda and Eamon walking up holding hands. The Irish guys bellowed to Eamon to come have a drink with them and he kissed Linda before joining them.

Linda came over and hugged Zoe. She said she wanted to introduce Zoe to her parents. While she wanted to meet them too, Zoe didn’t want to leave John. When she had finally extracted herself from chatting with Zoe’s parents, Zoe saw that John was busy talking with Heather. Zoe felt a little flash of jealousy, even though she had no reason to think there was anything between them. For one thing, Heather was much older than he was.

For only a few guys, Eamon’s friends could make quite a ruckus. The drinks flowed and the voices raised and hearty laughter followed. While there wasn’t a dance floor or a DJ, someone set up the barn’s Bose connected to an iPhone and soon there was music and dancing.

At first, Zoe and Hannah danced with the Irish guys. Tiernan seemed to gravitate toward Hannah. He was cute with red hair and green eyes. He and Hannah danced together and Zoe thought she detected chemistry between them. He probably knew who she was because of Chris.

Zoe couldn’t help but think how Chris would be jealous if he heard Hannah hooked up with Tiernan. Zoe didn’t think it would develop into anything more than a hook-up; Tiernan wasn’t one for long-term relationships. But it would probably be good for her.

Or would it? The whole point was for her
not
to get involved with another horse person. For her to have her hook-ups at school, outside the gossipy world of the show circuit.

Zoe danced with one of the other Irish guys but she found herself sneaking glances at John. He had gone to get another drink and then was walking back over toward the unofficial dance floor. She saw him look at her and then quickly look away. He was definitely watching her. When the song ended, she walked over to him.

“Not much for dancing?”

“You know, when the occasion merits.”