The Horsewoman(13)

I made one last stop where Daniel was standing with the grooms.

“Do not focus on the one your grandmother calls a horse’s ass,” he said, lifting his chin toward Gorton. “Just your horse.”

Just get around the first time clean.

Then I was into the first jump and then the second, taking it slow. When Sky and I were in the jump-offs that would determine the champion horse among those with clean first rounds, when we were really busting for speed, when we had it all going on, when I felt in perfect sync with my legs and hands, keeping her on her hind end, I would take out strides on our lines between the jumps, knowing that even a half second could make all the difference.

But I wasn’t doing that today on Coronado.

Show that man you can get around clean.

Show everybody.

Trust the horse and have the horse trust you and screw all the rest of it, including Steve Gorton.

We got around clean. No rails. On the second-to-last jump, I gave Coronado a bad distance, got him too close, and he clipped it with one of his hind legs. But he adjusted. Then we cleared the last one with ease.

I patted his head again and said, “Such a good boy,” trying to channel Mom. Holy crap, I thought, maybe we really could do this, and my deep exhale broke into a smile.

I turned the horse so I could see Daniel’s reaction. He was standing near the last jump now, arms crossed in front of him, shaking his head.

He was not smiling.

“What?” I said, walking Coronado over to him.

“If you’re going to ride the horse scared, maybe we do need to find another rider,” he said, making certain Mr. Gorton could hear.

Before I could respond I heard the door to the Porsche slam and Steve Gorton put the car in reverse, spraying gravel as he turned it around, and was gone.





THIRTEEN

Daniel



“I DIDN’T KNOW I was on the clock,” Becky said. “And thanks for calling me out in front of that guy. He must be so proud that I’m part of the team.”

“We are all on the clock,” Daniel said to her. “And today is not about the owner. It is about the rider.”

Becky was still on Coronado, and she turned the horse to walk him out after his round. When she finished, Mrs. Atwood had joined Daniel in the ring.

Now she got off and handed the reins to Emilio.

“Did you tell Mr. Gorton that I was riding?” Becky said to her grandmother.

“Why in the world would I do that?” she said. “I try to be in that man’s company as little as possible.”

“Whatever,” Becky said, then turned to Daniel and said, “I wasn’t going to push him, no matter who was watching me ride.”

“No one asked you to push him,” Daniel said. “But why ride this horse as if the two of you were pulling a carriage?”

“It was a solid first ride and you know it,” she said. “You both know it.”

“It was a careful ride,” he said. “That’s not you.”

“Agree to disagree,” she said.

“Shut up and listen to the man,” Mrs. Atwood said to Becky.

“Please listen,” Daniel said to Becky, “even though that is not always your greatest skill as a horsewoman.”

“You added lines three different times,” Mrs. Atwood said to Becky now. “If this were a real event, you would have lost.”

“I just wanted to go clean!” Becky yelled.

“So we could give you a pat on your head when you were done?” her grandmother said.

“Please listen,” he said again, “because we are all on the same team. And we are trying to help you.”

Daniel was expecting her to walk away. But she did not. Good. He wanted to use her anger in this moment.

“This horse is the one who has the need for speed,” he said. “You must allow him to be himself, even here, with only a handful of people watching him. He only understands one way.”

Becky started to say something. Daniel patiently held up both hands.

“Let me finish,” he said. “There is a reason I wanted you on this horse after your mother fell. I believe the way you ride and the way he can run and jump means you, even more than your mother, are made for him.” He gestured toward the ring now.

“Just not riding him like that,” he said.

“I could have gone faster if I wanted to,” Becky said.

“What was stopping you?” Daniel said.

“I wanted him to get to know me,” she said.

“Then let him get to know you as the rider you are,” Daniel said. “This horse runs one way. You ride one way. Now let’s get him out of the barn and do it again, all right?”

They both knew he wasn’t asking.

Becky turned to her grandmother and said, “Anything you’d like to add?”

“Hell, no,” she said. “I’m an old woman, but I could have ridden that horse up better than you just did.”

Then Mrs. Atwood was yelling at Emilio to bring the damn horse back out, and to be quick about it.

When Coronado was back in the ring, Mrs. Atwood said to Becky, “Now ride the damn horse without your foot on the damn brake.”

Becky said, “Screw all of you.”

She looked at Emilio and said, “Give me the reins and all of you get the hell out of my way.”