Chapter Three
CHAPTER THREE
Andy spent the following morning working with three of the six horses he had in training. Their owners would be arriving in two short days, and after watching and learning, they would enjoy a trail ride up a gentle slope called Smoky Hill. If the conditions were right, a mist resembling smoke would rise up from the ground and cloak the trees.
They would be staying at the hotel in the small town, but their day would be spent at the ranch, starting at nine and finishing around six. Lunch would be catered by the upmarket restaurant at the Moonshine Campgrounds.
The facility had been made famous because of Annie, Andy’s sister, a singing superstar. Not only had she been married there, it was where her nefarious manager had stayed when he’d been hunting her down. Because of the highly publicized dramatic events, the campground had experienced a surge of new visitors, but they always made time to cater Andy’s events.
He was working in the round pen, but knowing Helen was about to arrive he led the pretty paint mare back to her paddock. He was closing the gate when he saw Helen’s truck turn into the driveway and he hurried down to meet her.
“Hey,” he said with a smile as she pulled to a stop and leaned out the window.
“Hi. Where’s Daisy?”
“Fine thanks, how are you?” he quipped.
“Sorry, I’m just a bit nervous. My trainer’s not used to places like this.”
“Like this?”
“A ranch.”
“Let me guess. The horses at her barn live in stalls, not outside in paddocks.”
“There aren’t any paddocks where her facility is. Well, not paddocks like you have here. She has turnouts. Anyway, I want Daisy ready before she arrives.”
“She’s where she always is. In the pasture with Buck and Rabbit.”
“Lord, I hope she hasn’t rolled. I won’t have time to give her a bath. I’ll just take her into the crossties and do the best I can.”
“Helen, a little dirt never hurt any horse. They’re outdoor models.”
“I know…it’s just…Andy…don’t get me wrong. I’m grateful to be boarding here, I am, but like I keep saying, you just don’t understand. Are you coming up to the barn with me?”
“Sure, if you want.”
“Just don’t lecture me about my equipment.”
“You mean that curb chain and—“
“It’s necessary!”
“I’m entitled to an opinion, but maybe it would be better if I sat this one out,” he replied with a frown. “Just remember, my only concern is the comfort of the horse, and it should be yours too. Don’t forget that.”
“I know, but as I’ve said over and over again, you don’t understand the whole Hunter/Jumper thing.”
“Helen, what I don’t understand is why you’re trying to do it with a horse like Daisy. She’s not a fit. I’ll see you later.”
As he turned and began walking to the house he felt her eyes on his back, but resisted the urge to turn around. Moving inside and dropping into a chair, he let out a heavy breath.
When he’d first started dating Helen a few months before she’d been funny, warm, and easy to be around. Then a friend convinced her to take lessons and show in English equitation classes. To Andy’s dismay, Helen’s behavior and attitude began to change. Rather than enjoy her new venture, she constantly complained other riders in the lessons were more advanced, their horses prettier, bigger, shinier, or just plain better. When he suggested Daisy wasn’t cut out for the refined English shows, or she might not enjoy it, his comment had been like pouring oil on the fire.
He didn’t want his relationship with Helen to end, but he missed the girl he’d met. The girl who would ride up Smoky Hill with him, stay overnight curled against him, and exchange witty banter whether they were grooming horses or cooking a meal.
You need to take control of things before it really screws up your relationship.
As his sister’s words floated through his mind he nodded his head.
“You were right, Annie,” he muttered. “I have to handle this one way or another. Let the chips fall where they may.”
Slowly rising to his feet, he was about to make a fresh pot of coffee when he heard a vehicle roll past the house. The sound made him sigh a second time, but it was a sigh of sadness, not annoyance at the trainer’s arrival.
His dog Wilbur had passed away a few months before. Andy missed his warning bark and the sound of his feet pattering across the tile floor. Thinking the time may have finally come to bring a new, four-legged, furry friend into his life, he decided to drive to the local animal shelter. It would have to be when the clinic was over, but the decision brought a smile to his lips.
Suddenly wanting a cup of coffee, he moved across to the kitchen sink to pour water into the electric kettle. But when he glanced out the window, he noticed a woman he didn’t recognize riding Daisy. She had the reins in a death grip and was spurring the mare forward.
The sight made him sick to his stomach.
He understood what the woman was trying to achieve, but it was clear Daisy was being asked to do something she found difficult, and was having a terrible time. Telling himself it was out of his control he jerked his eyes away, but unable to stop himself, he looked back. To his horror he saw the woman whipping Daisy with a long, thin crop.
“No way in hell!” he shouted as he charged out the door. “I will not allow that to happen on my ranch!”