Chapter Nine
We had almost reached the end of the stable yard, where it met the parking lot again, when a shrill “Liiiiiilyyyyyyy” cut through the air. “Oh, my gooooooosh! Liiiiiily. Is that you?”
We wheeled around to see four women our age hurrying towards us.
They took turns to embrace Lily, cooing over her.
“I knew it was you,” said the brunette, her hair in a sleek French braid, a helmet tucked under her arm.
She wore cream jodhpurs with long leather boots, a zip-up sports top and a faux fur vest over the top.
Her friends were dressed in similar fashion, completely different from the farm T-shirts I’d seen Jessica and the stable hand wearing.
“I would recognize you anywhere. I told the girls it just had to be you and it is! What are you doing here? Are you stabling a horse? I told you they would still take on boarders,” she added, casting a glance at the redhead to her right.
“We’re here working…” Lily started.
“Working? Like, a job?” The brunette frowned with distaste, or seemed to try to.
Her forehead didn’t move although there was a faint twitch of her left eyebrow.
“You mean working a horse,” she decided with a decisive nod.
“You must show me which one is yours and then we have to catch up. I can’t believe we lost touch!
We were all such besties at pony camp. Would you believe I’m married now?
” The brunette flashed an enormous diamond.
“I can’t believe you’re all still here,” said Lily, then turning to me, “we all used to go to pony club together. This is Brittany.” The brunette waggled her fingers at me. “Joanna, Marianne and Emmalee.”
“Emma-L-E-E,” spelled Emmalee slowly as if she’d had to do it a thousand times. “Not Emma, or Emily. Emmalee.”
“And this is Lexi,” said Lily. “She’s a very exclusive equestrian trainer. Jessica hired her personally.”
“The old gang is back together. Can you believe it?” squealed Brittany as she clapped her hands, ignoring me.
“We must get together. There’s nothing here, of course, even if I keep telling Jessica and Joel that they need an on-site café.
Nothing crazy, just rustic chic, serving hot sandwiches and cakes and coffee.
I offered to decorate, of course, but they keep saying there’s no call for a café especially with the riding school all but gone. ”
“We’re the last,” said Joanna, darting around Brittany. “All the others moved their horses to other farms over the years where there are more instructors, but it’s…”
“Convenient to keep our horses here,” cut in Brittany, causing Joanna to immediately stopped talking and step back.
“And my husband, a senior partner at a law firm, says our contracts are watertight so they can’t get rid of us.
Plus, like I said to Jessica, we’re actually assets to the farm.
Their big spenders want to see high class and we bring the class.
” She preened as the women gathered around her, agreeing.
I got the impression they’d been this way since their pony club days: a tight clique dominated by their queen bee, only now they were taller and drove their own cars.
There was something unsettling about having never moved on from their pre-teen years but even as the thought came to me, I realized I’d been best friends with Lily for almost as long and I never intended to change. So who was I to judge?
“Where’s your horse, Lily?” asked Marianne, in a breathy, childlike voice.
“I don’t have one,” said Lily. “Like I said, we’re here…”
“Working?” finished Brittany. “As in staff? You’re… staff?” She spat out the distasteful word.
“Exclusive contractors,” I chipped in.
“Jessica insisted on hiring us,” added Lily. “Our waiting list is months long.”
“I suppose I should book a lesson with you,” said Brittany with a resigned sigh as she glanced at me from head to toe.
“My horse needs to be in tiptop shape for the next competition.” She focused on something on my sleeve, her nose wrinkling in disgust. I followed her glance, noticing a brown smear.
Brittany shook her head, and looked around.
“Do I have to book you through Jessica?” she asked.
“Where is she anyway? Is she in the office or in the house?”
“No, I… She’s… You didn’t hear?” I stammered, surprised now. Clearly, the news hadn’t reached them yet.
Brittany’s attention returned to me. “Hear what?”
“Jessica had a terrible accident this morning,” I said.
“That’s what I’ve been trying to tell you, B,” said Joanna, reaching to tap Brittany’s arm, then thinking better of it, her hand hovering awkwardly. “I said something happened…”
Brittany flashed a hand at her, silencing Joanna with her palm.
“An accident? But she knows I’m preparing for the competition next month.
This won’t do. I told Jessica I need extra time in the school and that I should be her priority right now.
Ugh.” She wheeled around, pushing her way through her gang.
“Lily, let’s catch up later. I need to fix this.
” And with that, she strode away, the women turning after her, hurrying to create a V-formation as Brittany powered across the yard.
“Your pony club friends?” I asked.
“Yeah. I’ve seen them a few times over the years, parties, and weddings and things, but not recently.
I didn’t realize they were all still here.
It sounds like they all have horses stabled here,” said Lily.
She looked around. “This yard used to be full of ponies and horses for the school, and people, and now it’s so quiet. I count five ponies.”
“Maybe the horses are in the paddocks? Or in the other stable blocks?”
“I guess so. The farm’s really changed a lot. More than I first thought.”
“Jessica did say they were focusing on training and rehabilitating horses. That would mean less people around since the riding school element has clearly gone. Jessica said her passion was eventing so it makes sense for her focus but perhaps there’s more money in training than there is in riding school work? ”
“I don’t know enough about it to know for sure. All I know is horses are an expensive hobby, and even more expensive professionally.”
I watched the group’s retreating backs until they rounded a corner, lost from view. “They must know all the gossip, and all the comings and goings, since they were kids,” I said.
“Except the news about Jessica,” pointed out Lily as we headed in the opposite direction.
We walked past a small building that had Office in neat lettering across the top, rows of horseshoes nailed on either side of the door, and ducked our heads inside what looked like a glorified shed.
Various cans and packets lined the shelves.
A small fridge underneath held milk and eggs.
I closed the door behind us, saying, “Joanna seemed to know. She just couldn’t get a word in.”
Lily laughed. “That’s Brittany. She always loved the sound of her own voice and she’s always been top dog.
She’s usually fairly oblivious to anything that doesn’t directly involve her.
She’s nice enough once you get to know her past the superficial bits, but she’s always been the most popular girl and the richest, and she knows it. ”
I swiped at the brown smear on my sleeve but aside from staining my fingertips, it didn’t budge. “We need to find some riding clothes and get changed so we look the part,” I said. My blue pants stood out and not in a good way.
“Jord found some stuff in the garage that probably still fits,” said Lily.
“Even when Solomon sends my things, I don’t have anything like that. We both need to fit in so no one gets suspicious. These pants are definitely not farm issue.”
“Or yours,” Lily reminded me. “Shopping trip?”
“Maybe. Or…” I spied what looked like a changing room at the end of the yard. Double doors were held back on hooks, and various coats and helmets hung on the wood-clad wall, boots tucked under the benches. Lily followed my gaze.
“The locker room was where we used to get ready if the weather was bad,” said Lily. “It’s kind of a changing room, kind of a hang out space. We could leave wet stuff there to dry out too.”
“Let’s check it out.”
“It hasn’t changed a bit,” said Lily when we stepped into the empty room.
A sink and cupboards spanned the furthest wall, a small refrigerator underneath and a coffee pot on top.
A pile of boots were heaped in a large bucket marked “Riding School” and a box next to it was piled high with a mix of clothes.
Some hangers on the wall held jackets and helmets, but they looked nice, like someone had taken care to hang them and planned to return.
The box, however, was ready to be plundered.
First, I found a couple pairs of jodhpurs in my size in both navy and cream, a nice padded vest, and a long-sleeved T-shirt with Instructor emblazoned across the back, which would definitely come in handy.
In the bucket, I scrabbled around until I found a pair of matching boots in my size, moderately scuffed but the zippers and laces intact.
Everything smelled faintly musty after being abandoned in the cool room.
“Is this lost property?” I wondered, folding the items I’d selected.
“More like abandoned. These are some nice brands,” said Lily, poking around until she pulled out a fitted jacket, holding it up with an appreciative glance.
“I bet all of it has been sitting here since the riding school came to an end. No one will be back for this stuff.” She pulled on the jacket, zipped it and gave a twirl. “I think this is now mine.”