Chapter 43
CHAPTER FORTY-THREE
JASMINE
Iwas floating on cloud nine. I’d won my first race of the weekend.
The new lingerie I’d ordered came in just before we left, so I got to surprise Gabe with it last night.
He’d been very pleased with my purchase.
But most importantly, I finally got him all to myself for an entire night.
No sneaking out to the barn or worrying about someone seeing us.
We got to share a bed, to fall asleep and wake up in each other’s arms. And we’d get to do it again tonight.
We were just far enough from home to justify staying gone another night. Driving back immediately after the competition would put us getting home close to midnight, so we would have to wait until morning to leave.
Unfortunately, I was now running late. Gabe and I had spent a little too much time taking advantage of our isolation and shared bed.
I was scarfing down my breakfast as we rushed out the door, but I was too nervous to finish it.
My stomach was in knots. This was a big competition, and there was a lot of money on the line.
I tossed the remainder away and took a big gulp of my coffee.
Sharing a bed with Gabe again meant not getting enough sleep.
I needed the jolt from the caffeine if I had any hope of performing well again today.
I was the last to arrive for warmups so by the time I joined the other competitors in the warmup pen, I didn’t have much time to go through my normal routine with Juniper.
She did not like being rushed or having her routine interrupted.
She was antsy as a result, so I spent a few minutes trying to soothe her.
Some of the tension eased from her body, but she still didn’t fully relax and kept nudging me with her nose.
“I know, girl. I’m sorry I threw you off your game,” I said with a chuckle. I went to lead her to the chutes, and a wave of dizziness hit me. I wobbled on my feet just as Gabe approached.
“You alright?”
“Ugh, I think my sugar is low.” I reached for my phone, but it wasn’t in the pocket where I usually kept it.
I patted every pocket and even the cups of my bra where I sometimes stashed it on the rare occasion I wore something without pockets.
“Shit. I can’t find my phone. I don’t know what I did with it. ” I needed it to see what my sugar was.
“Where do you remember seeing it last?” Gabe asked, getting straight to business.
I thought about it for a moment, searching my memory, but things were starting to get fuzzy.
“Uh… I think it was on the counter next to the sink in the bathroom.” I remembered checking the time while I brushed my teeth and panicking when I saw how late it was.
“I can’t go back and get it. It’s almost my turn to race. I can’t risk not being back in time.”
“I’ll go get it. You stay here. I’ll try to make it back before you go out there. Chew a couple glucose tabs,” he instructed before taking off in the direction of the trailer. I wanted to kick myself. In my rush to get here, I’d forgotten not only my phone, but also my glucose tablets.
Remembering I sometimes stored them in my mini saddle bag, I went to Juniper’s side and flipped open the leather pouch. A lone peppermint greeted me from the bottom. I dug it out and popped it in my mouth.
“Sorry, June Bug,” I said as she eyed me while I chewed on her treat. I prayed it would be enough. Lifting my shirt, I paused my insulin pump. The last thing I needed was for more of it to flood my system when my sugar was already low.
When it was time for me to line up for my race, I tried to mount Juniper, but she sidestepped me.
I lost my balance and nearly fell on my face.
“Come on, girl. We just gotta get through this last race.” She let out a displeased snort and shook her head as though nervous.
She could sense something was off and didn’t want me to ride.
My vision was blurry and my head swam, but the few grams of sugar from the peppermint I ate would hit my bloodstream soon.
It should be enough to get me through the race, but after that, I’d need to get something in my system fast.
I rubbed my hand soothingly down her nose and whispered reassuring words to her.
She finally settled and allowed me to climb into the saddle.
We trotted up to the gate, and I blinked several times to bring the course into focus.
Glancing over my shoulder, I searched the crowd for Gabe, but he hadn’t made it back yet.
Perspiration dampened my brow, and I swiped the back of my hand across it to keep the sweat from my eyes. I hadn’t realized just how hot it was this morning. The humidity was stifling and wasn’t helping my situation at all.
My hands shook as I gripped the reins in preparation for my run. I swayed a little in my saddle, and black spots dotted my vision. That peppermint would kick in any minute. I would be fine. Gabe would probably have a snack waiting for me when I got done.
The announcer called my name, and I approached the entrance to the arena, awaiting the signal to start.
When I got it, I took off. Even though I felt sluggish, Juniper was at the top of her game.
She’d done this so many times, she didn’t even need my guidance.
It was a good thing because I was fighting to stay conscious.
The din of the arena became muffled, and the lights seemed to grow dim all at once.
I barely managed to keep myself upright as we rounded the first barrel.
The second wasn’t much better. I was fading fast, but I just needed to make it around one more barrel.
That was when Juniper started to slow. She felt the change. My body listed to the side, and my eyelids drooped. I fought to keep them open, but they were too heavy. They closed against my will.
The last thing I saw was Gabe charging toward me on the back of a white horse that I could almost swear had wings. Then everything went black.