Chapter 2
Naomi looked up and sighed heavily as she called out, “Hey, Katherine.”
“What’s up?”
“How are we doing on the applications for the spring clients for Broken?”
“Good, I have thirty lined up until the end of the year. I’m not saying they’ll be here all day, every day, but they are here for what their doctors recommend for their rehabilitation. I broke it up.”
“How?”
“Older adults in the Spring and Fall, younger children from late Spring to early Fall.”
“Why?”
“They may need our rehabilitation services, but they are still in school. I felt that giving the kids the time in the summer, they won’t be hindered by their schooling.” She shrugged. “If this works the way I plan it, then Erin won’t have to hire tutors to be on staff.”
“Ah, got it.”
“Why? Was there something else you wanted?” Katherine had been given the task of reaching out to the applicants that had applied to Broken Wheel Rehabilitation Center.
“I don’t want to put you out.”
“Naomi, give me something to do. I’ve been pushing papers around for the last two days to make myself look busy.
I may only work here in the mornings, but there’s really nothing more for me to do.
Caleb’s business is picking up, but I’m still not needed full-time over there yet.
If you have a project for me, please tell me.
I’m begging you, give me something to do. ”
Naomi studied the other woman, then slowly grinned.
She pushed her chair back, and came over to her with a wide smile, carrying a thick folder with her.
She took the seat beside the card table that Katherine used as a desk, the same one Clark had used when he planned his building of Broken Two.
She laid the folder on the table, then covered it with her hands.
“First, I want to say thank you for your organization skills and your ability to dig into the applicants. Also, how you take the initiative to reach out to Duane for background checks, and to work with the parents of the children, and the adult applicants.”
Katherine laughed, “Naomi, you don’t have to butter me up. What do you have?”
“Something totally different. But I need help.”
“Different how?”
Naomi drew in a deep breath and let it out slowly. “How much do you know about New Double?”
“Nothing really. I know it’s your ranch brought over from Wyoming, and the horses are different from what’s on Erin’s Way, or here at Broken.”
“Correct. I have racehorses at New Double. Clem and Cole have been with them since before I was even born. Clark was able to put in a medium sized track last year, but I’m facing a problem right now.”
“What’s that?”
“I need jockeys.”
“They’re the people the ride the horses in the races, right?”
“Yes, and I’m not being mean or nasty, but the people we have working on every aspect of Erin’s ranches aren’t qualified.
” She turned to the computer and brought up a program and pointed.
“This is the best website that describes what jockeys do. Their specifications, and believe you me, those rules are strictly enforced.” She pointed to one area.
“I’m referring to the height and weight requirements.
If you don’t believe me, there are several websites listed in this folder for you to read, watch videos, and research.
There is an actual scale that the jockeys have to stand on, fully clothed in their racing gear to see if they qualify to race that day.
I never saw it myself, because I was into the rodeo, but back in Wyoming, my grandfather would tell me about the fights that would break out when a jockey didn’t make weight. ”
“Why?” Katherine was shocked at that news.
“The owners of the horses wanted to win, and if their jockey can’t qualify to even ride, they can’t run the horse, which means the horse can’t win, and the owner is out money. Sometimes, several thousands of dollars. Maybe even hundreds of thousands of dollars.”
“Oh,” Katherine said as she looked between the screen and her friend. “What else is in that folder?”
“Applications, or rather contact information of jockeys that I’ve either heard of, or Clem and Cole have.
We can’t race on the outside track with the snow on the ground, it’s too dangerous, but it’s going to warm up soon.
I have at least a dozen horses for sale, but the interested parties won’t even come look at them until I can give them times. ”
“Which are?”
“How fast they run the track. I can’t run them to provide the times without a jockey.”
“Oh, and that’s where I come in?”
“Yes. I would like you to research this website, write down any questions you might have, and look at everything in this file, and click on the websites. If you have any more questions, reach out to Cole and Clem.”
“Okay, just one question for now.”
“What’s that?”
Katherine pointed to the screen. “This says that jockeys can be both male and female, the only strict thing is that they have to be within a certain height and weight.”
“Correct, and I have the names of several of both male and female. I don’t judge, and they might look good on paper, but I want to see them interact with the horses.
I’ve heard and seen some of the best jockeys actually abuse the horse they are riding.
I will not allow that. I’ll let you do your work. I trust you.”
“Thank you,” Katherine said as she took the file and set it aside. She went back to the top of the page of the website, pulled out a fresh tablet, refilled her coffee cup, and settled down to read. She was excited about her new task. Her organizational heart was singing.
“Hello?” Faith Webber answered her phone as she paused in putting away her laundry.
“Hi, is this Faith Webber?”
“It is, who’s calling?” She hadn’t looked at the ID on the phone.
“My name is Katherine Miller. I’m an assistant to Naomi Alcott.” There was a pause and a huge sigh. “Do you have time to talk?”
“I do, but first, what is this regarding?”
“Being a jockey for Naomi.”
“Let me refill my coffee cup, then I’m all ears.” She hurriedly left her bedroom, and did a happy dance to the kitchen. She refilled her mug, then settled at the table with a pad of paper. She flipped the top page for her grocery list, and put the phone on speaker.
“I’m ready.”
“Okay, first, have you ever heard of The Double A Ranch?”
“Out of Wyoming? I had heard they closed down.”
“No, they moved. Lock, stock, and barrel. Or rather, horses, tack, equipment, all moved over to Colorado.”
“They still have racehorses?”
“Yes, we still have snow here, but Naomi, the owner, asked me to reach out to jockeys she knows, or has heard of. Your name is on the top of the list. The reason I’m calling is that we would like you to come for an interview with Naomi, and her team at what is now referred to as New Double.”
“How many horses?”
“Currently there are thirty, with at least a dozen to get ready to race. While there is an additional dozen that people are wanting to buy, however, the horses don’t have any times at the moment.”
“Wow, okay. Let me look at my calendar.” She accessed it on her phone and grinned to herself when it was completely blank for the next three months. “When were you thinking?”
“As soon as possible. As I mentioned, we still have snow on the ground here, but it’s warming up every day. We would like you to come out for the interview, and part of that will be us, or rather them, watch you physically interact with the horses.”
“Okay, first, who is ‘them’?”
“Naomi Alcott, she’s the one that inherited Double A from her grandparents. Cole Mercury, he’s been that ranch manager for at least the last forty years, and Patrick Clemmons, who everyone refers to as Clem.”
“I don’t know if I know those people.”
“Okay, do you follow rodeo riding?”
“A little, not much, what does that have to do with anything?”
“Almost a decade ago, Naomi was the top female barrel racer.”
“Holy shit, I thought she died. Didn’t her horse trip and fall on her? I was at that rodeo. I saw her being loaded onto the stretcher. Holy shit, sorry for swearing, but wasn’t it her father who yelled at her and disowned her as she was being put into the ambulance? You’re saying she’s alive?”
“Yes on all counts. Patrick Clemmons was her rodeo manager when she ran the circuit. Cole Mercury stayed back to take care of the racehorses. Her father is in jail, that’s a gigantic story that’s still being worked on, but has nothing to do with us reaching out to you to see if you could come for an interview. ”
“Where are you located if you still have snow on the ground?” She stood and went over to her window to look out at her small lawn in her Kentucky home.
“We’re in Colorado, basically in the middle of nowhere.”
“What’s the nearest town?”
“Fool’s Gold. We’re an hour east of there, three hours south of Denver, and roughly an hour and a half west of Colorado Springs.”
“Okay, give me your address, and I can be there in two days.”
“Make it three, and you’re going to want to pull into the ranch named Erin’s Way. Trust me, you’ll learn all about it when you come for the interview. I look forward to meeting you in person, Faith. Oh, and in case you have any doubts, you were number one on Naomi’s list.”
“Thank you,” Faith said softly. They hung up, and as soon as she looked at the address, she looked it up on Google Earth and nodded when she saw that it was indeed in the middle of nowhere.
She sat there sipping her cooling coffee, unsure of what to make of the phone call.
She had been a jockey since she was eighteen-years-old.
She now was thirty-eight, and though she was in tip top shape, it was still a male dominated world, and a lot of horse trainers refused to hire her, or even give her a chance.
Several of them had used the term, ‘long in the tooth’ when talking to her.
Not looking a gift horse in the mouth, she researched the name of the ranches she’d written down, and hours later sat back with a mind made of mush.
“Damn,” she whispered to the empty room, then winced when she sipped her ice cold coffee.
She refilled it, then stood there in her kitchen with her eyes closed, trying to picture the actual ranch she might be working on.
With a full body shake, she went back to her computer to get the directions, and figured that it take roughly eighteen hours, so she would make the trip in two days.
She would go up to her room and slowly pack and wait until after the interview to see if she could find a hotel room.
If she wasn’t hired on the spot, or if she felt she was being placated she would grab a hotel room, nurse her sorrows for the night, then slowly make her way back home to put out more feelers.
Just because she was thirty-eight, it didn’t mean she was ready to retire.
As long as she was fit, and within the height and weight restrictions she was golden.
Being only five foot put her well within the qualifying height category, and she’d been at her one hundred and five pounds for the last twenty years, and didn’t plan on gaining any weight soon, so she was good there. She paused on her way to her bedroom and scowled.
“I wonder who their trainer is?” she asked the empty house, not expecting a response.
Three hours later, she was packed to head out first thing in the morning.
To release her nervous energy, she ended up cleaning her entire house from top to bottom, and when she fell into bed that night, it was with happy exhaustion and great hope in her heart that this interview would be what she had been waiting for.