Chapter 6
Zara
“What the hell were you doing?!” my father yells at me as he grabs my arm hard.
I stand in front of my father in the grand hallway of my home. I’m angry, but tears are threatening to fall. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Don’t try to fool me. I sent you the best trainer for that old nag, and you set the fucking dogs on him!” he continues to yell, his grip getting tighter.
“You’re hurting me!” I cry as I try to move my arm out of his grip.
“I’m hurting you. You ungrateful bitch. I spent a fucking fortune on that horse, and it needs to win to earn its keep, and what do you do? Turn away its best chance.”
“No, I’d already agreed with Drew that he would help. I didn’t need another trainer.”
“It wasn’t and isn’t your decision. I don’t want that Blackmoore arsehole anywhere near my house?—?or you, for that matter.”
“But he knows Jasmine better than anyone.”
“This is not your choice. You will do as you are told. If he comes up here again then I shoot him on the spot for trespassing.”
“You can’t! He’s only trying to help.”
“Help himself to you! I saw the two of you. He was five seconds away from . . . It doesn’t matter, he’s not to set foot on my land. Do you understand?” he barks at me and then releases his grip on my arm and pushes me away.
I breathe a sigh of relief and rub my sore arm as I balance myself off the wall. “But . . . he’s coming tomorrow.”
“That’s even better. You can tell him to his face to fuck off.” He points his finger into my face, and I raise my arm to take cover. It wouldn’t be the first time a point has turned into a slap.
He storms away, leaving me in pain, shaking and leaning against the wall. I should have known better than to answer him back. I should have known better than to set the dogs on Dick. I knew it would come back to bite me, but in that moment, I felt strong, I felt like I had a say in my life.
I’m up at the crack of dawn and out in the stables with Jasmine. I don’t talk loudly to her, but I do tell her what went on and how sorry I am that I have to stop Drew from coming to visit.
As if she understands every word, her eyes become sad, and she whinnies in sympathy, rubbing her nose against my jacket.
After mucking out and brushing her down, the time has soon passed, and at 10:55, Drew pulls up into the yard in his truck.
“Morning, Princess,” he says, smiling at me.
“Glad you said morning and not good morning,” I mumble.
“What? Why? Is everything okay?” he asks as he walks slowly towards me, his eyes boring into mine.
I slowly close my eyes, take a breath, and shake my head.
“What do you mean no? Is Jasmine, okay?”
I nod back to him, my eyes not leaving his. I can already feel tears threatening.
“So, what is it?” he asks, standing right in front of me. My head tilts upwards.
“You have to go. My father doesn’t want you here. He said he’d shoot you if he caught you on his land.”
He laughs at first and then quickly realises I’m not joking.
“You can’t be serious,” he snaps at me.
I turn to walk away. Seeing the shock in his eyes hurts even more, but then a sharp pain stops me in my tracks, and I cry out, “Oww! Let go!”
Drew has a hold on my arm. The arm that my father gripped so hard last night, it’s black and blue with bruises.
“Shit, sorry. I didn’t mean to hurt you,” he says, his face full of worry.
“It’s fine. It’s nothing. But you have to go.” I turn and face him, desperate to rub my arm but knowing it’ll only cause more questions.
“I’m not going anywhere. Get your father down here and let him tell me to my face.”
“It’s my job not his. She’s my horse after all.”
“I’m not leaving. Who else is going to help you . . .” His eyes search mine, and then the penny drops. “Oh, right, Dick the prick. Is this because you sent him on his way yesterday?”
“I suppose, but my father has his ways, I don’t have a choice in the matter.” I can hear my voice cracking.
“Yes, you do. Like you said, she’s your horse.”
“And I am asking you to leave.” I try to sound strong, but my stomach is twisted.
“No!” he snaps, and his arm reaches for me again, but I quickly move out of his way.
“You need to leave now, and please, Drew . . .” I take a breath that fills my lungs. “Don’t come back,” I blurt out.
The rage on Drew’s face scares me. It’s one thing being controlled by my father, but seeing Drew this angry and at me is . . . petrifying.
“Fuck you, Princess. You’re not keeping Jasmine. I’m not leaving her here with you.”
“You have no choice, she’s mine, legally.”
“We’ll see about that. Don’t get used to her, Princess. She’ll be back where she belongs before you know it.”
“My father won’t let that happen. Don’t make this any worse than it is . . . please.”
He turns and walks away, but as he gets to his truck, he turns and looks back at me. “Fuck you, Princess. Fuck you!” he bellows, and no more than three seconds later, he’s tearing off across the yard as my body shakes, tears threatening to fall as I watch him leave.
I walk into the stables and open Jasmine’s gate. She shakes her head and stamps her foot as if trying to tell me she’s pissed off with me, too.
I stroke her neck, and before I realise it, I’m hugging her, and the tears that were threatening to fall are now free and soaking both my cheeks and Jasmine’s hair.
I don’t hear anyone coming, but Jasmine nods her head and breaks me out of my thoughts.
“I take it you told him?” my father asks from the other side of the gate.
“Yeah, I did,” I reply and start to brush Jasmine’s coat.
“Why are you crying? Did he hurt you?” he asks as if it would be bad for anyone to lay a hand on me.
“No, of course not. I just . . . I think Jasmine will miss him.”
“It’s a horse. It doesn’t know any different. You live in dream land, and it’s about time you woke up.”
“What do you mean?” I ask, confused.
“You think you can choose what you do and who you are friends with? I choose! And I say who comes to this house! I’m not having your head turned or risking your reputation. No one will want you if they think you’ve been ruined by an American.”
My heart stammers. “I don’t understand. I don’t see what the problem is with Drew.”
“Drew . . . Drew . . . You refer to him as Blackmoore if you have to in front of me. He’s a womaniser, everyone knows the type of women those Blackmoores associate with. Take his brother for instance. The footballer, he’s done nothing but fuck his way around England and America.”
“If you hate him so much, why did you buy Jasmine from him?” I ask, continuing to brush her glossy coat.
“That’s my business. Finish what you’re doing and go and get cleaned up. Richard is coming by soon to take a look at this stupid animal. It is as good as Blackmoore said, or I’ll send it to the glue factory.”
“Father!” I screech, wrapping my arms around Jasmine’s neck. “She understands more than you think. Richard is not the right person for Jasmine. She doesn’t like him.”
“She’s a goddamn horse. She’ll do as she’s told, or he’ll make her regret it.”
I nuzzle my head into her neck and hope that he leaves me alone soon.
“You’ve got ten minutes, and then I want you in the house. We’ve got work to do and money to make. Look your best,” he snaps and then turns on his heels and walks away.
I breathe a sigh of relief and whisper, “I won’t let anything happen to you. I promise. He’s just a nasty old man who likes to boss me around.” I give her a kiss and then turn and put all the brushes away, fill up her troughs, and head over to the house as my father demanded.
As soon as I walk through the door, I can hear my father yelling at someone. I sigh, but relief floods me knowing it’s not only me he’s angry with. I take the stairs two at a time in the hopes I can get into my room and lock the door before he realises I’m home.
My bed is just how I left it this morning; the sheets are screwed up, and the pillows are all over the place. I set to making my bed and thank my lucky stars he didn’t see it earlier. Everyone thinks I’m spoilt, but I do everything inside the house. I cook, clean, do all the laundry, and do any other jobs my mother leaves on my to-do list.
Shit . . . the to-do list . I didn’t have chance to look at it this morning. I was so worried about Drew arriving; it completely slipped my mind. I turn on the shower and wash away all the dirt I’ve picked up and give my hair a good wash with my favourite coconut shampoo. The smell reminds me of happier times, when I was a child, and I had a nanny. Florence was the nicest person I ever met. She was also my teacher until I turned twelve. Florence was the one who talked me through my first period and explained what was happening. I remember thinking I was dying and her holding my hand and telling me that it was the start of me becoming a woman.
Thinking of Florence is bittersweet. My mother became jealous of our relationship, and my father didn’t like the lessons she was teaching me. So, suffice to say, shortly after my twelfth birthday, Florence left and never returned. My father said she’d had enough of me and couldn’t cope with my tantrums, but I knew that was lies. Florence and I never even had a cross word. I knew they’d told her to go, and it hurt. She was the only adult in my life who didn’t want something from me. But I smile like she’d want me to and prepare for the afternoon with Richard.
As I’m cleaning the windows downstairs, I see Richard’s car drive past the front of the house and head towards the stables.
I throw the cloth on the floor and run outside, my heart hammering in my chest. I don’t want him to go anywhere near Jasmine. Drew would be so angry. Richard has a reputation of being a vicious trainer, and I don’t want him to break my horse.
As I round the corner into the stable block, I see Richard already standing outside her stall.
“I don’t need your help!” I snap at him. His head turns and there is a wicked smile on his face.
“I don’t answer to you. You’re not paying my invoices.”
“I don’t want your help. Didn’t you hear me? I don’t need it.”
“Really?” Richards asks with a smug look on his face. “Saddle her up and take her for a ride then.” He laughs quietly.
He must know I’ve not ridden her yet. I wanted our first time to be just the two of us. “No, I don’t need to prove anything to you. She’s fine, so there is nothing for you to do here.”
“Okay then!” he says, unbolting the gate. “I’ll take her out, put her through her paces, and see what she’s made of.”
“I said no!” I yell. Jasmine reacts and starts whinnying and stamping her foot. I move forward to put the bolt back across, but it’s a second too late. The gate flies open, and Jasmine escapes, heading straight for the paddock. Her speed picks up quickly. The gate to the paddock is locked, but this doesn’t stop Jasmine; she flies over the fence like stepping up a curb and clears the fence with both ease and grace.
“Jasmine! Jasmine!” I yell, running after her and climbing the fence.
“Let her go! She’s a dumb animal. She won’t come back to your calls.”
“This is all your fault. You scared her.”
“No, Zara, it was you with your yelling. You need to stop that. It’s not ladylike.”
“I’m sorry, are you actually telling me how I should behave in my own home?”
“Zara, I am a guest here. You shouldn’t speak to anyone like that, especially not me.” He stares at me, and his eyes pin me in place. I can’t move. I’ve never been scared of Richard before, but . . . I don’t like the way he’s looking at me. “Go into the house while I try and get this stupid animal back in.”
“No, I won’t,” I snap at him. “I think you should leave. I’ll get her back in later. It looks like she wants to release some energy.”
“That horse should do as ordered. Not be left to pick and choose.”
“Go away, go home. I’ll bring her in myself.” I turn and walk back into the stables, hoping he does as I’ve asked.
The next thing I hear is his engine roaring and his tyres crunching against the concrete road. I bend over, putting my hands on my knees and breathing as slowly as I can. How fucking dare he come here, cause trouble, and then blame me? I know that I only have a few minutes before my father comes out to give me hell, so I grab some water and some feed and go and sit on the fence and wait for Jasmine to calm down.
I’m surprised when I look at my watch and realise that it’s been over an hour since Richard left, and Father hasn’t come out to tell me what a disappointment I am again. The whole hour, I’ve watched Jasmine run and turn and run some more and then stop for a graze. It looks like she’s having fun?—?more fun than I ever have—and my thoughts drift to Drew. I wonder if he’ll ever speak to me again. He was so angry at me, and I understand why. I just wish I knew what my father’s issue is with him.