Читать книгу Dreaming of Tomorrow - Susan Kohler - Страница 10

Chapter Three

They walked back over to the arena. The next event started without any surprises, but about halfway through the twelve and under age group a horse stepped on Emily’s foot. David was right there as Emily gasped with the pain of having a thousand pound animal in steel shoes land on her.

“Just elbow him in the ribs and tell him to move his big as . . . ah body,” he advised.

Before she could do it, David leaned down and picked up the horse’s hoof, holding it high in the air as Emily moved her foot out of the way.

“Are you okay?” David asked.

“It’s tender but I think it’s all right,” she told him, shaking and flexing her ankle.

“It’s a good thing you wore boots.” David was relieved.

“I borrowed them from Laura,” Emily admitted. “She insisted I wear boots here.”

“Laura’s a very smart woman,” David muttered with a strange look on his face.

“The next event is called Flying Figure Eight,” David said as they got back to the job of opening the gate. “It’s a run down to the end of the arena, with a figure eight loop around those three poles and a run back. It’s fairly easy and the times should be quite fast, around 10 seconds each. The whole event should go fairly quickly. Then we’ll run quadrangle. After that we’ll have a lunch break.” David smiled almost shyly then asked, “Will you have lunch with me?”

“Are you sure?” Emily said with surprise. “That’s going above and beyond helping out the novice.”

“I’d really enjoy it,” David said gently, realizing that Emily was shy.

During the event there was an incident when one of the horses, another one of what turned out to be a relatively low percentage of arena-shy horses, backed hard into a sleeping horse tied to a rail by the arena entrance. The second horse, surprised and resentful at being awakened out of a nap, bit the first horse and pulled back from the rail he was tied to, fighting the rope. The rope broke and the already upset horse fell over backwards.

In spite of her fear of horses, Emily was scared sick that the beautiful animal might be hurt. She hurried over to the animal who was just rising to his feet, getting there even before David. Gingerly, she reached out and caught the end of the lead rope, talking quietly to the nervous horse. She looked down and saw blood running down the horse’s foreleg just as David got to her.

“David, he’s hurt!” Emily said in a shaky voice, pointing at the trail of blood.

“Let me look at him,” David said, looking Emily in the eye. “Are you okay holding him?”

“Sure.” Still, she surrendered the end of the rope gratefully when another rider came over and offered to help.

“He’s okay.” David straightened up. “It’s a fairly minor cut.”

Addressing the gathered riders, he asked, “Where’s Mike?”

A young man jogged over. “I’m here. What happened? Someone said Max was hurt.”

“He got spooked and broke his rope when one of the horses backed into him. I thought I told you not to leave him unattended so close to the arena,” David said with a trace of anger. “His leg is cut but it’s not too bad. If I were you, I’d bandage it up and take him home. Your saddle is pretty scraped up too.”

“You’d like me to take him home, wouldn’t you? Especially since I’m your closest competitor for the annual high point trophy,” the younger man snapped angrily.

One of the other riders spoke up, “Don’t be a jerk, Mike. Your horse is hurt and it’s your own darn fault. Do what’s right for your horse and worry about the trophy later.”

“You’re right, Cap.” Mike turned to David looking abashed and said, “Sorry about that. I was just upset. I really am more concerned about Max than any trophy.”

“I have some bandages and ointment in my trailer if you need it,” David said with no trace of resentment.

“No thanks, I’ve got some.” He reached out and took Max’s rope, scratching the big horse’s head affectionately. “I guess you get the afternoon off, buddy. You probably did it on purpose, you lazy jughead.”

“For someone who’s afraid of horses that was really brave, the way you got hold of old Max and held him for me,” David told Emily.

“It was nothing. I was just so worried that he might be hurt, I forgot about being afraid of horses,” she admitted.

At that moment David decided there was something very real about Emily, something that made him want to protect and comfort her. He grinned to himself; she sure wasn’t his usual type, but then maybe it was time for a change. Maybe it was time to look past a woman’s appearance and into her character. In spite of her shy demeanor and underlying sadness there was an air of humor and kindness about her, and a gentle side to her nature.

After five or six more riders had gone, the very pretty blond woman rode up to David and handed him the reins to a large black horse she was leading around. She was covered with dust, her face devoid of make-up, and under her hat her hair was hanging in a long straight ponytail. She had on a western shirt, jeans and a pair of sunglasses that hid her eyes. Emily felt like there was something familiar about her but she couldn’t place it. She also couldn’t help feeling a little resentful that this woman could look so good even under dusty, dirty conditions when she herself didn’t look that good on any given day in her life. Some girls have all the luck, she thought ruefully.

“Dave, you’d better get going, I’m after the next rider and you’re after me,” the blond said, then she turned to Emily and smiled. “I’m sorry, was I interrupting?”

“Emily meet Nicole, Nicole this is Emily.” He made the introductions.

“Hi,” Emily said softly, slightly intimidated by Nicole’s looks.

“Hi Emily, nice meeting you.” Nicole looked Emily over and then looked from Emily to David, openly curious.

David turned to Emily and asked, “Are you all right now?”

“Sure, I’m fine. Good luck.” Regretfully she watched David swing up onto the massive black horse and ride away.

The rider in the arena came out and Nicole rode in. Her horse was like David’s, very calm and well-trained. Nicole had a good ride. David was next and his horse was also well mannered. In fact, watching David ride his horse in, it was still hard to believe the horse could or would run at all. It was even hard to believe the massive animal was awake. David sat there, relaxed, barely holding the reins loosely in one hand, waiting for the arena judge to signal him that he could begin his ride. Just like the last event, when he received the signal, he took up the reins with both hands. As soon as he gathered the reins his horse visibly tensed, his powerful muscles bunched up, bursting with pent up energy. At David’s signal he exploded through the course, running down to the end and winding a figure eight around the poles before running back to the timing poles and coming to a stop at the gate. David waited for Emily to open the gate and rode out, exiting quietly with his reins loosely held and his seat on the horse relaxed. Target was prancing a bit but he was very well-behaved. David gave his reins to Nicole who walked her horse and Target around, and he stayed near Emily while the next few riders rode and then went into the arena as the awards were announced.

They set up for quadrangle. The poles were set in a large square, with the timing poles in the center.

That event was much more fun for Emily. She had David’s comments to help her understand the action taking place in the arena, and even better, she had David’s attention. She soaked up his attention like a dried up plant soaks up water. She realized that she hadn’t even talked to a man in a long, long time except for her father’s doctor, and he was in his sixties.

David only left her when it was his turn to ride in the event. Disaster hit when he came to the first sharp turn. Target lost his footing in the arena’s soft dirt. The horse fell and of course, David went down too. Emily was shocked! The horse got up quickly but David laid there for a moment, dazed not only by the fall but because his horse had brushed his head with one of his sharp hooves as he scrambled to his feet. Emily left the gate to run to David, but she was only part way there when Target got up and trotted over to her. She grabbed Target’s reins out of instinct and continued running over to David.

He was standing up, laughing ruefully, and he looked fine. He met her eyes and a spark seemed to flow between them. She ignored Target as she gently reached out a hand to the cut on David’s forehead.

“Are you all right?” she asked with genuine concern in her voice.

“I’m fine.” David smiled into Emily’s eyes.

“You really had me worried.” She looked up at him.

David looked down at the worry in her eyes and felt a slight tightening in his gut.

“I’m okay.” He slid his arms around her waist in a quick hug.

Emily reveled in the brief, warm strength of his arms, hardly aware of the soft rubbing on her shoulder.

“Emily,” David said with a laugh in his voice, “you caught Target!”

“Actually, he caught me. He just came over to me.” She stroked the horse’s nose unconsciously and said, “So I brought him back to you.”

“Still, I think you’re not nearly as afraid of horses as you think you are.” He seemed to be fighting a laugh.

“What?” Emily gradually realized that both of David’s hands were on her waist. The rubbing on her shoulder was Target.

“What’s he doing?” she asked, with her eyes going wide.

“Using you as a scratching post,” David told her.

“Why is he doing that?”

“Two reasons: He likes you,” Emily smiled softly at that news, “and he has an itch he wants scratched. Just slap his nose and say NO if he’s bothering you.”

“I kind of like it.” She turned and scratched the velvet nose gently but firmly.

David made no move to take the horse’s reins from her, instead he gently said, “Hold him still for a moment, would you Emily?”

He bent down and ran his hands over each of the horse’s legs in turn, feeling for any sign of injury or tenderness.

Then he straightened and looked at Emily. “Emily, do me a favor. Walk him straight away from me, about thirty feet or so. Then bring him back. I want to watch him walk to see if he’s limping. I want to make sure he’s okay.”

She led the big horse away, with David watching for any sign of lameness.

When she led the horse back, David said, “Now jog with him the same way.”

She took off at a trot, surprised to realize that Target was jogging right beside her. She turned and came back.

“Is he all right?” she asked with concern in her voice. “Is he limping? And how are you?”

“No, it looks like he’s fine. He just slipped.” David grinned then continued, “And I’m fine, now that you ask, but I might have a bruise in a real interesting spot and I’ll probably be a little stiff in the morning.”

“Are you sure?” she asked.

“I’m okay, Emily, the dirt’s soft and Target managed to avoid stepping on me,” David replied softly. “Although the big lug managed to scrape my head with one of his hooves as he got up.”

They both walked towards the arena gate. David took the horse when they got outside the arena and left Emily to her duties while he walked Target around for a long time. This time, he skipped the awards ceremony altogether and walked over to Emily.

“Come on, you can join me for lunch. They have a thirty minute lunch break that usually lasts about an hour or so, and I have lots of food in the motor home.”

“How can a thirty minute break last an hour?” Emily quizzed.

“I don’t know, it’s just one of those things, like missing one sock out of every load in the dryer,” he told her.

“Or the fact that the pen closest to the phone is always out of ink?” Emily asked.

“You got it.” David grinned. “Come on, let’s eat. Believe me you don’t want to eat the food they fix at the cook stand. I think the losing competitors wind up in the burgers.”

“You’re kidding!” Emily shrieked, laughing.

“You’d better believe it.” David laughed at her expression, earning himself a playful punch on the arm. “These folks love their horses.”

They walked over to where David had parked his small RV with the horse trailer. David pulled the bridle off Target and hung it on the saddle horn, then he hooked the left stirrup on the horn and loosened the cinch. He slipped a halter on Target. There was a big net filled with hay for him to munch on.

“Don’t you tie him up?” Emily asked.

“Nope. As long as he has some hay, he’ll stay put.” David grinned. “I wouldn’t recommend this with most of these horses, though.”

“How is he?” She asked with concern. “Did the fall injure him?”

“He’s walking fine.” David knelt and felt the horse’s legs, finding no heat, swelling or tenderness in them. “And I can’t find anything wrong with his legs. I’ll see how he is after lunch. Let’s eat.”

David offered Target some water from a bucket and fed him a handful of grain and a carrot. Then he gave the big horse a pat and held open the RV door for Emily.

“Why did you leave the stirrup up?” Emily asked as she followed him into the motor home.

“So I remember to tighten the cinch up again before I remount. It’s one of my old habits.” He dug into the refrigerator. “You can wash up in there, through the bedroom.” David pointed. “Would you like another beer or some iced tea with your lunch?”

“I’ll take a beer.” Emily followed the direction David pointed.

The bathroom was large for an RV, and the counter was filled with cosmetics. There was a large, well-lit mirror above the counter with a swivel chair in front of it.

Emily caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror and sighed as she began to wash her face.

How could any man spend time talking to her, she wondered. Her self-doubt doubled as she looked around the motor home and saw a small framed picture sitting on the dresser. It was a picture of a woman, a woman with uncommon beauty. She realized it was Nicole without the dust and dirt. Still, she seemed strangely familiar. No way she could compete with that, she thought.

Emily jolted with surprise. When had she stopped thinking of this as a pleasant interlude and started thinking of ways to compete for David? She might as well enter the Olympics. She made a face at the mirror and thought: Hey! I can be the Jamaican bobsled team of love.

Was this the kind of woman he dated? Emily gasped as she finally recognized her. The woman in the picture was Nikki Silver, one of the top models in the country. She was on the cover of at least one magazine a month. Her good looks were pure and classic: perfect features, flawless skin, and dazzling almond-shaped eyes, brilliant blue eyes. Shoot! Emily thought to herself, I should have realized David would know a woman like that. Stunning, rich, and famous, it figured, three things she would never be. Emily knew she was a good person, not perfect but fairly smart, witty and caring. She also knew that her outer appearance hid her inner qualities. How could she ever hope to compete with Nikki Silver?

When she walked back to the small kitchen table, David had already washed up at the kitchen sink. He had pulled several containers of food out from the fridge and had set out paper plates and taken the lids off most of the containers by the time she emerged.

There was a beer sitting by her plate.

“This officially doubles my beer consumption for the entire last year.” She grinned, holding up the bottle.

“We’ll sign you up for A. A. next week.” He grinned back then said, “Have some chicken.”

“I’d love some,” she said firmly, “but first I want to take a look at that cut on your forehead.”

“It’s no big deal. That big clumsy lump out there just forgot to watch out for me when he was getting up,” David protested, but he sat still and let her look at the cut.

“You’re right. It’s minor.” Emily grinned. “Now I can enjoy my lunch.”

“But that’s not my worst injury,” David protested.

“Oh really? Where else did you get hurt?” Emily was concerned.

“Where I landed.” David grinned. “On my . . .”

He stood up and reached for his belt buckle.

“Never mind, in that case you’ll have to take care of the problem all by yourself.” Emily laughed, grabbing a piece of chicken.

“Darn.” He grinned back at her with a mischievous glint in his eye.