Dream On (Dare to Dream Book 2), page 21
“I think Marley’s just aiming not to fall off,” she said with a smirk.
Marley shot her a dirty look, knowing that Hayley’s snarky comments came from jealousy that she wasn’t the one riding Maggie. Hayley stared straight back at her, then shifted even nearer to Jake. If they were any closer she’d be sitting in his lap, and Marley decided she’d seen enough.
“I’m setting my sights a little higher than that, thanks,” she replied, then stood up and looked at Jake. “I need to go check on the ponies. You coming?”
“He’s staying,” Hayley answered for him, but Jake prised himself away from her and got to his feet. Hayley folded her arms across her chest and glared at Marley. “Seriously?” she asked.
“What?”
“You don’t need his help to check on your ponies.”
Jake was already at the door, stepping down out of the truck, and Marley itched to follow him, but Hayley had stuck her leg across Marley’s path, blocking her.
“Yes I do, the water tap is miles away from our yards and I’ll need to top up all the water and hay nets.”
Hayley tossed her blonde curls over her shoulder and narrowed her icy blue eyes. “You’re jealous.”
“Of you?” Marley asked. “Hardly.”
“Jealous that Jake likes me, because you want him all for yourself.”
Marley shook her head. “I don’t care if Jake likes you or not,” she lied. “But he came here to help me and I need his help. He can come back when we’re done.”
Turning her back on Hayley, she clambered barefoot down the truck steps and jumped onto the damp grass. Jake was waiting, leaning against the side of the truck with his hands in his pockets, and Marley glanced at him, wondering what he’d overheard, but too afraid to ask. They walked in silence back to their own truck, where they picked up extra hay and lugged it to the yards. Marley was tying Maggie’s refilled haynet to the railing when Jake came back over to her.
“Buckets are all full.”
“That was fast.”
“Van must’ve already done it.”
“Oh.” She tied the final knot and flipped the haynet over the rail. Maggie stood in the corner of her yard and swished her tail at her. Marley turned back to Jake. “Well, I guess we’re done then. You can go back to the party now.”
Jake glanced in the direction of Connor’s truck, then back to her. “You coming?”
She shook her head. “Nah. It’s been a long day, and a bigger one tomorrow. I’m ready to hit the sack.”
Jake nodded, leaning against the yard fence as Maggie wandered over to him and blew warm breath onto his hands.
“Hi there, Maggot,” he greeted her, reaching up to pluck a strand of hay from her silken forelock. Marley smiled at the two of them.
“She’s a lot happier with you here,” she said.
“Glad I can help.” He held the strand of hay out to Maggie, who took it delicately between her lips, then spat it out onto the ground.
Marley laughed. “Rejected,” she teased as Jake pretended to slump despondently.
“Story of my life.”
“I don’t know about that,” Marley said lightly. “Hayley didn’t look like she was planning on rejecting you any time soon.”
Jake glanced at her, wondering if he’d imagined the trace of resentment in her voice.
“Same goes for Connor,” he said casually, stroking Maggie’s soft muzzle with the back of his hand. “He seems pretty into you.”
Marley pulled a face. “He’s been trying it on for years,” she said. “He’s just chasing me because I’m the only girl who hasn’t said yes yet.” She looked over at Jake. “Keep turning Hayley down, and you’ll have the same problem,” she warned. “She’s pretty much used to getting whatever she wants.”
“Great,” he muttered. “Remind me again why I agreed to come with you this weekend?”
“It’s not that bad, is it?” Marley asked anxiously. “I guess it is pretty boring for you. I’m sorry.”
“Nah, don’t be,” Jake said swiftly. “It’s not like I had anything else to do.” That didn’t come out quite the way he meant it, but he could see by Marley’s uneasy expression that she’d taken it badly. “I don’t mean…it’s fine. I’m having a good time.”
She looked sceptical. “Well, if there’s anything I can do to make it more fun for you, let me know.”
Was she flirting with him? Jake wasn’t sure. He shifted his weight, brushing his arm against hers. Their bare skin connected, and she didn’t move away.
“It’s been a pretty easy weekend so far,” she continued, babbling slightly. “I mean you should see what it’s like when Van falls off, or doesn’t win some big class she’s chasing after, she’s an absolute pain in the neck when that happens.”
She turned her head to smile at Jake, and found him watching her intensely with the same look in his eyes that she’d first seen when they were stuck out on the island. Something had happened that night that she hadn’t realised at first, a connection between them that hadn’t existed before. Marley had put it down to the sharing of a near-death experience, although in retrospect it seemed a bit dramatic to think of it that way. But there was no denying that she felt much closer to Jake now than she ever had been before, or had ever expected to be. Somehow the events of the past couple of weeks had turned him from a casual acquaintance into one of her best friends, without her even noticing.
As all of this went through her mind, Marley realised that Jake hadn’t broken off eye contact with her. When she’d first met him, it had been a challenge to get him to look right at her for more than a few seconds at a time, but now he was watching her steadily, showing no sign of looking away. Everything around her seemed to suddenly go quiet, and they gazed at each other for a moment longer before Maggie decided it was time to help things along, and gave Jake a firm nudge on the shoulder, pushing him towards Marley. He grabbed the railing to keep his balance at the same time that Marley grasped at his upper arm to prevent him crashing into her, and she started to laugh.
“You think she’s trying to tell us something?”
As she looked at him with a twinkle in her eyes, Jake abandoned caution, putting his hand on her waist and drawing her closer. At the last moment he hesitated, and they stood inches apart, each waiting for the other to make the next move.
“What are you doing?” Marley murmured softly, and Jake’s hand dropped away as he pulled back.
“Sorry.”
Marley looked at him, a smile dancing on the corners of her mouth. “No you’re not.”
“What?”
“You’re not sorry.” She started smiling as she spoke, and the hard pounding of Jake’s heart eased slightly.
“I’m a little bit sorry.”
“Just a little?”
He shrugged, holding his hand up to show a small gap between finger and thumb. As Marley raised an eyebrow, he slowly reduced the gap, and she laughed and pushed his hand away.
“You’re cute.” She hooked a finger under the edge of his t-shirt, pulling him towards her. Jake’s heart was pounding as she took another step, closing the gap between them, then reached up and pulled his head down towards her, kissing him firmly on the lips. Jake’s arms slid around Marley’s waist, pulling her closer still, and Maggie snorted and went back to her hay.
The dust lifted under Covergirl’s polished hooves as she cantered across the warm-up area, her breath coming in steady puffs. Van steadied her, pulling her shoulders back and sinking her weight down into her heels, and Covergirl plunged against the bridle for two strides, then settled into her stride.
“Payday is up next, Covergirl one away, Trebuchet two away,” called the steward, and Van turned Covergirl towards the practice fence.
Ahead of her, a huge black Warmblood stallion cleared the jump by more than a foot, only a whisk of his tail showing any sign of effort. The pole was set high on the stands, and as Van approached the fence, she experienced a moment of acute self-awareness. The world around her seemed to hesitate, then push in. As though seeing herself from a distance, Van was aware of her bright chestnut mare’s high head and eager expression, of her own straight back and square shoulders holding the overzealous mare to a controlled pace. How tiny Covergirl was in comparison to the rest of the horses, how unimpressive they looked as a combination, like a Pony Club kid warming up for Badminton. But none of that mattered. Not really. Not when Covergirl got to the base of the fence, gathered her hindquarters and leapt, her rider folding forward over her neck as they scraped over the high top rail, sitting up as they landed, her hands steady on the reins, and feet secure in the stirrups, balancing the mare again as they made a smooth turn.
Van gave Covergirl a quick pat as she walked her to the gate and watched with interest as Ollie’s horse knocked two bricks out of the wall, dashed forward on landing and missed his stride to the triple bar, and sent the whole fence clattering to the ground. Ollie tumbled over the horse’s head and landed amidst the poles, and Van clicked her tongue and rode Covergirl into the ring, taking advantage of her opportunity to settle her mare in the ring while the fence was being rebuilt.
Covergirl sniffed the wall with interest, looked askance at the Liverpool, but stood unfazed next to the planks, perfectly at home in the Grand Prix ring as they waited for the bell to be rung. Van knew that people thought she was crazy riding Covergirl in Grand Prix classes, that she was pushing the diminutive Thoroughbred beyond her capabilities. Even Kris had said that with two solid wins under her belt already this weekend, it was a lot to ask of her horse to start in yet another, even bigger class, but Van had just told her sister that she didn’t have to watch. Kris was there, of course, standing near the finish flags with Marley at her side, her eyes fixed on Van as the course was set and she heard her bell.
She picked up her reins and before she could give the command to her horse, Covergirl leapt into her springy canter, ears pricked keenly forward. Van smiled to herself as she approached the start flags, as sure as she’d ever been in her horse’s ability. She took great pleasure in defying others’ expectations, and as Covergirl cleared each fence, she showed those watching again and again that there was no reason that a pint-sized ex-racehorse couldn’t go on to achieve great things. And when she cantered through the finish flags with a clear round, Van couldn’t contain her own smile, and clapped the mare’s neck proudly as Covergirl celebrated with a series of victory bucks. Van knew there were people who resented the opportunity she’d been given to go and ride in Florida, but surely this would shut them up, for a while at least. Although there was still the jump off to go, and Van’s head was full of it as she jogged her excited mare back to the gate.
The next rider cantered into the ring on a big black Warmblood stallion, the kind of horse that looked like a million bucks without even trying, fully decked out in the best that money could buy. Van steadied Covergirl back to a trot, still thinking about the jump off track as the black suddenly veered towards her. Covergirl pinned her ears and snapped at him, and the stallion retaliated by turning on his hocks and lashing out with both hind feet. Van ducked instinctively, and felt the rush of air as the black’s hooves narrowly missed her head. Covergirl leapt sideways, stumbled, and fell onto her knees. Her balance already compromised, Van pitched forward over the mare’s shoulder, hitting the ground. Her hand clenched instinctively around Covergirl’s rein, but it was a mistake. Scrambling back to her feet, Covergirl couldn’t get out of her rider’s way, and her left hoof landed squarely on the inside of Van’s forearm.
The pain forced her to let go, and it took a moment for Van’s vision to clear sufficiently to see the deep stud hole that was now bleeding heavily onto the turf as her arm swelled rapidly. She pulled herself into a sitting position, cradling her arm against her chest as her white-faced sisters appeared alongside her.
Kris put a hand on her shoulder. “Are you okay?”
Van glanced up at her, fighting waves of nausea from the pain. Despite that, she couldn’t help rubbing it in a little. “I told you she’d go clear.”
“Nervous?”
Marley looked at Kris and shook her head. “Not really. I should be, but I’m weirdly calm.”
“Calm is good,” Kris said, casting her eye out across the course of fences set for the Pony Grand Prix. They were high, but the course wasn’t overly technical today. Not that there was any real way to predict what Maggie would be like when she got out there, and she stroked the mare’s tense neck as they waited at the in-gate. Another pony trotted behind them, and Maggie flattened her ears and lashed out with a hind hoof, narrowly missing making contact.
“Hey, take it easy Maggot,” Marley told the pony, twisting in her saddle to see Hayley scowling as she rode Misty away.
Kris raised her eyebrows. “Is that what we’re calling her now?”
Marley grinned “Jake started it.”
Jake shrugged, rubbing the mare behind her ears. “She likes it.”
“Sure she does,” Marley grinned, then turned in the saddle as Van walked stiffly up behind them, her arm in a sling.
“As soon as Marley’s done, we’re taking you to hospital,” Kris told her sister, who rolled her eyes.
“It’s bruised, not broken,” Van insisted. “I’ll be fine. Ambos gave me a sling and a couple of Panadol - I’m good to go. I just wish they’d let me do the jump off. What a waste of effort going clear when I didn’t even get to finish the class.” She reached over to give Maggie’s neck a pat, but the bay mare shot her a dirty look and Van withdrew her hand. “Never mind then. It’s a good thing she likes you better than she likes me,” she told Marley.
“What can I say? She’s got good taste,” Marley replied as Maggie rubbed her head affectionately on Jake’s shoulder.
The steward waved her into the ring, and Jake raised his hand for a fist bump, which Marley returned with a grin before riding Maggie into the ring. Stacey and her parents were standing nearby and watching carefully, speaking amongst themselves, and Kris took a deep breath, then slowly let it out as Marley eased Maggie into a canter and the judge rang the bell.
“Some proper fences for you today,” Marley said softly to the mare as they cantered down to the first fence. Two strides out she thought about swerving away, but Marley sat tight and held her straight, and Maggie corrected her course and cleared the jump easily.
Jake watched as Marley coaxed the pony around the course. He didn’t see what Kris’s experienced eye was able to spot – the constant corrections, the near misses, the long spots and deep spots and the loss of balance on the second to last turn. He just saw that Maggie jumped all of the fences, and that all of the poles stayed in their cups, and he grinned and joined the short burst of applause that accompanied Marley as she cantered through the finish flags with another clear round.
On the way home that evening, as Marley lay on the bottom bunk bed in the truck accommodation with her head on Jake’s shoulder, she contemplated Maggie’s future. She’d given her a steady ride in the jump off, just aiming to go clear and not pushing for time, despite Stacey’s father trying to yell instructions at her from the sideline. Her double clear had been good enough for fifth place, but although the jumping itself had felt almost effortless for the pony, the emotional strain it took on her was evident to anyone who knew the mare well. She had refused to settle after the round, and it had taken almost an hour of steady walking from Jake to get her calm enough to load onto the truck.
Marley sighed, and Jake turned his head and softly kissed her hair, bringing her back to the present moment. “Daydreaming?”
“Mm.”
“About me?”
“Hardly. I was thinking about Maggie.”
“Of course you were.”
“She doesn’t want to compete anymore.”
Jake shifted to look at her. “What do you mean?”
“You remember when I first started riding her, and I said I just wanted to her to know what it’s like to enjoy being ridden? So that she’d have good experiences to look back on?”
Jake nodded. “You don’t think she enjoys it?”
“She doesn’t mind me riding her around home. But she doesn’t like being at shows, competing, being asked to jump. She’d be the happiest pony in the country if nobody ever asked her to jump another fence again.” Marley sighed heavily. “I wish I didn’t have to make her do it.”
“You could say no,” Jake suggested. “Send her back to her owners.”
“But they can’t see it. They watch her jump and because she goes over, they think she enjoys it. She’s only doing it for me. Because she wants to be good.” Marley’s breath caught in her throat. “She wants me to be proud of her.”
Her thoughts drifted, as they so often did, to Cruise. He hadn’t jumped well again today, and Bubbles’s father was tearing his hair out over it. Bubs had placed second in the Grand Prix on Skybeau, and won two classes on her other chestnut pony, but Cruise’s failure to perform was upsetting them, and tongues were still wagging about it. There didn’t seem to be anything physically wrong with Cruise, and there was nothing wrong with the way that Bubbles rode him. He just didn’t have his heart in his job anymore, and Marley didn’t know if there was a way for Bubbles to fix that.
She turned and burrowed her forehead against Jake’s shoulder, feeling the warmth coming off his body, and he squeezed her tight then rolled onto his back and pulled her on top of him.
“Hi there,” she said with a smile, pushing her worries to the back of her mind.
He grinned at her, his hair falling into his eyes. “Comfy?”
“You bet.”
“Me too.”
“You say that now, but I’ll get pretty heavy after a while.” Marley started to roll off, but Jake wrapped his arms around her waist and held her still.
“Stay,” he commanded her.
Marley narrowed her eyes at him. “What am I, your dog?”
“My dog is far more obedient than you.”
“It’s good that you’re calling him that now,” Marley said thoughtfully. Jake frowned, and she clarified. “Your dog. He might live with us, but he worships the ground you walk on. You should see his face when he hears you coming down the hall. Like all his Christmases have come at once.”
