Willow King (7 page)

Katie didn't want to risk inflicting that torture on one of the high-strung beauties, but it was difficult to ignore the whinnies and pleading looks when she stopped the walker. The hotter the horse was, the deeper he thrust his muzzle into the bucket, and the harder it was to take the pail away. But Katie knew she had to for the horse's sake. Even though these were large, powerful animals, they were very delicate and often did things that were potentially dangerous.

It was exciting working with these kings of the wind, and she loved every minute of it. Someday she would be doing this for her own horse. While she busied herself with cleaning, her imagination ran amuck. In her daydreams, Willow King claimed victory after victory, and always, she and Jester were there to escort him to the winner's circle.

A loud commotion drew Katie out of her fantasy world, and she ran into the barn's shed row to see what was happening. “Stupid horse!” Cindy was shouting as she rode Jester down the barn aisle and past a half-dozen stalls, scattering grooms and game hens alike. Cindy sawed on the bit, turning the horse this way and that while she beat him with a riding crop.

Jester danced along the pathway, throwing his head and rolling his eyes. Never, in all the years that she had owned him, had Katie ever seen him behave this way. He was out of control, and Cindy was of no more use than a mouse at the switch of a runaway train.

Katie ran toward them, waving her arms in the air. She prayed that Jester would recognize her and not mow her down. “Whoa, whoa!” she yelled as the horse drew nearer.

Jester planted all four legs and slid to a halt in front of her, almost unseating his young rider. As bad an equestrian as Cindy was, Katie was surprised that she managed to stay on. The horse's sides were heaving, and he stamped his feet, snorting nervously.

“What's going on in here?” Mr. Ellis charged into the barn like a raging bull.

“Nothing, Daddy.” Cindy looked at Katie, daring her to refute her words.

“What do you mean
nothing?
I've had two grooms come to me saying that you're running up and down the barn with this horse. You know I don't allow that.”

Knowing she had been caught, Cindy tried a different approach. “I'm sorry, Father, but this horse is being a real jerk today. He won't listen to a thing I say.” She moved the crop to the other side of the saddle so her dad wouldn't see it.

“I know this horse, young lady. He's a perfectly behaved animal, or I wouldn't have let you have him.”

Tom Ellis approached the gelding and noted his agitated state. “What's this?” He put his hand to Jester's side, and it came away red with blood. He grabbed the spur on Cindy's boot and wrenched it off her ankle. “Don't you have any more sense than to ride a well-mannered horse with spurs? No wonder he's a wreck. Get down off his back until he's calmed down.”

Mr. Ellis turned to Katie. “I'm sorry you had to see this. Sometimes Cindy doesn't have a lick of sense.” He turned to his daughter. “Katie's going to calm this horse down, then you and she are going out to that arena, and you are going to take some lessons from her. If you can't get this horse under control and learn how to ride him properly, then we'll just have to give him back to Katie.” He turned on his heel and walked away, leaving Cindy to sulk and glare at his retreating form.

Katie stood rooted to the spot. Would he really give Jester back to her? It was a wonderful thought. All she had to do was give Cindy the wrong cues—not that she needed any help in that department—and Jester would soon be back in her barn.

She looked at the horse and her heart gave a lurch. In the ten days that Jester had been here, he had changed a lot. His coat wasn't as shiny, and he had lost some weight. How much more of this mistreatment could he take before he finally flipped his lid and became a rank horse?

She couldn't take that chance. Not with Jester. He meant the world to her, and his happiness, whether it was in Cindy's hands or her own, was very important. She would swallow her selfish desires and teach Cindy how to handle him properly.

Six

Mr. Ellis had handed Jester's reins to Katie, but as soon as he turned the corner of the barn, Cindy snatched them out of Katie's hands and glared at her.

“Don't think that you can teach me anything, Katie Durham. You're a kid, just like I am. I don't have to do anything you say. I'm going along with this because my father is really mad, and I know he'll be watching. You can't ride any better than I can. The only reason you beat me at the shows is because the judges around here have a soft spot for underdogs.” She looked pointedly at Katie's corrective shoe. “They don't like me because my dad is rich.” She glanced at Katie's clothing and curled her lips in distaste. “You don't even dress like a proper horsewoman.”

Katie flinched at the meanness in her tone. She looked down at her baggy sweatpants and old windbreaker. It was true, she wasn't exactly a fashion genius. Not that she was sloppy. Her school clothes were always clean and pressed, and the riding jacket and breeches she used for shows were always in good repair. Her mother just didn't have the money to buy the designer brands that Cindy wore. And a lot of good they did her. Cindy still couldn't win in her classes.

She looked at Cindy, noting the red splotches that stained her cheeks and the way she squinted her eyes. And to think that only a few days ago Cindy had been talking about what great friends they were going to be. But that was back when she was getting her way. Things weren't going so smoothly now.

Katie had heard the kids at school talk about Cindy's temper tantrums. She'd even seen a few of the minor ones, but never had Katie been on the receiving end of such intense hostility. She didn't like it one bit, but she was in a precarious position. She needed her job at Willow Run to help pay for King's expenses. If she opened her mouth and told Cindy what she thought, it might jeopardize her job.

Katie bit back the retort that was on her tongue. Clothes didn't make a person. And she couldn't help her handicap; that would be with her for life. But even with that small setback, she knew she was a better rider than Cindy—and so did the judges. The brat was just blowing off steam, and she didn't care who got hurt in the process. As long as Katie knew the truth, she couldn't worry about what was said by a nasty, spiteful, jealous girl.

Cindy would get her comeuppance in the ring this summer. Jester was a great competitor, but he couldn't do it all himself. If Cindy didn't learn how to handle him, she was in for another ribbonless season.

When Katie didn't say a word, Cindy snorted disdainfully and turned on her heel, pulling hard on Jester's reins. The horse's head popped up at the sudden pressure on his mouth. He snorted in protest before following reluctantly behind her. “Let's get this over with. I have better things to do with my time,” Cindy said. “There's a dance next Saturday, and I want Jason to take me to it. I've got to find a new outfit to wear. I never see you at the dances. I guess it's hard to find a partner when you're clumsy.”

That hurt. Katie stared furiously at the back of Cindy's head. She wore her new breeches and an expensive pair of riding boots. She stomped away with her nose pointed toward the sky. How Jason Roberts ever got mixed up with the likes of her, Katie would never know. She couldn't picture the two of them together. They said that love was blind, but in his case it was blind, deaf, and dumb.

When they reached the arena, Katie followed Cindy inside and closed the gate. She wasn't sure what to do. She knew that Cindy didn't want her help, but she also knew that Mr. Ellis expected her to make an improvement in his daughter's riding ability. Nothing like asking for the impossible, Katie thought. But anything would be an improvement over what Cindy was doing now. If she could just get Cindy to listen to her, she knew she could help. And she knew she had to try for Jester's sake.

“I guess I better get on my horse and make it look like we're doing something,” Cindy said as she gathered her reins and inserted her left foot into the stirrup of the English saddle. She put all her weight into the iron, preparing to swing up, when the saddle slipped, ending sideways on Jester's rib cage.

Katie sucked in her breath as she watched the girl fall to the ground beneath the horse's feet, her foot still caught in the stirrup. Cindy shrieked like a banshee and thrashed about, trying to free herself. Katie came to her senses and quickly stepped forward calling, “Whoa, whoa,” to Jester as she approached.

Fortunately, Jester was a fairly calm horse, and all he did was side pass, crossing one leg over the other, traveling sideways to try to escape his squawking rider.

“Cindy, be quiet!” Katie hissed under her breath as she reached out for the horse's rein. Jester stood quietly for her while a furious, sand-covered Cindy freed her foot from the iron.

Cindy got to her feet, brushing the sand from her clothing in quick, angry strokes, then reached up to tuck the loose ends of hair back into her French braid. “I suppose you think this is hilarious?” She glared at Katie. “If you tell anyone at school about this, you'll be sorry.”

If it wasn't such a dangerous situation, Katie might have laughed to see the high and mighty Cindy Ellis brought down a peg or two, but it wasn't a laughing matter. Katie undid the girth and let the saddle fall to the ground. It landed with a thump.

“I didn't think it was funny at all. You could have been seriously hurt.” She turned to Cindy as she shook the sand from the saddle blanket. “That's why you should never ride when you're upset. Riding requires a person's full attention. When you've got other stuff on your mind, you forget to do important things like check your equipment, and you can end up hurt.”

Sparks flew from Cindy's green eyes as she stared at Katie, but this time Katie stood her ground. In the next instant the fire went out, and Cindy hung her head and started to shake. It seemed that the realization of what could have happened just hit her.

“It's okay.” Katie stepped forward and awkwardly patted Cindy's shoulder. She felt funny seeing the snobbish Miss Ellis caught in a vulnerable moment. “We all make mistakes. As long as you're not hurt and you learn from it, you'll be okay.”

Cindy's blond head snapped up and her proud manner returned. “That's easy for you to say. You weren't the one being trampled beneath the hooves of a crazed animal.”

Katie looked at Jester as he stood patiently waiting for them to resaddle him. He was a little wary, but he didn't look like a dangerous beast. She replaced the saddle blanket, then settled the saddle back into place, taking care to ensure the girth was properly tightened.

Katie ran a hand over the spur marks Cindy had caused. They had stopped bleeding and weren't as bad as she had originally thought, but they would need medication. She would drop by Jester's stall after Cindy was gone and tend to the wounds. She turned her attention back to Cindy.

“Oh, I've been dumped plenty of times,” Katie assured the shaken girl. “I've been bucked off, knocked off, just plain fallen off, and pushed down when I wasn't even intending to ride the horse. You have to remember what you did wrong and learn from your mistakes.”

When she finished checking all the equipment, she turned to Cindy, who was looking at her skeptically.

“What are you doing?” the girl asked nervously. “Shouldn't we put Jester back in his stall and let him calm down?”

Katie ran a hand down the horse's neck. “He's all right. You won't have any problems with him now. I think we'd better work on mounting. You've got to learn how to distribute your weight so you don't pull the saddle over on the horse's side. Did you know that at the famous riding school in Vienna they teach the riders to mount without a girth on their saddle? There's nothing to hold the saddle in place, yet they can put their foot in the stirrup and mount up without disturbing the placement of the saddle.”

“I think you're telling me a tall tale, Katie Durham. I don't believe anybody can do that.”

“No, really, it's the truth. I can't do it, but it's something to shoot for. Now, pay attention. This is what I want you to do.” She picked up the reins and placed her left hand on the horse's neck, just in front of the saddle, and her right hand on the back of the saddle.

“Put your hands like this,” Katie instructed. “If you have trouble at first, you can grip the saddle. Place your left foot in the iron and think of shooting your weight up into the saddle. Never try to push all your weight downward, or you'll pull the saddle over to the side if it's loose. Vault yourself up, then swing your right leg over the horse.”

She demonstrated the move with fluid motion, then quickly dismounted. “Your turn.” She handed the reins to Cindy.

The girl just stood there fumbling with the reins. “I don't think this is such a good idea. Maybe we should wait till tomorrow. I think it will be a lot better then.” She started to walk Jester back to the barn.

“Wait!” Katie ran to block their exit. She couldn't let Cindy leave without making her get back on the horse. The fall had unnerved Cindy, and now she was afraid to remount. When Katie started riding, the same thing had happened to her. If her father hadn't made her get right back on the horse, she might not be riding today.

“Get out of my way, Katie,” Cindy growled.

Katie was filled with indecision. What did she care whether Cindy ever rode again? If she didn't, then maybe Katie could find a way to get Jester back. But if Cindy didn't get back on the horse again, she might find a way to blame her, and Katie could end up losing her job.

Katie squared her shoulders and crossed her arms, lifting her chin a notch. “No. I'm not letting you out of this arena until you get back on that horse.”

“What do you mean? This is my house. You can't stop me from doing what I want!” Cindy put her hands on her hips and gave Katie a furious look.