2.

Belmont

The next day Cindy entered Belmont Park, her new hang tag rocking on the rear view mirror, and headed out to Simm Barns, parking with a metallic squeak outside barn 41. She got out of the truck, pulling her equipment out after her, sticking her crop between her teeth as she pulled on her dark green chaps and pulled back her dirty blond hair.

It was already heating up for five in the morning, even without the sun high in the sky. August was going to be one hell of a hot month, Cindy thought as she pulled the crop from her mouth and threw her windbreaker back in the cab, slamming the door after it.

She walking into Mr. Lucas Simm's main barn with a certain air of uncertainty, not sure of what she was going to find. The track was already alive with activity, hotwalkers leading horses up and down the aisles of various stables, the track teeming with breezing Thoroughbreds and littered with people dressed in beat up jeans, decorated with cowboy boots and silver belt buckles or expensive sunglasses and gold wrist watches.

When Cindy walked into Mr. Simm's barn, she found the trainer outside a stall, talking with Micky, turning when Cindy approached.

"Ms. McLean," Lucas called, smiling at her and motioning her over to the stall. Cindy came up to him, stopping to peer inside the stall, where a defiant young bay glared back at her.

"You can call me Cindy," she said, giving Lucas a small smile, and he nodded, smiling again.

"Cindy," he said. "You're the woman of the hour."

"How so?" Cindy asked, frowning when Lucas motioned to the bay inside the stall.

"That's Bosta, one of my rather new additions," he said, letting a groom bring the filly out.

"She's rather royal in her bloodlines," he sighed, watching the filly dance on slender legs, holding her regal head high. "Her sire was the late Mr. Prospector and her dam is that Savage Girl mare. She's a full sister to the Kentucky Derby winner three years ago, and she's quite a handful."

Cindy nodded, watching the filly sweep her ears back and bare her teeth at the groom, threatening to bite.

"Micky is going to breeze her today because we're getting close to her maiden race," Lucas explained, coming up to the filly and looking up at her stripe-marked face. "But she's going to need Queenie on her the entire way. You up for a breeze first thing off?"

Cindy nodded. "Of course. That's what you hired me to do, right?"

Lucas looked at her and suddenly laughed, nodding his head. "Absolutely," he motioned over to the dark bay mare's stall, snagging another groom to take the calmer mare out.

"I'm going to go get Ryan," Lucas said, patting Queenie on the flank as the groom brought the dark mare out into the hall. "I'll be right back."

Cindy watched Lucas' retreating back before turning back to Micky.

"Who's Ryan?"

"Lucas' principle assistant trainer at Belmont," Micky said, helping the groom with Bosta, holding the filly's head as the other man worked on the saddle. "He'll be in charge of most of your horses," he added. "Lucas sticks with the big dogs - the horses in the group races and the prominent owners."

"Oh," Cindy muttered, watching the groom finish with the saddle, jumping away from the filly as she lashed out with her hind feet, shaking her head hard to dislodge Micky's grasp on her bridle.

When both horses were ready, they headed out to the track, Lucas following with another younger man Cindy assumed was his assistant trainer.

"We're going to try her from the gate today," Lucas said stopping by the gap as Micky launched himself into Bosta's saddle, landing softly on the filly's young back. Cindy got a leg up from Lucas, settling herself in Queen City's saddle, the older mare placidly chewing on the bit as Bosta shook her head like a wild thing, her dark mane fanning over her neck as she rose into the air, testing Micky.

"Whoa," Micky called, getting the filly to all fours, collecting the reins and moving forward before she had another chance to rear up, slowing the filly by the gap as Lucas barked out the orders.

"Four furlongs from the gate," Lucas called. "Queenie the same distance. Cindy! Keep Queenie right on Bosta's outside. She can't have a chance to lug out like she always does. Warm them up a little and we'll meet you at the gate."

"Got it," Cindy nodded, tugging the mare around and heading out to the practice gate, trotting after Bosta.

Cindy pulled alongside the upbeat filly, Queenie striding patiently next to Bosta as the young horse snorted and watched everything with wild eyes, straining against the bit. Micky handled her well, keeping with the filly and not letting her get away from him. But Cindy could see his arms straining, the tendons pronounced from the physical effect Bosta was having on his arms.

"Strong thing," Micky grunted as Bosta squealed, kicking into a canter with the extra slack Micky allowed in the reins, the two horses moving up the track together, Queenie keeping with Bosta on her own. Cindy warmed up Queenie easily, feeling the relaxed mare underneath her. She frowned to herself, knowing Queenie must either be a complete push over in a race, or a master mind.

"The time was pretty decent," Lucas said. "Forty-seven flat," he nodded, pushing his stopwatch back into his pocket. "I think both of them will be ready for next week."

"Queenie is racing?" Cindy asked, looking up at the sweet, compact mare.

"Allowance," Ryan said, still squatting on the ground, feeling the mare's legs. "Mile and a sixteenth."

"Oh," Cindy said, looking down at him as he looked up at her, flashing her brilliant green eyes and a smile, reaching up and running a hand through his light brown hair, messing it up, before he stood up to his full height - a full foot above Cindy.

"I'm Ryan Lockridge," he said, offering his hand to Cindy, who took it quietly and shook.

"I'm Cindy McLean," she replied, taking back her hand.

"Dubai winner, right?" he asked, giving Queenie a slap on the flank as a groom took the mare's halter, leading her up to the barns.

"Yeah," Cindy nodded, pulling off her helmet and redoing her ponytail. "That was some time ago," she smiled, watching another pair of horses coming down to the track, a bay and the red chestnut Cindy had seen the other day - Red Army.

"Four years," he shrugged. "What, you were seventeen then?"

Cindy threw him a look and laughed. "I was fifteen," she chuckled. "Almost sixteen."

"You're twenty?" he asked, his eyes narrowing as they waited for the horses. "I don't think I'd believe that if you didn't look so serious."

"Why?" Cindy asked, raising an eyebrow.

"You look older than that," he said, shrugging.

"Is that an insult?" Cindy asked, frowning at him.

"Nah," he shook his head. "At your young age that should be a compliment."

Cindy's frown broke and she chuckled again, looking away as the bay gelding, Star Bank, arrived in front of her.

The rest of the morning Cindy worked Lucas' horses, heading in and out of the barns, taking around a fleet of geldings, fillies, and colts. Some had real promise, Cindy noticed as she rode. Some were already headed into graded stakes competition. Star Bank, the old bay gelding, had a beautiful stride over the turf, and was heading into his first graded stakes event in a month. Luna's Secret, a gray three-year-old filly, was just about to make her debut in the Diana Handicap, a grade two turf race in September. And Wonderland, a three-year-old chestnut, was heading out to the grade three Pennsylvania Derby.

At the end of the works Cindy was smiling. She had never worked on horses with such prospects since leaving Whitebrook, and she was already feeling her luck start to turn. If she continued with Lucas, Cindy figured, she may start working his first class horses by the end of the year. And, if she was really lucky, Cindy allowed herself to dream, he may let her start jockeying.

Cindy shook the thoughts from her head as she led her last horse, Northern Delight, back up to the barns herself, smiling and rubbing the bay gelding's dark nose as she took him up to the stable, settling him in cross ties and pulling off his tack.

As she bathed him in the warming August sunshine, running her hand over D's soaked coat as she ran the cool water over his back, watching the gelding relax and grunt as she soaped him up, then rinsed him off again.

"Cindy McLean?"

She heard a decidedly feminine voice behind her and she turned around just as she was about to turn off the hose, seeing a small young woman standing behind her.

"Yeah?" Cindy asked, giving the girl a once over quickly. She was small - around Cindy's height - and had long dark brown hair that was pulled back into a low ponytail at the base of her neck, making her look rather sophisticated and sharp.

"I'm Laura Parker," she smiled, offering her hand, which Cindy accepted after wiping the water off on her chaps.

"Hi," Cindy smiled in return.

"I work as an exercise rider for William Lewis," Laura explained quickly as Cindy shut off the water, pulling the hose over to the side of the barn. "I know Micky Anderson, and he told me you were looking for a roommate."

"I am," Cindy said quickly, suddenly interested in what this girl had to say.

"Good," Laura laughed, turning to lean her shoulder against the barn. "My roommate just skipped out on me about a month ago and I'm desperately looking for someone to help with the bills. I was wondering if you needed a place."

"I do," Cindy nodded, pulling her hair out of the frazzled ponytail and running her hands through it. "Just looking around in this city for an apartment is terrifying enough."

Laura laughed, nodding. "I definitely know about that. Would you like to take a look at it?"

"Sure," Cindy nodded, turning quickly to grab D's halter. "I just have to put him up first and I'm all set to go."

Laura took Cindy deeper into the city than she had expected, finding herself in Brooklyn, looking out of the windows as Laura turned onto 33rd Street, pulling into a small parking garage and turning off the car.

"It's kind of a studio apartment," Laura explained, getting out of the car, heading up to an old elevator, Cindy following closely as she looked out at the street, watching a stream of constant cars swarm by.

Laura punched in a code in the elevator and closed the gates, finally punching a button with a worn six stenciled over it.

"I'm the top apartment," she said, smiling at Cindy. "It has a great view of Brooklyn, and the bridge. We're really close to the river here."

Cindy nodded, jumping as the elevator met its destination and the door slid open, revealing an empty hallway with only one door.

Laura pushed the gate aside and pulled out her keys, unlocking the door and stepping inside, turning over to smile at Cindy.

"Wow," Cindy breathed, stepping out onto the hard wood floor, looking over the open space of the apartment.

"It's a small studio," Laura said, closing the door behind them and locking the four pad locks on the frame before dropping her keys on the multicolored tile of the kitchen counter that ran parallel to the far wall.

Cindy walked further into the apartment, her riding boots clopping against the wood. On her left was a series of huge windows in white steel frames, and beyond that was a small cement porch and the cityscape of New York, the Brooklyn Bridge rising gracefully above the smaller buildings of the burrow. She could make out a small glimmer of blue from the river from where she stood, knowing she could probably see more when she was outside.

There was a living area opposite the kitchen and at the end of the apartment were two doors.

"My room is on the right," Laura said, knocking on her door. "And this can be your room," she said, opening the other door, showing Cindy the modestly sized bedroom, the sea of white steel windows continuing into her bedroom.

"Oh my God," Cindy laughed, eyeing the small room, noticing the bathroom that attached to both bedrooms and her own separate porch, already decorated with potted flowers and creeping vines.

"You like it?" Laura asked, leaning against the door as Cindy inspected the empty room.

"This is fantastic!" Cindy gasped, turning around in front of the windows, looking over at Laura. "But how much is it?"

"Pretty expensive," Laura shrugged, "but everything in New York is. The water is paid, but everything else is our responsibility. The rent is twelve hundred."

Cindy almost choked, her eyes going wide. "You're kidding! How do you afford this?"

"Will's pay is pretty damn good," Laura laughed, smiling sweetly at Cindy. "But I definitely need a roommate to cut on the expenses. So, what do you say?"

Cindy was silent for a moment, turning to look back out the window. From her room she could see the river and the expanse of Manhattan beyond that, the twin towers of the World Trade Center rising like gray monoliths in the south. This was so perfect, she thought, smiling at the view. When she had been living in Miami she thought she had a pretty good deal by the ocean, but this was fantastic, and Laura seemed too good to be true.

Lucas was paying her enough to afford splitting the cost. There was really no question whether or not she was going to accept this place. She had to, otherwise she had no where else to go.

"Yeah," Cindy said, turning to throw a smile at Laura. "Definitely. When can I move in?"

On that Saturday, Cindy moved in her things. Ryan helped her with the bed she had found cheap at a flee market, and the two dressers. He had been easy to convince, especially when Laura offered him a six pack. He even stuck around to help the two girls arrange the furniture in Cindy's room.

It took all day to get everything settled. From the white sheets on the four poster flea market bed, to the clothing in the dressers, and the posters on the walls.

"This is looking great, Cin," Laura grinned, her long brown hair ruffling in the breeze that flowed through the open door of the porch. Laura kept the AC off most of the time to save money, and Cindy didn't mind -- not with that view in her bedroom.

"Yeah," Cindy laughed, eyeing the grand old bed. "I can't believe that thing cost me forty bucks."

"A great buy if you ask me," Ryan said from the doorway, finishing off the rest of his beer. "But I've got to go. You ladies all set here?"

"Up and running," Laura smiled at him, looking up from helping Cindy arrange the sheets on the bed.

"Good," Ryan said, leaning against the door jam as Cindy fluffed up a pillow, throwing it to the head of the bed. "Jack's plane gets in an hour from now. That gives me enough time to fight traffic back to JFK."

"Jack?" Laura asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Yeah," Ryan said. "Jack Fieldman. Old friend of mine. He's coming up to New York for Lucas. Had his fill of LA, I guess."

"It's a hard town," Cindy said, finishing up with the bed.

"You lived there?" Laura asked, turning back to Cindy.

"Uh-huh," Cindy said, heading off to her closet to hang up some more clothes. "For a few months."

"Well," Ryan said, smiling at Cindy. "Jack's coming from Santa Anita."

"I worked there," Cindy said, getting another shocked look from Laura.

"Exactly how many places have you worked?" Laura asked, laughing.

"Eight or so tracks," Cindy shrugged, hanging up a pair of khakis.

"And she's only twenty," Ryan laughed. "Wonders never cease."

"Hey," Cindy countered, frowning over at Ryan.

"Okay," Ryan laughed, holding up a hand. "I'm off to get Jack. We'll probably go out tonight if you ladies are interested."

"Maybe," Laura said slowly. "We'll see where we can get Cindy in."

"Oh, I can think of a few places," Ryan said, pushing away from the door. "Call me, Laura. You know the number."

Laura rolled her eyes and Cindy smiled, hanging up another pair of pants. And then the door banged shut.