2.
Cindy sighed and squinted out at the hot sun already heating mid-morning of New York. It was only ten o'clock and already Cindy was down to her white tank top and wishing she could shed her bulky flak jacket. She had been on the track since six that morning, and four hours later she was covered in dirt and perspiration. Already she had been thrown from a flighty bay filly named Hansea, yet another Savage Girl filly. If Cindy had thought going through retraining with Bosta was difficult, Hansea made her half-sister look like a dream.
"You are going to mind me," Cindy gritted her teeth, keeping the young two-year-old from trying to rip her out of the saddle. Cindy had no doubt that if the filly ever got her underneath her hooves she would be trampled. There was a definite air of Bosta in the young horse, and the two were cut out of the same cloth, but there was also a very real difference about them also. Cindy had always known that Bosta was trainable. She had been a handful and excitable, but never mean. Hansea was mean.
"Have your hands full?" Laura asked, grinning as she walked her mount, Jaded, along the rail as Cindy battled with Hansea in the middle of the track.
"Are you kidding me?" Cindy let out a grunt as the filly bowed her neck to the ground and lashed out with her hind legs. Cindy clung to the filly's mane as Hansea collected herself and reared, her pitch black mane flying behind her.
Cindy got the filly down to all fours and got her moving again, working her up the track with the filly grinding on the bit the entire way, forcing Cindy to push back as they plowed down the rail. Cindy galloped by, pulling the filly out so she could hear Lucas shouting at her as she went past.
"Keep her going!" he was yelling. "One more lap."
Cindy nodded her understanding and felt the filly leap forward, her head held low as she huffed out of an open mouth, her ears flicking back and forth as Cindy kept her galloping up the track, and the wrong way. Cindy smiled to herself, knowing she had the filly completely confused. Sometimes it helped with animals like Hansea. If they were feeling particularly nasty, as Hansea was, sometimes all you had to do was turn them around and gallop clockwise for a while. It decreased the chance that they would bolt, and gave the rider a moment to regain control.
After their last lap, Cindy halted Hansea by the gap and leapt off before the filly could throw her off, handing her over to the horse's preferred hotwalker for a cool out and a bath. After their work the filly was covered in lather, and looking down at herself Cindy realized that she might as well be also.
"Lucas," Cindy called as she walked off the track. "Do me a favor and refuse to take any more Savage Girl fillies."
Lucas laughed and shook his head as she pulled off her helmet, redoing her ponytail.
"I would if they weren't damn fine runners," he chuckled. "She's going with you to Saratoga, you know. You'll just have to learn to live her."
Cindy sighed audibly and gave Jack a look, who was leaning against the rail with a smile.
"Hey, you know how I feel about Savage Girl," he said. "If Bosta wasn't enough of an experience, that one might kill me if I try to help."
"Alright," Cindy sighed, and then gave Jack a pointed glance. "I'm sure Mr. Hernon will know the way to her heart."
"Ouch," Lucas grinned, as Jack rolled his eyes.
"If that ever happens in my lifetime, Cin, make sure to call me and you can tell me all about it," Jack replied quickly to Cindy's huff.
"Okay, you two," Lucas said, intervening. "I still want to get that new colt out here before it gets unbearable. Cindy, you're up."
"Again," she sighed, pulling her helmet back on as she saw the dappled gray colt being led down to the gap, passing by Hansea, who lifted her dark bay head and snapped at him in the most unladylike fashion she could muster.
Cindy rolled her shoulders, feeling her old injury aching dully from her fall off of Hansea as she watched Sunday Punch ambling down to her. He didn't look like he was going to cause her any trouble, but then again you never really knew until you got up on them for the first time.
"I don't want anything big," Lucas said as the colt was halted in front of her and Cindy got a good look at him standing in the blinding summer morning. "We're shipping out tomorrow afternoon, so we'll just do a quick warm up and maybe a lap around at a gallop to limber him up a little."
Cindy nodded and got a leg up from Jack, flying into the air and landing softly in the saddle. The colt didn't even twitch a muscle. Cindy smiled and patted him on the neck before collecting the reins and moving out.
Riding Sunday Punch was almost a tranquil experience. Cindy hovered over the saddle as she slid him into a canter and a gallop, the gray effortlessly responding to her commands. It was easy to let her mind wander as she listened to the quiet sounds of the colt's hooves hitting the dirt. She watched his dark mane slapping against this white and gray marked neck. His dark-tipped ears flicked back to listen to her as he snorted with relaxation, his dark legs slicing through the air as his salt and pepper tail floated after him.
Everything about this horse was opposite of his name, Cindy realized as she slowed down after the gallop, the colt complying with a small toss of his head, letting Cindy see his white washed face and dark muzzle. She let him drop to a trot and finally a walk, coming up on the inside of Laura again, who had traded Jaded for Fresh Tactics, William Lewis' big three-year-old who had missed the Classics in preparation for his real goal: the Breeders' Cup Classic.
"You looked like you were in a daze," Laura smiled, reining in Fresh Tactics next to Sunday Punch. "Did falling off of Hansea get to you?"
"No," Cindy shook her head. "Just riding this guy is like heaven," she laughed, running her hand through the colt's rough mane.
"Figured," Laura said, putting a hand on Fresh Tactic's chestnut neck as he seemed to tense at Sunday Punch's presence. The gray merely flicked an ear at him and danced away, easily coming back down to a walk for Cindy.
"See," Cindy smiled, relaxing. "It's a whole different world from Hansea."
"Too bad she has to go up with you to Saratoga," Laura said.
"Oh, Saratoga," Cindy sighed, thinking about the meet she had to go to. "Have you talked to Lewis yet about where he's taking Tactics?"
"I did," Laura said, instantly grinning. "And I hope you don't mind having a roommate in Saratoga. Tactics is going to the Jim Dandy!"
"Thank god!" Cindy laughed. "I thought I'd be all alone! And that's excellent!"
Laura grinned. "Well, this is my Classic horse. After missing out to Red Army I'm just glad to get a second chance."
"You've got a ton of chances," Cindy said realistically. "I mean, you were riding Titus in the Breeders' Cup before you even had an agent."
"True," Laura said, nodding and changing the subject. "But I can't wait to get up to Saratoga. You and I are going to have a blast."
Cindy nodded enthusiastically. "Now that you're coming with me I have no doubt."
The next day, Cindy was piling things into the trunk her new Audi S4, listening to the traffic of Brooklyn roaring outside of the parking garage. She knew that Jack was already at Belmont, loading horses into the van and putting up with the wild theatrics of Hansea. At the moment, she was too busy trying to shove her last bag in with Laura's two duffles and all of their riding equipment.
"I suppose we could always come back to get more stuff," Laura said, walking out of the elevator with her keys at hand. "Did you get everything? I locked up."
"I've got everything," Cindy nodded, slamming the red trunk door closed and going to the driver's side. "Ready to hit the road?"
"Of course," Laura grinned. "I even brought along my trusty coffee cup. I'm good for the next two hours."
Cindy laughed, and they got into the car. She loved her new car. It was red, new, and most importantly it was automatic. There wasn't anything better, in Cindy's opinion, than not having to shift three times while merging into traffic.
By the time they got to Belmont, the heat was already starting to rise, and Cindy was all for hitting the road in her air conditioned car. But there was still one horse to load, and Cindy had to wait through the terror of getting Hansea into the trailer. Once it was done, Cindy helped Jack secure the filly next to her running mate, an older chestnut mare named Southern Beauty.
"Why are we taking her again?" Cindy asked, making sure the filly had access to her hay net, while still managing to keep out of Hansea's reach.
"Just so we can torture you, Cin," Jack replied, and Cindy stuck out her tongue at him, only to get mock propositioned.
"You're horrible," Cindy admonished, glaring at Jack from over the filly's back as he smiled.
"You can count on that," he grinned, patting Hansea's neck. "She's ready. You and Laura good to go?"
"But of course!" Laura called from outside the van, lifting her travel coffee cup to them. "Let's hit the road before this coffee runs out."
"Okay," Jack nodded, following Cindy down the ramp and helping Lucas close it up to Hansea's angry rampage within. Cindy winced for the rest of the horses traveling with them.
"Well, you just have the time of your life," Cindy smiled at Jack, who only shook his head as they listened to Hansea thunder inside the van.
"She'll calm down in good time," Lucas said. "It's not too long to Saratoga, in any case."
"You're just saying that to make me feel better," Jack said, walking over to the cab of the van.
"And you volunteered for the job," Cindy reminded him.
"Watch it," he half-heartedly threatened her, but she only smiled and slid into her car, watching Jack swing up into the cab of the van.
"You guys are certainly friendly," Laura teased as Cindy turned on the ignition.
"Oh, it's pointless flirting," Cindy admitted, downplaying it. "No big deal."
"Uh-huh," Laura grinned as they followed Jack out of the gates of Belmont. Cindy frowned at Laura and decided to draw the line in the sand.
"Don't even start, Laura."
Cindy always knew her roommate couldn't leave well enough alone. Halfway through the trip, Laura started again. Cindy glued her gaze at the back of the van speeding up the interstate and sighed.
"I mean, are you aware of the amount of rumors flying around the track about you two?" Laura asked, ending her long diatribe with a question Cindy was very much aware of.
"Yeah," Cindy shrugged. "But that means nothing," she pointed out. "I've heard rumors about you and William Lewis, if you're interested in knowing."
Laura burst out into laughter. "Oh, that's just too hilarious."
"Well, it just proves that backside rumors are usually false. I mean, there could be ghosts in the track kitchen according to those rumors," Cindy said, getting flustered.
"I've never heard those," Laura kidded, getting Cindy's frustrated look.
"Okay," Laura held up her hands. "I know those rumors about you and Jack are false. I'm your roommate for Christ's sake. I know better than anyone else. But I do know that they're based in something."
"Oh, quit it," Cindy sighed.
"I will not!" Laura laughed.
"They aren't based in anything," Cindy insisted.
"Oh, no?" Laura asked. "Is Jack driving that van? Aren't you going to be working with David Hernon? Cindy, Jack hates Hernon. He's made that perfectly clear."
"You know, I really can't figure it out," Cindy said.
"About what?" Laura asked.
"Hernon," Cindy said. "You know why Jack doesn't like him?"
"I have no clue," Laura shrugged. "Reputation, maybe. Or they might know each other better than we think. Jack doesn't let on about much."
"No kidding," Cindy agreed, remembering her own frustration with Jack. The man was impossible sometimes, and Cindy had learned long ago that it was almost a lost cause trying to pull information out of him if he wouldn't willingly give it.
"Well, I think it's obvious he's worried about you," Laura said, taking a sip of her coffee. "He wouldn't be driving up here if he wasn't."
"I hardly think there's something to be worried about," Cindy snorted, watching the van in front of her with curiosity.
Laura leaned back in her chair and crossed her legs. "Neither do I," she agreed. "But we're almost there," she added. "I guess we'll see soon."
Saratoga was a horse racing paradise. Somehow it had managed to do what other tracks had not. It had maintained its old dignity through the years, never losing its charm and flavor. Cindy loved that about Saratoga. It wasn't encased in glass or surrounded with littered cement. It was a state of the art horse racing facility, and delivered the best racing of the summer. No wonder her parents had bought a summer home there.
Cindy followed the large horse van into the back gates of the race track, winding up the gravel roads until they approached their destination, a perfectly maintained barn situated close to the track. Cindy parked next to the van and killed the engine, climbing out of the car and stretching casually as she heard the van's door slam next to her. Immediately she could hear Hansea wake up and start kicking.
She wandered around the back of the van and met Jack, who was already undoing the latches to the door. Cindy didn't say anything to him, but helped silently, lowering the ramp and walking in to sooth the obviously upset Hansea.
She was so busy with the filly she didn't see David Hernon's entrance, but when she undid Hansea's restraints and was suddenly pulled out of the van by a flying fit that was the filly, she met Hernon soon enough.
"Whoa," she heard a few people calling as the filly launched off the ramp and dragged Cindy around her like a doll. Cindy clung harder to the lead rope until she felt another hand land around the shank and yank the filly to a halt.
Cindy took a deep breath and looked up at the man next to her, immediately starting.
"Hey," he smiled at her.
"Hi," she greeted back, jumping when she felt the filly suddenly spook again and go into another fit, swinging her hind quarters around and rearing. Cindy let go of the rope and backed away as she watched David Hernon handle the filly, bringing her down to all fours and keeping her moving.
She stumbled back to where Laura and Jack were standing, casually watching the filly dance around David with her head high, jerking at the rope every few steps with defiance.
"You know, it's been a while since I've seen him," Laura said offhandedly, watching the show.
"Yeah, a couple of years," Cindy nodded. She had seen him last at a New Year's Eve party in Manhattan, where she had been thoroughly embarrassed, although she knew now there was nothing to be embarrassed about then.
Jack remained oddly silent, and Cindy gave him a wayside glance that he didn't return.
David handed the filly off to a groom, telling the young man where Hansea's stall was before brushing off his hands on his jeans.
"Hey, Fieldman," he called brightly, and Jack nodded to him. "Haven't seen you in a while."
"Not like I'm counting the days or anything, Hernon," Jack answered without missing a beat.
Hernon laughed and turned his gaze to Cindy and Laura. "And I see I've got two beautiful ladies to work with this summer," he said, extending his hand. "David Hernon. You must be Cindy."
"We've actually met before," Cindy said, shaking his hand anyway. "A couple of times."
"Oh, right," David nodded. "I do remember that. I don't know how I could have forgotten such a presence."
Cindy laughed, and glanced over at Jack, who wasn't smiling.
"And Laura," David nodded. "It will be good to have Fresh Tactics in my barn. I'm glad Lewis took me up on the offer."
"Well, we had to have a place to stable him," Laura shrugged. "Thanks for offering the space."
"No problem," David nodded cheerfully. "Now let's get these horses in their stalls. I'm sure you guys want to go check out your hotel."
"House, actually," Cindy corrected him, getting a look from Hernon. "My parents own a summer home here."
"Excellent," David nodded. "Where at?"
"About ten minutes away," Cindy said. "Up on Mill Ridge Road."
"Yeah, that's a good neighborhood," David nodded, walking up into the van and untying Southern Beauty, backing her down. "You'll definitely like this summer."
"Yeah," Cindy said, untying Sunday Punch and backing him down the ramp. "That's what I'm hoping for."