Author's note: For the guest reviews that I have been getting. Just wait everything will be revealed. Yes, Nathan was hired to protect Jack and Elizabeth and by extension Doug, but he got close to Father Mark and is worried about him which is why he feels torn about what he should be doing. As far as Frank thinking about how to make the orchard property better and with more revenue streams, well that was why Jack hired him. He is going to be the orchard manager. Yes, he will bring all of his ideas to Jack, but he was hired to get the property going and oversee all things needed to bring it to what Jack wants. Of course he is going to know who they need to hire and what they are going to need as he will be there day to day.

Elizabeth didn't go with Jack to his appointment because she was struggling to see him in pain. It also made more sense to not go with him, given the media presents and she is understanding that. The last thing that I wanted to address, is that when I was in different competitions, depending on where it was and what it was, if there was a tie, they shared the place and the next person got the next place without skipping so if there was a tie for second, there would be four people on the podium. It was more often this way then it was they would skip a place. That is why I wrote it that way, it was just what I was use to growing up with different competitions. I hope that makes sense and answers some of the questions that I have been getting in the guest reviews.

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Chapter 304 – Cooperstown Show part 1

Saturday morning was busy, since registration for the show opened at eight. Marco and Andy had left at four with the horses. They would be fed and brushed when they got to Cooperstown. Carlo went to help. The group would be able to braid the tails and mane at Cooperstown when they got there.

Even though the horses were already gone and they didn't need to deal with them, there were other horses that needed to be brushed and turned out. They also needed to grab their tack cases. The plan was to be on the road by six thirty. James and Gran would be coming later with Rob. Chris and Katie were going with Trish and everyone else. Frank was going to drive his SUV with Trish and the girls. Nathan was taking Jack, Elizabeth, Doug and Lee. Father Mark was driving his truck so they had the extra vehicle. While they all knew that there was going to be undercover security there, they also knew that it would be different without John, Peter and Andrew there. John had contacted them the night before and as they were leaving for Cooperstown, he would be flying to Ocala Florida to deal with some things down there.

John had also let them know that while Devin had been torn about what to do, knowing that John wasn't going to be at Cooperstown. But John had insisted that there was plenty of security up there Devin had others that needed to be dealt with that were time sensitive. Devin felt bad, but Nathan and Jack had both told them that they would be fine and would stay in touch. That helped. Devin did ask that Frank also be armed and Trish even offered to be if that would make Devin feel better. It did and he knew that Frank and Trish were not people to mess with.

Gran had promised to bring the coolers as she knew that it was going to be another long day and was part of the reason that she was going to be half an hour behind the rest of the group. Jack and Doug had each made up the small coolers that they usually did, but knew that Gran would have additional food if they wanted. She would have a large cooler of drinks and plenty of munchies for everyone for the afternoon. Trish had taken the three large umbrellas and was hoping there would be some shade as it was predicted to be another hot one. Everyone was either in riding gear or a Coal Creek polo. Jack had also packed a couple of fans in the trailers, so that would help them stay cool if they sat outside.

The group arrived at the event site and saw that while it was on private property, it was basically an open grassy area that had a fenced off area for the course and bleachers set up on two sides with a large tent on one side as well. The fourth side was where the warm up pens were and further down the trailers were parked. Nathan, Frank and Father Mark ended up being able to park over by where Marco and Andy had parked the trailers and set up things there. They even left a spot that would be for Rob. Nathan texted him and told him to just look for their trailers. Trish wasn't sure if she liked that or not because it was a long way from the stands, but Nathan assured it was fine. They had parked in a way that they weren't blocked in and that Rob could park there as well. Trish was going to trust Nathan.

She walked with the girls to go check in. Jack, Doug and Nathan went as well. Lee and Elizabeth stayed by the trailers until the group came back. When they got to check in they realized that there were thirty-six jumpers in Maddie and Missy's class. Jack also saw that there were twenty-five in the middle class and there were twenty-nine in their class. Trish registered the girls and they drew for their spots. They ended up with Maddie at twenty-five and Missy at thirty-three. The girls grabbed their course sheets and headed back to the trailers with their mom. The guys got registered and while Jack wasn't sure, he wanted to be registered in case he felt up to it. Doug and Nathan understood, but didn't say anything. The guys drew for spots and all got lucky. Nathan grabbed twenty-two. Doug grabbed twenty-five and Jack grabbed twenty-nine. At least Jack thought if he wouldn't mess anyone up if he didn't jump. He did know that he was going to have to ice his shoulder if he was going to jump at all. He was glad that he made sure that there were at least a dozen ice packs in the trailer.

The guys headed back to the trailers. Jack gave Elizabeth a kiss and then she headed up with Trish, Lee, Katie and Rob. The rest pulled a camp chair out and found a spot under the shade canopies that Marco and Andy had set up. They hadn't even sat down when James and Gran pulled up. Nathan offered to help Gran take the cooler up, which she appreciated. James looked at the others and they went to check on the horses before they settled down to study the course sheets. They all opted not to braid. The horses had hay and water and were under the shade. They knew that they were going to have to watch the water, but for now they were fine. Once Nathan was back, they all settled down and started talking about the course sheets.

Twenty-five minutes later the announcement was made that the girls could walk the course. Jack and Doug went with them, while Nathan and James weren't that far behind. They would watch from the in gate. As they walked the course, Missy asked one of the officials a few questions about which jumps would be removed for the jumpoff. She said the only jumps that would remain were the ones listed for the jumpoff. That helped Missy greatly as her and Jack figured out a different line that she could take. Jack and Missy stayed out there until they were called to clear the field. Maddie and Doug had left about ten minutes prior. Jack and Missy were very much alike in that they would take all the time they were given to walk the course and look at things. When the group got back to the trailers, they sat with Maddie and Missy and talked about things to watch. Then the girls were able to relax until they needed to get ready.

It took a while for the girls' slots to come up. They had mostly relaxed in the shade near the trailers. They had watched a few different competitors as they were announced. The group noticed that many of the competitors were struggling with the course. Even if they didn't watch each and every one, the time and faults were announced. By the time that it was time for the girls to warm up, there were only five clear rounds in almost twenty competitors. As James, Marco and Andy stood near the in gate as Maddie warmed up nearby in one of the pens, Carlo came over.

"Where are jumpers struggling?" Marco asked.

"A few places." Carlo said. "This is a long course for this age. Many are not going fast enough. The gates themselves, there are two main trouble spots. The first is the double oxer as part of the triple combination at eight and the other is the wall at ten."

"Is one worse than the other?" James asked.

"The wall, Sir." Carlo said. "There have been ten faults there so far."

"Thank you." James said.

James then turned and walked over to the warm up pen and called Maddie over. Missy was there as well.

"What is up Grandpa?" Maddie asked.

"Carlo was saying that the three main problems are first the time." James said.

"We already figured that out." Missy said. "We both know that we can't sit back and need to move."

"Okay." James said. "Good. As far as jumps go, the two main issues have been the middle oxer of triple combination and the wall at ten."

"I thought the wall might be a problem." Maddie said. "I had planned on showing Bubbles the wall."

"I planned on showing Squeak." Missy said. "We haven't had any problems with the wall this week. Doug made us practice with different kinds of walls. We did work with the foam bricks in red, black and white."

"We also did a multi-colored one." Maddie added. "Uncle Jack said Cooperstown always had a wall, so we need to be ready."

"And the horses were fine?" James asked.

"No problems." Maddie and Missy both said.

"Good." James said. "I just wanted to let you know. Finish warming up."

"Thank you Grandpa." Maddie said.

Maddie moved to continue warming up. Missy watched her sister. James went back to the in gate. He was still worried about the girls, but he was feeling better that they had been practicing with Jack, Doug and Nathan. Nathan joined the group standing at the in gate.

"Where are JP and Doug?" James asked.

"Laying down in the trailer." Nathan said. "I told them that it was almost time for the girls to jump."

James nodded.

"They will be fine." Nathan said.

"I know." James said. "JP and Doug are not who I am worried about."

"Not who I was talking about." Nathan said. "The girls know what they need to do. They have come a long way with the horses in the last couple of weeks. We worked with the walls this week. Doug and Jack have spoken to them about the shadows at eight and the weird angles. They got this."

"Okay." James said.

There was one more clear round as they were waiting for Maddie. Marco didn't like that it was from Sugar Creek, but it was what it was. Finally it was Maddie's time. She had been sitting at the in gate since before the competitor before her went in. She looked calm as she sat there. She sat tall in the saddle and while she didn't move her head much, her eyes followed every move the competitors were making. She knew that she would have forty-five seconds to show Bubbles things and she planned to use every second of it that she had.

When Maddie entered the ring, she first went up to the wall and Bubbles wanted to back away, she held him there and forced him to see it. It took a few moments, but he dropped his head and accepted the wall. She then took him to show him the triple jump and finally the triple combination. When she got the five second warning, she brought Bubbles around and up to a canter. She cleared one, but not without a bit of a rub. It was a very wide oxer for the level, but she made it. She cut close to the end timer to line up for two and quickly moved through two and three. She landed in a good spot for four and then cut a tighter turn back for five. She made five and was in a good spot for six. When she landed six, she swung a bit wide to line up for the triple bar at seven. Again, she had a rub, but it stayed up. She then turned Bubbles and lined for eight. Maddie knew that she was good on time so took the extra half a second to make sure she had a really good line through the triple combination. When she landed the triple combination, she cut back before the fourth gate, but then swung out a bit wider to get the right angle for nine. Maddie landed nine and said a prayer that Bubbles didn't balk at the wall. She cleared the wall at ten and gave Bubbles his head to run through eleven and the end timer. When she cleared the timer, she looked over to the wall where the timer had been set up and a smile broke out on her face. She was in first with plenty of time to spare. She came off the course and was immediately greeted by James and her sister.

"Good job." James said.

"Great run, sis." Missy said.

"Thank you both." Maddie said.

"Missy, you need to go warm up." James said.

"Yes, Sir." Missy said.

Before Missy left, Maddie leaned down and whispered something to her in their language. Missy walked away laughing. James looked at Maddie.

"What did you say?" James asked.

Maddie just smiled and went to cool down Bubbles. James was left shaking his head. He had heard them use their language before, but would usually tell others what was said if asked. James went back to Marco and Andy.

"How are we looking?" James asked.

"Counting Maddie." Andy said. "Seven clear rounds, but she has almost half a second on the next closest."

"I thought it would have been closer." James said.

"I think if we get more clear rounds." Marco said. "We might see a time closer to Maddie's. Now that they have seen they can run, maybe others might be bold. I can see why most are being conservative while still trying to stay in the time. This is not an easy course for this level. This is more of an easy preliminary course than a modified course."

"I can see that." James said. "But it is good to push the kids. I saw the course sheet for the preliminary and it doesn't look easy either."

"Our course is not that easy either." Nathan said. "There are lots of turns and it looks like they are going to bring in some large potted trees to maneuver around. It also looks like we will have a large water jump. This is one of the hardest courses I have seen in a while."

"I agree." Jack said.

Everyone turned and looked at Jack.

"How are you feeling?" James asked.

"Still haven't decided." Jack said. "But like Nathan was saying, this is not an easy set of courses. But I warned everyone. I pulled old Cooperstown sheets and they have always been hard. We have a wall and a large water jump, trees to consider. Granted we don't have a triple, but the three middle are almost set up like a triple. I expected this."

"I guess you are right." Andy said. "If I think back, this has always been a hard place, but we have done well here."

"Because you pushed us to be able to conquer a course harder than we jumped." Jack said. "Maybe not always height wise, but definitely in the difficulty level with turns, water, walls and different fences."

"Very true." Marco said. "But I knew that it would make you better riders and it was how I learned."

"Not everyone does that." Nathan said.

"Good point." James said.

They watched the rider on course, then went to sit for a bit. There were a few riders until Missy went. There ended up being two more clear rounds before Missy ran. The group once again went up to the in gate area to watch Missy.

Without realizing it, Missy took the exact same line as her sister. She also had two hard rubs, but not in the same spots. As the group at the in gate watched, Jack just knew it. He knew they were going to tie. He even looked at Doug with a raised eyebrow and Doug realized it again. And then Missy crossed the timer and lo and behold she was in a dead tie with her sister in first place. Maddie was jumping up and down at the in gate. James could have sworn they planned it, but he couldn't prove it. With three riders still to go, they had ten for the jumpoff. The last rider to go also got a clear round and came within fifteen one-hundredth of a second of the girls. Everyone knew that the jumpoff would be close.

"What a first round." The announcer said. "We have a tie for first and a close time in second. We are looking to have a great jumpoff round which will start in ten minutes. The grounds crew is removing the unneeded gates and then we will begin."

After shuffling some papers and double checking, the announcer came back on.

"So we have eleven jumpers for the jumpoff." The announcer said. "They will jump in reverse order. So our jumpers in place order are tied for first from Coal Creek Farms of Saratoga Springs are Maddie Burke on Bubbles and Missy Burke on Squeak with a time of seventy-three point twelve. Then it is Kayden James on Upstart from Riverdale Riding Academy here in Cooperstown with a time of seventy-three point twenty-nine. Marcus Smith on Steel and Melissa Smith on Link both from Cool Parke Farms of Garrettsville with a time of seventy-three point fifty-nine and seventy-three point sixty respectively. After them we have Mason Green on Nightshade of Chestnut Ridge Stable here in Cooperstown with a time of seventy-three point sixty-one. Josh Miller on Wizzard from Sloane Court Academy out of Richfield Springs with a time of seventy-three point sixty-three. He is followed by Olivia Kennedy on Eagle from Sugar Creek Stables from Saratoga Springs with a time of seventy-three point sixty-five. Megan Wells on Sparrow from Windrock Farms from Burlington Flats with a time of seventy-three point sixty-seven. Aspyn Thompson on Dixie Lane from Chestnut Ridge Stable with a time of seventy-three point eighty-two. Finally Thomas Allen on Onyx from Riverdale Riding Academy with a time of seventy-three point ninety-one. The time for the jumpoff will be fifty-seven seconds."

Even though the girls were going last, they were already on their horses. They wanted to be able to watch the others. They knew that the jumpoff was going to be hard. It had been a hard first round and much of the problem spots were in the jumpoff. At least the girls knew that all other obstacles would be removed and they had a good line picked out.