Bareback(20)

    Jessica grinned down at her from the saddle, flushed from the success of their jumps. “He loves to jump. You just tell us what to do, and he can do it.”

    Christ, she was beautiful. The unbidden thought startled Skyler. She looked away and cursed herself for letting her attraction to this beauty seep into her conscious thoughts. A deep breath helped her refocus.

    “We need to work toward three goals,” Skyler said. “Condition him for the stamina he’ll need for the three-day event competition. Condition your leg to hold up. And help the two of you get to know each other’s cues.”

    Jessica listened carefully as Skyler described a couple of revisions to the training schedule they’d mapped out. The daily dressage would be shortened so he could get more jumping experience and conditioning. As a stallion, Rampage already had an advantage in the strength and stamina departments. But Skyler wanted them to work on his control over the jumps.

    “The more he jumps, the more excited he gets and the less he listens to your cues,” she explained. “We have to teach him to focus his entire attention on you.”

    Jessica patted the big horse’s neck. “We’re ready, aren’t we, boy?”

    Her enthusiasm was contagious. Skyler squinted against the sun and returned her smile. Just for a few brief moments, they both let down their defenses and shared an unguarded admiration for the big horse.

    “Why don’t you turn him out for the rest of the day and let him relax?” Skyler suggested. “But, don’t forget. You get to clean his stall.”

    Jessica shrugged. “I don’t know why everybody makes such a big deal over your stall, Rampage. You’re just a big, misunderstood pussycat.” She smiled down at Skyler as she turned the stallion toward the barn.

    Pussycat? Skyler let out a breath she found herself holding. She meant the horse, right?



    Chapter Six

    It wasn’t even noon and already it was hot, unseasonably hot and humid for the end of May. A drenching rain the day before had kept them inside, so Jessica had taken Rampage out for his conditioning trots first thing. Now they were enjoying Rampage’s cooling bath in the outdoor wash stall. She hummed softly to herself as she used a hard plastic wand to scrape the excess water from his gleaming coat.

    “How’s the next gold medalist doing this morning?” Kate’s teasing voice sounded behind her.

    “He’s doing just fine,” Jessica responded, knowing Kate was referring to her, not the horse. “We worked out early because of the heat.”

    “Excellent!” Kate grinned back. “I heard a couple of riders who might be at the trials are showing today near Richmond. It’s only a little over an hour away, so I thought you and Skyler would want to go check out the competition.”

    Jessica cocked her head, running through her mind which riders may be there. Over the past few weeks, she and Skyler had settled into a comfortable training pattern. Rampage was an incredible horse and the three of them were quickly bonding into a championship team. She and Skyler had decided not to enter any of the intermediate shows leading up to the trials. Rampage had enough experience showing, and she and Skyler relished the thought of being the mystery team at the trials, rather than risking injury to show what they had all across the countryside beforehand.

    “Have you asked Sky yet?”

    “No, and I’m not traipsing all over Cherokee Falls to find out who she bedded last night,” Kate said. “She never seems to sleep in her own bed anymore.”

    “Don’t believe everything you hear,” Jessica said stiffly. “She’s always at the barn when I go looking for her.” She didn’t know why she felt she had to defend Skyler’s honor. Her reputation was earned, but Jessica still didn’t like the jokes and insinuations she heard about the woman she was quickly learning to respect and trust with the most important thing in her life, her quest for the gold.

    “I’ve known her for a long time,” Kate said.

    Jessica knew she was being warned off, and that Kate meant well, but she wasn’t willing to believe everything she heard. “I think half her reputation is just gossip. People expect her to be out somewhere and spread rumors no matter what the facts are.”

    “Whatever.” Kate sounded resigned. “I’ll go see who is right today. You go get cleaned up and ready to go.”