Bareback(31)
Jessica sniffled against Skyler’s chest, her voice childlike. “I didn’t want you to think I was a sissy.”
“Honey, you are no sissy. Look at me,” Skyler commanded. “We can fix this. Nothing is going to stop us.”
Jessica wrapped her in a fierce hug and they stood there for several long moments while Skyler stroked her back. She didn’t want to move, but they both seemed suddenly aware that they were standing with their arms around each other. Skyler’s heart beat wildly against Jessica’s ear and she felt a hot blush flood her cheeks. But it was quickly forgotten when she noticed dark spots of blood on the dusty ground. Where was the blood coming from? “Look,” she pointed.
Skyler stepped back and checked her over frantically, demanding, “Are you hurt?
“No.” Jessica stared down at the blood, then her eyes flew to Rampage.
At the same time as Skyler, she saw the long, thin splinter protruding from beneath the skin of his chest.
“Let’s get him in the barn and call the vet,” Skyler said grimly.
The moment they’d shared was quickly forgotten.
Chapter Eight
By the time Dr. Victoria Greyson arrived at Creek Barn, Kate had joined Skyler and Jessica at Rampage’s stall. The tall veterinarian smiled at the worried group. Her dark blond hair was cut much like Skyler’s, but while Skyler’s eyes were a soft brown, this woman’s were an unusually dark forest green. She gave Skyler a quick wink and reached to shake Kate’s hand as her eyes lingered over Jessica.
“Jessica, this is Dr. Greyson,” Kate said.
“That’s Tory to my friends, Jessica. So, please, call me Tory. I’ve heard your name from Kate so many times.”
Kate hadn’t told Tory how stunning her young charge was. She’d said their Olympic hopes were pinned on this horse, but one look at the attractive rider ratcheted Tory’s concern for the horse’s injury even higher. The opportunity to be Jessica’s white knight was too good to pass up. She studied the stallion. “So what’s up with this guy?”
Jessica slid the stall door back. “He crashed into a jump and he has a splinter stuck in his chest. Oh, wait. You might want to keep one eye on him because he has a biting problem when he’s around strangers.”
“That’s easy enough to fix with a little tranquilizer if needed.” Tory eyed the horse’s chest. “Hold his head to the side. Hmm. This actually looks fairly superficial because it went in sideways, but this is a really large splinter. Nearly six inches long. The best thing to do is to make an incision along the skin to remove it rather than pulling it out. I don’t want to risk leaving some small pieces that could cause infection.”
Tory worked extensively with performance horses, so she knew the next question would be from Skyler, about his workouts. Anticipating her, she said, “It will take a bit of stitching to close but since it will be a shallow incision, he should be able to resume dressage and gallops in just a few days. The skin will have had time to begin mending by then. I wouldn’t jump him for a week.”
Jessica was quiet, her eyes filled with worry. Tory smiled at her. “Hey, don’t look so serious. He’ll be fine. And…you’ve got the best vet in these four counties at your service.” With her most dazzling smile, she asked, “How about coming out to my truck with me? You can help me carry back some of the stuff I’ll need to take care of this.”
Skyler rubbed her neck and frowned, her eyes following Tory and Jessica as they exited the barn. She wanted to be sure they were out of earshot before she told Kate what had happened. “Jess froze,” she said.
“Damn.” Kate looked worried.
“They came to the downhill water jump. She was almost able to stop him, but he still ran into the fence a bit.” Skyler paused, knowing what Jessica’s loss of confidence might mean for the future. “I don’t think his injury is serious. I’m more concerned about Jess freezing. It could have been much worse.”
“I’m wondering if she’s not trying to do the impossible,” Kate said. “She has to ice that knee down every night. I know it’s hurting her. I had a talk with her physical therapist. He couldn’t tell me anything specific that would violate Jess’s privacy, but I could tell he’s worried, too.”