Kate moved hastily between them. “Oh, allow me to make the introductions. Jessica Black, this is Skyler Reese, your trainer.”
Skyler Reese. Jessica turned the name over in her mind. She’d sometimes wondered what had happened to the notorious Ms. Reese after the scandal that made her name taboo around the circuit. “Your reputation precedes you,” she said pointedly.
Kate shot her a warning look.
As if to clarify her earlier statement, Jessica added, “You and Con Man were an awesome pair.” Now why did she say that? To spare this woman’s feelings?
“Your reputation precedes you, also,” Skyler returned stiffly. Her face was unreadable, and, apparently, she wasn’t going to elaborate.
Jessica turned back to the stall and watched Rampage snuffle his food trough. Anyone who hadn’t been there five minutes earlier would think he was gentle as a lamb. “He’s not dangerous,” she insisted, in full defense mode. “He’s just worked up because of those idiots who trailered him here today.”
Skyler stared hard at her. Then, with a disgusted snort, she told Kate, “This horse is dangerous, and I’ve got too many of the kids working in this barn. Get one of the other trainers to take him.”
She turned away abruptly and left the barn. End of discussion.
Jessica stared after her in shock. It had been a long drive, her leg ached, and she had only months to prepare for the trials. She didn’t need a hassle. Who was this arrogant woman? Had someone finally taken her mother’s place in Kate’s life? Fuming, she muttered, “What a bitch.”
“Whoa, now,” Kate soothed. “I’ll talk to her. She’ll come around.”
Jessica wasn’t sure if she wanted a trainer who had to be talked into accepting her. “Maybe you should put me with someone else. I’ve got enough obstacles to deal with. I don’t need a trainer I have to fight every step of the way.”
“Skyler Reese is the best there is,” Kate insisted. “She’s the best trainer, you’re the best rider, and you say Rampage has the potential to be the best horse on the circuit. She’s been there, Jess. She’s stood on that podium and had a gold medal hung round her neck. She can take you there, too. We’ll find a way for you to work together.” She gave Jessica’s shoulder a little squeeze. “Trust me?”
Jessica did trust Kate. She’d trusted those merry blue eyes and bearlike hug since she was small child. She had her doubts, but she could see that Kate was determined to help and she respected her views. If Kate thought Skyler was the best, Jessica believed her. “Of course. You’ve never let me down before.”
“And I won’t this time. You’ll see.”
Skyler helped a twelve-year-old girl mount a Welsh pony and sent her to join the three other kids posting around the outdoor training ring. “I’m serious about that stallion,” she told Kate. “What would happen if he bit a plug out of one of them and a parent sued the center?”
“Skyler, every day these kids ride, we risk an accident. I know you’ll take every precaution to warn them about the stallion. And if one of them doesn’t listen and gets hurt, the center is well insured.”
“Damn it, Kate. You know I have a hard time saying no to you.”
Kate paid her trainers well and provided them with state of the art equipment. The only thing she, and the center, demanded was that, in addition to the top equestrians they coached and horses they were paid to train, each accepted several youngsters to teach from beginning riding to advanced technique. The program was funded by the center’s endowment and children were chosen through an application process. Some had minor juvenile records and most came with troubled histories at home and at school. The program was free, but the kids were expected to work around the barns, mucking stalls, feeding horses, and cleaning tack to build their character as well as their equestrian skills. It was the same program that had been a refuge for Skyler once.
“Good. Then I’ll play that card if I must to get my way on this,” Kate said. “I want to help Jessica, Sky. She’s been my heart since Laura and I lived together. I had to pretty much walk out of their lives back then, and I’ll never forgive myself for letting Laura push me away. I can never get those years back that I didn’t spend with Jess, but I want to be there for her this time. Do this for me, please?”