Walking On Course: Noble Dreams, #4

By Mary Kit Caelsto

Cora thought she had everything under control at Noble Dreams Stable, until a fall from a green horse left her with a badly twisted ankle and in need of help. It didn't help that her business partner and girlfriend, Ari, focused on her own career, leaving  everything about the farm to Cora. Sure she paid her half of the bills, but Ari was gone more than she was there and when the doctor told Cora she couldn't bear weight on her ankle for a few weeks, it leaves her in a bind. One that might even cost her the farm.

However good friends come through in the time of need and with the boarders offering to help and a new arrival looking to work off board the labor of running a horse farm seemed to take care of itself. The money, however, still needed some work, especially when Ari shoots down Cora's idea of having a schooling show.

However her girlfriend isn't as distant as it seems, and when Cora decides to let Ari in, it turns out there was more than either knew being kept inside. The threat of jealousy rears its head with the new stable help, which leaves Cora needing to walk the course, so she could plot a path to save her farm and her relationship.

Note: While each book in the Noble Dreams series does stand alone, the characters appear in all the books and a fuller picture of what live, and love, is like when a bunch of thirty and forty-something equestrians learn how to balance their career, their relationships, and their equestrian dreams.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Charmed Chicken Media
• Release date: Feb 2, 2019
• ISBN: 9781386375104

Book preview

< Walking on Course >

a Noble Dreams story

Mary Kit Caelsto

To learn more about Noble Dreams and all of Mary’s equestrian lit sign up for her newsletter at http://marykitcaelsto.com/newsletter

The scanning, uploading and distribution of this book via the Internet or via any other means without the permission of the publisher is illegal and punishable by law. Please purchase only authorized editions and do not participate in or encourage the electronic piracy of copyrighted materials. Your support of the author’s rights is appreciated. Permission is granted to make ONE backup copy for archival purposes.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, places, organizations, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

WALKING ON COURSE

Copyright © Mary Kit Caelsto, 2019

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

Cover Art ® 2018

Cover art by Unscramblet Author Solutions

Book formatting by Unscramblet Author Solutions (http://www.unscramblet.com)

Electronic Publication Date: February 2019

This book may not be reproduced or used in whole or in part by any means existing without written permission from the author.

Please support horse rescue and rescue organizations. You may just find your next best friend.

Also By The Author

Noble Dreams Series

hunter/jumpers

Steady on Course

Correction on Course

Standing on Course

Walking on Course

Course Perfect (forthcoming)

Western Star Series

barrel racing

Spins Are Wild

Turn and Burn (forthcoming)

Radio Arcanum Series

Rural Fantasy with Music & Magic

Hidden

Tonic Chords (sequel to Hidden) (forthcoming)

Songs and Horns (forthcoming)

Tempus Magic (forthcoming)

Chapter One

Cora wobbled on her crutches and leaned against the fence to watch Eva and Sara in the arena. Since Huntsfield both riders had put in extra training hours, and Cora smiled as Eva kept a steady pace through the gymnastics. Cin really listened to her, taking direction much better than he had last season. Good job, she called.

She adjusted the crutches under her arm, wondering why she didn’t spring for the scooter on which she could rest her knee. Because it wouldn’t be practical on the gravel and uneven surfaces of the pasture. That was why. She frowned and looked again at the lawn chair. She never sat down during lessons. To do so now would seem as if she were frail or hurting. She’d taken a fall because her young horse had spooked. No big deal, right? Except this sprain hurt like a bitch and normally after a night of RICE therapy—rest, ice, compression, elevation—she’d be fine. Not this morning.

She’d tried to ask Ari to see if she could put a good ride in on Bailey, the four-year-old, gelding she’d been working with on small combinations. Friggin’ deer jumped out of the woods not far from the arena, and he’d taken off like a shot bucking and snorting as if he were in training for the rodeo rather than baby green jumper divisions. She’d fallen when he’d suddenly realized there were high fences all around the arena and skidded to a stop. She didn’t.

Frankly, she’d been lucky and she knew it. Of course she had worn a helmet; she refused to ride without them. Her head hadn’t hit the fence, though her shoulder did. The failed landing had hurt the most. Falling down with her foot twisted beneath her no doubt had sprained her ankle. At least, she hoped it was just a sprain. Since she could flex it—with pain—and walk—with pain—she relied on old school medicine and declared it a sprain. This afternoon, nearly a full twenty-four hours later, she struggled to convince herself of that.

Nice change in direction, she called as Cin crossed the arena on the diagonal. Let’s try the gymnastic a few times from this side and then call it a day.

Eva nodded. She headed into the series of jumps, mostly cross rails with a couple of short 2’6" verticals thrown in the middle and again was blown away by the improvement she’d made. If Sara didn’t look out, the two of them would be playing leap frog in the standings to see who won the year end awards.

Out of the corner of her eye, she watched Ari back out of her parking spot and head for the highway. Crap. She’d hoped to get Ari’s help with feeding tonight. Ashley had gone on a working vacation to one of the jumper farms in North Carolina and would be gone all week. With these crutches, pushing a wheelbarrow full of feed would be tough, if not impossible. She gave approval to Eva’s last few passes along the course. Go ahead and cool him out. I’ll meet you in the barn.

Thanks for doing this. You look like it still hurts like hell. I would have understood if you needed another day to rest. Eva leaned forward and patted Cin on the shoulder. She kicked her feet from the stirrups and crossed them over her saddle.

You’re doing so well. I didn’t want to stop the momentum. Besides, I’m sure this is more healing than watching equestrian videos on YouTube. She grinned. I just need to sit down. That’s all.

Okay. Want to just meet up at the house?

Yeah, that’d be great. Thanks. She turned and hobbling step by hobbling step made her way to the house. She managed to hop up the few stairs leading to the door and inside.

Eva found her on the couch, her ace-wrapped ankle propped on a pillow with a fox hunting motif and her laptop balanced on a bamboo tray over her lap. A stack of receipts sat on the end of the table and she frowned at them. With five empty stalls in the barn, things were tough. Really tough. Ari supposedly talked up the place at the shows she went to, but Cora also knew for a fact that a jumper rider with three horses went to a neighboring barn where they didn’t even have an indoor ring. Outrageous! Who would want to board serious competition horses somewhere that they couldn’t ride in bad weather? She frowned, once again batting away the notion that Ari really wasn’t talking up the place.

Wasn’t helping with chores.

Wasn’t even putting dishes in the dishwasher.

Did her partner even want to be here? She’d been cold and distant since this show season had started, and it seemed as if she were spending more and more time away from the farm. Her horses were still here, and she paid their share of the expenses on time. Maybe Ari looked for problems where there weren’t any. She flipped through the receipts, entering them into her accounting program.

How are you feeling? Eva walked into the room. Receipts. Ugh. She smiled.

A necessary and never ending evil. Cora turned the best she could with the table in the way, not really wanting to disturb her work. Why don’t you sit down? Let’s plan the next few shows.

Eva did, moving a footstool so she could face the couch and not have Cora move too much. I was thinking maybe Laurel Hill after Jazz and Jumps. Perhaps a schooling show here and there in the middle? Too much?

Elation filled Cora. Not at all. I think that’s a great plan. You know that’s the same track Sara is taking. You guys can be barn buddies at the show. Especially if I’m still laid up. She kept the last part