Lope Across the Pond: Lope Along Books, #3

By IvyTrace Franklin

Miss Pepper, better known as Lucki in her youth, takes us back into her life as a talented equestrienne spending a year traveling in Europe with her trainer's family. Twists and turns abound, as Lucki grows in her riding experience, shops for horses and pursues her dream of writing and photographing for  magazines.

When a deep secret must be revealed years later, it impacts many at the Lope Along Ranch and changes the lies of them all--but is it for the better?

Read it and see, as Lucki enters the world of the European Jumper tour in the 1960s, and how she  makes her way home to become the success she is today.

• Language: English
• Publisher: IvyTrace Franklin
• Release date: Dec 2, 2019
• ISBN: 9781393964568

Book preview

Present day

Flower Mound, Mississippi~

Y ou see, honey, you weren’t born out of love, but you were born INTO love, the elderly Lucretia Pepper explained to her recently-acknowledged birth son, Joe. I was searching for something in the arms of a handsome stranger, trying to find myself. Your being born helped me grow into a woman, but also benefitted your folks who couldn’t have a baby.

It was the most special gift I’ve ever given or received. Giving you up was my only option at the time. It tore a hole in my heart that has never been filled. But now I have you in my life again, she sighed with all the grace she could muster. The truth can be out in the open now. For me to discover that I have a granddaughter too, well, it’s just the blessing that keeps on giving, dear, she said as she hugged Devlyn. It’s like we’ve come full circle.  Lucretia turned her teary eyes towards Cissy. And dear, you’ve been such a big part of my life since you were a young lady yourself. To realize that you and my Joseph have such a loving marriage, and now a daughter, it’s just like icing on the cake, Lucretia patted Cissy’s hands gently as a lone tear rolled down her aged cheek. It just seems right.

You see, Joe and Dev, Cissy said through tears and a soft smile, God knew what he was doing when he brought me to Ms. Pepper back when I was a young girl fresh out of school. HE knew I needed help. HE knew I needed Joe and that Joe needed me. And now it comes full circle. Devlyn has finally found her real family and can grow up in a safe place with all of us. It’s like it was God’s plan and we are all here to heal each other in love, Cissy leaned over and kissed Joe on his cheek.

Joe just shook his head in disbelief. He sat in shock.

Joe? Cissy nudged him. Thoughts? Are you okay, hon?

I do believe we’re all just fine, Joe said thoughtfully. I believe we’re right where we’re supposed to be.

Flower Mound, Mississippi 1962~~

N ow momma, you know I’ll behave and we’ll be with Philip, my trainer. He and his wife won’t let anything happen to us, 21-year-old Lucretia Pepper said to her fretting mother. Most of the time, we’ll be too tired to eat a proper dinner, much less go out anywhere. But I sure am ready for a nice change of pace in the horse show scenery. Mobile and Memphis are nice but I’m anxious to really see some of the top European shows! Lucretia flitted around her bedroom filling her steamer trunks for the trip to Europe she’d been planning for several years.

Oh honey bunch, I just can’t imagine not having you around Pepper Plantation for so long, her momma whined. What will I do without you?

Momma, you know you and Gran will have plenty to do keeping daddy in line so he doesn’t work too hard. I’m hoping you’ll take some time to go see a dinner show or do some shopping, while I’m gone. Relax and enjoy yourself. Lucretia closed the biggest case with a click. Plus, Gran is busy adding to the family journal that her mom started. Maybe you can help her with that?

Oh pish, her mother snorted. I’m not interested in any old smelly journal. We all know what happened in the war, how our family suffered and came out of it. Why rehash the past?

Momma, that’s exactly WHY it’s important for her to write down what she knows, to keep those stories alive. What with the way things are changing, people may not be telling stories to their young, the way our family has. That history needs to be preserved so that Pepper Plantation can live on in not just our memories! Lucretia put her hands on her mother’s shoulders lovingly, as she moved towards the door.

Oh you’re such a wise one, my sweet girl. You have always been inside your head, with all your books and your picture taking. Much too busy for a proper young lady. When are you going to settle down and marry a nice young man and give me some grandbabies?

Now momma, don’t start on that again. I have horses to find so I can help daddy get our bloodlines stronger for the Jumper shows and I’m really interested in seeing if there are any stock horses over there that are any good yet. That’s something daddy wants to incorporate into our line of horses here at home. Build up that foundation for the Quarter Horses, you know. Can you imagine shows in Venice, Dublin and Rotterdam? Much less France! I can only imagine. Those big warmblood horses over there are influencing the way we do things here in the states! Influencing our shows! I just can’t wait!

Humph, it’s not a job for a young lady. Leave that to your daddy and the hands, dear.

But daddy can’t do it alone! And since I’m the only Pepper child for now, it’s up to me to help him. And I’ve been studying bloodlines and about breeding. I can really be an asset to daddy, if he’d only take me more seriously. Maybe you should have another baby so you can have your little princess!

Dear, don’t get fresh with me! Just please be careful. And promise me you’ll take some time to socialize over there, when you get the chance? Just make sure that whomever you marry, that he’ll move back to the states and live here, she said with a smile.

Of course, momma. How can I run Pepper Plantation if I’m not living here? She hugged her mother and stood in the doorway as excited as a kid going to a candy store.

Absolutely, dear. You just make sure to write us, you hear? Her momma fiddled with a few evening gowns to put into the steamer trunk. This will look nice on you, dear. She eyed an elegant heather green one with an off-the-shoulder design on the right side.

Yes, momma, Lucretia, rolled her eyes silently. Better known as Lucki, she didn’t usually give a hoot about wearing fancy dresses. I know Mrs. LeFevre, Gwen, is already done packing her things. We’ll be leaving for the airport before you get up in the morning, so I’m going to say goodbye this evening. Okay? No fuss, now momma. You know this is important. And you know this is something I’ve been looking forward to for several years. But daddy made me wait until I turned twenty-one to go travel, even though Gwen will be with me every step of the way.

And you know why, dear! Kisses, her momma kissed her cheek as Lucretia flounced out the door towards the barn to finish packing.

Now I’m off to get my horse gear packed into the trunks that are going. I at least need my saddle, boots and hat. Lucretia mentally ticked things off in her mind. I suppose I can use Philip’s bridles and other gear I may need, since I don’t own anything that big. And with that, Lucretia took the steps as fast as she could downstairs and out the back door towards the stable, her favorite place to be. It wasn’t as if her parents were mean. They were good folks. But they were demonstrative and Lucki felt smothered by their hovering. She felt as if she’d never amount to anything but as someone’s little wife, if she didn’t get out and spread her wings.

Lucretia was the only heir to the large Pepper Plantation, a massive estate in Flower Mound, Mississippi that had been in her family since well before the War Between the States. Her father and uncle ran the place, raising cattle, crops and more recently, prized stock Quarter Horses. But Lucretia, Lucki as her friends called her, had not only loved the stock horses, but over the last few years had developed a passion for riding the jumping horses. She was the only person in the family who rode the English-style horses and she just loved the freedom she felt when she soared over a jump in unison with her horse. While she had plenty of success showing, Lucki was ready to begin her breeding program incorporating the larger Warmblood horses from Europe to add the size, bulk and athleticism that a big jumper needed. And for that, she’d spend much of her time in college at Mississippi State, studying as much of the agriculture courses she could. What she didn’t get from college, she learned at the heels of her