Chapter 6
Lionel was seated with Mendelssohn for dinner that evening. “Herr Mendelssohn,” Lionel said. “Thank you for your wonderful hospitality. I apologize on Michael’s behalf that he was not able to join us. He has been through a lot lately, and needed some time to himself.”
“Yes, of course, Mr. Hayes,” Mendelssohn replied. “I have heard rumors that Mr. Stafford has not been the same since his fiancée left him several months ago.”
Lionel could tell that Mendelssohn was bursting with curiosity to see if the rumors about Michael were true. Was he really a hopeless drunkard and womanizer, and had he lost his touch with horses? Obviously, from Michael’s remarkable demonstration on Tempest today, he hadn’t lost his abilities as a rider, but Lionel was eager to leave Mendelssohn with the impression that Michael couldn’t be trusted with a horse as valuable as Tempest – especially now that Michael had viable competition in the guise of the American dressage star, Jessica Warren.
“Well, Herr Mendelssohn,” Lionel began, with apparent reluctance, “I really shouldn’t be telling you this, but I’m very worried about Michael.”
“Why are you worried?” Mendelssohn replied.
“Michael has been, well, different since Emma left him. He’s been trying to find solace in alcohol and one-night stands with anonymous women. He has lost several clients and his training yard isn’t nearly full. To add insult to injury, his brother was recently charged with manslaughter in connection with a bar fight. I don’t think his mind is in his riding at all.”
“I see,” Mendelssohn said, clearly disturbed by the information Lionel was providing him. “I must say, this concerns me.”
“Please, Herr Mendelssohn,” Lionel responded, trying as best he could to look concerned, and not to smile, “Michael really needs this opportunity to redeem himself with the dressage world. Your trust in him, despite his recent history, would be invaluable.”
“Thank you, Mr. Hayes,” Mendelssohn said. “I very much appreciate this information.”
“I would appreciate it if you didn’t tell Michael I’ve told you any of this. He would be extremely embarrassed, not to mention angry with me for my candor with you. I’ve only told you this because I know I can trust your discretion,” Lionel said.
“Of course, Mr. Hayes, you have it.”
Lionel smiled. He had made a great deal of progress today in ruining Michael’s chances to get a sponsorship from Mendelssohn. It was, of course, the least he could do.
~ ~ ~
The next day dawned clear and cool, and Jessica was experiencing the worst nerves of her riding career. She knew in her heart that her success in riding this stallion would make or break her dream of competing in dressage on the international stage, and Jessica could feel the weight of the pressure like nothing she had ever felt before. All right, Jess, get a hold of yourself and do this. You’re good. No, you’re better than good, you’re one of the best dressage riders in America. Don’t let this Brit or this big horse scare you. She took a deep breath, looked at her reflection in the mirror and saw a pale, but professionally turned-out young woman with a look of determination in her eyes, and knew that she was as ready as she ever would be for the ride of her life.
As Jessica left her room to meet Liz and Charlotte in the lobby of their inn, she remembered that she had left her ever-present cell phone plugged in to charge in the room. She retrieved it and left her room to meet her companions. As she went to the lobby, she checked her phone, and there were no missed calls or text messages. Hailey must be doing all right, or she would certainly have heard from the Turners or Hailey herself. Jessica relaxed a bit. At least that’s one thing she wouldn’t have to worry about today. As she approached Liz and Charlotte, her nerves reappeared, and in an attempt to chase them away, she took another deep breath and forced what she hoped was a cheery smile on her face.
“Hey, ladies,” Jessica said. “How are you both this fine morning?”
“We’re fine. More importantly, how are you doing?” Charlotte responded. Not unexpectedly, Charlotte was outfitted in the latest designer fashion. Liz was right beside her in riding attire. Before Jessica could respond to Charlotte, Liz said, “She looks confident and ready for her ride. Am I right, Jess?”
Jessica flashed Liz a look of surprise. The last thing she felt was confident and ready to ride. Liz would know that in a heartbeat. The two had been together long enough. At Jessica’s quizzical look, Liz surreptitiously glanced quickly at Charlotte, then back to Jessica. It instantly dawned on Jessica that Liz had seen right away that Jessica was nervous, but she didn’t want Charlotte, whose brother was about to spend a million dollars on a horse for her, to know she wasn’t completely confident in her ability to ride Tempest no matter what. Jessica nodded her head slightly to Liz to acknowledge she understood, then replied. “Yes, Liz, you’re right. I’m ready to go.”
“Good,” Liz said firmly. “Let’s eat something before we go. It would be better for you if you can.”
“Great. How about something light, though. Maybe a couple of scrambled eggs and a slice of toast?”
“Works for me,” Liz said. “Let’s go in and place our orders.”
The three women went into the inn’s dining area and sat down. Liz ordered eggs as well, and Charlotte ordered a traditional German breakfast of soft-boiled eggs, meat, bread, and cheese. They all had coffee. Jessica’s nerves calmed enough that she enjoyed her breakfast, and the women were quickly done and ready to go.
Their driver met them in the parking lot, and they made their way to Mendelssohn Farm. As they drove up to the farm, Jessica could see inside the tastefully decorated and lavishly appointed stable and noticed that Michael and Lionel were already there talking with Herr Mendelssohn while a groom was saddling Tempest. The stallion was fidgeting in the cross ties and appeared agitated, his tail occasionally switching in apparent irritation. However, as she watched, Michael reached over to the stallion and said something to the horse while stroking his neck several times in long, smooth strokes from his poll to his withers. The horse seemed to calm almost immediately, and actually reached his head around and nudged Michael’s shoulder as if to thank him for the reassurance. Both Mendelssohn and the groom looked at Michael in amazement. Just at that moment, Herr Mendelssohn noticed the women had arrived. He left the men and started walking in their direction.
“Welcome back, ladies.” Mendelssohn turned to address Jessica. “As you can see, Tempest is almost ready for your ride today, Miss Warren.”
“Actually, Herr Mendelssohn,” Liz said. “I will be riding Tempest first, then Jessica will ride. I hope that plan meets with your approval.”
Mendelssohn turned to Liz. “Of course, Mrs. Randall. I have every confidence in your abilities.” He looked back at Michael and Lionel, who had followed him out of the stable to greet the three women, then again addressed Liz. “Mr. Stafford and Mr. Hayes are my guests here at the farm, and have asked if they might observe your ride. Do either you or Miss Warren mind them staying?”
“No, not at all. We are happy for the gentlemen to stay.” Liz looked confidently over to Jessica. “Aren’t we, Jess?”
“Sure,” Jessica said, hoping the men couldn’t hear the tremulousness in her voice as she responded. She looked directly at Michael. “I’d be honored if you stay.”
Michael acknowledged Jessica with a slight smile and a brief nod. Jessica thought she saw a flash of what could have been encouragement in his eyes at that instant, but Michael quickly averted his gaze, and Jessica wasn’t completely certain she had seen it.
The groom brought Tempest out, and Liz strapped on her riding helmet, went over to him, took the reins from the groom, and led the stallion to the mounting block just outside the outdoor arena. The women had been discussing on the drive over that the crisp, cool morning would most likely find Tempest fresh and full of nervous energy. They were not disappointed. As Liz took the reins from the groom and led him up to the mounting block, he shied away from the mounting block a step or two, and Liz reprimanded him with her voice and firmly brought the stallion back to the block. Liz knew the stallion had seen this mounting block hundreds of times, and was shying in part to test Liz to see what he could get away with. Properly chastised, Tempest stood quietly this time, and Liz was able to lift herself into the saddle easily.
As Jessica and Charlotte, Michael, Lionel and Mendelssohn watched, Liz started out her ride walking Tempest on a long rein to allow him to loosen his back and legs. After a few minutes of that, Liz started shortening the reins and collecting Tempest for more advanced work. The stallion appeared cooperative as Liz shortened the curb and snaffle reins, but suddenly, the stallion gathered himself and with a loud grunt, leaped into the air, kicking out with his hind legs once he was airborne. He squealed loudly and bucked twice in a straight line toward the middle of the riding arena. While all of the spectators’ eyes were riveted on the pair, Liz showed her experience by staying calm, and easily moving with the stallion, maintaining her balance as she eased off a bit on the contact from the reins so that Tempest wouldn’t feel trapped.
Once she had the stallion back under control, Liz looked over to the spectators, and heaved an exaggerated sigh, and grinned. “Piece of cake!” she called out.
The group of spectators all laughed at Liz’s blatant attempt to diffuse a very tense situation, and the tension that Tempest’s explosion had created among the spectators quickly disappeared.
The rest of Liz’s ride warming up Tempest went smoothly, and after 10 minutes of work, Liz halted the stallion, dismounted, and led him to the mounting block and motioned Jessica to join her. Jessica, with some significant trepidation, strapped on her own safety helmet, squeezed between the fence rails surrounding the riding arena, and slowly approached the pair.
In a low voice, so the rest of the group couldn’t hear, Liz instructed Jess, “Despite what you saw, Jess, he’s pretty straightforward. To avoid what I experienced, you have to be careful not to hold him too rigidly with the reins. He has a very sensitive mouth, you need to approach him thinking you have his mouth in your hands. Keep your fingers moving and your wrists soft, you will do fine.”
Jessica nodded and stepped into the left stirrup, lifting herself into the saddle. She immediately felt Tempest’s strength, as he danced a bit in place, adjusting to her weight in the saddle. It was then she felt her cell phone in her back pocket, and quickly removed it and handed it to Liz. She hadn’t turned it off, however, because she wanted to make sure if Hailey called, she would know right away. Her attention turned back to Tempest, and she carefully asked him to move forward. He complied, though his back seemed tense, and his head came up, hollowing his back underneath her.
“Relax your seat, Jess. He’s sensing some tension from you,” Liz said a bit more loudly.
Jessica immediately eased her grip on the reins, and loosened her hip and lower back muscles so her seat could better follow Tempest’s movement, and the stallion visibly relaxed and rounded into the contact. From that moment, Jessica relaxed, and easily blocked out the spectators, and everything else outside of the horse beneath her and Liz’s voice providing occasional instruction. Thankfully, Liz stayed quiet for the most part, allowing Jessica to find her own way with the magnificent animal she was riding. And he was magnificent. Powerful, ground-eating strides carried her through the trot and canter portions of a mini Grand Prix Special test, which Jessica and Liz had decided they would use to gauge Tempest’s readiness to compete at the Grand Prix level.
Michael watched Jessica’s ride with rapt attention. As he had suspected, she was a talented rider, with a natural feel for the horse, soft, steady hands and a balanced seat that moved with the horse easily. The picture the pair presented was most impressive. Michael listened as Elizabeth offered occasional guidance as Jessica rode through the test, but mainly he and the other spectators watched in admiration as Jessica handled the stallion with relative ease. To his surprise, Michael found himself wishing he and Jessica were not competing against each other for this horse. For the first time since Emma left him, he found himself desiring another woman for more than just a one-night stand. This woman was different in so many ways from any other woman he had encountered. He was definitely intrigued.
When Jessica trusted Tempest enough to give him a long rein and see how his extended walk looked and felt, she was ecstatic. She could do this. Her confidence soared. Since her ride had been so successful, Jessica relaxed in the saddle and allowed her thoughts to drift to Hailey, and how she was doing back home. Jessica had tried several times to reach her doctors, then her physical therapists without success, and she was frustrated because she was concerned that Hailey’s poor-quality prosthetics were getting in the way of her progress.
Tempest, who had started getting bored at the lack of challenging work in the past few minutes, noticed right away that Jessica’s attention was no longer on him. His focus strayed to the activity outside the arena, looking for anything of interest that might occupy his mind, and possibly give him an opportunity to assert himself to test this new rider’s resolve. At that moment, Jessica’s cell phone, which Liz had placed on one of the fence posts surrounding the riding arena, rang loudly. Tempest, knowing instinctively at that moment that he had the upper hand, reacted more dramatically to the sudden sound of the cell phone than would have been expected, and suddenly, without warning, he violently dove his head between his knees, at the same time throwing a powerful buck. Then he immediately spun and bolted away from the noise.
Jessica was taken completely by surprise, as were the observers. Liz, seeing that Jessica was in some trouble tried to intervene. “Take it easy, Jess!” Liz shouted. “Shorten the reins, gradually!”
Jessica really tried to do what Liz had instructed, but she apparently had shortened the reins too quickly, because Tempest suddenly stopped and reared to avoid the tension in his mouth, and Jessica was too off balance to remain in the saddle. She pitched off of Tempest’s back and hit the ground hard, her hips and low back hit first, her helmeted head whiplashing back and striking the ground soon thereafter.
The spectators all rushed to her aid, Liz and Michael getting there first, while Mendelssohn and his groom were catching and calming Tempest.
“Are you all right?” both Michael and Liz asked simultaneously.
Jessica did a quick inventory of her body, and felt nothing broken, but her hips and back ached, and she had a dull ache in her head.
“I’m fine, I think,” she responded. “My pride has taken the biggest hit, along with my butt,” she said and blushed with embarrassment.
“Take your time, and let us know when you’re ready to get up,” Michael said. “We can help you if necessary.”
“Thanks,” Jessica said, taking a tentatively deep breath to test the integrity of her ribs. “I think I can get up now.”
Liz took her left arm and Michael took her right, and she slowly lifted herself to standing. Jessica was more than a little embarrassed and gently disengaged her arms from Liz and Michael, brushed herself off, and made her way gingerly to Mendelssohn and Tempest.
“I’m sorry, Herr Mendelssohn. Is Tempest all right?” Jessica asked.
“He is fine, Miss Warren,” Mendelssohn assured her. “Are you all right? That was quite a spill.”
“I’m fine. A little bruised, but there’s nothing broken as far as I can tell,” Jessica said. Then, in a worried voice, she added, “I hope this doesn’t disqualify me from contention for Tempest.”
“Of course not,” Mendelssohn responded. “I must say that I am surprised that Tempest reacted that way to the sound of a cell phone. He isn’t normally that sensitive.”
Liz smiled. “Herr Mendelssohn, I think Tempest had gotten bored with the rather routine work we asked of him today, and when Jessica gave him a long rein, he decided to take the opportunity the cell phone ring gave him to test her. It doesn’t surprise me at all that a sensitive and intelligent stallion would behave in such a way with an unfamiliar rider.”
Michael smiled. “I think you’re right, Mrs. Randall. My former mount, Romeo, would act up that way occasionally as well – especially if I allowed my mind to wander during our work. I learned to never lose my focus when riding him.”
Lionel had watched Jessica’s ride with interest. He had been encouraged with the talent Jessica had shown with Tempest, but her lack of control at the end of her ride concerned him. He needed her to be Mendelssohn’s choice for Tempest. Michael could not succeed. It was clear that Lionel needed an alternative plan should Jessica not be good enough for Tempest, and Mendelssohn elected to sponsor Michael after all.