A Medallion

Chapter 15

Tessa's POV:  

"Do you have a faucet around here?"  

Vanessa gave me an odd look.  "Uh...  No, not that I know of.  Why?"  

What stable doesn't have a faucet? "Challenger doesn't know how to drink from an automatic waterer, I want to make sure he stays hydrated.  I have a bucket, but I need a place to fill it." 

"Well, you could fill it from the wash bay."  

"Alright."  

It was after lunch and we were going to take up five of the six grooming bays while we tacked up our horses.  Needless to say, we were a big company.  

I walked up to Challenger's stall, and was surprised to find his lead rope wrapped up neatly and professionally.  I certainly hadn't done that.  I could only assume that one of the grooms had.

I unclipped the lead rope from the stall door.  It was so nicely done that I was loathe to unwrap it.  Reluctantly I unwounded it. 

The stall door did not slid but swung open, which was something that I liked.  I pulled the glistening silver handle, and it came open with no squeaks.  

Challenger pricked his ears at me as I slipped it, closing the stall door behind me.  "Hey boy.  You want to go on a ride?"  

He snorted and rubbed his head against his foreleg.  I smiled as a swell of love hit me for this gray gelding.

I clipped his lead rope on under his chin and rubbed his neck.  "She's determined to ride you boy," I whispered into his ear.  "I promise, I won't let her do anything too mean to you.  You and her just probably won't understand each other.  Try your best, if you can, to understand, okay?"  

Despite my tried persuasion, I knew he just couldn't understand, and that this ride probably wouldn't go well.  I resolved not to think about it until it was time.  

Vanessa's POV: 

I lead a gleaming Win out of his stable, enjoying the sound of his shod hooves on the concrete floor.  Win's stable was farther down, so I had longer to go than my fellow riders.  

Ahead of us Tessa led Challenger out of his stall.  The gray gelding obediently circled around her so she could close the stall door.  A pang of disappointment made me twist the end of the lead rope.  

Challenger would not be mine at the end of the day.  

Oh well, Win was still one of the best event horses.  I could live without Challenger, and I could win without him.  But that wasn't to say that I didn't still admire the gray.  

Tessa's determination that Challenger could not be ridden by me was beginning to make me wonder if I could, a new disturbing feeling that I was not used to.  I shoved it aside forcefully. 

I had sent a groom to fetch Medallion from her paddock, despite Tessa's insistence that she could go get her.  She reluctantly agreed when I said that it would save time, which we didn't have much of:  they had to leave at 3:30, and if we were mounted by 2, that gave us only an hour or so of ride time.

Lacy looked Win over as we passed the grooming bay she'd put Russo in.  "Oooh, who's this handsome boy?"  

"This is Win, aka Only First," I said as I led Win into a grooming bay and turned him around to clip him to the cross ties.  

Lacy snapped her fingers.  "Oh yeah, I remember him."  

Tessa, across the aisle from me, already had Challenger in the grooming bay and clipped into the cross ties.  Right next to him was Shocker, Mrs. Wellen's fleabitten mare.  Challenger's ears swiveled constantly as he took in all the new sights and smells, while Shocker stood calmly.