The Last Train Home

Chapter Fifty-Five

Alec tried to pretend like everything was fine.

He encouraged me with the riding, directed me when Juliet became a little prickly and even tried to be optimistic about when I could take Juliet on a real trail. Alec had no idea that I had overheard the conversation and he didn't say anything about it or even mention the telegram. If he was waiting for me to bring it up, he would be waiting a long time. I wasn't going to fall for his trap and I certainly wasn't going to give him the satisfaction of thinking that his plan would work.

I led Juliet around the paddock, ignoring Alec who stood against the fence and watched me. Every now and then he would offer a word of advice that I didn't really hear and instead I just focused on what I was doing. It wasn't my first time on a horse and everyone needed to stop treating it as such, especially Alec and Jonathan who were determined to keep me off the trails with Juliet. If they wanted me to trust them, they were going the wrong way about it.

"Not bad," Alec said, pushing himself off the fence, "she's really starting to listen to you now."

"This isn't my first time on a horse."

"No, but it's your first time training a horse and you're doing really well."

"Will I be able to take her on a trail this afternoon?"

Alec shrugged. "We might give it another week or so, just to make sure you and Juliet are on the same wavelength."

"Right, of course," I muttered.

I turned Juliet away from the fence and took her on another loop around the paddock. After doing nothing but loops for several weeks, I couldn't wait for the opportunity to flex my skills a little more and take her out on a trail. With Jigsaw, Jonathan hadn't allowed me to go outside the paddock until he was certain I was comfortable, but that was because I had never ridden a horse before. This was different. I had been riding horses for just under a year and I liked to think I knew what I was doing.

It was as if no one trusted me. They didn't trust me to ride Juliet outside of the paddock and they certainly didn't trust me enough to tell me the truth about how they really felt. If they did, Alec wouldn't have lied to me and he certainly wouldn't be trying to manipulate me into reacting a certain way just because none of them could accept that the telegram was a lie. None of them could see that it had all been a mistake and instead they were trying to vilify me for thinking it was. Well, I wasn't going to fall for their tricks.

The telegram in my pocket rustled as I continued to lead Juliet around the paddock. My fingers were wrapped tightly around the reins, my knuckles turning white as I tried to keep my hands from shaking. After overhearing Alec, Jonathan, and Barbara, the shaking in my hand that started that morning had only grown stronger. The shaking that morning had been caused because I stood up too quickly, but I knew this was caused by the anger welling up inside me.

I was mad at whoever sent the telegram in the first place, mad at Eva for going along with it, and mad at Alec for lying to me. He said he believed me, he said that he would convince Jonathan and Barbara that I was right, but he didn't. Instead, he believes them and what that stupid telegram said. Alec lied to me, betrayed me, and I would never forgive him for that. Never.

"Loosen to your hands, Syb. They're too tight," Alec said. Out of the corner of my eye, I watched him move off from the fence and walk in a half-circle behind me.

I did as instructed and loosened my hands, switching from a trot to a canter. The wind rushed past me as Juliet and I rode around the ring, making circle after circle and sending up a bloom of sand with every step. Behind me, Alec said something, but I ignored him and focused on riding in circles around the paddock. I was so focused on what I was doing that I didn't even notice Alec step in front of Juliet until I almost hit him.