Burning Desire

Chapter Twenty-Six

{ A/N - Please vote, comment and enjoy. }

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Two weeks after the disastrous show with Brenna (and the not so disastrous aftermath with Callum), Holly had entered us in our second show. I felt significantly more confident than I had before our first show; there was less pressure and nerves which meant I wouldn't provoke Brenna, I'd had more time to prepare and the show was a higher level competition, which hopefully would challenge the mare more to prevent her from getting bored and misbehaving. Also, as Ed had advised, I'd invested in a pair of ear muffs.

Loading Brenna took several minutes of coaxing and flicking with the lead rope, but the process was considerably smoother than it had once been. I praised her with affection once she was safely inside and rewarded her with treats as Callum loaded Diablo into the trailer too.

Callum was even more nervous than me considering it was his first ever training level event, but he disguised it behind a confident smirk and easy-going nature. He tethered Diablo up and exited the trailer as I continued to fuss over Brenna. Once she was as calm and relaxed as the circumstances would allow, I hopped out of the trailer too.

"Don't put the ramp up yet," a voice called from behind me. "I still need to load my horse."

I spun around to see Annabel, looking overly polished in her full showing gear, leading Belmont Liberty towards the horse lorry. "Annabel! I didn't know you were coming to the show too."

"Well, I am," she said coolly. "Not with Storm, obviously. He's much too advanced for this level of competition. But Belmont Liberty has been entered, and I'm riding her."

"Oh," I said shortly. The icy accusation behind her voice infuriated me – the suggestion that her horse, destined for Kentucky Horse Trials just like Brenna, was more capable than mine. I shrugged it off and joined Callum and Holly in the van before I could get too enraged.

Callum placed a kiss on my temple as I slipped onto the seat beside him. Holly was seated behind the wheel, scanning the dressage test with her usual serious expression. Annabel followed just moments later and wedged herself between Callum and Holly, flicking her long raven locks over her shoulder.

"Ready, guys?" Holly asked, starting the engine and easing the trailer forward through the gates of Belmont Equestrian Centre.

"More than ready," Annabel said. "This show will be a breeze."

"Someone's confident," Holly chuckled. "What about you Madison? Feeling more confident than the last show?"

"Just about," my smile was half a grimace.

Callum chuckled and threw one arm around my shoulders, pulling me towards him. "You'll be fine."

"I could've sworn you two were at each other's throats just a few weeks ago," Annabel said brashly. "What changed?"

Callum smiled, his eyes mirroring the adoration in my own. "Turns out we never hated each other, after all.

"Quite the opposite, in fact," I added, unable to contain my smile.

"How sweet," Annabel purred, her voice like sour candy. She fluttered her eyelashes at Callum, earning a scowl from me and an impartial glance from him. Holly turned on the radio and pretended not to hear.

Once we'd pulled through the gates of Carolina Horse Park, all focus turned to the competition. Holly registered us and handed us our tests, barking orders at us as we groomed and tacked up our horses. Brenna was tense from the ride in the trailer and the atmosphere of the show only wired her up further, but she calmed considerably once I'd spent a while fussing over her with a grooming brush and slipped the muffs over her ears. It helped that I was radiating a calm, unphased aura that she fed off.