The Black and Sugar

CH10: New Friends, Old Enemies

I knew the new publicity was coming, but I didn't expect as much as what came. I stayed at the barn with Alec, Henry at the hotel alone. I was honestly exhausted from the day so I went straight to bed.

The other two colts arrived a little before six, which just gave us enough time to get them settled before the sun went down and left us in darkness. It was more just me and Alex, though, with Henry barking orders at us. Not that we minded, we were just happy to be around the horses, or at least I was.

I woke up early the next morning and looked at the hanging clock on the wall, it read 5:47, which was close to a half hour earlier than I needed to be awake. But I couldn't sleep, so I decided to take a page from Alec's book, and went for a run on the track. I didn't make it very far though, I was just out the stall door when Alec jogged after me. "Wait up, I'll come with," he said, taking a deep breath.

He caught up to me where I'd stopped, and looked around. Seeing nobody in his quick glance around, he wrapped his arms around my waist, pulling me close, kissing my lips fiercely. He pulled back, smiling brilliantly. He was so adorable, I stood close to him for a long minute just looking into his bright eyes.

He laughed and pulled back, and we went for a jog around the track, running and talking, and most of all laughing. He was fun, I thoroughly enjoyed my time with him. We went a couple laps when I couldn't go anymore, I was in worse shape than him, but he also went running a lot more than me.

It was only then I realized I still had to clean stalls, and feed, and do the rest of my morning chores. So I did, and by the time I had dumped and changed water, laid fresh straw, grained, and given Royale and Sugar new hay, I was exhausted. I laid back down on the cot, wiping the sweat off my forehead. It may have been cold, but all the work had been quite the warm up. Alec was still doing stalls when I got back. I was in dire need of a shower, which I knew I wasn't going to get this morning.

I fell asleep again, but only for another hour or so. When I woke up, Alec was lying next to me, rolled on his side facing away from me, his side rising and falling rhythmically. He looked like he'd been there for a while, probably not much longer after I'd fallen asleep.

I slowly stood up and walked outside to see the sun running above the horizon. There was some action going on around the barns, but not much, only two or three horses worked on the track, very few were around the barns I could see around us. Some grooms were around, doing their work silently. People were starting to show up, though, and that included Henry. He was waddling around the corner as I looked around. He was carrying a coffee, and a newspaper.

"Morning Hope. You're all over the papers, like I said," he greeted, handing me the paper in his hand. The page it had been opened to was the sports page, and at the top half was a story about racing coming back. I started reading to find the second half of the story was entirely about me and Sugar. "Extraordinary" they called him. "One of a kind" and "unstoppable in the century". They speculated about me, calling me a "newcomer to the sport", and already donning me "the queen in the sport of kings". I wasn't complaining at all, though, I thought it was positive and well written.

I handed the paper back to Henry as I finished reading and he grunted. "Well, let's get to work then, I want the two of you to work Gramps and Prince together, want them paced. Then I'm gonna let Alec get on Sugar today, and work on pacing, then I'm thinking about entering him into a little handicap at a mile that should be a good breeze for him. If you're on board with that," Henry said. I nodded, I agreed with the idea, and was excited for Sugar's first official out.

I turned away and pulled out Prince and Gramps. Prince's registered name was Midnight Madness, but he carried his head in a regal way, like he was royalty, which made Prince a fitting name for the gelding. He was good, and had a lot of potential, but didn't quite carry himself right just yet. He probably would with time. I liked him, I was beginning to get a good feel for racehorses, not just barrel horses.

Henry had told her that she was a good rider, and should pursue it further, but she knew she could never give up being a rodeo rider. She liked riding the racehorses she'd been on, but it was nothing like being on a good barrel horse, that's where her passion was.

I saddled the pair and went back to the stall to wake Alec. When I walked in, I found he was already awake, slipping on his riding boots, his grey helmet resting on his head. He smiled when I walked in and stood up, flashing his teeth at me with a bright smile. "Ready to go? You on Prince or Gramps?" I didn't care either way, I liked both of the geldings, they had a lot of potential each. He nodded, responding to my silence with, "okay, I'm on Prince then."

We walked outside and got on the two and made our way to the track. People had gathered around watching us, waiting for a spectacle like the previous day. But they wouldn't see anything spectacular, even when Sugar was brought out, because he was just working on pacing himself with Alec.

Our ride on the geldings was good, and Alec's ride on Sugar was easy for the stallion, not impressive by any means because it didn't have to be.

It was when I was spraying down the grey that things got exciting. I was running shampoo through his thick silver tail when a familiar voice sent a tingle running down my spine. "Hi Hope, it's been a while." I dropped the bottle of shampoo and turned around, the color draining from my face. Jerry Volence was leading against a pole of the wash rack, in a dark suit, his brunette hair slicked back. It was different.

"Jerry," I whispered, as he put his hands in his pockets and started meandering towards me. He looked up and down at Sugar, analyzing the big grey's thick body.

"He looks good, his time with you has been good for him I see," he said, stroking the wet neck. I tried to chase away my nerves, but I couldn't and I could feel the fear starting to show in my face. I looked around for Alec or Henry, but the pair had gone up to enter Sugar in the handicap mile.

"What do you want, Jerry," I whispered, moving back away from him. He was near the stallion's head, running his fingers through the thick mane that was drying. I was going to braid it when it dried, and was waiting when he showed up. Now, I didn't want to even think about braiding.

He took a step towards me, and I automatically moved back in fear. "I want you, Hope, can't you see that?" He reached out, and I pulled my arm away, but I wasn't quick enough. He grabbed my wrist, and I instinctively tried pulling away, but in my panic, he grabbed my other wrist, pulling me towards him. I wanted to yell but I was frozen in fear, trying to get away from him.

I don't remember seeing anything happen, but somehow, Alec had come around and seen him grabbing me, and punched him in the nose. I was too scared to do anything myself but hide behind Alec.

Jerry left after, they told me. Alec had right away taken me back and sat me down in the tack stall while I cried. Henry came and sat with me, but there wasn't anything to be said.

It took a while, and I finally relaxed enough to stop crying and shaking. Alec had finished up taking care of Sugar and came back and sat with me. Henry agreed to stay the night at the barn, and Alec took me to the hotel. We sat down in the room and he finally looked me in the eye. His own eyes were full of concern, as he asked, "Hope, please tell me what happened, what did he do to you?"