Passion » Max Regnery

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Max Regnery cleared his throat. Blake looked up to see him looking down at her from the corner of his eyes and the glance toward the door. Like Garnet, Max has an unusual way of communicating with Blake while not using words. So when she watched as his eyes causally looked from her toward the door, she understood immediately.

"Right," she dropped her hand that had been covering her stinging nose. "I believe it is time for me to exercise Garnet. I'll leave you two."

And with those words Blake smiled awkwardly at Deborah, waved and then walked out of the office which she had closed the door to, giving them a little more privacy.

She glanced back to see that Max was now seated in his office chair, a hand running through his already tousled blond hair. From where she stood, she was able to notice that Max looked even more tired than when she first met him.

Turning away, mainly because she's didn't want to get caught staring, Blake looked down the aisle as she thought about Max and his ex-wife to be with her unusually warm attire. It was snowing! Who in their right mind wore heels and a pale blue knee length dress?

"Ready?" Blake's head popped up, unaware that she had approached Garnet's stall while deep in her thoughts. When she looked up, Garnet was all tacked up and ready to go while Carole held out her reins and a riding helmet for Blake.

"You tacked her up for me?" Blake patted the large horse's neck after sliding the helmet along her arm and taking the reins.

"Yeah," she replied with a smile as she too started to pet Garnet. "I was surprised when she let me, being that she wouldn't let anyone but you touch her."

"Did you tell her it was for me?"

Carole smiled from the other side of Garnet. "Well, yeah, I suppose that is when she started to listen."

Blake laughed softly as she gave the mare a one armed hug, but then her smile vanished and she remembered a little detail that she had long forgotten.

"I managed to get a hold of Veronica."

"Really? What did she say?" From the look on Carole's face, Blake knew she was expecting the worse.

"Well, that she should be by no later than Friday to pay Garnet's fees, and schedule some lessons."

"Oh," Carole looked down at her black boots while they walked in silence down the aisle. "Well that is good." Yet both girls knew why that was also bad news to them.

"But Garnet will be reunited with her owner," Blake tried to sound like she was happy but no matter how she looked at it, she was still losing Garnet.

"Yeah, but you and Garnet have this amazing bond! Who's to say Veronica will even keep her word?"

"If she doesn't, Garnet will belong to Pine Hollow and Max will more than likely sell her."

"Are you kidding!" Carole's sudden high pitched shriek startled not only Garnet, but a school horse that had been quietly eating from her haynet. "Max would never sell her! She means so much to you already and if anything, he'd do like he's done before, turn her into a school horse."

"I don't know," Blake whispered. "Max has a lot on his plate, another horse is another expense. He's already struggling as it is."

"Max will find a way, he always does."

In the outdoor ring, Red stood by the gate, waiting for Garnet and Blake for the morning lesson. Today, his attire consisted of newer jeans and a thick fleece along with his usual boots.

"It's freezing out here," was what he said as he pushed open the gate to let them though. "We might not get to do what we originally planned to do, I hope you don't mind."

"No, it's fine," Blake said as she led Garnet to the mounting block, steadied her and then went to put on the ridiculous riding helmet. She hated wearing helmets, but she knew they were necessary and so she wore them. "Besides, today may just be my last day with her."

"What do you mean?" Red asked as he walked over to them to keep Garnet steady. Not like she needed it. Garnet did just about anything Blake asked her to.

"Veronica said she should be here sometime this week," said Carole from the fence where she was sitting.

"Really? Max finally heard from Veronica?" He face and tone of voice said just how shocked he was.

"Max had me do it since he had to do something, and well I managed to get her to agree to come down sometime this week."

For a moment his face lit up with excitement, but then his lips turned downward as it occurred to him just what that meant for Blake and Garnet.

"I wouldn't be too upset," he then said as he rubbed the mare's blaze. "When has Veronica ever not asked me to take care of her horse for her?"

"That's true," replied Carole. "And even after Cobalt, she still didn't look after Garnet properly."

"No, I wouldn't want that for Garnet even if it meant more time with her," Blake said from in the saddle. "Garnet deserves an owner who loves her. And if I'm being frank, Veronica did sound sincerely upset when I told her that Garnet could have died had I not shown up."

"Veronica? Sincere?" Carole laughed and Red glanced her way with a small smile before looking back up at Blake.

"Come on, we have plenty of chores later and I'm certain Garnet would like to warm up now, wouldn't you girl?" Garnet gave a little snort, tugged her head free from Red's hand and backed away. Blake was used to the mare sometimes acting on her own and occasionally she allowed the mare to have some control.

"I think we might have time for one small jump," Blake heard Carole say to Red as she and Garnet trotted around the ring. "Garnet is warming up so quickly."

"Yeah I suppose you're right," said Red back as he watched Garnet change gaits and was now steadily cantering around the ring and over a few poles lying on the ground. "Hey Blake?"

Blake pulled Garnet into a walk as she approached Red. "Red?" She raised a brow and relaxed her body atop the mare.

"We can always try one jump today, do you think you're up for it?"

"Garnet is no Patch and I know she is more experienced then him, but I do trust her."

"So is that a yes?"

Blake hesitated before giving a response. "Yes," she said. Beneath her, she could feel Garnet moving to the side, and then lifting her head up higher, the Arabian mare didn't wait for Blake's command to start moving. She went ahead and started herself.

In the saddle, reins tight in her hands, Blake began to feel slightly nervous. She had jumped before, something she begged Red to teach her to do, but it had been on the old Pine Hollow pinto who wouldn't even hurt a fly. She was now on Garnet, an experienced horse that required an advanced rider, not her.

As they turned in the ring to face the jump, Blake saw that it was a little higher than the fences she jumped with Patch. She had spoken to Red about jumping higher fences but she did not mean on Garnet.

"Don't worry Blake," Red said from where he stood beside the jump. "This is more for Garnet then anything. As long as you place your trust in her, do what I've taught you, you will soar over with no problem."

As it to add on a 'Yeah, trust me!' Garnet whinnied and nodded her head.

"Alright then, Garnet," Blake whispered into the mare's ear, "I trust you to fly over this as if you were born with wings."

Garnet snorted and turned her head to look at Blake as if saying; 'Are you kidding? Of course I was born to fly!'

Smiling and feeling a little more confident, rider and horse set off once again to ready themselves for the jump. Blake had a feeling Garnet normally charged for the fence, but with Blake atop her, the mare gladly cantered around it and back to where they originally started and picked up a little more speed.

As they approached the jump, Blake's anxiety was telling her about all that could go wrong, yet somehow, even as they grew closer, Blake focused on all that could go right.