Astra (14 page)

They sat so long in another space of silence that Lily wondered if perhaps her dad had fallen asleep. Then he leaned forward and kissed her on the forehead.

“Lily, I'm giving you your mother's saddle. She'd want you to start riding again.” He rose from the bed and moved to the door. “Starting tomorrow, you can. Maybe you can accomplish that goal of making Astra a national champion and do your mother proud.” He turned and left the bedroom.

Lily sat stunned, but only for a second. She bounded off the bed, almost tripping on the tangled sheets. She sprinted down the hallway and caught her father in the living room. She threw her arms around his waist and buried her head in his chest. “Thank you, Daddy, for believing in me. I promise I'll be careful and always wear a riding helmet. I won't take any crazy chances. You'll see. You and Mom are going to be really proud. I'll make Astra the national champion Mom knew she could be!”

Her father hugged her back, then pried her loose and nudged her toward the kitchen. “You haven't eaten all day. Go make yourself a sandwich.”

Lily smiled at her dad. “That's just code talk for time to stop all the mushy stuff.”

“You're pretty smart, Flower.”

They laughed together as Lily made her way to the kitchen to prepare them both a big sandwich.

This was it. The day she'd been waiting for. It seemed like it had been an eternity. Lily's hands shook when she grasped the reins and inserted her foot into Astra's stirrup.

“Are you sure you want to do this, Flower?” her father asked.

Lily bit her lip and nodded. Her riding helmet slipped forward a bit and she made a note to tighten the strap. Astra turned her head and nudged Lily's elbow with her muzzle as if to say,
Hurry up! We've got lots of miles to cover
.

Lily gave a big hop on one leg, vaulting herself into the saddle. Astra shifted beneath her, wanting to be off, and Lily tightened her grip with her hands and legs. The gray mare sidestepped, unsure of the pressure on her mouth and sides.

“Whoa, girl,” Lily said, hearing the quiver in her own voice. Her father reached out to grab Astra's reins, but Lily stayed his hand. She could do this. She took a deep breath and let her mother's words come to her:
A horse can sense when you're nervous. You transmit it through your hands on the reins and your seat in the saddle. You are the leader of this two-horse herd. Be confident, and lead your horse to perform
.

Lily loosened her grip and Astra immediately quieted. Lily smiled at her father. “I'm just going to ride her around the stable area for a bit so we can get used to each other. I want to build a little confidence before I go out on the trail with Meloney tomorrow.”

Her father nodded and Lily tried to ignore the worried look on his face as she picked up the reins and guided Astra in a large circle at a walk. The mare moved out smoothly and Lily relaxed in the saddle. She made several circles, then gathered her courage and asked Astra for a trot. After a couple of awkward bounces in the saddle, Lily picked up the rhythm of the gait and posted in time to the hoofbeats.

“Hang on, Flower.” Her father swept his hat from his head and twisted it in his hands.

“This is awesome, Dad!” Lily smiled broadly, encouraging her father not to worry. “We're doing great!” She tipped the mare's nose slightly to the inside of the circle and cued her for a canter. “Yes!” she cheered in victory when the beautiful Arabian bowed her neck and moved into the bit, picking up a slow canter.

Lily's father watched her circle the mare several times to the left and a couple more to the right. Then he held up his hand and motioned for her to pull Astra to a halt. “That's about all my poor heart can take today, Lily. Humor your old man, and let's call it good for the day. You'll be out for several hours with your friends tomorrow.”

“Sure, Dad.” Lily leaned down and patted Astra. She was a bit disappointed that she couldn't stay on longer, but she knew how difficult it was for her father to watch her ride again. She stepped from the saddle and pulled Astra's reins over her head. “You were amazing, girl!” She threw her arms around the mare's neck and hugged her tight. “I'll be in as soon as I get her unsaddled and brushed,” Lily told her dad.

She walked Astra to the hitching post and gently removed the bridle from the mare's head, taking care not to let the bit bang Astra's teeth on the way out. She removed the saddle and placed it on the rack in the corner, running her hand lovingly over the expensive English leather. “I did it, Mom,” she whispered.

The next six weeks proved to be very exciting for Lily, but difficult. School was almost out and she had tons of homework to do. With the help of Mr. Henley, Dr. Dale, and all of her friends, she spent four days a week training Astra for her first race of the season—and Lily's first race ever.

It was hard, physical work and sometimes she fell into bed exhausted. But Astra thrived and grew stronger with the new workload. At first, Lily worried that Mr. Henley would ask for his horse back, but after many assurances, Lily finally believed him when he told her the horse was hers forever.

She could still see the worry in her dad's eyes every time she put a saddle on Astra, but he was good to his word.

She spent a lot of time with Meloney and Devin, making training charts for their horses and discussing race strategy. Even Charlie's usual lame comments and teasing couldn't dampen her spirits. She so badly wanted to beat Charlie and Derringer on her first ride.

With Meloney's help, Lily filled out applications for a membership in the American Endurance Ride Conference and an entry into the next endurance race. The fees took a lot of the money Lily had earned cleaning stalls, but it was worth it.

“I can't wait!” Meloney said as they saddled their horses for a fifteen-mile ride in the hills. It was their last long-distance training session before the upcoming race that weekend. “It's going to be so much fun to finally ride a race with you, Lily.”

Charlie tossed a horse treat at the girls, barely missing Lily's head. “I'm going to wipe the trail with both of you,” he bragged. “I'll beat you by miles.”

“Don't be so sure of yourself,” Jill said. “Astra's in better condition than Derringer. She's almost as good as Contina. Astra's going to be a tough horse to beat.”

“Who's going to be her sponsor, anyway?” Charlie asked. “Dad's mine and Meloney rides with her aunt,” he said.

There was silence in the barn as everyone stared at one another.

“Sponsor?” Lily asked. “What's that?”

“Oh, no!” Meloney slapped herself on the forehead. “We were so excited about getting your membership and entry form that we didn't read through all the rules. I didn't even think about you needing a sponsor. How could I miss that? I'm so stupid!”

“I won't argue with you on that.” Charlie grinned, then flinched when his sister booted him in the shins.

“Lily, every rider under sixteen is considered a
youth entry
and has to ride the race with a sponsoring adult,” Jill explained. “There's only one sponsor per junior rider. I turned sixteen before the start of the season, so I'm able to ride on my own now. We'll have to find somebody to sponsor you.”

“And if we don't?” Lily asked, her voice barely above a whisper. Who could she possibly ask to ride with her?

Jill frowned. “We have to. Otherwise you won't be able to ride in the race.”

Lily thought she was going to be sick. This couldn't be happening. She'd come so far and cleared so many obstacles. But now, unless she found a sponsor—fast—she'd have to pull out of the race.

Seventeen

“Okay, everyone, let's not panic,” Mr. Henley said when he heard about Lily's dilemma. “We'll figure this sponsor problem out. Everyone will get to ride in the race.”

Charlie finished putting the bridle on Derringer. “It's hard to get a sponsor unless you know someone.”

Lily frowned. She knew Charlie didn't intend to sound mean, but still his words bugged her. “Why can't my dad just sponsor me? Or my grandma?”

“Remember, they've got to actually ride the race with you,” Jill said. “You have to be within so many feet of your sponsor throughout the race.”

Meloney handed Lily some molasses treats for Astra. “Don't worry, we'll find someone. My aunt knows a lot of people. Maybe there's someone she knows who can sponsor you. And Devin's riding with one of the big trainers he used to work for. There might be someone in that group who can help.”

Lily finished saddling Contina for Mr. Henley. Astra stood in the cross ties beside her. She had been so excited about the two half sisters getting to compete in a ride together. Now it looked like that might not happen for a while. She gave Astra one of the treats and stroked her neck. “Don't worry, girl, something's got to work out.”

“I think I might have the solution,” Mr. Henley said. He'd been very quiet, thinking. “Charlie's fourteen and has over six hundred miles to his credit. As I remember, the rule book states that he's eligible to ride on his own, without a sponsor, if I sign off on it.”

“Really?” Charlie asked. “You mean I wouldn't have anyone telling me what to do? How come you didn't tell me that before?”

“You'll still be riding with us, Charlie,” Mr. Henley warned. “The practice isn't that common, but it's used under special circumstances. I'd say this is one of them.”

Jill smiled sweetly at her brother. “Hey, Charlie, now you'll have to compete under the adult section with me.”

“Cool.” Charlie grinned.

“Not really,” Jill said. “There are more riders to compete against, and it's harder to place.”

“Hey, at least I'll beat Lil-Pill and Ssssmelloney.”

Mr. Henley unsnapped his horse from the cross ties. “All right, Charlie, that's enough. You keep it up, and you'll find yourself on the crew instead of riding. Then we won't have to worry about having an extra sponsor.”

All the girls laughed while Charlie turned red in the face.

“Anyway, as I was saying,” Mr. Henley continued, “it looks as if I can sponsor Lily in her first race.”

Lily smiled in relief. “That would be awesome! Thanks, Mr. Henley. This really means a lot to me.”

Mr. Henley gave her a big smile. “Well, you've earned it, Lily. Now let's get these horses out there and hit the trail. We're only five days from our race.”

Lily mounted up and followed the others down the road. She had a tough ride ahead of her today, but it would be nothing compared to the fifty miles she'd be riding this weekend. The race was approaching so quickly, she wondered if she'd have time to prepare for everything. Astra was ready. She knew that much. But she had a lot of doubts about herself.

Race day finally arrived. When the alarm rang, Lily felt as if she'd barely closed her eyes. She'd been so anxious the night before that she hadn't been able to fall asleep for hours. She just hoped she'd have enough stamina to get through the day.

She rolled out of bed and pulled on a pair of jeans and a T-shirt. Despite the prediction of temperatures in the high eighties, she tied a light long-sleeved shirt around her waist for protection against the sun. Before she left the room, Lily grabbed the photo of her and her mom from the dresser mirror and slipped it into her pocket.

Astra had spent the night at the Henleys' ranch to make it easier to load up and leave early. Lily's saddle, bridle, and helmet were already in the horse trailer. All she had to do was eat breakfast.

She made her way down to the kitchen. Grams had oatmeal and toast ready for her. Lily was too excited to eat, but she knew she had to. It was going to be a long day, with a lot of work. She'd need to keep up her strength.

“Your father and I will be at the finish line to watch you come in,” Grams said. “Your dad's going to be on pins and needles, so be extra careful.”

“Okay, no handstands in the saddle,” Lily promised with a grin.

She ate her breakfast quickly, kissed her grandmother good-bye, and pedaled her bike the short distance to the Henley farm. They were just loading the horses when she arrived. Lily helped get Astra into the trailer, then double-checked to make sure she had all of her equipment and food.

Everyone piled into the truck and fastened their seat belts. It was a thirty-minute drive to the race camp and it passed in a blur as Lily's stomach rumbled from excitement and a bad case of nerves. Would she be able to finish fifty miles? Twenty five miles was the longest she'd ever ridden in one stretch. But Jill had assured her that the extra excitement of race day would carry her over the distance. Lily was glad there would be breaks and rest stops along the way.

“Here we are.” Mr. Henley pulled carefully onto the dirt road that led to an open field for parking and setting up their ride camp. “We're running a little behind, so hurry and get your horses ready. We don't want to be late for Lily's first race.”

Lily stepped from the truck and helped unload the horses. The excitement she'd felt as part of the crew on the last race was nothing compared to how she felt today. Today she was one of the
riders!

Astra came out of the trailer and arched her elegant neck, prancing in a circle around Lily.

“Lily, get hold of her,” Mr. Henley warned. “Tie her to the trailer before she gets away from you.”

Lily followed his advice. The last thing she needed was her horse getting loose and hurting herself before they even started.

Meloney and her aunt pulled into the spot beside them. They had brought Devin and Jericho, too. When everyone had brushed and saddled their horses, Mr. Henley called them over to look at the map of the ride. It showed the basic route, watering stations, and vet checkpoints. The horses would have to pass the vet checks at various places along the fifty-mile route in order to continue the race. Each rider carried his or her own race card where the horse's heart and respiration rates and times on trail were recorded.