Embittered Ruby (33 page)

“How about a Sunday afternoon horseback ride to burn off all that pasta?” Tricia rubbed her nonexistent belly as she rinsed a dish and put it in the tray to run though the industrial-sized dishwasher.

“No one said you had to eat it all.” Not horses. Anything but horses.

“Well, there’s so much left over from the wedding yesterday because everyone filled up on your appetizers. Any chance you could take over the cooking in this place?”

“Hey. I heard that.” Marilyn put her hands on her hips and scowled at Tricia.

Did Marilyn have supersonic hearing? Carmen covered her mouth to suppress a giggle.

Tricia strode across the room and patted Marilyn’s arm. “I didn’t mean any offense, but come on. Did you taste that stuff she made?” Tricia jerked her head toward Carmen.

“Yeah, yeah. She had weeks to plan her little finger sandwiches. Try three meals a day, every single day. Then come talk to me about taking over.” Marilyn crossed her arms on her bosom. A smile tugged at the corners of her mouth.

Hard to tell if she was kidding or serious. Probably a little of both.

Tricia laughed. “Someone’s jealous.” She winked. “Anyway, back to this afternoon. Want to saddle up some horses and go for a ride?”

Oh no. Carmen thought she’d managed to avoid the question. She’d done a pretty good job of steering clear of the horses in the weeks she’d been at Diamond Estates. Whenever the other girls wanted to ride, she claimed a headache or something, but no one would believe illness had crept up on her all of a sudden.

“We need to sneak in a good run before the trail disappears completely until spring.”

Which is exactly what Carmen had hoped would happen. “I don’t know, T. Kinda in the mood for a book and a nap.”

“Oh please. You’re always in the mood for bed. It’s a gorgeous day out there. Let’s get outside.”

“Why don’t you ask Kira? Or Leila?” Although Leila might hurt the horse.

Tricia shook her head. “Nope. I want you to come. We’re going. No more discussion. I’ll go get permission from someone.”

“Great.” What a nightmare. Visions of her last ride pelted Carmen’s memory. At nine years old a family friend had invited them over for a ride. They put Carmen on top of the sweetest old horse. They said she was even too old to run very fast. But as soon as Carmen settled on her back, she took off bucking and jumping around like crazy. It didn’t take much for that manic animal to toss Carmen high into the air.

She shuddered as she remembered being airborne, knowing she would hit the ground and likely be trampled by a horse. Carmen shook her head to clear the trauma. There had been way too many moments of lucid thought as she flew through the air and then landed on the hard ground. Should she roll or stay still? Should she scream or remain calm? Those horse hooves had danced all around her head, but they never touched her.

Marilyn cleared her throat. “Um. You never know. You might like it.”

“I doubt it.”

Marilyn bustled away. “But hey, enough about horses. Would you teach me how to make that lobster stuff you served yesterday?” Marilyn busied herself.

Ha. Marilyn was trying to be nonchalant? “Oh? You liked my food?”

“Well, you know. It was different.” Marilyn blushed. “Don’t worry—your secret is safe with me.”

“I’ve got us a riding buddy.” Tricia approached from around the front of the barn with Goth girl at her side wearing all black. Her silver chains tinkled as she walked. She stared at the ground even as she approached. Carmen knew she’d be uncomfortable, too, if she were dragged out to be a third wheel on a horseback ride.

But Goth girl? Where had she come from, and why would Tricia befriend her now, all of a sudden? Tammy must have counseled her about reaching out more. “I don’t think we’ve actually met. I’m Carmen.”

“Good to meet you. I’m Roxy.” Her voice sounded raspy. From lack of use? She looked down at her feet, never making eye contact. How did she know who she was speaking to? She must have eyes in the top of her head. Did her earlobes hurt stretched to the size of a dime? And how about those tattoos that peeked out the neckline of her shirt? Those had to hurt.

“Roxy has been here for a couple of months, and I thought it was past time we got to know each other a little bit.” Tricia approached a gelding from the side and rubbed its neck.

“Good plan.” But now with Roxy there, how could Carmen ever admit to Tricia that she was terrified of horses? She knew how to ride—that wasn’t the problem. Carmen had done it a lot when she was little, but that one throw had been all it took to turn her off the animal completely. But she was stuck unless she wanted to admit she was scared. Hopefully the Diamond Estates horses were mild and well behaved. But they’d said the same thing about that other monster, too.

“So, T, how do I pick a horse?” Carmen looked up and down the stalls. Two were snorting and pacing. No way she would get on one of those.

“You seem a tad skittish. You should probably go with Cinnamon.” Tricia inspected both sides of Cinnamon’s saddle blanket and then laid it across the horse’s back. She heaved the saddle onto Cinnamon and tightened the cinch.

The horse didn’t fuss or snort at the weight of the saddle. So far, so good.

Tricia held Cinnamon’s head up and made soothing shushing noises. “Go ahead and put your left foot in the stirrup and swing your right leg over. Super easy.”

Carmen grabbed the saddle and pulled, trying to swing her leg over. Three tries later, in not quite the graceful elegance demonstrated by Tricia, Carmen sat atop her horse. Something she had once vowed never to do again.

Where had Roxy gone? Carmen spied her through the barn door, walking her mare in the barnyard.

“Tricia,” Carmen whispered. “What made you invite her? She’s not your usual type.”

Tricia shrugged. “She’s pretty cool. She’s always alone here, but I heard she had tons of friends at her school. I think she has kind of pulled back to avoid rejection. Plus, Tammy has been talking to me…and I’m sort of convicted lately about being too cliquish. Does that make sense?”

“Sure. I guess that’s great. I’ve been meaning to talk to her a little bit, too.” So she could write about her.

Their horses pranced anxiously, breath floating in smoky pools around their noses. Carmen pulled on one rein and turned Cinnamon toward the pasture. The horse followed the direction perfectly. At least Cinnamon knew what she was doing.

“So where are we headed, ladies? I have the walkie-talkie.” Tricia pulled it out of her jacket pocket and confirmed that it was on. “Full battery.”

Roxy gazed up the tree line. “We can’t really go up the mountain—the fresh snow is too deep and would be dangerous for the horses. We can go around on the mountain pass and come back the same way. Not as exciting probably, but safer.”

That was the most Carmen had ever heard Roxy talk. “Safer works for me.”

What an unlikely trio they made.

“I’m going to let Starlight go for a minute. She’s dying for some exercise.” Tricia patted Starlight’s neck then clicked her heels and moved the reins. Starlight wasted no time and trotted off through the snowy meadow.

Awkward.

Carmen clicked her heels, and Cinnamon moved forward at a slow walk. Roxy held her eager horse back to match Cinnamon’s gait. This was Carmen’s chance. “So, if you don’t mind my asking…why are you here at Diamond Estates? You sure don’t seem like the type. And you don’t seem to be that interested in what’s going on with the program.” Goth girl, er, Roxy, shrugged. “I needed out of town. It was this or jail.”

“But I thought they wouldn’t take someone who didn’t want to be here.”

Roxy eyed Carmen for a moment. “I’m a good actor. Same as you.” She clicked her heels, and the horse took off. Roxy had a point. But how had she known?

M
erry Christmas.” Carmen’s eyes blinked against the light flooding the room. She rolled over. “Leave me alone. It’s a holiday—we get to sleep in.” She pulled her pillow over the back of her head.

“You did sleep in, silly. It’s way past time to get up.” Kira spoke near Carmen’s ear.

“Go away.” Carmen pulled the covers over her head and gripped them tight.

With a whoosh, her body was exposed to the cold air, and her eyes stared into the light. Carmen might have to kill someone. She rose up on her elbow.

Kira stood triumphantly with Carmen’s blankets in her hands like a trophy. “Trust me. You want to get up for this.”

“For what? What’s going on?” Whatever it was, it had better be good.

“They always do something big here on Christmas. I don’t know what it is this year, but we’re supposed to be in the dining room in twenty minutes.”

A fancy breakfast or something? “What time is it?”

“It’s ten forty. C’mon. Get up.” Kira tugged on Carmen’s arm.

“Okay. Okay. Clear the way to the bathroom.” Luckily Carmen showered the night before or Kira might come unglued having to wait.

Twenty minutes later, Tricia and Kira ushered Carmen and Leila down the hall and down the stairs toward the dining room.

“What should we expect? What happened last year?” Leila grinned like a little kid.

“We’ll explain that later. No time now. Just believe us when we tell you it was awesome. I can’t imagine how they could top it this year.” Tricia peeked in the hall mirror and smoothed down the flyaways from her wiry straightened hair.

The dining room door was already open, so Carmen stepped over the threshold into a long-ago world. Maybe England? Carmen’s ankles wobbled on the cobblestone floor as she moved to a table in the center of town square.

Carmen leaned over to Tricia. “How is it so huge in here?”

“The divider’s been pulled. You’re actually in the library.”

“No way.” Carmen spun around to see all sides. That meant the clock-maker’s shop behind them actually blocked the reference section, and across the room, fiction was hidden by a bakery. Where had they gotten the fresh flowers that lined the walkways and hung from corners of storefronts and the lampposts that lit the room?

“What do you suppose is going to happen?” Leila turned in every direction before she sat down.

A bead of sweat dripped down Carmen’s back as the fire in the center of town roared. The patio doors were flung open to let in the brisk air. Snow fluttered into the space.

The seats were filled with Diamond girls, staff, and even some people she’d never seen. “Hey, Kira, who are all the strangers?”

“Just a sec.” Kira nodded toward the wooden bridge along the far wall. Ben stood in the center holding a microphone in one hand with his other arm around Alicia’s back.

“Merry Christmas.” He smiled out at the crowd as a chorus of Merry Christmases soared back to him. “Welcome girls, staff, and guests. Some of you are visiting family members; others are locals who have been a part of Diamond Estates in some way this year. And what a year it’s been. God has done some amazing things.”

Like what? Why didn’t he say what was so amazing? Ben always said stuff like that but never explained. Like when he talked sometimes about the movement of the Holy Spirit. What did that mean? Were they just supposed to know?

“We love to sit back on Christmas and celebrate who He is and what He’s done. Usually we do something with a representation of the nativity, but this year, as you can tell, we’ve decided to go somewhere different with our celebrations. Last we heard, Christ was not born in nineteenth-century England…so something else must be afoot.” His eyes twinkled.