Race Girl (41 page)

Still, Tully couldn't contain a fresh surge of anger and disappointment after speaking to her father, for his lack of acceptance and support. She often felt a twinge of guilt when she thought about her dad, and Bucko, and at times, her farm. But doubt in her mind was like kryptonite, Tully had realised – it could get her killed on the track. She had to be fifth gear wide open in the forward direction, for her future, for Dahlia, to win enough money to free her farm.

★

It was on a warm day, almost spring weather, when Fia stomped into the stables, her red hair a tangled mess, an oversized black sweater flapping out behind her. ‘That bloody little tramp!' she cried, pulling Tully into her office. ‘You heard the news?' Fia asked, without even taking the time to pull the door closed.

‘I don't think so?' Tully said, closing the door quickly, before moving to her aunt's side. ‘What's happened?'

‘Miena's gone to ride exclusively for Richard, and from what I hear, their arrangement extends well beyond the stable!'

Richard . . .
Tully recalled the name.
Fia's snaky ex-husband!

‘She's bloody well young enough to be to be his daughter!' Fia said. ‘She's too big to ever jockey, even really to track ride! I was doing her a favour, and a kick to the teeth is how she chooses to repay me.'

‘I'm so sorry, Fia,' Tully said, resting a hand on her shoulder. ‘I know how much you did for her . . .' Inside, Tully was doing a dance that she wouldn't have to deal with Miena anymore. But she knew from experience that girls like Miena, like Annalise before her, could do real damage out of spite. Fia would do well to be worried about the outcome of Miena's betrayal – for their stable, for her dream. They'd have to work that much harder to stay ahead.

‘Always was his style,' Fia continued, waving her finger at the filing cabinet in the corner as if it was Richard. ‘Trying to cut me down, using the bright young things to make me jealous! I'll crush him for this, I swear I'll
crush
him.'

‘We will, Aunt Fia.' Tully wrapped an arm around her aunt's shoulders, her level gaze meeting her aunt's wrathful one. ‘
We
will.'

Fia was at the barn as much as Tully from that day forward, and their ramped up effort in the ‘Crush Richard' campaign was sprung with spring in the Victorian racing city. Tully tried hard not to miss everyone and the farm and the frangipanis and especially the spring-time blossoms of the jacarandas, but her exhausted body and aching heart and soul needed a trip home. Soon.

Hopefully I can steal a few days away after the spring carnival,
she decided, as Brandon was planning to come down with one of the horses he was training for his father. Every day, Tully grew more excited about seeing him – to feel the warmth of his strong arms, to kiss him and hold him and share with him the excitement of Flemington and Dahlia and Calypso.

That week, Tully and Fia pushed each other to a crushing regimen of track work and race preparations. By Friday afternoon, Tully could hardly get around the barn without collapsing. Fia was meeting late with one of her more high-maintenance Melbourne owners, so Tully finished up with the horses before trundling off for the Headquarters Tavern in the heart of Flemington's training facilities to get them both a hot meal and a strong coffee.

Tully smiled and thanked the waitress as she set down a steaming bowl of vegetable soup with fresh garlic damper and a takeaway meal for Fia, plus their coffees. Tully broke off a chunk of the soft, hot bread, dipped it in her soup. She was about to fish her phone out of her pocket to ring Brandon when a group of jockeys fell laughing through the front door. Tully recognised many of them – one she hadn't seen in quite some time.

The guys all smiled and said ‘hey' to Tully, one winked. The one she hadn't seen in over a year broke from the group, sliding in across from her. ‘Fancy seeing you here, Athens,' Zack said, grinning across at her. The boy Tully met at Birdsville had filled out in the shoulders, Tully concluded, surprised to feel her cheeks going hot as she smiled across at him. He seemed taller than the last time she'd seen him, too.

‘What're the chances two jockeys from Birdsville would meet again at Flemington?!' Zack said with a grin. ‘Well, we're not from Birdsville, but you know what I mean . . .'

‘That was an amazing race,' Tully said, remembering the night they'd met at the campfire as clear as yesterday. ‘Have you got a ride for the carnival?'

Zack raised his middle finger at the other guys, who'd settled with the waitress on one of their knees in the back corner and were grinning and yelling suggestive obscenities at them. Tully sunk down in her seat, taking a quick bite of her damper.

‘I just got a start riding track work for O'Grady, you?'

‘Oh, cool,' Tully said, swallowing quickly. ‘You're a few barns down from us. I've been here with Fia since the beginning of the season.'

‘Your aunt – of course.' Zack waved one of the waitresses over, ordered a spirit with diet soda. He spoke with a slight drawl – Tully was pretty sure he was from far north Queensland. She found herself drinking in every one of his words. ‘How's Dahlia going?' he asked. ‘I saw you won the Brissie Cup. Impressive stuff.'

‘Thank you! She's getting better and better, and I've been working with another great one, too. A colt, named Calypso.'

‘Nothing's more rewarding than reaching a tricky one.' Zack slugged at his clear, bubbling drink, his eager blue eyes set on hers.

Tully nodded and cleared her throat, glancing down at her cooling mug of coffee. She pushed it next to the takeaway for Fia and raised the spoon to her lips, licking the last of the frothed milk and chocolate from the cool metal. ‘Being part of a horse's education, then seeing them win a race – there's nothing more satisfying,' she said. She found herself relaxing as the heckling from the jockeys' table died down and she was able to meet Zack's eyes.
Could he be my first Flemington friend?
Tully thought with a bubble of hope.
‘It's amazing, working with your animals, you communicate with an animal that doesn't speak English. You learn so much from them, and they learn what you're after—they want to please and succeed, as much as you do. Then you find you're working together. It's incredible.'

Zack nodded deeply. ‘Couldn't have said it better.'

‘So, how's it going at Barn Seven?'

‘Well a chick got thrown while she was riding track work last week. She's on life support, not looking good.'

‘Oh,
no.
I did hear something about that. Just terrible.'

‘Yeah,' Zack said, knocking off his drink. ‘Then, today, one of the boys got trampled by Greenie, our best stud colt. It's been a tough week, but, you know. The show must go on, 'cos our asses are owned by the racing industry.'

‘Green Demon—he's your best stayer, right?'

‘We're hoping a pig as a stable companion will settle him down a bit.'

‘A pig?' Tully's eyebrows drew together. ‘I've heard of sheep, and ponies, obviously.'

‘Haven't tried it ourselves, but the Americans've been usin' them for years. Get the horse's attention a bit more than a quiet old sheep, I reckon. They're real smart, and playful. Bit like a goat.'

Tully chuckled, found herself ordering another coffee. They chatted until Fia's takeaway was definitely at risk of being cold. Zack offered to walk Tully back to her unit, as the other guys had already left and apparently he was living in a house just down the street. She thanked him, but was fine riding the bicycle Fia had lent her.

Tully didn't bother mentioning to Brandon that she'd run into Zack again when she finally got him on the phone that night after showering and collapsing into bed. She told herself the omission was no big deal. Besides, Brandon's stories of what was happening back at home were distraction enough.

34

Horse Business

Next night on the phone, Brandon broke the news. ‘I'm not going to be able to come down for the spring carnival,' he said, after a lengthy, hesitant pause. ‘Dad's bringing Ascot Boy instead, sticking me here with the second string for local meets. I'm sorry, Tully . . . I'd get away if I could. I
will
get away to see you soon, I promise.'

Disappointment crushed Tully's chest, drowning her beneath its weight. She gasped for breath, curled her legs up into a foetal position, imagining her pillow was Brandon's strong torso, cuddling in against it. She could hardly imagine not seeing him for another
day
, let alone several more weeks. Pearce was doing a great job keeping them apart, she thought bitterly. Brandon didn't even need to say it. ‘I miss you, Brandon.'

‘Me too, Tulls. But I'll see you soon, okay?'

‘You'd better, or I'll just have to show up at the grand gates of Weston Park.' They both laughed and Tully breathed in a sliver of joy amongst the stabbing pain of loneliness and longing.
This long distance thing is harder than I thought . . .
‘So, how's everything going up there?'

‘Yeah, alright.' Brandon took a long breath. ‘I'm glad Dad's at least letting me in on some more training, and we haven't had any more unpleasant surprises—touch wood. Bear Dog's goin' great, and I've looked in on Frangi and Greg for you like you asked. Diva and Gally 're both runnin' well, now Dad's left me in charge of 'em. And I've been riding Jilly a lot myself, actually. Can't wait to get out with you again.'

‘Me, too. Feels like an eternity since I've been home . . .' She hugged her pillow tight, sucking in her bottom lip to keep the tears at bay. ‘But I'm doin' good, I'm doing okay.' She took a breath and said: ‘Ran into a jockey I met at Birdsville, actually. Nice to see a familiar face.'

‘Oh, cool. Who's she riding for?'

‘Um,
he
. His name's Zack Eisenhower, he's just started for O'Grady.'

‘Ah.'

Tully squirmed at the passion he'd loaded into the word – she could practically
see
Brandon wringing Zack's neck through the phone, his eyes glinting with jealousy. ‘He's nice, Brandon, for real. A total gentleman—just nice to have a friend down here, ya know?'

Brandon grunted, clearly unconvinced. ‘I trust you, Tulls. Just keep an eye on him, okay?'

‘What do you mean,
keep
an eye
on him?'

‘He's a guy, Tulls. And you're so . . . You're so nice, and super cute.'

‘Super cute.'
Wouldn't mind
hot
. . . but I'll take it.
‘Guys and girls can be friends, Brandon.'

‘Just be careful, okay? Crap! Listen, we'll talk soon. I gotta go.'

‘Okay.' Her stomach clenched into a tight, lead-like ball, her heart reaching out for him. ‘Talk soon, Brandon.' The line went dead. Tears fell freely, slipping down her cheeks like thoroughbreds released from the barriers.
I love you . . .

The lead up to Tully's first Melbourne Cup season was busy and thrilling, even if she carried a growing void in her heart – a consistent craving for her boyfriend and her bestie and home.

The whole of Flemington was a buzzing hive of activity, with Fia leading the charge at Germaine Racing. Training for all the horses was ramped up, any and all horses on a spell were pulled in from the agistment facilities to get back to peak fitness, jockeys began flying in to ride for the best trainers, and international horses, too, were trickling in from the quarantine facility. The excitement was tangible around the place, a racing pulse Tully found she could tap into. She soaked up the anticipation everywhere she went, from the tavern to the coffee van to the exercise track to the walkers, feed stalls, even around the unit. She ate, slept and lived for the excitement of race day – for Dahlia's debut, and her own. At least it took her mind off home.

Fia decided their debut would be in the Group Three race on the first date of the carnival out at Caulfield Racecourse. Tully couldn't wait to finally ride the
triangular-shaped track – one of the best known in the country. It would be a short race for Dahlia, at just 1200 metres, but Fia was determined to build her up slower than Mr. Barnes had, with her fitness and stamina hopefully peaking for the richer 2000-metre-plus Group Two races later in the carnival.