What it Takes

Haley let out a long sigh as the last student left, and she looked down at her watch. It was nearly seven, and she was exhausted. She had been busy all day, except for her hour long lunch break in the office with Diane, where she had offered to begin filing all the paperwork, which Diane happily agreed to. The barn had been busy all day, and there were still people showing up to ride. None, she noted, worked on gaming of any sorts, or focused on anything involving speed and precision.
She walked outside, eager to get to her trailer and rest for a little before she got on her first training horse. Luke was riding alone in the outdoor arena, everyone else driven in by the chill of the night. She slowed, watching him ride and she pursed her lips. She ducked her head and began walking again when he looked up.
She climbed into the tack portion of her trailer and pulled out a spare halter and lead and got back out, heading into the pasture she was parked next to.
Luke watched her from his horse, feeling that same heart in your throat feeling he got earlier when he first realized who she was. He shook his head and turned the horse he was riding away, so they were facing away from them and began working, Luke trying to push his mind away from her.
Haley sighed and looked at the horses that had stopped grazing and were now staring at them. She looked from one horse to another and shook her head.
“Go for the brown one, it’s the brown one. They’re all brown.” She grumbled, pulling out her phone and calling Diane.
“Let me guess, you can’t find Latte?” Diane sighed into the phone with no preamble or hello.
“The horses’ name is Latte.” She stated. “What the hell kind of name is that? Aren’t Latte’s more of a tan or caramel colored?”
“It’s the darker one actually, and it’s the only one with no markings.” Diane told her. “Now, she wants it to be pleasure trained, which I know you can do.”
“Yeah, yeah.” Haley mumbled into the phone, hooking the lead rope onto the darkest horse with no markings. They said goodbye and hung up and Haley began the long trek back to her trailer, grumbling to the horse the whole way there.
She swiftly saddled the horse, swinging up and letting him walk out and towards the indoor arena. She glanced at Luke, who was working in the outdoor. She turned her head away and pushed the horse into a trot, careful to keep it slow.
Working the horse took her mind from everything, especially the fact that everyone at the barn was so selfish now. Beneath her, Latte snorted heavily, his sides heaving as she finally pulled him to a stop from the slow lope.
“If you had just slowed down, I wouldn’t have had to force you to work so long.” She said through gritted teeth, her entire leg aching as she turned Latte to go back outside. The sun had long since set, and she looked at her trailer, which had a light on outside. She rode over and unsaddled Latte, letting him out into the pasture. Taz stood by the gate, his large head watching her cautiously.
“You’re staying out here.” She told him, patting him on the cheek before limping into the trailer and collapsing onto her bed, kicking her boots off.
Luke opened his door to his small house, and swore when he saw his sister sitting on the couch. She waved him over and pointed at the TV.
“Not this again Lucy.” He sighed, sitting down next to her. For the past three years, Lucy had been trying to get him to watch the barrel competitions they showed on TV, where Haley could often be found.
“Will you just watch this? This might explain why she’s back.” She snapped, pausing the TV on a girl who was mid-run.
“How’d you know she’s back?” He asked, kicking his feet up onto the coffee table in front of them. “And how’d you get in here?”
“Josie said something on her facebook about her, and I have my ways.”
“You took a key from mom and dad.”
“Yup, now will you watch this?” Lucy said, pressing play. The girl took flight again, finishing the pattern easily. Next up, they zoomed in on Haley, who was about to run, talking about how she had risen from nowhere and sat on the top.
She launched Taz into a run and they flew around the first barrel and swung into the second turn, where things went horribly wrong.
Taz’s front left leg seemed to buckle underneath him as he turned, pitching him forwards and sideways. Haley managed to maintain her seat for the beginning, but was flung into the barrel headfirst, dazing her. Taz struggled to his feet, and like the horse she had trained him to be, lunged forwards, Haley falling, her left leg getting caught in the stirrup and Taz dragged her for a few strides before he stopped and she fell to the ground.
“Shit, so she got injured, so now she’s back? What did they say?” Luke said when they cut to commercial.
“Nothing, they haven’t said anything about her since. You should talk to her about it.” Lucy said, shutting the TV off and turning to look at him.
“I really don’t want to talk to her again. She did nothing but hurt me for no good reason.” Luke replied, his voice brusque and mean. Lucy let out a noise that sounded as if a cat had jumped on her throat.
“It’s been how long? Get over it. You guys have to work in the same barn, so you might as well just shut and talk to her about it.” Lucy said, and then got up. “Want to go get food? You can pay.” She smiled. Luke groaned, but got up and walked into his bedroom.
“Let me change and we can go.” He called.
“Figured!”
~~
Haley sat up in bed, watching the rays peeking in from behind the trees. She got up slowly, swinging her feet onto the floor and pulling on clothes as her phone rang. She gave her pants a final tug, then answered her phone with a quick hello.
“What are your plans today?” Diane asked with no prelude. Haley paused, thinking.
“Um, nothing besides working the horses you gave me, and Taz.” She finally replied.
“Not right now. Luke will be at your trailer in about ten minutes, and you’re going to go do a pick-up of a horse!” She said brightly.
“Why is it going to take him ten minutes? And why do we both have to go?” Haley sighed.
“Well, he just left my office, and it’s going to take him about five minutes to get the trailer hooked up and another five minutes to get up the courage to go get you. And because I’m behind in paperwork and this horse is a real firecracker.” Haley agreed and hung her phone up, pulling on a shirt and starting her coffee maker, preparing enough for two instead of one. Outside, she heard the truck rev up and she grabbed two mugs.
She poured the finished coffee into the mugs, and prepared it just as there was a knock at her door.
“It’s open!” She hollered. Luke opened the door and quirked his eyebrow at her.
“You do realize we have to leave now, right?” He told her.
“I’m almost ready.” She told him.
Luke just stared at her, taking in her rolled up jeans, messy hair and bare feet. It made him think back to when they would travel to rodeos, and she would wake up looking like that in the truck.
“Just…meet me in the truck and lets go.” He finally said, shutting the door. Haley shrugged and went into the bathroom the brush her hair, then came out and pulled on socks and grabbed her boots. Luke had left the truck idling in front of her trailer and Haley swung into it, offering him the mug she had for him as she swung the door shut.
“My god, I didn’t poison it, I’m just trying to be nice.” She snapped when he eyed it suspiciously. He took it then, and shifted his truck into gear, pulling out and down the road to the driveway and onto the main road.
“I saw what happened.” Luke said when they reached the highway. Haley jolted from her own thoughts and turned to look at him, one of her eyebrows raised slightly.
“And what exactly did you see?” She asked. “Was it me itching my armpit? Because that place itches sometimes.”
“I meant your accident, with Taz.” Luke iterated.
“Oh, that.” She said, then fell into silence. “And what’s your point? You and about ten thousand other people saw it, and I’m sure the views of it on YouTube are still going up.”
“Well, if you ever want to talk about anything, I’m here.” Luke said, and received a shock of laughter from Haley.
“Really? Luke, no offense, but no thanks. I don’t need anyone to talk to.”
“I just thought that with an accident that ended your career—”
“Ended my career? Have you been reading that article from that idiot reporter who put that stupid article from the interview with the doctor in the magazines after my accident?” She glared at him. “Let me update you. The doctor who said I could never ride again doesn’t know me. And also, he had just seen me for ten minutes before walking out and into that reporter’s stupid open mouth. This,” She gestured around her. “This, it’s all temporary. This set up is only until Diane finds a new trainer, and until the next season starts. Normally I lay low and practice but as it turns out, when you have medical bills to pay and the fact that the season for me ended so soon means I need some extra cash. So don’t worry about me hanging around any longer.”
“That’s not what I meant.”
“What did you mean then? Please, enlighten me.”
“I just meant, if you needed help with anything at all, I could help you.” Luke finally managed after a long, awkward pause.
“I’ll keep it in mind.” She grumbled, turning back to the window as they passed by a large city off to the side.
“Did Diane tell you anything about this horse?” Luke asked after a while, when the silence stretched farther than the road in front of them.
“Nope, not a word.” Haley replied and Luke bit back an exasperated sigh.
“Figures. Well, we’ve had this horse before, I’ve worked with it. Her names Jezebel and her owner wants her to be a quaint little pleasure pony when that’s clearly not the life for her.”
“Like with Taz.” Haley said, sitting up straighter as Luke turned down a driveway.
“Exactly, but the owner won’t see it that way. So she sends her off to us, and we work with her, fast and slow work, and get her into the frame, and tell her that she needs fast work too, but she never listens and we get saddled with a psycho horse.”
“Sounds like a good time.” Haley muttered as they pulled into a large circle shaped end of the driveway. A girl came striding over, her jeans to tight, her shirt too low, and her hair too high. Spurs clicked loudly on her heels and Haley winced, rolling her eyes.
“Hi Luke.” She said, in a high pitched squeal. Luke nodded a hello, ducking his head and tugging on his hat brim.
“Where’s the horse?” He asked, ignoring her preening in his direction.
“Yeah, horse.” Haley interjected. The girl seemed to see Haley for the first time and she glared at openly at her.
“She’s out back. I know you like having her caught and groomed, but she won’t come over to me.” The girl pouted.
“We’ll get her. You stay here.” Haley said, brushing past the both of them and heading to the pasture the girl had pointed.
“So, who’s she?” Haley asked, trying to keep the grin out of her voice when Luke caught up to her.
“Stacey. She owns Fire, and she,” He trailed off. “Well you saw her.”
Haley bit back a laugh and ducked under the pasture fence, looking at the red roan standing at the far side, staring at them. The horse pinned back her ears and Haley dropped back, lowering her gaze. She turned sideways and began walking away from the horse, to the other corner.
“What are you doing?” Luke asked.
“Shut up and go flirt with your little girlfriend.” Haley snapped, her eyes never leaving Fire. Luke said something in retort, but when she glanced back up, he was out of the pasture leaning against the fence, watching them.
Haley inched forward a little more, then tapped Jezebel on the flanks, earning another pinned ear look and a snapping of teeth.
“Cute.” She said, giving her a jab in her flank and sending her into a run.
“You can play later Haley, we gotta go. I have horses to work.” Luke called. Haley held up a finger to show him it wouldn’t take long, and set the horse running around.
Not even five minutes later, the horse slowed and stopped, facing Haley. Haley stepped to her and rubbed her face, taking her halter and leading her forwards.
“Obviously she never had a leader here.” She said, taking the lead rope from Luke and snapped it to her halter.
“You saw her owner.” Luke repeated, opening the gate and letting them through. “Hope you like your new project.”
“What?” Haley asked as Stacy came back over, her hips swiveling so much Haley thought for sure they were going to fly away.
“Are you going to give me private lessons this time?” She asked sweetly.
“I might, if you ask me nicely.” Haley said, deadpan. Stacey shot her a look and Haley grinned, and then led Jezebel into the trailer, tying her up while Luke finished the process. She shut the door and climbed back into the truck as Luke started the engine.
“That girl doesn’t like you too much.” He told her as they pulled back onto the road.
“I’ll just add her to my list.” Haley answered, kicking her feet free of her boots and resting them on the dash. “Do I really have to train her? God, I’d love to get her on some cows, or around barrels. Did you see those turns?”
“Settle down there. Stacy wants a pleasure horse, not a gamer or cow horse.” Haley scowled and leaned back in the seat.
“Waste of a horse.” She grumbled. Luke shook his head, noting that the anger in her voice had melted away while they picked up Jezebel. Behind him, the trailer shook and Jezebel let out a piercing whinny. “Can’t wait.” She said, forcing a smile, folding her arms across her chest. Luke just shrugged and put his foot on the accelerator.