Page 129 of All We Carry Home

“Not if I get to him first.” Anger churned deep inside me. As Eva and Phantom circled the arena and passed in front of us on the perimeter, I saw the extent of her injury, and it took everything in me not to call a stop to the class.

I’d mapped this day out a hundred times over and never once considered Keith would make such a vicious move. I’d never expected him to hurt her.

That made the next part of my plan a bit easier to stomach.

Phantom kept pace with Eva as if she still had a firm hold of his halter rather than a loose line around his neck. I’d known from our own adventures wrangling horses at Hostau that horses were difficult to control unless you had the ability to point their nose in the direction you wanted them to travel.

“Is it normal for a horse to behave like this?” Violet asked her husband. Her gaze was glued to Eva and Phantom, as was every other one in the entire building.

“No.” Eddie smiled. “That girl is something special.”

She was. Seeing her again after just those few weeks apart, I felt the broken part of myself was now whole.

She held the broken halter and lead rope in her left hand, tucked against her side, while her right hand pointed and moved in subtle cues for the horse to walk, trot, and stop.

The three judges hardly looked at the other competitors. That didn’t mean her win was guaranteed.

Cheryl squeezed through the crowd around us and stopped beside me to whisper, “Everything is arranged. Let’s meet at the office after.” Then she looked at Eva and froze. “Is she bleeding?”

“Yes.”

“Keith cut the halter?”

“Who else?”

“That doesn’t make any sense.” Cheryl shook her head. “Why would he risk this?”

I chuckled. “He didn’t know she’d still be able to compete.”

Eddie’s chest inflated with pride. “He underestimated her.”

“You’re not the first to underestimate me.”

I could hear her voice from Kötzting, and I loved her even more. She’d overcome every obstacle thrown at her, and this was no different.

The horses and handlers lined up in the center of the arena for the judges, and Eva glowed as Phantom stood without a single piece of tack attached. Then the class standings were announced.

Eva and Phantom won second place.

The crowd booed as a result, startling most of the other horses in the arena, but Eva kept her calm and kept Phantom’s attention on her.

The grand prize went to Keith and his chestnut colt. The displeasure of the crowd heightened as he did a celebratory lap.

Eva and Phantom, as the next to exit the arena, stepped out of the line and then paused. It would be improper for her to do a lap like the grand champion, but she froze a few horse lengths away from the other competitors and lifted her right arm into the air.

Phantom jumped high into the air so his back legs extended parallel to the ground, reminiscent of the stallions of Lipizza, the horses of the Spanish Riding School in Vienna.

The crowd erupted. The other horses startled and nearly got loose in the arena, and Eva led Phantom out before facing a reprimand from the steward or judges.

At least she’d solidified her place in the industry by reputation. As unforgettable as their performance was a few weeks ago in Salem, this was even better.

Now it was time for Eddie, Cheryl, and me to act.

I nodded to Eddie, and he pushed through the crowd to set the plan in motion. Cheryl and I headed toward Eva and Phantom. She stood in the warm-up arena as spectators flocked around her and competitors tried to wade through the sea of people to return to the stalls.

I saw right away she was unsteady on her feet. I pulled my handkerchief from my suit pocket and reached for her as we closed in on the horse. Eva had looped the leather lead rope around Phantom’s neck, careful to keep it away from the three-inch gash there. It wasn’t deep and the blood had already crusted over.

Cheryl took the lead rope from her friend’s hand. “I’ll get him to the vet.”