Page 28
Story: Capture the Rainbow
The stallion’s trainer was at the black’s head now, his hand on the bridle and his eyes anxiously searching Kendra’s expression. “How was he, Kendra?”
“Steady as a rock. Couldn’t be better, Jim,” she answered. “He didn’t even flick his ears when the strip went off.” She dismounted, one hand patting the black’s neck affectionately. “His gait was smooth as glass when I…” Her voice trailed off as the world spun for her. She clutched the side of the saddle for support. Then Billie was beside her, holding her firmly.
“Billie, I’m so dizzy,” she whispered, her mouth dry. “Cover for me, please, I need a few minutes.” She closed her eyes and breathed deeply.
“Oh, damn.” Billie’s low voice was full of anxiety. “I knew you shouldn’t have tried this today.”
Kendra opened her eyes and the ground and sky were miraculously back in their proper places. But the sight of Skip and a very grim-faced Joel striding rapidly toward them almost threw her into another tailspin. Her knees no longer felt like wet spaghetti, but still she trembled. She frantically sought an excuse for her apparent weakness.
“What the hell is wrong?” Joel’s voice was hard, his eyes piercingly keen. Skip was right behind him.
“Nothing,” Kendra murmured. “I just dismounted too fast and…”
“It’s her back,” Billie said hastily. “She has some ligaments that haven’t healed yet that give her a problem occasionally. Shall I run back to the house and get your pills, Kendra?”
“Pills?” Skip’s voice was as icy cold as his gray eyes.
Oh dear, Billie couldn’t have found a worse excuse if she had tried for a hundred years. She had meant well—trying to sidetrack Joel so he wouldn’t guess Kendra was pregnant—but instead she had revealed the very thing Kendra had concealed from Skip!
Skip’s tone was silky soft. “What kind of pills, Kendra?”
“Darvocet-N,” she answered with a resigned sigh. “One hundred milligrams.” Her eyes met his steadily. “But I’ve only used one since I’ve been in Sedikhan. That was the day I hurt my back on the hill and I had the next day off. I know your rules, Skip.”
“Then you know I won’t tolerate anything stronger than aspirin being used by anyone on the team,” Skip said in a harsh tone. “You also know that I don’t hire anyone who’s in such bad shape sheneedsto use them. Drugs dull your reflexes and can get you killed. Even the residue in your system could slow you down the fraction of a second that could make all the difference.”
“One pill, one time,” Kendra said desperately. “And you said yourself that I was doing a good job. Do you think I could have functioned like that if I was stoned?”
“Will someone please tell me what the devil Darvocet-N is?” Joel bit out between clenched teeth.
“A painkiller,” Skip answered succinctly, shaking his head in disgust. “I heard rumors that you had come back too soon from that back injury, but I couldn’t believe them. Never thought you’d be so stupid, Ken.”
“It wasn’t stupidity; it was necessity,” she answered tersely. “You know damn well why I was pressured into doing it.”
“Casey?” Skip’s voice was empty of sympathy. “Will it help him if you get yourself killed? That’s not a valid argument and you know it!”
“You’re acting as if Kendra was some kind of junkie,” Billie interjected indignantly. “It was medicine, for Pete’s sake.”
“The result is the same despite the reason behind it,” Skip answered. “Do you think I don’t know what it’s like? Hell, I think I’d broken every bone in my body by the time I was thirty-five. No matter how careful you are, injuries happen. It’s part of the game. But I’ll be damned if any of my people start off with one strike against them.” Skip suddenly realized that the horse trainer was still there and gazing at them with avid curiosity. “It was a good run, Jim. I’ll be using you both again.” Then as the man reluctantly led the horse away, Skip turned back to Kendra. “I’m not sure I can say the same for you, Ken. I don’t like having my rules flouted.”
“Let me get this straight.” There was soft menace in Joel’s voice. “You’re telling me that all the time Kendra’s been working onVentureshe’s been in pain so severe she’s had to use drugs to relieve it?”
“No! I told you I only used it once,” Kendra protested. “I’m almost well now.”
“Almost,” Joel repeated, his green eyes smoldering. “You let me run you ragged for two solid weeks without saying a word when you were going through God knows what kind of pain? You’ve got to be some kind of masochistic idiot. Why the hell would you do something like that?”
“The reason is clear enough,” Skip said sharply, acting with his usual instinctive protectiveness when one of his team was under attack. “Everyone knows Kendra’s had money troubles paying for all those medical bills since her brother crashed into that wall inDeath Racefour years ago. He made the mistake of signing an insurance waiver with the production company and they held him to it. Kendra was left holding the bag.” He smiled grimly. “You won’t find a professional in the business who’ll work for that company again. But it was too late to help Casey or Ken.”
“Not everyone knew,” Joel said slowly, the smolder a full-fledged flame now. “She didn’t see fit to tellmewhy she was so eager to break her neck.”
“Why should I?” Kendra asked defiantly. “What difference does it make why I did it? The only important thing was that it had to be done.”
“It makes a difference,” Joel said between clenched teeth. “You know damn well it makes a difference. I want to talk to you, Kendra.Now.”
“This isn’t any of your concern, Joel,” Kendra said curtly. “This is only between Skip and me. Stay out of it.”
“The hell I will!”
Trying to ignore Joel’s menacing figure, Kendra took a step toward Skip. She was relieved to find that the dizziness was almost gone now. “Okay, I wasn’t entirely honest with you,” she said earnestly. “You said yourself you were happy with my work. You know I worked my fanny off trying to turn in a really professional job for you. Ideservethat jump, Skip. You know I do.”
“Steady as a rock. Couldn’t be better, Jim,” she answered. “He didn’t even flick his ears when the strip went off.” She dismounted, one hand patting the black’s neck affectionately. “His gait was smooth as glass when I…” Her voice trailed off as the world spun for her. She clutched the side of the saddle for support. Then Billie was beside her, holding her firmly.
“Billie, I’m so dizzy,” she whispered, her mouth dry. “Cover for me, please, I need a few minutes.” She closed her eyes and breathed deeply.
“Oh, damn.” Billie’s low voice was full of anxiety. “I knew you shouldn’t have tried this today.”
Kendra opened her eyes and the ground and sky were miraculously back in their proper places. But the sight of Skip and a very grim-faced Joel striding rapidly toward them almost threw her into another tailspin. Her knees no longer felt like wet spaghetti, but still she trembled. She frantically sought an excuse for her apparent weakness.
“What the hell is wrong?” Joel’s voice was hard, his eyes piercingly keen. Skip was right behind him.
“Nothing,” Kendra murmured. “I just dismounted too fast and…”
“It’s her back,” Billie said hastily. “She has some ligaments that haven’t healed yet that give her a problem occasionally. Shall I run back to the house and get your pills, Kendra?”
“Pills?” Skip’s voice was as icy cold as his gray eyes.
Oh dear, Billie couldn’t have found a worse excuse if she had tried for a hundred years. She had meant well—trying to sidetrack Joel so he wouldn’t guess Kendra was pregnant—but instead she had revealed the very thing Kendra had concealed from Skip!
Skip’s tone was silky soft. “What kind of pills, Kendra?”
“Darvocet-N,” she answered with a resigned sigh. “One hundred milligrams.” Her eyes met his steadily. “But I’ve only used one since I’ve been in Sedikhan. That was the day I hurt my back on the hill and I had the next day off. I know your rules, Skip.”
“Then you know I won’t tolerate anything stronger than aspirin being used by anyone on the team,” Skip said in a harsh tone. “You also know that I don’t hire anyone who’s in such bad shape sheneedsto use them. Drugs dull your reflexes and can get you killed. Even the residue in your system could slow you down the fraction of a second that could make all the difference.”
“One pill, one time,” Kendra said desperately. “And you said yourself that I was doing a good job. Do you think I could have functioned like that if I was stoned?”
“Will someone please tell me what the devil Darvocet-N is?” Joel bit out between clenched teeth.
“A painkiller,” Skip answered succinctly, shaking his head in disgust. “I heard rumors that you had come back too soon from that back injury, but I couldn’t believe them. Never thought you’d be so stupid, Ken.”
“It wasn’t stupidity; it was necessity,” she answered tersely. “You know damn well why I was pressured into doing it.”
“Casey?” Skip’s voice was empty of sympathy. “Will it help him if you get yourself killed? That’s not a valid argument and you know it!”
“You’re acting as if Kendra was some kind of junkie,” Billie interjected indignantly. “It was medicine, for Pete’s sake.”
“The result is the same despite the reason behind it,” Skip answered. “Do you think I don’t know what it’s like? Hell, I think I’d broken every bone in my body by the time I was thirty-five. No matter how careful you are, injuries happen. It’s part of the game. But I’ll be damned if any of my people start off with one strike against them.” Skip suddenly realized that the horse trainer was still there and gazing at them with avid curiosity. “It was a good run, Jim. I’ll be using you both again.” Then as the man reluctantly led the horse away, Skip turned back to Kendra. “I’m not sure I can say the same for you, Ken. I don’t like having my rules flouted.”
“Let me get this straight.” There was soft menace in Joel’s voice. “You’re telling me that all the time Kendra’s been working onVentureshe’s been in pain so severe she’s had to use drugs to relieve it?”
“No! I told you I only used it once,” Kendra protested. “I’m almost well now.”
“Almost,” Joel repeated, his green eyes smoldering. “You let me run you ragged for two solid weeks without saying a word when you were going through God knows what kind of pain? You’ve got to be some kind of masochistic idiot. Why the hell would you do something like that?”
“The reason is clear enough,” Skip said sharply, acting with his usual instinctive protectiveness when one of his team was under attack. “Everyone knows Kendra’s had money troubles paying for all those medical bills since her brother crashed into that wall inDeath Racefour years ago. He made the mistake of signing an insurance waiver with the production company and they held him to it. Kendra was left holding the bag.” He smiled grimly. “You won’t find a professional in the business who’ll work for that company again. But it was too late to help Casey or Ken.”
“Not everyone knew,” Joel said slowly, the smolder a full-fledged flame now. “She didn’t see fit to tellmewhy she was so eager to break her neck.”
“Why should I?” Kendra asked defiantly. “What difference does it make why I did it? The only important thing was that it had to be done.”
“It makes a difference,” Joel said between clenched teeth. “You know damn well it makes a difference. I want to talk to you, Kendra.Now.”
“This isn’t any of your concern, Joel,” Kendra said curtly. “This is only between Skip and me. Stay out of it.”
“The hell I will!”
Trying to ignore Joel’s menacing figure, Kendra took a step toward Skip. She was relieved to find that the dizziness was almost gone now. “Okay, I wasn’t entirely honest with you,” she said earnestly. “You said yourself you were happy with my work. You know I worked my fanny off trying to turn in a really professional job for you. Ideservethat jump, Skip. You know I do.”