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She landed softly, applying most of the weight to her arms. Without taking time to celebrate the success of one of her newer tricks, she wrapped her left leg around the grip, prepping to mill around the harness. She froze halfway through in a handstand with her right leg poised straight in the air and her left tucked down. The applause sounded far away as she focused on holding the position for four of Apollo’s cantering strides.
She set down on her left knee, keeping her right leg straight behind her and lifting her left arm; four strides went past in less than a breath, and she rolled forward, dipping off Apollo to touch her feet to the dusty earth, only to push off and roll back onto Apollo, this time landing on her toes. Raising into a stand, she used her gymnastics background to add elements of dance on top of the rolling back of her horse.
Her signature move was coming, and with a deep breath, she planted her right foot, her special grippy shoe hugging tight to the pad on Apollo’s back. Keeping that knee bent to balance with his rocking gait, she straightened her left leg out, holding on to the toe, then lifted it over her head, holding, one, two, three, four strides, then in one graceful movement, jumping into a scissor kick, landing on her left foot, and bending forward as her right foot went high overhead.
Apollo’s horse-scent filled her breath as she counted the strides and settled her nerves for the last combination. She took hold of the grips, scissoring over one way, then the other, ending in a handstand from which she sprung off Apollo, tucking into a flip and landing, feet soft in the dust, the fine particles filling her nostrils as she breathed in and stood in a poised ending.
Her heart hammered as she bowed to the judges, then to the audience before jogging over to Emilia, who slowed Apollo into a trot and then a walk. Emilia handed her the whip to hold as she rolled up the lunge rope and guided Apollo back to her. The crowd was roaring, some standing and whooping, but it all sounded so faded as Charlotte’s heartbeat pounded in her ears. Emilia wrapped an arm around her, and they made their way out of the gate.
“That was incredible, Char. You knocked it out of the park. You sure you don’t want to set your residency back another year?” Emilia knocked into her as they came out of the gate, and Charlotte came to Apollo, rubbing a hand down him and wrapping an arm around his massive neck.
In less than two months she’d have to decide which veterinary residency program she would accept: the one near home back in Wyoming or the new prestigious clinic in California. “Don’t tempt me,” she told Emilia after kissing Apollo’s sweaty neck and handing him over to his handler.
The next part of performing she never really enjoyed, but Emilia took her hand and led her to the box stage where she’d await her scores. “Come on,” Emilia said, squeezing her in a side hug once they were situated. “This score is going to be exciting. There’s no way they can score you less than the mid-sevens, and it should be more.”
Charlotte only nodded, plastering on a smile as people cheered and she waited for her fate. If she placed well, she’d move on to the next event. If not, she’d go home and spend some much-needed time with her parents. It had been too long, and the visits she had returned for were short, though her parents were usually busy with work, anyway. School was demanding, but she loved working with the animals…even more than she loved vaulting.
“Here they come.” Emilia gripped her arm tightly, causing the nylon fabric of Charlotte’s costume to stretch against her.
Charlotte closed her eyes. Your will, Lord. Show me Your will.
“Well, look at that, folks! A high 8.2 for Miss Charlotte Walker, ranking her as number one. We’ll see if the veterans coming up next can pass this rodeo newbie!” the announcer declared over the roar of the crowd.
Charlotte stood in shock, too frozen to lift her hand as she always did. Emilia nudged her, then drew her into a hug. Her friend’s screams of excitement finally pulled Charlotte out of her daze. She hugged her trainer, then stepped back to lift a hand of gratitude toward the judges and then the crowd. Her body thrummed with energy like it hadn’t since she won the state gymnastics championships her senior year in high school.
Several other vaulters she had come to know through her college years came in leaping bounds to greet her at the gate. Their congratulations washed over her as she tried to realize that she, a little small-town girl gymnast, was sitting in first place…for now.
“You’ve got to teach me that final combination! Though I could never pull off that handspring flip,” one gal said, motioning to her tall, long-limbed body.
“Didn’t I tell you that your gymnast background would do you well here?” Emilia smiled at her, proud of her trainee. Emilia had recruited her from her university in Kentucky, helping her get into the prestigious veterinary school in Texas. “Vaulting is growing! Soon the entire country will line up to see you gals perform.”
“Well, if they all look like those cowboys, I wouldn’t mind at all,” a fellow vaulter said.
Charlotte suddenly became aware of the eyes on her as the world closed in around her. Without turning, she knew exactly who she’d find watching her, for her skin tingled in that familiar way…the way only a certain pair of striking green eyes could make her feel. She almost didn’t turn around. Part of her wanted to run in the opposite direction. What would she find when their eyes met? What did she want to find?
Lord, help me.
She slowly spun, keeping her eyes lowered until she knew she faced him, and raised them as if her body were not her own. The effect was immediate. All in a rush, eight years disappeared, the intensity of their locked gaze triggering something she had buried deep within her, unearthing it in a way that left her knees shaking and her head spinning.
So now she knew.
Austin Bowman still held her heart.
“Earth to Char. Earth to Char.” Emilia waved a hand in front of her eyes. “What’s gotten into you, girl?”
Charlotte tried to pull herself away, but she couldn’t. He held onto her like he would never let her go, and he was still thirty feet away. As if her thoughts spurred him on, he pushed off the railing of the arena and strode in a purposeful, half-bow-legged gait straight toward her.
She gripped Emilia’s arm and frantically whispered, “Get me out of here.”
Emilia, true friend that she was, yanked Charlotte by the arm, pulling her into the crowd and out of Austin’s mesmerizing reach. Charlotte blinked as Emilia tugged her through a maze of people until they arrived at the stables where Apollo awaited grooming.
“What in the world was all that about?” Emilia asked, staring behind them as if she expected Mr. Universe himself to strut through the stable’s door.
Charlotte shook her head. How could she explain Austin Bowman to the friend who had only known her as the person she was today?
“Well, I mean, that cowboy was handsome, but I’ve never seen you give much attention to guys before.” Emilia studied her as Charlotte gave Apollo the long rub down he deserved.
“I don’t have time to date,” Charlotte said with a shrug.
