Out of the corner of my eye, I catch Ruby standing back, wide-eyed, suddenly nervous. That’s unusual. The woman I first met had been confident and mouthy as hell.
“Ruby.” I gesture her over. “Jack, Bill, I want you to meet Ruby Lanson, our new second reserve in training.”
Both of them immediately pull her into hugs, and out of nowhere, a bolt of jealousy shoots through me.
“Welcome to the team,” says Billy, grinning at me as I gently pull Ruby out of his grip, “and I heard congratulations are in order.”
“Where’d you hear that from?”
“Your brother.”
I shake my head. “Alex has got a big mouth.”
“Never said it was Alex.”
“It was Alex.” I roll my eyes, wondering who else he’s fucking told. Andwhathe’s told them.
“Happens to the best of us.” Jack throws his head back with a laugh. “Now what’s the plan?”
I clear my throat in an attempt to take charge. “Once Diego and Juan arrive, we’ll head out onto the stadium field and get a feel for it. We’ve got a couple of new ponies to try, and I want to get them used to the noise. We’ll see how we all ride together, because Ruby’s not the only new addition this year.”
“Juan came from the Florida team, right?” Ruby asks.
“He’s originally from Argentina,” I explain. “One of the best up-and-coming players in the world. Played for a Gloucester-based team before they lost last season. I managed to steal him away by offering to double his salary.”
“It didn’t take much persuasion,” Billy mutters.
“Sounds good to me. I’m gonna take Mary out first and see how she’s looking,” Jack says, turning to Ruby and whispering dramatically. “Mary’s my best girl. But don’t tell the others.”
Ruby giggles. Which, annoyingly, irritates me all over again. What the hell is wrong with me?
“All right, fellas—and lady—I’ll see you out there.”
“We’ll be right behind you,” I call after him and return my attention to Ruby. “I think we should take Maverick out first. I want to see how he handles some of the other ponies.”
“Really?” she breathes, excitement sparkling in her eyes.
“Really.”
She hurries over to Maverick’s stable, and I don’t miss the way Billy’s eyes drift down to her incredible peachy arse, her jodhpurs fitting to perfection.
“Hey, buddy. Eyes up top,” I warn.
He looks away with a knowing grin. “Just testing you, mate. Don’t worry?—”
“I’m not worried. Just keep your eyes to yourself.”
Typically, Juan is late. Diego doesn’t arrive much before him. By the time all of us finally make it out onto the field, we’re an hour behind schedule.
A team of grooms has set up different obstacles—what is actually a series of tasks we put the ponies through to gauge their balance, turning speed, responsiveness, ability to bump, and to ensure they don’t shy away from the ball.
After that, we stick and ball, three on three.
Over the course of the morning, we ride hard. We rotate through four ponies each, pushing them through drills and sprints until, eventually, I call time. By which point all six of us are sweaty, exhausted, and buzzing with excitement for thecoming season. Ruby’s quietness vanished, and she made it clear she’s listened to everything I’ve been teaching her.
She even managed to hook the ball off Juan and score.
I don’t want to tempt fate, but I think we’ve got a shot this year. And because I’m risking everything for it, I need to be right.
