Read Online Maybe Baby by Andrea Smith - Free Book Online

later!
    Tylar
    I walked quietly down the path to the stables, relieved to see that no one had yet reported in for work. I couldn’t pass the barn without visiting Derringer. I walked over to his stall and rubbed my hand gently up and down his beautiful black muzzle.
    “Here you go, handsome,” I crooned, offering him the carrots; he ate them from my palm happily. I continued rubbing his neck until he finished.
    I headed over to the Belle with my laundry. Once I get them loaded and running, I decided to kill some time by walking over to the stables.
    The stables and paddock area at the Belle were much larger than those over at the Sinclair estate. The Belle boarded a lot of horses that were not owned by the Sinclair family. This track held races for quarter horses, paints, and appaloosas.
    I strolled through the paddock area to see some of the horses that would be competing in this weekend’s race. As I continued scanning, I noticed one of the Sinclair horses, Jezebel, didn’t have a jockey assigned. The sheet listed Andy Graham as her trainer. I'd seen Andy around with Jenna. Maybe it was time to pull in a favor from Jenna.
    I got her on the phone.
    “Hey Ty! How are you doing, girl?” she asked almost too cheerfully.
    “Cut the crap,” I replied dryly.
    I heard a gasp at the other end of the phone. Before she could utter another word, I got to the point.
    “Hey aren't you friends with Andy Graham, Jezebel’s trainer?”
    “Yeah, why?” she countered.
    “Well this is how you're going to make it up to me for missing a whole week’s pay.”
    “Go on,” she replied, piqued.
    “I noticed that there wasn’t a jockey listed for tomorrow evening’s fourth race for Jezebel. What’s the story?”
    “All I know is that Andy’s ex-girlfriend was the jockey and once they broke up she told him to go flip shit. As of yesterday, he believed they'd have to scratch Jezebel from the race because she won't reconsider. It’s no big deal, the horse is a long shot. Andy’s only worried the Sinclairs will be pissed because he didn’t have a back-up plan.”
    “He does now,” I said. “Jenna, you call your friend Andy. Tell him he has his jockey for Saturday night.”
    “Who?” Jenna asked.
    “Me!”
    “You’ve got to be kidding,” she exclaimed. “You're not a jockey. Besides, don’t you have to be certified or something?”
    “I’ve jockeyed, don’t worry about my credentials. Worst case scenario is, even if Jezebel finishes last, I still get the $75 jockey fee, which only recoups a small portion of the money I lost because of your stupid stunt last week.”
    “I don’t know,” she hesitated.
    “Look, let Andy know that I’m within the weight requirement. If he wants to see me practice with Jezebel today, have him call me. But call me back one way or another, alright?”
    “Oh, I guess,” she finally agreed.
    I was still in the laundry room folding up my clean laundry when my cell phone rang. It was Jenna.
    “Andy said to be at the practice track around two this afternoon. He'll spend no more than an hour with you to see if you and Jezebel can clock some decent times on the quarter. Then he'll decide whether you ride or he scratches her. Best I could do."
    “Good enough, thanks.”
    Two o’clock couldn't come fast enough for me. Once back at my cottage, I got into the small trunk I'd brought with me, pulling out a pair of nylon riding pants, patent leather riding boots, safety vest, and my cap and goggles. It had been awhile, but everything was still in good shape. At 108 pounds, everything would fit me just fine. I placed it all into my backpack and made the trek back over to the racetrack.
    I spotted Andy in the infield with Jezebel, a three-year-old bay. I'd only been around Andy a few times this summer. He was a personable guy, a little green as a trainer, but that worked to my advantage. We spent an hour going through the paces. It didn’t take long for me to build a rapport with Jezebel. Andy