The a Circuit Read Online Free PDF

opposite of how Kate felt as she slunk out of the ring at Jamie’s heels.
    She couldn’t believe she’d made such a spectacular fool of herself. But looking stupid wasn’t the worst of it. After all, horses could make anyone look stupid. No, the worst part was that she knew she’d disappointed Jamie. Buying and selling horses was a huge chunk of his income, and she might have just screwed up a big sale.
    Kate wanted to run straight back to the barn, hide out in a stall, and cry into a horse’s mane like a little kid. But she knew she couldn’t. The least she could do was stick around to help Javier take Ellie back to the stalls after this, since both Jamie and Tommi would probably have to book to make it over to the jumper ring in time. Taking a deep breath, she forced herself to step over to the group at the rail.
    “H-hi.” Her voice shook, but she did her best to smile. “Sorry about that. It was all my fault—I, um, really messed up the approach to that fence.”
    Zac shot her a smile that practically oozed with charisma. “No worries, sweetheart,” he said in that raspy, distinctive voice Kate had heard on the radio and MTV a million times. “I’m impressed you stayed aboard. You could make big bucks at the rodeo.”
    Jamie and several members of the entourage chuckled, though Zara just rolled her eyes. She stared at Kate for a second as if she had two heads, then turned away without a word to watch the horse in the ring.
    Kate turned to watch Ellie, too, relieved to see that the mare already looked calmer. Tommi was making her focus on some lateral work, helping her forget about what had happened. As they passed the group at the rail Tommi sent the mare into a canter, showing off her flawless depart. Impressed that Tommi didn’t seem fazed by the identity of the prospective buyer, Kate sneaked a peek at the girl beside her.
    Zara caught Kate’s glance and frowned. “Can I help you?” she asked in a cool voice.
    “I—I was just wondering what you thought,” Kate stammered, taken aback by Zara’s hostile tone. “Um, of Ellie. That’s what we call her. Her barn name, you know. Eleganz, I mean?”
    Zara stared at her, her moss-green eyes sizing her up. “Yeah, thanks. I never would’ve figured that one out.”
    Jamie had been chatting with Zac, but now he joined the two girls at the rail. “As you can see, Zara, the mare is a fantastic mover and a natural for the hunter ring. She went reserve in the First Year Greens at Devon last month, and I think she’ll get even better as she matures.”
    “What do you think, Little Z?” Zac asked. “Like her?”
    “She’s okay. Need to see her jump,” Zara said with a shrug. “Like, over the jump this time instead of through it.”
    “Of course.” Jamie glanced over at Kate. “Why don’t you go out and set some jumps for Tommi, okay?”
    “Sure.” Kate was relieved to have an excuse to escape from the group at the rail. Otherwise she had the uncomfortable feeling she might end up doing something weird out of sheer nerves, like burst out singing Zac Trask’s latest hit at the top of her lungs.

    Zara watched as the tall blond girl set up a line of smallish jumps. She was playing it cool as always, even though what she really wanted to do was clap her hands and squeal like a little girl. She hadn’t really been expecting much out of this trip, especially after seeing that crash, but damn, this mare was gorgeous! Leggy and sleek and dainty-headed like some fantasy pony, but with a killer trot and a canter that made Zara’s old junior hunter look like a lame cart horse. Plus there was something about this mare—some spark that made Zara think she wasn’t just another of those boring overschooled automaton types that her trainers always wanted her to ride. She looked … spunky.
    Zara almost smiled, but she knew better than to let her real emotions show. Ever. It was safer not to reveal too much, easier not to trust people. Trust only got her in