That was what I loved about Harper: She always had my back and was always there for me at a moment’s notice.
I was looking for a murder show to watch on Netflix to match my current mood—you know, one of those where the wife murders the husband, viciously—when I heard a knock at the door. I opened the door to Harper, holding up a large bottle of my favorite tequila in one hand and a bag of chips and queso in the other.God, I loved this girl.She walked in and set the other bags of groceries she’d brought over on the counter. I peeked inside the bags to find the makings for ranch waters, my favorite cocktail, as well as cookies and brownie bites.
Harper flipped her long blonde braid over one shoulder and leaned her hip against the counter.
“All right, tell me everything the douchebag did.”
This girl could make me laugh even when I felt like my whole world was falling apart. I grabbed a brownie bite, popped it into my mouth, and sat on one of my barstools while she made me a drink. I ran her through the last twenty-four hours.
When I finished the depressing tale, she just shook her head. “Good riddance. I never liked him anyway. If anything, he was always in the way of your ultimate goal in life that you’ve had since you were a kid.”
I sighed and nodded because she wasn’t wrong, but I just chose to ignore it and believe he was looking out for my best interest and our future together.
I looked back at her. “Well, now what do I do? My lease isup in a month, and the plan was for me to live with you until we got married in the spring.”
She took a sip of her drink and studied me. “Do you want my honest opinion?”
I laughed. “Yes. Please. Lay it all out.”
Harper placed her glass on the counter and began. “I think you’ve just been given the chance to finally go do what you have always wanted to do with your life. I think you need to move back to Texas and open your own horse training facility. Addi, you’ve checked everything else off your list to get to this point. It’s time you take the risk.”
I knew she was right. As much as I loved Noah, I didn’t think my dream could have been a reality if I had married him. He had no interest and always pushed for it to be a hobby for me, not a career, despite my success and ranking in the show ring.
I nodded at Harper. “I know you’re right. I need to call my parents. I have the Hampton Classic Horse Show at the end of the month with Cash, and then my lease is up, so that would be the right time to head back to Texas,” I said as a couple of tears I didn’t even realize were there rolled down my cheeks.
Harper rushed around the counter to hug me. “Addi, I’m so sorry he hurt you like this. As much as I wasn’t a fan, I know how much you loved him. You two had been together a long time.”
I hugged my best friend and just let the tears keep coming.
It was time for the Hampton Classic Horse Show, and I was ready. It had been about a month since I called things off with Noah, and with no job at the moment, I threw myself into horses as I usually did. I was showing Cash in the Grand Prix later in the week, but first I was taking one of Eli’s new seven-year-olds around a National Derby for her first time.
The horse’s name was Delphine, and she could occasionally act like a typical mare with an opinion and a mind of her own. She stood at 16.2 hands and was a dark bay Dutch Warmblood with a white star and four white stockings on her legs. She was gorgeous, and this show would be her first time in a derby ring.
Eli was trying to sell her, and typically I showed his younger sale horses. He was getting older and did not want to risk injury. Delphine schooled great. She was jumping relaxed in the schooling ring and was focused.
When it was my turn to enter the ring, I gave her a rub on the neck to soothe her, as the show ring could be a bit daunting for a younger horse. There was a lot to look at between the jumps filled with greenery, boxes, gates, and flowers, as well as the spectators that sat off to the side of the ring and all the activity of the show around us. I picked up the trot and made my way across the ring to begin my course. She moved nicely into the canter, and we began our approach to the first jump. Delphine jumped beautifully over the first couple of jumps, and I felt excited about how the round was going.
We came to our final two jumps, which were up against the right side wall of the ring with spectators sitting right next to it. The two jumps were six strides apart. I rode in nicely to the first jump, and as we made our way to the final jump of the line, something caught Delphine’s eye right at takeoff, and she quickly spun to the left away from the wall. Since she was already taking off to jump, she crashed into the standard, and with how quickly she spun, I flew off the right side of her and slammed my shoulder into the wall.
The crowd gasped at the sight, unsure if I was okay as a spooked Delphine took off toward the ingate. Another trainer grabbed Delphine as Eli came running to my side, concern all over his face. He scanned my body, examining me thoroughly to see if I was all right. I lay there for a minute to catch my breath, and when I sat up, I felt a sharp pain in my arm and collarbone area. I looked at my arm and saw it hanging limply at my side.
Eli spoke. “Don’t move, Addi. I think you broke your collarbone. Just stay seated and let the paramedics come in to take you out of the ring. You don’t want to risk any more injury.”
I nodded without speaking, the shock of the fall still present. The paramedics came rushing in and hauled me out of the ring to further assess me. Eli was right. I had indeed broken my collarbone and needed to have immediate surgery. This was a nightmare.
When I woke up from surgery the next morning, I looked around to find all my siblings sitting in my hospital room with my parents. My mom and dad flew in immediately yesterday when Eli called them and told them everything that had happened at the show, but I didn’t expect my two older brothers and my little sister to fly in as well. But then again, that was who we were—if one James was down, we all came running.
“Hey, Adds, how ya feeling?” my oldest brother, Weston, asked as he looked me over.
“You know, West, pretty great. Never better,” I said, sarcasm laced in every word as I rolled my eyes.
Weston chuckled, and my other two siblings walked over to my bedside.
“Don’t worry, Adds. I made some calls and got everything set up for Cash to be trailered home to my place next week,” my other older brother, Walker, said.
Walker was a professional baseball player who played for the Texas Major League team, the Austin Aviators. He had connections, he had money, and he always did everything possible to take care of his family. He also had a gorgeous house that sat on a good chunk of land with a beautiful barn.
I smiled at him. “Thanks, Walk. I didn’t realize I would be leaving Boston with such a bang. I appreciate you handling Cash so I can focus on getting out of my apartment next weekand back home.”
