A Silver Christmas (Tipperary Carriage Company Mystery Book 4) Read online

  Well, he's liable to get something of a show this morning.

  She managed to get the horse into the arena and pull the gate shut, but being in there just seemed to fire him up even more.

  “All right then," she said, almost laughing. "You're ready to work. So, let's have at it."

  It was clear that this horse had been ground-driven before since he took off at a trot and stayed right between the reins. Mae had her own work cut out for her to keep him moving in wide circles around her as she walked along, but she began to feel better when seeing that the new horse was clearly enjoying himself.

  Maybe it's reassuring to him to get back to some familiar work. He sure doesn't mind this. And oh, my, look at how gorgeous he moves.

  The grey horse's knees and hocks flexed high as he stepped along with that very long mane and tail streaming out behind him. The dark-green canvas sheet hid his markings, but set off the silver in his mane and tail and high-stepping legs.

  He could go back into the show ring right now, with a bath and some shoes.

  After several minutes of high-powered trotting, he was willing to walk and to halt. Mae got him going in the other direction and he did fine there as well.

  "Whoa!" The horse halted smartly at Mae's command, and then, much to her delight, he stepped out with first one front foot and then the other into a perfect show-horse stretch. She quickly gathered up the reins and patted him on his arching neck.

  "Nicely done, Silver."

  She looked up to see Ross standing at the fence, watching. "He did just great. I think he enjoyed getting back to work."

  Ross nodded. "He can have some oats this morning. He seems to be feeling just fine."

  "He sure is, and so am I. But I guess I'd better take him in now." She started to lead the horse to the gate, but Ross ducked between the boards of the arena fence and stepped inside.

  "One more thing," he said. "Give me the reins. And the whip."

  Mae did so, thinking Ross wanted to try the horse himself. "Sure thing. He's kind of strong, but fun to watch. He…. "

  "No. Come here." Ross stood at the horse's shoulder, facing backwards, and held out one hand to Mae.

  Suddenly she realized what he had in mind. "Oh, no, right now? He just got here."

  "Might as well find out all about him now."

  Taking a deep breath, Mae walked over and let Ross boost her up onto the horse's back. She sat very still on the green canvas sheet, holding on to the roots of the silver-grey mane and watching as the horse's head came up.

  But all he did was park out another step and then stand tall, apparently very proud of himself.

  Mae grinned. "You were right again. He's broke to ride, too."

  "Sure he is. Stay up there and I'll lead him back in."

  So Mae rode Silver for the first time, automatically sitting up very straight as the big grey pinto stepped along with his high-going, animated walk.

  It took her back to her days as a young teenager when she would sometimes get to ride one of the show string for her lesson, back to the days when she had fallen in love with the Saddlebred horse and hoped one day to own and show one of her own.

  Maybe this is the one. Maybe he really is the Saddlebred for me. All I have to do now is get rid of this tiny nagging feeling that this wonderful, beautiful horse is not what he seems to be . . . what I want so much for him to be.

  Mine.

  Later that same afternoon, Mae walked into the converted garage-turned-carriage house which sat between the front end of the barn and Ross's modular home.

  In just one year, the carriage house had become filled up wall to wall with all the vehicles that now belonged to Mae Monahan's Tipperary Carriage Company.

  There were three beautiful six-passenger Landau carriages, two white and one shining black, along with a dark green antique sleigh that could be fitted with wheels just inside the runners so it could be used on the street. There was also a small replica fairy-tale princess coach that was hugely popular for weddings, engagements, and proms.

  And now I've got the five horses I wanted to go with all those carriages, if this last horse works out and it all isn't too good to be true.

  "Oh, good. You're here," she said to Ross, who was organizing the tool collection that hung on the walls along the back of the garage. "I'm finishing up the plans for the month of December. I wanted to let you know what I have in mind."

  "Shoot," he said, without looking up.

  Mae opened the door of the nearest white Landau, climbed up on the step, and sat down on the edge of the carriage floor with her feet hanging down. She held up the large paper calendar she'd brought with her and began to study it.

  "I think I have it figured out now," she said. "I'm pretty much booked solid for the month of December. It will be tight, but I think we can make all of the engagements."

  "Weddings? Parties?"

  She nodded. "Three weddings, five Christmas parties, and one birthday party. But we're also going to spend nine nights at the Sparkling Spectacular Holiday Fair, down in Grove City."

  "Hmm. Street fair?"

  "Yes. Very much like so many of the other events that we do. It's held at a park with lots of booths and stands with food, crafts, gifts, and music, only this time there's a holiday theme. Millions of colorful twinkling lights in the trees, people in costume singing Christmas carols, and, of course, a house with Santa and Mrs. Claus and a few elves."

  "Well, should go fine. You've done that sort of thing enough times before."

  "We sure have. The best thing about this one though is that the carriage rides load on one side of the fair, but don't actually go through it like so many of them do."

  "No? Where do they go?"

  "They're blocking off some of the nice quiet side streets where there are quaint houses all decorated and pretty. No car traffic and only a little foot traffic over there during the fair."

  "So, the crowds and loud music and confusion are all over on that center block."

  "They sure are. I wish all of these kinds of events were set up like that, with no crowds to contend with except the lines for the ride."

  "Sounds good."

  "It sure does. The fair runs all month, but carriage rides are only on Friday and Saturday except for a few days right before Christmas and New Year’s. I'm planning on nine of those days, right up through Christmas Eve."

  "That sounds like enough."

  "Yes, it sounds like plenty to me, too, even though it seems to be a very well-run event."

  "You need me to drive some of those nights?"

  Mae grinned. She knew he often enjoyed driving Falling Star, the big black Friesian who was stunning to look at, but also quite timid and needed an experienced driver. Star was "the horse with the heart of a bunny," as Ross called him.

  "I'd love to have you drive for as many nights as you want," said Mae. "I think Star would look gorgeous put to the black Landau when it's all trimmed with greenery and silver ribbons."

  "He would."

  "And of course I want to put harness bells on all of the horses for this."

  "We'd better practice that."

  "Good idea." Mae was about to mention that she wanted to put fake reindeer antlers on the carriage horses, too, but didn't want Ross to change his mind about driving. She decided the antlers could wait until later.

  "All right, then," said Ross. "Using two trucks and two stock trailers, we could take two big horses, one pony, one fancy buggy, one roller sled, and the bubble wagon in one trip."

  Mae looked away and bit her lip to keep from giggling out loud. The way Ross described things just left her in stitches sometimes.

  Back when she'd first bought the fairy-tale carriage, which had two curved, face-to-face benches and was entirely covered with a pumpkin-shaped sphere of white plastic filigree, Ross had taken one look at it and declared that it looked like a soap bubble on wheels. From then on, it was known only as the "bubble wagon."

  Fancy buggies? Bubble wagon? Ro
ller sled? The man was hilarious, even though he hardly ever cracked a smile, much less laughed out loud.

  She took a deep breath and cleared her throat. "Yes," she said, trying to sound serious. "That would be ideal. Brandon said he would drive some nights and I'll give him the fairy-tale coach with Goldie. It's adorable and people love it."

  "It's cute, no question. Great for the little kids."

  "Oh, it is. Brandon looks like a prince when he wears the top hat and long coat. But please don't tell him I said that."

  "Tell him what?" joked Ross. But that time he did smile, just a little.

  "Also, Chloe said she'd dress up and help to get the kids safely in and out. She'll make an adorable elf."

  Chloe had been dating Brandon for some months now and they were spending more and more time together. They both enjoyed the horses and Mae was always glad to have their help at the special events.

  "Well, anyway," Mae went on, "I do want to get down there for several nights. We always make good money at events like this when there's lots of individual loads of paying customers."

  "And tips."

  "Tips, yes. That always helps. Though I just hand most of that cash to you, anyway, to board all of these horses for me. And good grief, now there are five of them."

  "You want me to take that pinto back?"

  Her eyes widened. "Take him back? Absolutely not. Don't you dare."

  He shrugged. "All right, then. If you say so, I guess he can stay."

  Mae sighed with relief. She knew he was only joking, but she was already feeling very attached to her grey pinto Saddlebred.

  "I take it you plan to drive your new horse at this Christmas fair," said Ross.

  After only a little hesitation, Mae nodded. "I do. I realize he's the wild card, because we know so little about him. But oh, I want so much to see him under the Christmas lights in front of that sleigh, wearing harness bells and putting on a show like he was this morning."

  "Well, you know what that means."

  Mae hopped down and closed the carriage door. "I sure do. It means I'll be out bright and early tomorrow for some horse training."

  5

  For each unusual event that Mae was hired to do, like a springtime street fair full of kids on power scooters, or a Halloween parade with scary monsters, or even a funeral with bagpipes, Ross always insisted on doing some extra schooling at home to help prepare the animals for whatever they might encounter while working out in public as city carriage horses.

  This time it was noisy jingle bells fastened to the harness. And since there wasn't much time, only two days, to be exact, until the first day of the Sparkling Spectacular Holiday Fair, Mae's new horse Silver was having to be rushed through the process.

  Bright and early in the morning, Mae harnessed Silver and led him out into the barn aisle. There she hooked him up to the heavy steel-pipe training cart, took a deep breath, and led him forward a few steps. The horse raised his head and flicked an ear back at the weight of the vehicle against his harness, but that was the only notice he took of the cart.

  "I thought so," said Mae, with a sigh of relief. "It's customary to start a Saddlebred by driving first and riding later."

  "Go ahead and get in," said Ross. "I'll watch."

  "I'll just bet you will," said Mae, laughing. "I'm pretty sure he was a show horse, but there’s no telling what kind of a show we'll get this morning."

  She got into the cart and took up the reins and the four-foot whip. Stepping high even at a walk, Silver left the barn and headed for the arena. It was only his second workout, but Mae was determined to drive him at the fair if at all possible, and there was only one way to find out if the horse was up to it.

  The first thing he did was point his nose up into the cold, frosty air and snort loudly. Mae realized that she was in for the drive of her life, for Silver was feeling much better now after a few days of good feed and a warm stall, and he seemed about to explode with energy on this early winter morning.

  The minute he was inside the arena, Mae took him into a trot. It was like sitting behind a fire-breathing dragon as the horse snorted and occasionally lunged forward, and she was both apprehensive and exhilarated.

  Put him to work. Give him something else to think about. And keep him going forward.

  Mae could hear the voices of her long-ago instructors, and they were right. The horse was fired up and trying to do what he'd been trained to do which was put on a show.

  She sat back and got a good hold of him with the reins, trying to keep him paying attention to her. He was putting on a spectacular show and for a second, she caught a glimpse of Ross watching them from the barn.

  Bet he's never seen anything like this before.

  After something of a warmup in the ring, Mae told herself it was now or never. With Silver still going at a big trot, she steered him out of the ring and took him all around the open field between the barn and the woods.

  Oh, my gosh, this must be what it's like to show one of these Saddlebreds.

  It was a real thrill to sit behind the tall grey pinto with his tail flagged high, his neck rising straight up from his back, and his knees practically hitting his chin. She had wanted very much to show when she was younger, but never really had the chance, not with a horse that was anything like this one.

  Eventually, her arms aching from the strain, Mae got Silver pulled down to a walk, but he would have gladly jumped back into a trot at any time. In a moment, they were back at the barn and Ross moved to take hold of his bridle.

  "Some fancy steppin'," said Ross.

  "Oh, my gosh, yes," said Mae, delighted. "The very best."

  "He looks awful strong, though."

  "He is," she admitted, sliding out of the training cart. "Maybe I just need more practice with a horse like him. The others aren't usually so energetic. He really is different, for sure."

  Back inside the barn aisle, Mae and Ross worked quickly to get Silver unharnessed and back in his stall where she could rub him dry. "You think you can handle him all right on a city street, surrounded by crowds?" asked Ross, moving the training cart out of the way.

  "Well, it's true that he's going to take a little more finesse to drive than my other guys."

  "Finesse," said Ross. "More like being able to bench press two-fifty."

  She grinned. "He's all show horse. They're taught to 'get up and go' until somebody yells whoa, and they do." Her voice grew serious. "You're right, though. I sure hope he isn't too much for the kind of work I need him to do."

  "You want to work him again tomorrow?"

  "For sure. I'll try him at the sleigh, since that's what I want to use him for at the Holiday Fair."

  "Okay."

  But as they worked to get Silver unharnessed, Mae found that her curiosity about the horse had only increased after the workout.

  "I don't get it," she said, removing the bridle and slipping a halter on Silver's head. "He's broke to ride and drive. He looks like a show ring champ when he works. He could easily have been sold to a good owner. So, again, what on earth was he doing at a backwoods auction in a kill pen?"

  Ross just glanced at her for a moment before answering. "The hard truth is that his owners probably went broke and decided they could get more for him at meat price right now, instead of putting him on the show market and maybe waiting months before he sold."

  His voice sounded like he was trying to make this the final time they spoke about it. “Mae, this horse belongs to you now, if you want him. It was nothing but a stroke of luck that he turned up when he did. It was lucky for you and lucky for him. I'd say to just be glad you got him, and don't look back."

  All right, Mae. This is your last chance to prove this horse is safe to use on a city street. You'd better make this work.

  With a deep breath, she led the groomed and harnessed Silver out of his stall and into the barn aisle.

  "Ross, where's his bridle?" she called. "I thought I left it on the hook outside the stall, but I must have f
orgotten it."

  Ross came walking over with the bridle in his hands. "Try this."

  "This?" It was Goldie's bridle, carefully adjusted to fit Silver, but it had a different bit attached to it now. "A curb? Driving horses don't usually wear one of these."

  "Driving horses wear whatever you need them to wear. Try it. Either that or start learning to bench press."

  "Okay." Quickly she got Silver bridled up and then attached the long reins. A curb bit had shanks on it and worked on leverage. It was much stronger and had a lot more stopping power than the usual snaffle bits, which simply pulled straight back.

  This time she was using the antique sleigh outfitted with wheels just inside the runners so it could be used with no snow. Mae climbed inside and hoped she was doing the right thing by using it today. The sleigh was fragile compared to the welded metal cart and it was also quite valuable, irreplaceable, really.

  The curb bit should give her better control over Silver, but all that extra stopping power would not help if a horse fought it and refused to accept it.

  Well, once again, there's only one way to find out.

  This time, even though Silver was still very fresh out in the cold day, she immediately had much better control while using the curb. And if anything, he was only stepping higher since the leverage of the bit made him tuck his nose and shift his weight back even more.

  Mae took the horse all around the edge of the big field, not even bothering with the fenced arena in the center. Silver was going well when there was a sudden loud crack! from somewhere behind them.

  The horse hopped a little, startled, but then went right back to his big trot. Mae swung him around at the end of the field and, sure enough, it was Ross cracking the eight-foot-long drop lash whip and holding a fire extinguisher.

  If Mae still had any doubts that Silver had been trained for the show ring, they were all put to rest by the way he reacted to Ross loudly cracking the whip and shooting off the fire extinguisher. Those things just made the horse perk up and look, but not spook, and then all he did was rise up and trot higher.

  Mae put him through a lot of transitions, making sure he would go from walk to trot to halt no matter how much noise Ross was making.