Cassie's Wedding Dress

Excerpt

Riding into the gate, Cassie Hinton prayed as she always did at the start of a race. She prayed for courage, for speed, the ability to do her best, but most of all, to bring glory to God through doing so. Her bright yellow jacket sparkled in the warm spring sunlight, the purple satin on her riding hat completing the colors of Tanner’s Stables. She leaned forwards and patted the horse’s neck. “Just do your best,” she told him. “Forget this is the Grand National, and the most important race of our career.”

The gate clanged shut behind them, the noise causing Jeremiah’s Fancy to buck, threatening to unseat her. “Hey, hey,” she said adjusting herself in the saddle. “It’s just the start gate. We’ve done it lots of times.”

“Are you okay, Miss Hinton?”

Cassie smiled at the gate handler. “I’m fine. He’s just skittish. He’ll be fine once we get going.”

“All right, miss.” He nodded and headed down the line checking the other horses.

She reached down, petting the white blaze that ran from the white star, down the length of the horse’s dark nose. “You’re fine. Just take it easy, big fella.”

Cassie took a deep composing breath in a vain attempt to soothe the usual pre-race butterflies filling her stomach. As the gate opened, butterflies vanished, replaced by exhilaration and adrenaline as Jeremiah’s Fancy flew from the gate like a bullet from a gun. Cassie rose in her saddle, leaning over the horse’s neck, whispering encouragement.

They leapt the first fence, landing hard but safe on the wet ground. In her peripheral vision she saw someone to her right fall. At the second fence, the horse in front of her fell. She had seconds to react. Pulling up sharply on the reins, she managed to jump both fallen horse and rider, landing safely.

The rest of the fences passed without incident until they reached the big one—the Chair. Other than Becher’s Brook, this one fence worried her the most. A prayer of thanks rose from her lips as she landed safely and set off around the course for the second and final time. Seeing the creek approach, Cassie tightened the reins, and pulled into the lead.

Jeremiah’s Fancy took off perfectly, but his left back leg clipped the fence, throwing off his timing and he misjudged the landing. He tumbled back down the ditch into the water. Cassie didn’t have time to scream or react as she flew sideways, falling with the horse. Pain exploded as she landed face down in the water, the full weight of the horse on her leg and side.

The horse scrambled to his feet, jerking her head from the water as he stood on her leg. Cassie screamed, dimly aware of horses landing above her. It seemed like an eternity before a hand gently cradled her face and someone else led the frightened horse away.

“My name’s Dean. I’m a paramedic. Can you tell me your name?”