Zach and Sabrina: Round 1 Read online

  Chapter 1

  When it rains it pours. That’s what her mother always said when life threw curve balls that seemed to keep coming. This was certainly the case for Sabrina now. She had taken a new job and was moving back to the US from Canada. Now she was hitting the latest snafu with the move. Her horses.

  In reality, Sabrina could handle a great deal. She was a powerhouse. She had the ability to go after things and get things done. She was also a little intimidating. At least that’s what her two close friends, Lacey and Michelle, would say. Actually, they would say she was down right scary and that she scared all the men off.

  Sabrina thought about their last late night session at Joe’s Bistro a few months ago. She laughed at how adamant they were on this very point. According to the dynamic duo, Sabrina needed to take a step back and cool down or else she was going to end up an old woman with twenty-two cats.

  What did they know?

  She will admit that the latest round of guys she had come across were real winners and she just wasn’t interested. Sabrina couldn’t help it if the guys she met recently were pissed that she made more money or had a bigger job. That was their issue not hers. She didn’t need the added burden of making them feel better about themselves when it came to her. She had worked hard for a long time, made a lot of sacrifices and earned every promotion through blood, sweat and some tears. If the guys she was with found that intimidating, screw them. Besides, she already had a serious relationship and she wanted no part of another one.

  Maybe Lacey and Michelle were right. Maybe she would end up alone. Well, being alone was better than being with someone who you had to babysit or “dummy-down” things to make a guy feel better.

  Then there was Troy. Her ex-fiancée was a really great guy. She just knew he loved her so much more than she loved him and that didn’t seem right. So she broke it off.

  So she turned her attention to the place that she always did when this stuff came up, to her horses. The world made sense only when she was on the back of a horse, galloping to a big jump. She had ridden her whole life. She was her calmest when she was on a big, talented jumper navigating her way around a course. It was only during these times that everything else in her demanding world went away. Her whole focus was the horse and the jump in front of her at that moment.

  The challenge in front of her right now was the stable she chose for the horses. Sabrina could let a number of things slide but where her horses lived was not one of them. She had spent two whole days scouting different facilities and interviewing the staff and trainers. She chose one she thought would be great.

  The facility was state-of –the-art. It had a large heated indoor arena for cold days. It had good footing in the outdoor arenas. There were lots of paddocks where the horses could be turned out throughout the day. There was a treadmill and a hot walker on-site in the event that a horse was injured and needed rehabilitation. The grooms caring for the horses were very knowledgeable. The trainer, Lewis, also seemed to know what he was doing. He had won a bunch of competitions and taught a number of winners. There was a second trainer, Zach, but he wasn’t there the day she came.

  Chapter 2

  It was Zach who was now the cause of her frustration. He was the latest snafu. He had just text her and told her that there was a problem with the shipping company and that the horses wouldn’t arrive until Monday. That’s three days later than she had planned! She was furious. She got the text message while running from one meeting to the next and hadn’t a chance to call him before now.

  “Zach, this is Sabrina. What is this about the horses not arriving until Saturday? That’s totally unacceptable. When I told Lewis you all could handle the transportation of getting them to your facility, I was assured that it would be handled correctly. Now, you have made arrangements later than what I wanted? Is this how you people operate? Is this what I can expect from your operation going forward because it’s not what I want and I want to know right now. If this is a fly-by-night operation, let me know before my horses even hit their stalls in your barn.”

  Sabrina was pacing and anticipating some song and dance that would look to appease her. She was used to people rolling over at her will and she didn’t tolerate incompetence.

  “Did you hear me?” Sabrina asked.

  “Yes, I heard you.” Zach answered with a quiet but steely response.

  Zach was working on stuffing his temper down and was taking a moment to collect himself so he didn’t bite her head off. This one was going to be a handful. He hadn’t met this new client but he already didn’t like her. Her nasty text back to him when he let her know about the delay in the horses arriving was not a good start. Now, she had jumped down his throat and insulted him without saying hello or taking a breath.

  “If you heard me then what the hell are you waiting for?” Sabrina shot out.

  “I’m waiting for you to get all your insults out so we can have a civil conversation about the care of your horses and what is best for them. I assume that is what you would be most interested in?” Zach asked calmly.

  “Well, of course, I care about the horses, which is why I am so pissed off!!! I came to your facility and interviewed the staff. You were not there, I might add. I checked references of past clients and made sure your operation was first class. But clearly not!” Sabrina nearly shouted.

  “Did it ever occur to you to ask why they were being delayed?” asked Zach.

  “Clearly it’s because you didn’t get on it soon enough.” Sabrina snarled.

  “Are you always so quick to judge and be nasty?” asked Zach, still coming across calm and serene which only infuriated Sabrina more.

  “Did you really just call your new client nasty!!” Sabrina asked incredulously.

  “Yes.”

  “I cannot believe you. I cannot believe the lack of regard you have for your clients! If I had discovered any of this before now, I would never have agreed to send my horses to you. I have a very demanding job and expect that the people I hire do their job. I expect the professionals I hire to be courteous and respectful. I cannot believe I was swindled into thinking your operation was worthy of me or my horses with the treatment I am getting now.” What had she done? Sabrina wondered. She couldn’t believe she had been so wrong in choosing this stable.

  “Well, here’s the thing you need to know about me Ms. Sabrina. The health and welfare of the horses are my top concern. You are secondary. Always. I made a call based on that and if you don’t like it, you can call the transportation company and have them brought some where else.” Zach waited to see what she would say because for him, her answer would be very telling.

  “What do you mean you made a call based on the health and welfare of my horses? What’s going on?” asked Sabrina, sounding very concerned.

  “Oh, you want to ask the reason for the delay now instead of jumping down my throat?” Zach said, sounding a bit smug.

  “Yes, damn it. Is there a problem with the horses?” demanded Sabrina.

  Chapter 3

  Sabrina’s demeanor changed at once. Her biting tone changed to concern. That gave Zach pause. She actually was concerned about the horses. The least he could do was give her an answer. But he was serious. She should call the shipping company and have them taken some place else. He didn’t care what Lewis said about her as a rider or the four talented horses she was bringing in…they didn’t need this aggravation!

  “The driver called and said there was a bad storm coming at them. He wanted to know if I thought he should continue through or put up at a farm we know of that provides good care. The driver recommended not continuing because it was getting dicey. He thought it would put them behind a day,” explained Zach.

  “Because of
that, they would be going through border control on Saturday, which is the worst day. Instead of 45 minutes of inspection on a good day, a trailer could sit in line for 10 hours, which isn’t good for the horses. It would make their 24-hour drive close to 35 hours. Sundays are pretty much the same but Monday mornings are a great time to go through so we decided the horses should lay over a few days to avoid the stress of being on the trailer for that length of time.” Zach waited to see how Sabrina would play this.

  She had heard about that storm. It was wreaking havoc across Canada. She hadn’t realized it would have an impact on the horses being shipped. It’s so stressful for them being on the trailer that long. Actually, it was great that they knew of a good facility where the horses could rest until the storm passed and get through border control at a more suitable time.

  She wished she had known this before launching into her rant. And it was a rant. She had simmered down while listening to what had happened and immediately shifted her concern to the welfare of the horses. Damn. She looked like an ass. How was she going to bounce back from this?

  “Well you should have said that in the first place.” Sabrina said but without any of the force she previously had.

  “I didn’t have an hour to write a novel in the text message I sent you which is why I sent one that said that the horses are fine but will be delayed for their best interest and to please call when you had a chance so I can explain.” Zack replied.

  She pulled her phone away from her ear, quickly flipped to the text. Yep. There it was…‘For their best interest’. She didn’t see that part because she saw red when reading they were going to be delayed.

  Zach didn’t say anything. He knew she was looking at the text message. What would she do now? He knew her type. She would continue to bull doze her way foreword, blaming him and not take responsibility.

  “Zach, I owe you an apology. Those horses are the most important things in my life. I am nervous about them going into a new situation and I guess I was waiting for a problem. When I read they were going to be delayed. I jumped to the wrong conclusion without reading the rest of the message.” Sabrina offered, a bit more softly.

  Well, well. That was not what he expected. Now Zach was quiet.

  “Zach, did you hear me?” The bristle was back in her tone.

  So she was one who would own up to a mistake but didn’t like it. Interesting.

  “I heard you. I accept your apology.” Zach responded slowly.

  He may accept it but he’s not going to make it easy for her. If he let her think she can run right over him, she would keep doing it as soon as her Parlanti boots hit the driveway.

  “Well. Ok. Good. Moving on. This new timing is disappointing because I now won’t be able to be there when the trailer arrives because I will be in Singapore for a meeting. My plans were to be there for their arrival and fly to Singapore that night. I could possibly postpone my trip but that will create some issues for me. I’m starting a new job.” Sabrina explained.

  Maybe now we are getting to the heart of her frustration, thought Zach.

  “Sabrina, don’t change your plans. The horses are going to need rest when they arrive, as you well know. I’ll personally greet the van when they arrive and I’ll take a picture of each one and send it to you. When are you back from Singapore?”

  “I’m back Thursday.”

  “Well, that will be perfect. They will arrive Monday evening and will have two days rest. We’ll turn them out those two days all day and they will be rested and ready when you arrive on Thursday.” Zach said as he laid out the plan.

  There was something about Zach’s voice that was very calming. And he was being very gracious moving on from her tirade when she had been dead wrong. Maybe she chose the right place for the boys after all.

  “Ok, Zach. That sounds like a good plan. I’ll be there Thursday after work. Lewis and I spoke about doing a lesson on each of the horses so that he could get a sense of them and my riding. Is that still on? Did Lewis mention anything about teaching me on Thursday?” Sabrina inquired.

  “Well, actually, that’s something else I needed to talk to you about.”

  Shit. What now? She was looking forward to her lessons on Thursday and couldn’t imagine what was going to be the issue now, Sabrina thought.

  Zach paused. No attack yet. He proceeded slowly.

  “Lewis was riding one of our young stallions. That stallion is going to be the winner but that stallion has a mind of his own. He put the brakes on at a fence and Lewis went flying. I haven’t seen him fall off in years but off he went. Unfortunately, he ended up breaking his left leg and right arm in the fall. He can’t even get around on crutches or a cane because of it. The doctor told him to plan on being in the house for about 6-8 weeks and doing rehab there. So, you can either wait for his return or you can work with me.” Zach finished.

  He could hear her thinking through the phone, which made him smile. What would she do? He felt bad for his partner but he was feeling worse for himself at the moment having to deal with this diva.

  Sabrina had known of Zach’s success in the show ring. He won several World Cups and was known internationally as a very successful Grand Prix rider. She also knew he didn’t train many people. She had read in a few articles that explained that he wasn’t interested in training people but would rather spend his time training horses. Horses don’t talk back according to him. Hmmm. What would she be getting herself into? But then again, she didn’t want to put everything on hold to wait for Lewis’ return.

  “I thought I heard you didn’t train people, only horses.” Sabrina replied.

  He smiled. She’s sharp, he thought.

  “I’ve been known to train under special circumstances. Lewis was sick over you coming in and this situation happening. He begged me to take you on as a client.” Zach explained.

  “He begged you?” Sabrina asked with a little annoyance coming through the phone.

  “Well, yes. Actually. And I owed him a favor.”

  “So I’m a favor?” Sabrina probed, getting annoyed again.

  “Ms. Sabrina. I’m happy to work with you to help my partner out. I don’t know you so I have to go on his word when he says it will be worth my effort. The truth is I don’t like working with people as much as I do the horses. But, I have made exceptions in the past. I would be happy to work with you and help a friend. If you want me to... If you don’t, I understand and you can wait for Lewis’ return.” Zach finished thinking she would decline after his polite but intentionally off-putting remark.

  She was quiet again. Which way would she go with this? It’s not like they got off to a great start. And truthfully, it would be better for him if she just waited and rode on her own until Lewis was back. He didn’t need the aggravation of a high maintenance client. He had a bunch of young horses he needed to move along.

  “I’ll do it. Let’s start Thursday with the same plan that I had with Lewis, which is to do a lesson on each so you can see the horses go and see how I ride. Does that work for you?” asked Sabrina.

  She heard him sigh. That made her blood boils again a bit. Seriously? He’s going to sigh at the thought of working with her. Damn him.

  “Ok, Ms. Sabrina. See you Thursday.” Zach replied.

  “Zach?” asked Sabrina.

  “Yes?”

  “Its just Sabrina.” she said slowly, controlling her tone. She wanted to lash out at him because she was pretty sure he was pushing her buttons but didn’t want to give him the satisfaction of another outburst.

  “Ok. Sa-bri-na.” Dragging out her name intentionally.

  “Whatever you wish, Sabrina.” Zach replied with a smile in his voice.

  He heard her give a short huff before she clicked off the phone.

  What kind of ride was this going to be? He wondered, still smiling to himself.

  Chapter 4

  The return flight from Singapore was a bitch. Great airline but seventeen hours trapped in a plane was tough. She did
work on the plane as well as read and slept so by the time they landed, she was ready to go. Sabrina hopped in her car, put the top down and pulled out of the airport parking lot. All of her attention was focused on getting to the stables as fast as she could.

  She was glad to be back and anxious to get riding. She took advantage of the convertible top being down to clear her mind. She loved the feeling of freedom that driving in the convertible gave her, whipping the wind through her hair. Similar to the exhilaration she experienced when riding, in some ways.

  She had replayed the conversation with Zach in her mind a few times while she was traveling and she decided that he needed to be more excited about working with her. She had really talented horses and she herself was a very good rider. Maybe not the world cup winner that Zach was but she could get around a course and had lots of wins under her belt. The gall of that guy! He may be a good rider, but at the end of the day, that’s all he was. A rider. He’ll need to be reminded of that.