The A Circuit 04- Rein It In by Georgina Bloomberg Page B

that’s exactly what I’m going to do.”
    “Pull the blogger’s hair out?” Summer sounded alarmed.
    “Maybe.” Zara shot her a wicked grin. “But first, I’m going to figure out who’s behind that freaking blog and out them to the world!”

    Tommi wasn’t paying much attention to the conversation going on around her. She was focused on the coming class. Her hunter, Toccata, was a rock star over jumps, and he definitely had the movement to do well in the hack, too. But sometimes it was a challenge to keep him focused in a ring full of other horses. Tommi only hoped she was up to that challenge this time. They’d done well enough over fences that she was fairly confident that there would be a champion or reserve champion in it for them if they placed anywhere in the top six in the under saddle.
    “We’d better get a move on,” she said, pulling on her gloves. “I want to make sure Toccata gets to take a look around before the class starts.”
    “I’m ready.” Marissa let out a nervous giggle. “Here goes nothing!”
    “Don’t worry, Miles will take care of you.” Fitz gave Marissa’s horse a fond slap on the neck. “Now get out there and kick some butt, you two!”
    Soon Tommi and Marissa were mounted and walking their horses toward the gate of the outdoor ring where the class wasbeing held. The day was overcast but warm, and the horses seemed happy to be outside. “Hold up,” Kate said, hurrying over to wipe Tommi’s boots.
    “Thanks.” Tommi flashed her a smile, grateful as always for her friend’s attention to detail. Then she reached forward and gave Toccata a stroke on the neck. “Let’s go get ’em, baby.”
    She rode into the ring, automatically guiding Toccata to an open spot on the rail while scanning the competition. Most of the riders’ faces were familiar from seeing them in the division all year, though there were also quite a few from other parts of the country who only came east for the big shows. Tommi’s gaze caught on one particular member of the latter group. It was Scott, the guy she’d noticed in the eq last weekend.
    Interesting. She hadn’t seen all of yesterday’s jumping trips and hadn’t realized he was in this division. Her gaze lingered on him as he sent his horse, a big, elegant chestnut with a crooked blaze and four high whites, into a gorgeous daisy-cutting trot. Nice.
    Then Tommi heard hoofbeats coming up fast behind her. She glanced back just in time to steer Toccata to the inside and avoid a fast-moving gray with a wild look in its eyes and a nervous girl in the tack.
    “Sorry!” the rider on the gray called in a shaky voice as she thundered past.
    Tommi took a deep breath and half-halted, making sure Toccata was still with her. That had been close, and Tommi knew she’d better not let herself get distracted again. Toccata was way too easily rattled for her to lose focus just because a cute guy went trotting past.
    The PA system clicked on, causing Toccata to spurt forward. “Walk, please, all walk,” the announcer said.
    “Here we go,” Tommi whispered, glancing around to make sure she was in a clear spot where the judge could see Toccata’s beautiful gait.
    From that point on, her famous focus took over—mostly. Once or twice, Tommi couldn’t resist seeking out Scott Papadakis to see how he was doing. His horse was just as fancy as she’d thought, and Scott was skilled enough to show off his mount to his very best advantage. If the pair had done anywhere near as well over fences, Tommi knew they’d give her and Toccata some competition for those championship ribbons.
    At the end of the class, Tommi found herself next to Scott in the lineup. He gave his horse a pat, then smiled over at her. “You’re Tommi Aaronson, right?” he said. “You were looking good out there.”
    “Thanks. You too.” Tommi returned his smile. “Nice horse.”
    Before Scott could respond, the announcer started reading off the placings. Marissa finished out of