The Prize by Stacy Gregg Read Free Book Online Page B

aerodynamics and cool steel. Dominic Blackwell pressed a button and the sleek sliding doors eased back.
    â€œI’ve got nine horses in work,” he told the girls. “The feeding schedule must be kept precisely. All loose boxes and equipment must be maintained to a meticulous standard. Blackwell runs a tight ship!”
    Georgie looked around the stalls. The horses were gorgeous and the place was immaculate.
    â€œHow many other grooms work here?”
    â€œNormally I have three or four grooms,” Dominic Blackwell hesitated, “but at the moment, Blackwell is having a few… staffing issues.”
    â€œOh,” Georgie said. “So how many other grooms are there right now?”
    â€œAs of this moment?” Dominic Blackwell raised both hands and pointed at Georgie and Kennedy. “Two.”
    â€œJust us?” Georgie squeaked. “Looking after all of this?”
    â€œRight! Follow me…” Dominic Blackwell ignored her comment and began to stride through the stables, giving a whirlwind tour. “The haylage is kept in the outdoor barn. The horses are boxed 24/7 and require four feeds a day. All feed formulations are written up on the whiteboard in the tack room. All tack must be polished before being put away. Hooves must be oiled and Stockholm tarred each night. Manes must be pulled and kept no longer than ten centimetres or a handspan wide and tails bobbed at the hocks. I like my horses plaited for events and I always require quartermarkers with my initials on their rumps…”
    The list of duties and the exacting way in which Dominic Blackwell wanted the tasks around the yard executed seemed to be endless and incredibly complicated. Georgie grabbed the notebook and pen out of her backpack and scribbled as fast as she could, taking copious notes on Dominic Blackwell’s likes and dislikes, and the various requirements of his nine horses.
    Kennedy, meanwhile, wandered along like she was being given a tour of a particularly dull museum, barely looking at the exhibits as she strolled through. She was ignoring everything that Dominic was telling them; a fact that hadn’t escaped him. When she gave a theatrical yawn as he was explaining the routine for mucking out the boxes, he finally called her on it.
    â€œI’m sorry, Kelly,” Dominic glared at her, “but if my little tour is boring you, perhaps you’d like to return to the Academy and we can finish this apprenticeship right now before it’s even started?”
    Kennedy gazed back at her new boss with supreme confidence.
    â€œMy name isn’t Kelly,” she said. “It’s Kennedy – Kennedy Kirkwood. I believe you know my stepmother, Patricia Kirkwood?”
    Suddenly, Dominic Blackwell’s whole demeanour changed. His frown disappeared and was replaced by a charming smile.
    â€œPatricia Kirkwood’s stepdaughter!” he said gaily. “Well, imagine that! And how is darling Patricia these days?”
    â€œVery well, thank you,” Kennedy replied. “She’s been sponsoring Hans Schockelmann the showjumper for a long time now, as you probably know. She just bought a new horse for him to ride. His name is Tantalus. He’s worth…”
    â€œ$15 million,” Dominic Blackwell finished her sentence. “Hans Schockelmann is one of my great rivals on the circuit of course. Blackwell would love to be given the ride on Tantalus. Do let your stepmother know that Blackwell has the best stables in the Northern Hemisphere and Blackwell is available should she ever want to change her sponsorship at any stage in the future.”
    â€œThank you, Dominic,” Kennedy said. “That’s so sweet of you! As you might have guessed I do hold a lot of influence with my stepmother. She’s really excited about this apprenticeship and is very keen that I do well on my placement.”
    â€œWell, I’m sure your stepmother won’t be