Leave Tomorrow Behind (Stella Crown Series) Read online

  The first of Zach’s group paraded into the ring, and we all sat up straighter, watching for our friends. Austin was the first we saw, with Zach entering a few calves behind him. He looked very handsome in his whites, which Taylor appreciated, if the way she clutched her program meant anything. Laura showed up several calves later, with Randy directly behind her.

  The calves were all beautiful, their coats glossy and combed to perfection. Barnabas, in particular, had never looked better. Zach had worked wonders with our ordinary, non-genetically planned calf. Zach led from Barnabas’ left side, his right hand holding the halter rope, his left his show stick. They filed into their spot, and Zach used his stick to gently prod Barnabas’ feet into straight, square positioning. He then rubbed the stick on Barnabas’ belly, to ease any nerves he might be suffering. I didn’t see any nerves, though. Barnabas looked like he might as well be standing in his stall back at home. Sleeping.

  Austin’s Halladay fared just as well, and I remembered the pride in Austin’s voice as he described his “lucky” calf. Austin wore his whites well, although he looked awfully pale. Probably because he didn’t eat a bite of that lunch he’d bought. Even with the vampire impression, I couldn’t help but notice the difference a couple of years made. Where Zach was gangly and just growing into his nose, Austin had matured to the point he looked like a man. It was time for him to be done with 4-H and move on to other things. He was ready.

  He needed to be ready, because Melody Gregg’s calf was gorgeous. Melody’s showmanship wasn’t up to Austin’s standard, but that didn’t matter in this category, where the judges were looking at the calves themselves. Her champion looked every bit of one, from his high, straight back, to his straight, strong legs, and wide, even hips. He walked right along with her, not minding her unsure—and lazy—hold on his halter, and when it came his turn to take his place in line, he placed his feet like a veteran, which he was. I wondered what Gregg had paid for him, and whether it was worth it to him. Maybe that depended on whether he won or not. Or maybe just whether or not Melody was a pouty mess when it was all over.

  Randy’s calf gave him a little trouble, jumping around, but it looked like it just wanted to play, not that it was scared. He tried rubbing its stomach, but eventually gave up and took a firmer grip on the halter rope. The calf would calm soon, and as I said, this wasn’t the showmanship portion of judging, so it didn’t matter as much as it could. Randy, being the kind of kid he was, would be able to weather it.

  Laura and her calf were another story. The girl was obviously still feeling anxious from the past hour with the detective, as well as from her realization of what she might have witnessed, and that had transferred to her calf, who skittered sideways, colliding with Randy and his calf. Randy jumped, yelping and hopping on one foot. Ouch. Even with a yearling, that was a lot of weight when it landed on your tender bones. My foot throbbed with a sympathetic pain. Laura pulled her calf away, apologizing to Randy, then walked Bunny forward, out of the line. She circled around again to the back of the group, re-positioning herself and her calf in their assigned spot, next to Randy. Bunny’s eyes rolled, and he balked, turning his hind end in a half circle, with Laura’s grip on his halter rope as the center point. Randy and his calf avoided contact this time.

  “Why doesn’t someone help her?” Taylor asked me.

  “They can’t. It’s all on Laura. At least this event is about the calf, and not about Laura’s performance. The next one is the one on their showmanship, so this would have been a disaster for her and for Randy.” I was proud of Randy for how he’d recovered from the incident. Looking at him, I’d never know anything had even happened. He’d turned his back on Laura and her calf, focused totally on his own thing. His calf was calm now, standing squarely, eyes forward.

  Taylor gripped her knees so hard I thought she might cut off circulation to her feet, but I liked that she felt so much compassion for a girl she’d just met. Zach, I was sure, would have been worried, too, if he’d been in the stands, but he had his own little guy to think about, and was so focused on keeping him happy and still I don’t think he’d even seen what happened.

  The judge began walking up and down the line, studying the calves, viewing their heads and faces. He then walked behind them, checking them out from the rear. I knew he was looking at the structure of their hips and hind legs. These male babies wouldn’t be having their own calves, of course, but their bloodlines would determine future generations of dairy cows, so the judge wanted to see straight, wide bones, and excellent symmetry.

  When the judge returned to the front of the line, the ring men had the kids begin walking around the arena. Soon the whole lot of them were parading in a circle, with the judge taking a look at the calves’ feet, and the way their bodies moved as they walked. Laura’s calf had calmed down, probably because of Laura’s own demeanor, and by getting some action going, instead of standing in a static line. Seeing that Laura and Bunny would be okay, I switched my focus to the others.

  Zach was doing great, Barnabas meandering along in his usual carefree style, like he wouldn’t want to be anywhere else. He was almost too casual, flirting with the crowd, like he should have been participating in the Lovely Miss Pennsylvania pageant, instead. I couldn’t help but laugh, and pointed him out to Nick.

  Austin’s calf was living up to expectations, striding purposefully, head high, following Austin’s lead exactly. He really was a beautiful calf, and seeing him in the ring showed him off. I hadn’t really taken the time to check him out in his stall, and realized I’d overlooked his star potential. He would make a fine stud someday, with his beautiful dairy characteristics.

  Randy’s calf, the other one from my farm, walked along smoothly enough, but while he was a fine calf, he certainly wasn’t of the same caliber as Austin’s. Randy could maybe end up in the top ten, but I couldn’t see him placing any higher than fifth or sixth.

  Melody Gregg’s calf…well, he was perfect. She, on the other hand, looked like she’d rather be somewhere clean, preferably without livestock.

  “Who is that?” Miranda’s shocked voice pierced the air.

  I followed her gaze across the ring, and it didn’t take me long to see Summer, in all her plastic glory, surrounded by a posse of fans, including her mother, a couple of less flamboyant girls, and her boobs, which were large enough to count as people.

  I laughed. “That’s Nick’s new girlfriend.”

  His arm tensed behind me. “Stella…”

  “Oh, stop it, Nick, she knows I’m kidding.”

  “Seriously,” Miranda said,“who is she?”

  I glanced at Taylor, who was watching Zach with such concentration I didn’t think she heard our conversation. Ah, to be so young and tunnel-visioned.

  “Her name is Summer. She’s a contestant in the Lovely Miss Pennsylvania pageant. We met her and her lovely mother yesterday, when the girl tried to abduct Nick by stuffing him into her cleavage.”

  “Does she look…like that up close?”

  “Worse. And I’m fairly certain the only real thing about her is maybe her earlobes. And those are disguised by earrings.”

  “You mean—”

  “Nose, lips, hair, boobs. As far as I could tell without touching her—” I shuddered “—it’s all been altered.”

  “Is that legal?”

  “If your mother condones it, I guess. And if you know the right people.”

  “Or the wrong ones.”

  “Exactly. Summer thought Nick was pretty special. Gave him his very own pretty-please invitation to come to the pageant.”

  “And how did you respond to this invitation, Nick?”

  Nick looked very pointedly at the calves in the ring. “Not participating in this conversation.”

  “Why not?”

  “It’s creepy.”

  The judge began reorganizing the calves, until he had them in the order he preferred. Zach and Barnabas stood at what looked like a respectable fifth place, Laura at ninth,
and Randy further down the line. Too bad, but that’s the way it went when you took charge of a calf at birth and had no idea what to expect. Good care and loving can only go so far.

  The only two places the judge seemed unsure of were the ones on the top end of the line. Austin’s Halladay, and Melody Gregg’s calf. At this point, Melody’s calf stood in the Grand Champion slot, with Austin’s in Reserve. Austin stood straight, his shoulders high, eyes following the judge as he moved. Melody watched the judge, too, but with a more casual air, as if she already knew she had it won. Made me want to smack some sense into her. Or feed her some lemons. Obviously, I wouldn’t do either. But it was fun to fantasize about.

  The judge was taking his time, walking around the calves, leaning over for better angles, holding out his hands as a primitive measuring tool. He stood in front of the calves, hand on his chin, head swiveling back and forth.

  “Come on,” Taylor said. “Come on, come on, come on…”

  Finally, the judge stepped back and nodded, gesturing to the officials that he had the order the way he wanted it. Crap.

  Austin’s shoulders remained high, but now his chin thrust out, and I could see his eyes blazing even from that distance. Reserve Champion was amazing, but not when you lost Grand Champion to a girl who hadn’t touched her calf more than a few times, and then, only when she had to. And when her dad had bought her the win.

  The older Gregg girls were already up and moving away, followed by the guy who’d been sitting next to them. Mrs. Gregg was smiling and clapping, obviously glad their money paid off. Gregg himself looked smug, and just as smackable as his daughter. Only difference was, with him I could see myself actually following through with the daydream.

  Chapter Twenty-three

  Taylor skipped ahead as we made our way back to the barn, and was already waiting at Zach’s stall when we arrived. He and Barnabas showed up several minutes later, brandishing their pink ribbon.

  “Ooh, Zachy! Fifth place!” Taylor hugged him, and he hugged her back, careful not to squish his prize.

  “Yes, Zachy,” I said. “Great job.”

  He smiled and bumped my fist. “It’s your ribbon, too.”

  “Nah. I mean, thanks, but you did all the work.”

  “Yeah, I know, but I wanted to make you feel included.”

  “Great job, Zach.” Nick shook Zach’s hand, before Taylor could claim him again.

  “Come on, boy.” Zach led Barnabas forward, and the calf good-naturedly entered his stall and nosed around for the water bucket.

  Miranda stepped back, closer to Austin’s stall, and tried to avoid contact with Zach or his calf. She glanced at her watch, and I wondered why she had even come back to the fair if she hated it so much. “Quality time” was only worth it if you made it that way.

  “Way to go, Barnabas.” I patted his back after the gate shut. “You’re a good boy.”

  He shook his head and snuffled.

  “So,” I said to Zach, “you displaying the ribbon? Or keeping it safe somewhere?”

  “Putting it up, for sure.” He scootched past Barnabas and attached the ribbon to the boards. “Looks good, doesn’t it?”

  Taylor clapped. “It’s great!”

  Nick grinned. “The pink matches Mallory’s poster.”

  Zach shook his head. “You’re killing me, man.”

  “Speak of the devil,” Miranda said.

  Mallory and Brady pushed through the crowd of returning calves and exhibitors. “Hey, bro, good job.”

  “Thanks, Mal.”

  “Where were you guys?” I asked. “I didn’t see you over there.”

  “We were in the back, behind some epically nasty girl. I swear nothing about her was real.”

  I glanced at Nick. “Was she, um…”

  “Disgusting?” Mallory said. “Yes.”

  “What did you think, Brady?”

  His ears went pink. “She was, uh, interesting.”

  Nick coughed, “Leave it,” into his hand, and I figured I’d save Brady any further embarrassment. “Randy okay?” I asked Zach.

  He shrugged. “He’s fine. I don’t think he really expected much. He did all right. At least he wasn’t last.”

  Austin arrived at his stall, and led Halladay inside. He didn’t bring an entourage with him. Just his calf and his light purple banner, which I knew would say Reserve Champion.

  “What about that boy who lost out on Grand Champion?” Miranda said. Her back was to Austin, and, not surprisingly, she didn’t recognize our wide eyes, or even the finger I slashed across my throat. “Isn’t he a friend of yours, Zach?” she yammered on. “That had to suck, losing to that girl.”

  “It did.”

  Miranda spun around at the sound of Austin’s voice. “Oh. Sorry.”

  “I’m sorry, too, Austin,” Mallory said. She knew him from school, where they were in the same grade. “You should’ve won. Your calf is awesome.”

  “Thanks, Mal.” He rolled up his banner and stuck it in the footlocker he kept at the end of the stall. I didn’t blame him for not hanging it up. He’d been hoping for the dark purple one, and it had to bite to lose to a girl he knew didn’t deserve it. Maybe later in the week he’d feel more like displaying what was, in reality, quite an achievement.

  “You still have the showmanship event, right?” Taylor said. “Isn’t that what you told me?”

  “Yeah, but this is the one I really wanted.”

  No response to that.

  Taylor’s phone broke the awkward silence with a cheerful bird tweet. She checked it, and made a sad face. “I gotta go. Rehearsal for tomorrow night. You are all coming, right?”

  Everyone made the appropriate noises, except for me. I wasn’t yet so taken with the girl I was willing to sit through that kind of torture. Especially if it meant I had to see more of Summer. Literally. Wasn’t there a swimsuit segment with pageants? I didn’t think I could take it. Taylor left after extracting a promise from Zach that he’d still be around when she was done for the day.

  Mallory was next to go. “Brady and I are heading over to watch that dog show they’re putting on in the domestic pets building. Anybody want to come?”

  Nobody did, so the two of them took off. Bobby and Claire came by then, to offer their congratulations to Zach, and their consolation to Austin. Claire hung back, as usual, checking out the crowd. Probably looking for Taylor, poor kid. When it was clear her competition was absent, she moved closer to Zach. “You did really great.”

  He smiled at her. “Thanks. Barnabas was awesome.”

  “Yeah.” She reached in and petted the calf, who gazed up at her with adoring eyes. “You were good, too, though. You’ll do great in the showmanship competition on Thursday.”

  “Thanks. Barnabas makes it easy.”

  “Stupid Greggs,” Bobby said. “Too bad that lemon didn’t get into the calf’s food later in the day, huh, Austin?”

  Austin’s head snapped up. “What?”

  “You know. The lemon, the one that made him drool all over. Too bad whoever did it didn’t wait till later today. Then he might not have been in the judging at all.”

  “Then none of the calves might have been in it,” I reminded him. “The whole barn could have been quarantined.”

  “Oh. Right. Well, anyway, our judging’s tomorrow. We’ll try to kick the Gregg girls’ butts for you.”

  Austin turned away. “Yeah, you do that.” Not like he cared. It wouldn’t change anything for his results. And Bobby didn’t really have the cow to back up his words. Claire, however, had a chance. It was big of her not to mention it just then.

  “Hey,” I said. “Were any of you in here last night late?”

  “Like how late?” Bobby said.

  “I don’t know. Eleven-thirty. Midnight.”

  “We were out on the rides. We saw you, remember? We were on the Ferris wheel.”

  “Right. How about you, Austin?”

  He didn’t answer, his head down as he scooped some
droppings from Halladay’s wood chips.

  “Why are you wondering?” Claire said.

  Bobby rolled his eyes. “Duh. That’s when Rikki Raines was getting dumped in our manure trailer.”

  Zach winced. “Geez, Bobby.”

  “Sorry. I didn’t mean…whatever.”

  Claire frowned. “You think we had something to do with it?”

  “No.” I gave a little laugh. “I do not think you did anything to Rikki Raines. I just thought, if you were here, maybe you saw something. Or someone.”

  “But there are always people around here. How would we know if something was different?”