Free Giving Chase (A Racing Romance) (Aspen Valley Series #2) by Hannah Hooton Page A

again?
    ‘For your father,’ Pippa provided. ‘And I thought that was a lovely reason—the best, in fact. It’s got nothing to do with personal conquest or personal gain. It seems to me everyone wants to win for themselves . But you don’t. Your reasons are completely unselfish.’
    Frankie’s cheeks tinged with heat.
    ‘Well, I don’t know about that,’ she said. ‘I mean, there would be some sense of personal achievement.’
    ‘How would you like to ride Peace Offering in the Grand National?’
    Frankie’s vital organs shut down. Her lungs refused to draw in oxygen. She was sure her already fragile heart had given up the ghost. Her brain couldn’t connect basic thought sequences together. Had she heard correctly? She couldn’t possibly have.
    ‘Frankie, are you there?’
    ‘Ye–yes, I think so. Sorry, Pippa, could you repeat what you just said? I think I might have misheard you.’
    Pippa laughed.
    ‘I said would you like to be Peace Offering’s jockey in next year’s Grand National?’ she said, her voice slow and deliberate.
    ‘Really?’ Frankie laughed in joyous disbelief. ‘Oh my God, yes! Yes, most definitely I do! Are you sure? No—don’t answer that. Oh my God!’
    ‘I watched the racing today. I saw you take a fall. Yet you picked yourself up and dusted yourself off then came back and won the next race. That’s a very brave thing to do, in my opinion. And I think you need that to ride in the National.’
    Frankie’s whirring thoughts barely registered what she was saying.
    ‘You want me to ride Peace Offering in the National?’ she squeaked. A sudden thought occurred to her. ‘What about Jack? What does he think about this? What about Rhys?’
    ‘Hmm, yeah. Jack and Rhys,’ Pippa said evasively. ‘Well, I haven’t actually told Jack yet. The National’s still a few months away. I’m going to wait for the right moment, I think.’
    Frankie’s spirits sank. Jack would surely overrule Pippa when he discovered what they’d agreed to. Pippa was quick to fill in her despondent silence.
    ‘Peace Offering’s my horse though, remember. I’m free to choose whichever jockey I want to ride my horse. Rhys might need to employ someone to polish his trophies every day, but Jack certainly wouldn’t have hired you as an Aspen Valley jockey if he didn’t think you were good.’
    Confidence restored once more, Frankie grinned.
    ‘Oh boy, Pippa. Thank you! Thank you so much!’
    *
    Their conversation over, Frankie stared at the kitchen cupboards without seeing them. Her phone lay limp in her hand. Then it hit her. She was going to ride the favourite in the Grand National . With a gasp, she burst back into the lounge. Doug looked up, startled.
    ‘I’ve just been given Peace Offering to ride in the National,’ she cried.
    Doug blinked at her, his face a mixture of shock, delight and fear.
    ‘The National?’ he choked out at last. ‘Are you sure?’
    ‘Yes! Isn’t it amazing?’ Frankie sprinted to the doorway leading to the basement salon and hollered down the stairs, ‘Mum! Mum! Come quick!’
    ‘Not the Foxhunters Chase for amateurs?’ Doug said. ‘You might be getting confused. It’s run over the same course, but the National has mostly professionals riding in it.’
    ‘No, she definitely said the National. That’s the race Peace Offering’s favourite for.’ Frankie skipped around the room.
    ‘But—’
    ‘What’s happened? What’s wrong?’ Vanessa Cooper clung to the doorframe trying to get her breath back. Her thick dark curls were held back by a bandana reading “I rocked with Rod – Wembley ’78” and her too tight jeans were unfashionably torn.
    ‘I’ve been given Peace Offering to ride in the National,’ Frankie squeaked. ‘Isn’t that wonderful?’
    Vanessa looked overjoyed and confused at the same time.
    ‘Who’s given you a peace offering, darling? That certainly is wonderful!’
    ‘No! Peace Offering, the horse! The favourite!’
    ‘The