Page 90 of The Trouble with Anna

They charged past the half-mile mark, and Anna risked another glance over her shoulder. Hartley was still holding Eclipse and she could see the horse hated it. He struggled for the bit, burning energy by the second.

She could only hope he burned enough.

Anna whipped her head back around, calculating madly. Archer was running like a dream, but did she dare push him? How long could he bear this pace?

A little more, she urged the horse,just a little more.

They flashed past the starting line.

One lap down, one lap to go.

“ONE MINUTE FORTY-FIVE SECONDS!” William yelled.

Anna caught the numbers over the howls in the stands, but they couldn’t possibly be right. One minute forty-five seconds for the first mile?

That was flying, not racing.

Damn. Damn!They were on pace to beat Archer’s fastest time ever.

Of all the stupid, reckless—

She’d asked too much from Archer and half the race was still ahead of them. There was no point in harassing Eclipse if Archer had nothing left for the final push.

Anna gripped the reins hard to keep herself from screaming. Each stride jolted through her bones, each second ticked closer to defeat. All Hartley had to do was hold pace and wait while Archer blew himself out, and Eclipse would streak past them to the finish line.

A flicker over Anna’s right shoulder told her something had changed. She kept her body loose and her eyes on her line, but she could feel strength building beside her. Her blood quickened.

Hartley had made his move. Early, much too early!

Eclipse churned up toward her with the power and speed of a rockslide. Archer’s pace was brutal but Eclipse showed no signs he felt it. The great horse slid up tight beside them to make them acknowledge his dominance.

That’s right. Bring your tricks, my boy.

When Eclipse was up on Archer’s shoulder, Anna took her chance. She nudged Archer into the other horse, forcing Eclipse to go wide. There was barely any contact, but Eclipse always ran out front. He had no experience with the gutter tactics of the pack.

Eclipse tucked his haunches underneath him and launched forward in a scorching burst of speed. Anna’s heart leapt into her throat as he pulled ahead and away.

Run! Run your legs off!

She could only hope the pressure, the sustained pace, and the four stone—more than fifty extra pounds of weight!—would tire him out. She could only hope Eclipse burned through his last reserves before she ran out of track.

Ten seconds ticked by and Archer was flagging, she could feel it. It took every ounce of discipline not to ask more from him.

She could do nothing but marvel at the horse in front of her, widening the lead with each easy stride. Her legs burned, her arms felt as if they might fly out of their sockets, and still the great horse ran.

The last quarter mile.

Eclipse was ahead by two and a half lengths, with very little race left to run.

Anna held her position, searching for any opening, knowing it was too late, knowing there was none.

A howl rose up inside her and pushed her forward, lighter in the saddle, faster over the ground. It was the best race she’d ever run, and she was going to lose.

Then she saw it.

Anna squinted into the wind, her instincts lighting up like bonfires.

She was two lengths back and Archer was almost done. But Eclipse was tiring too. There was a slight, unmistakable flagging in front of her. Not of speed, but of form.

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