Book Read Free

Jockeying for You

Page 15

by Stacy Hoff


  “The truth is,” Mindy plowed forward, “whether or not Jake Carter is a two-timing lowlife, he still gave you this opportunity. This golden opportunity to do what other owners would not let you do—to race once again. To live out your dream. Win or lose, you’d be living up to the name your father gave you by trying your best. Don’t you want to live out the life, the destiny you deserve?”

  Ryder’s unfocused gaze found the ground and her hand moved of its own volition to absently stroke Handsome Dancer’s mane.

  “Look at me, Ry. It’s not about any of them. It’s about you.”

  “It doesn’t feel like it’s about me.”

  “It will when you get on the horse. Isn’t that right, Lenny?”

  Out of nowhere, Lenny appeared.

  “I saw you coming down the corridor,” Mindy chastised. “You can walk softly all you want, but you’re not going to sneak up on me again.”

  Lenny puffed out his chest. “You just finished telling Ryder this is all about her. So why are we talking about you?”

  “Or you,” Mindy retorted.

  “I thought you were sick,” Ryder cut in.

  “I’m feeling better. I had to be here for you,” he answered.

  “So what do you think, Lenny?” Mindy asked. “Can we agree on anything? On the one thing that matters? I want Ryder to race today. Do you agree?”

  Lenny face scrunched up as he turned toward Ryder. “I hate to admit it, but Mindy’s right.” He coughed loudly. Whether to clear his throat or eat his words she didn’t know. “It’s not easy for me to say that,” he said, admitting the obvious.

  Mindy burst out laughing. “That I believe!”

  Lenny ignored the interruption. “It’s hard for me because I don’t want to see you get hurt. Neither does your mom. She couldn’t bear to watch you today. You’ve been through so much already. Getting injured the last time you jockeyed. Losing your dad. Having to start over. Giving up your racing dream . . .”

  “But that’s my point, Lenny,” Mindy cut in. “She doesn’t need to give up on her racing dream. Now’s her big chance!”

  For once, Lenny was quiet. Ryder watched the old man suck in his lips and lean the weight of his body against a stable wall. “You’re all I have, Ryder.” Lenny’s rough voice shook with emotion. “I want what’s best for you, but if something bad happens . . .”

  “Nothing’s going to happen to her,” Mindy protested.

  Lenny shot Mindy a withering stare. “Fine for you to say. It’s not you who will feel the pain.”

  “You think I’m not going to feel pain if she gets hurt, old man? If that’s what you think, you’re even crazier than I thought.”

  Ryder cut them off before they went another round. “You’re both right. It is about me. I need to decide what I really want out of life. Do I want to play it safe? Or bet it all?”

  And just like that, the truth she had buried down deep was now unearthed. Her path found. The direction of her footsteps clear. She reached for Handsome Dancer’s reins. “Come on, boy. Let’s ride.”

  Jake stopped his father from leaving to demand an answer. “I can’t believe you left a note like that for Ryder. What were you thinking?”

  His father sat there stiff and mute, barely indicating he heard the words at all. Until Jake noticed the smallest downturn of a lip. Otherwise, Jake would have sworn his father had gone deaf.

  “First off,” Jake continued, “she’s a licensed, professional horse trainer. That does not make her the hired help. Second off, even if she did fit that description, I wouldn’t care. This is the twenty-first century for crying out loud. There are no social caste systems anymore.”

  “Are you blind? Of course there are.”

  Jake twisted his lips into a frown. “Elitist, much?”

  At that, his father’s right eye twitched. A telltale sign he was pissed.

  Good. At least he heard me. “We spoke at the restaurant, Dad. I explained to you I don’t want you to interfere. You’ve overstepped the bounds in a big way. I thought I’d been very clear. And yet you go ahead and do something like this. Something that could destroy me both professionally and personally. And this is on top of you trying to shove Betsy down my throat again.” Jake shook his head in disgust. “I’d say we’ll talk about this later but there’s no point. I doubt I’ll ever get through to you.” He got up to leave.

  “Wait, son.”

  “Sorry, Dad. I’ve listened to you long enough. The person I’ve got be with now is Ryder.”

  As soon as Jake left the VIP section he bumped into his sister and brother-in-law at the bottom of the staircase.

  Dina, decked out in some obviously pricey outfit and crazy large derby hat, sighed with relief. “Oh, there you are,” she exclaimed. “I just ran into Betsy.”

  Steven rolled his eyes at his wife. “Why do you have to go there?”

  Not answering her husband or missing a beat, Dina slipped her arm around Jake’s and tried to steer her brother in the opposite direction. “Ignore my husband. I think you and Betsy should get back together, even if Steven doesn’t. Your break-up with her is all because of a silly misunderstanding. You two make the perfect couple.”

  “Sorry,” Steven mouthed wordlessly over Dina’s head. “I tried, bro.”

  If Jake hadn’t been so angry he would have laughed. “For God’s sakes, Dina, I just went through this with Dad. I want to be with Ryder Hannon. Accept it. Or don’t. I’m good either way. Now if you’ll excuse me, I’ve got to go find her.”

  “Ryder Hannon?” Dina’s eyebrows knit together. “Really? The hired help?”

  Jake stopped mid-stride and turned around. “Care to say that to me again? This time to my face?” His words were cold steel.

  “No, she doesn’t.” Steven turned to his wife and placed a firm hand on her shoulder. “Let’s take our seats now, Dina, and let Jake run his own life.”

  “But—”

  “Now.”

  Dina’s eyes went wide. “All right,” she said softly. “I guess I said too much.”

  “Yes, you did,” her husband replied, his voice low and firm. “You and your father need to stop being so controlling. Not just with Jake, either. I’m talking about me, too. I’m not going to build an addition on our house . . .”

  Steven’s voice grew fainter as Jake turned back around to look for Ryder. With any luck, he’d find her soon. Oh, Ryder, I’m so sorry.

  He was nearly back at the stalls when he ran into someone else determined to talk. Barney Smythe held his hand out in a signal for Jake to stop.

  “Sorry, Barney, I can’t stop now. I’ll catch up with you after the race. Good luck with Knows No Bounds.”

  Barney tugged Jake’s sports jacket. “I don’t need luck. I need to be made whole. You owe me, Jake Carter, and I mean to collect.”

  Jake took hold of Barney’s hand and shoved it off his jacket. “Don’t put your hands on me. I don’t know what you’re talking about, Barney, but now is not the time. Sorry—”

  Barney’s voice came out in a low growl. “You’d better make the time. Or you’re going to be sorry.”

  “What the hell are you talking about? It sounds like a threat, but you make no sense at all.”

  “I’m talking about Handsome Dancer. You took him from me for a song. You hid his true potential and that’s not fair. Now everybody says Handsome Dancer’s going to win this race and a whole bunch more races thereafter. I want a share of those winnings.”

  “I paid you for the horse. The full amount of what you asked. It’s not my problem if what you asked is way less than what he’s worth. It’s your job to know the value of your horses, not mine.”

  “I don’t care! You took advantage of me. So listen up, you’re going to give me ten percent of the winn
ings for this race and the rest of all his wins for the next year.”

  Jake narrowed his eyes, doing his best to keep his clenched fists at his sides. “Is this some sort of screwed up attempt at racketeering? Why would I agree to this? Am I drunk in your opinion, or just stupid?”

  Barney gave a malevolent grin. “Maybe you’re both, but I do know you’re desperate.”

  “Interesting you know more about my life than I do.” His fists were itching now to make contact with Barney’s face.

  “I do know more than you, Carter. I know your horse is going to lose unless you agree to pay me my fair share.”

  Jake stiffened and felt the blood in his veins turn to ice. “Are you planning to hurt Handsome Dancer? If you so much as touch a hair on his bo—”

  “Nope. I’d never hurt our mutual investment. But I will cause him to lose this race.”

  “Damn it, Barney, say your piece so I can move on.”

  “I—literally—have got his goat.” Barney laughed. “The damned goat and the rest of his little animal friends are with me.”

  “Are you crazy, Barney? You’re really so nuts you’ve actually kidnapped a goat? I don’t know whether to take this seriously or not. Get the hell out of my way.”

  “Okay,” Barney said breezily. “No problem. I’ve got other incentives that will make you see things my way.”

  “Like what?” Jake laughed. “You’re going to steal every goat in America to ensure Handsome Dancer never gets another friend? No, that would be silly. You’d have to steal every chicken in the U.S.A. That would be hard to pull off, wouldn’t it? So why don’t you go ahead and go pluck yourself, Smythe.” Jake gave a tight smile in an attempt to piss him off more.

  Barney’s gaze narrowed. “How about more interference with your jockey?”

  “What? Are you saying you’re responsible for Emanuel’s fall? That would be a crime you’re admitting to . . .” He felt his body freeze, slowly turning to ice. “Are you saying you’re going to hurt Ryder? You son of a bi—”

  “Define hurt.” Barney’s grin was a long, slow snake. “A letter from your father telling her to back away from you and calling her trash might affect her ability to ride. It’s hard to compete properly and safely when you’re in a bad frame of mind. I was happy to deliver your father’s messages to her.”

  “You’re a lying sack of shit, Smythe. Why would I listen to you?”

  “Because I owe your father a lot of money. If my horse comes in, I can at least afford to pay him off and get him off my back. Why do you think your father hates your girlfriend so much? Leaving her nasty messages? Your dad wants Knows No Bounds to win as badly as I do so I can pay him back. Handsome Dancer is the only real challenge to my horse right now. But if I get a share of Handsome Dancer’s future earnings, I’ll have enough to pay him back and still keep some.”

  “You owe my father money?” Jake felt like he’d been slapped in the face. “How is that possible?”

  “You think of your father as Mr. Perfect, don’t you? The elegant, all-righteous businessman. What a fool you are. Your father is not what he seems. Sure, he’s got legitimate businesses but he’s also a loan shark. My loan shark. It’s not only the racetrack that makes money off of horse betters. Your father does, too. And he makes his money on me because I gamble. A lot.”

  “You’re crazy. I would know if my father was a loan shark.”

  “Would you? I’m guessing he controls how much of him you really get to see.” Barney suddenly shifted his gaze around the area. Sweat broke on the man’s brow. The weather, albeit warm, was not hot enough to generate that kind of reaction on its own.

  “You’d be surprised how much power your father has,” Barney persisted. “His secret is well kept. He likes it that way. No one wants to cross him. Including me. So I need to pay the bastard off. Answer me, Jake, are you in?”

  “Am I in? In what?”

  “Are you going to give me a cut of Handsome Dancer’s winnings or not?”

  Jake stood there, contemplating whether to deck the man in the face or call the cops.

  “Jake, what’s it going to be? You need to answer me now. Are you in? Or does something bad need to happen that will make you wish you paid me off?”

  Chapter 18

  “Wait, Ryder,” Lenny called out.

  Ryder dropped Handsome Dancer’s reins and turned around to see the old man fidget more nervously than she had ever seen him. “Yes?”

  “I want to say something to you.” Lenny twisted his hands together, seemingly unconscious he was doing so. His eyes scanned the stables, no doubt double-checking Mindy had truly gone.

  “Okay.” Ryder touched Lenny’s shoulder. “I’m listening.”

  “I never thought I’d say this, but Mindy’s right. You should race. You need to race. And I need to support you. Having you do what’s best for me isn’t fair. I’m an old man. You have your whole life ahead of you. It’s time for you to do what’s best for you.” He gulped hard, his eyes downcast. “I’m sorry, Ry. I let you down.”

  “No, you didn’t.”

  “I did, but you don’t understand the full reason why. I had to suffer watching you in the hospital, and then at home, healing from your cracked ribs, your skin tears, and your concussion. You were in so much pain. I was in so much pain seeing you like that.”

  Oh my God, is Lenny getting teary again?

  “I felt guilty. Your father did, too. Maybe we pushed you too hard into racing. And now it’s become part of your blood. Like it’s in mine.”

  “I chose this, Lenny. Nobody forced me. When I quit racing to become a trainer you supported me every step of the way. You’re always there when I need you. Whatever my goals have been you’ve done your best to make me successful. Don’t blame yourself.” She leaned over to kiss his cheek. The feel of his thick beard tickled her skin.

  Then his arms suddenly wrapped around her shoulders and drew her in for a tight hug.

  Her eyes widened in surprise. She wrapped her arms around him and shut her eyes tight. “Love you, Lenny.”

  “I know, honey, I know. Now enough of this mushy stuff before Mindy comes back and sees us. I couldn’t live it down.”

  Laughing, Ryder let him go. “Right. I’d hate for you to ruin your reputation as a curmudgeon.”

  The corners of Lenny’s lips rose into an unheard of configuration—a smile. “No, I certainly wouldn’t want that. Now go change into your silks. You’ve got a race to win, Ms. Jockey.”

  With a grateful smile, she walked back to her office to change. Normally a jockey would have a valet set out all the needed equipment, from riding silks to helmet, but she was on her own. Knowing that, she had already gathered everything she’d need.

  After putting on her riding pants and boots, she snaked her arms through the jockey jacket then grabbed a bunch of goggles in case it rained. The goggles would go over the top of her helmet, the only weather protection she’d have.

  She was already outside when she remembered to grab a saddle. A quick detour put the lightweight saddle in her hands. It weighed only a few pounds, a contraption that almost defied common sense to sit in. The harness was hardly better, merely some lightweight leather straps that included a bit for the horse’s mouth. If a car had such inconsequential steering equipment, a lot more people would die driving.

  Unfortunately, lightweight equipment was a necessary evil. In moments she’d be weighed by the racetrack officials along with the rest of the other jockeys. The total weight allowed, including saddle weight and all other equipment, was capped at 126 pounds. She wasn’t too worried about the cap. Plus, nerves had kept her from eating too much this last week anyway. If anything, they’d probably find her underweight. If they did, she’d have to add equipment for poundage.

  Then she remembered the rich cho
colate cake Jake spoon-fed her last night, right before he’d placed the chocolate elsewhere . . . She shook off the now-painful memory and headed to the bathroom. Maybe I can pee out some water weight.

  In the bathroom, she caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror. The last time she had seen herself look like a jockey was the afternoon of the fall, several years ago. The thought almost made her change back into her trainer’s clothes. Maybe it is better to try and fail than to not try at all. Wouldn’t the bigger failure be never giving myself the chance to succeed?

  She noticed her reflection bore the same odd countenance as Lenny. A smile. I am doing this. Not for Jake Carter. Not to prove a point to anyone else. I am doing this for me. She tightened the straps on her helmet and walked off to be weighed.

  I really am a jockey again. Just like you, Dad. The Ryder you always wanted. And the rider I need to be.

  Jake checked the stalls to find both Ryder and Handsome Dancer gone. I’m too late. He could only hope Handsome Dancer was willing to run, given the loss of his animal friends and his jockey undoubtedly in a bad mood. Neither horse nor rider would be at their best with such drama surrounding them.

  Worse, the sky was darkening at a fast pace. Gray clouds drifted together as if magnetized. The little bit of blue sky left was ebbing away.

  The tempo of Jake’s heartbeat was gaining a momentum as rapid as the clouds. If he didn’t calm himself down, he would be of no use to anyone.

  It was wise to stop and think about the best course of action. Checking in on Ryder wasn’t feasible anymore. Barney’s bullshit had made Jake miss her. In moments she’d be parading Handsome Dancer out onto the track with all the other contenders. They’d walk out, giving bettors their chance for a last-minute inspection and bets, and then line up to the gate. A silent plea for her safety was the best he could do at this point.

 

‹ Prev