Willow Smoke (Riders Up Book 3)

by Adriana Kraft

  “Ah, baby,” Maxine said, rubbing the back of her hand against Daisy’s cheek. “We don’t mean to hurt you. You’re the only family I’ve got. It’s just that you’ve always been the lucky one. Look at me. I don’t know when I’ll ever get another dress, and you get a fancy dress. It’s not fair.”

  Daisy’s eyes turned smoky. Fair. What was fair? Maxine had chosen Reggie. She had to buy time. If it was just Maxine, she’d feel better about lending money.

  Lending. What a joke. There would be no loan, only a gift. But Reggie really galled. He wanted to treat her like he was her pimp.

  “So can you help us out? Even a little bit.” Maxine’s tone was saccharine.

  “What do you need?” Daisy avoided eye contact with Reggie.

  “A couple hundred would be great. A hundred would help.” Maxine glanced furtively at her husband. “Even fifty is better than nothing.”

  “I’ll see what I can do. It’ll take a day or two.”

  “You better come through. You hear?”

  Daisy nodded at Reggie and shrank from his threatening fist.

  With hands trembling, Daisy folded her socks. Thank goodness Maxine and Reggie were leaving. The two of them sauntered down the sidewalk. As if more emphasis was needed, Reggie squeezed Maxine’s neck and turned back to leer at Daisy through the Laundromat window.

  Daisy rubbed her eyes. Was she in over her head? All her life she’d wanted to be part of a family. Now what family she had was threatening to mess up her life royally.

  What would Nick do if she just came clean and told him about Maxine and Reggie? He knew some of her background. He could likely guess the rest. But that was different than having her relatives flaunting themselves before him. If they ever got their hands on Nick, they’d try to suck him dry of every cent he had. She couldn’t allow that to happen.

  Maybe she should just walk away from Nick. That would save everyone a lot of heartache. Daisy’s blood chilled even in the sauna of the Laundromat. She couldn’t let him go, not yet. She’d know when it was time to cut bait, and it wasn’t now.

  She slammed the dryer door shut. Why couldn’t her so-called family stay out of this? For the first time in her life, a man was treating her like she was lovely and worthwhile. It might only be a dream, but it was too soon to wake up.

  Daisy resolved to go to the bank in the morning and withdraw a hundred and drop it off with Maxine. She’d call to make sure Reggie was out. It wouldn’t be enough. She knew that. There would never be enough money to satisfy them.

  Daisy fought back the tears that had flowed for the past twenty minutes or so, ever since she’d watched RainbowBlaze take a bad step during a race over the turf course. She, Nick, Sam Gallagher, Cassie Travers, and a groom stared at the mare munching on grass near their barn. Rainbow refused to put weight on her left front leg. It wasn’t broken, but they didn’t need a vet to tell them that she had a severely bowed tendon.

  Nor did they need a vet to tell them that RainbowBlaze would never race again.

  Arms crossed, Sam Gallagher shook his head. “It’s a damn shame. But it happens. A bad step. She could have broken her leg. Guess we’re lucky, really.”

  Daisy nodded through blurred tears. They were lucky. If the leg had broken, they would have had to put RainbowBlaze down. Daisy shuddered at the thought. Nick again placed his arm around her shoulders giving comfort. What would she do if it weren’t for him and her friends?

  She never cried. Not like this. It was like there was a leak in some hidden pool inside her body and the entire pool was draining. She kicked at the dirt, angry both at what had happened to Rainbow and at her inability to control her emotions.

  She’d never let people see her like this.

  “When RainbowBlaze is ready and when you’re ready,” Cassie said, looking at Daisy, “we can trailer her back to our farm. She can recuperate there. She’ll welcome the rest.”

  Again Daisy nodded. Had the tears drained her of her power of speech? “I know,” she managed to blubber. “Oh, shit.” She turned and buried her face against Nick’s chest.

  “It’s going to be okay,” he said, rubbing her neck and shoulders. “Sam says it’s not life threatening; it just means her racing career is done.”

  “So now what are you going to do with her?” she whispered.

  Nick glanced over Daisy’s shoulder at Cassie and curled his lips into a hint of a smile. “Not me, partner. What will we do with her? She’s a female. Can’t she have babies?”

  Daisy stilled, then pulled abruptly away from him. She whirled and looked at Cassie for confirmation.

  “We’d have to test her to determine whether she can get pregnant,” Cassie cautioned. “But she certainly has the pedigree and racing record that would suggest she’d be a fine broodmare, if that’s what you want. There’s always enough room at our place for a decent broodmare prospect.”

  “We wouldn’t have to sell her?”

  “I don’t see why. As you know, Daisy, it takes time and patience to develop a broodmare and to bring a foal from a weanling to be a runner. But why not?”

  Daisy looked inquisitively at Nick.

  “Why not?” he agreed. “All that studying of bloodlines you’ve been foisting upon me may prove valuable after all. What do you say, partner? Should we be planning a meeting between our gal and some lucky stud?”

  Smiling broadly, Daisy nodded and stabbed at the tears with the back of her hand. “Why not? If Rainbow can be as successful at being a mom as she has been on the track, she should produce some very competitive foals.”

  Her equilibrium returned. Things would work out. Not the way she’d expected, but they would work out. “I’m going to brush her down,” she said to Cassie. “Then we can load her for the trip to the farm. She’ll enjoy being back there.”

  Two days later, Daisy and Nick visited their broodmare prospect at the Travis farm. RainbowBlaze hobbled about in a large paddock. Her leg was wrapped under the guidance of an excellent veterinarian who predicted that the mare would recover quite nicely—and that while the tendon would never be strong enough to support a racing career, it shouldn’t prove a problem in the breeding shed or in the horse’s role as broodmare.

  RainbowBlaze came to the gate and whinnied softly. Daisy reached into her pocket for some carrots. “You’re gonna be a bigger mooch than ever, Rainbow.”

  Leaning against the gate, Nick said, “I wonder who taught our girl that.”

  Daisy jabbed him with her elbow. “It’s part of raising the foal. They need to know that they’re cared for.”

  “I’d guess Blaze knows that all right. I’m really quite excited about her broodmare career.”

  “Hopefully, she’ll be ready to breed by next spring. If she had to have a career-ending injury, this wasn’t bad timing. It takes months to come down from the intensity and competition of the track to improve the odds of settling in a pregnancy.”

  “Sounds like we’ll be running tests and setting stopwatches to find the right moment for her to get together with her man.”

  Chuckling, Daisy nodded. “I wonder which of us will be more nervous when the time comes.”

  Nick glanced sharply at her, but she maintained a steady gaze assessing the range of motion available to RainbowBlaze. Satisfied at last, she turned to Nick. “Cassie said she’d make some lemonade while we checked on Rainbow. Are you ready to quench your thirst?”

  “Sure am, but I’m not positive lemonade will do it.”

  Daisy smiled at the dark passion evident in his pupils. “It’s all you’re going to get for the moment. So it better tide you over.”

  She swung their clasped hands back and forth as they made their way toward the house. It was good being back at the farm. She’d missed it. She’d spent nearly three years of her life here. It was so close to the city, yet at times, like right now, it seemed so far away. No smog. No Maxine. No Reggie.

  “You two look quite content,” Cassie shouted from the porch. “Quit lollygagging.
I’ve got lemonade and cookies. Clint will come out and join us in a minute. The older kids are at a 4-H leadership camp. And the younger two are down for a nap. At least I hope they are.”

  Daisy and Nick sat on the old stuffed couch where Daisy had slept many a night listening to spring peepers and the mournful sounds of owls. The screened-in porch had been one of her favorite places on the farm. From there she could hear, see and smell the change of the land and the horses and yet still feel protected from the mosquitoes and the ghosts of the dark. It had taken her months to adjust to the relative quiet of rural McHenry County.

  She glanced over at Cassie. She never was certain who she’d see. Cassie the social worker. Cassie the mom. Or Cassie the friend. This looked like Cassie the mom.

  “RainbowBlaze is doing fine,” Cassie said. “She’s getting around pretty well. And how about you, girl? How are you doing?” Cassie glanced at Nick.

  Daisy smiled shyly. “At least I’ve stopped crying.”

  “Good. Oh, here’s Clint now.”

  - o -

  Everyone stood. Cassie made the introductions.

  Nick liked Clint immediately. The deeply tanned man had a crinkly smile, as if life was treating him well. Daisy had told him Clint was part Ute. Somehow he’d expected his host to be more reserved.

  “So, Daisy, it’s good to see you. Why don’t we all sit down?” Clint pulled up a chair to sit by his wife. “So this is the scandalous older man,” Clint arched his eyebrows, “that Cassie’s been telling me about.”

  “Complaining about, more likely,” Daisy snorted.

  “Maybe at first,” Cassie admitted. “But I’ve come around. You have your life to live. Besides, I’ve seen enough of Nick to know that he’s not going to go out of his way to hurt you.”

  “Thanks for your vote of confidence,” Nick said, lifting his glass in mock salute. He leaned back and smiled. Whether Daisy saw it as such or not, this was part of her family. These two cared about Daisy and what happened to her.

  “So I understand you’re interested in purchasing some horses come fall.” Clint redirected the conversation.

  “Yes. Especially now, with RainbowBlaze unable to compete. You interested in working with us?”

  Clint glanced at Cassie, who gave him a soft nod. “Of course. So Daisy will be involved in the purchases?”

  Nick smiled. “She’s my coach and trainer. I like the trainer to own part of the horses; I think it gives her a little more vested interest. She’ll be in for twenty percent, like she is on RainbowBlaze.”

  Clint reached for his glass. “Fine by me. I know a number of owners who prefer that arrangement. Sometimes it’s a little messier to dissolve partnerships that way, though.”

  “We’ll cross that bridge when the time comes.” Nick hadn’t been able to keep an edge from creeping into his voice.

  “I’ll make sure you get copies of the major sales catalogs as they become available. In the meantime, you might also want to work with Daisy on claiming a horse.”

  “Actually, I’m trying to get Daisy to take a little time off. This past week has been quite hard on her.”

  Nick ignored Daisy’s stern look. He figured Cassie might be an ally for once. She certainly knew how distraught Daisy had been over Blaze’s injury. “I need to take a prototype of a new canoe up to Northern Minnesota and test it for my company. Thought it might be an opportunity for Daisy to get away and recharge a little.”

  “You’re in between school terms, aren’t you?” Cassie inquired.

  “Yes, but I don’t need a break. Horses are my life.”

  “Hmm, I find I need to get away from them in order to fully appreciate what they are. Sounds like a great change of pace. I assume the canoe is safe.”

  “Spoken like a mom,” Clint teased. “I doubt Nick is going to market an unsafe canoe.”

  “The canoe is safe.”

  “So what are you afraid of, girl? You two are obviously sleeping together. Are you afraid of Nick?”

  “Of course not.” Daisy looked startled and cornered.

  “I didn’t mean for us to gang up on you,” Nick apologized. “If you don’t want to go, you don’t have to. I just thought it might be fun. To be away from all the routines and day-to-day pressures.”

  “I wish it were that easy,” Daisy mumbled.

  “If that’s what’s holding you back, Daisy, I can have some of my crew help back up Sam in your absence.”

  Nick watched Daisy color under three sets of eyes.

  “Okay.” Daisy breathed deeply. “I’ll go, but I don’t want to hear any bear stories. I’ve never been in the woods at night. I’ve never been in a canoe. I’ve never been alone with a man for any length of time.”

  She crossed her arms below her breasts and pursed her lips. Nick was reminded of a rebellious teenager. “I’ll go. So can we talk about something else now?”

  She looked stunned. Now why were there tears in her eyes—and what could he do to make them go away?

  They stayed for supper, which gave Nick an opportunity to meet the two youngest Travers children. These two were a handful, and he knew there were two older children away at camp who were from Clint’s first marriage. What was it about kids that snookered him and scared the hell out of him at the same time? They seemed so malleable one moment and then intractable the next. Like Cassie’s youngest child, they could beam you the brightest smile and then when you stooped to pick them up give you the most hair raising scream. Kids made him feel dumb. Clint moved back and forth with ease from one child’s roller coaster emotion to the next. So what kind of father would he be? Paranoid.

  He drained the last of his coffee and peeked over at Daisy. Only twenty. A lot of women were mothers by that age. But it seemed too young. She needed more time for herself. At that moment, she let out a gleeful scream and hoisted the three-year-old to her lap. Between giggles Daisy and the child played patty-cake. Daisy was at ease with children. Would she be a good mother? Apparently she’d had less than an adequate mother, but then she’d had her grandmother. Nick looked at Cassie, who was giving him a warm smile. Yes, Daisy certainly had sufficient role models for motherhood.

  Nick shook his head and inhaled sharply. Why the hell was he thinking about kids? Or about fatherhood and motherhood? He stared at Daisy. She was. Why? Son of a bitch.

  He was a goner. Tom was right. There was no way he wanted to spend the rest of his years without Daisy. He hadn’t fully understood it until watching her with the kids, but he needed her to be more than lover. He needed her to be wife, mother and soul-mate.

  In his peripheral vision, he saw Cassie stand and stretch. Her words sounded like they came from across a great expanse. “Daisy, why don’t you and Clint take care of the dishes and the kids? I need a break. And I’d kind of like to show Nick something before you all go.”

  “Sure. No problem.” Daisy’s lips turned up. “Right, little one,” she said to Angela, Cassie’s youngest daughter. “We can do dishes and play games while your mommy is up to no good.”

  Nick followed Cassie toward the barn, exchanging idle chatter about the weather. They entered the tack room that also served as an office. Cassie rummaged through a beat up trunk full of ribbons, clothes and assorted odds and ends. She was searching for something specific. Nick leaned against the doorjamb, watching, waiting.

  “Here they are,” Cassie said with a glint of triumph in her eyes. She held in her hand a pair of pants that were sorely in need of repair.

  “Do you know what these are?” she asked.

  Nick shrugged. “They look like a pair of pants.”

  “They’re riding pants. Scarred. Worn. More holes than I’d care to mend. These were Daisy’s when she first moved in with us. They started out new, but Daisy didn’t have an easy time with the horses at first. Her height made her feel awkward, so she acted awkward. Horses would throw her to the ground because they couldn’t figure out what she wanted them to do. After a cuss word or two, she’d get back up, dete
rmined to learn how to be with them.”

  Cassie laid the pants across the messy desk. “I gave her lessons, but as often as not she didn’t get it. She had to learn her own way—by feel. She didn’t trust what I said; she had to feel what I said. Too often that meant landing on her butt. There was never a question of her quitting. The only questions were how long it would take her to learn to ride and how many pants we’d have to go through before that happened.” She smiled with pride. “Fortunately, it only took one pair.

  “All the riding ribbons and trophies in that trunk are Daisy’s. She became an excellent rider, and as you know, there’s no one who cares more about horses than that young lady.”

  Nick nodded, keeping his own counsel. The redhead had more than a pair of pants on her mind.

  Cassie continued, “So how well do you know Daisy?”

  “I know she has a lot of guts, if that’s what you mean. I know she’s had a rough time. That she was raised by her grandmother until the woman died. That she then went to a group home, where you met her and that you took her in. She’s great with animals, and apparently with kids, from what I saw today. She’s bright and witty. And frankly, I wish she were older.”

  “Good. Do you realize how young she is?”

  “I do now.”

  Cassie chuckled. “You have my sympathies, sort of. She’s always looked much older than her age. And for the most part, she behaves that way.”

  Nick stepped over to the desk and ran a hand along the tattered pants. “Again, spoken like a mom.” He compressed his lips and eyed Cassie. She wasn’t the enemy; she only wanted the best for Daisy. Nick sighed. “I wish I had a magic wand so I could make her older, but I can’t do that.”

  “No, nor can she.”

  “When I’m seventy she’ll be almost fifty.” He scowled. “When I’m eighty she’ll nearly be sixty. How about ninety and seventy?”

  “That does sound better,” Cassie agreed, with sparkles in her eyes.