Kentucky Heat

by Fern Michaels

  “Is this the Nealy Diamond Clay I know showing something less than full confidence? That’s not the Nealy I know.”

  “Knew. That’s the key word, Hunt. Things are a lot different this time around. They keep reminding me how old I am. I’m starting to believe them. You didn’t answer my question.”

  “They scratched two horses an hour ago, just as you arrived. It’s an eighteen-horse field now. The only horse that can give you trouble is Jake’s Thunder, and he’s as good on a sloppy track as Shufly. It’s going to start raining hard in about an hour, so be prepared. You can do it, Nealy. If you doubt yourself now, you’re dead in the water. You’ve got the mystery horse this time around. You, Metaxas, and Ruby are the only ones who know what Shufly can do. The odds are out of this world.”

  “I wish you were here, Hunt.” When there was no answer she said his name again. “Hunt? Are you still here?”

  “I wish I was, too, Nealy. I’ll be there in spirit every beat of the way. Nealy, listen to me, I want you to go back to the shed row NOW. Now, Nealy. There’s something coming down, and there’s nothing I can do to help you. Get up and run. Do you hear me?”

  “What’s wrong?”

  “Do what I tell you.”

  The second Nealy’s eyes opened she saw four blurred figures coming toward her. In an instant she was on her feet, running toward the shed row.

  They were after her. By their size and weight she knew they were either exercise boys or jockeys. Her heart lurched as she calculated how far she had to run. Too far if their intentions were what she thought they were.

  “Get her,” she heard one of them yell. “Get her before she gets away.”

  Afraid she might not be able to outrun them, Nealy put her first two fingers in her mouth and blew. An earsplitting whistle raced through the thick, misty night.

  From her far left she heard wood splintering and the sound of hard pounding hooves.

  “Jesus!”

  “What the hell!”

  “Fuck.”

  “Holy shit!”

  Shufly skidded to a stop next to Nealy. He snorted and blew like a demon from hell. Nealy grabbed onto his mane and vaulted up onto his back. Knowing she was safe, she said, “Boys, meet the next Kentucky Derby winner! This is Shufly!” Her voice quivered with fear. “Now get your asses out of here before I turn this big guy loose on you.”

  “What’s going on here?” Metaxas boomed as he ran up to the group, Ruby in his wake, Dover bringing up the rear.

  “All I know,” Nealy said, “is that I was sitting under a tree, minding my own business, and when I woke up these four little twits were stalking me. That’s what’s going on.” Nealy clenched and unclenched her teeth so hard she thought she’d chipped her front teeth.

  “I’m going to report this. You could be banned from racing for pulling something like this,” Metaxas bellowed.

  “For what?” one of the four blustered. “We were just walking around, and she was sleeping under the tree. We were going to wake her up. In case you haven’t noticed, it’s raining. We were just being thoughtful and concerned about the old lady.”

  “My ass you were going to wake me up. I was already awake. You were going to do something.”

  “Prove it,” a second youth said. “You look okay to me. We didn’t come anywhere near you. You probably had a bad dream and spooked yourself. Old people do things like that all the time.”

  “Get the hell out of here,” Metaxas warned.

  The bad moments were over. Nealy’s eyes narrowed as she watched the little group scurry away. “I guess I was asleep, but Hunt warned me to get up. He said now like in right now, right this second to run. I was doing what he said, but they closed in on me. That’s when I whistled for Shufly.”

  She slid off Shufly’s back. “Good boy,” she said, rubbing him behind the ears.

  “Good boy is right,” Metaxas said. “You should have seen him. The big guy heard your whistle and went berserk. He did a real number on his stall door. God Almighty! I never saw anything like it.

  “C’mon, baby, not these buttons, too,” Metaxas said. “I only have one more shirt left with buttons. Ruby, you need to buy a case of buttons. He doesn’t even eat them, he spits them out. I think he just likes to see my manly, hairy chest.”

  “You ready to go back, honey?” Ruby said, putting her arms around Nealy’s shoulders. “Tell me what Hunt said,” she whispered.

  “It was just a dream, Ruby. Maybe it was that unknown seventh sense that kicked in. I sat down, you know, just to think, to relive the last time I raced here. I guess I closed my eyes and dozed off. Every time I try to catch those forty winks Maud always used to talk about, I dream of Hunt. I was thinking about him when I sat down. He did the walkover with me the last time. Dover is doing it this year. It . . . it won’t be the same. He said it was going to rain in about an hour. I already knew that because it was misting when I sat down. Jake’s Thunder, according to Hunt, is going to be my big competition because he’s as good on a sloppy track as Shufly. Of course it could stop raining, and the track could dry out. Unlikely but still a possibility. Then Hunt said to get up and run. That’s when they came up to me. I think, if anything, it was going to be a verbal thing. They wouldn’t risk anything physical that would keep them away from this racetrack. At least I don’t think they would. Young people are different today. It’s over, it’s done with. Let’s just go back to the barn and try to catch a few hours’ sleep.”

  “You’re shaking, Nealy,” Ruby said, alarm in her voice.

  “A little. Come on, we’re getting soaked out here.”

  The barn was quiet even though grooms and workers scurried about. Nealy looked in on Shufly, satisfied herself that he was none the worse for stomping down the gate to his stall, something she would hear about when it got light out. She shrugged.

  “I’m all right, Ruby. A few hours’ sleep and I’ll be fine. I wonder if my brothers are here yet.”

  “Metaxas said they arrived. They’re with Hatch and the kids. They’ll all be here by sunup.”

  “Who’s watching Gabby?”

  “Emmie’s old neighbor. Good thing, too, since it’s raining. I was hoping for bright sunshine and a dry track.”

  “Me, too, but Shufly will do just fine. You’ve seen him run in slop and glop. Doesn’t change a thing where he’s concerned. I’m going out to the truck and curl up for a while. I’ll lock the doors. Relax, Ruby, it’s okay. I hate that word old. I really do. I wanted to jam it down their throats. I will, too, tomorrow.”

  “Attagirl,” Ruby said.

  “See you in a few hours. Ruby, wait a minute.” Nealy reached into her jeans pocket and pulled out a wad of cash. “Dagmar Doolittle should be here bright and early with a copy of her paper. Give her this and tell her to bet it on Shufly. She can pay me back with her winnings. If the odds stay as high as they are, and I think they will, she can retire if we win. If I lose, tell her she doesn’t owe me a thing.”

  “Consider it done.”

  Holding one of the horse blankets over her head, Nealy sprinted for the Ford Ranger. She was just too tired to go to the van, too tired to go back to the motel. She could just curl up and sleep stretched out across the front seat. She locked the door and curled into a ball, covering herself with the blanket. She was bone-tired, but she was wide-awake, her adrenaline pumping at an all-time high.

  They had rattled her. Not with their words but in the way they surrounded her. She’d never experienced fear like that before. Would they have done something to her? She would probably never know.

  “Hunt,” she whispered.

  “I’m here, Nealy.”

  “Thanks for the warning. Now I’m nervous. This isn’t good, Hunt. I should have calmed down by now. Tell me what to do. Tell me how to get over this.”

  “Find that inner core where you draw your strength from. Take long, deep breaths. You used to tell me to do that all the time. Practice what you preach, Nealy.”

  �
��Dammit, Hunt, I was scared. I’ve never been scared like that before, not even when I lit out from SunStar with Emmie. On the other hand, I was young and dumb back then. Four against one. Not good odds.”

  “You have good instincts, Nealy. They helped you. By the way, that’s some horse you have there. You were kind of busy, so you probably didn’t see the expressions on their faces when Shufly thundered to your defense. If I tell you they were scared witless, will you believe me?”

  “Yes. I always believed you except there at the end. I don’t want to talk about it. Let’s talk about Nick. You must be very proud of him.”

  “Proud doesn’t begin to describe the way I feel. I bawled like a baby when I saw that bronze of Shufly.”

  Nealy’s mouth drew up in a smile. She rested her head on her arm and sighed. It had been a long day.

  “When it’s all over, Nealy, what are you going to do?”

  “I think I’m going to see the world. It’s time. I don’t want to end up like Maud. I don’t know, something happened to me this last year. I guess it’s Hatch. He keeps telling me about the big, wide world and what I’m missing. I think he’s right. So, with that thought in mind, I’m toying with the idea of letting Emmie run the farm. That’s if she wants to take it over. Gabby will love growing up here.”

  “See the world? No kidding.”

  “Hard to believe, huh? It’s Nealy time now.”

  “Nealy, don’t read the morning papers.”

  “Okay, I won’t read the morning papers. Hunt?”

  “Yeah?”

  “Ride with me.”

  “You mean the actual race?”

  “Yes. You’re weightless, right? I don’t know anything about that . . . that spirit stuff. You’re here somewhere because you talk to me. I owe you, Hunt.”

  “You don’t owe me anything, but I accept. Go to sleep now, Nealy. I’ll watch over you tomorrow; I’ll be right there with you.”

  “You always wanted to know what it felt like to cross the finish line and win the roses. Together we can do it. I would be honored, and so will Shufly if you agree. You’ll do it, then?”

  “I’ll do it.”

  “You won’t spook Shufly, will you?”

  “Nope. He won’t even know I’m there.”

  Nealy laughed and Hunt joined her.

  “Sleep tight, Nealy. I’ll see you at the gate.”

  13

  The sun was creeping over the horizon when Nealy woke with a start. Five-thirty. She hadn’t slept this late in . . . She couldn’t remember the last time.

  The Day!

  She lay still for a moment trying to decide if it was raining or not. Earlier, the rain pelting the top of the truck had lulled her into a sound sleep. The rain and Hunt. She propped herself up on her elbows to peer out the foggy windows. The rain had stopped but it was going to be a wet, miserable day. She thought about all the times she had raced Shufly on a muddy track. He’d always done well, better than she ever anticipated. His daddy, Flyby, wasn’t half as good under the same conditions, even in his prime.

  A knock sounded on the truck window. Nealy turned and opened the door. “Nick! What a nice way to wake up. You’re here early. Is something wrong?”

  Nick’s arm reached out to help his mother. “Not a thing, Mom. I wanted to be here, to experience it. If you win today, I’m coming back for the Preakness and the Belmont. I don’t know what good I’ll be to you, but I want to be with you. Do you have the jitters? Are you okay?”

  “If I was nervous, Nick, I wouldn’t belong here. To answer your question, no, I’m not nervous. I’m not even anxious. Shufly can fly on a wet track. I have that cup of courage all jockeys need. Let’s get some coffee, just me and you.” She closed and locked the door of the truck. “I’m so glad you and Emmie came, Nick. I prayed and wished for it, but I never really allowed myself to believe you would forgive me and come back.” She jammed the keys into the pocket of her jeans and then reached for Nick’s arm.

  “I love you, Mom. There’s nothing to forgive. Coffee sounds good. I got all the papers. I saw that reporter, the one you like, the big Swedish lady. She said to tell you not to read the papers. Except for hers.”

  “I know. I promised your dad I wouldn’t . . . What I mean is, I had this dream and he said not to look at the papers this morning.”

  Nick tilted his head back and looked down his nose at her. “You talk to him, don’t you?”

  Nealy looked everywhere but at him.

  “It’s okay to admit it, Mom. It always appears like it’s a dream, but then it seems to be real. That’s the way it is with me anyway. I think it’s real, Mom. I really do. There were days when I wanted to quit, to bail out, and he always convinced me to hang on just a little longer. I told Hatch about it, and he said the same thing. I think Dad is watching over all of us. You aren’t laughing at me, are you, Mom?”

  Nealy bit down on her lip before she burst out laughing. “If I tell you something will you promise not to laugh at me? I don’t want to see you raise your eyebrows or grimace. I need to hear you promise.”

  “I promise. What? Come on, Mom, you can trust me. What is it?”

  Nealy took a deep breath and straightened her shoulders. She hesitated another moment before she said, “Your dad is riding with me today. I asked him, and he said yes. Am I crazy, son?”

  “God Almighty! No, no, you aren’t crazy. He . . . Dad promised to sit in with me when I take the bar. If you’re crazy, then so am I. Boy, I feel better already. There were days there when I thought I was starting to lose it. Overload. I know you’re in good shape, Mom, but you’re older than all those guys riding today. You know it and you are worried and nervous, so don’t pretend with me.”

  Nealy sighed. “All right. All right. In the past, I didn’t give a tinker’s damn about what people thought of me. Now that I’m older, I care in a cockamamie kind of way. It’s the word old. Why do they go after me like this? What do the papers say, Nick? I don’t want to read them, I just want to know what they say.”

  “It’s the same old garbage, Mom. You’re too old, you’re a grandmother, you inherited the farm, you stepped into the golden pile of dung. That kind of stuff. Your friend wrote a straightforward article. Great pictures, the whole front page is yours. The other stuff is tabloid fodder. There might even be some libel in there if we take a better look. Hatch is checking that out. You have to ignore it. For now. If it goes legal, that’s when you pay attention.”

  “Okay, Nick, I’ll ignore it.” She linked her arm with her son’s. “I need to get a quick shower and do a few things. It stopped raining, but it’s still going to be a sloppy track. We can live with it,” she said happily.

  “Hatch is worried about you, Mom,” Nick blurted.

  Nealy stopped in her tracks. “Why on earth is he worried?” Her voice was full of surprise.

  “Because he loves you, Mom, that’s why. He didn’t understand how dangerous racing is until Emmie clued him in. She meant well, but she did make it sound gory. He asked me, and I told him the truth. Do you love him, Mom?”

  Nealy dug the heel of her boot into the soft soil until she had a hole that was deep enough to plant a sapling. There didn’t seem to be any point in hiding her feelings. “Well . . . I . . . I have . . . feelings for him and I like him a lot but . . . the answer is, yes, I guess I do. Your father approves. At least in my dreams he approves.” Nealy smiled. “We’ll see.”

  “You and Dad always used to say that to me when I was little. ‘We’ll see’ wasn’t a flat-out no, but it wasn’t a confirmed yes either. I think the rain is over. What do you think, Mom?” Nick asked, looking up at the heavy gray clouds.

  Nealy shook her head. “The air’s too thick. More rain is coming and then the sun will come out around noon or so. I hope it’s before post time. Oh-oh, I spoke too soon, here it comes. Listen, Nick, the coffee will have to wait. I’ll see you later. I have some things to do right now.”

  Nealy drove to the motel where Emmie, Nic
k, and Hatch were registered. She needed to take a hot shower to work the kinks out of her neck. She also needed to reassure Hatch about the race. Nick had said Hatch was in love with her. Did she love her husband’s best friend? The answer was yes. Suddenly she felt like singing.

  Her head down, Nealy ran through deep puddles toward the motel entrance. She was soaked to the skin when she heard a familiar voice, “Whoa, Nealy.”

  “Hatch!” How joyous her voice sounded. She started to laugh right there in the pouring rain. His “Whoa, Nealy” had sounded a lot like, “Whoa, Nellie.”

  “Yep, it’s me.”

  Nealy looked up at him through the rain. “Nick said you love me? Do you?”

  It took Hatch a full twenty seconds to recover from his shock. “Nealy, I was going to . . . you know, take you out on the town after the race and tell you myself. I feel kind of silly standing here answering such a serious question.”

  “Imagine how I felt when Nick told me that. Then he asked me if I loved you.”

  “What did you say, Nealy?”

  “I said yes I loved you. I do, Hatch. That’s what I would say if you took me out on the town after the race.”

  Rain sluiced downward. Oblivious to the elements, Hatch scooped her up and planted a solid kiss on her lips. “I say we save this for tonight after the race,” she whispered. “Are you of the same opinion, Mr. Littletree?”

  “Yeah, yeah. Tonight.” He looked so befuddled, Nealy burst out laughing.

  “I have to get moving, Hatch. I need to take a shower to work the kinks out of my neck. I slept in the truck last night,” she volunteered, her gaze locked with Hatch’s.

  “Nealy . . . about the race. I knew it was dangerous, but Emmie really filled me in. I don’t suppose they’ll call it off because of the weather, will they?”

  “It will never happen, Hatch. I don’t want you to worry about me. I’m a good rider, and I don’t take stupid risks. Will you feel better if I tell you something?”