by Toni Leland
He stepped up close and smiled. “How are you this morning?”
Better than you could possibly know.
“I’m great. Looking forward to seeing my baby.”
“I wonder if he’ll remember me.”
“You can count on it. Horses never forget the people in their lives.” Entering the barn, she turned. “You want to call him? Prove me right?”
He nodded. “Hey, Bandit.”
A loud, long whinny echoed through the barn and Bandit’s head popped over his stall door.
“See? I told you,” said Kim.
Garrett’s expression was priceless. Kim hadn’t realized just how much he loved the brown gelding they’d rescued together. She actually felt a little guilty for taking the horse back once she’d recovered from her leg injury.
Bandit grunted and chuckled and nuzzled Garrett all over, making him laugh. Kim felt a stab of jealousy over the strong bond between the two.
“Hey, what about me?” she said softly.
Bandit stopped what he was doing and looked at her. Then he reached out and nudged her shoulder, but quickly returned to his love fest with Garrett.
A voice rang out in the cool air. “Good morning, Miss Kovak.”
James Brooks walked toward them carrying a gathered longe line. “I was just comin’ in to get the Commander for his morning workout.”
Garrett offered his hand. “Garrett Quaid, sir. Nice to meet you.”
Brooks briefly shook his hand, then nodded. “Gimme a few minutes to work out the kinks, then you two come on over to the indoor.”
They watched as he stepped inside the end stall and haltered the big black horse. A moment later, Brooks walked out and led Commander across the barn aisle toward the arena doors. The horse’s coat shone like ebony satin and his mane and tail were smooth as silk. Someone had spent a lot of time on him.
Commander pranced along beside his handler, but looked directly at Garrett and Kim. Bandit let out a loud whinny and Commander bugled back. Then he looked directly at Kim, pinning his ears and swishing his tail angrily.
“See what I mean?” she whispered. “He acts like that every time I’m around.”
Garrett didn’t answer and Kim looked up at him. The expression on his face was one of awe.
“Damn, you never said he was so ...so ...impressive.”
“Depends on who’s looking at him. Frankly, he just scares me witless.”
He grinned down at her. “And you think he doesn’t know that?”
“I think I’ll stay here and visit Bandit right now. I don’t want to distract Commander while he’s working, and you’ll get a better sense of him if he’s not focused on hating me.”
“Okay, but you should probably at least come over and take a peek to see how he goes.”
“I will in a while.”
After Garrett went to the arena, Kim brought Bandit out and hooked him in the crossties. The horse kept watching the door where Garrett had disappeared, and another stab of jealousy ran through Kim’s chest. Maybe when Garrett had a horse of his own, Bandit would be less enamored. Kim worked a brush over Bandit’s withers, thinking about possible future trail rides with Garrett. Her brushing stopped in mid-stroke.
“How can that ever happen if Commander won’t tolerate me being around?”
Bandit chuckled deep in his throat and bobbed his head.
“Oh, thanks. You’re a big help.”
Chapter 20
Quaid sat on one of the bleacher seats and watched the majestic black Morgan work at the end of the longe line. His tail was flagged, his head was up, his step was high. He was absolutely magnificent.
Brooks’s voice drifted on the cold air. “He was one of the finest driving horses in the region in his time. Look at his length of stride.”
Brooks snapped the whip and Commander’s legs reached out, covering the ground at an amazing speed. And even to Quaid’s uneducated eye, it was clear that the horse loved his work.
After a few minutes, Brooks asked Commander to change direction, which he did flawlessly.
From the corner of his eye, Quaid saw Kim slip through the arena door and lean against the wall to watch. He was struck by how glad he was to know her. Their evening together had been one of the best he’d had in years and, with any luck, it was the first of many to come.
Brooks’s voice sharpened. “Hey! Pay attention!”
Quaid jerked and looked back at the arena just in time to see Commander buck and come to a stop, his attention riveted on Kim. Brooks yanked on the longe line and barked another command to reverse direction, emphasizing it with the crack of the whip. The horse turned and picked up the trot again, but it was a little ragged and not nearly as pretty as before.
Quaid glanced toward the door again, but Kim was gone. Turning his attention back to the ring, he wondered how they could work with this horse to help him overcome whatever horrible thing must have happened to him at the hands of a female.
~ ~
“Howdy, stranger.”
Kim looked up from picking Bandit’s tail. One of the other boarders, Sandy Barnes, waved. Her cheeks were rosy from the cold and a bright blue fuzzy hat framed her face.
She stuffed her gloves into a pocket. “Happy New Year, by the way.”
Kim smiled. “Same to you. It’s been a while since we were both here at the same time.” She smoothed a hand over Bandit’s rump. “I’ve been coming over in the middle of the day. My business has been quiet and there’s usually no one here at that time.”
At that moment, the arena door opened and Brooks led Commander into the barn. Quaid walked alongside the horse, chatting amiably with the old man. Commander whinnied and Bandit answered, joined by several other voices throughout the barn.
Quaid looked over toward Kim. “Hey, did you see him go? He’s amazing!”
Sandy’s eyes widened and she stepped closer. “Business has been quiet, my foot,” she whispered. “You go, girl.”
Kim’s cheeks flamed with embarrassment, but glancing at the handsome man walking next to the beautiful black horse, she had to admit that they made a pretty spectacular visual experience.
Sandy watched the two of them walk toward Commander’s stall, then she turned to Kim. “I heard you took over that black bully’s board.”
Kim nodded. “They were going to send him to the killers.”
“He’s not much good for anything else – pardon my saying that, but he’s one dangerous horse.” She narrowed her eyes. “Your friend interested in buying him or something?”
“Maybe, I don’t know yet. Today is the first time he’s seen the horse.”
Kim was becoming uncomfortable with the personal direction the conversation was headed, so she changed the subject.
“How’ve you been? Still volunteering at the therapeutic riding facility?”
Sandy nodded, but just then, Garrett stepped up and joined them.
“Hi, I’m Garrett Quaid, Bandit’s friend.”
“Sandy Barnes. Nice to meet you. Do you ride?”
“I used to, but it’s been a long time.” He smiled at Kim. “Maybe that will change, though.”
Sandy took a step back. “We’re having an open house next Friday at the facility. Why don’t you two come? They’ll be doing some demonstrations and introducing all the horses. And, of course, there’ll be food.”
Kim shook her head. “I’m headed for Arizona on Wednesday. Bummer.”
“I just might do that,” said Garrett. “I’ve always been interested in the concept of horses as healers. In fact, the caisson horses at Arlington are being used to help wounded soldiers regain their confidence.”
Sandy’s eyes widened. “Really? How interesting. You’ll have to tell me more about that when you come next week.”
Kim’s face felt wooden as she tried to smile at the seemingly innocent conversation, but the little devil inside her head goaded her to consider Sandy Barnes as a possible threat.
This is silly. She’s just being friendly.
Sandy turned to Kim. “Have a good time in Arizona. Lucky duck, all that sunshine and warm temps. See you when you get back.” She smiled up at Garrett. “Hope to see you Friday.”
As she walked away, Garrett stepped over and scratched Bandit’s chin. “Hey, buddy, we’re going to have some good times this spring.” He turned to Kim, his eyes twinkling. “But before then, we’re gonna have to work on getting your mom to like my new horse.”
Chapter 21
Outside in the parking lot, Garrett looked at his watch. “We should probably get some lunch and talk strategy for your trip.”
Kim nodded. “Why don’t we go to my place. I made clam chowder yesterday and this is a perfect day for it.”
“Homemade soup? You are on!”
Kim’s heart warmed at his boyish response to the idea of comfort food. She had no idea what his childhood had been like, or if his mother had been a homebody, or anything else about his personal life. If home cooked meals would make him happy, she could certainly do that.
An hour later, he settled onto her couch with a cold beer. Miss Kitty jumped up beside him and gave him a long look, then climbed onto his lap and sat down.
He laughed. “Cats don’t usually like me.”
“That doesn’t necessarily mean she likes you. More like she’s testing you, wants to know if you hate cats, in which case, she’ll wallow all over you.”
Kim slowly stirred the chowder, watching Garrett in her home. She liked seeing him there. A small thread of doubt moved through her head. The issue of relationships in the workplace still played an important role in what they would do and where their personal attraction would take them. Maybe she was worrying about it too much. Garrett didn’t appear to be concerned, but he was also excellent at hiding his feelings.
She took the pot off the burner, then pulled the garlic bread out of the oven. Garrett suddenly appeared at her side.
“That smells delicious. Anything I can do to help?”
Kim nodded toward a cupboard. “You could get a couple of bowls down. The spoons are in that drawer to the right of the sink.”
Garrett moved about her kitchen, and Kim smiled. She could definitely get used to this.
A few minutes later, Garrett took a spoonful of chowder, then closed his eyes. “Wow, you could sell this stuff.”
Kim chuckled. “My grandmother’s recipe. Loaded with butter and cream – definitely not diet fare, but who cares.”
He wiped his mouth with the napkin. “When are you leaving?”
“Tuesday.”
“You know you’ll have to stay out of sight, not let Wheeler see you.”
“Yes, I realize that, which could be difficult. I’ll have to know where she is at any given time.”
“Does this horse show draw a lot of spectators?”
“Oh, yes, by the weekend the stands will be full for every class.”
“That would be your best camouflage, stay with the crowds. Mostly, you want to document Wheeler’s involvement with the industry.”
“I also plan to ask my friends what they know about her. If she’s a major player, they will know it.”
Garrett finished the last bite of garlic bread and sat back. “I’ve been over the claim figures a couple of times and there is no way that insurance payments are funding her operation. There has to be something like an inheritance or someone bankrolling her.”
Kim smiled sweetly. “And what, exactly, are we trying to prove here?”
Garrett threw back his head and laughed. “Aw, crap, you got me.” Then he leaned forward, his expression earnest. “But your usual interest in seeing the bigger picture seems to be catching. Insurance fraud aside, I’d love to know what the deal is with this woman.”
Half an hour later, Garrett folded the dishtowel and hung it on the stove handle. “I need to get going. I promised myself I’d finish organizing my house this weekend.” He laughed. “And now it’s almost over and I haven’t done a thing.”
Kim walked to the door with him, suddenly sorry the day was ending.
He turned and smiled. “Thanks for lunch. And for introducing me to Commander. I’m looking forward to getting to know him better.”
“He’s a lucky horse, in more ways than one.”
Garrett gazed at her for a moment, then cleared his throat and looked away. “Well, uh, thanks again for the chowder. I’ll be talking to you before you leave.”
He stepped outside and walked down the stairs.
Kim had her answer – he, too, was concerned about the complications of their relationship.
Chapter 22
Quaid pushed a case file aside and leaned back in his chair, gazing out the window at the glistening pavement in the parking lot. An unseasonably warm day had melted a lot of the snow quickly, but plummeting temperatures overnight would glaze the streets with treacherous black ice. The morning commute would be a nightmare, and Kim would be in the middle of it, headed to Port Columbus airport. He glanced at his watch. Almost four o’clock and he hadn’t heard from the lab yet regarding Wheeler’s dead foal. Though he suspected otherwise, it was possible that the death was nothing more than an unfortunate strike from Mother Nature, and Vivica Wheeler had nothing to do with it.
He sat forward and pulled the seven files relating to the other deaths at Wheeler’s. He’d been through each one carefully, but had found nothing unusual. If he could just find a common denominator for those horses, perhaps he could make sense of the big picture. He turned to a fresh sheet of paper on the yellow pad he kept on his desk, drew a set of columns, then opened the first file. A colt foal just eight days old had died suddenly during the night a year ago. Necropsy showed nothing abnormal.
Quaid pulled the lab report out and set it aside, then opened the next case file.
Eighteen months ago, a two-week-old colt had collapsed over the weekend. Again, normal necropsy findings. Quaid removed the lab report and laid it on top of the first one.
The fax machine in the corner whirred and spat out a sheet of paper. The lab report showed the range of blood values to be mostly normal except for one number that had been highlighted. At the bottom of the report, a handwritten note read, “High level of insulin noted for equine this age. Most likely lab error. Recommend retest on new sample.”
Quaid frowned. Why would the lab suggest retesting on a dead animal? He looked out the window. Unless they didn’t know the blood was postmortem, but that didn’t make any sense. That lab dealt almost predominantly with necropsy testing. He looked at the laboratory name on the report , then at the other two reports he’d pulled. This latest report was from a different lab.
~ ~
Kim let herself into the condo and carried her groceries to the kitchen. Miss Kitty appeared, mewing and weaving between Kim’s legs.
“Yes, I bought cat food. You and Aunt Dixie will have a nice visit, and she’ll spoil you, as usual.”
The cat trotted over to her empty bowl, then turned and gave Kim an indignant look.
“And I can see that you are wasting away to nothing, you little pig.”
After feeding Miss Kitty, Kim opened the fridge and stared at the meager offerings. A slice of leftover pizza, a raw pork chop, and a container of clam chowder. She grabbed the pork chop and tossed it into the freezer. The pizza could go in the trash. The clam chowder brought a smile to her face. More than once during the day, she’d thought about Garrett’s lunch visit and how comfortable they’d become with each other. Instead of worrying about where they were headed, or what pitfalls might surface, she’d decided to just enjoy the ride, wherever it took her.
The biggest surprise of the day, however, had been Garrett’s decision about Commander. She hadn’t expected him to fall so hard or so quickly, but the big black horse had obviously done a number on him. A little ripple of concern ran through her head. The horse was a handful, and Brooks had been definite that he needed a lot of work. Would Garrett have Brooks do that? Or would Garrett try to gentle the horse himself
? And what about her? How did Garrett intend to fix Commander’s dislike of anything female? Kim grinned. He needed a horse whisperer.
Her phone rang and, seeing Garrett’s name on the screen, a tingle of delight ran across her shoulders.
“I was just thinking about you,” she said.
“Good things, I hope.”
Oh, you have no idea. “Of course.”
“You all ready to go tomorrow?”
“Yep, just have to put a couple more things in my suitcase, and get to bed at a decent hour. I wish my flight wasn’t so darned early, but it was all that was available on short notice.”
“Just be really careful driving. All this melted snow is going to freeze.”
Kim smiled at his concern. For the entire time she’d known him, he’d been considerate and always mindful of possible problems. Sort of looking after her.
He cleared his throat. “I want you to be extra careful to stay out of Wheeler’s line of sight. I might have an idea about the foal death.”
Kim sucked in a breath. “What? Tell me.”
“I haven’t nailed it down for sure, but the colt might have been injected with a high dose of insulin.”
Kim stared at the floor, digesting his idea. “My grandfather was diabetic. I remember a few times when he made a mistake on the shot of insulin he gave himself. That was scary. He would get confused and not be able to talk or walk right. I’d have to get some sugar into him, but it was hard because he was a large man and he’d be sort of out of control.”
The memories surged up, making Kim’s chest quiver.
Garrett’s voice had a steel edge to it. “Insulin is made naturally by the body, so it belongs there. But not in high amounts. A newborn foal would have no way to counteract a large dose. Death would be quick.”
Chapter 23
Kim woke up with a start.
“Ladies and gentlemen, we are on the approach to Sky Harbor International Airport in Phoenix. Please secure all tray tables and return your seats to the upright position.”