CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
Tasia’s face beamed as she got off Integrity and led the horse over to the balcony where Elaine was sitting. When Elaine realized her intention to come over, she got up from the chair and leaned against a corner of the balustrade to greet her.
“You must be crazy to ride an animal like that,” Elaine said, smiling. “My heart was in my throat watching you do some of those stunts.”
“Why so concerned? If I tumble off, I just get back on again.” Tasia pulled off her cap and smiled up at Elaine, squinting from the sun. Perspiration tacked her blonde hair down against her temples, but the rest was pulled back into a ponytail and was thus dry. She sounded winded, but at the same time exhilarated. “No big thing.”
Elaine considered her with a certain respect. “I believe you would get back on again,” she said. “I didn’t think your wrists would be strong enough for some of the tricks you did.”
“They aren’t, but I did them anyway. Besides, with the adrenalin rush and the endorphins flowing, I can’t feel the pain.” Taking off her left glove, she examined her wrist and rubbed it. “Not until now, anyway.”
The flesh was tearing away from the stitches in her wrist and seeing it made Elaine feel faint. Tasia took out a white handkerchief and sponged up what little blood there was, and put pressure on the wrist for a few minutes. It would take time for Tasia to care enough about herself to stop pulling stunts so detrimental to her health. Old habits were hard to break.
“You should wear the splint the doctor gave you for your wrist.”
“That’s impossible, Elaine. I’m using it as a bookmark. If I move it, I’ll lose my place.”
“Yeah, yeah, yeah.” Pausing, Elaine observed a white, oval-shaped bird dropping on the balcony next to her hand. “Now that Mr. Kastenmeier is gone, what are you going to do?”
Tasia held the reins and patted Integrity on the neck. When he reared his head, his mane and forelock got swept up by the breeze. Snorting through his nose, the stallion nodded three times. Soon he put his head down again, nuzzling her right side. “When this thing blows over, I’m getting out of here and never coming back. And I don’t have to think twice about that.” Integrity hung on to every word, his ears flicking as she spoke.
Elaine nodded. “Mr. Kastenmeier put you in his will. I guess he really did care, at least a little.”
“He’s very family oriented,” Tasia said, surprising Elaine. “Isn’t that a kick in the head?”
“A man who ignores his wife and son and treats his brother like dirt hardly qualifies as family oriented.”
“Family means different things to different people,” Tasia said with a shrug. “Some people have a more distorted view of it than others.” Integrity nudged her again, his withers twitching, and that made her smile. “I’d better get this one back to his stall. He’s had quite a workout today.”
As Tasia walked away, Elaine watched her. Her unmistakable glow, despite the obvious withdrawal symptoms, and sound countenance meant that Carl’s dying was probably the best thing that had ever happened to her. She carried her shoulders back and held her head high; the air actually seemed sweeter. Her good fortune was almost too good to be true. The state of things made her more beautiful than ever; the transformation was a breathtaking thrill for the eye, prompting men from everywhere to dote on her, especially those who’d been staked out by the front gate since dawn.
“Miss McAvoy! Miss McAvoy!” the reporters called almost in unison. “Would you like to make a statement?”
Tasia kept her eyes forward and faced the stables, never taking her attention away from her goal. She never looked at the gentlemen of the press, not even as a couple of them climbed the gate and then hopped over while armed with video and recording equipment. They held microphones in each fist. Still holding Integrity by the reins, Tasia hastened her pace when she heard them closing in.
Sam soon caught up with her, taking her by the arm and helping her to hurry along. He led her away from the stables and toward his cottage. As soon as they reached it, he took the reins from her hand and allowed her slip into one of the side doors. Closing the door the minute she crossed the threshold, he stayed outside and stood up to the two men rushing across the polo field. Their shouting and quick steps upset Integrity, and he showed this by prancing, pawing, and neighing anxiously. A horse could always smell snakes coming.
When the reporters reached Sam, he had to hold them back. At least the rest of the pack had the good sense not to follow suit. Integrity reared up on his hind legs and pulled away from Sam, and then took off toward the pasture.
“You’re trespassing,” Sam told them. “Get off the property, or I’ll call the police.”
“We just want to hear what Miss McAvoy has to say,” one of the young men said. “Does she have any idea who’d kill such a well-respected man as her guardian Mr. Kastenmeier? Any idea at all?”
Sam shook his head; he seemed fed up with people asking him to tell the story over and over again.
“What are the police saying?” the other guy said. “Was Carl killed by somebody he knew, or did someone break into the house? Was anything stolen?”
“We want to know how Ms. McAvoy feels about losing the man who took her in as a child and raised her,” the first reporter said, shoving a microphone into Sam’s face. “She must be devastated.”
Sam pushed the microphone away and grabbed the man by the collar when he tried to sneak past and open the cottage door. For a small man, Sam was pretty tough. Taking particular pleasure in shoving the reporter hard enough to make him stumble backward and drop his tape recorder, he challenged the other guy while his coworker was down. The second fellow wanted no part of a physical confrontation.
As the first guy stood up again and dusted off his pants, he said, “All we want to know is how she feels about losing a father figure, that’s all.” He checked to make sure his tape recorder was still working. “We mean no disrespect.”
“How do you think she feels?” Sam asked, resting his hands on his hips. “Now get out of here, and I’m not going to tell you twice.”
Elaine shook her head as she looked on from the balcony; it seemed as though Tasia was merely exchanging the imposing will of one man, Carl, for that of others. The newsmen were starting to have a field day at her expense. It was a wonder if the poor girl would ever be free. The last time Tasia had almost made it away from the madness came back to Elaine as if it had happened yesterday.
The Tattered Thread Page 27