All the King's Horses

by Katherine Rhodes

  Just before he entered the barn, he glanced over to the left and took a quick look at the remains of the old barn, and felt a pang of sadness. He hoped his father was proud of what they had done with the farm.

  He hurried ahead. “So, ladies, as you can see we have a state of the art facility where we shelter the horses. Our hands take them out to the pasture for at least four hours of grazing, as the weather permits. We also have some climate control for the really hot and really cold nights.”

  “What’s cold, RJ?” the younger of the two beauties asked.

  He blanked on her name, and was quietly mortified that he’d been paying more attention to their backsides than their names.

  “We average mid to low thirties here in the winter. It can get much colder, but that’s typical.”

  “And heat?”

  “High nineties in the summer. We never, ever put them out in that kind of weather. They’ll go out at dawn or dusk if it’s that hot. It’s better in the morning, because I don’t know if you’ve ever tried to wrangle horses in the dark. It’s not fun.”

  “They get out of the stables. Horses are not stupid animals.” Lucy walked down the stalls, examining the locks and doors.

  She froze in place and slowly looked to her right, into the stall. She walked closer and pulled the top of the Dutch style door open to the right and leaned into the stall.

  RJ was shocked. She had stopped at King’s Dominion’s stall.

  “Uh, Lucy… You want to back out of there. That’s not a horse you want to disturb. Addie and his…” His mouth fell open. King’s Dominion had walked to the front of his space and was nuzzling her. He watched, eyebrows arching up. “Well, I’ll be a monkey’s uncle.”

  Her sister…Frances? Philipa? folded her arms. “My sister has a gift with animals. You watch and she’ll have this horse doing back flips for her in about an hour.”

  “King’s Dominion does back flips for no one. No one. He’s a stubborn ass that only my sister and his jockey can handle. He doesn’t listen to anyone.”

  Lucy’s scowl disappeared and a smile lit up her face, and she went from beautiful to radiantly angelic. RJ wanted her to stay smiling like that. She glanced over at him, and grinned. “May I ride him?”

  Again, his eyebrows shot up so high he wasn’t sure how he didn’t knock the hat off his head. “Uh, no. I’m not being rude, Ms. da Silva. No one but Addie and Josef are allowed to saddle and ride him. I don’t even try.” He walked over and held his hand out and the moody horse moved away from him. “KD here, King’s Dominion, is our prize thoroughbred and he’s going for the triple crown this season.”

  Lucy gasped and carefully withdrew her hand from the horse after one last gentle pat on the nose. “I didn’t know…”

  “This is our secured barn,” RJ explained, pointing out the camera. “These are our most valued mares and studs. KD is our most prized and protected horse.”

  The sister was there again, looking at KD. RJ had to admit, he was getting slightly uncomfortable with these two crowding the stall. King was looking nervous and it had taken them years to figure out that Addie and Josef were the only two who could handle him.

  “Ladies, let’s back up. King has some races coming up and I need him calm. He’ll freak out if we’re here much longer.”

  “He won’t freak out around Lucy.”

  A sharp look from her silenced Lucy’s sister quite neatly, but left RJ wondering what that was about. He pulled the Dutch door back and locked. “Addie takes him out every day Josef can’t. Josef is visiting family in El Paso, so if you want to see KD in action, you’ll have to be up at dawn tomorrow.”

  “I’d love to see him,” Lucy said.

  Nodding, RJ motioned them to the exit at the back of the barn. “We keep the American Paint in the blue barn. They share with the Appaloosas and Mustangs.”

  Once again, the woman lit up. “Mustangs?”

  “Part of a conservation effort,” he explained. “We keep them and breed them. They’re as wild as we can make them. Our studs and mares are stabled, but the offspring are pasture-raised and we try not to interfere. They are supplied with hay and shelter, but as part of the project they get moved to herds that are kept in protected plains. About once every other year.”

  The blue barn was immediately visible when they walked out the door, and Lucy pointed. “There?”

  “Yes.”

  Before he could say another word, she was off at a trot to the door of the other building. RJ looked over at the sister with the black doctor bag. “I’m sorry. What was your name?”

  “Fatima. Doctor Fatima da Silva.” Her smirk was mischievous. “I figured you forgot my name. You were spending an awful lot of time staring at my sister’s ass.”

  “It’s a cute ass.” He punched down at the ground. “Damn it!”

  Fatima started laughing. “You are not starting off on the right foot here, man. I get it. You think she’s hot and that’s fine. But my sister has worked for a long time to get our parents to let her start working the other parts of the farm that don’t include mucking the stables and making semen straws. She’s particularly intense.”

  “But you’re the vet?”

  “I got my license in the mail two weeks ago. I’m tired of being intense.”

  RJ laughed. “Is the whole family into horses?”

  “All five of us.”

  “Five?”

  “Lucia, Fatima, Marcia, Sofia, and Joaquim. All five da Silva kids.”

  The two of them started heading to the other barn. “Are you all close?”

  “We’re loyal to each other, but sometimes we’re not close. Typical siblings.”

  RJ motioned her through the doors to the blue barn where Lucy had gone through at least four stalls already, and was standing inside a fifth. Slapping a hand to her forehead, Fatima walked into the aisle that her sister was currently raiding. “Ay! Qual é o problema? Páre! You’re acting like you were born out here!”

  Lucy yelled something back, and RJ could assume that it wasn’t a friendly phrase by the way Fatima closed her eyes and shook her head. “I’m sorry. My sister forgets herself sometimes. For as intense as she is, she just loses her damn mind over pretty horses.”

  “Much like I do over pretty women.” RJ cringed again. “I really have to stop doing that.”

  Fatima handed him her black bag. “Let me talk to her. Give me a moment.”

  * * *

  Lucy had her hand on the bridge of the black and white Mustang’s nose, petting softly. He was happy for her attention and gave her a soft, pleased whinny. She had argued for the Mustangs on the farm, but mother wanted American Paint horses. And she wanted the Miller Paint horses.

  This animal, though, was gorgeous and friendly, and very happy to have her attention. He was happy here, though, in this barn with rich hay and honey and plenty of time to run. And—oh. The other thing. Lucy grinned. Silly horse, just like men always looking for a lady.

  “Qual é o problema, irmã? You can’t go running away from our host and then yell swear words back at me.”

  Of course, Fatima was yelling at her. She was the one who was welcomed back from school with open arms. She’d had to fight to get where she was in the family business because she had been close to Nana Sofia and showed her talents. “Nothing is wrong. I wanted to see the Mustangs.”

  “You went full Jersey on him and then started acting like a child. You can’t do that. You have to stay consistent, and you’re all over the map.”

  The horse tossed its mane and nuzzled her cheek.

  “Don’t ignore me, Lucia.”

  “I’m not, I’m just paying more attention to the horse, who seems to appreciate me.”

  “Merda, Lucy. Stop it. Mama and Dad want American Paint horses. They had good reasons for it and you’re not going to go rogue on this. This is thousands upon thousands of dollars. This makes a connection we need down here to spread the genetic pool wider, and trade information and help each ot
her. You can’t act like this. Do you know that guy out there likes you?”

  “I like horses better.”

  Fatima grabbed her arm. “Lucy, stop acting like a petulant child!”

  “He opened our relationship with a dick joke, Tee.”

  “You cannot keep pretending you’re asexual, Lucy. I know you were checking him out. Stop being all business and start having a little fun.”

  “No. I’m not here for fun.”

  “Apparently, you’re here to talk to horses and ignore the humans. I’m getting really tired of your ‘everyone sucks’ attitude. Has it ever occurred to you that just maybe Mama and Dad have had trouble letting you into the business side because of your disgust and contempt for humanity?”

  Petting the horse’s neck and trying to enjoy its simple outlook on life, Lucy tried not to let her sister get to her. She had worked so hard to get her parents to send her to Texas to find the new line of horses they were going to add to the stables. She felt like a constant disappointment to her parents and this was a chance to prove herself.

  But as hot as RJ had been when she first saw him, she didn’t trust him. She didn’t trust any men. This was no place to start having an interest again. She had work to do.

  But the Mustangs had been too pretty and too carefree to ignore. She also knew she shouldn’t be handling the horses like this. She shouldn’t be communicating with them on their level like Nana Sofia had shown her. It wasn’t what Mama and Dad wanted, and she had to show them she could run the farm, better than business-minded Marcia.

  “Fine, whatever. Ignore me, Lucy.”

  “I’m not ignoring you, Tee. I’m just paying more attention to the horses.”

  Fatima leaned against the stall. “Come on, Lu. This is ridiculous. You’re an amazingly capable woman. Why are you acting like this? You can’t still be mad about Greg.”

  “I’m not mad about Greg. I just don’t care to get bound up in emotions. Not like that.”

  “You want to be good at this business stuff? Stop being so standoffish. And weird. I mean, it’s so clear that Double Down Ranch is a million times better than Sundowner, and we want that. If you don’t stop being strange and running away from the owner, we’re going to have to go back to Sundowner.”

  Lucy looked at her sister. “Sundowner. Was it me or did you want to buy that whole place and get it up to speed?”

  “Are you intentionally changing the subject?”

  “No. It’s just—”

  Fatima changed her attitude. “You didn’t like that place at all. It made you very uncomfortable.”

  “The horses were...not mistreated but there was no joy there. No happiness. They didn’t want to leave the stable and run free. They didn’t have a desire to help, and you know...”

  “Horses love to help. They love to be challenged.” Her sister sighed. “Lucy, we can’t save them all. We really can’t. But I know what you mean. There wasn’t anything obvious. Just, not the joy that’s clear here. And because of that we really need to try and talk to this family. Relate to them.” Fatima put a hand on her shoulder. “Lucia. Please. I want this deal as much as you do. You have had guys start a conversation with far more vile opening lines. Forgive him. You might even like him.” Her sister dropped her hand away and sighed again. “Not every guy is Greg. You have to get over him someday.”

  Lucy smirked. “If you like him so much, you date him.”

  Fatima laughed. “I would, except his eyes have been firmly glued on your ass. I’m going to send him over. Don’t immediately be offended by his being male. And for God’s sake, don’t touch all the horses. King’s Dominion is one of the most gorgeous thoroughbreds I’ve ever seen and I’d put money on him being worth well over a million dollars. Don’t touch the expensive horses without permission.”

  Her sister walked away and after just a moment, RJ strolled over. He resettled his hat on his own mane of ragged sandy brown hair. It was so clear that he wasn’t afraid of rolling up his sleeves and working around the ranch, with his broad shoulders and defined arms and legs. The jeans didn’t leave much to the imagination, and she really didn’t need an imagination to see he had not been exaggerating.

  Well, hello, libido. Nice of you to show up now.

  Maybe it was time to think about moving on from what Greg had done to her. First, she had to keep her New Jersey attitude under wraps.

  “So, you’re a fan of Mustangs.”

  She nodded. “My mother wanted the Painted. I wanted Mustangs. It’s still their stables and farm, so I have to go with their decision. That doesn’t mean I don’t still want the Mustangs.”

  “This bully is named Birch. He’s a jerk to men and a doll to women, but he’s not a mean horse. He just likes the ladies. He’s a great ride if you want to take him out later.”

  Perking up, Lucy nodded. “I would love that.”

  With a dip of his head, RJ flipped the hat off and into his hand. “Look, Lucy. We got off to a rough start. I’d love to make that up to you. Would you consider joining me tomorrow night at a benefit? It’s why Tennessee was here when you got here. He was dropping off some extra tickets to see if I’d be able to get anyone to pay for them and go to the dinner.”

  “I’d like that very much,” Lucy said. “I do apologize for being so harsh.”

  “Forgot it even happened already. I’ll send Addie over and you can saddle jerk face here for a ride.”

  Lucy considered the horse a moment. “Does he take English saddle?”

  RJ stopped. “You ride English?”

  She laughed. “I was almost born on the back of a horse, RJ. English saddle, western stock, Australian stock... I can do them all. And that’s not a brag. When you’re looking to spend hundreds of thousands of dollars on an animal, you need to know what they can handle, as well as what they can be taught.”

  “Good point. I will have the hands pull out the English tack and we’ll see if Birch here can handle it.”

  He turned and got ready to leave the stable, but stopped. “Oh, the dinner is a white tie. Is that okay with you?”

  “White tie? I can manage.”

  He smiled. “Bring a calling card if you have one.”

  “I will.” Lucy tuned back to the horse and smiled. RJ Miller was in for a surprise.

  Chapter Three

  SLIPPING TWO FINGERS IN THE WHITE BOW TIE, trying to loosen it a touch, RJ looked around. He wanted to be here and didn’t. His mother and sister had to drag him to Dallas for this damned penguin suit, and while this was a very good cause, he wished they had gone with Western Fancy dress.

  Black dress shoes weren’t comfortable.

  A couple appeared in the door and the MC announced them to the crowd. Polite applause welcomed them.

  Tennessee and Molly stood next to RJ, and Ten looked just as horribly uncomfortable in the tux and tails as he felt. In fact, the three Highland McCoy brothers looked miserable. He was glad he at least had his cousins to commiserate with.

  The women, on the other hand... well. They sparkled and shone like divas on a stage. Gorgeous, each one. Cato was wearing a one-shouldered black sequin dress that shimmered in the lights. Molly was in a strapless red number that did things to her natural tan skin that made RJ understand why Ten kept adjusting his pants. His own sister, Addie, was a dream in pink taffeta and satin. She looked like cotton candy. And his mother, Ellen, was wearing a very sophisticated electric blue gown.

  Even at fifty-one, his mother could turn heads. And several had when she walked in and presented her card to the master of ceremonies. Several gentlemen came forward to offer to escort her into the room, but David Dietz won the toned-down foot race and got there first. Addie elbowed RJ when he won. The two of them had a bet on who was going to ask her out first: David or another rancher, Theodosius Jones. It was always a race between the two of them to get to Ellen first.

  Another couple was announced by the MC, and there was a smattering of applause.

  “Stop fidgeting,�
� Molly admonished her husband. “It’s one night and you can live with the dang tie.”

  “If the prize is getting you out of that dress later, I’ll deal.” Ten grinned at her and waggled his eyebrows.

  Addie made polite gagging noises. Molly leaned over and gave her a look. “Oh, now you just keep it quiet. You know you want George McGovern to give you that kind of attention.”

  RJ coughed. “Mollina, I’m right here.”

  Addie slowly turned and looked at him. “And I didn’t have to hear about your horse-sized penis yesterday.”

  Tennessee snorted as his wife gaped. “I didn’t tell you about his brilliant opening line with the buyer, did I?”

  “No. I need to hear this.”

  Ten offered his wife his elbow. “Let’s get a drink. You’ll like this.”

  After they walked away, RJ looked at his little sister. “You like McGovern?”

  “He’s cute. That’s all.” But she went red from head to toe, and RJ knew she had it bad for him. Considering how red she was, RJ let it drop and went on to the next subject. “You’re sure they were still coming?”

  “Who—oh. The da Silva girls? Yes. Of course. Tee gave me a check this morning.” Addie looked over at him. “It was a very generous check on their farm’s name. Very, very generous.”

  He studied her face. “Garnering favor?”

  “No way. Earnest belief in the cause.”

  Trusting his sister’s instincts, RJ was quietly impressed. They had no ties to the Fernandez Clinic. The tickets had been expensive, and they helped fund the clinic for the year. Most everyone in the county who was lucky enough to have money doled out for this occasion—the clinic handled 365 extremely ill patients each year—the ones who couldn’t afford their own fight for life, cancer, kidney failure, traumatic brain injury. Whatever it was. They coordinated care and acted as primary care for those patients for life. It was an expensive proposition, but Dr. Andrew McGovern had set it up after his future brother-in-law had lost the battle with kidney failure, merely for lack of funds and support. Doc McGovern still ran the charity at ninety years old.