Nick threw his hands in the air. “This whole thing was stupid. We wasted a whole night and for what? Yes, he knew her, no, he didn’t know her, yes, he helped her, no, he didn’t help her. We’re right back where we started.”
“No, Nick, we’re not. Something happened between that old man and Willow. Sooner or later, one or the other will get in touch. I’ll have Cal get some of his operatives out here in Vegas to take it on. We’ll monitor him, his comings and goings, his mail, his telephone. Sooner or later, we’ll come up with something.”
“No, you won’t,” Nick said. “She’s gone, and it’s over.”
11
Emmie scanned her portfolio statement before she slipped it back into the envelope, then opened her checkbook to view past entries in the robust account. She fingered the six dividend checks she had yet to deposit. Her mother was always prompt about sending the generous checks that she normally transferred to a trust for Gabby. She really should go to the bank, but these days anything having to do with her mother annoyed her. Ian Hunter’s words blared in her ears: Don’t procrastinate. Meet it head-on, deal with it, and put it behind you. And he was right. She rummaged for the deposit booklet and ripped out two copies. She endorsed the checks, and filled out the ticket before attaching a paper clip to the little stack of checks. There, she’d met it head-on, dealt with it, and could close the checkbook. Done.
Dillon Roland came up behind her chair and put his hands on her shoulders. “Do I dare ask what is causing that ferocious look on your face?”
Emmie waved the stack of checks in front of him. “These. As half owner of Blue Diamond Farms, I get dividend checks every month. I put them in a trust for Gabby.”
“That’s a good thing, Emmie. You should be happy that you’re lining Gabby’s nest.”
“I am happy about it, Dad. It’s just that sometimes I get mad that I own something and have no say in the way things are done. Half the farm is mine. Mom never asks for my input. I understand that I screwed things up, but I’m okay now. She never asked for my input before I got sick either.
“When Josh Coleman died years ago, he left SunStar to me, and Mom made me sign it over to my uncles Rhy and Pyne. I did it because she said it was the right thing to do. I don’t know if it was or not. I always did what she said. Then there was that awful court thing that dragged on with the Colemans before things were finally settled. The way Mom wanted them settled. I guess in some ways I was a little upset with the way she used the farm’s money to pay off the Coleman loans and give them back their homestead. She didn’t consult with me even once. I like to think I would have agreed, but I don’t know that for sure.”
Dillon walked around the table and sat down. “Something else is bothering you, isn’t it? We said we were going to talk about everything. Doctor Hunter said that was the key to your recovery. So, Emmie, talk.”
Emmie bit down on her lower lip. “We already talked about it, Dad. It was what Mom said that day when I was leaving rehab. She said you were just being nice to me to get one of her horses. She said you didn’t love me. As Doctor Hunter said, once words are spoken, you can’t take them back. You can’t undo a mistake either, but you can work to make things right.”
“I’m sorry your mother doesn’t understand that people can change. Look, if you want to go back to Kentucky and talk to her, let’s do it. It will be nice for Gabby to see her grandmother again. And if you want some say in the training of Hifly, I’m all for it. He’s your horse. Nothing is ever going to change that.”
“I’m not as good as she is. I wanted to try, though. I had such a good rapport with Hifly. Then I got sick. She’s worked with him all the time I was gone. I don’t even know if he’ll remember me. I wish you could have seen her face when she saw him for the first time. Then she turned to look at me and that said it all. I’m not mom bashing here, it’s the way it was then. You know what, Dad, let’s go to Kentucky. I want to see my horse. I dream about him all the time.” Emmie smacked her hands together. “When can we go?”
“Whenever you want to go, honey. This afternoon, tomorrow, the next day. It’s your call. Just be sure it’s really what you want to do.”
“Oh, I do. What about you, Dad? Are you up for a visit with Mom?”
“Let’s just say I’ll stand on your end of the property as long as you show me which end is yours. I have no desire to upset your mother. There’s every possibility she’ll be civil to me, but I don’t think either one of us should count on it.”
“Tomorrow. Let’s go tomorrow. We can stay at the Inn or at my old house. If you do the airline tickets, I’ll pack for all of us. Should we take Cookie? Of course we have to take Cookie. Hifly loved him. He was his barn buddy there for a while. I’m so glad you’re okay about us going back home. Thanks, Dad.”
“My pleasure, honey.”
Dillon Roland sat at the table for a long time after Emmie left to go upstairs to pack. Was he making a blunder by going to Kentucky with his daughter? Well, he’d had his share of screwups along the way, so one more wouldn’t matter. He knew he could handle whatever Nealy threw at him, but he wasn’t sure about Emmie.
True, Emmie had come a long way both physically as well as mentally because he’d been able to keep her free of stress and trauma. According to Dr. Hunter, Emmie was her old self again, and while he didn’t know exactly what her old self meant, he was happy with the prognosis and her progress to date. To him she appeared absolutely normal in every way. She was so improved that she could ride daily and work as many hours as she wanted in the barns.
He thought about all the years he’d spent in a loveless marriage just to please his father. In many ways he was just like Emmie, and perhaps that was what endeared him to her. He didn’t love his sons the way he loved her, and the thought saddened him. First, they had been spoiled by their mother, and then by his own father, who doted on them as they grew into tall, handsome young men. Young men who had never worked a day in their lives. They lived off huge trust funds and traveled around the world playing and partying. He shook his head when he recalled how he’d tried to intervene only to be shot down by his father and his wife. Sad to say, he’d just given up.
He looked around the great room he was sitting in and smiled. Cookie was asleep in his little bed near the fireplace. Toys were scattered everywhere, a doll buggy, a small racing car, and a basket of blocks that Cookie had upended before he conked out to sleep. He wasn’t sure if the toys were Gabby’s or the dog’s. Not that it mattered. He laughed aloud when he remembered how Gabby had dressed Cookie in one of her doll outfits and taken him for a ride in the buggy. He’d never been happier in his entire life—except when he was seeing Nealy Coleman, back when he was a kid. He’d been so in love with her then, and so happy he could have walked on air.
A lifetime ago.
There was still one area of his daughter’s life he had to work on: Buddy Owens, Emmie’s ex-husband and Gabby’s father. Dr. Hunter had said Emmie would never be one hundred percent until she faced her daughter’s father. “If you have to, fight it out in the courts, but do something. Don’t live with something like that hanging over your head. Gabby won’t thank you as she gets older and finds out her father is alive and well and was kept from her. Now, if the child’s father isn’t interested and doesn’t want visitation, that’s a different story.”
Emmie lived in fear that Buddy would sweep Gabby away, that the child would be lost to her. No amount of talking, cajoling, or wheedling could change her mind, even when her doctor told her, time and again, if she did it right, nothing would happen. She was simply too frightened. If she lost Gabby, she lost everything. Her favorite expression, where Buddy Owens was concerned, was, Why stir up a hornet’s nest?
Dillon sighed. Maybe after the trip to Kentucky, he’d try again to talk Emmie into calling her ex-husband. Sometimes a miracle did happen if you were open to all things. He crossed his fingers the way he had when he was a little boy and made a wish.
“Grandpa,
Grandpa! I’m home. Where’s Mommy?” Dillon was off his chair in a second, his arms spread wide. Gabby ran right into him. He scooped her up as well as the whirling dervish called Cookie and hugged them both.
He closed his eyes, inhaling the warm, sweet smell of his granddaughter. He couldn’t ask for more.
Nealy tilted the brim of her Stetson to shield her eyes from the early-March sun. Off in the distance she could see an expanse of gray clouds. By noon it would be raining, but for now it was a beautiful spring day. She whirled around when she felt a gentle hand on her shoulder. “Hatch!”
“That’s my name. How’s it all going?” he asked, shielding his eyes, too, against the glare of the bright sun.
“Take a look,” Nealy said, pride ringing in her voice. “If those two young men keep this up, by Derby Day they’re going to be superstars. I say this with all modesty, but they’re as good as I was on my best day.
“I’ve always said a Thoroughbred is one of God’s best miracles. Do you realize they can run forty miles an hour? They live for that one word, run. Hifly is a constant surprise to me. Jake is doing so well with him. I know you know this, but I’m going to tell you again. When a jockey is running a horse, he doesn’t actually sit in the saddle. Jake had some trouble with that in the beginning. You have to crouch over, placing all your weight on your toes. The metal base of the stirrup hangs about a foot from the horse’s topline, and that’s where your toes go. It’s tricky till you master it. When the horse is running, the only parts of the jockey that actually touch the horse are his ankles and the insides of his feet. All the rest is balanced in midair. Jake got it down pat, and it only took two good spills.”
“I still shiver when I think about you racing those races.”
“Sometimes I shiver, too,” Nealy smiled. “Those two,” she said, pointing her index finger at Jake and Lee, “are fearless. Jake actually turned green the day I put him on a pony. Just look at him now. You know, Hatch, everything about a jockey comes down to seconds. Just mere seconds. Some of the greatest jockeys in the world are called freakish because they have to be able to gauge pace to within two- to three-fifths of a second of the actual time. It all comes down to a fast faction and a slow faction. Jake has that ability, and from what I’ve seen from Lee, he’s got it, too. I’ve got two fine jockeys here, Mr. Littletree.”
“Did you ever get around to making your donation to the Jockey’s Guild, Nealy?”
“Absolutely. I’m taking it a step further this year. All the proceeds from my Derby Ball are going to go to the guild. They’re currently supporting over fifty riders who were disabled on the job. I think that’s a wonderful thing for them to do. I just wish more people would donate.”
Hatch turned around to look back toward the house. “I think you have company, Nealy.”
Her eyes on the paddock, Nealy said, “It’s probably some reporter. They’re getting rather bold this year. We need to put the gate down. The rumors are starting to fly. I expected it since we have just two months till the Derby. I think the word is out that I’m running two horses.”
“Wonder how that rumor got started,” Hatch mused.
“Cordell started it.” Nealy laughed. “When the time is right, I’m going to have both boys give an interview to the papers. So, who’s here?” she asked, turning around.
“Emmie! Gabby! Come here, you little rascal, and let me look at you. My gosh, you’ve grown half an inch. Well, hello, Cookie! It’s nice to see you, Emmie,” Nealy said, reaching for her daughter. Emmie took a step backward to avoid her mother’s outstretched arms. Instead, she climbed over the board fencing and ran across the paddock to where Hifly was standing next to Jake. She stopped halfway to where the horse was standing and whistled. Hifly turned, swung his head about, and raced to her side.
“Hello would have been nice,” Nealy mumbled. She dropped to her knees to hug Gabby, tears filling her eyes. The little girl in her arms, she turned to watch the byplay in the paddock between Emmie, Jake, and Hifly. Lee Liu watched from a distance, a frown building between his brows.
“Hi, Jake, how’s it going with my horse?” Emmie asked, nuzzling the horse’s head. Hifly whinnied in pleasure. “I’ve missed this guy.” She whispered in the horse’s ear, and, to her delight, he nudged her gently until her back was against the board fencing.
“Why is he doing that?” Jake asked.
“He wants me to get on his back. He remembers me. I was so afraid he would forget all about me. Walk away and call him. I want to see if he’ll listen to you.” Jake retraced his steps and called out. Hifly ignored him. He called again. This time Hifly’s tail swished angrily as he waited for Emmie to climb on his back.
“Okay, baby, show me what you can do,” Emmie said, leaning down to whisper in the horse’s ear.
“Emmie, no!” Nealy shouted. Hatch placed a gentle hand on her arm as Gabby wiggled to the ground. A second later, Cookie leaped through the board fencing and raced after the galloping horse.
Up on the gravel driveway, Dillon Roland wiped at a lone tear in the corner of his eye. In his life he’d never seen such bliss as he was seeing on his daughter’s face.
Exactly two minutes later, Emmie rode up to the board fencing where her family was standing. Hifly was snorting and pawing the ground as Cookie danced in front of him, happy to be back where he’d had so many good runs with his favorite buddy. Emmie’s laughter rang in the air when Hifly bent down to pick up the little dog and held him high enough so Emmie could reach him. He took off again, his mane flying, his tail a straight line behind him. Dillon Roland’s closed fist shot in the air as Nealy stood with her mouth hanging open.
Over the sound of the horse’s pounding hooves, they could all hear Cookie’s joyous bark and Emmie’s laughter.
Gabby clapped her hands and shouted, “Mommy! Mommy!”
Hifly trotted over to the family, proud as a peacock. Jake helped Emmie dismount, Cookie in her arms. “The dog had a better seat than I did,” Emmie said breathlessly. “How’d I do?” she asked Jake.
“You beat my time by two seconds,” Jake said, his voice full of awe.
“No kidding!” She looked up at the driveway, saw her father wave to her. She waved back. “That’s my dad up there,” she said proudly.
“I’d like to meet him. Why is he standing up there?”
“It’s a long story, Jake. God, I love this horse.”
“It’s easy to see he loves you, too. He likes me, but he doesn’t love me. I can tell the difference.”
“My mother was like that with Flyby. That horse was almost human. So’s this guy. I’m going to cool him down and do what has to be done. Want to come along, or do you have something to do? You can meet my dad.”
Emmie motioned for her father to join her. “How’d I do, Mom?” she asked, acknowledging her mother for the first time.
“That was a stupid, foolish thing you did just now, Emmie. You could have gotten yourself killed. Hifly isn’t the same horse he was when you left here. You couldn’t know what he would or wouldn’t do.”
“Ah, but that’s where you’re wrong, Mom. I do know. Just like you knew with Flyby, or did you forget? Sometimes I think you have a selective memory, but only when it comes to me. Eventually, I’ll figure it all out.”
Nealy jerked her head backward. “I don’t want that man on my property. I mean it, Emmie. Get rid of him.”
“Easy, Nealy,” Hatch said softly.
“That man? Get rid of him? Your property? I don’t think so, Mom. Show me where my half is. My half, Mom. Is it down the middle? Is it crosswise? What?”
“This is not funny, Emmie. I want him out of here, and off Blue Diamond land. Now!”
Hatch tugged at his wife’s arm. Nealy shook it off.
“Then maybe you should call the police or the sheriff or someone. Half this farm is mine. Hifly is my horse. I have the bill of sale. I didn’t give you permission to train him, nor did I give you permission to bring Jake or that other guy here. Yo
u’re supposed to consult with me. Sending a check once a month won’t hold up in court.
“Jake, take Hifly to the barn and cool him down. I’ll be there in a few minutes. Dad, go with Jake while I talk to Mom.”
“He put you up to this didn’t he? Can’t you see what he’s doing? What’s gotten into you? Why are you behaving like this?”
“Because it’s time. In case you haven’t noticed, I’m not the old Emmie you can lead around by the nose.”
Hatch watched in horror as mother and daughter went eyeball-to-eyeball.
“I’m going to ride my horse in the Derby so if you made any promises to Jake or the other guy, this would be a good time to cancel them out,” Emmie said. “He’s my horse, and I’ll ride him.”
“You don’t know the first thing about being a jockey. You’ll get yourself killed just to prove me wrong. I’m not wrong. Your doctors won’t allow it,” Nealy said desperately.
“Mom, they okayed me months ago. Do you think I spend my time knitting and watching soap operas? I’ve been riding and training. I taught myself. I might not be as good as you were in your prime but I can damn well hold my own. Now, which half of this damn farm is mine? Draw the line now because I’m here to stay until after the Derby. Who knows, I might be here till after the Preakness and the Belmont. There’s nothing you can do about it either.”
“We’ll just see about that,” Nealy said.
“Yeah, I guess we will. Come on, Gabby, let’s go find Cookie and Grandpa.”
“Don’t say a word, Hatch. I’m going up to the house to call Clementine Fox.”
Kentucky Sunrise Page 20