The Damaged Heroes Collection [Box Set #1: The Damaged Heroes Collection] (BookStrand Publishing Mainstream)

by James, Sandy

  Ross stared at the screen and whispered, “Yes, sir.” Seth caught the respectful response.

  Sterling continued. “Katie, you’re probably thinking you’re in the wrong place—”

  “Got that right,” she quietly replied. She leaned into the table, plucked a loose pen from its surface, and twirled it through her fingers like a tiny baton. Seth figured she was nervous again.

  “—but you’re not,” Sterling continued. “Do you remember what we talked about... about me putting some horses in your stable—colts I wanted you to train? I’m sorry I didn’t get that done, Sweetheart. But I’m going to do you one better. You’re going to get the best thing I have to offer. Katie, you’re getting my son.”

  The pen suddenly flew from her fingers and sailed across the table.

  Katie and Seth both looked at the screen with dropped jaws.

  “You can both close your mouths now,” Sterling’s voice said with a small chuckle. “Katie, Sweetheart, I’ve never met anyone quite like you. We haven’t known each other long, but I know quality when I see it. Your horses are treated better than most people and your talent for training good racehorses is second to none. You know your business like I know mine, and you’ve been training long enough to have earned the respect of everyone I’ve talked to. I need you to take Seth under your wing. Teach him. Train him. Just like you do your horses.”

  “What?” Seth had rapidly reached his boiling point. Now his beloved father was comparing him to a large smelly beast of burden. He pushed his chair away from the table, preparing to bolt at the next provocation. “How long do I have to listen to this?”

  “Seth,” his father’s voice continued, “it’s time for you to learn what life is all about. Hell, son, you’re almost thirty. It’s past time for you to grow up. You’ll walk out of this office with nothing. No mansion. No cars. No money. No name. No company waiting for you to take it over. The Remington fortune will be put into a trust so you can’t have a dime of it now. You can go home tonight, but just for one night. When you leave the compound tomorrow, you can take two suitcases of clothes, but nothing else. And the Remington name stays behind too. While you’re with Katie, you’ll use a different name. Arthur is working on an alias for you.”

  Seth whirled his chair around, jumped to his feet, and shouted at Arthur. “What the hell is he talking about?”

  “Seth,” his father continued, “sit down and hear me out.”

  Shocked at the insightfulness of his father’s posthumous statement, Seth instantly obeyed.

  The old lawyer hit the pause button, put the remote down, and picked up the file folder. He pulled out three stapled packets and handed one to each person at the table.

  “This is the agreement. Katie and Seth, you’ve both got to read and sign it for it to be legally binding.” Arthur put the file folder down and picked up the remote again. Pointing it at the television, he said, “Just listen to what he wants, Seth.”

  Sterling said, “I couldn’t give you a position at Remington Computers because there would be no challenge for you, no way to show you what hard work is like. And everyone there knows you. Son, you’re going to work for Katie Murphy as a groom. You’ll work from now until the end of the racing season. You’ll live at the track dormitory like all the other grooms. For the first time in your life you’re going to learn what it’s like to work, to really work.”

  Katie looked up from her paper and asked a question. Arthur hit the pause button again. “I’m sorry, Katie. What did you say?”

  “Why me? I don’t understand. Why does he have to work for me? I don’t have time to train a new groom. Especially one who doesn’t know squat about horses. I wish Mr. Remington would’ve asked me first.”

  “It’s what Sterling wanted,” Ross responded. “He told me he was going to buy some yearlings for you to train, but his illness progressed too fast. He said this would help you out.”

  Katie was clearly confused. Seth wasn’t far behind her.

  “Help me out here. How does making his son work for me equal to putting horses in my barn? Seems to me I’m getting the short end of the stick. I’m supposed to pay him too?” She shook her head. “No thanks, I’d rather have some horses.”

  “All of Sterling’s horses were too high profile,” Ross explained. “Everyone would recognize them, and then they’d recognize Seth. Sterling didn’t want Seth relying on the Remington name to get through this easily.” He flipped to a page of the papers sitting in front of Katie. “Besides, you don’t have to pay Seth. The estate will pay his salary—a groom’s salary. Plus you’ll get two hundred a week as a stipend as long as he’s with you. It’ll be up to you to let us know how much he’s earned. He’s free help for you.”

  “Free help I have to train,” she replied. Then she seemed to mull the whole idea over for a long moment. “Two hundred a week?” she finally asked. Ross nodded. “How long did you say I’d have to put up with him?”

  “You can both stop talking about me as if I’m not sitting right here,” Seth grumbled. He glared at Katie. “You don’t have to worry about it anyway, Princess. I’ve got no intention of working for you.”

  “Fine with me,” she replied as she leaned back in her chair and crossed her arms over her chest. “Jerk.”

  The word was barely more than a whisper, but it hadn’t escaped the notice of anyone in the conference room. Ross coughed a laugh into his hand. Arthur cleared his throat.

  Seth decided to ignore her for the moment and deal with the more immediate problem. “Arthur, this is ridiculous. I’ll just challenge it in court.”

  Ross replied, “You can’t... Well, I suppose you can, but Sterling put a provision in the will that disinherits you if you file a civil suit. If you do take this to court, you lose all the money.” Ross laughed and added, “Plus you’ll pick up some hefty legal bills.”

  “I’ve already lost everything according to this asinine tape!”

  Arthur intervened. “Please, let’s all calm down. Just listen to the rest, shall we?” He started the tape.

  Sterling’s voice filled the room again. “If you’re able to show that you can become a valuable member of Katie’s team, you’ll inherit Remington Computers—lock, stock, and circuit boards. It will be her decision at the end of the season whether you inherit or not. She’ll let Arthur and Ross know if you’ve fulfilled your obligation. You refuse to work for Katie, you get nothing.”

  “Son of a bitch,” Seth muttered as the tape played on.

  “Now, I know you think you’re a ladies’ man, Seth, so I have one more condition,” Sterling cautioned as he grinned and waved his index finger in front of him as if scolding a naughty child.

  Seth released a heavy sigh. How could this possibly get any worse?

  Sterling’s voice took on a note of severity. “If you try to seduce Katie or use collusion to get her to give you the money, you’ll get nothing. There’s no cheating your way out of this. And just to be sure you don’t try to take advantage of her, if Katie decides you’ve earned your money at the end of the season then you can’t have any kind of contact with her again for five years. And Katie can’t get a dime of your inheritance, only the colt I’ve bought for her and the salary I’ve put aside for her as payment for taking you in. If you transfer anything of value into her name in the next five years, my pit bulls will go after you. That’ll keep you from trying to trick her into some kind of plot to split the money. If you violate the five-year-no-contact rule, the money will be taken away from you, and believe me, my lawyers will know if you cheat.”

  Looks like the angel and I won’t be checking into the Palmer House after all.

  Sterling leaned in to put his face closer to the camera. The unshed tears in his father’s eyes made Seth’s throat close up, choking him with grief. “Seth, please believe me. This is really for the best. All you’ve got to do is work hard. Show the world what you can do when you stand on your own two feet. I believe in you, son. I really believe in you.”
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  The image faded to black.

  Chapter 3

  All Seth could do was sit and stare at the blank screen as a mixture of anger and grief twisted through his mind. The Old Man had really done it this time. Sure, he’d threatened before. Lots of times. But he’d damn well done it this time.

  Arthur’s voice finally worked its way through Seth’s mental haze. “Seth, it’s not so bad. You just have to be like everybody else for a while. Not long. Just a season.”

  “How... how long’s a season?” Seth asked even though he wasn’t really certain he wanted to know the answer.

  “We’re training for it now. We race from the beginning of April to the middle of November,” Katie answered even though her attention didn’t seem to be directed toward Seth.

  She appeared to be every bit as disturbed by the turn of events, but instead of becoming catatonic, she busily flipped through the pages of the packet Arthur had handed her. She’d drawn her lips so tight, they were nothing but a thin line. “I don’t get it,” she said each time she turned to a new page.

  Ross finally took Katie’s packet off the table. He turned to a specific page, put it back in front of her, and pointed out an important passage. She read it. “So that’s all I get for doing this? That’s it?”

  “That and the weekly stipend,” Ross replied.

  She’d piqued Seth’s curiosity. “Well? What does she get?”

  “A horse. A stakes horse,” Katie responded. Her eyes slowly scanned Seth from his head to his feet. “A two-year old Indiana-sired stakes horse. I’m not sure you’re worth it.”

  “What the hell is a stakes horse?” Seth asked. If it was some multimillion-dollar champion, at least it would make him feel as if his life had some value.

  “It’s a horse that’s paid up to race in special races. But it’s a two-year old. It might not even make it to the track this year. Or ever,” she explained, still flipping through the papers.

  Even though he wasn’t entirely sure he wanted to know the answer, Seth had to ask, “What do you mean about not making it to the track?”

  “Some two-year olds aren’t mature enough to race well. You spend a lot of time getting them ready, and all you get for your effort is massive frustration,” Katie replied. She looked as aggravated as he felt.

  “Beautiful. Just beautiful.” Seth used his fingertips to massage his now aching forehead.

  Katie didn’t appear much happier. Perhaps his father had insulted her when he implied she was the kind of woman whose common sense and business practices could be influenced by a handsome face.

  Ross leaned toward Katie, put a hand on her shoulder, and said, “Katie, it’s a really good horse. Sterling knew you wanted to stay in Indiana, so he had some of his people check around for one of the best two-year olds out there. He probably paid more for the animal than it’s worth to get it for you. Plus, you get a new groom you don’t have to pay.”

  “That’s it? I still don’t get it. Why me? Why’d he pick me?”

  “Sterling called you ‘quality.’ It was the highest compliment he’d give to anyone, trust me,” Arthur replied.

  “A whole season? What if he doesn’t work hard? What if he’s not good with my horses?”

  Although he understood Katie’s concern about the impact this would have on her stable, Seth cared more about what was happening to him. Thoroughly pissed off at the whole proceeding, he scoffed a laugh. “What if we just pretend I work for you? No one would have to know anything.” Once said aloud, the ridiculous suggestion didn’t sound so farfetched to him. Then he realized he was grasping at proverbial straws. His father’s will had left no wiggle room.

  About the time it appeared everyone had mercifully ignored him again, Katie spoke up. “There are no secrets in the barn.”

  “Excuse me?” Seth asked. This woman seemed to have a language all her own, and he hated realizing she could make him feel so ignorant.

  “Everyone would know. There are no secrets in the barn,” she answered as if that explanation should suffice.

  Ross arched an eyebrow. “What do you mean?”

  Katie’s heavy sigh conveyed her frustration. “I know you don’t get it. You guys have never been in racing. Everyone at the track always knows everybody else’s business. We’re together almost twenty-four seven. If you were around a track, you’d understand. It’s absolutely impossible to keep anything a secret.”

  Arthur chuckled. “Reminds me of this office.”

  Ross smiled and nodded at Arthur. He turned back to Seth. “Can we get back to the business at hand? It’s entirely up to you, Katie. When it’s all said and done, you get to decide if he’s earned his money.”

  “I don’t want that kind of responsibility,” she replied, shaking her head.

  “You don’t have to take him, Katie, but this is a fantastic opportunity for you. Let’s go talk in my office.” Ross pulled her chair away from the table. Katie stood up, grabbed her papers, and trailed him out of the conference room without a backward glance. Seth’s eyes followed her closely as she walked past the glass walls and disappeared.

  After Ross and Katie left, Arthur sat down next to Seth and put a comforting hand on the young man’s shoulder. “Seth, I know this is a shock.”

  Seth snorted in response to the obvious understatement. “A shock? Damned right, it’s a shock.”

  “Your father wanted to help you, that’s all. Will it really be that terrible?”

  “Let’s see, Arthur. I’ve got no home, no car, no money. I can’t even use my own damn name. Tomorrow morning, I’m allowed to reduce everything I value into just enough to fill two suitcases. Then I’m homeless. I’ve got to go to... Where does she work?”

  “Dan Patch Raceway. It’s in Indiana.”

  Seth felt no need to hide his rage. “I’ve got to go to Indiana and work with horses. Isn’t that special? I hate horses. I hate Indiana.” He wanted to throw something. “You said I’ve got to sign. What if I don’t? What if I just ignore the Old Man’s request? What if I tell you all to go straight to—”

  Arthur interrupted. “Then Remington Computers gets divided among the employees as stocks and profit sharing. The personal wealth goes to charities. You’d lose every penny.” He patted Seth’s shoulder. “Think before you do something stupid, son. Less than nine months. That’s all he’s asking. If you work hard, then the money is yours.”

  * * * *

  Ross opened the door to his office and strode inside with a confidence that radiated around him like an aura. Katie had never seen a place reek so much of affluence. The enormous room was decorated entirely in black and chrome—not a single item seemed useless or out of place. She immediately felt awkward in her casual clothes and stood in the doorway a little hesitant to walk inside. Something nagged at her, telling her that once she crossed the threshold, her life would never be the same.

  Ross patted the back of one of the black leather client chairs, and she swallowed hard and mustered up her courage. Katie marched to the chair, plopped down, and waited for Ross to try to talk her into the whole ridiculous plan.

  “How many people would just hand you a two-year old colt?”

  “Murphy’s Law,” Katie replied.

  “I beg your pardon?”

  “Murphy’s Law. ‘Everything that can go wrong will go wrong.’ With my name, it’s obvious I’d be skeptical,” she explained with a quiet laugh. “Plus you know that old saying about the gift horse. Nothing comes without strings attached.”

  Ross chuckled and leaned back against his enormous black desk. “Yeah, I suppose I can see where you’re coming from. But I helped design this agreement. There aren’t any complications, aren’t any hidden strings. Sterling put a lot of thought into this. He told me he had big plans for you. He wanted to make you one of the leading trainers in the country.”

  “He didn’t.”

  “He did. He said you’re already well on your way.”

  “I’m surprised he’d say something li
ke that. You know, it wasn’t like I spent much time with the guy.”

  “Where’d you meet him?” Ross asked.

  “At a horse auction. He sat beside me and we talked about some of the horses in the sale.” She shrugged. “Must’ve liked what he heard because he took me to dinner. We agreed that he’d put a horse in my barn to see if we worked well together, but then he just disappeared.” She kept waiting for Ross to sit down so she’d stop getting a stiff neck looking up at the extraordinarily tall man. “That must be when he got sick.”

  Ross continued to stand there as imposing as a skyscraper. “Probably. But you obviously made an impression. You know, Sterling went to a lot trouble and expense to find out everything in the world there was to know about you, and the man liked everything he found.”

  “Incredible. I’m still not sure I want to do this. I just don’t see how I can turn it down. The two-year-old is good?” She wasn’t about to waste her time and turn her business upside down for no good reason.

  Ross stretched over to reach for the thick file resting on his desk. After shuffling through some of the contents, he pulled out the animal’s green and white ownership paper and placed it on top of the file. “Come over here, Katie, and read this. I’ll be back in a minute.” He headed out of his office.

  Katie jumped out of the chair, hurried to the desk, and grabbed the paper. She studied the pedigree and sighed. Lord, did she want that animal. The colt had impeccable bloodlines and was bred in her own hometown of Goshen by one of the best breeders in Indiana. Most trainers would drool just to think of training a horse like that, and she’d been given the opportunity to own it. Her own stakes horse.

  If the colt lived up to his potential, he could easily have a career that brought in hundreds of thousands of dollars. If the horse turned out to be as talented as she hoped, she could use his earnings to buy her own farm and stop renting stalls at the training center.

  She really wanted that colt. But did she want it enough to take on a nuisance like Seth Remington?