Glancing around, she flashed him a sickly sweet smile, letting him know that he hadn’t gotten everything he wanted.
“You bitch,” Lenny growled.
Mel smiled once more. “You always told me I was too nice. That I should be more aggressive in regard to my career,” she baited him. “You must be a good teacher, huh, Lenny?”
“It seems so.” His tone was embittered.
“We wondered why you did it, Lenny.” Her wild need for revenge made her grow bolder. “Why did you burn the barn and kill poor, pathetic Sam.”
“Sam had it coming,” Lenny growled. “He botched everything.”
“You mean you didn’t tell him to burn the barn and beat Pop in the face?”
“I told him to make things a little harder, to encourage the Noble woman to sell. Those horses weren’t supposed to die.”
“And Pop wasn’t supposed to get hurt?” Using a dishtowel, Mel lifted the pan from the burner. “Here’s the hot water for the coffee.” She came toward her ex-husband.
“I was sorry about that,” Lenny acknowledged. He held up his mug for her to pour water into it.
“I bet you were.” In the instant of a breath, Mel tossed the scalding water into Lenny’s face. He howled in rage and pain as she dropped the pan.
“Cory, run!”
The little girl sprang from the bed and scurried to the door. It was locked. Mel hadn’t thought that far ahead.
Terror seized her. Frantic, Mel ran to the window and tried to jerk it open. It was stuck. She tried to think. The lock was a dead bolt, she remembered. Lenny had to have the key. She turned to confront him. To her shock, he came at her like he was playing blind man’s bluff, his hands reminding her of the talons of a bird of prey. She dodged him.
“Give me the key, Lenny.”
“If you’ve disfigured me, I’ll kill you.” He let the threat hang in the air as he advanced toward her again, reacting to her voice, changing direction slowly as if he had trouble seeing.
God help her, she had disfigured him. His face was bright red as if he was sunburn. Blood and some clear fluid seeped from the surface of his skin.
Mel’s heart strained at her chest. Her breath now came in vicious gulps as she tried to avoid him. There was a horrible odor in the room. Like the smell of burning flesh. Like the smell of the eight horses burned in the barn fire.
“Mel!” Cory held up a key. “It was on the table.”
“Good girl!” She jumped out of Lenny’s way and joined Cory at the door.
Her fingers felt like they were encased in gloves. She fumbled with the key, finally inserting it into the lock and giving it a quick turn.
“Get into the Jeep.”
Cory needed no urging. Together they ran. Mel flung open passenger side door, and helped Cory climb in.
“Mel, look!”
Her head jerking up, Mel turned to see Lenny. Staggering like a drunk, he stood in the doorway with his gun in his right hand. Overcome by blind fear, she slammed the passenger side door and ran around the back of the Jeep to get into the driver’s side.
She’d reached the door just as a sharp crack of a gunshot slit the darkness. Lenny was too incapacitated to hit her or she was out of his range.
But Jake wouldn’t know that. A sickening feel of terror threatened to gag her. What if?
The question barely surfaced in her mind before Jake emerged from the undergrowth beside the house, his own gun drawn.
“No, Jake!” she shouted, but it was too late.
In a surrealistic display like actors in a two-bit theater, Jake rushed forward. Stunned, Mel heard the pop, pop of Jake’s gun and then Lenny’s answering crack. Jake fell backward, clutching his head.
“Jake!” Cory’s scream mirrored Mel’s own.
In a wild move of desperation, Mel raced from the Jeep and flung herself at Lenny, hoping to catch him off guard. It didn’t work. But somehow she knocked the gun out of his hand. He grabbed her around the throat.
Lenny was so tall and strong. So vile. So evil. His crushing fingers cut off her air. Mel fought him, twisting and turning. Gurgling noises escaped from her open mouth. She couldn’t breathe. She stared at his dreadfully scalded face. Lenny forced his eyes open a crack, as if to enjoy the moment.
That’s when her final burst of adrenalin kicked in. With only one hope left and her last remaining strength, Mel lifted a silent prayer at the same time as she shoved her knee upward catching him in the groin.
In that split second, she saw the look of surprise in his eyes, and then he doubled over in pain. Cursing her as he fell to one knee, Lenny lost control at last. Mel sucked in a quick breath and took her booted foot and shoved him hard in the chest. He collapsed onto the gravel.
Nothing mattered but Jake. Cory was cradling his head in her lap, his lifeblood from the wound in his head covering her clothes and hands.
“Oh, my God.”
Nerves taut, heart pulsating, Mel stumbled toward them. “Is he dead?”
“No, but he’s bleeding bad.” Cory’s voice was tiny and afraid.
Relief flooded over Mel like a fresh breeze. She stripped of her jacket and knelt beside him, using the jacket to bind up the wound.
“There’s hope,” she murmured. “Let’s get him into the Jeep.”
Somehow the two of them hauled Jake into the back seat. Cory let his head rest once more on her lap and held him in her arms.
Mel looked at them, her hand on the door. “It will be okay,” she said.
Cory nodded. What a little trooper, Mel thought as she carefully shut the door, and then climbed into the driver’s side. She backed the Jeep out of the driveway, and the headlights skimmed the crumpled form of Lenny. Stifling a few choice words at the sight of him, she turned the vehicle around and gunned it.
Her only focus right now was to reach a hospital and help. All she heard was the hammering in her ears of her own heart, and Jake’s words—“I never stopped loving you.”
* * * *
The August sun was unrelenting. It scorched Mel's face like an angry god. Perched on the paddock fence, her hands gripping the rugged railing, Mel concentrated on the grazing horses and tried to forget the commotion going on behind her back.
A giant horse trailer had rambled onto Royalty Farm property an hour earlier. Bound for California, it had one more passenger to pick up—Royalty’s Dreamer. The World's Five-gaited Grand Champion had been sold to pay a sizable debt. Customers were already sending horses to them to be trained, and Dreamchaser had bookings for the breeding season. Pop’s plan had worked like a dream. Royalty Farm had been saved.
For Mel, her win at Louisville was bittersweet. She’d done what she'd set out to do—save the farm for Cory. Once again, she had put her child first. Ahead of Jake. The pattern of her life played out in her mind like the staccato beat of a trotting horse. She swallowed the tears of regret that sprang to her eyes as she heard the engine of the big rig start up.
“She’s gone,” Jake said, coming up by her side to lean his tanned arms on the railing.
Mel had said her good-byes to Royalty earlier, but the finality of the horse's leaving for some reason hit her hard. The tears she had tried to suppress suddenly blurred her vision, and she back-handed her eyes. “She loaded well?”
“Like a champion,” Jake said with a nod.
“She is such a good girl.”
Mel knew her comment sounded silly, but she loved that horse. Royalty was the last one saved from the fire. Her leaving was another loss in a lifetime of losses. Anguish clogged Mel’s throat. She swiped her hand over her eyes again fighting valiantly to hide her sorrow.
At least she hadn’t lost Jake.
She glanced down at him. His head was still bandaged from the scalp wound that had bled like crazy. He’d spent a few days in the hospital, mending fast. The police had found Lenny wandering down the dirt road. The murderer was now sitting in jail where Mel hoped he’d rot.
Jake gripped his hands together a
nd continued to lean into the railing as if he needed the support. “Cory is a bright girl. She beats us all at Clue,” he said. “We’re either going to have to tell her the truth, or leave the farm.”
“I know.” The reality was like a weighted ball, pulling Mel down. “But if we leave, Vanessa won't have trainers for her new customers.”
“Seems as if we’ve been in this place before. Damned if we do and damned if we don't.”
Mel’s heart contracted. This wasn’t easy for Jake either. She bit her lip as silence lingered between them.
“Perhaps it’s not our decision to make,” she offered.
He cocked his head, his gaze caressing hers. “What do you mean?”
“It’s not our place to tell Cory because we aren’t her guardians.”
“What are you suggesting?”
“We need to tell Vanessa. Cory is her responsibility.”
Jake frowned. “Isn’t that a cop-out?”
“It is,” Mel said with a shrug. She climbed down from the fence. “We can’t make a happy ending out of this.”
Looking thoughtful, Jake put a fingertip under her chin and lifted it. “I don’t know about that. I’m all for happy endings, remember? Dreams do come true.”
“If you make them come true,” Mel finished for him and walked away from him toward the barn.
He hurried to catch up. “I think we can begin to make this turn into a happy ending if you’ll say you'll marry me.”
She stopped and turned to face him. “This is not time for one of your jokes, Mr. Hendricks.”
“I’m not joking,” he told her.
“You can’t say that to me in the middle of the driveway.”
“I can ask you to marry me anywhere I please.”
“But you haven’t said anything about loving me.”
Jake laughed. He cupped her face into his hands. His lips descended upon hers in a liquefying kiss. “I love you,” Jake murmured into her mouth.
“Oh,” Mel sputtered, hardly able to think.
Jake lifted his head. “I’m assuming you love me too.”
“Of course.” Mel’s response was breathless.
“And I’m assuming you'll marry me.”
“Of course, silly.” Mel threw her arms around his neck.
“Terrific!” Laughing, Jake scooped her off her feet in a powerful embrace and performed an awkward pirouette.
Her blood rushing in her ears, Mel savored his exhilaration, the safety of his arms, the very thrill of the moment. When she came down to earth, she pushed away ever so slightly and turned her gaze up to touch his.
“We still haven’t solved our problem,” she told him seriously.
Jake took a deep breath. “Yes, I know. You’re right about talking with Vanessa first, but I think someday Cory has to be told the truth. Besides, whatever happens from now on is our problem, one we work on together.” He hugged her near. “Bargain?”
“Bargain.” Mel nodded her head.
With his arm around her, Jake drew Mel the few paces toward the wide entrance of the barn only to be brought up short. Cory sat on the second floor hay loft with her legs dangling over the side and an irrepressible smile on her face. Fear jolted through Mel. Had she heard them talking?
Jake squeezed her shoulder and grinned up at Cory. “What are you doing up there, kiddo?”
“Watching you guys.”
“Did you hear what we said?” Mel’s heart seemed to stop.
Cory’s face fell. “No. You all were too far away. But I saw you kissing.” She brightened. “Are you going to get married?”
Mel and Jake exchanged glances. “Yes,” he admitted.
“It’s about time,” Cory said with a matter-of-fact little nod.
Mel felt the relief in Jake's posture. “So, why would do you want us to get married?”
“Because you’re part of my family,” she told them.
Mel's mouth went dry, and she really thought her heart would crumble. Once more Jake squeezed her shoulder for support.
“How do you figure that?”
“You’re part of my family at the farm. You know, Vanessa and Pop and Major.”
“I see.” Jake nodded his head.
Her blue eyes were serious. “If you get married, maybe you’ll stick around.”
“You’d like that?”
“Yep.”
“We’d like that too, wouldn’t we, Mel?” His gaze rested on Mel like a blessing.
She looked up at him. “Yes, we would.”
Jake turned back to Cory. “Well, kiddo, if you plan to show in Kansas City this November, you’ve got a lot of work to do. Hop down and the two of us will give you a riding lesson.”
As Cory scrambled down from the hay loft, Jake kissed the top of Mel’s hair. “It’s going to work out,” he said in a hushed voice so Cory wouldn't hear. “Thank you so much for giving me my daughter.”
Tears clouded Mel's eyes and joy caressed her heart. Whispering close to his ear, her response was like a kiss. “You’re right. Sometimes dreams do come true.”
About the Author
Jan Scarbrough lives in Louisville, Kentucky, along with two dogs and four cats. Dreams do come true! On January 2, 2000, she married Bill, her soul mate. When she’s not writing, Jan takes riding lessons every week on her favorite horse, the American Saddlebred. She also volunteers at The Luci Center, a therapeutic riding center.
Jan says, “The process of becoming a published author has been fun. My best friends are fellow writers. Who else will check a point plot for me or understand GMC and POV?”
Jan Scarbrough is a member of Novelists, Inc., Romance Writers of America and the Kentucky Romance Writers, where she served as president, secretary, and newsletter editor. Jan is currently the web mistress of the KYRW chapter’s award-winning web site.
To learn more about Jan Scarbrough, please visit her at:
www.janscarbrough.com
www.myspace.com/janscarbrough
www.myspace.com/ladiesoflegend
http://sisterwriters.blogspot.com
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Read more of Jan Scarbrough’s Bluegrass Reunions
Available at Resplendence Publishing
They thought the boys they loved were out of their lives. They were wrong.
KENTUCKY COWBOY — She had dumped him in high school because he was a risk-taker.
“Warmhearted and wonderful... Kentucky Cowboy is a keeper.” — Bestselling Author Joanne Rock
*Winner of the 2006 PASIC Book of Your Heart Contest, Contemporary Series Romance
A contender for the world title, professional bull rider Judd Romeo defies death for a living. Now he must deal with the death of his mother by settling her estate. Returning home to Kentucky, he runs smack dab into the arms of his high school sweetheart, a woman he has never forgotten.
Mandy discovers she can’t avoid the famous cowboy she’s never quite put out of her mind. When Mandy’s sister comes back threatening to take away the little girl she loves as her own, will Mandy realize Judd is not the same man he was back then?
KENTUCKY WOMAN — She had his brother’s baby, but never forgot him.
*Winner of the 2007 San Diego RWA’s Spring Into Romance Contest
*2nd place in the2007 PASIC Book of Your Heart Contest, contemporary series
Years of hard work and schooling have paid off for single mom and ex-jockey Alexis Marsden. She now has a desk job she loves and she’s paying her bills—barely. But she can’t give her son everything he needs, especially a father. When the big brother of her child’s father asks her to marry him, does Alex give up her hard-won independence and settle for an old-fashioned marriage of convenience?
Workaholic banker Jackson Breckinridge has spent his life meeting the expectations of his parents and protecting his younger brother. When his brother fathers Alex’s child, Jack must protect his parents from the truth and fix his brother’s screw up. Marriage to the childhood playmate he’s loved since his school days is just the right thing to solve his problems. He accepts her terms for a marriage of convenience, but he longs to convert it into a one that’s for real.
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Kentucky Flame Page 22