Wyatt stopped walking and slowly turned to face Kyle. Wyatt’s hand was closed in a tight fist and his jaw was tightly clenched as he stalked toward Kyle. “Are you accusing me of something? Because if you are, you better be damn sure about it or I’ll come after you with everything I got. Do you understand me? I will destroy your entire career and not think twice about it.”
“Is that a threat?” Kyle asked, but the smug look on his face was gone.
“Yes,” Wyatt said simply before turning back to the van and climbing inside. A track representative was huddled in the corner silently observing as Wyatt got to work.
“I’ll see what I can hear,” Camila said softly. “Call me later.”
Wyatt was too angry to speak. He’d worked his whole life to build his own reputation and a great one at that. To have his ethics called into question by that asshole? His temper was raging and he didn’t trust himself to speak. He nodded his head and thumped on the side of the van to indicate they should close it up and go.
* * *
Camila didn’t look at Dr. Kyle Avery, but she moved closer to him. She grabbed Bud’s arm and whispered, “Come on. Let’s get closer and hear what he’s saying.”
Bud nodded and pulled out his phone and put it up to his ear. Every now and then he’d say something random, like, “yes, tonight is fine.” All the while they were moving closer to the group of people huddled around Dr. Kyle.
Camila had only been there a day, but she already knew Carter from Keeneston. She hadn’t met the famous Arnold Cushions, though. She’d been avoiding him since he knew her father and if he thought about it, he might figure her out.
Carter stood with his hands on his hips and his mouth in a frown. Arnold was nodding. Around him were some stable hands, a couple of the jockeys, a member of the racing commission, and the track higher-ups.
“I’m telling you, Wyatt Davies is a phenomenal veterinarian and is the best equipped to treat that horse. Plus, Prince Mohtadi Ali Rahman insisted on it. If you’d like, I can call His Highness right now and tell him you are thinking of censuring his veterinarian for following his orders,” Carter snapped at some racetrack official.
“It wasn’t too long ago, Mr. Ashton, that your horse had to be euthanized at this track. How do we know you and Dr. Davies aren’t both being irresponsible with your treatment of the horses?” Dr. Kyle accused.
Carter narrowed his eyes as he stepped closer to tower over the vet. Before anything could be said, the track exec stepped in. “Now calm down. There’s no evidence of any foul play. And while it’s not recommended to move an injured horse, an owner has the right to do so. Why don’t we all calm down? I have sent a track representative with Dr. Davies to investigate the incident. End of discussion.”
Neither Carter nor Dr. Avery looked as if it were the end of the discussion, but they both nodded in agreement as the group began to break up. Soon it was just Carter, Kyle, and Kyle’s assistant glaring at each other.
“I have your number, Ashton, and I’m coming after you,” Kyle threatened.
Camila gave up all pretense of not eavesdropping as she and Bud backed up Carter. “You gobshite,” Camila said, stepping between the men who looked as if they were ready to come to blows. Kyle looked confused and Camila rolled her eyes at him. “You idiot,” she said, using the American term. “Do you really think Ashton Farm and Desert Sun Farm, two of the most respected farms in the world, are causing their horses’ injuries?”
“There’s a common connection, isn’t there?” Kyle asked smugly.
Camila started to talk, but Bud put his hand on her arm to stop her. “I know I’m just a country boy with none of your extra learnin’, but even I know if there’s something going on, it’s not usually the horse farm owners or their private vet behind it. Tell me again how many track veterinarians have been suspended for cheating?”
“Me?” Kyle screamed, his voice going up three octaves.
“So maybe we right better calm down and wait for the report to come in, huh?” Bud asked calmly. “And remind me, Dr. Avery. What did that report on Mr. Ashton’s horse that had to be euthanized say?”
Kyle slammed his mouth shut.
“What was that?” Bud asked again.
“That there were no illegal substances found. It was an accident,” Kyle said between gritted teeth as he stared down Carter.
“Great!” Bud said cheerfully. “Now we’ve got that settled. Let’s get back to work.”
Camila reached out and took Carter’s hand as Bud led them from the track. She had to give Carter a tug, but he finally followed them. “Thanks, you two. I’m afraid I would have punched him and gotten suspended. He’s also the type of jerk to egg you on and then file charges.”
Bud let out a whistle. “Reagan would shoot him after she took a strip from your hide for getting into a fight.”
Carter finally laughed and Camila saw his shoulders slump. “Kyle is right about something. I knew my horse’s death was suspicious, but this is so eerily similar. The horse was feeling no pain or fear as it raced across the track at breakneck speed. Only this time, it was a heart issue instead of a fall.”
The group was quiet as they made their way back to the barn. “Guys,” he called out to his stable hands. Some were from Ashton Farm, but most were from the racetrack. “Break into groups of two and pick a night to stay here. Horses will be watched twenty-four seven.”
“I’ll stay here tonight,” Bud said to her. “I can put a sleeping bag in the extra stall.”
“We can trade off nights.”
“How about I take three nights and then you take one night?” Bud offered. “I really enjoy camping.”
“You tell me whenever you want me to stay and I will.”
“Don’t worry,” Carter said, joining them. “I’ll have my guys keep an eye on your horses, too. And I won’t doubt for a second that Mo and Ahmed will send a whole platoon of soldiers to guard the stables.”
“Thanks, Carter,” Camila said before Carter headed back to the barn.
The shock waves of scandal were rolling through the track. Was it illegal drugs? Was it a horse that should never have been cleared to run? Or was it just an accident?
Camila went back to the barn and saddled up a sweet girl who would be racing. It was time to take her out on the track to get used to it. Yesterday she allowed the horses to get used to their new stalls. This morning she took them out to the track and walked them around. Now it was time to take them out again for a slow jog around the track once again. She talked to the horse in her soft, calm voice and sang an old Irish folk song when she got a little nervous in front of the grandstand.
The track began to empty as Bud and Camila brushed all the horses down. She gave them each a carrot and told them how proud she was of them. It had been hard to focus on the horses when she wanted to know how Wyatt was. But this was her shot to make her own mark, and she wasn’t going to lose focus.
“What would it take for a girl like you to have dinner with a guy like me?”
Camila smiled as Gent licked the carrot from her hand.
“What do you think, Gent? Should I go out with your da?”
“I brought a basket from the café,” Wyatt said, and Camila laughed.
“I’m yours.”
Camila turned around and her heart hurt. Wyatt looked worn down. There were darker circles under his eyes and his whole body was wound tighter than a clock. Wyatt took a deep breath and opened his arms. She didn’t even think. In two steps she was in his arms and hugging him tight. “How are you?”
“Better now that I’m with you.”
Wyatt leaned down and slowly placed his lips to her forehead and kissed her. He held her tightly. As he did so, Camila felt like weeping for him. She could feel his body tight with worry and she wished she could take some of the pressure from him.
“Come on. I know the perfect place to have dinner,” Camila said, taking his hand and leading him from the barn.
11
Wyatt too
k a deep breath as they sat in the grandstand overlooking the track. No one was around except some stable hands who had been at the barns. In the completely empty grandstand, it felt as if they were the only two people in the world.
“Tell me about it,” Camila said softly as she pulled items out of the basket on the chair between them. While she said the words softly, Wyatt knew an order when he’d heard it.
“I don’t understand it,” Wyatt finally confessed.
“That explains your unease,” Camila said, understanding him perfectly. It was one of the things he appreciated about her. She got him.
“Yes. As a person rooted in medicine and science, I have to have an answer.”
“The blood tests?” Camila asked as Wyatt speared his hair with his fingers and he ran them over his head in frustration.
“Negative. All negative. It’s just like Carter’s horse. I was sure there would be drugs present, but nothing. The track rep was there and watched the whole thing. He’s filing a report saying it was an undiagnosed heart condition.”
“Was it?”
Wyatt leaned forward. He placed his elbows on his knees and stared out at the darkened track. “According to all the tests I’ve run, it looks like a lone A-fib event. But I know that horse didn’t have a heart condition. I’ve been the sole vet for both Carter and Mo for years. I know every single one of their horses. My notes from one week ago read: Healthy on Exam. I listened to his heart, Camila. I ran an EKG. I would have detected anything irregular.”
“And that’s what’s not sitting right. The tests say one thing, but your gut another.”
Wyatt let out a long breath and nodded. “Yes. How stupid does that sound?”
“I’m Irish, Wyatt. We believe in the aos sí, the Irish fairy folk, and respect seers. So, no, it doesn’t sound stupid to me. Tell me, what the puzzle pieces are and we’ll see if we can put them together.”
Wyatt nodded. He’d been trying to figure it out on his own, but sharing his thoughts with Camila was helping him. “Both incidents happened at this racetrack. Both horses were from Keeneston. Both horses were new to racing and were considered long shots. Both horses felt no pain and were excitable minutes before the accident. And both horses had clean blood tests.”
“Both also have you as their vet.”
“Your point?” Wyatt asked a little harshly. Kyle’s accusations still stung.
“What better way to tear you down than to ruin your professional career and taint you as a cheat? If you’re a cheat, no one would want to work with Wyatt Farms either.”
Wyatt was stunned. “I never factored myself into it. But why would someone want to take me down?”
Camila’s brow wrinkled in thought. “I don’t know. But it’s worth at least paying attention to potential rivals. And it really could have nothing to do with you either.”
“I had been so sure it was Cobra Venom powder or frog juice,” Wyatt said, looking back out at the track again. “Now I don’t know anything. Is it the horses? Is it Carter or Mo? Or is it me they’re trying to hurt?”
“How do you know it’s not Cobra powder? I thought you couldn’t test for it.”
“My cousin Piper is a scientist.”
Camila laughed out loud. It was so unexpected Wyatt jerked with surprise. “What?”
“Of course you have a cousin who would know. You have a hundred of them. And people think the Irish have big families.”
Wyatt grinned and took a couple regular breaths. “After Carter’s horse went down, I had her test the blood. Piper is a chemical genius. She developed a test for a whole range of obscure cheats like the Cobra powder. She’s going to sell her lab’s services to the racing association.”
“And so the test was negative?”
“Right. Negative for Cobra powder. Negative for frog juice that they use for the dermorphin. Negative for everything.” Wyatt paused. His mind was moving faster then his mouth so he let it run loose and hung on. Words, parts of ideas, and then finally the whole picture came around. “It’s new and it’s manmade.”
“There’s always someone wanting to cheat the system,” Camila said with a frown. “But surely Carter and Mo aren’t in it together?”
Camila had mentioned puzzle pieces and now they all snapped together. “No. It’s someone else. What better way to test something new? You don’t want to use it on your own horses because it will draw attention.”
“So you poison someone else’s and see how their horses react. If the vet or the racing commission figures it out, then they go down instead of you.” Camila shook her head. “It’s actually bloody brilliant. The question is: who is smart enough and has enough resources to pull this off?”
“I don’t know. But what I do know is that I don’t want you here by yourself.”
“Do you think I’m in danger?”
“You could be or, more likely, the horses are.”
Camila was quiet for a moment. “I’ll stay with Bud at the track. We’ll be together and we can protect the horses.”
Wyatt raised his eyebrow. “You’re going to stay in the barn?”
“Yes. I won’t put myself at risk. You need to concentrate on yourself and the horses, not worrying about me. But I have to be able to be here to work with the horses, too. This is the solution I thought of.”
“Come home with me tonight. It’s only a thirty-minute drive. Let me work on a solution we can both live with.”
Camila shook her head. “My place is here. I’ll be fine. I promise. It won’t be the first time I’ve slept in a barn.”
She reached out and covered his hand. He felt her comforting touch but also her strength. And right then he knew what he had to do.
“Who is here so late?” Wyatt heard his mom ask his dad through the door to their house.
It was almost midnight as Wyatt stood at his parents’ door and rang the bell. He heard their dogs barking as the front porch light was flipped on and the door opened. His dad stood with his graying hair messed as if he’d just been woken up. Wyatt also noticed the gun his dad slipped behind his back. After all, anything after midnight was never good.
“Sorry to bother you, Dad.”
“Wyatt, honey, is that you?” his mom asked as she walked forward. She tied her robe and then froze. “Is this about what happened at the track today? Are you okay?”
“You know what happened today?” Wyatt asked, following his dad into the house and closing the door. They made their way to the kitchen and stood around the island while his mom fussed about.
“Of course I do. DeAndre told me all about it. I never liked Kyle. He’s always been an arrogant ass. How dare he accuse you of malpractice?”
“It was like DeAndre was there,” Wyatt said dryly. The state trooper knew everything. People in town couldn’t figure out how. Miss Lily swore aliens told him. Miss Daisy thought he was a psychic. Miss Violet thought he had the town bugged like the NSA.
“Well, no one believes it for a second. And certainly not Carter or Mo,” his mother said, finally coming to a stop beside his father.
“That’s not why I’m here.” Wyatt took a deep breath. “I need to borrow some money.”
“Is the farm really in that much danger?” his mom asked quietly.
“It’s not directly for the farm,” Wyatt told them. His father remained quiet. They both knew how much Wyatt hated to have to ask.
“It doesn’t matter what it’s for, sweetheart,” his father said gently to his mother before leaving the room. He returned a second later with the checkbook. “How much do you need?”
“Ten thousand dollars.”
His mother’s eyes went wide, but his father didn’t hesitate to write the check.
“What . . .?”
“Katie, it doesn’t matter,” his father said, cutting off his mother with his nickname for her and handing Wyatt the check. “Wyatt has never asked us for anything. If he wants to tell us he will.”
“Thank you.” Wyatt let out a long breath. He too
k the check as they moved to the front door. “It’s for security.”
His father’s face hardened and his mother’s looked worried, but they didn’t press.
“I’ll pay you back.”
“Nonsense,” his mother said finally. “Your father is right. You’ve never asked us for anything. If it’s your safety you’re worried about, this is the least we can do. You’re our son. We’d do anything for you.”
Wyatt took another deep breath and let it all out. “It’s not for me. It’s for Camila and the horses.”
His mother opened her mouth and then shut it. His father looked thoughtful. He might be the retired sheriff, but that didn’t stop decades of law enforcement training to be forgotten. He was putting it all together. He nodded finally.
“Do you want some off-duty officers? Luke, Andy, and Cody could rotate.”
“No, I’m going to hire Aiden’s agency.”
“Good idea. They can work around the clock. Let us know if you need anything else.”
Wyatt stood at the door wanting to say it all, yet at the same time not wanting to say a word. He wanted to tell them he found love but he was worried he was putting her at risk. He wanted to tell them he found a way to bring Wyatt Farm back to the top, but Ruth’s Gentleman hadn’t even raced yet. He wanted to tell them he thought he was being framed. He wanted to tell them everything, but he didn’t. It wasn’t his way. Instead he turned stiffly toward them and tilted the corner of his lip up. “Thank you.”
His father reached forward and clasped Wyatt to him before his mother wrapped her arms around them both. “I know you’re the quiet one. I know you’re the strong one. But everyone needs someone at his back and you have us. No questions asked. We will always have your back.”
Wyatt relaxed into the hug before pulling away. “Thank you. I love you both.”
“We love you, too,” his mother said, placing a kiss on his cheek before he stepped into the darkness.
* * *
“Who’s here this late at night?”
Wyatt would have grinned at his cousin Piper’s words but then her husband, Aiden Creed, opened the door without bothering to hide the gun in his hand.
Forever Ventured Page 9