The old couple on the porch watched as Emmie reached up and tried to wrap her arms around the animal's head. When her small arms couldn't circle the horse's head she buried her face against the horse's leg. The velvet bag dangled from her wrist. The mare whickered softly. A second later, Nealy had leaned down and lifted the little girl up. Emmie was holding on to the horse's mane. The couple watched until both riders and horse were out of sight.
“And we paid Adam how much to break that mare, Jess?” Maud said carefully.
“There's going to be some mighty red faces down to the barn about now.” Jess grimaced as he fired up his first cigar of the day. “I think I'll mosey down there for a look-see.”
“You do that, Jess. Bareback no less. Fancy likes her. She likes the tyke, too. I think they both have the touch, Jess. You were right about that.”
“Me? I thought you were the one who noticed it first. You, me, the same thing. Finish your tea. I'll be right back. Don't even
think
about walking down to the barn. I'll give you a full report when I get back. Do we understand each other, Maud?”
“You aren't my husband, Jess. Stop telling me what to do.”
“Gonna be. We're getting married next week.”
“When were you going to tell me, Jess? Why?”
“So we can adopt that child when it's time. I already called a lawyer. He's looking into it.”
“She has kin, Jess. Maybe we're moving too fast here. It won't be easy.”
“No, it won't. I'm prepared. We'll do whatever we have to do. When I fall asleep at night, I keep seeing that little one's face. Whatever it was that made her light out with the young'un had to be serious. God knows where they could have ended up. You need to prepare for the possibility of trouble. We'll do our best to make it work. It's only been four weeks since they got here, but I can see how you love those two. I do, too,” Jess said.
“Married, eh?”
“Yep. Thought we'd do it out by the corral. What's your feeling on that, Maud?”
“Well . . . I . . . the corral will be fine, Jess. I'll ask Nealy to stand up for me, and Emmie can throw the rose petals.”
“You're getting carried away. This is just going to be one of those âI do' things. Nothing fancy now. No gee-gaws and frills. You hear me?”
“The whole damn farm can hear you, Jess. If it's my wedding, then I say what goes and don't go. You do your end, and I'll do my end. A party. A barbecue. Just our people. Don't take that away from me, Jess.”
“Okay, won't take that away from you.”
“Jess, you sure know how to melt a woman's heart. Go on down to the barn so I can sit here and think about how we turned into two jackasses at our age.”
A sharp pain the size of a lightning bolt roared up Maud's spine. She gasped at the same moment she reached for the shot glass full of hundred-proof Kentucky bourbon. She downed it in one quick swallow. The pain was getting worse with each passing day. She closed her eyes and waited for the liquor to take the edge off the pain. She wondered if tomorrow or the next day would be the day when she would no longer measure out the fiery liquor an ounce at a time. When would she be forced to swig from the bottle, a week from now, two weeks? She shuddered at the thought. “I wonder if I'll be sober enough to attend my own wedding,” she mumbled as she lowered herself into the old, comfortable rocker.
She prayed then because she didn't know what else to do.
4
The moment the minister said “I now pronounce you man and wife,” Nealy clapped her hands with happiness. Emmie stretched out her arms to Jess, a huge smile on her tiny face. She hugged him with all the strength she could muster in her little arms. A second later she blew kisses to Maud, who burst out laughing.
Chet Lincoln reached for his harmonica and did a perfect rendition of “Here Comes the Bride.”
Nealy tapped her toes and clapped her hands until Maud signaled it was time to go up to the big house, where the barbecue was under way. She looked around at the smiling faces. Every single person who worked the farm, from the lowliest groom to the foreman, was in attendance. She knew most of them now, and they seemed to like her as much as she liked them. When they realized she loved horses and knew her way around the stables, they included her in their own little world. It didn't matter that she lived in the big house, and it didn't matter that she didn't share her private life with them. She belonged; it was that simple.
Nealy could feel her neck start to itch. That meant someone was either watching her or staring at her. The hair on the back of her neck always stood on end when she knew her pa was standing in the shadows watching what she was doing. It was the same kind of feeling. She turned around to peer through the milling crowd of workers who were making their way up to the main house. She saw him out of the corner of her eyeâJack Carney, the man who expected to take Jess's place when he stepped down. Nealy didn't like him, but then it wasn't her place to like or dislike him. He knew the farm, knew the horses, and had been with Blue Diamond Farms for a long time. She waved listlessly as she turned to follow the crowd. Wylie, Jack's son, fell into step with her. She didn't much care for him either. In her opinion he was too rough with the animals, too uncaring. Once she'd seen him try to shoo Emmie away as if she were one of the barn dogs. She didn't like that either.
“Nice wedding, doncha think? Kind of silly to be getting hitched at their age, but still it was nice.”
“You're never too old to get married,” Nealy said.
“So are you here for the long haul or are you just passing through? No one seems to know, and you don't give up a whole lot. Why is that?”
“Maybe because it's none of your business, Wylie.” Nealy stopped walking and turned to face Jack's son. “Look, I don't like you, so I'm not going to pretend I do. I don't like your rough handling of the horses. I just want you to know I'm going to be watching you. You drink at night, too. You know drinking isn't permitted. And, no, no one told me that, I saw you myself. The others cover for you because of your father. I won't do that, though, so keep it in mind.”
“Do we have a tattletale here?” Wylie sneered.
“I guess we'll just have to wait and see, won't we?”
“I think you're pretty goddamn uppity is what I think.”
“And I think you're a horse's ass,” Nealy said quietly. “Now, get away from me. You make my skin crawl.”
“Just who the hell
are
you?” Wylie sneered again.
“I'm the one who has eyes in the back of her head. I told you, keep away from me. You don't want to take me on, Wylie. I'm here to work with the horses just the way you're supposed to work but don't. I think that sums it all up.” Without another word, Nealy dug her new shoes into the thick grass and sprinted for the backyard, where the barbecue was under way. She skidded to a stop next to a smiling Maud, who was graciously accepting wedding gifts and hugs from her farm family.
She looks tired,
Nealy thought as she led her to the nearest chair that was heavily padded with cushions. “What can I fetch you, Miss Maud?”
“Nothing, honey. Jess is bringing me something. What did you think of my wedding?”
“I thought it was beautiful. Jess loves you so much. Are you happy, Miss Maud?”
“Very happy, child. I didn't think this was ever going to happen. Now I am Mrs. Jess Wooley. I even have a paper that says so. I guess it doesn't get any better than that. What about you, Nealy? Are you happy?”
“Miss Maud, there are no words to tell you how happy I am. You bought me this beautiful new dress and these shoes I'm having a hard time walking in and all those things for Emmie. She looks like a little angel. I always wanted to get her a pair of shiny black shoes. She does love them. Jess showed her how to spit on her finger and rub the dirt off the toe.”
“Tonight when she's sleeping you have to change the penny in her bag. Jess got some shiny ones yesterday at the bank. I suspect you'll want to save the . . . original one. I can put it in the safe for you if you like. I saw her staring at it, and I could just tell she couldn't understand why it was no longer shiny. Later, when she's older, you'll be able to make her understand. I love that child, Nealy. So does Jess.”
“And she loves you both, too. If you don't need me, Miss Maud, I'm going to get Emmie some supper and get her ready for bed.”
“Run along, child. I'm going to sit here and visit with my friends.”
Nealy wound her way through the wedding crowd to the back door leading to the kitchen. When she felt her daughter tug on her skirt she looked down and smiled. “It's a party, Emmie. For Miss Maud and Mr. Jess. They got married today. That means they love each other and are going to be happy forever after. It's so pretty here, isn't it, honey? Look out over the land at all the split-rail fencing. It just goes on for miles and miles. Kind of like forever. Everything is so spic-and-span, the grass is like the stones in Miss Maud's ring. She said it was an emerald. I hope we never have to leave here. I'm going to say a prayer every night and ask God to let us stay. I'm going to tell you a secret, Emmie. I hardly ever think about Pa or the boys. They're family, but they didn't act like a family. Someday when you're all grown-up, we'll go back to Virginia so you can see where you were born. This is home now.”
The little girl laid her head on Nealy's shoulder. “I love you, Emmie,” Nealy whispered in the little girl's ear. She was rewarded with a squeezing hug from the toddler. “I hope someday I can hear you say those same words to me.”
I love you, Mama. Lots and lots. A whole bushel.
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Nealy stared out the office window at the long row of barns directly in her line of vision. She wished there was a magical way she could get through her chores here in the office so she could go to the barn and work with the horses. While she didn't hate her duties in the office, she didn't like them much. She wanted to be with the horses, doing what she did best. She clucked her tongue as she sat back down to complete the morning's work sheets. She was able to do the payroll now, but while her bookkeeping skills had improved over the past month, they still left much to be desired. She did keep a tidy office though, according to Maud, who popped her head in from time to time to see how things were going. She sighed as she stacked a neat pile of sales slips. Deposits really. They flew out of her hand when the black dog named Molly tried to leap onto her lap. “I couldn't have asked for a better diversion, Molly,” Nealy giggled. “If I could train you to pick them up and file them, we would be in business. I know, you miss Emmie. So do I. This school is good for her. She's learning sign language. I have to learn it, too. I'm afraid you're going to have to get off my lap now so I can tidy up the office, then you can escort me to the barn.”
The black dog slithered to the floor and lay down, her big head resting on her paws as she waited for Nealy to gather up the sales slips. She didn't move when strange sounds erupted from the young girl's mouth, but her ears stood straight up. She did stir when she saw Nealy reach out to the chair she'd been sitting on. When her head dropped between her knees, Molly was on her feet, racing down the hall to the kitchen where Maud was sitting at the kitchen table. She barked once, tugged on Maud's skirt, and raced back to the office.
Breathless with the effort it cost her to hurry down the hall to the office, Maud took in the situation at a glance. “Nealy, honey, what's wrong?”
Nealy raised her head, her face whiter than the shirt she was wearing. “Nothing, Miss Maud. I just felt a little dizzy. I'm fine. Really, I am. I think I just need some fresh air. Would you mind if I went down to the barn? Later this afternoon I can finish up in here if that's all right with you. I was almost done anyway.” She stacked the sales bills into a neat pile on the corner of her desk.
“Run along, child. Take Molly with you. It is warm in here. Jess says I keep it much too warm. I guess he's right. I like what you did with this office. It's actually pretty now, with the green plants and the hanging basket by the window. This was my father's desk. A real antique like me. The chair was his, too. It just fit his big frame. I never bothered to change things. Didn't seem right because a person dies you throw away their things. Emmie's drawings on the file cabinets add just the right touch. Go on, I'm just going to sit here a moment and think about how I used to run in here when Pa was working at his desk. Memories are a wonderful thing. Be sure to wear your jacket. It's cold outside. And button it,” Maud called to Nealy's back as the girl sprinted off, Molly on her heels.
“Let's just see what we have here to cause my girl to go white-faced,” Maud muttered to herself as she riffled through the sales slips. She knew what it was the moment she held it in her hands: Josh Coleman, SunStar Farms, Virginia. Nealy Cole. Nealy Coleman. The old man had two sons and a daughter. One of the meanest, orneriest men she'd ever come across. She hated doing business with him, but Jess said business was business and personalities didn't belong in business. He also said Coleman's money was as good as anyone else's. He was good to his animals, Jess said. In Jess's eyes, that said it all. Maud wondered what he would say when she told him about this little episode.
Maud leaned back in the comfortable chair and closed her eyes. “Pa, I never called on you before. I always figured if you were dead, you were dead, and as far as I know the dead don't come back. That's about as blunt as I can be. Like you, I don't hold any truck with spirits and junk like that. As I recall, Pa, you didn't even believe in angels. Jess and me . . . it's possible we just opened up a can of worms. I can't let that girl go. Or the little one either. I've been racking my brains for days now trying to figure the best way to do things. Whatever I want to do will be okay with Jess. You'd like that man, Pa. He's just like you. Guess that's why I picked him. Got myself married and even got gussied up for the occasion. When the pain gets real bad, Pa, I can't think real clear. Course I'm half-liquored up, so that explains it. I think what I'm trying to say here is I could use some help. I need to know I'm doing the right things. Another thing, Pa. When I get there, I'm going to be bringing you another Derby winner. If you're going to do something, give me a sign. Could you do it now so I can go back to the kitchen to finish my tea?”
Maud looked around. When nothing happened, she shrugged. “Figured that,” she mumbled. “It's all horse pucky, that spirit stuff. There probably aren't any angels either,” she continued to mutter. She heaved herself to her feet and for a few blessed moments felt no pain at all. The walk down the hall, while painful, was easier than her earlier walk to the office. She wasn't sure, but she thought she felt gentle hands ease her down onto the kitchen chair. Was this the sign she'd asked for? She sat quietly, motionless, hardly daring to breathe while she waited for the pain to take on its own life or ease up. She heaved a sigh of relief when she realized the pain was bearable, the kind aspirin worked on. Maybe today was going to be a good day after all. Later, if she felt good enough, she would make a trip down to the barns to see the October foals.
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Nealy let her breath out in a loud
swoosh
the minute she entered the warm, moist barn. She inhaled almost immediately, savoring the pungent smell of hay, warmth, and manure. She loved it, felt at home.
She took everything in at a glance, much the way she'd done back home in Virginia. She knew her duties and the time allotted to each. The barns ran on schedules and she had to run on the same schedule. She ran, her jacket flapping with the breeze, to the stallion barn with its shady overhang and oversize stalls. She knew the barn held twenty-five, sometimes as many as thirty stallions a year. Unfortunately not all the stallions were Blue Diamond studs. Maud had told her earlier that Blue Diamond Farms had an excellent reputation as a breeding operation. People paid handsomely for the privilege of standing their stallions at the farm. As she walked under the overhang, she touched and caressed each stallion curious enough to see what she was about. They knew her now and always whickered softly when she stroked their beautiful heads. “On my way back, you each get an apple,” she whispered.
Outside she watched the hot walkers take their horses in a counterclockwise walk around the walking ring. It took forty minutes of walking and then a pause for the horses to sip water, at which point, the overheated horses would be back to normal, resting pulse.