Authors: Fern Michaels
Kentucky Sunrise (23 page)
“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. You'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.”
“That's a mistake. You'll make things worse if you go legal. Please, listen to me. I'm a lawyer. I know what I'm talking about. If you go legal, Emmie will be forced to get an attorney, and who do you think she's going to hire? Nick, that's who. Is that what you want?”
Nealy stopped in her tracks. “Nick wouldn't . . . you're wrong . . . no, no, that won't happen.”
“It will happen. Fix it, Nealy, now, before it's too late. I'm telling you, don't go down that road.”
Nealy sat down on the back steps and hugged her knees. “How in the hell did this happen? It's that man. I know it as sure as I'm sitting here. He's filling her head with all kinds of nonsense. She's no more ready to ride in the Derby than you are, Hatch. He wants something. I just know it.”
Hatch stared off into the distance, his mind whirling. “Nealy, you could be wrong about Dillon Roland. He looks like a decent man to me. Gabby adores him, and I've never seen Emmie happier. If she's as sound as she said she is, then we have him to thank for it. Don't let your hatred for him drive you away from your daughter. And your son, if you insist on going the legal route. I think you need to backpedal a little right now.”
Nealy threw her hands in the air. “She wants her half of the farm. Half. I'm the one who busted my ass all these years and now, just when Dillon Roland comes into the picture, she wants her half. Before she was content to take her dividend checks and never give it a second thought. Don't you find it all a little strange?”
“No, Nealy, I don't. Remember what she's been through. She came to a crossroads in her life where she had to choose which road she wanted to travel. This is the right road for her, her choice. You can't fault her for that. She has to survive, too, Nealy. You can salvage this if you think things through and don't do anything in haste.”
Nealy got up and stared at her husband before she stomped into the house. “Whose side are you on, Hatch?” Bitterness rang in her voice as she crossed the kitchen to the coffeepot.
Hatch sat down at the kitchen table and stared at his wife. “There is nothing more important in this life than family, Nealy. Lately, you've hit a couple of rough patches, but somehow you've managed to avert some serious tragedies. This one facing you now is going to turn out to be the Queen Mother of them all if you aren't careful.”
Nealy gulped the hot coffee. “What you're saying is, my whole life has been wrong. I didn't do anything right. Yet somehow I managed to raise two kids, put this farm on the map, win two Triple Crowns, and breed Thoroughbreds that people stand in line to buy. That doesn't count for anything.”
Hatch shook his head. “You are without a doubt the most stubborn female I have ever met. It doesn't matter where you've been. What matters is where you're going and how you get there. You can't get there, wherever
there
is, and destroy your family in the process. Is it your pride? Your ego? You don't have to prove anything to anyone, Nealy. Just yourself. Maybe you should think about consulting a therapist and talk all this out.”
there
is, and destroy your family in the process. Is it your pride? Your ego? You don't have to prove anything to anyone, Nealy. Just yourself. Maybe you should think about consulting a therapist and talk all this out.”
“So now you think I'm nuts, too. Somehow or other, I've managed to get this far in my life without talking to a shrink. I'll just continue to muddle through for the rest of my life, thank you very much. I'm going upstairs to take a bath.” Her voice softened when she said, “Thanks for your input, Hatch.”
Hatch recognized Nealy's tone of voice. She was going to do whatever she thought was right and live with the consequences. His shoulders slumped. He couldn't even begin to imagine where it would all end up.
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It was dusk when Emmie said good night to Hifly. She gave him a quick hug before she joined her father and Gabby in the breezeway. “I guess we're going to my house. Is that okay, Dad?”
“Whatever you want, honey. I think this little rascal is ready for bed. I can make up the beds while you give her a bath. We should probably stop for some take-out food and maybe pick up something for Gabby's breakfast. We can do the rest of the grocery shopping tomorrow.”
“Emmie, wait!”
Emmie turned around to see Jake running from the end of the breezeway. “You aren't angry with me, are you?” he asked.
“No, not at all. Why do you ask?”
“You know, Hifly . . . me riding him in the Derby. I wanted to but I had to wait for Aunt Nealy's approval. I just wanted you to know, I'm okay with you riding him if you were serious. We get along good, but he loves you and that makes the difference. To tell you the truth, I'm not sure I'm ready. I think I am, but like Lee says, if you have even one iota of a doubt, then you aren't ready. Are you strong enough, Emmie? Or did you just say that to make your mom mad?”
“I'm strong enough, health-wise, Jake. I feel like I'm stealing your thunder so to speak.”
“No, don't think about it like that. I can use all the time I can get. I'm thinking I can only get better if I persevere. If you decide for sure that's what you want to do, I can show you a few little tricks I learned with Hifly. That horse has a mind of his own, but you already know that. I'd like to help you in whatever way I can.”
“My mother might have something to say about that, but I appreciate the offer. I have to get Gabby home and to bed. We can talk tomorrow. I'll be here bright and early.”
“Okay, I'll see you then. Nice to meet you, Mr. Roland,” Jake said, extending his hand before he trotted off to his quarters.
“What do you think, Dad? You know, about what happened here today.”
“It's not important what I think. What do you think?”
“I think I did okay. Boy, do I feel good. I can't remember ever feeling this good. Hifly didn't forget me. I was so afraid he would, but he didn't. Tell me the truth, Dad, do you think I can do it? If you have reservations, I need to know. You haven't steered me wrong yet.”
“Emmie, you can do whatever you think you can do. It's what you think and what you feel. Listen to your heart. No one else is walking in your shoes, no one else can feel your heart or see into your head. You know what they taught you at the rehab center, stretch to your limitations. I hope I'm walking on your half of this farm. I believe your mother is ready to shoot me.”
“No, she won't shoot you, but she'll do something. Mom never . . . let's not talk about Mom.”
“A word of caution, honey. You better have a good attorney standing by in the wings.”
“I got the best in the world, Dad, my brother. Now, let's go home.”
From her bedroom window Nealy watched her daughter leave. Even from the second floor she could hear her laughter and Gabby's childish babble as the little group made their way to the car. One small part of her wished she was going with them and another part of her knew she could never belong to the little group. She was the outsider. She asked herself again how it had come to this. Maybe Hatch was right. Maybe she did need to talk to a shrink.
She was so deep into her thoughts, the phone rang six times before she actually heard it. Maybe it was Emmie calling to apologize. Her hello was brisk and cool.
“Nealy, this is Josh Clymen at SunStar. I'm afraid I have some bad news. I hate telling you over the phone, but there doesn't seem to be any other way. Rhy and Pyne were killed a little while ago. The roof collapsed on the new barn from all the heavy rain. They were standing side by side when it happened. We also lost four of the horses. We did everything we could, Nealy. Nealy, are you there?”
“I'm here, Josh. I guess I'm in shock. I just spoke to both of them the other day. I don't know what to say.”
“What do you want me to do, Nealy? I know what to do about the horses, but they're your brothers'. You have to make the decisions where that's concerned.”
“All right, Josh. I need to think and to talk to Hatch. I'll call the kids. Let me get back to you when I have my wits about me.”
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