Eyes of Silver, Eyes of Gold (31 page)

“Nope.” Cord leaned against a low fence fronting the house they had stopped by. They were suddenly surrounded by an enthusiastic group of race watchers. Armand and Helene LeClerc arrived first. Reaching only midway on Cord’s chest when he was standing, Helene took advantage of his half-sitting position against the fence and took him by the shoulders and kissed him on both cheeks. Emerging from Armand’s bear hug, Anne wondered if her husband could possibly be blushing.

Cord also received congratulatory handshakes from Noah Reynolds, Riley, James Miles, Dr. Craig, and several people who had bought horses from him in the last year or two. Bob Windon was there, grin firmly in place, foregoing any remarks about magic for once.

Anne received a hug from her mother, who avoided Cord. Rob was escorting his mother as usual, but hung silently in the background.

The noisy crowd quieted as a tall, spare man, darker than Cord, with a large drooping mustache, and dressed in distinctly Spanish style clothes approached. This was Raoul Zamora, Alferd Lathrum’s head horseman. Zamora stopped in front of Cord, nodded his head slightly, then extended his hand.

As he shook hands, Raoul said, “Ever since you rode the palomino horse back to the ranch, I wondered. Today, I know. It was an honor to witness such a ride.”

Cord tugged an ear, a glint in his eyes. “If that jockey of yours had laid off the quirt, your bay horse might have caught us.”

Raoul made a dismissive gesture with both hands. “Few men have your control. It is too much to expect. Today was yours.”

Cord just nodded. Raoul turned half away then back. “I hear the colt is still alive. Is this true?”

Cord nodded again. “My wife talked him into living. Anne, meet Raoul Zamora. Raoul, this is my wife, Anne Bennett.”

The almost black eyes studied her. “Mrs. Bennett. Another honor for me today.” He gave a small bow in her direction, then addressed Cord again. “The dark bay horse is a full brother to your colt. You might like to know that. Your colt is better.” He was gone then, disappearing into the crowd.

Anne watched him go. “Why does a man like that work for Lathrum?”

“He’s got a wife and six kids, and they all like to eat. Not too many riding jobs around pay that well.”

“Does he mean Fortune is a full brother to the bay that wouldn’t quit?”

“Yup.” There was a grin in his eyes. “Like an extra Christmas present in July, isn’t it, Ti-gress?”

When Lennie returned with Red, happy to leave the work of tending to the sweat soaked and tired horse to someone else, the small victory party broke up.

AN HOUR LATER, CORD WAS
making up for the missed breakfast over lunch at Ephraim’s, and Martha was laughing. “I was worried when you didn’t eat this morning, you know. It’s not like you.”

“Would have lost it coming off that bank, Marty.”

“I know that’s what it was now.”

Not looking up from his lunch, Cord said, “‘Preciate your talking to the committee, Eph. Didn’t figure on coming out of that the official winner, but people would know that’s a hell of a nice horse anyway.”

“I suppose you practiced every one of those jumps and maneuvers somehow.”

“Sure, started with little two footers months ago.”

“And how did you approximate that bank?”

“Found something close over on the main ranch. Took a little digging here and there is all.”

“That’s all,” echoed Ephraim. “It must have taken a lot of time every day then.”

“Not too bad. Annie did all the grooming and put the flat miles on while I rode colts. Kept me from getting behind with the young stock. She helped get the timing on takeoffs right too - I’ve never done much jumping.”

Cord looked up to see Ephraim looking at him intently.

“It surprised me how angry I was at the thought of them getting away with cheating you out of the win,” Ephraim said. “Zamora was right, it was an honor to watch that ride.”

Cord looked at his brother warily, recognizing the first tentative step toward a major rapprochement.

Ephraim dropped his eyes. “Anyway, I probably wouldn’t have done much good with the committee if Stone hadn’t come right behind me.” He chuckled. “He threatened to hire me to sue them.”

Cord returned to his lunch. “If you hadn’t gone over there first, he never would have. Thanks.”

Right then Luke and Pete burst into the kitchen. “Boy, I hope you saved some for us.”

Martha said, “You know I did. Where have you two been?”

“Oh, here and there.” They’d been sampling drinks at some of the post-race get togethers and everyone knew it.

“Oh, yeah, before I forget. I don’t want to carry all this around any more.” Luke began pulling great wads of bills from his pockets and throwing them on the table in front of Anne.

Anne watched the growing pile of bills and recognized trouble. “W-what’s that?” she asked.

“Your take.”

“Take?”

“From your bet. You gave us a hundred dollars.”

“But that’s - that’s thousands.”

“For gosh sakes, Anne, we explained about odds last time. The odds were twenty to one. You won two thousand dollars. This time Pete and I got smart. We each bet twenty dollars, and I happen to know Sheriff Reynolds did too. LeClercs bet ten, and so did Mr. Miles. Everybody had a great day courtesy of our uncle. And the horse, of course.” Luke was slightly tipsy and enjoying himself even more than usual.

Anne was afraid to even look up. “You s-shouldn’t have done that,” she said. “I thought Red would probably be disqualified, and it wouldn’t have mattered if I lost the money.”

As a matter of fact she had thought losing her Grenerton money might be a good thing.

Luke just laughed, but Anne’s heart sank as she heard Cord drawl, “Well, isn’t that great, Ti-gress. Now you don’t have to stop in Denver, you can head straight for Paris - or wherever.” He was furious, and what might have come of it she was just as glad not to know, for missing the undercurrents, Pete spoke up.

“We heard that poor horse isn’t going anywhere as nice as Paris. Lathrum’s going to buy him.”

Anne jerked her head up and met Cord’s eyes. What she saw there only reflected her own pain. Lathrum was a cruel man even without a reason, and he had a reason to vent his spleen on Red - he would see the horse as the weapon used to best him. Anne was afraid she was going to cry right here in front of everyone. Looking down, trying to keep the tears from starting, she saw the blur of green. “Cord, could we…?”

“Even if it’s enough, they won’t sell that horse to us.”

“If we never try….”

“Stone won’t just say no. He’ll rub our noses in it.”

A single tear slipped across her cheek. Cord conceded defeat by standing and starting for the door. “All right, money bags, gather it up and come on. We’ll make them say no.”

Anne gathered up the bills and tried to smooth them out and roll them neatly then hurried after him.

John Stone was not at home. A maid escorted them into the library where Virginia Stone waited. “I suppose you’ve come for your prize money.” There was a rectangular-shaped piece of paper on the desk before her.

Anne poked a finger in Cord’s back, wanting him to do the talking. He shot her a hard look but answered. “No, ma’am. We heard Mr. Lathrum was trying to buy your horse and wondered if you’d sold to him.”

“No, as a matter of fact. He came here and discussed it, but I’ve promised John to sell the horse to the first person who offers what I paid, which is twenty-five hundred dollars, and Mr. Lathrum offered considerably less and wanted to negotiate. I told him he would have to speak with John - who is in town ‘celebrating’ with friends.”

Resentment was in her voice and around her mouth. “Mr. Lathrum went to look for him. I imagine John will accept something less in the end. He really hates that horse.” She pressed hand to her forehead. “I bought him when John wasn’t with me, you know. He can’t forgive that.” She jerked upright, as if reminded of what she was saying and to whom she was saying it. “Well, that’s neither here nor there. I’ll endorse this check to you.”

Cord said, “Mrs. Stone, would you sell Anne the horse?”

Something that looked remarkably like regret crossed her face. “I’m sorry, Mr. Bennett, I can’t take this check and your note. My husband has specified cash, you see.”

“We had in mind that check and fifteen hundred dollars cash.”

Wide-eyed with disbelief, the quintessential lady crossed the boundaries of propriety a second time. “Where on earth would you get fifteen hundred dollars?”

Anne might have replied that they had just robbed the local bank, but Cord’s self-restraint was much better. He said, “Anne bet on the race. The odds were twenty to one.”

Mrs. Stone dropped to the chair behind the desk, a genuine laugh ringing out. “Oh, my, John’s going to love it. Just love it. The bill of sale for the horse is in my name alone. I’ll just write another and attach it. His pedigree is with it. You can have the lot.”

“We wouldn’t want to cause you any trouble, ma’am.” Anne could have wrung his neck for that.

“Oh, no, I gave John my word to accept the first offer of as much as I paid. One’s word is one’s bond, you know.” The opportunity to spite her husband was making her almost giddy.

Anne counted fifteen hundred dollars from her pockets onto the desk, and then spoke for the first time. “Please make the bill of sale out to Cord and Anne Bennett, Mrs. Stone.”

Busy writing, Virginia Stone missed the hard look Cord gave Anne. He said nothing, just folded the papers and buttoned them in his shirt pocket.

Still happy over her domestic revenge, Virginia Stone shook both their hands. “It’s been a pleasure.” She laughed again. “A real pleasure.”

Cord and Anne walked in silence to the barn. There was no sign of Lennie. “What are you going to use for Grenerton money, Annie?”

She put her hands on his shoulders and examined his face bit by bit. His eyes were as devoid of expression as his face itself. “If I ever decide to go to Grenerton, I’ll just ask you to take me. That way you’ll be right there, ready to take me home when I’ve seen enough.” His hands tightened on her waist. He said nothing. “You know I’m never going there or anywhere else as well as I do. You’re just not ready to admit it.”

“Guess you’ve still got five hundred left, and you could always sell your horse. You could probably get to San Francisco.” He took his hands away.

They walked through the town as before, wordlessly, one on each side of the horse. After seeing to the stallion, safe in Ephraim’s barn, Anne again put her hands on his shoulders. “Will you do me a favor, please?”

She could feel withdrawal in his every muscle. “Like what?”

“I bet on that race thinking the money probably would be lost, and that would be just as well because it bothered you, but I also knew how much work we did, and I thought if I did win, that was fine too because I was betting on
us
. Will you stop referring to ‘my money,’ and ‘my horse?’ Please? Could you manage ‘our money’ and ‘our horse?’”

She felt him relax under her hands. “All right. Let’s go tell them about our new horse.”

* * *

Chapter 30

CORD HAD NOT BEEN INSIDE
the Mason town hall since he had followed Marie out one of its doors the night she was attacked years ago. Now he was doing the same thing he had been doing that night, sitting along one wall watching others dance. When Anne had asked him about attending the social, with her own desire to attend written all over her face, he had been unable to say no, a mistake for which he was now paying.

She had chosen a pale yellow gown trimmed with green from her Chicago dresses, and was having a grand time dancing with what seemed to Cord to be every man in the place. The whole thing was absolutely his own fault.

He had answered her inquiry with, “I don’t dance.” He had told her to go ahead and have a good time, he was fine where he was. And after every dance she came to sit beside him for a while, although her happy chatter had tailed off more quickly during each visit.

He knew his own black mood was affecting her, knew he was being unreasonable, and couldn’t stop himself. Watching her now her as she spun round, laughing up at Noah Reynolds, he glared at the sheriff’s hands on her and wanted to hit something. Anne looked like sunlight dancing on water - dancing with another man.

Miss Maggie Powers, whose piano provided the music, was a romantic at heart, and she had been ending the town’s the dances with a long waltz even when Cord was a boy. Noah returned Anne to his side, and Cord knew that last waltz was not far off and knew he was not watching her dance it with someone else.

“Suppose we leave now before the crowd?” he said.

Anne was more than happy to leave early. The evening had been pleasant enough, but dancing with family and friends while wondering why her husband was becoming stonier by the minute was not exactly what she had hoped for.

To her surprise, outside the hall she felt his hand on her elbow, guiding her not up the street towards Ephraim’s but around behind the hall where a flat grassy area separated the hall from the cemetery and the church beyond. Through the open windows she could hear the first notes of Miss Maggie’s last waltz.