It was like the last time, Nealy thought as she walked down the breezeway. The air of excitement that maybe, if things went right, she would bring back a second Derby winner to Blue Diamond Farms. She looked around, half-expecting to see or hear Hunt. His absence was the only thing that was different this time.
Nealy turned when she heard Ruby call out to her. “Nealy, we have to do something. Metaxas is going to give himself a heart attack over this. I have never, in my entire life, seen him so excited, so agitated, so damn wired. He's combing that horse's tail one strand at a time. Then he messes it up and starts all over again. Shufly just stands there and lets him do it. I caught him trying to brush his teeth this morning. Shufly let him do that, too. I don't know how he's going to handle the next twenty-four hours. Don't you have something else for him to do?”
Nealy placed both her hands on Ruby's shoulders. “I was like that the first time, Ruby. No, there's nothing you or I can do. Metaxas's bond with Shufly is stronger than I ever anticipated. That's a good thing. He's having the time of his life. This is an important day for all of us. All the training is over. All the big guy has to do is run for the roses tomorrow. I swear he knows what it's all about. I think Flyby remembers, too.
“Listen to me, Ruby. There is every possibility that I won't win tomorrow. Jake's Thunder and Navigator are right up there with the best of the best. No one has seen Shufly, so they aren't really talking about him. They don't know what he can and cannot do. I can lose, Ruby. I can come in fifth or sixth or finish last.”
“Oh, Nealy, Metaxas and I truly don't care if you win or not. It's the fact that the big guy is good enough to get his shot at the roses with the best jockey in the world riding him. That's all we want. Win or lose, it doesn't matter.”
“I'm old, Ruby. I can't run up and down these barns the way I used to. Mentally, I'm fine. I'm full of confidence. All this training has proved to be a little harder than I anticipated. The plain, unvarnished truth is, I'm not as agile as I used to be. Hell, I'm a senior citizen! By the way, that was the headline in the morning's paper. Another one said, âGranny running for the roses.' Smitty showed them to me. Dagmar's paper had the only decent article and headline. The others said I don't have a snowball's chance in hell of winning the Derby twice.”
“Oh, baby, baby, is that what this is all about? Your age! Get those thoughts right out of your head. I don't want to hear another word about age, senior citizens, or those other yahoos running in the Derby. You have them all beat by a furlong. Shift into neutral, Nealy. Better yet, why don't you take a walk over to the cemetery and do some palavering with the . . . you know. Take Flyby with you.”
Nealy's face brightened. “I . . . I'll do that, Ruby.”
Nealy was leading Flyby down the breezeway when she saw them outlined in the bright sunshine. She brought her hand up to shield her eyes. It was Emmie who broke ranks and ran to her, her arms open wide. Nealy dropped Flyby's halter and ran the last few steps. “Oh Emmie, I'm so glad to see you! You came back! God, I missed you!
“Nick!” Tears rolled down Nealy's cheeks as she embraced her son and daughter. “I'm sorry. I'm so sorry about so many things. I wanted . . . I did it all wrong . . . I can't believe you're here. Can you stay? Are you going to the Derby? You look so wonderful. Taller, leaner, and you look tired. You both look tired.”
“We aren't tired, Mom. We were worried you wouldn't want us here,” Emmie said. “Oh, Mom, we missed you so much. Can I stay, Mom? I won't let you down again. I promise.”
“You never once let me down, Emmie. Of course you can stay.”
“Not me, Mom.”
Nealy cupped her son's face in both her hands. “I know, Nick. You're where you belong now. Your dad would be so proud of you. I'm proud of you, too. Hatch said you're going to be a wild-ass lawyer. I am so glad you came back. I wanted to go after you a hundred times, maybe a thousand, but I couldn't. I had to give you your chance. I'm sorry it took me so long, Nick. Can you ever forgive me?”
“There's nothing to forgive, Mom. We're here. Whoa, what's this? He remembers me,” Nick said in awe, as Flyby used his big head to butt him. Nealy slipped Nick a mint that he held out to the horse.
For the first time Nealy noticed Hatch. She grinned her thanks. He nodded. “Where's the baby?”
“Up at the house with Smitty.”
“Mom, do you want me to take Flyby out to the pasture?”
“That would be nice, Nick. I was going to take him out to the cemetery to work off some of my nerves. I can do that later. I want to see my granddaughter right now.”
“I'll stay down here with Nick for a while, Nealy,” Hatch said.
Nick wrapped his arms around his mother. “I missed you, Mom. I never stopped loving you, not for a minute. I used to write little notes to you on my legal pads. Writing them made me feel better. I love it here, Mom, but I don't belong here. I need to hear you tell me you understand and that it's okay.”
“It's okay, Nick, and yes, I do understand. I wrote a thousand letters to you and to Emmie in my head. I love you, Nick. Nothing will ever change that. I'm truly sorry about Willow.”
“I know, Mom. I just don't want to talk about her. Maybe later on but not now, okay?”
Nealy nodded. “Okay, Nick.”
“Go see your granddaughter, Mom.”
“I'm going, I'm going,” Nealy said, sprinting for the house.
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“Mom, this is Gabby. Honey, this is your grandma,” Emmie said.
Nealy dropped to her haunches. “Hello, Gabby.” She cupped the little girl's face in her hands and kissed her forehead. “I've waited a long time to meet you. You look just like your mommy when she was little. Who is this little guy?” she said, pointing to the frisky pup.
“Cookie. Him sleeps with me.”
“Is he nice and warm and cozy? Does he wiggle under the covers and keep you warm?”
“Uh-huh.”
“Would you like to sit on the front porch with your mommy and me? You can play with Cookie on the porch.”
“I brought some toys with us, Mom. They're in the car.”
“You can bring them up on the porch, but I'm going to hold this little angel on my lap and tell her a story about the Rainbow Queen. Would you like to hear about the Rainbow Queen, Gabby? Later, when I have to go back to the barn she can play with the toys.” Gabby nodded and allowed Nealy to pick her up.
“Once upon a time there was a beautiful queen named . . .”
“Gabby,” the little girl chortled.
Nealy's gaze locked with her daughter's. “Ah, I see your mommy has already told you this story.”
“She knows it word for word, so don't change anything.” Emmie laughed.
Gabby snuggled into the crook of Nealy's arm. It felt so right, so good, she felt light-headed with the feeling. Cookie took that moment to hop onto her lap and wiggle his way close to Gabby. Now it was complete.
Thank you, God.
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It was all behind her now. All the hard work, the sleepless nights, the weary hours, the cold, the heat. She was here again, running for the roses.
With Metaxas's help, she settled Shufly into his stall. “This is your day, baby. All I want is for you to do your best and remember this old lady is on your back. You know me and I know you. When we walk into that gate, we are
one.
” Nealy whispered to the horse as she stroked his head. “God, I wish I knew what you were thinking. If there was only some way you could give me some kind of sign that you understand what today really means I would appreciate it. Part of me wants you to do better than your daddy and another part of me doesn't want that. I feel so disloyal even thinking such a thing, much less saying it aloud. You have wings on your feet, baby. I want you to use them today.” She continued to whisper as she ran her hands over the mass of quivering horseflesh. In the moment it took her heart to beat twice, Shufly lowered his massive head and nuzzled her ear. Nealy giggled. “I'm going to take that as my sign. Okay, big fella. Here comes your human daddy. Stay calm. I'll be back in a bit.”
“Nealy, where are you going? It's the middle of the night?” Ruby said, her voice filled with anxiety.
“I just want to walk around a bit. The last time I was here Hunt was with me. I need to stretch my legs and do some thinking. Where is everyone?”
“Hatch took the kids to the hotel. He'll be here bright and early with coffee and the morning paper. This is it, Nealy. You okay?”
“I'm very okay. Are you and Metaxas okay?”
“You bet. We'll be right here. Go ahead and do whatever you need to do. Shufly is in good hands. He knows, doesn't he, Nealy?”
“Yes. Yes, he does, Ruby. Flyby knew, too. That's why everything is okay. See you in a bit.”
Nealy walked out into the dark, misty night. The soft night breeze tickled her face and fanned her hair. She brushed at it with an impatient hand. She was happier at that moment than she had ever been in her entire life. Her kids were home, her world was right side up, and Hatch was there. She looked up at the rolling cloud cover. Rain was in the forecast for tomorrow. She wondered if it would hold off till after the race. In the end, it wouldn't matter. Shufly was just as good on a sloppy track as he was on a hard, dry one. The only downside was if it rained, her hair would frizz up. She laughed as she dropped to her rear end, her back against a thick, old tree. A perfect spot to sit and watch all the activity. She'd sat there years ago and done the same thing. She smiled as she closed her eyes and relaxed for the first time in days.
“What's so funny, Nealy?”
“Hunt! I'm here. It's just perfect, Hunt. The kids are home and that grandbaby is something special. She felt so good, all soft and warm. My cup runneth over. Hatch is here, too. Guess you know that, huh? I'm going to get all choked up on the walkover. I'll be remembering the last time when you were with me. How's it looking from where you're . . . ah . . . perched? I can do this, can't I, Hunt?”
“Is this the Nealy Diamond Clay I know showing something less than full confidence? That's not the Nealy I know.”
“Knew. That's the key word, Hunt. Things are a lot different this time around. They keep reminding me how old I am. I'm starting to believe them. You didn't answer my question.”
“They scratched two horses an hour ago, just as you arrived. It's an eighteen-horse field now. The only horse that can give you trouble is Jake's Thunder, and he's as good on a sloppy track as Shufly. It's going to start raining hard in about an hour, so be prepared. You can do it, Nealy. If you doubt yourself now, you're dead in the water. You've got the mystery horse this time around. You, Metaxas, and Ruby are the only ones who know what Shufly can do. The odds are out of this world.”
“I wish you were here, Hunt.” When there was no answer she said his name again. “Hunt? Are you still here?”
“I wish I was, too, Nealy. I'll be there in spirit every beat of the way. Nealy, listen to me, I want you to go back to the shed row NOW. Now, Nealy. There's something coming down, and there's nothing I can do to help you. Get up and run. Do you hear me?”
“What's wrong?”
“Do what I tell you.”
The second Nealy's eyes opened she saw four blurred figures coming toward her. In an instant she was on her feet, running toward the shed row.
They were after her. By their size and weight she knew they were either exercise boys or jockeys. Her heart lurched as she calculated how far she had to run. Too far if their intentions were what she thought they were.
“Get her,” she heard one of them yell. “Get her before she gets away.”
Afraid she might not be able to outrun them, Nealy put her first two fingers in her mouth and blew. An earsplitting whistle raced through the thick, misty night.
From her far left she heard wood splintering and the sound of hard pounding hooves.
“Jesus!”
“What the hell!”
“Fuck.”
“Holy shit!”
Shufly skidded to a stop next to Nealy. He snorted and blew like a demon from hell. Nealy grabbed onto his mane and vaulted up onto his back. Knowing she was safe, she said, “Boys, meet the next Kentucky Derby winner! This is Shufly!” Her voice quivered with fear. “Now get your asses out of here before I turn this big guy loose on you.”
“What's going on here?” Metaxas boomed as he ran up to the group, Ruby in his wake, Dover bringing up the rear.
“All I know,” Nealy said, “is that I was sitting under a tree, minding my own business, and when I woke up these four
little
twits were stalking me. That's what's going on.” Nealy clenched and unclenched her teeth so hard she thought she'd chipped her front teeth.