Tears streaming down her cheeks, Nealy sat tall as Shufly trotted the length of the barn and then back. When he returned to his stall, his front legs bent so she could slide off his back, he reared back and let loose with a sound that was neither a whinny or a whicker.
“It's his roar of approval for
you
, Nealy,” Metaxas said. Nealy bit down on her lower lip until she tasted her own blood. She managed to nod, the tears still streaming down her cheeks.
“See ya, big guy!”
Nealy ran from the barn.
This part of her life was now over.
Â
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The dinner was a colossal gourmet delight. The bushel basket of roses in the center of the table smelled heavenly. Nealy looked around, her champagne glass aloft. “I want to make a toast to the two finest horses in the world. To Flyby and Shufly!”
“Hear! Hear!”
Nealy swallowed the contents of her glass in one gulp. She held it up for a refill and locked her gaze with Mitch Cunningham.
“I know I wasn't invited, and I won't stay,” the cinema-tographer said. “You did say I should look you up after you won the Triple Crown. You didn't say if, you said when. So, will you do it?”
Nealy looked across the table at her daughter. “Emmie, they want to make a movie about me. They want to film it at Blue Diamond Farms. What do you think?”
“Go for it, Mom!” Emmie said.
“Can you shoot your film around me? I'm going off with my fella here for a little while.”
Cunningham could only bob his head up and down. She said yes. That meant she agreed. Christ, he'd been prepared for everything under the sun but the word
yes
. “I have the contracts in the car,” he said.
“Send them to my lawyer. If he says it's okay, Emmie, my daughter, has my power of attorney. By the way, my attorney is my son, so that contract better be real good. With one condition.”
Cunningham groaned. “What?”
“You get that studio of yours to put my picture on the front cover of
Modern Maturity
. And the horse's.”
“Done!”
“Okay, everyone, Hatch and I are leaving. You'll see us when you see us. Six months or so. Maybe sooner. Maybe later. Bye!”
Â
“Smitty! Come quick. I got a letter from Mom. Hurry, Smitty!” Emmie shouted as she ran up the steps of the back porch and into the kitchen. She ripped at the envelope. “Ohhhh, it's a nice long one. We're going to need coffee with this one. A cigarette would be nice,” she cajoled.
“You're worse than your mother. One cigarette, that's it. Where is she? Read!” Smitty ordered.
“Japan. Okay. Here goes.”
My Dear Emmie,
First things first. I miss you, Gabby, and Smitty. I think about all of you and the horses every single day. Without you running things, Emmie, I wouldn't be able to be here with Hatch.
Hatch and I spoke to Nick several days ago. He passed the bar. I was so excited, I almost fainted. I think I was more excited than Nick was. He now sits in his father's chair, in his father's office. I am so happy for him. I hope you are just as happy running Blue Diamond Farms, Emmie.
I don't know where to start. Everything is so wonderful. I've learned to swim in the ocean and snorkel. In my wildest dreams I never thought I would do half the things I've been doing. I can ski a little on the bunny hills. My rear end is sore from falling on the skating rink. I loved every minute of it. Hatch is such fun. People look at us because all we do is laugh and hold hands. I'm looking forward to spending the rest of my life with him.
I'm having my wedding gown made in Hong Kong. Hatch knows this tailor who will measure me and make the dress in two days. He also knows someone who will take a mold of my feet and make me shoes to match the wedding gown. They will mail it home, so be on the lookout for it. I hope Smitty reserved the church and that plans for the reception are under way. Imagine me getting married the day after Christmas. The tailor is also making Gabby's flower-girl dress. I'm so glad I had the size with me. Make a note, Emmie, to find a special little basket for the flower petals. One she will be comfortable carrying down the aisle.
Tell Smitty and Ruby I'm happier than I've ever been in my entire life. I am literally seeing the world I only read about in a newspaper or saw on television and I am loving every minute of it.
And now for the biggest surprise of all. Hatch persuaded me to look up Cole Tanner and mend my fences, one board at a time. I did, and we met for dinner the other night. At first we stared at one another, neither of us sure what we should say. Hatch took matters into his own hands and got the conversation going. Cole has a wonderful family. His children are as precious as Gabby. It will be nice for her to have cousins even though they are so far away. We parted friends, and Hatch invited all of them to the wedding. Wouldn't it be wonderful if they could come? I'm okay with it all. I realize now I can't live my life full of bitterness and hatred. Hatch helped me with that part of it. That part of my life is over. We have to start somewhere, and this was a beginning. In the end, nothing is as important as family. Cole agreed.
Give everyone my love, and if things work out according to plan, we'll be home the week before Christmas. We're leaving for Hong Kong later today. I'm enclosing the balance of my itinerary should you need it. Give Gabby a hug from her grandmother.
All my love,
Mom
“Wow!” Emmie said.
“Wow is right,” Smitty said.
“I think she's finally happy, Smitty. When I think back, I hardly ever remember Mom laughing. She smiled, but she never really laughed. I always wanted to make her laugh, but I didn't know how.”
“I think she's making up for lost time,” Smitty said. “I can't believe she invited the Colemans to the wedding. I wonder who's next on her list. I might as well get to it. Do you need anything, Emmie?”
“Nope. I have a ton of work to do. I'll be up when it's time to pick Gabby up at the bus. She does love preschool. She thinks she's hot stuff riding on the bus. I used to be like that. The only difference was, I couldn't shout with glee when I got off and ran to Mom. She was always waiting for me. Always. She never missed a day. God, I'm so glad she's happy.”
“Now we have to work on you,” Smitty said.
“I'm happy.”
Smitty snorted. “That's what your mother always used to say. She lied.”
Emmie grimaced as she turned to leave the kitchen, coffee cup in hand.
Smitty watched the young woman lope her way down to the barn. “Honey, you have no idea just how much like your mother you really are. You don't have a clue.”
15
Miles away, at Sunbridge Ranch in Texas, Riley Coleman sat staring at his cousin Cole, a stack of ledgers and financial reports in front of him. He stared at them with glee in his eyes. “See this,” he said to Cole. “This is a record of the money we owe Nealy Clay. This,” he said, waving a paper in the air, “is the current bank statement. It's time we paid her back.”
Cole bit into a thick roast beef sandwich, then washed it down with a swig from a bottle of Sapporo beer. “Doesn't it seem a little strange to you, Riley, that we'll be paying her back with monies we won placing bets on her in Vegas?”
Riley threw his hands in the air. “Money is money. Hell, half the world probably bet on those three races she ran. However, the payback money is coming from the first gusher we brought in last year. You invested it, Cole. It's all there. You've been investing our winnings from those races these past few months. I know it's just six months since the last race, but when you invest millions and your return is eighteen percent, I'd say that's pretty good. We talked about this until we were blue in the face, Cole. We agreed not to touch the principal. It's there as a reminder to both of us. The day may come when we're called on to help a member of the family the way Nealy Clay helped us. I hate talking about this because it forces me to remember what assholes we were. We're on steady ground now. We all bit the bullet and you turned Rising Sun around in a little over two years. We brought in two gushers and a third is on the way. We have a magnificent herd of cattle, the drought is over, and we have a reserve in the bank. We paid off Sawyer and your aunt Maggie. Forget the fact that I no longer know what a night's sleep means.”
“So what's our game plan here?” Cole uncapped a second bottle of Sapporo, his favorite Japanese beer.
Cole waved Nealy Clay's wedding invitation in the air. “By the grace of God, and Nealy Clay, we turned it around. It's not something you or I will ever forget. There was a point there when I just wanted to lie down and die.”
“I was right there with you, Riley,” Cole said. “Send her a cashier's check and a handwritten thank-you.” He twirled the beer bottle around and around on the kitchen table. “So,” he said, looking around, “will Ivy and Moss be back for Christmas?”
“It depends on Ivy's mother, who isn't doing as well as they expected after her hip replacement. Ivy feels she has to stay there with her mother. I was going to fly down for Christmas Day and then fly on to Kentucky for the wedding. What about you, Cole?”
“I'm heading back to Japan tomorrow night. I'll fly over for the wedding. I'm not sure about Sumi and the kids. She is petrified to fly, so that's the hang-up. She always insists we take separate flights and I can say for certainty she won't allow the kids to fly.” He shrugged. “Sawyer and Adam are going and so is Mother. This side of the family will be represented. We can either pay her before the wedding or send the check to her attorney. My own personal opinion is we should do it before. I'd kind of like to thank her face-to-face and shake her hand.”
“Then that's what we'll do. You must have been stunned when you heard her voice on the phone. How did you handle it?”
“Very carefully. That plant over the sink needs watering, Riley. Ivy will be pissed if you let it die. Sumi is like that, so I know.”
Riley got up from the table to rummage under the sink for the watering can his wife always used. He watered the plant. “I really took care of this plant when she left me that first time. It was like it was a sacred trust or something. When Ivy came back her first words were, âGood, you didn't let my plants die.' ”
“Women are like that. What do you say we wash up and head for town. I could use some good Japanese food about now.”
“You're on, cousin.”
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Hatch Littletree stared around at weary travelers as they waited for their luggage to appear. Almost all of them carried straw hats, colorful shopping bags, and gaudy jewelry attesting to their vacation in the islands. The red dome light above the carousel flashed and beeped as the first bag made its way up the ramp and down onto the conveyor belt. He reached for Nealy's hand and smiled down at her when he saw one of his bags tumble out of the top opening. Passengers pushed and shoved as they elbowed their way through the crowd of waiting travelers to reach for their bags. He sighed. He couldn't remember ever being as happy as he was right then.
Nealy shifted her shoulder bag to her right shoulder, at the same time kicking her travel bag between her feet. “I wish you were coming with me, Hatch.”
Hatch shoved his baseball cap farther back on his head as he scanned the bags passing before him. “It's just two days, Nealy. There's a bunch of stuff I have to sign off on. I'll be back before you know it. We have to start off clean with no trailing baggage that's going to make us worry. When we leave on our honeymoon, I want both of us to be as free as the wind. No clocks, no timetables, no telephones except one cell phone for emergencies. Two days, tops.” Nealy nodded.
“I'm glad we're home. The last leg of the flight was really frightening with all that turbulence. The weather outside looks . . . ominous. Promise me you'll call as soon as you set down in Santa Fe. Promise, Hatch.”
Hatch reached for a large black-leather bag, at the same time nodding to a porter. “I promise. I'll see you to your cab, and then I have to take off.” He grinned. “We started out with one bag each six months ago and we're returning with seven, counting our carry-on luggage.”
“Presents, souvenirs. We covered a lot of territory in the past months. I had to buy presents from each place. Not to mention the stuff we bought for ourselves that we'll probably never use.” Nealy reached for his arm as they trailed behind the porter to head for the taxi stand. She shivered inside her light windbreaker.
Hatch draped his arm around her shoulder. “What's wrong, Nealy?” He followed her gaze as she looked around, a frown building on her face. He, too, shivered in the brisk air.
Nealy shrugged as she settled the straw hat she'd bought in Hawaii more firmly on her head. “There's a storm brewing. I can almost taste it. Look at the sky, Hatch.”
“I'll be flying above it, Nealy. Or is it the horses you're worried about? Don't go spooking me now.”
“Both, Hatch. The only word I can think of is
ominous
. Maybe I'm just tired. Go ahead, I'll be fine. Make sure you call me as soon as you set down.”
Hatch settled Nealy in the backseat of the taxi. He leaned over to kiss her lightly on the lips. “Five days and you'll be Mrs. Littletree.” He grinned, and Nealy smiled. For one brief moment she forgot about the strange-looking sky overhead. She watched until Hatch's long-legged stride took him out of her line of vision.
Nealy settled herself into the corner seat of the cab, grateful for the humming heater. She was also grateful that the driver wasn't in a talkative mood.
A chill washed through her. She felt frightened and she didn't know why. Was she having a premonition of some kind? She wished the taxi could sprout wings and soar away to drop her by the front porch of Blue Diamond Farms. She wished for so many things of late. Maud had done the same thing in the later years of her life. Damn, where were these strange thoughts taking her?
She'd been so happy these past months. Almost too happy. Maybe that was the problem. At one time she thought she could never be happy anywhere but at the farm. Now she knew that was a myth. She'd been joyously happy with Hatch. And while she thought about the farm and the horses, she hadn't been consumed by those thoughts. She had Hatch. Hatch made all the difference.
Nealy continued to stare out the taxi window at the scudding clouds overhead. Not only did it still look ominous, but it
felt
ominous. Damn it, what was it? She'd experienced storms before. Terrible storms, wicked storms, god-awful storms. It was cold enough for snow. Maybe that was it. A white Christmas. A white wedding.
Her whole body started to shake. She curled into herself, fighting the urge to cry, not understanding where such odd feelings were coming from.
She saw the entrance then. “This is it,” she told the cab driver as he pulled into the farm's driveway a long time later. She sighed in relief at the majesty of Flyby and the copper glory of Shufly standing guard over the entrance to Blue Diamond Farms. Such majesty, such glory, such presence. She sighed again, grateful that she was finally home.
The urge to bolt from the taxi and run the rest of the way to the house was so strong that Nealy found herself clutching at the door handle.
The moment the taxi came to a full stop her family appeared. She saw it all in one glanceâher daughter's happy face, Gabby's chubby legs pumping furiously, Smitty's ear-to-ear grin, and Dover and the grooms waving. But the dark, swirling clouds overhead still bothered her. She held out her arms, her laughter forced, words tumbling from her mouth in short little bursts. Somehow, between hugs and smiles she managed to ask, “What's with the weather? It looks kind of scary.”
Emmie and Smitty both shrugged. Gabby hung on for dear life as Nealy pretended to be a horse and galloped up the steps and into the house. “I could use a good cup of coffee. I really missed our coffee,” Nealy said. “I really missed this place. No, that's not quite true. I thought about it a lot. Actually, I didn't miss it as much as I thought I would. I just love this kitchen. Kitchens mean home. No matter how nice a hotel or suite is, it isn't home.”
“I'll be down in a minute, Mom. It's Gabby's nap time. Actually, it's past her nap time, but I let her stay up so she could greet you.” Emmie scooped up the squealing toddler and started for the stairs.
Nealy smiled as she opened her travel bag. “This is for Cookie, so he has a friend,” she said, presenting a small, white, stuffed dog. “And this is for you, Gabby,” she said, holding out a small island-made rag doll. “Her name is Mary Lou. See, her name is stitched on her dress. Sweet dreams, Gabby. I'll give you the rest of your presents when you wake up.” She ruffled the toddler's curls as she kissed and hugged her.
“Did you miss me, Smitty?” Nealy asked as she reached for the cup of coffee Smitty held out to her. She sank down gratefully into her favorite kitchen chair. The same chair Maud always used to sit in. “I feel in some ways like I've been gone forever. So, Smitty, did you miss me?” she repeated.
“Who had time to miss you?” Smitty said, tongue in cheek. “As you can see, nothing has changed. Somehow or other we managed to muddle through without you. Of course we missed you, Nealy. Ruby and Metaxas will be back Christmas Eve. They take possession of the Owens farm on January 2. Damn, I mean the Goldberg farm. Metaxas had some loose ends he said he needed to tie up before he became a farm owner full-time. The Goldbergs moved up North at the end of October. The whole place is just sitting there empty waiting for Ruby and Metaxas.”
Nealy tried to stay focused, tried to pay attention to what Smitty was saying. “I don't like this weather, Smitty. It feels . . .
deadly
. I know that's a strong word, but that's how it feels to me. What are they saying on the weather station?”
Smitty poured more coffee into her cup. “About what you would expect. A bad storm later today. Nothing out of the ordinary. What's got you so skittish?”
Nealy got up to stand before the kitchen window. “Maybe it's just being home again after being gone so long. Maybe I'm tired. In all the years I've lived here, I've never seen a sky that looks like this one does. Summer and fall were so dry everything was brittle. When we landed, it was really cold. By the time I got here, the temperature must have gone up ten or fifteen degrees. When we landed, it felt like snow. Now the air just feels
thick
. To me that means thunder and lightning but not necessarily rain. I don't like what I'm feeling right now. Make some more coffee, okay? I want to change and go down to the barn.”
Emmie bounded down the kitchen stairway. “I'm glad you're home, Mom. I really missed you. Ah, coffee. I am my mother's daughter,” Emmie said as she poured coffee into a thermal container. “I gotta get back to the barn. This weather has the horses spooked. Boy are they going to be glad to see you, Mom.”
“I'll meet you down in the barn. I want to change,” Nealy said.
It was almost pitch-black outside when Nealy strode across the kitchen, grabbing her coffee and bolting down to the barn. She looked around; all the sensor lights were blazing. It was even warmer now than it had been when she'd climbed out of the taxi an hour ago. What did it mean? A hurricane? In December? Impossible. Tornado? A definite possibility. A gust of wind slammed into her back, forcing her to run the rest of the way to the barn.
The horses were uneasy, skittish. She headed straight for Flyby's stall, where she nuzzled the big horse, her face dreamy as she let her hands caress the animal. “I'm here, baby. I'm here. Nothing is going to happen to you.” She turned at a sound. Shufly. “Hey, big guy, how's it going? Missed me, huh,” she said, doing the same thing to him she'd done to his daddy. “You're lookin' good, baby. Guess Metaxas is taking good care of you. Okay, okay, here we go,” she said, holding out a handful of mints. She filled her other hand and held them out to Flyby.