Authors: Fern Michaels
Kentucky Heat (9 page)
“Okay, Nealy. I'll call you if Val calls me.”
Pulling the hood of the slicker over her head, Nealy ran out into the black, rainy night.
As soon as she entered the barn's breezeway, Flyby started pawing at the floor of his stall. Nealy walked over and gave him a mint. “Good boy,” she said, patting his muzzle. The next stall down was Misty Blue's. She nickered softly. Ruby and Metaxas were still where she had left them hours ago. “Your eyes are going to pop out of your heads,” she chided gently. “You really don't have to stand guard. Misty Blue knows what to do with her baby.”
“Oh, yes, we do, Nealy. I've been staring at this baby ever since I got here. He is beyond gorgeous. I don't know what to say, Nealy. No one has ever given me a gift like this. Don't misunderstand. People give me gifts all the time. And I appreciate all of them because they're given from their hearts. This . . . this little guy is different. He walks and he breathes. He's
alive.
I feel like I should do something. You know, something memorable to . . . to preserve this moment.”
alive.
I feel like I should do something. You know, something memorable to . . . to preserve this moment.”
“Go into the stall, Metaxas. I want to show you something. Just walk slowly and talk softly. I'll come with you. Misty won't hurt you.” Once they were in the stall, Nealy said, “Now I want you to rub your hands over the foal's body, just like you were giving him a massage. That's right. Do his head and ears. Good. Now, stick your fingers into his mouth and rub his gums. What you're doing is called imprinting. It's sort of like bonding. If you do this and the other things I'm going to show you every day, he'll be as imprinted to you as he is to his mother and me. It'll make him easier to work with as he grows older.” Nealy demonstrated how to pick up the colt's legs. “A racehorse's feet and legs are his most important assets. It's important not only for you to be well acquainted with how they should look and feel but for the horse to be relaxed when the farrier, vet, and other people examine them.” One by one she had Metaxas pick up his legs, massage them, then lightly tap each tiny hoof. “You have to do this every day without fail, Metaxas.”
“Not a problem, Nealy. I'll do everything you say. He feels wonderful. He's mine. This little guy is really mine.”
“You sound like you won't be here to oversee things,” Ruby said, a note of anxiousness in her voice. “Are you going somewhere?”
With an effort to keep her voice steady, Nealy said, “Clementine was just here as you know. We go to court soon. She told me she didn't much like me. That's okay. She doesn't approve of a few things she called surprises. Like for instance, Metaxas telling my brothers to sell the horses to him for five bucks each. And she didn't approve of me buying up the Coleman bank loans. The way I look at it is this. They started it. They didn't care about my brothers. Their plan was to snatch that farm right out from under them. And the horses. They didn't count on me, though. I have to do what I have to do. If I'm wrong, I'll be held accountable, and I'll deal with it. I won't beg or whine or cry.”
Ruby drew Nealy to her and cradled her head on her shoulder. “Honey, do what your heart tells you to do, and if you can live with what you're doing, it's okay. You gotta do what you gotta do. Just be sure to think things through and don't go off like Metaxas says, half-cocked. Pick your battles and map out your strategy. I think that's the same advice Metaxas would give you.”
“Am I wrong, Ruby? Tell me the truth.”
“You know me and my feelings about family. I know that I would kill for mine. I know that sounds terrible, and if it ever came to that, I'd try to find another way. But know thisâI am capable of killing to protect my own. Us women have this . . . this fierce protective thing in us when it comes to family. The Thorntons, my family, have it. It doesn't matter that I was born on the wrong side of the blanket. I'm one of them, and it is to that family that I pledge my loyalties. Why else would I have taken over the business of running Thornton Chickens? Fanny Thornton is not only the matriarch of the family, she's one of my dearest friends. I'm not sure about the Colemans. They're an aloof bunch to my way of thinking. I've never taken the time to get to know them because they aren't of my blood. So, where are you going and what are you going to do?”
Nealy shrugged. “I won't be doing anything till after the court case. If it all gets settled, I'm going to search out my mother's people. And I'm going to look into finding Sallie Thornton's sisters. I need to do all this. I've put it off too long. Maybe I won't think and hurt so much if I keep busy. Not to worry, I'll be here when it's time to start training Shufly.”
“What about Kendrick Bell?”
“He's not the one, Ruby. I guess what I'm trying to say is he didn't measure up in my eyes. I would go out of my mind sitting around like he does. I'm not ready for a sedentary life. He isn't going to change. He's too frightened. Like you said, Ruby, you gotta do what you gotta do. What does Metaxas say?”
Ruby laughed. “You don't want to know.”
“You're an incredible woman, Ruby. The best thing that ever happened to me was you coming into my life.”
Ruby blushed.
“I'm going to check the stallion barn and call it a night. You two don't have to sleep here in the barn, you know.”
“I know. We want to. Besides, I don't think you could pry Metaxas away from here. He is in seventh heaven. I've never seen the man so happy. To my dying day, Nealy, I will be grateful to you for this.”
“I'll say good night then,” Nealy said, hugging her.
“Night, Metaxas.”
Ruby rolled her eyes when her husband muttered something that sounded like good night. “Go!”
“I'm gone. See you in the morning.”
“Yeah, in the morning.”
She knew she was dreaming because she knew it was impossible for dead people to parade before her. They were angry with her and yet kind at the same time, forcing her to wonder how that could be. Off in the distance, standing on a hill, or maybe it was a mountain, was a sign that she could read if she squinted. FIND THE ANSWERS. What answers? A dream was supposed to
give
you answers. Didn't the subconscious provide you with responses to things that bothered you during the day? Didn't those questions lie in wait until you closed your eyes and then manifest themselves in crazy dreams? Somewhere she'd read that Gypsies believed dreams were a special knowledge presented to us by our ancestors. Upon awakening, one was to write down the dream and try to interpret its meaning. But this dream wasn't giving her any knowledge or any answers. It was just a crazy, mixed-up mess.
give
you answers. Didn't the subconscious provide you with responses to things that bothered you during the day? Didn't those questions lie in wait until you closed your eyes and then manifest themselves in crazy dreams? Somewhere she'd read that Gypsies believed dreams were a special knowledge presented to us by our ancestors. Upon awakening, one was to write down the dream and try to interpret its meaning. But this dream wasn't giving her any knowledge or any answers. It was just a crazy, mixed-up mess.
Nealy rolled over and stretched out her legs and immediately a solid cramp in the flesh of her calf caused pain. She hobbled around the room, her gaze swerving to the clock on the dresserâ4:10. When the cramp in her leg eased, she sat down in Maud's old rocker. She was wide-awake. Pain would do that to you, she decided. She found herself clenching and unclenching her hands, a sure sign that she was in turmoil.
Life was so complicated. Dealing with horses, employees, and the farm was totally different from real life. God, how had she come to this miserable patch in the road? Was she deaf, dumb,
and
blind? Obviously she was, or she wouldn't be in this predicament. And what exactly
was
this particular predicament that was making her so damn miserable she had nightmares? The kids? Ken? Her past? All of the above. “Your problem, Nealy, is you ignore any and all things that don't pertain to the well-being of the horses.”
and
blind? Obviously she was, or she wouldn't be in this predicament. And what exactly
was
this particular predicament that was making her so damn miserable she had nightmares? The kids? Ken? Her past? All of the above. “Your problem, Nealy, is you ignore any and all things that don't pertain to the well-being of the horses.”
There! She'd said it, and this time she would take it to heart and do something about it. This time she wouldn't ignore it.
The past. Deal with that, lay it to rest. Ken isn't going to play any kind of role in your life, so put all thoughts of him behind you. The kids will be okay. If they need you, they'll call. It won't matter that harsh words passed between you. Love between a mother and a child can never be broken. Let them go to do what they have to do to make their lives whole and rich. The horses, the farm, all was okay on that front. Ruby and Metaxas would take care of the foal for now. Dover could make things work, take up her slack, and, with the four brothers Smitty hired on as grooms, she could leave the farm for a few days at a time, possibly as long as a week. If she wanted to. The big question was, did she want to go on a quest whose ending she might not like. Maud always said, “If it ain't broke, don't try to fix it.” Maybe she should just let things alone. What good would it do to resurrect her mother's family? She might upset their lives if she was successful in finding them. Maybe it would be enough to know there was family out there. She could observe, check it out, weigh the pros and cons and then make a decision. Perhaps just knowing would be enough.
For long moments she sat there, still and silent, and reflected on her thoughts. It was strange, but she felt better already, as if a heavy weight had been lifted from her shoulders.
A sense of relief enveloped her, and she sat back. She had pinpointed the three trouble spots in her life. Blue Diamond Farms, while a great deal of work, was not complicated. It was her joy, but it was also her excuse for not making a life for herself. Things would eventually work out with Nick and Emmie. Kendrick Bell was no longer an issue.
Nealy closed her eyes and tried to formulate a plan. The court case loomed, pushing everything else to the side. Okay, she would deal with that and Clem on a day-to-day basis. When she wasn't dealing with the legal end of things, she could go through the files the private detectives she'd hired had handed over to her. She could go to Austin, Texas, check the court records, put notices in local papers. Surely something would surface to give her a clue to her mother's family. Plus, Pyne had sent on all the boxes and folders of records he'd found in the attic. She'd go through each box, each file, each slip of paper. Smitty could help her. All she needed was a starting point, something to dig into, something to follow through on. If there was family out there, she wanted to find them. And she would.
She heaved a sigh as she struggled out of Maud's rocker to head for the shower, then stopped in mid-stride when she thought about Hatch Littletree. She had to corral her thoughts where the big Indian was concerned. If he was going to be the protector of her children, their guiding star, she needed to rethink her feelings about him. Hunt always said Hatch had the purest of hearts. Whereas he had called her heart black. Her step faltered. “Oh, God!”
Dressed, her hair still wet from the shower, Nealy made her way downstairs. She wrinkled her nose. Was that bacon and coffee she smelled? She grinned when she saw Metaxas flipping bacon at the stove. “Coffee's ready, Nealy.”
“I am so hungry I could chew the doorknob,” Nealy said.
“Me, too,” Ruby chirped. “Smell him, Nealy. He smells just like us. Doncha love it, honey?”
“I sure do, sweet baby. What will you have, Nealy?”
“One egg, some bacon, toast, and lots of coffee.” She reached for her bottle of multivitamins at the back of the table.
“Coming up. Nealy, is it okay that a lot of my business mail, my calls and faxes come through here? I don't want your people bogged down with my business. I can just as easily bring some of my people here if you have a room where I can set things up.”
“You can use the cottage Danny and Hunt used to live in. Which reminds me, I have to call Danny sometime today. Dover didn't want to stay in the cottage, so it's empty. Feel free to use it. The office here in the house isn't big enough for what I imagine will be coming in for you. And then there's the entire garage and the apartment on top of it. Take your pick.”
Ruby sat sipping her coffee, looking like the second happiest person Nealy had ever seen. “The four brothers showed up this morning, Nealy. They were nice and clean, had haircuts, and they're respectful. I like all four of them. They know horses, too. Gentle hands. It's amazing, isn't it, Nealy, that I can spot a good worker. I learned a lot hanging around you. You're going to like all four of them, and they like each other. It's nice to see that. Billy, the youngest one, took to Metaxas right away. I think it was that role model/father image thing. Dover took over, and they hustled. Smitty did real good on that one. I'd give her a raise if I were you. Your new housekeeper arrives tomorrow. Good food for a change. Not that what we've been eating isn't good but it can be improved upon,” Ruby added hastily, her eyes on her husband standing at the stove.
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