Authors: Shirley Wine
"Take care, Ms. Scanlan." Muriel stepped closer.
Victoria held her ground even as the question marks about Muriel Donovan's sanity escalated. "Tell me, did you marry for prestige, only to find out your husband was still enthralled with Elizabeth?"
She was sure she heard the woman gnash her teeth.
"How dare you? You'll live to regret that." She turned on her heel and flounced out.
Victoria let out a shuddering breath. The confrontation left her sick and scared. Had she lost her senses?
Me and my runaway tongue
.
She knew she'd just made an implacable enemy.
Bookmark chapter 7
Chapter Seven
K
eir stood near the back of the group of men as they walked into the well-appointed show barn of the Darkhaven stables.
He wrinkled his nose as the pungent smell of horseflesh, hay and sawdust assaulted his senses.
Memories he'd thought exorcized rose to taunt him.
He flat out hated the stables. Hated horses. Hated every brick and stone of Darkhaven.
So why accept the invitation to visit?
Taller than most of the other men in the party, he leaned back against a support pillar and looked over their heads, watching Logan parade a black stallion around the show ring.
With a jaundiced eye, he watched its high stepping gait, the spirited way it tested Logan's control.
"Magnificent piece of horseflesh isn't it?"
Startled, Keir glanced down and met the shrewd eyes of Logan's uncle. He gave a non-committal grunt.
"Still don't like horses?"
That produced a thin smile. "Nothing much gets past you, does it?"
The older man chuckled, his pale blue eyes almost disappearing in his creased, weather beaten skin. "Young Logan's so much like his dad. Lester was crazy about horses. He died when Logan was a little tyke, took a nasty spill on the racetrack at Ellerslie in a steeple chase."
This piqued Keir's interest. "I never knew that."
The old man gave him a measured glance. "I suspect there's a whole heap of things about the past you don't know."
"You won't get any argument from me."
The old man chewed on a straw, watching him. Keir grew restive under that shrewd gaze. "You still at outs with Caine?"
Keir stiffened, not prepared to touch that subject. He fervently wished the man would turn his attention back to the horseflesh being paraded.
Dan Sinclair put a hand on Keir's arm to snag his attention. "You had it rough as a young 'un, Keir. But, if you'll take a word of advice from me, unless you ask the right questions, you won't get the answers you want."
Keir frowned at the old man. Was he right?
"Think on it, lad," Dan said gripping his arm hard before he ambled off to get closer to the heart of the action.
Lad?
Keir smothered a derisive snort. It was a long time since he'd been anywhere close to being a lad.
"I'm surprised you joined this group," Caine said quietly.
Keir turned slightly, and looked at his father. "Not much else to do around here."
"You could always saddle up and go for a ride."
A bark of laughter escaped. "Sure. And wouldn't your precious horses enjoy that?"
Caine winced and remorse slugged Keir in the gut.
"Sorry, that was uncalled for." Keir looked at his father, surprised see him looking all of his seventy years. Dark shadows etched bruises under his eyes.
Caine laid a hand on his arm.
"No son," he said quietly. "I'm sorry. More sorry than you'll ever know."
Discomforted by his father's soft, sad words, Keir laid a hand on his father's and for a moment the rest of the noise faded as they looked at each other.
"It's more than time we let the past go. I'm ready to move on."
"Are you? You sure about that, son?" Caine stiffened, his gaze was suddenly harsh. "From where I'm standing, son. You're not going forward. You're hitchin' a rocket-ride to hell."
And that quickly, anger, regret and hate sat like a boulder in Keir's gut. "Unlike you, I honor my commitments. I keep my word and never deal in lies."
Keir suddenly realized their voices had risen and everyone had swiveled in their direction. He turned on his heel and strode out of the barn into the pale autumn sunlight. His chest rose and fell, harsh breaths created little puffs of steam in the chilly air.
His angry strides halted at the rails of the broodmare paddocks.
The mares, bellies distended with unborn foals, looked up as he stalked to the rail, and then with total disdain lowered their heads and continued to graze.
And isn't that the story of my life.
As he leaned over the rail, his father's words taunted him.
You're on a rocket-ride to hell
.
A mirthless laugh escaped. His father would know after so many years married to the biggest bitch on the planet.
And his father didn't know the least of it.
Keir had been to hell.
And nothing could ever be worse.
Eyes closed, hands gripping the rails, his ex-wife's perfidy slammed him all over again. Grief threatened his composure. Even after all this time, disbelief dogged him at her inherently evil action.
Was that why his angry steps had brought him to this area of Darkhaven?
He opened his eyes and watched the broodmares graze. One curious mare lifted her head and whinnied.
A soft sugar brown color, she ambled over to the rail and sniffed at his hand. Her coat was the same color as Victoria's hair.
Logan and Victoria
.
Now there was hell, wearing a different coat.
"Sugar Candy's looking for a treat." Logan spoke near his elbow.
Keir gave a start. "I've never been one to carry horse treats in my pockets."
Logan delved into his jacket pocket and brought out a carrot. "She loves sugar cubes but now she's pregnant, the only treats are healthy ones."
The mare sniffed at the carrot, and then with a muffled snort took what was on offer.
"You still love the horses?"
Logan chuckled softly. "Do leopards have spots?"
Silence settled as they watched the horses. Logan half turned to Keir. "What were you and Caine arguing about?"
"The usual." Keir aimed a vicious kick at an inoffensive clump of grass. "He wants to apologize—
—and you won't have a bar of it."
"That about sums it up."
Silence settled. The mare leaned over the rail and nudged Logan's arm. He reached up and stroked her nose. "Why don't you like horses? Your father loves them."
Keir laughed, the sound held a hollow echo. "There's your answer."
"Caine loves horses," Logan said slowly, "so you're required to hate them? Have I got that right?"
"God, that sounds so stupid, so bloody juvenile when you say it out loud." Keir turned around and leaned his back against the rail. "Are you serious about Victoria Scanlan?"
Logan laughed and the low amused sound scraped across bruised feelings like fingernails on chalkboard. "I wondered when you'd bring the conversation around to her."
Keir hated that his brother could see right through him. He watched him stroke the mare's nose. "Do you love her?"
"What's not to love? Victoria's hard working, trustworthy and loyal to a fault," Logan drawled affably. "And one of the best damn friends I've ever had. Does that answer your question?"
Keir ground his teeth in frustration.
He wanted to pick Logan up by the scruff of the neck and shake his secrets loose.
"You can't do it, you know."
"Do what?"
"Shake my secrets out of me anymore, like you used to."
Keir couldn't help it, a laugh broke loose. He met Logan's grin with one of his own. "You're no longer that skinny little runt."
Logan shook his head, another laugh escaping as he levered himself off the rails. "I used to get so impatient for the holidays. I'd wait for hours at the gate when you were due to arrive."
"Why?" Keir quirked a curious brow. "I treated you abominably."
"You were my hero, my big brother." Logan grinned. "You weren't always horrible. We did have a heck of a lot of fun, too."
As they walked side by side, back toward the barn, Keir recalled much happier memories. "Yeah. I'd almost forgotten that."
Logan stopped and gave him a sober look. "You know, I used to envy you."
"Envy me?" A bitter laugh escaped. "What the hell was there in my life to envy? You were the one that had it all."
"You were so grown up, and went away to school." Logan shook his head, hands thrust deep in his pockets. "As an adult, I now realize you were shunted off to boarding school because my mother hated you here."
Shocked by Logan's frankness, Keir was at a loss as to how to reply. "You aren't responsible for your mother, Logan."
"I know, but then neither were you. But rest assured, Keir, no kid of mine will be treated as you were. Nor would I ever inflict a bitch of a stepmother on an innocent child."
Logan's unexpected vehemence stopped Keir in his tracks. "Why do I get the feeling that's not an idle comment?"
Logan paused, shook his head and then said very quietly, "It wasn't. But I've said too much already."
"Does this have anything to do with Victoria?"
The level look Logan gave him reminded Keir of Dan Sinclair. "If you want to know anything about Victoria, ask her, Keir. Don't ask me."
Logan strode off and as Keir watched him disappear into the barn, Dan Sinclair's words echoed.
Unless you ask the right questions, you'll never get the answers you want.
Keir rocked back on his heels and looked upwards at the pale autumn sky.
But what are the right questions, old man?
*****
In the bank of shrubs and trees that framed the formal lawns and gardens of Darkhaven, Victoria found a stone seat set back from one of the bark strewn paths. She brushed away fallen leaves and sat down, trembling from that awful confrontation.
All her sensitivities were revolted.
What a nerve?
How dare Muriel Donovan or Davina Strathmore assume she could be bought?
A movement beside her brought her head up sharply. Her stomach clenched as she saw Keir. She so did not want see him while she was still affected by Muriel’s poison.
"Not so unaffected as you profess?" he drawled, sitting down beside her on the stone seat.
Victoria edged away from him. "Unaffected? By what?"
Keir gripped her wrist to prevent her escape. "Why, the love birds of course."
Victoria glanced up and saw Logan and Piper, arms entwined as they leaned against the railing fence, backs toward them, heads together, utterly absorbed in each other.
Logan how could you do this to me?
She wailed silently.
Couldn't you find someplace else to make out?
"Piper's a lovely woman."
If she thought the neutral words would make Keir back off she soon realized her mistake.
"I couldn't agree more," he drawled, "but it begs the question. Why did Logan bring you here this weekend?"
"Could be he wanted to make Piper jealous."
Keir considered her flippant words before discarding them. "You won't make me believe that."
"Then you'll have to ask Logan."
"I have." He gave a harsh bark of laughter. "Logan’s an oyster over you. No one can get anything out of him."
"And that's why I'm being grilled. I owe you nothing, Keir. Not loyalty. Not information. Not anything."
"Am I claiming it?" He dropped her wrist. "Don't over estimate your hold on me, Victoria."
"I'm not into masochism. You've made your intentions plain."
"I'm glad you're being so sensible."
He laughed again a sound that lacked humor. Every inch of his formidable body radiated menace.
Sensible?
She struggled not to laugh.
If she were sensible, she'd have insisted Logan take her home that first night. She would have run as far, and as fast, away from this man as she could.