STUDS AND STILETTOS (Romantic Mystery) (36 page)

For the next few hours, she hung around the ship-in barn, trying not to chew her lip and worrying alternately about Peanut and Dan. At least Peanut was eating and drinking. His temperature was a little high but out of the danger zone, and the vet was going to check the enzymes.

“This little guy has nine lives,” Colin said, inserting the vials of blood in his black vet case. “Yesterday I doubted he’d make it. Guess there’s no reason for Jenna to hurry back, not unless she wants to start her practicum early.”

He gave Emily a rueful smile. “I’m off to Dubai in six months. Burke made an offer I couldn’t refuse. He probably wanted to make sure Jenna could practice close to Three Brooks.”

Emily’s eyes held his in tacit understanding. She guessed Burke also wanted to make sure Colin was far away and happy. The two men were always cordial but Colin had once dated Jenna, and the vet was an extremely attractive man.

“You’re going to break a lot of girls’ hearts when you leave,” Emily said. “But sometimes you meet the right person when you aren’t even looking.”

“Sounds like you’re speaking from experience, little Miss Emily,” he teased. His grin deepened. “Hey, you’re actually blushing. Not a condition I usually associate with you. Glad to see it,” he added, lowering his voice so Wally couldn’t hear. “I hope you’re as happy as Jenna.”

“Oh, Colin.” She reached up and hugged him. Other than Dan, he was the most attractive man in the world, kind but with a steely core that held up even to Burke’s powerful personality.

She walked him to his truck and watched him drive away, fervently hoping he’d meet someone worthy in Dubai.

She remained in the barn for another hour, fussing over Peanut and even putting some braids in his unruly mane. However, he was more interested in hanging out with Charlie’s mare in the adjacent stall. Peanut’s return to his normal gregarious self left her smiling with relief and much more comfortable about leaving.

She wandered into the main building to grab a coffee and visit some old co-workers.

“Are you really working in the movies?” the receptionist, Frances, asked. “I thought you had to be really slim for that.”

Emily’s eyes narrowed. Frances was full of snide comments and constantly needed to be put in her place. “No, they need all sizes,” Emily said, “even big people like—” She paused, choosing not to complete the sentence. Sparring with Frances used to be fun but it wasn’t really a healthy sport. One of them always ended up hurt.

“I’m working with the horses. Not on screen,” Emily said, “so appearance doesn’t matter. It’s really cool how they’re trained to act wild and can do all kinds of stunts.”

“So you’re not in the movies.” Frances wrinkled her nose and turned back to her crossword puzzle. “You’re just cleaning stalls.”

Emily nodded. “Yes, and I love it.”

Smiling, she turned and walked away. Jenna always reminded her that Frances wasn’t mean, just unhappy. Besides, Emily didn’t work here any longer so the receptionist’s barbs didn’t matter. It actually had been nice to see her.

Emily stepped outside. She waved through the office window at Wally then turned and cut across the parking lot and onto the path that led to Emily and Jenna’s trailer—actually not their trailer any longer. Burke had built a beautiful home in its place. But it wasn’t her home. And now he was building a guesthouse.

Her steps slowed as she trudged along the overgrown path, in no hurry to be reminded that her family home had been demolished. It probably wouldn’t sting so much if she still had a bedroom, or even a sofa. After all, the trailer had been sagging. But to be grouped with Burke’s business associates in a separate guesthouse hurt.

She scooped up a rock and flung it at an oak tree. She and Jenna had always used the woods as a convenient place to vent their emotions. At least the trees never changed. The rock ricocheted, giving several satisfying bounces, and Emily blew out a sigh.

The house would be locked, of course, and she’d never been given a key. But maybe she could climb in a window and have a quick shower. If it were necessary to stay another night, she’d sleep with Peanut again. Besides, it was mainly the land she wanted to visit. The view from the Murphy porch had always been spectacular.

The trees thinned as the path widened into a clearing. Her steps slowed to a crawl. Burke had razed the shed and kennel, along with the old trailer. It had to be done, but part of her mourned the loss of her home. Of being pushed out.

Pulling in a deep breath, she stepped from the trees. For a second her breathing suspended. The new guesthouse wasn’t what she expected. Not one bit. In fact, it looked like an extension of Jenna’s house, blended so artfully it was impossible to tell where one ended and the other began. A beautiful deck extended around both homes, so all could share the panoramic view.

It wasn’t ostentatious at all. Not bad, Burke, she conceded reluctantly.

She stepped onto the deck and lifted the thick mat. No key. And why would there be? Jenna hadn’t known she was coming. In the good old days, they’d never bothered to lock their trailer. Three Brooks had a private road and security was tight. Besides, this place didn’t look like it used anything as primitive as keys. In fact, it had an intimidating control panel by the door.

She remembered Burke asking her to speak into a machine. Jenna had insisted they didn’t need locks while Burke had been equally insistent they did. Minutes later, they had laughingly slipped into the master bedroom, arms entwined, and Emily had been left rolling her eyes at their abrupt disappearance.

On impulse, she leaned toward the panel. “Hi,” she said.

“Hi, Emily.” The husky recording was Jenna’s and her voice sounded so relaxed and satisfied, Emily suspected Burke had finished this particular recording in bed.

Click.

Emily tilted her head, cautiously eyeing the handle. Something had happened but she didn’t want to touch anything that might trigger an alarm. Burke was so protective of Jenna, he probably had rigged a booby trap. Several of them.

The door swung open.

Emily grinned. Burke sure liked gadgets. However, the fact that he had included her voice in the lock deactivation made her feel much better. Almost like she still had a home. Maybe they wouldn’t stick her in the guesthouse after all.

She stepped inside and headed for the shower by the pool. Jenna always kept it well stocked, and there’d be no need to deplete Mrs. Hamilton’s emergency toiletries. She was hallway across the polished granite hall when she spotted a foyer on the left. It looked like Burke had made another addition.

An archway curved around the side. She veered though the foyer and up the winding steps, walking slowly, staring in confusion. It seemed she was now on the second floor of the guesthouse. But she couldn’t imagine they’d want their business associates underfoot.

She pivoted in a slow circle. A welcoming balcony linked the two houses and led into a five-sided turret. She could see the valley, the brook, even old Mrs. Parker’s house.

She stepped into the room and for a moment stopped breathing. Could only stare in disbelief. All their familiar treasures were here: their mother’s sewing box, the framed picture of their parents, even the carving of Peanut she’d made for Jenna back in the eighth grade. The old porch swing had been hung as well. She’d assumed Burke had thrown it out when he demolished the trailer.

She sank down on the friendly swing, her breath coming in grateful gasps. Nothing had changed, not really. It was all here on this shared balcony—the feeling of home, the belonging, the love.

She rose to her feet and walked into the attached guesthouse.

Her nose twitched. This place smelled familiar, like their old trailer, like someone had been using her favorite perfume. She stepped into the first room. Her hands swept to her face and she gawked in disbelief.

She rushed through each thoughtfully designed room, her cheeks now wet with tears. Her emotions churned with each discovery. Everything was here, her 4-H ribbons, her favorite moisturizer and a creatively designed closet with space for countless pairs of shoes. This was no guesthouse. It was apparent now—Burke had built a sister-in-law house.

Her throat convulsed, and the need to call and thank them was overwhelming. But she jammed her hands in her pockets, aware she had to wait. Otherwise, they’d question why she was home. Colin would be back in the afternoon to re-assess Peanut. If the prognosis was favorable, then she’d call.

She returned to the familiar swing, her emotions whirling. This house, Peanut, Jenna, Dan, the movie... There was much to absorb.

And while the conversation with Jenna might be upbeat, it was hard to feel optimistic about her call to Dan. Or that there’d even be a call. Because unfortunately there was still no response from Louise Hamilton, and try as Emily might, she couldn’t help but agonize about what he was thinking.

“So, Emily went to the stud barn yesterday and never came back?” Dan crossed his arms, watching Lizzie for any signs of evasiveness. “You sure she didn’t say anything?”

“Positive. We worked with Splash and she delivered the props for the bath scene. I didn’t ask her to do that though,” Lizzie added quickly. “She offered.”

“How did she act? Was she upset about something?”

“No.” Lizzie gave an emphatic shake of her head. Her face was flushed but she didn’t avoid his eyes. “Like I told you, she was excited about the shoot. And rather helpful. Splash was really good, by the way.”

“Yeah, great.” Dan ran his hand over his jaw, wishing he could concentrate more on his horses. He’d had a sleepless night even though Louise Hamilton had informed him that Emily was fine and simply needed to go home. But that didn’t make sense.

She’d literally worked herself raw trying to earn a shot at a speaking role. To simply walk away was astounding. She’d claimed she didn’t want to be an actress, that she only wanted a few lines to prove her success. He’d arranged that. Clearly though, she didn’t know what the hell she wanted.

Lizzie cleared her throat. “You sure she left the property?”

Dan wheeled. “What do you mean?”

“All I know is that she left here carrying the wash buckets. She wasn’t thinking about leaving. Only wanted to help with the horses. She seemed totally sincere.”

“They always do,” Dan said, his voice clipped.

“Yes,” Lizzie said, her voice troubled. “But now we know what it was like twenty years ago when that other groom disappeared…and maybe nobody looked very hard.”

“This is hardly the same thing,” Dan snapped. He immediately felt rotten. Lizzie hadn’t done anything wrong. He was the love struck idiot who’d let Emily into his life. And it had been a mistake. He knew better. “I’m sorry you wasted your time training her,” he added.

“It’s fine. She’s actually…okay. Did you say it was Mr. Hamilton or Mrs. Hamilton who drove her to the station?”

“Mrs.”

“Well, that’s a relief,” Lizzie said.

Dan stiffened, hit with a jolt of unease. Hamilton was a known lecher and like Lizzie pointed out, there’d already been one missing groom. “Guess I’ll ask a few more questions,” he said. “Find out why she left so fast. Who she was meeting.”

“Good idea,” Lizzie said.

But an hour later, Dan still had no idea where Emily had gone. The production company provided her phone number but she wasn’t answering. Neither were the Hamiltons.

“Emily didn’t call you?” he asked Anthony. “Or your assistant?”

“No.” Anthony raised an irritable eyebrow. “And if we hadn’t rescheduled that scene, this would have been damn inconvenient. That’s the problem with non-union. They jump ship for a better offer.”

“Emily isn’t like that.” Dan folded his arms. “She does everything with heart. There are no half measures.”

“Whatever,” Anthony said. “But those aren’t the kind of people I want around. They always burn you.”

“I only want to make sure she’s okay,” Dan said.

“You’re just shocked she left your bed. Don’t worry. It happens to the best of us.” Anthony jabbed him in the shoulder. “Welcome to the ranks of us mortal men.”

Dan scowled.

“Well,” Anthony said, grinning now. “If you can track her down, let her know she can still do the scene if she’s back tomorrow. We’re moving it to the main barn. And I need time to convert a little apartment.”

“What’s wrong with the stud barn?” Dan asked. “It already has an apartment.”

“Hamilton doesn’t want the barn used. He’s still upset about the fire and wondering what really happened to the groom. Anyway, that’s his story.”

“Yeah,” Dan said, unable to keep the strain from his voice. It was odd that only the Hamiltons knew anything about Emily leaving. He tried her number again but it went directly to voice mail. Her battery had been low so her phone might be turned off. Or dead.

He turned back to Anthony. “How did you know Emily wasn’t coming? Hamilton?”

“No. Emily called casting this morning.”

“Oh,” Dan said, at a loss for words. So she really was fine. She had chosen to leave. She hadn’t been kidnapped or forced to quit or developed amnesia.

When he was a kid, he’d half hoped his mother had been abducted by aliens. That she’d been sucked up by a green light in the middle of the night. For years, he’d prayed for super powers so he could fly through the sky and zoom to her rescue.

And naturally he was relieved Emily was safe. But there was no bogeyman to battle. She’d simply made a choice to leave. All perfectly fine. He didn’t want or need such a flamboyant woman anyway.

He pressed her number one final time. However, her cheery recording only exacerbated his deep sense of loss. He cut the connection, dropped his phone in his pocket and turned his attention back to his job.

*

“Peanut’s okay now, Jenna,” Emily repeated, adjusting the screen of her phone and bringing her sister’s face into sharper focus. “He’s even trying to reach over the door and grab Molly’s hay. All his vitals are better and Colin says his blood work is good. I’ll scan the reports and send them. But Colin thinks he’s over the hump.”