Time Will Tell (Timeless Series) (13 page)

Soon Gus pushed away from the table and gave his wife a peck on the cheek. “We have a full day ahead. Come on, Libby,” he said, glancing at her. “We’d best get started.”

After waving at Berta and pretending to hit Nathan’s shoulder, Libby followed.

The June morning was crisp and cool, with very little humidity in the air as she fell into step next to Gus.

“Colin is leaving this morning, so we’ll need to take over his duties,” he said on the way. “That shouldn’t be a problem, since you’re so good with horses. I’m thinking you ride as well as you work with them?”

Libby shrugged, holding in her excitement. “Yeah,” she said as nonchalantly as she could. “I can ride. I was hoping you’d let me.”

Gus only grunted. “I’m working on training two of the mares for racing. You can take over for me. That way I can then work with the stallions. Our track’s out by the north pasture. Early morning is the best time to give them a couple of runs. We usually work two at a time—they run faster when they have a little competition.”

Libby cleared her throat. “I’ve never raced on a track before. I’m used to riding thoroughbreds and giving them a good run,” she said, swallowing her disappointment. “I’m not sure I’m ready to race on a track.”

“Ha!” Gus clapped her on the back. “If you can race through the countryside, you can race on a course. The horse may be a bit faster, but the even ground more than makes up for the extra speed.” He practically cackled in glee. “You’re in for a treat. Nothing compares to running these beauties around the track, encouraging them to reach their peak speeds.”

Open-jawed, Libby could only stare at him. Oh my God. She was going to race a horse. That alone was worth the inconvenience of having to return to 1874. Her grin widened. Every bit of the excitement running through her system came out in her voice as she said, “OK, I’m game.”

They entered the stables amid shouts and activity. Libby had to step back to avoid running into two men leading horses in their direction.

“Come on over here and meet the four we’ll be working with this morning,” Gus said, walking up to the beauty she’d seen him with on her earlier visit. “This is Zeus and here we have Asapurna, Fortuna, and Hercules,” Gus said as he took her to each horse, introducing her one by one.

Libby rubbed Asapurna’s neck and the mare nuzzled her in greeting. Up close she was gorgeous. All of them absolutely stole her breath with their magnificence. The thought of riding any one of them overwhelmed her. It was like she’d gone to sleep and a dream she hadn’t ever known she had was turning into reality.

“Once we exercise them, we’ll set them out to graze,” he said, handing Asapurna’s reins to one of the handlers.

“Do you put them to pasture because it’s summer
,” she asked, wanting to know all there was to know about how horses were trained in the past.

“
Ja
. We also do it in the winter as much as we can. The grasses here in Kentucky are better than any grain we can buy.” He stopped for a minute to grab some tack off the wall. Then he began to help ready the four horses for their workouts. “The only problem is we have to monitor how long they are out eating. Otherwise the horses have a tendency to get fat.”

“So the grasses really make better horses?” Like everyone else in her century,
Libby had come to take for granted what was right in her backyard. The grasses became a background, hardly noticeable because they were forever present.

Gus nodded. “Our soil’s rich in nutrients. Some believe the limestone in the natural terrain le
aches out into the grass, which in turn, is eaten by the horses and helps build a strong skeleton on the young foals.”

“All that from grass
,” she asked distractedly, brushing Asapurna. A native of Kentucky, she never thought about something as simple as grass being so important.

“
Ja
, bluegrass and bear grass are considered indigenous to this part of the country, but we don’t know if it was always here or if other settlers brought it,” Gus said, warming to his subject. “Many farms harvest the seed to sell in other parts of the US. Doesn’t matter to Colin or me. We only care that these native grasses help make the thoroughbred stronger and better. Before the war, most races were endurance races of at least four miles and for sure the horses were fast. Now races are shorter distances, usually about a mile or so, but the horses run much faster. Of course the horses from our stables do both—run faster and last longer. They have the endurance to last four miles or longer and are some of the fastest horses alive.” Pride rang out loud and clear in Gus’s voice.

“Well, these horses are definitely superior,” Libby said, putting the brush down and following him through the stable.

Until that moment, Libby never understood how important the landscape was to the health and well-being of the horses. The terrain seemed forever green—whether rolling hills or neighborhood yards—always the lushest in the late springtime and early summer after the spring rains. No wonder the best thoroughbreds in the country were raised within a fifty-mile radius of this land.

When everything was ready, they headed in the direction of the course. Along the way, Libby could only stare. The scene could be part of a Monet painting. The various greens of the grass and the lush deciduous trees, with their assorted shades of brown trunks that dotted the landscape, contrasted sharply with a sand
-colored stone wall that circled the pasture. The focal point of the entire scene was the reddish-brown sand and clay track, surrounded by a white fence and centered in all of the hues of greens and browns. Libby sighed. This truly was an adventure. There was nowhere else she’d rather be at that moment in time than here, preparing to race thoroughbreds.

“I thought you’d be halfway to Louisville,” Gus said, drawing her attention to a man she hadn’t noticed—Colin Thorpe. He was dressed more formally
, wearing a jacket and necktie, than when Libby last saw him.

Pretending her heart wasn’t beating wildly, she followed Gus and Colin over to the head trainer she’d met earlier. Jake took the reins to all four horses they’d been leading.

“I had a little time to kill before my train departs.” Without looking at Libby, Colin nodded in her direction. “What’s the lad doing here?” he said in an accusing voice that made her back straighten with determination to convince him that she belonged here, even if she didn’t.

“He’s proven his mettle,” Gus said, taking the sting away from Colin’s comment. “He says he’s ridden before, so I’m trying him out with the mares.”

“Really?” He then gave her a cursory glance and grunted. “He must’ve impressed you if you’re letting him ride one of the thoroughbreds. You’re usually very protective of them.”

“I still am. Just watch. See if I’m not right,” was all Gus said before nodding to Libby for her to follow him.

“I’ll watch, all right. I’m very interested in what the lad does after last night,” Colin said, then turned and walked toward Jake.

Libby tried not to let the comment bother her, but something about his tone of voice struck a nerve. She risked a glance back at Colin and watched as he and Jake exchanged a few words. Unfortunately, he chose that moment to look up and catch her staring. Averting her gaze, she inhaled deeply, praying her face wasn’t as red as it felt. She did not want to find that blue gaze so compelling, especially when he already seemed suspicious of her. “Remember
, Libby, you’re here for a purpose, so don’t get sidetracked,” she said under her breath. She needed to make a good showing during the race to ensure her job here. Going home without a copy of the deed wasn’t an option.

The men scrambled about setting up for the race. Mounting Asapurna, Libby allowed the excitement of the moment to help her shove Colin and his compelling gaze out of her mind. Gus rode Zeus. A handler, keeping a grip on both reins, walked with them to the starting point.

Jake held a stopwatch in one hand and gun in the other. He looked to Gus to give him the signal before firing.

At the sharp report, Asapurna leap
ed onto the course and took off with surprising speed. Libby quickly caught her balance and leaned forward, moving in sync and watching the scenery whiz by. Spurring the mare on, she’d never felt more liberated or happier. “Come on, girl,” she whispered, laughing at the rush she felt, knowing they were ahead. Riding this mount, with the wind blowing through her hair as the mare’s gait ate up ground, was indescribable.

She saw Gus on Zeus out of her peripheral vision, riding at warp speed, catching up fast. As the other horse and rider slowly took the lead, she leaned in and urged, “Come on, you’re too good to let him win.” Libby whooped and hollered as Asapurna did her damnedest to regain the lead, staying less than a length behind the stallion until the end.

When the race was over, both riders allowed their mounts to slow to a steady walk, then guided them back to where the group had gathered.

Gus dismounted and handed his reins to one of the other handlers. “Cool them off. They both gave a good showing.” Then he looked to Jake. “What’d he do? It has to be good.”

“It was.” Jake grinned. “Knocked two seconds off his best time. The mare set a record too.”

“I thought so.” Laughing, he walked over to Libby, who still sat atop of Asapurna. “I’ve never seen anything like it. Asapurna’s never run that fast. I had to push Zeus to keep his lead.”

Pure delight welled up in Libby. With her gaze on the ground, she dismounted with Gus’s help, just as Colin walked up.

“Where did you learn to ride like that?”

She looked up and noted those startling eyes again, only this time rather than being filled with suspicion, they held approval. As Colin continued holding her focus, her mind went blank. Not the best time to be tongue-tied. Geez, why did this guy affect her like this?

Finally, she was able
to clear her throat and managed to croak out, “I don’t know. I’ve always liked horses and they like me. I’ve been told I have a way with them.”

And even more disconcerting?
During their brief stare-off, she sensed a connection. He seemed as bothered by it as she was, considering afterward he quickly looked away, appearing embarrassed.

“Whoever told you that spoke the truth,” he said, recovering almost immediately. The warmth in his voice wrapped around her being like a blanket, casting off the rest of his earlier coolness.

“Our job just got easier,” he said, looking at Gus, practically beaming, which added another ten degrees to the heat spreading throughout her system. “Are you going to work the other two now? I can’t wait to see what they can do.”

“
Ja
,” Gus said. “This should be good.”

Libby kept quiet as they all headed to the starting point where Fortuna and Hercules stood waiting patiently for their turn. Never in her life had she felt such a pull as when Colin held out his joined hands to give her a lift up. The instant attraction filling her senses unsettled her. For God’s sake, even though she and Dave still hadn’t worked things out, she wasn’t free to go daydreaming about horse breeders who lived in the wrong century.

When the gun went off, Libby had no more time to contemplate her love life. She had her hands full with Fortuna. The mare was that much faster than Asapurna and every rider’s dream. Libby was bound and determined to make a good showing.

“Come on, girl, show me what you’ve got,” she said, leaning into the mare, feeling the rush as the wind hit her face and the landscape flew by in a whirl of greens, browns
, and grays. Instantly, it was as if she and the horse became one with a common goal. Fortuna, responding to her slightest touch and voice commands, stayed with the other horse, trying with all her might to take the lead. Hercules crossed the finish line first, but if the race had been longer, Fortuna might have won.

Libby eventually slowed to a walk to cool down the mare, honored to be sitting atop this special thoroughbred bearing the heart and the soul of a champion. The experience of riding this horse would stay with her for a lifetime.

Gus, having already dismounted, strode toward her with a big grin on his face. “Fortuna has never run that well against Hercules. What did you do to get her to run like that?” He grabbed the reins to steady the mare. “You, my boy, have a magical touch.”

Libby’s smile matched his. “It’s easy when you have such a good partner.”
She then bent from the waist to nuzzle the horse and whispered, “Next time, we’ll beat that ol’ Hercules.” Fortuna bobbed her head several times, pulling out of Gus’s grasp. Her strut became more pronounced and Libby laughed in pure enjoyment.

Colin hurried up to them, his gaze trained on Jake. “Was that a record for Fortuna?”

Jake nodded. “By eight seconds and Hercules cut three seconds off his best time, Mr. Thorpe.”

“You were right, as usual.” Colin clapped Gus on the back, practically gloating. “I’m as impressed as you are.” Then he turned to Libby and said, “Can you ride like that all the time?”

Shrugging, Libby struggled to act nonchalant as warmth spread up her neck. Thankfully, he refocused on Gus, too busy talking to pay her reaction any mind. “This boy certainly has a knack for getting the best out of our mares. I’ve never seen anything like it. Next race, you let him ride Hercules against Zeus and see what happens. Then I want you to let him ride Fortuna against Asapurna. Do the same tomorrow. Mix it up a bit while I’m gone.” His disquieting gaze settled on her once more. “When I get back, I want to work with you. You have the makings of a good jockey.” He shook his head. “By God, I’ve never seen anything like that performance.”